Bai Youyou glanced at Lin Shisan and Zi Yuner, then rose and went to the stream to wash the grease off her hands.
The water splashed and murmured. Her fingers soaked in its coolness as the current slipped between them, chilly against her skin.
She tilted her head, glancing out of the corner of her eye beneath the little tree behind her... Lin Shisan had his head turned slightly, murmuring something to Zi Yuner. Zi Yuner had not opened her eyes, but the corners of her mouth curved upward, as though she were listening to something that reassured her.
Bai Youyou looked away, shook the water from her hands, and stood to return to the fire.
"My turn to lie down for a while."
Without waiting for an answer, Bai Youyou sat down on Lin Shisan's other side, rested her head on his lap, and closed her eyes.
Her breathing soon steadied, as though she had been waiting a long time for this moment.
Lin Shisan glanced down at her without moving.
Only after a long while did he rummage through his Storage Ring for that folded old garment and gently drape it over her.
Bai Youyou's eyelashes fluttered. She did not open her eyes, but the corners of her mouth lifted.
Zi Yuner's sleepy voice came from his other side. "Youyou, you're crowding me."
"Then squeeze closer yourself."
Zi Yuner shifted, leaning a little closer to Lin Shisan. The three of them huddled beneath the little tree, their clothes pressed together, warmth passing through the thin fabric. Beneath the gray-white sky, they resembled a small cluster of warm sparks.
Overhead, a few strands of golden light slowly spread across the gray-white sky.
After an unknown stretch of time, Lin Shisan opened his eyes.
Bai Youyou still lay with her