An You and Xiao Xueer were both unbearably hot. Even after taking a hot shower, they were still sweating, and the weather seemed to have grown stiflingly hot without them realizing it.
Hot water certainly got them cleaner, and they felt better afterward, but they still wanted to cool off.
There was a small swimming pool in An Yang's room, but it was fine for a leisurely dip when they had nothing else to do. It wasn't big enough for them to really let loose and play.
So they accepted Huang Lan's invitation. Since they hadn't brought swimsuits, they went upstairs and picked out underwear in colors and fabrics suitable for playing in the water, then carried it in a stiff paper bag across to the villa opposite.
The two villas stood on opposite sides of a small hill, connected by a straight road running over the top. The distance wasn't great; it took no more than three minutes to walk. Since the villa belonging to the three Banshees had been built later, the road up from the foot of the hill came closer to An Yang's villa. To go downhill, Huang Lan and the others had to walk along the road over the hill, then take the turnoff outside An Yang's villa.
An You and Xiao Xueer rarely walked along this road. The winding mountain road led straight to An Yang's front door, and they only came this way now and then to visit Huang Lan and the others, or to take a walk after a meal.
Hardly anyone ever disturbed the place. They'd been here many times, but could count on one hand the number of outsiders they'd seen along this road. The plants grew with unusual freedom. Dense Chinese chastetrees lined most of the roadside, shrubs just