Xue Dongting suddenly coughed several times and Song Yuming quickly loosened his grip on her adn asked, "Are you alright?"
Xue Dongting looked at him blankly, seeing anxiousness in those pitch-black eyes. She turned her face away, tears spilling out. "It's none of your business if I'm alright or not. Since I'm not Xue Dongting, you don't need to act like you care about me."
Song Yuming hesitated, frowning at her. For a long time he said nothing.
Xue Dongting had been hoping to get him to say that he didn't care who she was, but he just stood there like a block of wood saying nothing. Fury rose in her heart and she sneered, "So I see whether I really am Xue Dongting really is so important to you, just go find the real Xue Dongting. Let go of me."
Song Yuming held her tight, not letting go. He held her as he stood up and walked off toward home. Xue Dongting pounded his chest and shoulders with both her fists, crying out, "Let me go, you're kidnapping an ordinary woman… Let me go… Let me go!"
He let her fists softly pummel him, his pitch-black eyes unusually determined.
They made it back to the thatched cottage and he laid her down on the bed, ignoring her struggles as he covered her with the quilt. "I'll go light the brazier and boil some water."
Xue Dongting had been shouting all the way home so that now her throat was parched and she had no more energy left to shout anymore. She closed her eyes and ignored him as if he wasn't there.
Song Yuming gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and turned and left the room. Soon he came back with a brazier. No matter how many times he came in and out, Xue Dongting kept her eyes shut and ignored him.
The room was nice and warm and she was wearing a cotton-lined robe and was under the quilt, so her forehead was beaded with sweat. She was about to push the quilt off when she heard footsteps outside the door grow heavier and heavier. She frowned and turned over on her side to face the wall, but her cheek stung when it touched the pillow, stinging so it made her groan. She touched it and her finger came away bloody. She shot up in bed in alarm, her hand covering her face in shock.
Song Yuming came in carrying a big wooden tub which was steaming. Xue Dongting turned to look and knew it was a big wooden bathtub. It had been in the cellar all winter and no one had used it. She was worried about her face and paid no mind to Song Yuming as she threw off the covers and grabbed the mirror on the nightstand by the bed. She discovered a long bloodstain at the edge of her cheek. She was shocked and her eyes were soon brimming with tears.
Women cherish their looks. Any woman who saw such a long cut running down her cheek would be heartbroken.
Song Yuming set down the big tub of hot water and ran over to her. He took the mirror and tried to comfort her. "It's alright, Ah Dong. The wound is superficial and won't leave a scar."
She was feeling hurt through and through because Song Yuming had angrily doubted her, and now with this damned nuisance, she couldn't hold back her tears.
Song Yuming was at a loss as to what to do. He comforted in a low voice, "Ah Dong, don't cry…"
She wiped her tears and looked at the wooden tub. She could smell the medicinal herbs that had been added to the hot water to induce sweating, so she knew Song Yuming was afraid she had caught a cold, so he had boiled all this hot water to make her sweat. Even though she knew this, her face was still stony and without expression. "You, get out."
Song Yuming didn't quite understand.
"You don't take me as your wife. I want to take a bath, so what are you doing in here? Don't you know it's improper for unmarried men and women to come in contact with each other?"
Song Yuming felt helpless. He knew his wife was angry. He thought for a moment, then said, "I'll go boil some more water." He took up two water kettles and went out and fastened the door.
Xue Dongting went to the tub. Steam was rising off the water and there was herbal medicine floating around in it. Probably Song Yuming had had Old Zhang buy it in town for him. She undressed and sat in the water and carefully splashed water on her face to wash the blood off. She realized the wound was not deep at all and she relaxed and washed herself well.
The door creaked open and Song Yuming came in with the kettles of hot water. Xue Dongting quickly grabbed a towel and covered her breasts and said icily, "Don't you know to knock before you come in?"
Song Yuming saw his little wife in the water with her shoulders exposed and he gulped and quickly looked away and didn't look at her. He went and tested the water temperature and slowly poured the water into the tub. "If it's too hot, let me know." He looked straight ahead the whole time.
Xue Dongting looked up into the man's calm face and it irritated her. She just wanted him to lower his voice and apologize. She said in an icy tone, "That's enough."
Song Yuming frowned. "This water shouldn't be too hot."
"Your skin is thick and rough, of course it's not too hot for you, but I can't stand it." She was fuming. "Put the kettles down and I'll pour it myself. Go on and get out."
He had no choice but to say "Mm" and he moved the table closer to the tub and set the kettles on it so she could reach them, then he turned and left the room.
She dawdled about for a long time in the tub, then put in an inner robe and lay down in bed again. The robe had been made from the clouds and mist silk they had bought in town. It was thin and light, and you could even faintly see her red satin dudou underneath. That one day Xu Ying had joked that she should make a dudou out of that silk and Xue Dongting had given her hell for it. In the end, there had been no use for the dudou, and who could have known the same would be true for the inner robe.
Xue Dongting didn't pay attention to any of that, laying there in bed still angry at Song Yuming.
He waited out in the courtyard for a long time, then when he saw no movement inside he finally figured it was time and he pushed the doors open and looked in to see his little wife laying in bed holding the mirror and looking at her face. He hair was damp, and the red shoulder strap showed through clouds and mist silk, looking indescribably sexy.
She heard the sound and looked up and glanced at Song Yuming as if she didn't even see him, then looked back down into the mirror.
Song Yuming smiled. The floor was covered with water, but he paid no attention. He rummaged in the cabinet and found a small porcelain bottle and went over to the bed and handed it to her. "This is wound ointment. Apply it to the wound and it won't leave a scar."
She rolled her eyes. "What is it to you if it leaves a scar or not!" She still took the bottle though and opened it and caught a whiff of cool, spicy camphor and she knew it was wound ointment. She got a little of it on her finger and gently applied it to her cheek and throat. It felt cool and refreshing.
Song Yuming watched her, the corner of his mouth twitching, wanting to say something, but not knowing how to begin.
Although Xue Dongting was absorbed in applying the medicine, she was watching him out of the corner of her eye and saw him hesitating, wanting to say something to make things better, and her anger reduced by half. She still kept a straight face and said nothing to him.
"Ah Dong…" That was all he said.
"Mm?" she said. "Who's Ah Dong?"