46

Chapter 46: Bath When He Xing returned to the room, Jingdan was still asleep. She carefully climbed onto the bed, took the pillow out of Jingdan's embrace, and as soon as she lay down, she naturally embraced her. He Xing chuckled and turned to face Jingdan, extending her hand to put it on her waist for the first time while sleeping, and they embraced each other. Jingdan, still asleep, had no idea what had happened. She thought she slept well because she had treated someone kindly, hence she was enjoying an especially deep and peaceful sleep. When she woke up, she lazily lingered in bed, unwilling to get up, even keeping her eyes closed without intending to open them. Suddenly, her cheek was poked with someone's fingertip. She frowned and moved her head away from the poking fingertip with her pillow. However, no matter where she moved, that fingertip seemed to follow her like a shadow, poking and annoying her cheek. "Um," it sounded slightly fierce. There was a muffled laugh beside her, followed by He Xing's voice with a teasing tone, "If you don't get up soon, your butt will be sunbathed by the sun." Jingdan struggled to open her eyes, and upon seeing He Xing's close-up face, with her translucent and delicate skin glowing with a moist sheen. "Not awake yet?" He Xing raised her hand and waved it in front of her face. What was she so dazed about so early in the morning? Jingdan came to her senses, slightly annoyed, buried herself back under the covers, and murmured, "Winter is perfect for sleeping!" Although she quite liked winter, she still preferred sleeping to anything else. He Xing: "..." She really seemed like a kid reluctant to get out of bed to go to kindergarten. She chuckled, "But it's already eleven o'clock. If you don't get up now, you'll miss lunch." He Xing couldn't figure it out. Pandas don't hibernate, but this little fellow seemed to have adopted a hibernating attitude. As the weather got colder, waking her up became increasingly difficult. Jingdan peeked out with half her head, looking innocently at her. He Xing reached over and patted her butt through the covers, saying, "Get up quickly, go meet my mother, and then we'll go shopping for Chinese New Year goods together. Isn't tomorrow New Year's Eve?" Jingdan widened her eyes, she had to meet her mother?! After what happened last night, Jingdan felt a bit uneasy about seeing her mother again, feeling a sense of guilt. Seeing her unmoved, He Xing, with a sigh, filled a basin with water in the bathroom, dampened a towel, and began to help clean her up. Looking at her eyes misted with water vapor, He Xing smiled lightly, and as she removed her gaze, her throat slid slowly. Jingdan, now fully awake after being washed by her, said, "..." Helplessly, she got up to freshen up. She couldn't go to meet He Xing’s mother in her pajamas, so she needed to go back to her room to change clothes. As she opened the door, she came face to face with Huhu, who happened to be passing by. Jingdan: "..." Huhu: "..." Huhu carefully observed Jingdan's obviously just-washed appearance, along with her sleepwear and through Jingdan's shoulder, catching a glimpse of He Xing bending over to tuck in the sheets. What else was there to not understand? She immediately got annoyed, staring at Jingdan in a tone of reproach, "How did you come out from her room?" Jingdan, oh Jingdan, do you have any crisis awareness at all? Sleeping with a woman who has ill intentions towards you like this, aren’t you afraid of being taken advantage of in the middle of the night? Jingdan didn't know what to say or how to explain, so she just shut up and looked somewhat embarrassed in front of Huhu. Enraged at how indifferent Jingdan seemed, Huhu forcefully pulled her away to have a word with He Xing! After being pulled away by Huhu and receiving He Xing's glance, Jingdan then left without any burden, heading towards her room as she hesitated. Without hesitation, she left He Xing to deal with this mess by herself. Since she also had a part to play in this, having faced the embarrassment that had been revealed, it was only fair that He Xing handled the aftermath! Watching Jingdan leave without hesitation, He Xing fell silent for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle softly. This little one was indeed straightforward; once she decides to go, she doesn't hesitate to leave. However, seeing Huhu still angry, He Xing felt even more frustrated. How could she still laugh? “Can you tell me why you two came out of the same room?” Huhu looked at He Xing so excitedly that she seemed like a protective mother hen, questioning the bad person trying to lure her child away. Innocently, He Xing said, “We have come out of the same room many times, and you know that.” Whether it was when she stayed at Jingdan's house or when Jingdan slept over at her place, didn't they always sleep in the same bed? Huhu was not ignorant of this situation, so why was she so worked up today? Huhu: "... But that doesn't mean you can do such things in front of me!" Knowing something was one thing, but seeing it was another! He Xing, feeling a little helpless at Huhu's logic, said, "We didn't do anything, just normal sleeping." What could they do? Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t do anything, right? And while she didn't consider herself an entirely good person, she didn't think she was so morally corrupt to take advantage of someone sleeping, right? "Are you sure you didn't do anything?" Huhu asked suspiciously. "Of course," He Xing was almost swearing to the heavens. Seeing her like that, Huhu snorted, "Make sure, I don't want to see any news about naive women being tricked and abducted. "Rest assured," He Xing said. Huhu seemed to care as much as Jingdan’s aunt! Seeing He Xing's expression, Huhu nodded satisfactorily and went to the kitchen to brew herself some coffee. He Xing shook her head and also went to prepare lunch. When Jingdan came out after dressing up, He Xing had finished making lunch, a simple fresh bamboo shoot soup with noodles. "Auntie, aren't you coming down to eat?" Jingdan asked softly. "No, I'll send it up to her later," He Xing replied. Jingdan: "... Oh." Thinking about meeting He Xing's mother later, she ate with a slightly tasteless feeling. Watching her like this, He Xing found it both amusing and endearing, but in the end, she didn't say anything, waiting for her to finish eating before taking her upstairs to see He Yuan. She knocked on the door, and He Yuan's voice came from inside. "Come in, Xiao Jing." Hearing this, He Xing hesitated to decide. Since her mother had spoken like that, it was clear that she didn't want her to go in. Finally, she gave Jingdan a meaningful look and went downstairs to wait. Left behind, Jingdan stood still for a moment, then took a deep breath and walked into the room. At first, she didn't see He Yuan, but she bypassed a huge screen and entered a room that resembled a study, where He Yuan was standing with her back to her, busy with something. "Sit down first," He Yuan said. Jingdan became even more uneasy, found a seat, and didn't understand why He Yuan had called her. He Yuan turned around to look at her, seeing her awkward expression, she smiled gently, and with a hint of interest in her eyes, she said, "Revert to your true form." Jingdan: "..." Her face turned red with embarrassment, "Wh-why?" Sitting across from her, He Yuan asked, "Do you know what kind of spirit He Xing is?" Jingdan shook her head, although she had some guesses, she didn't dare to confirm. "A crane spirit, a white crane spirit. So, as her mother, what kind of spirit do you think I am?" He Yuan asked. Jingdan: "..." She had suspected that He Xing might be a crane spirit, but didn't expect she was truly a white crane spirit. "So, yesterday, were you showing me your body? Why suddenly show me your body?" Jingdan was somewhat confused while feeling a bit panicked, wondering if He Xing had discovered her identity as a spirit and intended to take her back to show her mother. Observing her somewhat flustered expression, He Yuan understood why He Xing was drawn to her. This little fellow, who wouldn’t like her? "So, I noticed last night that you showed symptoms of missing soul, and this symptom is affecting your transformation, isn't it?" He Yuan's tone was patient and gentle when addressing Jingdan. Speechless, Jingdan couldn’t believe she was considered 'lacking soul’?? A panda spirit like her lacking in health! Jingdan rolled her eyes, refusing to accept even though this was He Xing’s mother! Observing Jingdan's somewhat emotional expression, He Yuan's interest grew even stronger, and suddenly understood why He Xing was fond of her. After all, who wouldn’t love this little one? "So, I noticed that you have symptoms of partial soul loss last night, and this symptom is still affecting your transformation, right?" Speaking to Jingdan in a more patient and gentle manner, He Yuan noticed her discomfort. Helplessly, Jingdan had no choice but to transform back into her true form, with her two to three months old appearance as a little one, huddling on the couch, feeling too embarrassed to look at He Yuan. However, He Yuan stared at the little one for a moment, then leaned closer and crouched by the edge of the couch, showing a rare touch of curiosity. She reached out to twirl the little one's distinctive clump of silly fur on top of her head. "Why do you have an extra clump of silly fur compared to other pandas?" When mentioning the silly fur, she hesitated a bit, as if trying to think of another adjective, but couldn't come up with anything more fitting than 'silly fur.' Jingdan, with her silly fur being twirled, felt powerless in front of He Xing's mother and shrank on the couch, looking as if she had been grievously wronged. He Yuan wanted to laugh even more, lifting the little one from the couch, stroking her soft fur all over, and softly commented, "You are much better to touch than He Xing was when she was young." Jingdan silently thought: Does He Xing know you're saying these things about her? As Jingdan was held in her arms, she then saw He Yuan pick up a small jade bottle from the table and lead her into another room. In that room, there was a wooden tub filled with a pale blue liquid of unknown substances, into which He Yuan placed her. Jingdan, with her fur suddenly wet, felt a mix of urgency and discomfort as she looked at her now flattened fur that lost its fluffiness. She had no choice but to accept the fact that she had turned into a wet bear! He Yuan poured the contents of the bottle into the tub, a deep black liquid that seemed bitter, and the smell only got stronger after being poured in. "If it's a bath, why can't I soak as my human form?" Jingdan couldn't help feeling aggrieved. She definitely couldn't look at herself now! Her appearance was ruined! "The medicinal herbs are very precious. If you were in your human form, the quantity required would naturally be more due to your larger size," He Yuan explained calmly, even patting the wooden tub used for ancient facial wash to emphasize her point. Jingdan: "..." Since He Yuan was willing to treat her and had taken out such precious medicinal herbs, Jingdan knew it wasn't appropriate to say more. Watching the obedient little one soaking in the tub, He Yuan suddenly felt the urge to pat her head, and at that moment, the clump of silly fur was dripping wet and drooping, making her look incredibly pitiful. With a hint of amusement in her eyes, she continued to rub and tweak the little one's two small ears, treating her almost like a cherished doll that she didn't want to let go of. Jingdan, being rubbed and tweaked, could only shrink in the tub, feeling too powerless to resist. (End of this chapter)