Spring Winds

Do you remember when Zhu Na Ran asked Ye Lian Hua about bathing together?

What if Ye Lian Hua accepted?

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"So Senior Sister, about that bath..."

"Okay."

"Wah! Really!" Zhu Na Ran exclaimed! Senior Sister accepted her request! Wow! Zhu Na Ran's expression brightens up like a dog getting a treat. "Okay, let me get my stuff first!"

She quickly dashed over to her room, slammed the door open, and rapidly grabbed some bath supplies.

"I'm ready, are you ready?" She caroled as she flashed in front of Ye Lian Hua. She didn't even have time to turn around and grab her things. Just how fast was her junior sister?

"Alright," she started. "Let me-"

"No need," Zhu Na Ran interrupted quickly. "I have enough for both of us," flashing her senior sister with a broad and reassuring smile. Zhu Na Ran was practically shaking with excitement. If she were a dog, no doubt she would be wagging her tail furiously.

"Ah, okay," Ye Lian Hua answered slowly and a bit perplexed.

The two of them walked off to the bathhouse. Located along a trail that was along the side of the mansion, the two had discovered this spot when trying to fetch water for cleaning specific areas of the estate. And of course, they had to clean this place too. However, unlike the grievous state that the rest of the mansion was in, the bathhouse was relatively untouched. All they had to do was scrub a few areas and change the water by letting the spring attached naturally filter out the water.

"Mh hm mhh," Zhu Na Ran hummed as she skipped along the trail, haphazardly swing the bucket back and forth. Ye Lian Hua calmly walked beside Zhu Na Ran quietly, observing her spirited junior sister.

Even though they walked the same path differently, their pace was the same.

"Ahh, here we are!" Zhu Na Ran exclaimed. The two girls stopped in front of a humble little shack before Zhu Na Ran pushed open the door with a slight squeak. The inside of the bathhouse was rather small. It only contained one bath the made majority of the floor space. The two of them could sit inside of the tub comfortably with a bit of distance between them.

Though it was a natural spring, it didn't produce much heat. Therefore one would need to throw in some fire spirit stones into the pool for the pool to warm up.

Taking out the small red rocks, Zhu Na Ran concentrated her spiritual energy and imagined it filling the foundation. Soon enough, the rock began to heat up, and she quickly threw the small stones into the pool. They entered the pool with a little plop, and steam began to rise from where they landed.

"Senior Sister, you can change over there if you like," she offered, nodding her head over to a small bench, "I'll be over here to watch the water."

"Eh," Ye Lian Hua responded. She made her way to the bench and slowly began to take off her robes, being mindful of her hand.

"You need help there, Senior Sister?" Zhu Na Ran's teasing voice rang out through the room.

"N-no, I can handle it myself," she called back, her face feeling a bit hot. Is the bath almost ready?

"Alrighty! It seems like the water is warm enough," Zhu Na Ran exclaimed as she fished out the fire stones and tossed them aside. It seems like they ran out of energy.

Jumping into the pool of water, Zhu Na Ram sighed with pleasure. "Get in Senior Sister! The water is nice!" She splashed around a bit as water flung out of the pool. Ye Lian Hua barely stepped back quick enough before the rain hit her foot.

She narrowed her eyes a bit at her junior sister, and Zhu Na Ran stopped messing around.

"Hehe, sorry," she apologized sheepishly and obediently just sat still on her side of the pool.

Sighing, Ye Lian Hua shook her head slightly before entering the bath. Thankfully the steam was dense enough that each one didn't need to worry about nudity. Even then, they were still both women.

As for what happened while they were a few feet apart?

Well, something wet and steamy.

They washed the sweat and grime from a long day of work from their tired bodies.

What else would you expect? Did you expect some action?

Get your mind out of the gutter; they are respectable women, after all. No, here's what happened.

"So," sitting in the pool together, Zhu Na Ran was the first to break the silence between them. "You have any hobbies?"

"Eh, I take care of penjing trees[1]," Ye Lian Hua responded. Her voice echoed through the room, accompanied by the soft trickling of water.

"Penjing? What's that?" Zhu Na Ran questioned. She hadn't that term before.

"Its the art of dwarfing trees. It can take up to years to raise even one successfully tree, and even then, it still could be all for not," she explained.

"Wow, that cool! Are you taking care of one right now?"

"Yes, I have two back at home. One was my grandmother's, and the other one is one that I am cultivating on my own."

"Hmm, if you ever happen to visit, take me with you! I'd like to see them."

"Sure."

The bathwater began to cool, and the two exited the bath and headed back to the mansion. Even though it was a simple bath together, it seemed the relationship between the two had warmed up, also if it just was a little.

[1] penjing - the older and Chinese version of bonsai. Instead of being meticulously pruned like bonsais, penjing trees embrace the more chaotic nature of plants. They tend to be bold, lively, and even playful at times. It's interesting to imagine Ye Lian Hua cultivating a tree like this.