When Gu Lan knocked on the door, she was startled.
The one who answered was a young girl as pretty as someone stepped out of a newspaper illustration. Fair-skinned and delicate, with eyes red and swollen from crying—it was obvious she’d just had a good, hard cry.
“Oh my, what happened?”
With an enamel washbasin tucked under one arm, Gu Lan grabbed Wen Jianing’s hand with the easy familiarity of an old acquaintance and led her inside as if she were entering her own home.
She settled Wen Jianing onto the sofa before speaking in Mandarin tinged with the local accent.
“You’re Xiao Wen, right? Just call me Aunt Gu. I live right next door, so we’ll be neighbors from now on.”
The woman looked to be in her early forties. Her short hair was cut to ear length and pinned back with two black hair clips, revealing a broad forehead. She was slightly plump, and every word she spoke carried a warm, friendly smile.
“My poor girl,” Aunt Gu said as she sat beside her and gently patted her knee. “Tell Aunt Gu what happened. Why have you been crying so hard? Did that brat Tingyue bully you?”
Wen Jianing’s skin was already exceptionally fair, and crying had only made it more obvious. Even the tip of her nose was pink, making her look heartbreakingly pitiful.
In an era when everyone wanted sons, Gu Lan had always dreamed of having a daughter.
The more she’d wished for one, the less fate had cooperated. She’d given birth to two boys in a row. Having a daughter simply wasn’t in the cards for her.
Now, seeing Wen Jianing like this, her heart practically melted.
Her expression immediately turned serious, her brows knitting together as though she were ready to march off and seek justice on the girl’s behalf.
“Don’t be shy. Just tell me. Aunt Gu will stand up for you!”
“No, no.” Having just cried, Wen Jianing’s voice was thick with a heavy nasal tone, as though a lump of cotton were lodged in her throat. She quickly found an excuse. “He didn’t bully me. I… I just miss home.”
Song Tingyue had already told Gu Lan everything about her circumstances.
He had come to see her personally just moments earlier, asking repeatedly that she look after his wife.
Gu Lan’s husband was Li Shungang, the political commissar of the division headquarters.
Li Shungang and Song Tingyue’s father, Song Zhen, were not only comrades-in-arms but lifelong friends. Ever since Song Tingyue had been reunited with his birth family six years ago, Gu Lan and her husband had treated him almost like one of their own.
Song Tingyue had lost his mother at a young age. By heaven’s grace, he had been adopted by a kind family in Shanghai.
The young woman sitting before her now was that family’s daughter.
Gu Lan knew perfectly well about Wen Jianing’s background, but she had no intention whatsoever of distancing herself from the girl.
So what if they had been capitalists?
Anyone willing to take in an orphaned child and raise him to adulthood had to be kindhearted and decent.
“As long as Tingyue didn’t bully you, that’s all that matters. He’s famous around headquarters for being tough as nails. He drills those soldiers under him until they howl. If he sounds harsh when he talks, don’t take it personally. That’s just the way he is.”
She scooted a little closer.
“But then again, it’s your first time being so far from home. Of course you’re homesick. This Gobi isn’t anything like Shanghai. It’s dry, dusty, and the wind never lets up. You’ve only just arrived, so naturally everything feels unfamiliar. Don’t rush yourself. You’ll get used to it. If anything’s bothering you from now on, just come find Aunt Gu.”
As she spoke, she stood and picked up the enamel washbasin from the coffee table.
“Come on. The bathhouse is open now. Let’s go take a bath. Don’t think about anything else. Have a good wash and get a good night’s sleep. Just focus on today. Tomorrow can wait until tomorrow.”
Warmth spread through Wen Jianing’s heart, and she nodded.
Water was precious here.
The bathhouse only opened for a short period each day. Miss the window, and you’d have to wait until tomorrow.
As soon as opening time arrived, the women from the family quarters flooded toward it as though by prior agreement. Each carried a washbasin and a bundle of clean clothes tucked under an arm, hurrying along for fear the hot water would run out or they’d end up waiting forever.
Walking ahead, Gu Lan kept up a brisk pace while chatting the whole time.
“Better early than late. There aren’t too many people yet. Once the crowd comes, it’s packed so tight you can barely find a place to stand.”
Clutching her belongings, Wen Jianing followed behind her through the corridor toward the bathhouse.
It was the first time she’d ever seen people treat bathing like a military operation.
When they reached the entrance, she was completely dumbfounded.
Calling it a bathhouse was generous.
It was really just a row of low brick buildings with a faded blue cloth curtain hanging over the entrance.
As soon as the curtain was lifted, a cloud of thick steam rolled out, filling the room with white mist so dense she could barely see a thing.
The sounds of splashing water, chatting women, and enamel basins clanging together blended into a din as noisy as a marketplace.
The concrete floor was soaked, slick with water beneath every step.
Standing frozen in the doorway, Wen Jianing had no idea where to go.
Seeing her hesitate, Gu Lan simply took her by the hand and pulled her inside.
“Come on, Xiao Wen. Set your basin here.”
She placed the washbasin on a long wooden bench in the changing area and immediately began undoing the buttons of her blouse.
“W-we just… undress here?”
Wen Jianing’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“Of course.” Gu Lan’s hands never stopped moving. “Just leave your clothes here once you’ve taken them off, then let’s hurry inside and claim a shower. If we’re late, there won’t be any showerheads left. We’ll have to wait for someone else to finish.”
Within seconds, Gu Lan had stripped off her outer clothes until all that remained was a pair of floral underpants.
They had only met for the first time less than an hour ago.
And now they were supposed to bare everything in front of each other?
Instinctively, Wen Jianing clutched the collar of her blouse tighter, as though afraid someone might yank it open.
She glanced around.
Everyone else was undressing too.
Young wives, elderly women—none of them showed the slightest embarrassment. Their clothes came off with astonishing speed, as though clothing itself were the unnecessary thing in this room.
They rolled their clothes into bundles on the benches, slipped off their shoes, went barefoot, picked up their basins, and headed into the bathing area.
Peering around the corner, Wen Jianing saw rows of rusty cast-iron showerheads beneath which stood completely naked women.
Some even crowded together beneath the same shower, chatting and laughing merrily.
She stood rooted to the spot, locked in a fierce internal struggle.
Forget bathing with strangers.
She had never even stood completely naked in front of her own family.
The people who had seen her body could be counted on one hand.
Her mother.
Her father.
And…
Song Tingyue.
But that had all been when she was a child.
Since becoming an adult, no one had ever seen her body.
Seeing that she still refused to move, Gu Lan immediately understood.
She’d heard that those grand Western-style villas all had bathtubs. One of their bathrooms was probably bigger than this entire bathhouse.
A pampered young lady like Wen Jianing had probably never seen anything like this in her life.
Like coaxing a child, Gu Lan said gently,
“Feeling a little shy? It’s alright, sweetheart. Once you’ve done it once, the second time won’t feel nearly so awkward. Just toughen up a little. That’s how bathhouses are here. Everyone’s used to seeing each other, so nobody gets embarrassed anymore.”
“Besides, it’s convenient. You can even help each other scrub your backs. Isn’t that nice?”
“You’ve been traveling for days. You must be covered in dust by now. A good, thorough wash will make you sleep so much better tonight.”
“Come on, listen to Aunt Gu. Don’t just stand there. The hot water won’t wait. If the boiler can’t keep up later, the water will turn cold.”