In the provincial capital.
It was four o'clock.
Fang family home, bathroom.
Dong Xuebin raised his arm and sniffed his thermal shirt. It smelled a little of laundry detergent, a little of mothballs from the closet, but mostly of Fang Wenping's feminine scent. It was not particularly fragrant, but it smelled very comfortable—especially nice. Since no one was watching, Dong Xuebin took several deep breaths before finally feeling satisfied. Then he found several hangers in the bathroom, hung up all his clothes, and opened the bathroom door.
"Big Sister Fang?"
"...Mm."
"Do we have a Clothes Dryer?"
"This is the north. What do you think?"
"Never mind, then. I was just worried the clothes wouldn't dry."
Clothes Dryers were used more often in the Southern Region because the air was more humid, making clothes harder to dry. Even if they were air-dried, they might retain a stuffy, damp smell. But the air in the north was relatively dry, so there was no need to worry about that. Even in winter, as long as they were not hung outside to freeze, clothes could be dried indoors without taking on that damp smell. Naturally, Clothes Dryers were used less often.
One piece...
Two pieces...
Dong Xuebin had no choice but to hang his clothes on a small balcony on the first floor. Of course, he was too embarrassed to hang his underwear out separately, so he clipped it inside his shirt. It would not dry easily that way, but at least it spared him some dignity. Otherwise, it would have been far too casual.
After dealing with his own clothes, Dong Xuebin looked toward Fang Wenping, who was reading the newspaper on the sofa. "Big Sister Fang, I didn't notice there were clothes in your washing machine, so I washed them together