Dong Huiying washed her face at the fastest speed she had ever managed in her life, and then she began to wash her hands.
Her nails were greasy, and it took her quite a while to rub them clean. The water turned black, and to her disbelief, she scrubbed off a lot of black soot.
The corner of her lips twitched involuntarily.
Unbelievable!
Dirty, so dirty, just filthy.
She had rolled up her sleeves earlier and looked, and saw that the skin on her arms was very dry, and scratching it slightly would make a lot of greyish-black dandruff fall off. When wetted with water and rubbed gently, a lot of mud came off.
She was slightly germophobic, perhaps that was common among medical students? And just the thought of her body covered in black soot made her feel utterly distressed, as if her body was crawling with fleas.
"Do we have any water left at home?" In the end, she had no choice but to seek help from the man.
The man paused, then answered, "Yes."
Great!
She hopped off the kang bed as if her pants were on fire and hurried over. She was about to put on shoes, but the sight of those half-worn black cloth shoes with their sweat-stained, yellowed white insoles and clumps of mud caked on the outside made her balk.
Forget it, barefoot it is.
So off she scrambled, her little black hooves pattering as she ran outside. As she crossed the threshold, a blast of cold air hit her instantly.
Mountain peaks shrouded in clouds, a hazy drizzle.
The small courtyard featured three or four thatched huts, with her residing in the largest one. There were two smaller ones next to it; one with a lock hanging on the door, and the other with the door ajar. A simple woodshed and kitchen were there too, with a large water jug standing under the eaves of the kitchen.
A water jug?
The salvation of the filthy soul!
It was just that the weather was a bit cold, and wouldn't it be too dangerous to take a cold bath?
She hesitated for a moment before biting down hard on her little white tooth, stepping out with the determined conviction of a warrior ready to sever his wrist.
But suddenly, the clear voice of the man came from behind her: "What are you doing?"
She turned around, "I want to take a bath?" She couldn't stand being so filthy; the thought was more unbearable than catching a cold.
The man brought over a piece of clothing, unfolded it, and draped it over her shoulders, "It's raining today, and the mountain air is cold. Be careful not to catch a chill."
After that, he ushered her back inside, "Please sit in the room for a moment, Yixuan is going to heat up some bathwater for you right away."
She let out a surprised 'ah'.
Yixuan?
So his name was Yixuan?
...
Yixuan was a very considerate man; he not only heated up a large pot of hot water but also brought her some soapnut liquid and clean clothes to change into.
Dong Huiying tore off her dirty clothes, and her small black body jumped into the tub. The temperature of the water was just right, and the warm currents wrapped around her.
Touching her arm, she saw scars covering her skin, mostly old wounds. On her thighs, chest, abdomen, and back were also crisscrossing scars.
These scars, like black centipedes, meandered all over her body, creating a particularly harrowing sight, with almost no part of her skin unmarred.
Dong Huiying frowned slightly, thinking to herself: "Most of these are cuts and stabs, but some wounds must have been fatal, like this one, caused by an arrow, just an inch from piercing the heart..."
She scooped up some hot water and splashed it over herself, murmuring in her mind.
This was no ordinary body, with scars from knife wounds and arrow shots. What could her identity be?
As she wondered, she vigorously scrubbed her little body, rubbing off heaps and heaps of grime...