Chapter 5 - Footbath (2/2)

Xue Dongting was so embarrassed, her hands propping her up on the edge of the bed. She wanted to say something. But he slowly dipped her foot into the hot water. This time water, which came up to her ankle, did not scald her.

Squatting there on the floor, Song Yuming gently tied up the bottom of her skirt to keep it from dipping into the water.

Xue Dongting looked down at the knot in her skirt and a faint, warm feeling spread over her.

She dawdled about soaking her feet because she didn’t know what she should do once she was done. By the time Song Yuming warned her, the water had already gone cold.

She took her feet out in a hurry and Song Yuming handed her a clean cloth before taking up the wooden basin and going outside.

Xue Dongting dried her feet, then sat on the bed hugging her knees, lost in thought, thinking back to when Song Yuming had touched her foot. She felt hot all the way to her ears.

Soon she felt her eyelids getting heavy. She had not slept a wink last night and had slept poorly the night before that, and now sleepiness was coming on strong. She shut her eyes gently. Maybe just a quick nap.

Half asleep, Xue Dongting felt someone embrace her. In her previous life she was in a constant state of anxiety, so she sprang awake, only to see Song Yuming’s sharply carved face.

Song Yuming smiled and said mildly, “I saw you sleeping and was afraid you’d catch cold.”

Xue Dongting squeezed out a smile and hemmed and hawed, “I’m really… so sleepy…”

Song Yuming nodded, not speaking. Meaning since she was tired they should sleep.

Xue Dongting was nervous, seeing the fisherman had already doffed his cotton-padded clothes and was not wearing only a thin undergown. But he didn’t do anything to her.

She hesitated, then reached up and undid the button on her outer robe and took off her red attire. Underneath was a light, pale bluish-white satin gown. It was still a bit cold in the room as she dug in under the quilt, shivering. The quilt was ice-cold, which made her even colder. She couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering.