So tired, so tired.
Yuan Yingti sat in the bath barrel, like a water ghost, her dark, wet hair plastered over her face.
She gripped the barrel's edge, gasping for breath. She had never imagined washing her hair could be this exhausting. Why was her hair so long, so thick? It seemed endless, as if she could never finish washing it.
Yuan Yingti leaned against the barrel, breathless. Her strength had long been spent, and she desperately wanted to sleep, but the water was about to turn cold… She had no choice but to force herself upright, lower her head, and continue scrubbing strand by strand.
Outside the side room, Xie Zhi leaned against the wall, listening to the splashing sounds of water within.
If not for the sounds still coming through, he might have thought she had run away.
Why was she taking so long? It had already been a full shichen.
Xie Zhi crossed his arms, tapping his fingers against his elbow one by one, then shifted his posture and continued leaning against the wall to wait.
The two were separated only by a thin door. Xie Zhi listened to the clear sounds of water inside, without any sense that he shouldn't be eavesdropping.
He was watching over her, making sure she didn't escape.
Who knew whether she had already realized he was a fraud, and was merely pretending to believe him now, waiting for an opportunity to slip through his fingers?
He had always been cautious, and he would never allow her any chance to flee.
The water dripped inside, like streams sliding down skin. Xie Zhi's eyes were half-lidded, his expression unreadable in the moonlight's shadow.
Another two ke passed before the water sounds finally ceased, replaced by the rustle of fabric as she dressed. Xie Zhi straightened up and leisurely walked away from the side room.
Before long, Yuan Yingti emerged, supporting her nearly-broken neck, her steps unsteady.
She was on the verge of tears from exhaustion, her fingers numb.
"Miss, let me help you." Steady footsteps approached from afar, and Yuan Yingti raised her hand, resting it on Xie Zhi's arm.
She leaned on him as they returned to the main room. The fire in the stove was still burning. Yuan Yingti sat on a small stool, letting down her tangled long hair, planning to dry it by the stove's warmth.
Xie Zhi's gaze fell on Yuan Yingti's clothes. Seeing she was still wearing the same garments from the day, he suddenly realized—he had forgotten to prepare clothes for her.
Not just for her—he had forgotten to prepare clothes for himself as well.
"My fault. I forgot to prepare a change of clothes for you, Miss."
Yuan Yingti had only realized after her bath that she had nothing to change into. There had been too many things to handle today, so oversights were inevitable. She understood and comforted him: "It's alright."
What a considerate mistress. This young lady, delicate as she seemed, was soft and gentle, without a trace of airs.
Xie Zhi's lips curved slightly. "It's late now. I'll go buy some for you first thing tomorrow morning."
Yuan Yingti nodded. She was truly exhausted, taking a comb and running it through her hair stroke by stroke.
The stove fire burned brightly, quickly drying her hair. But the dried strands were mostly tangled and messy. She combed for a while until a thin layer of sweat broke out from the effort.
She wished she could order someone else to comb it for her… but the only one by her side now was A-Nu. He was a man—could he handle such delicate work? Yuan Yingti fell into hesitation.
Xie Zhi was staring at her hair. He had never seen hair so lustrous, like satin made of water. He wondered what it would feel like to touch. And so, he chose this moment to speak: "Miss, shall I help you?"
"Alright." Yuan Yingti quickly handed the comb over.
Whether he could do it or not, only by doing it would they know.
Xie Zhi curved his lips, brought over another stool, and sat down behind her.
Yuan Yingti's hair was very long, thick and dense. Having just been washed, it gave off strands of fragrance. He had clearly bought ordinary bathing beans, yet after she used them, the scent seemed elegant, a subtle fragrance that refreshed the senses.
Xie Zhi used his fingers to lift a strand of long hair by her ear. The texture was soft, as expected. He used a comb to slowly smooth it from top to bottom, and when he encountered tangles, he gently separated them with his fingers.
He served her too comfortably. Yuan Yingti thought with relief that A-Nu could not only do dirty and heavy work, but it turned out he could also do this kind of delicate work. He alone could replace a whole room of her maids.
Yuan Yingti warmed herself by the fire, and her scalp gradually relaxed. She could not help but yawn. Earlier when she was bathing, she had already been so tired she wanted to sleep. Now that she yawned, the drowsiness she had suppressed earlier revived again. Her head nodded lower and lower, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and gradually, she actually fell asleep.
Xie Zhi watched with his own eyes as she slowly leaned back, finally falling into his arms, while his fingertips were still holding a strand of her hair.
He lowered his head and stared at the face so close at hand. She slept sweetly, that face like newly bloomed petals, her skin like the finest congealed cream.
The subtle fragrance drilled into his nose. Xie Zhi combed her hair slowly and methodically, feeling the warm body temperature as she leaned against his chest. That silken black hair was now entirely entrusted to his hands; he could comb and play with it as he pleased.
Who knew how long it had been, but the fire in the stove gradually quieted, leaving only a crimson glow of charcoal.
Yuan Yingti's hair was finally fully combed through.
Xie Zhi draped the smooth long hair over her side and leaned down to call her by her ear.
"Miss?"
"Wake up."
Yuan Yingti opened her eyes and sat up properly in a daze. She did not realize where she had just been lying.
"Is it done?" she asked sluggishly.
"It's done."
"Then I'm going to sleep." She stood up and, half asleep, felt her way into the bedroom.
The door closed. Not long after, the wooden bed inside creaked once, and then there was no more movement.
Xie Zhi's embrace grew cold, though a fragrance still seemed to linger on him. He pulled up his collar and inexplicably sniffed it, then crossed his arms and went back to the bedroom to sleep as well.
When he returned to the west bedroom and closed the door, he did not hear that the wooden bed in the east bedroom creaked again.
In the pitch-black room, Yuan Yingti sat up from the bed.
She curled up her legs uncomfortably—was there sand on the bed?
These were the bedding and covers A-Nu had newly bought, so how could there be sand? Yuan Yingti knelt and leaned over at the head of the bed, reaching into the bedding to feel around.
She felt around for quite a while—oh, so it was not sand after all, but the fabric was too rough.
As long as there was nothing dirty, that was fine… Yuan Yingti was so sleepy she was muddled. She crawled back under the covers and soon sank into deep sleep again.
…
In the early morning, the small town gradually awoke. The first sunlight pierced through the thin mist, birds chirped in the treetops, and from afar came the loud crowing of a rooster.
Yuan Yingti opened her eyes in bed.
Someone was moving about in the main room. Listening to the intermittent sounds of busy work outside, she lay for a while longer before getting up from the bedding.
She put on her clothes one by one. Her body felt a little itchy, so she scratched it. Bending down, she put on her shoes, pushed open the door, and walked out.
Xie Zhi was outside preparing breakfast. It was all things he had just bought back from the market: two bowls of thick porridge, two eggs, and two round steamed cakes.
No sooner had he set everything out than a knock came at Yuan Yingti's bedroom door. Xie Zhi looked up and said, "Miss, you're awake…"
His voice suddenly stopped. "What's happened to you?"
"Huh?" Yuan Yingti was bewildered, not knowing what had occurred.
Xie Zhi frowned at her. In just one night, her body had broken out in red rashes—they spread across her wrists, her neck, and had even crept up onto the lower half of her face.
"I'm taking you to see a doctor."
Yuan Yingti still didn't know what had happened, but his voice sounded very serious.
She asked softly, "Why do I need to see a doctor?"
"Miss, your body is covered in rashes."
Yuan Yingti was stunned for a moment—no wonder she was so itchy. Remembering the coarse bedding from last night, she shook her head and said gently, "No need to see a doctor. It's fine. They'll fade in a little while."
"How does Miss know that?"
"I've been like this since I was little. My skin is a bit delicate—when it touches coarse fabric, I break out in rashes." Yuan Yingti said, embarrassed.
A pampered young lady of a noble house, and she was this delicate? Xie Zhi furrowed his brow.
"What fabrics does Miss usually use?"
Yuan Yingti didn't normally pay much attention to what she used—Mama Fang was the one who took care of all that. She thought carefully for a moment, and could only vaguely recall a few names.
"Cloud-Rainbow Brocade, Moon-Satin Gauze, Floating-Flower Silk…" She couldn't remember any more, so she said, "Anything smooth and fine will do."
"I'll go right now and buy new things for Miss." Xie Zhi threw on his outer robe, and before leaving, frowned at her again. "Does Miss really not need to see a doctor?"
"No need. It's fine. Within half an hour they'll definitely be completely gone."
Xie Zhi instructed further, "Breakfast is on the table. Miss, please eat first. I'll go quickly and be back quickly."
Yuan Yingti nodded obediently.
Xie Zhi soon left the small courtyard. The main gate opened and closed again, and Yuan Yingti sat down at the dining table.
She didn't like thick porridge, nor was she fond of plain boiled eggs, so Yuan Yingti picked up a steamed cake, tore off a piece, and broke it apart bit by bit to eat.
…
In the bustling center of Peach Blossom Town stood a fabric shop. The shop was two stories tall, and above the lintel hung a horizontal plaque bearing four large characters: "Sanniang's Fabric Shop." The wooden building had latticed windows and two jade-tasseled lanterns hanging down. This was probably the finest fabric shop in Peach Blossom Town.
Xie Zhi stepped inside, and a plump, round woman came up to greet him warmly.
"What would you like to buy, sir?" The woman was the shop's owner, named Sanniang.
Xie Zhi glanced around the shop and said, "Bed sheets. Quilt covers."
"Certainly, sir. Take a look at these."
Sanniang was about to lead him to look at the fabrics outside the counter when Xie Zhi suddenly said, "I want Cloud-Rainbow Brocade."
"Cloud-Rainbow Brocade?" Sanniang was taken aback.
Seeing Xie Zhi nod, she couldn't help but laugh. "Sir, you must be joking. That Cloud-Rainbow Brocade costs a hundred taels of silver per bolt. That's what the nobles in the capital use. This is just a small shop in a town—where would I get such rare fabric?"
"What about Moon-Satin Gauze?"
"Moon-Satin Gauze is even more expensive—three hundred taels per bolt."
"Floating-Flower Silk."
"Floating-Flower Silk?" Sanniang's gaze toward him had already turned somewhat unfriendly, as if she took him for someone who had come to cause trouble and pick a fight. "Even if I sold this whole shop, I couldn't afford a single chi of it."
Perhaps because Yuan Yingti was so approachable, Xie Zhi had nearly forgotten that she was the wealthy daughter of the Yong'an Marquis household. It was as if in this moment that he first caught a glimpse of the true life of this pampered noble lady.
Xie Zhi was silent for a while, then said, "What's the finest fabric you have here?"
Sanniang looked him up and down, then walked to the very back of the counter and opened the topmost cabinet. Carefully, she took out a bolt of fabric: "This is the finest goods in my shop—fifty taels. Do you want it?"
"I do."
Seeing that he had actually bought it, Sanniang was overjoyed. This was a big deal—she might not sell fifty taels' worth of goods in a whole month. Treating Xie Zhi as a major customer, she warmed up again: "Our humble shop can make it into bed sheets and quilt covers for free. Leave your measurements, sir, and come pick them up later."
Xie Zhi agreed, left the fifty taels of silver, and departed from the cloth shop.
His coin purse was light and airy—the last half-pack of silver was spent as well.
Xie Zhi stood on the long street, weighing the deflated purse in his hand.
Now he was completely penniless.
From now on, he and that delicate golden branch and jade leaf would have to live a life without food or clothing.