(This chapter was Shenhe Zicai, so it's a bit awkward. Please bear with it. ꒦ິ^꒦ິ)
Bai You looked down at her fish tail, which was soaking in the water.
She looked up at Varesa again.
Am I that fish?
"Hmm." Varesa laughed, her eyes crinkling.
Bai You's face flushed red instantly.
"You--you you you--"
She was both embarrassed and anxious. She flicked her tail in the water with a "splash," splashing up a large spray of water that soaked Varesa's skirt.
"You're the soup! Varesa is all soup!"
"Hey, hey, don't splash, don't splash!" Varesa laughed and dodged away.
"The soup needs to simmer for a long time to be flavorful; if you disturb it, you'll mess up the cooking time."
"Soup must be simmered slowly; haste makes waste."
"You still dare to say that!"
Bai You was so angry that she flicked her tail again.
Varesa didn't dodge this time, letting the water splash onto her face.
She reached up and wiped her face, then smiled.
"Okay, okay, stop fooling around."
She walked to the table and unscrewed the last small jar.
"This is really for bathing."
She scooped a small spoonful of the deep amber-colored paste and put it into the water.
A sweet, resinous aroma slowly spread through the steam.
The fragrance was different from those other random things; it smelled very pleasant and relaxed the nerves.
Bai You turned her head away in a huff.
"What is this?"
"Pine resin balm," said Varesa, "I really like the scent."
She gently stirred the water with her hand, dissolving the balm.
"This is really good for the skin."
Bai You snorted, but the fragrance was so pleasant that she couldn't help but curl her lips into a slight smile.
She did feel that the water temperature seemed a little hotter than before.
It could also be due to the ginger slices.
It could also be for some other reason.
"You..." she asked in a muffled voice, "Why haven't you come in yet?"
"What's the rush?" Varesa sat down on the small stool beside the bucket, propping her chin up as she watched her. "The soup needs to simmer for a while."
"And the soup!"
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about the soup."
Varesa smiled, reached out, and gently stirred the surface of the water.
The petals swirled in the water, and the milk stained it a warm, yellowish-white.
The green fish tail of the Bai You was faintly visible in the water.
Varesa watched for a while, then her gaze softened.
"It looks good," she whispered.
Bai You's ear tips turned red again.
She shrank further into the water, leaving only half her face above the surface.
"Hurry up and get into the bucket." Her voice was muffled, coming from the water. "The water's getting cold."
"Okay."
Varesa responded, but didn't move.
She sat there for a while longer, resting her chin on her hand, quietly watching the person in the bucket.
I looked at it for a long time.
It went on for so long that Bai You started to feel uncomfortable being stared at.
"Are you coming in or not...?"
"Come in."
Varesa then stood up.
She turned around and slowly unbuttoned and pulled down her outer skirt.
Unlike Bai You, she didn't deliberately turn around; she simply revealed her fair shoulders and back naturally.
Bai You quickly submerged her face in the water.
Two bubbles rose to the surface of the water.
Varesa turned around, saw it, and couldn't stop laughing.
"It's not like we haven't seen it before."
"Shut up."
A muffled sound came from the water.
Varesa stopped teasing her, held onto the edge of the bucket, and stepped into it.
Hiss--
She gasped.
"It's so hot."
"It's good that it's hot." Bai You raised her head from the water, her cheeks flushed, whether from steaming or something else, it was hard to tell.
"Who told you to put so much ginger in?"
"That's called timing and control."
"That's called murdering the parent fish."
Varesa chuckled.
She sat down in the tub, the hot water reaching up to her waist.
The instant she submerged, a flash of blue light appeared underwater, and a blue fish tail gently unfurled, overlapping with Bai You's fish tail underwater.
Two fish tails gently touched in the water where flower petals floated.
Varesa sighed contentedly, leaned against the tub, and closed her eyes.
"Okay, that's fine."
Bai You secretly glanced at her.
The steam made her cheeks slightly flushed, her dark hair clung damply to her neck, and tiny water droplets clung to her eyelashes.
"... What did you just say?" Bai You suddenly asked.
"Hmm?"
"What do you say is ready? Can we drink it now?"
Varesa opened her eyes and turned her head to look at her.
Those eyes were brimming with laughter, almost overflowing.
I said--
She deliberately dragged out her words.
"The fish soup is ready."
"It's ready to drink."
Bai You paused for a second.
Then, her face flushed bright red.
"Wo--Ya--Ni--Sha--!""
She suddenly flicked her tail, and the whole bucket of water splashed up with a loud "whoosh," creating a huge wave that sprayed petals and goji berries everywhere.
Varesa laughed and tried to dodge, but the bucket was only so big; there was nowhere she could escape.
The two of them were splashing around in the water, their laughter drifting from the small bathroom all the way out the window.
After making a fuss for a while, Bai You finally stopped, panting, and glared at her.
"If you dare utter another word about 'soup,' I'll... I'll..."
"What will you do?"
Bai You thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out.
Finally, she let out a "humph," then snuggled into Varesa's arms, burying her face in the crook of her neck.
"I'm going to stick with you."
Varesa paused for a moment.
Then, she smiled.
She reached out and pulled the person into her arms, gently resting her chin on Bai You's head.
"Okay."
The water murmured softly, and the petals twirled on the surface.
The bucket was large enough that two people could squeeze together just right.
"If you're going to renege on your promise, then renege on it for life," Varesa whispered in her ear.
Bai You didn't say anything.
But her tail, underwater, quietly and gently touched her.
Varesa looked down at the small head buried in her arms.
I watched for a while.
Then, she suddenly laughed.
The laughter was very soft.
" Little Bai You."
'... Hmm.'
"The water is still hot."
'... Hmm.'
"The soup is ready too."
"... You still say that."
Varesa didn't respond.
She simply raised her hand, her fingertips tracing the wet ends of Bai You, slowly sliding down.
It slid behind the ear.
Wherever it passed, the skin trembled slightly.
Bai You's breathing became disordered.
"... Varesa?"
"Hmm."
"Where are you putting your hands...?"
" Shh."
Varesa leaned close to her ear, her voice low, as soft as a feather brushing against her.
"Then let's--"
She paused.
"..."
She didn't finish her sentence.
Or rather, there's no need to finish speaking.
Bai You's face flushed bright red instantly, from her ears to the roots of her neck.
She wanted to look up, to glare at her, to say something—
Varesa gently pulled her into her arms.
The petals were pushed by the water ripples, slowly, slowly, until they floated to the edge of the bucket.
The heat intensified.
The fog was so thick that it enveloped the entire bathroom in a white mist.
No one can see anyone clearly.
later.
What happened after that is unknown.
The wooden barrel swayed for a very, very long time.
The petals on the water's surface gathered and scattered, scattered and gathered again.
When everything finally calmed down--
The water in the bucket had cooled completely.
Bai You opened her eyes groggily and found herself nestled in a warm embrace.
The water has cooled down.
The petals sank to the bottom of the water, while the goji berries floated on the surface. The scent of pine resin had faded, leaving only a faint, almost imperceptible sweetness.
Varesa was asleep too.
She leaned against the tub, her eyes closed, her wet blue hair clinging to her cheeks, her breathing light.
Can...