Xie Ning lay on his stomach on the bed. The wounds on his back had scabbed over, and they itched so badly that he kept wanting to scratch them. Before his hand could reach his back, a cool hand pressed it down.
"Second Young Master, you mustn't scratch. If you break the scabs, they'll scar." Xiao Ya sat on an embroidered stool beside the bed, holding a tray of ointment. Today she had changed into a lake-blue cloth dress, its cuffs embroidered with a simple band of cloud patterns in matching thread. It looked a little livelier than the plain white outfit she had worn when she first entered the household. Her hair was still pinned up at the back with that same silver hairpin, but now there was a small silk flower beside her ear, a gift from Madam Xie.
Xie Ning withdrew his hand and settled back onto his stomach. Xiao Ya scooped a little ointment onto her fingertip, bent down, and gently spread it over the wounds beside his shoulder blade where the scabs had already begun to flake off. Her fingertip was slightly cool, and her touch was even lighter than it had been a few days earlier, as though she feared breaking something. With his head on the pillow, Xie Ning looked sideways at her. She always pressed her lips together when she worked, her lashes lowered. There was something a little funny about how serious she looked.
"You're wearing a flower today," Xie Ning said.
Xiao Ya's hand paused, and the tips of her ears reddened. She said nothing and went on applying the ointment.
"It looks pretty."
Xiao Ya lowered her head further. Her finger circled the edge of the wound, gently spreading the last bit of ointment. "Second Young Master, that's all