Soaking in a bath
When He Ying returned to the room, Jing Dan was still asleep on the bed. She carefully climbed onto the bed, took out the pillow from Jing Dan’s arms, and as soon as she lay down, she instinctively hugged her close.
He Ying chuckled softly, turned to face Jing Dan, and for the first time, she proactively placed her hand on Jing Dan’s waist as they fell asleep in each other’s embrace.
Unaware of what had happened while she was asleep, Jing Dan thought she had a good rest since she slept so peacefully. When she woke up, she lazily lingered in bed, unwilling to get up. Her closed eyes showed no intention of opening.
Suddenly, her cheek was poked by someone’s fingertip.
She frowned, snuggled further away from the fingertip with the pillow.
However, no matter where she moved, that fingertip seemed to be omnipresent, poking and prodding her cheek, which was really getting on her nerves.
“Ugh!” came a slightly gruff voice.
A muffled chuckle sounded beside her, followed by He Ying’s voice, filled with amusement, saying, “If you don’t get up soon, the sun will be shining on your butt.”
With some effort, Jing Dan opened her eyes and was met with He Ying’s close face, her skin translucent and delicate, radiating a warm glow.
“Still not awake?” He Ying raised her hand and waved it in front of Jing Dan’s face, wondering why she was still in a daze so early in the morning.
Jing Dan came to her senses, feeling a bit miffed, and buried herself back under the covers, muttering, “Winter is just perfect for sleeping!”
Despite her fondness for winter, she still preferred sleeping over everything else.
He Ying: “…” She really acts like a little kid who doesn’t want to go to kindergarten and just wants to stay in bed.
He Ying chuckled lightly, “But it’s already 11 o’clock, you’ll miss lunch if you don’t get up soon.”
He Ying couldn’t understand – although pandas don’t hibernate, this little one seemed to have adopted the hibernation style as the weather got colder, making it increasingly challenging to get her out of bed.
Jing Dan peeked out half of her head, looking at He Ying innocently.
Through the covers, He Ying slapped her buttocks and said, “Get up, we’re going to see my mom and then go shopping for New Year’s supplies. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, isn’t it?”
Jing Dan widened her eyes, she had to meet her mom?!
After experiencing what happened last night, Jing Dan felt a sense of guilt and hesitation at the thought of meeting He Ying’s mother again.
Seeing Jing Dan still unmoving, He Ying sighed and went into the bathroom, fetching a basin of water. She dampened a towel and began to gently wash Jing Dan’s face, her eyes clouded with steam from the warm water. She smiled faintly and as she averted her gaze, a slight movement slid down her throat.
After being fully awakened by the face-washing, Jing Dan looked at He Ying, feeling resigned.
She got up and went to freshen up, realizing that she couldn’t just go meet He Ying’s mom in her pajamas. She needed to go back to her room to change clothes first.
As she opened the door, she locked eyes with Hu Tu, who happened to be passing by.
Jing Dan: “…”
Hu Tu: “…”
She carefully observed the freshly washed look on Jing Dan’s face, along with her pajamas, and even caught a glimpse of He Ying bending over to fold the blankets through Jing Dan’s shoulder. What was there not to understand?
Frustrated, she looked at Jing Dan with a tone of reprimand and said, “Why did you come out of her room!”
Jing Xiaodan, oh Jing Xiaodan, do you have any sense of danger at all? Are you not afraid of being taken advantage of while sleeping next to a woman with questionable intentions?
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Jing Dan remained silent, unsure of what to say or how to explain, simply looking at Hu Tu with a hint of embarrassment.
Hu Tu was furious – did this person even know how to protect themselves?! Although she trusted He Ying’s character, it didn’t mean Jing Dan shouldn’t have any defenses up!
Watching He Ying approaching the door, Hu Tu pulled Jing Dan aside, intending to have a chat with He Ying.
Jing Dan, pulled away by Hu Tu, received He Ying’s glance and without any burden, she turned around and left, heading to her room without hesitation. She had already faced the embarrassing situation of being caught, and now she left the messy explanation for He Ying to deal with.
Since she had her share of involvement, Jing Dan believed the aftermath was for He Ying to handle.
Watching Jing Dan leave without hesitation, He Ying fell silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but chuckle softly. This kid was truly straightforward – if she wanted to go, she would just go without a second thought.
On the other hand, Hu Tu, seeing He Ying still able to laugh, grew even more furious, glaring at her and saying, “You’re still laughing! Tell me, how did you all come out from the same room!”
He Ying looked at Hu Tu’s agitated expression, who at this moment resembled a protective mother hen, standing in front of her chick and interrogating the person trying to lead her chick astray.
Innocently, He Ying said, “We have come out from the same room many times before, you know.”
Whether it was Jing Dan staying over at He Ying’s place or He Ying staying at Jing Dan’s, they always slept in the same bed. Hu Tu was well aware of this situation, so why was she so worked up today?
Hu Tu: “…But that doesn’t mean you can do it right under my nose!”
Knowing something is one thing, but seeing it happen is another!
He Ying felt somewhat helpless with Hu Tu’s logic, “We didn’t do anything, just normal sleeping.”
What could they do? Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t do anything? And she asked herself, even if she wasn’t the most moral person, she wasn’t so morally corrupt as to take advantage of someone while they were asleep, right?
“Really didn’t do anything?” Hu Tu asked with some doubt.
“Of course,” He Ying almost swore to the sky at that moment.
Seeing her like this, Hu Tu snorted lightly, “Make sure of that. I don’t want to see any news about deceiving naive women.”
He Ying: “…Don’t worry.”
Hu Tu’s worries were almost catching up to Jing Dan’s aunt, weren’t they?
Seeing He Ying’s expression, Hu Tu nodded satisfactorily and headed to the kitchen to make herself some coffee.
He Ying shook her head and also started preparing lunch and other things.
When Jing Dan finished getting ready and came out, He Ying’s lunch was ready as well – a simple fresh asparagus noodle soup.1
“Xiaojing, come in.”
Upon hearing this, He Ying was at a loss for words, but since her mother said it that way, it was obvious she didn’t want her to come in with Jing Dan.
Finally, she glanced at Jing Dan and then went downstairs to wait.
Left behind, Jing Dan: “…”
She took a deep breath and entered the room.
She didn’t see He Yuan at first, and after walking past a huge folding screen, she entered a room that looked like a study where she finally saw He Yuan standing with her back to her, tinkering with something.
“Have a seat first,” He Yuan said.
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Jing Dan became even more reserved, finding a place to sit down, not understanding why she had asked to see her.
He Yuan turned to look at her and noticed her reserved and uneasy demeanor. She couldn’t help but smile lightly, a hint of interest in her eyes, as she said, “Change back to your true form.”
Jing Dan: “…”
Her face turned awkward, “W-why?”
He Yuan sat across from her and asked, “Do you know what kind of spirit He Ying is?”
Jing Dan shook her head, even though she had some suspicions in her heart, she still didn’t dare confirm.
“A crane spirit, a white crane spirit. So what kind of spirit do you think I am as her mother?”
Jing Dan: “…” She had some suspicions it was a crane spirit, but didn’t expect it to be a white crane spirit.
“So, you were showing me your body last night? Why did you suddenly show me your body?”
Jing Dan was a bit puzzled and a little flustered. Could it be that He Ying knew her true identity as a spirit and had discovered her secret, intending to bring her back to show her mother?!
He Yuan carefully observed her slightly flustered appearance and realized that she truly did not want He Ying to know. So she said, “I just saw you last night, noticed something off about your appearance, and, being a physician, wanted to check your physical condition.”
However, upon hearing this, Jing Dan was dumbfounded.
Her appearance was off???
So, a panda spirit like me has an off appearance? My body is perfectly healthy!
Jing Dan scoffed, not even acknowledging the words of He Yuan, who was He Ying’s mother, in front of her!
Seeing Jing Dan’s slightly emotional expression, He Yuan’s interest grew stronger. Suddenly, she began to understand why He Ying had fallen for her. A little rascal like her, who wouldn’t like her?
“So, last night, I noticed a symptom of an incomplete soul in you, is this symptom affecting your transformation?” Facing Jing Dan, He Yuan’s tone became more patient and gentle.
Jing Dan was speechless. No wonder her aunt and the others were determined to find the White Crane Clan. It turns out that their medical skills were truly admirable. Yesterday was just a brief examination, yet she already knew her condition.
“So, can you transform back to your original form now?” He Yuan asked lightly.
Jing Dan: “…” Did she even have a choice?
Feeling resigned, she finally transformed back to her original form. The small cub, who had the appearance of a two or three-month-old, curled up on the sofa, too embarrassed to even look at He Yuan.
However, as He Yuan looked at the little cub, she paused for a moment, then approached and squatted beside the sofa. Rarely showing a hint of curiosity, she reached out to touch the tuft of silly fur on the cub’s head. “Why do you have an extra tuft of silly fur compared to other pandas?” When she mentioned the silly fur, she hesitated a bit, as if considering other descriptors, but ultimately couldn’t think of a better term than “silly fur.”
Feeling the silly fur being touched, Jing Dan, being pressured by the fact that this person was He Ying’s mother, didn’t dare to resist at all. She could only huddle on the sofa, looking completely crestfallen, as if she had endured some great injustice.
He Yuan couldn’t help but smile more, lifting the small cub from the sofa and stroking her soft fur. She murmured softly, “You’re much nicer to touch than He Ying was as a cub.”
Jing Dan silently thought to herself: Does He Ying know that you’re saying this about her?
As Jing Dan was being held in her arms, she saw He Yuan pick up a small jade bottle from the table and lead her to another room. In that room, there was a small wooden tub filled with a pale blue liquid of unknown origin. He Yuan then placed her into the tub of liquid.
Jing Dan, instantly drenched in the liquid, exclaimed, “…”
Looking at her fur matted down after getting wet, feeling a mix of urgency, discomfort, and frustration, Jing Dan could do nothing but accept the fact that she had been turned into a soggy bear!
He Yuan poured the contents of the bottle into the tub, a deep black liquid that clearly seemed to be of the bitter medicinal type. Indeed, as soon as it was added, the strong scent of bitter medicine became even more potent.
“Since it’s a bath, why can’t I soak in it in my human form?” Jing Dan said somewhat indignantly, realizing she probably couldn’t bear to look at herself now! Her entire appearance was ruined!
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“The medicinal ingredients are precious. If you were in your human form, the larger body would require a greater quantity,” He Yuan said softly, even tapping the wooden tub that resembled something used for washing one’s face in ancient times to make her point.
Jing Dan: “…”
If they were willing to treat her and using such precious medicinal ingredients, she naturally couldn’t say anything more in protest.
He Yuan looked at the obedient little cub soaking in the tub, feeling a sudden urge to reach out and gently pat her head. At this moment, the tuft of silly fur had been drenched by the water, hanging down in a pitifully endearing manner.
With a hint of amusement in her eyes, He Yuan then proceeded to rub and pinch the cub’s two small ears, treating her as if she were a beloved toy doll that she couldn’t bear to let go of.
Jing Dan, being rubbed and pinched: “…”
She could only remain huddled in the tub, feeling resigned and not daring to resist in the slightest.
The author has something to say:
The little cub was so angry that she felt like she was about to explode!
Hahaha, the cub who couldn’t “rua” (same as tease or playfully poke) Hehe, got “rua” by her mother first.
There will be another update tonight~!
