Zhao Wujiu had already finished washing up. With his hair loose and wearing his inner garments, he sat in his wheelchair reading a book when the door was pounded loudly. If not for Shu Changfeng blocking the doorway, Bai Shiqi would likely have barged in long ago.
Shu Changfeng had never seen such a bold and unrestrained fellow.
"Young Master Bai, the night is deep. My master has already retired. Perhaps you could come again tomorrow?"
"Nonsense! You... you blocking me from seeing my cousin, what's the reasoning?" The drunkard's logic was surprisingly strong. "Could it be... there's a beauty hidden in my cousin's room?"
Shu Changfeng: "..."
Wen Tao had been dragged all the way here by her. Several times, he had tried to coax her into the bridal chamber. Who would have thought this fellow, once drunk, would become single-minded, obsessed with finding her "cousin." He couldn't help but be curious about the origins of that "cousin" in the wheelchair.
"Shiqi, the bride is still waiting for you. How about we go back?" He hadn't heard of any close Bai family relatives.
Bai Shiqi's fist-pounding on the door proved useless, so she started kicking it. Just as she was about to dismantle the door, it opened without warning from the inside. Zhao Wujiu sat upright in his wheelchair. Unprepared for her headlong charge, she collided into his arms, bringing with her a wave of alcohol fumes. Looking up, she revealed a thoroughly inebriated smile and slurred, "C-cousin, I've come to keep you company."
Zhao Wujiu lowered his head to examine the drunken, amusingly charming smiling face before him and frowned. "If you're drunk, go back and rest properly. What's the point of coming here to make trouble?"
Wen Tao strode in and went to grab the back of her collar. "This gentleman speaks rightly. I'll take him back now." Unexpectedly, Bai Shiqi clung to Zhao Wujiu's waist like an octopus, acting shamelessly. "Tonight... tonight I want to have a heart-to-heart talk with my cousin by the candlelight!"
Zhao Wujiu had never seen Bai Shiqi in such an utterly rascally state. Usually, she would practically flee at the sound of his admonitions, but today her closeness was bizarre. Moreover, there was something odd between her and Wen Tao. She was drunk but refused to rest, instead running to find him. Seeing Wen Tao seemingly determined to drag her away, Zhao Wujiu also felt suspicious. He simply said, "There's no reasoning with a drunkard. Young Master Wen, please go and rest. We'll talk when Shiqi is sober."
Wen Tao pretended politely, "You are our honored guest. How could we trouble you to look after Shiqi? Let me take him back, and tomorrow he can come to apologize."
Bai Shiqi buried her head in Zhao Wujiu's embrace. Her nose caught a faint scent of pinewood, making her head feel even dizzier. She slurred, shooing the other man away, "You leave, quickly. Don't delay... don't delay my chat with cousin."
Shu Changfeng said, "Young Master Wen, please."
Wen Tao's calculations came to naught. Seeing Bai Shiqi stubbornly clinging to that man, and with four guards emerging from the darkness to request his departure, he could only leave resentfully, though his attitude remained as courteous as ever. "Since Shiqi is drunk, I'll trouble you, sir, to look after him. We'll talk when he's sober."
The door was closed from the outside. Zhao Wujiu said gently, "He's gone. Can you let go now?"
This lad reeked of alcohol, his hair still damp. It didn't seem like he was just drunk, more like he had taken a bath in wine.
Bai Shiqi turned over, leaning against the armrest of the wheelchair, and slumped to sit on the floor, her eyes closed as if about to fall asleep. "Today... thank you, cousin."
Zhao Wujiu had just finished bathing and was originally feeling fresh and clean. Her hug had covered him in the smell of wine. Disliking the overwhelming alcohol fumes on Bai Shiqi, he urged her, "Get up and go wash in the back."
Bai Shiqi also felt she urgently needed a hot bath to clear her head. So she got up, swaying, and headed towards the back, even turning her head to tease, "Cousin... don't peek!"
Zhao Wujiu: "..."
Bai Shiqi knew he was a gentleman, proper and rigid in conduct, his mind full of doctrines. Even as fellow men, he would absolutely never peek at her bathing. Reassured, she leaned against the wall and made her way to the bath chamber.
The Salt Gang was wealthy, and this guest room was built quite luxuriously. The bedroom was directly connected to a bathing pool. Hot water gushed out from beast-head spouts at the four corners—whether it was heated water or drawn from a hot spring was unclear. The entire room was filled with swirling steam, obscuring the view.
Bai Shiqi sat by the pool's edge to remove her boots and undress. She took off her hair crown and tossed it aside, then removed her outer robe. Underneath was a close-fitting soft armor, tightly binding a figure with no discernible curves. She fumbled to untie the soft armor, freeing herself from the thickly wound cloth bindings, finally revealing the graceful lines of long legs and a slender waist—only her chest, long subjected to oppressive binding, failed to meet plump standards.
Her limbs felt somewhat weak. Relying on her familiarity with water, she slowly felt her way to the pool's edge and slipped in. First, she intended to dunk her head to soak it, both to wash away the alcohol smell from her hair and to sober up a bit. Who would have thought she miscalculated? Soaked in the hot water, she actually felt a bit dizzy. Choking on a mouthful of water sobered her up a little, and she quickly grabbed the pool's edge, not daring to let go.
Bai Shiqi was usually playful, but having nearly fallen into Wen Tao's hands today, she didn't dare to fool around in the water now. Feeling along the pool's edge, she found some soapberries and obediently leaned back to wash her hair. Hearing a slight sound behind her, she turned her head and through the swirling mist discovered Zhao Wujiu, his chest bare, pushing his wheelchair in. Startled into a fluster, she plunged headfirst into the water, her voice altered: "C-c-cousin, why have you come in?"
Zhao Wujiu had spent ten years in the army. In hot weather, it was commonplace for comrades to strip and shower together around the well or by the stream. He was long used to it. Through the swirling steam, he slowly made his way to the side of the bathing pool where a small wooden bucket tied with a rope was placed. He lowered it to draw up a bucket of hot water. "I reek of wine, it's unbearable. Besides, you're so drunk, what if you fall asleep in the pool?"
"Th-thank you for your concern, cousin." Bai Shiqi carefully submerged herself in the pool, quickly rinsing the foam from her hair while subtly swimming further away.
Zhao Wujiu looked up and saw her moving towards the center of the pool. On the water's surface, only a moving dark dot was visible. Drunk and still splashing around in the water—his reprimanding words could no longer be suppressed and burst out: "You're drunk and still fooling around? Swim back here at once! If you pass out drunk in the pool later, who do you think will come in to save you?"
Hearing this, Bai Shiqi broke out in a cold sweat. Her limbs went weak, and she flailed in the water a couple of times, nearly choking. She became uncharacteristically obedient: "I'll... just soak for a bit, I'll come out soon. Cousin, please go ahead!"
He wasn't peeking; he had entered openly and legitimately, with a reason that was flawless, leaving Bai Shiqi no grounds for rebuttal.
Zhao Wujiu said, "Hurry up and wash, then come out. Don't let the drunkenness overwhelm you and cause you to choke."
His reminder, unfortunately, had the opposite effect. Bai Shiqi seemed greatly startled and actually did choke on a mouthful of water, immediately breaking into loud coughs.
Through the steam, Zhao Wujiu couldn't see very clearly but was quite worried. "Should I have Shu Changfeng come in to assist you with your bath?"
Bai Shiqi: "..." That was a terrible suggestion.
She stammered a refusal, "I can manage myself. No need to trouble Brother Shu."
Zhao Wujiu: "Then hurry up, wash, and come out. I'll wait for you so we can go out together, lest you drown from drunkenness."
Bai Shiqi, having spent twenty years disguised as a man, now faced the greatest crisis of her life.
Today, Wen Tao had his pack of good-for-nothing friends ply her with far too much wine. Soaking in the hot spring pool left her head spinning even more, and she desperately wished she could just pass out. Faced with Zhao Wujiu's stubbornness and good intentions, she was on the verge of breaking. She slowly moved back, clinging to the edge of the pool to give herself a quick scrub in the water. Resting her chin on the pool's rim, her waterfall of hair cascading down, she looked at Zhao Wujiu with pleading eyes: "Cousin, why don't you go out first? I'll get dressed and... and come right out."
Zhao Wujiu was by the poolside, not far from her. Up close, he could see the flush on her cheeks and her eyes, bright as stars. Perhaps it was because her hair was down, but she actually carried a certain delicate, feminine charm. He then thought that the landscapes of the Jiangnan region were gentle, and even the men there tended to be refined and elegant. He suspected that having stayed in the northern frontier for too long, he was now starting to imagine any decent-looking young man as a woman—how absurd.
He knew it was pointless to argue with a drunkard. As he dried himself, he coaxed her gently, "Then wash up quickly and come out." Once dry, he pushed his wheelchair and slowly exited.
Bai Shiqi scrambled anxiously out of the hot spring pool. Grabbing a clean towel, she dried herself off. Her limbs felt weak as she hastily wrapped the towel around her body, put on her soft armor, snatched a robe from the clothes rack, and hurried out. Her own outer robe was splashed with wine and was long unwearable.
Unexpectedly, this borrowed robe was not only loose but also absurdly long. With her unsteady feet, the hem dragged on the floor. The moment she entered the bedroom, she stepped on the trailing robe and pitched forward, performing a full prostration kowtow right in front of Zhao Wujiu.
Zhao Wujiu had already changed into clean clothes and was sitting on the bed. Shu Changfeng was nearby, wiping down the wheelchair. Seeing Bai Shiqi in this state, he stifled a laugh and kindly stepped forward to help her up, even asking for her opinion: "Young Gang Leader Bai, shall I escort you to the bridal chamber now?"
It was her wedding night. Instead of cherishing her beautiful bride, she was here disturbing his master's rest.
Bai Shiqi's mind was foggy and far from clear, sustained only by sheer willpower. Hearing the words "bridal chamber" frightened her. Pushing Shu Changfeng away, she stumbled with drunken steps straight towards Zhao Wujiu's large bed, her smile almost foolish: "Cousin—" She spread her arms, asking for a hug.
Zhao Wujiu looked at her, both exasperated and amused: "You're ignoring your new bride to come cause trouble here?"
Bai Shiqi lunged forward and planted a loud, smacking kiss on his cheek. Her hair still dripping wet, she then collapsed sideways onto his bed.
Zhao Wujiu touched the spot she had kissed, taking a long moment to process what had happened. "You rascal, what kind of habit is this?" First flirting with young maidens, and now him?
Having spent many years with a cold, lonely pillow, he knew Bai Shiqi was just a mischievous and unrestrained free spirit. Scolding her likely wouldn't change a thing. The young man was playful by nature, and currently a thoroughly muddled drunk. It was a wonder she hadn't mistaken him for someone else. Resigned, he pushed her: "Your hair is still wet. Get up, dry it, and go attend to your bride."
Shu Changfeng pretended not to have witnessed the scene of the Prince of Zhou being accosted. With a perfectly straight face, he came over to pull her up: "Young Gang Leader Bai, get up quickly." Only to find her fast asleep, clutching Zhao Wujiu's sleeve tightly.
Shu Changfeng: "..."
Zhao Wujiu felt a headache coming on. "Bring a towel. I'll dry his hair for him. You go and rest."
