This sanatorium is located on the southern foothills of Xiaotangshan, covering an area of over eight hundred mu. Its core hot springs are divided into the East Pool and the West Pool.
As this was Huo Tingzhou's first visit, the comrade handling the check-in procedures enthusiastically explained: "The East Pool is a warm spring, not very hot, around thirty degrees Celsius. The West Pool is mainly a boiling spring, with temperatures around 45 degrees Celsius."
"Both have open-air and indoor baths. The indoor ones have control valves installed to adjust the temperature."
Knowing his wife preferred hotter water for bathing, Huo Tingzhou decisively chose the West Pool.
After registering their information, the comrade handed over a set of keys and the recuperation plan.
According to current policy, Huo Tingzhou's expenses during the recuperation period were fully covered by his unit, while family members had to pay their own way.
The accommodation fee was 5 yuan per person per day. For meals, there were two options.
The standard mess was 0.5 yuan per day, while the Air Force mess cost 3 yuan daily.
The food at the Air Force mess was, needless to say, excellent in both fare and drink.
Additionally, during the recuperation period, a weekly ration of a carton of special supply Zhonghua cigarettes and five jin of fruit was provided. Items like soap and toothpaste were also distributed per person.
Access to the public hot spring pools required tickets, costing 0.5 yuan per entry. The fee for the indoor private hot spring was already included in the room rate.
Children under six were free.
Huo Tingzhou directly paid one hundred yuan, with the understanding that any overpayment would be refunded or underpayment supplemented.
The accommodation they were staying in this time was a standalone courtyard house, covering an area of over two hundred square meters. It had three main rooms, one guard room, and one indoor hot spring room.
The hot spring room featured a pool built from bluestone, two meters long and two meters wide, more than ample for a family of four to soak in.
Of course, the children were still young, so for safety's sake, they would need to wear special swimming rings while in the water.
It's just that hot spring water in this era wasn't filtered, so the water looked slightly murky and carried a faint smell of sulfur.
This clearly didn't match what the two little ones might have been expecting.
So, when the family finished lunch, rested for a while, and prepared for their soak, just as Huo Tingzhou was putting the swimming rings on the children,
their little faces were filled with resistance. "No bubbles!"
The water was not only dirty-looking, but also smelly.
Seeing their look of disgust, even covering their noses and mouths, Huo Tingzhou couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
He had said they shouldn't have brought the two little ones along.
But since they were already here, he had no choice but to patiently explain.
Yet the explanation was useless.
In the two children's perception, the water before them was simply dirty and smelly.
Forget getting in to soak; pinching their noses, they turned and ran towards the living room.
The guard was still on duty outside. In these times, guards at this level possessed observational skills far beyond the average person.
Seeing the two little ones run out, he immediately understood the situation. "Sir, shall I take them to the children's activity room for a look?"
Most people coming here for recuperation brought their families.
Therefore, the sanatorium had built quite a few indoor play areas for children.
There were many kids inside, making it lively and fun.
It must be said, his suggestion hit the nail right on the head for Huo Tingzhou. So, he asked the children again to confirm.
Once sure the two little ones didn't want to soak in the hot spring, he let the guard take them away.
Watching the two chatterboxes disappear into the distance, Huo Tingzhou breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he got up and walked to the bedroom door.
He knocked, his voice unconsciously dropping a few notes, roughened with anticipation. "Darling, are you ready?"
To be honest, he was a bit worried.
The total amount of fabric on that swimsuit was less than half of his own shorts.
Could it... could it even be worn? Would it be too tight?
Just imagining the possible scene made his blood surge uncontrollably. Huo Tingzhou swallowed hard. "They've gone."
Jiang Si had actually changed into her swimsuit a while ago. She had been in front of the mirror putting her hair up in a bun.
Otherwise, her hair would be wet and uncomfortable later.
Once her hair was up, she came out wrapped in a cashmere bath blanket.
It wasn't out of shyness, but mainly because the house they were staying in wasn't centrally heated. It relied on a cast-iron coal stove for warmth.
The rooms were spacious, and the temperature couldn't rise quickly.
Even wrapped in the blanket, it was still quite chilly when she stepped out.
"Quick, get inside." Noticing her slight shiver, Huo Tingzhou promptly opened the door to the hot spring room. "Later, I'll have them bring over two more stoves."
Jiang Si nodded.
The two of them entered the hot spring room together.
"Where are the two little ones?" Jiang Si hadn't heard clearly earlier. "Did they go out with the guard?"
"Mm, they didn't want to soak. They think the water looks dirty." With her, Huo Tingzhou was always straightforward.
On this point, Jiang Si had never given him cause for grievance.
Having already brought the two little ones along, Huo Tingzhou had no need to deliberately send them away.
And this water...
Although it was a natural hot spring, given its murkiness, not only did the children refuse to get in, even she found it a bit hard to accept.
"There's nothing underneath, is there?" Jiang Si leaned over to peer into the water.
"Nothing." Huo Tingzhou answered with certainty.
While she was changing earlier, he had already checked.
The bottom and sides of the pool were clean.
As he spoke, he directly pulled off his undershirt.
Instantly, the firm lines of his shoulders and back were exposed to the air, his taut muscles subtly shifting with his movement.
Even after years of intimacy, every time she saw him inadvertently display his well-built physique, Jiang Si couldn't help but feel her heart flutter anew.
In her momentary daze, Huo Tingzhou had already stepped into the pool first.
The warm spring water rose past his lean waist.
He leaned back against the edge of the pool, arms naturally spread out and resting on the rim.
His posture was relaxed, but his gaze burned as it settled on Jiang Si.
"Come on down, the water temperature is just right." As he spoke, Huo Tingzhou reached out his hand towards her.
Hearing this, Jiang Si hesitated no longer. She simply let the cashmere blanket slip from her shoulders.
The moment Huo Tingzhou looked up, his breath caught.
What met his eyes was skin as smooth and pale as fine mutton-fat jade, seemingly enveloped in a soft glow amidst the steamy mist and lamplight.
The aqua blue, tie-back swimsuit hugged her graceful figure, making her skin appear even more snow-white.
Her shapely long legs, her slender waist that seemed a mere handful, and...
Each detail was a challenge to his self-control.
With no little ones around to interrupt, Huo Tingzhou's gaze remained almost fixed on Jiang Si.
The pool walls were slippery. After getting into the water, Jiang Si didn't cling to the side but instead leaned against Huo Tingzhou.
In the next moment, a solid arm naturally encircled her slender waist.
Seeing him silent for so long, his breathing even growing heavier, Jiang Si deliberately rubbed her damp hair against his chin. "It's not like you haven't seen before. Still stunned?"
Huo Tingzhou steadied his somewhat rapid breathing, just about to say something.
Suddenly, a warmth spread in his nostrils.
Something flowed down uncontrollably.
He instinctively reached up to touch it.
His fingertip was stained with a bright red.
...He was actually having a nosebleed.
