Ye Yaodong had stripped down to his shorts and sat waiting at the table, pinching his daughter's little cheeks as he did.
"Did you miss your old man?"
"Ah, Dada~ Dada~"
"Good girl!"
Old Lady patted his shoulder. "Are you cold? I'll close the door. Your mother went out without even shutting it behind her. The evening breeze is still chilly these days..."
Smiling, Lin Xiuqing brought over the basin of water she had mixed to the right temperature, then fetched a towel and handed it to him.
"Hurry up and wash. You're wet all over. Don't catch a cold. I'll get you some clothes from the bedroom."
"Mm."
Ye Yaodong wrung out the towel, washed his face, then started wiping down his body.
There was still work waiting for him, so he made quick work of it. After rinsing and wringing the towel two or three times, he had finished his upper body.
His lower body was soon done too: a scrub in front, a scrub behind, a scrub of his thighs, then both feet went into the basin for a soak. A wipe with the foot towel, and he was finished.
By the time Lin Xiuqing came out with his clothes, he had finished washing too.
"That fast?"
Ye Yaodong glanced at her without saying anything.
Lin Xiuqing smiled. "If you're done, get dressed before you catch a chill."
"Mm."
Ever the attentive wife, Lin Xiuqing took his foot-washing water out the back door and emptied it before returning to ask, "You still haven't told me why you came home alone ahead of everyone. And why were you soaked through?"
Ye Yaodong smiled this time. "I'll tell you when we're in bed tonight. No time to explain now. Give me five yuan. I need to go out."
"What