“So that’s what the straw mats are for.” Gu Xiaoshuang looked at the mound of pine needles arranged like a little forest nest and felt that fifty yuan got you quite an impressive number of amenities.
“The owner’s practically running a charity,” the kindhearted college student sighed, unable to contain herself.
“It’s a new place, so they have to make a good impression and attract some first-time customers.”
That was what Li Qian said, but the shock in her eyes was no less than Xiaoshuang’s.
The two of them eagerly supported each other as they climbed down into the pool. The moment they sank into the water, they let out an involuntary sigh of bliss in perfect unison—
Heaven.
Pure, straight-to-the-soul bliss.
Gu Xiaoshuang remembered reading somewhere that a third-rate writer had once said people’s sense of security came from the amniotic fluid of the womb. Buying thick quilts and soft mattresses, or curling up in a warm nest while a storm raged outside, was simply a way of recreating the warmth and comfort of the moment life began.
She had never bought that nonsense. In her opinion, she could churn out eight hundred equally ridiculous golden quotes a day. But the moment she immersed herself completely in the hot spring, she immediately thought of those words.
The warm water surrounded her from every direction. No blanket could compare. A blanket could only help create a warm space, while the flowing water slipped into every contour of her body, like countless invisible yet exquisitely gentle hands stroking every inch of her skin.
This water was different from ordinary water.
When Gu Xiaoshuang was little, she had visited her cousin in a big city. She had watched an urban influencer in high heels come home from work, fill a bathtub with hot water, and drop in a beautifully shaped essential-oil bath bomb. In an instant, the bathroom would fill with a sweet fragrance.
Soft, abundant bubbles would churn through the water. Then she would make herself a cup of coffee, lie in the tub, and lazily flip through a magazine.
That was already the height of luxury. In Huaguo, where bathtub culture had never really caught on, a bathtub that took up so much space—and single-use bath bombs—were both considered extravagant.
Even now, college students living in dormitories could only dream of it.
But this was the first time Xiaoshuang had felt…
What the hell was the point of water heated by a boiler compared with a natural hot spring?
Forget adding essential oils to hot water—even adding hot water to essential oils wouldn’t make them feel as good as this pool.
Tap water delivered through pipes was dry and brisk. Once you stood up, it simply streamed off your body, and sometimes it even carried the sharp smell of chlorine.
Natural hot spring water was entirely different. Perhaps because it was rich in minerals, the water had a substantial, silky smoothness to it, as though it could completely envelop a person.
The hot spring water felt “heavier,” creating a comfortable sensation of pressure and enclosure, almost like a weighted blanket. Yet it wasn’t the same as the genuine pressure of a weighted blanket. Underwater, gravity was actually weakened, and the water gently buoyed her up.
The pool had been designed to perfection. Its water dissolved her wariness bit by bit, and Gu Xiaoshuang relaxed completely. She closed her eyes, leaned back slightly, and enjoyed the feeling of being gently wrapped in the water’s protective embrace.
As her tense, rigid muscles slowly loosened, her consciousness grew light and hazy.
All the worries outside the mountain—exams, internships, and everything else—sank sluggishly to the bottom of the water… In a place this safe, there was no need to think. Simply existing was the greatest meaning of all.
In a state of bliss this extreme, no one had the energy to drink coffee or read a magazine.
The comfort was not merely psychological. The hot spring’s perfectly judged temperature also produced a steady stream of physical effects. Its heat gently and continuously seeped into her pores. Before long, a deep, tingling warmth began to spread upward from the soles of her feet.
Gu Xiaoshuang couldn’t help letting out a soft hiss. Her face had turned a little red. Perhaps it was only her imagination, but she felt as if the blood inside her body were flowing faster, too.
She narrowed her eyes and looked toward the writing on the opposite wall.
Oh. It said that natural hot springs could promote blood circulation, boost metabolism, treat rheumatoid arthritis, improve sleep quality, and make you younger the longer you soaked…
Well, look at that. Fine, fine, she’d soak. Was it really necessary to be so modest about it?
“Oh heh heh heh heh…”
When she turned her head, she saw that Li Qian’s face was just as red as if she’d been drinking counterfeit liquor. She was already so blissfully tipsy that she no longer seemed to know heaven from earth.
The scent of mugwort and pine needles curled around the tip of her nose, mingling with the mineral tang rising from the hot spring. In this natural environment, where no artificial fragrance could hope to compete, both body and mind reached a state of perfect calm and emptiness. Time itself seemed to slow down.
The two close friends, who normally had endless things to say to each other, fell into an uncanny silence the moment they entered the pool.
After who knew how long, beads of sweat had appeared on her forehead before Gu Xiaoshuang finally came back to herself. She glanced at her wristband. Her heart rate was already at one hundred.
“This feels so good…” Li Qian shook her head, trying to regain her senses. “I feel like I’m drinking water. It’s as if I’ve turned into that monstera over there.”
Every pore on her body had opened wide.
“My heart’s beating a little fast.” Gu Xiaoshuang stood up from the water, her cheeks flushed. “I need to rest for a while, or I’ll get waterlogged and melt. I have to pace myself.”
“Oh, you’re delicate. Go soak in the low-temperature pool.”
“This one feels the best. The others definitely won’t be as good.”
Xiaoshuang scrambled up. Her legs felt a little weak as she climbed out, and she had to crouch for quite a while before she could straighten up with the help of the railing.
She tottered toward the straw mat as though she were walking on cotton. Then she dropped onto it with a heavy plop, flopped down, and went completely limp.
“Wow. This feels amazing, too.”
The first thing she noticed when she landed in the pile of pine needles was the dry, crisp sound they made—soft rustling, like caramel-butter cookies baked crisp by the geothermal heat.
Unlike the cold, sharp pine scent of the forest, this warmth was more like roasted nuts in autumn: rich, substantial, and deeply soporific.
Xiaoshuang rolled over and pressed her stomach against the ground, her face taking on the expression of a cat in another universe.
“It’s kind of like that heated brick bed we slept on at Ayue’s place in the Northeast last time, but this is even more comfortable. The pine needles smell wonderful. They’re so soothing and toasty…” She sighed contentedly. “I feel like they could cure menstrual cramps.”
“With pine needles on top and paper underneath, you look like a steamed bun.”
“That’s made me a little hungry.” Gu Xiaoshuang rolled herself over again and lay on her back like a salted fish, staring at the ceiling.
“The pine scent is seeping into my body. It’s like being a primitive human in a primeval forest.”
She slowly closed her eyes. “I feel like I’ve turned into a mountain mushroom absorbing the essence of the sun and moon…”
Just as the two of them were completely lost in bliss, someone gently knocked on the door of the hot spring room.
“Ladies, your onsen eggs and volcanic mud are ready~”
It was Xiaotian, returning with the food. A new customer followed her inside, accompanied by the rich, unmistakable voice of a wealthy woman.
“Oh, this pool is pretty nice. The communal pool is spacious and clean, too.”
“Yes. Even though it’s an indoor pool, the rooms have high ceilings and excellent ventilation, so they’re very bright and airy~ Would you like to take a look at the private pools as well, ma’am?”
“I like spacious places. Small rooms feel cramped and stuffy.”
The wealthy auntie, dressed in gold and silver, gave a textbook old-money laugh. She lifted her chin, removed her sunglasses, and squinted at the onsen eggs and volcanic mud Xiaotian had brought in.
“I’d say your eggs and mud look pretty good, too. Give me the full package.”
“Where’s Xiaozhi? Young lady, go fetch Auntie’s handbag for me. All the stuff in it is from when I used to get facials at her place—I only trust her with my face. After I soak, have Xiaozhi fix me up a bit. I’ll sign up for a membership here before I leave and get everything sorted.”
“And you two little girls over there—Auntie isn’t disturbing you by coming in, is she? I figured there aren’t many people around, so we can squeeze in together, right?”
Gu Xiaoshuang and Li Qian nodded repeatedly as they eyed the gold chain around the auntie’s neck and the bracelets and rings covering her hands.
The auntie rummaged through her jewelry and clicked her tongue. “I have to take all this off before getting in, right? Good grief, there’s so much odds and ends here—it’s going to be a real hassle…”
