Chapter 17
Fu Wei's obstinacy left Yu Ying at a loss for words.
She shifted her gaze away from the bowl of orange seeds and called out for Fu An.
"Place these fruits in a spot where they can catch some sun. I'll collect them later tonight."
Fu An glanced at his uncle and then at Yu Ying, seeming to understand something.
She even had her disabled uncle doing chores.
Just as Fu An was about to leave, Yu Ying suddenly remembered something and called out to him, "Wait a moment."
Puzzled, Fu An turned back to her.
Yu Ying instructed, "Don't tell your grandma that I asked your uncle to help."
Fu Wei paused in wiping his hands and lifted his eyelids slightly to glance at her.
She asked for his help but wanted to keep it a secret?
As Fu An looked puzzled, Yu Ying added, "If your grandma finds out, she'll certainly do it for your uncle, and you wouldn’t want to see her overworked, right?"
Hearing this, Fu An frowned and said, "That wouldn’t be right."
"If you don’t want your grandma to know, then keep it a secret."
Feeling somewhat guilty towards his uncle, Fu An hesitated for a moment.
After a moment, Fu An nodded. With a guilty glance at his uncle, he decisively turned and left the hut without looking back.
Yu Ying noticed the look Fu An gave Fu Wei and thought that although he felt guilty, it wasn't overwhelming.
Yu Ying set down the medicinal wine and brought in a basin of cold water.
She wrung out a cloth to half-dry and said to him, "Pull down your shirt."
Fu Wei looked slightly puzzled, "Aren’t you going to apply the medicinal wine?"
Yu Ying explained, "Ideally, cold compresses should be applied, but we don’t have ice, and the water isn’t very cold. So for now, we’ll make do with a compress, and tomorrow morning we can use the medicinal wine to massage the bruise."
She unfolded the cloth, waiting for him to act.
After a moment of silence, Fu Wei undid the shirt he had just put on, revealing his left shoulder and arm.
As Yu Ying was about to apply the cloth to the bruised area, she noticed other old injuries that she hadn't seen clearly before.
The opening of his shirt inevitably revealed his chest.
His lean chest still bore the traces of its former tautness. On the pale skin, there were numerous small and large abrasions.
They looked like abrasions from being dragged.
This realization shifted her gaze to his shoulder blade, where there were lingering bruises and marks of scabs.
Yu Ying suddenly remembered the bruises and abrasions around his knees and ankles.
She had initially thought they were injuries from when his legs were broken, but now they seemed more like abrasions from being dragged on the ground.
For a few moments, Yu Ying didn't move, and Fu Wei, sensing her scrutiny, spoke indifferently, "They're just old wounds."
Just old wounds…
Yu Ying knew that for him, they were old now, but in the past, they were fresh.
She lowered her gaze, took a deep breath, and then covered his arm with a slightly cool cloth.
As her fingertips brushed over the skin of his arm, Fu Wei's arm tensed slightly.
Unaware, Yu Ying instructed, "Every so often, when the cloth gets warm, wash it and reapply."
Fu Wei nodded slightly in response.
Without asking anything else, Yu Ying said, "Apart from the bruises on your legs which we'll leave for now, we'll apply heat to the other bruises on your body tomorrow."
Fu Wei pressed the damp cloth, remaining silent for a long time. Just as Yu Ying straightened his sleeve and was about to leave the room, he finally spoke.
"Do you know about my past?"
Yu Ying, who was turning away, turned back to look at him, wondering why he chose to ask now—wasn't it a bit late?
Yet she nodded and replied, "I know some of it."
Fu Wei lowered his gaze, "Since you know, you should understand that the man who swapped identities with me for twenty years doesn't wish me well. He hopes to see me struggle and be miserable. Now with power and influence, he could easily destroy me and everyone around me again."
"And then?" Yu Ying asked.
Fu Wei looked up at her, his voice slow and steady, "He could easily destroy you too. Everything you're working for now could vanish in an instant."
Yu Ying was aware of this, but she also knew that the era of the Wuling Prefecture's Governor was coming to an end soon.
Moreover, in times of war, she, as a woman, would likely struggle to protect herself.
Yet Fu Wei, even with his broken legs, had the ability to protect himself. Staying by his side seemed like the right choice.
These thoughts, of course, were not to be voiced.
Yu Ying changed her approach, "Where can I go? Wander the world, or return to the Yu family?"
She paused, then added, "If I go back to the Yu family, do you think he would leave me alone?"
Fu Wei remained silent.
Yu Ying continued, "If I return to the Yu family, do you think I can survive there?"
The people of the Yu family knew Yu Liuniang best. She couldn't play her role flawlessly forever. Moreover, living as someone else for a long time, she feared she might eventually forget who she truly was.
Perhaps realizing that her situation was difficult anywhere, Fu Wei too fell silent.
Yu Ying sighed helplessly and said, "Right now, the only thing to do is to react as situations arise, to counter the moves as they come. You don't need to tell me more; I already know what I should."
In fact, she knew even the things she shouldn't.
Having said this, she turned and walked towards the door.
Fu Wei watched her lift the straw curtain and leave, sinking into deep thought.
After a while, he placed the slightly warm cloth in the basin, then lifted the thin blanket to look at his legs, which he had despised for over a month.
Through the thin layer of fabric, it was clear that something was fixed to his legs, prominently visible.
After looking for a few moments, he initially thought to cover them again, but after clutching the thin blanket in his hand, he eventually tossed it aside into a corner.
Then, Fu Wei picked up a bamboo pole by the bed and propped open the grass curtain of the window, gazing outside.
In the courtyard, the small, sun-darkened figure of Fu An washed wild vegetables and stoked the fire in the clay stove. Despite being only eight years old, he had already taken on the responsibilities of the household.
And Luo Shi, appearing older than her years due to early hardships, her body bent and eyesight failing, could only sit on a wooden stump, unable to offer much help.
Little Fu Ning, malnourished and sickly, was nearly five but still couldn't speak.
Fu Wei's gaze finally rested on Yu Ying.
She had many secrets, but there was no doubt that her current situation was far from ideal.
Each of them had their misfortunes, and there was a time when even thin porridge was a luxury, but aren't they still persevering and surviving?
Fu Wei, who had wished for death, yet could not die.
He thought, since he must live, perhaps it was time to find a new way to live.
By the time dinner was ready, it had already grown dark.
The thatched cottage was dim, so Yu Ying brought the clay stove inside, reigniting the firewood. The room was immediately filled with a dim yellow light, though it became somewhat warm.
To avoid obstructing the light, she boiled medicine on just one stove opening.
She kept the window and door curtains open for ventilation, to prevent smoke from filling the room.
When Yu Ying brought the food to the table, she noticed that Fu Wei had stopped covering his legs with the thin blanket.
She thought to herself that this might be a good change.
She brought over two wooden bowls filled with cabbage and egg drop soup, followed by a simple stir-fry of wild amaranth cooked in pork fat scraps.
When the food was served, Fu An and Fu Ning stared at the fat scraps without blinking.
Even before their uncle arrived, the siblings rarely had meat; their memories of eating meat were still from the day their parents left for the stone quarry.
The modest meal, only slightly flavored with meat, was already a lavish feast for them.
Yu Ying served half a bowl of rice to everyone, a little less for Fu Ning.
Though not full servings, it was certainly more satisfying than just porridge.
Fu Wei glanced at the dishes on the table and then at the half bowl of rice in front of him. After a moment of silence, he looked towards Yu Ying.
In this barren region of Lingnan, in the impoverished Jade County, in just half a month, she had surprised everyone time and again.
From having nothing, the Fu family now had rice and meat, all thanks to her abilities.
Yu Ying noticed Fu Wei's gaze. As their eyes met, he lowered his gaze and began to eat.
Yu Ying felt puzzled but said nothing, simply stating, "Let's eat."
Fu An and Fu Ning picked up their bowls but hesitated to take the fat scraps, only daring to pick the vegetables. Fu An carefully placed a single piece of fat scrap in his grandmother's bowl.
Luo Shi paused for a moment when she tasted the meat.
Yu Ying felt a pang of discomfort seeing them eat so cautiously.
There wasn't much fat scrap, probably just about two pieces per person.
Yu Ying picked out the fat scraps from the vegetables, placing two in Fu Ning's bowl and one in Luo Shi's.
Sensing this, Luo Shi covered her bowl as Yu Ying was about to add the second piece, insisting, "I don't need it, you eat, you eat."
Yu Ying calmly replied, "Eat it, otherwise the children won't dare to."
Luo Shi whispered, "Just one bite is enough for me. You work hard, you should eat it."
Yu Ying gave a look to Fu An.
Fu An hesitated for a moment, seemingly understanding her intention.
After a thought, he said to his grandmother, "If Grandma doesn't eat, we won't eat either."
Even Fu Ning placed her bowl back on the table.
Luo Shi, though blind, heard the sound of the bowl being put down and hesitated for a moment before reluctantly moving her hand away from the bowl's mouth.
Yu Ying placed two pieces of fat scrap in Luo Shi's bowl, then did the same for Fu An. Fu An looked at her in surprise, then lowered his head and quietly said "Thank you."
When it was Fu Wei's turn, he casually picked up the smallest piece of fat scrap.
Yu Ying decided not to fuss over him any further.
Fu Wei, not particularly indulgent in food, only took one piece and didn’t reach for more.
After the meal, Yu Ying served them each half a bowl of warm egg soup.
The egg drop soup seemed to comfort them, and Fu An even felt as though he had regained strength.
The children's faces were filled with contentment after a full meal.
Fu An conscientiously began to clean up the dishes.
The clay stove was too hot to move outside, so Yu Ying planned to heat water inside the house for everyone to wash in turns.
Previously, lacking facilities, the family, including Fu Wei, used only cold water for washing, which only weakened their frail bodies further, especially when using cold river water.
Yu Ying built a fire in the yard, and with the illumination, the family sat together outside.
A fresh breeze carrying the scent of green grass brought a calming effect.
Just as Yu Ying was about to start grinding bryony seeds, Fu An approached, looking uneasy, and said, "Let me do it, you rest."
His awkwardness amused Yu Ying, "No need, you don’t have the strength for it."
Grinding the seeds into a thick juice was not an easy task.
Yu Ying had thought of asking Fu Wei to help, but seeing the bruises on his arm, she decided to wait a few more days.
As she ground the bryony seeds, the water boiled. Yu Ying asked Fu An to bring out several new cloth towels she had cut earlier.
"One for you, your sister, and grandma," she said.
Fu An was surprised, "For us?"
Yu Ying nodded. Their old towels were in such poor condition, she couldn’t bear to look at them, which is why she had cut new ones today.
Fu An felt both shocked and delighted, almost as if he had received a treasure. He couldn't help but smile and whispered to his sister, "We have new towels now."
Then, Yu Ying instructed Fu An to bring half a basin of water into her room and helped Luo Shi inside.
These days, Luo Shi and Fu Ning had been washing up in Yu Ying's room at night.
Yu Ying would wait outside while Luo Shi bathed.
Watching Fu An help Luo Shi into the room, Yu Ying realized this was not a long-term solution.
She thought maybe when building the kitchen tomorrow, she could propose setting aside a space for a bathing area.
She thought about how to do it while kneading the fruit seeds, and when the thick juice came out, she poured it into the bucket, letting it settle before using all the water and then transferring it to the water tank.
Luo Shi groped her way out of the house; the water was boiling again, and it was Fu Ning's turn.
Fu Ning also tried to wash by herself, but because she was so small, she could never get completely clean.
Yu Ying filled a new basin with hot water, mixed in some cold water, and carried it into the house, also having Fu An bring in the old basin.
She brought Fu Ning into the room and gently asked her, "Would you like Auntie to help you bathe?"
Fu Ning pinched her skirt, then gently nodded her head.
As she undressed, Yu Ying saw Fu Ning's thin body, her ribs visible, and paused in shock.
Though surprised, she knew that just a few days of improved meals wouldn't add much weight, especially since the current food wasn't that great. Gaining weight would take time and careful nourishment.
Gathering her thoughts, she had Fu Ning stand in the old wooden tub and poured water over her with a ladle.
She carefully wiped off all the dirt from her body, making her clean.
Fu Ning, watching her Auntie bathe her, felt a warm feeling in her heart, growing fonder of her.
After Yu Ying finished all her tasks and quickly washed herself, she stepped outside to pour out the water, only to find Fu Ning squatting outside the house.
Yu Ying asked, "Why aren't you going back to sleep?"
Fu Ning stood up, reached out her little hand to grasp Yu Ying's clothes, and gazed at her with eager eyes.
Yu Ying seemed to understand what she wanted and tentatively asked, "Do you want to sleep with me?"
Chapter 17
Fu Wei's obstinacy left Yu Ying at a loss for words.
She shifted her gaze away from the bowl of orange seeds and called out for Fu An.
"Place these fruits in a spot where they can catch some sun. I'll collect them later tonight."
Fu An glanced at his uncle and then at Yu Ying, seeming to understand something.
She even had her disabled uncle doing chores.
Just as Fu An was about to leave, Yu Ying suddenly remembered something and called out to him, "Wait a moment."
Puzzled, Fu An turned back to her.
Yu Ying instructed, "Don't tell your grandma that I asked your uncle to help."
Fu Wei paused in wiping his hands and lifted his eyelids slightly to glance at her.
She asked for his help but wanted to keep it a secret?
As Fu An looked puzzled, Yu Ying added, "If your grandma finds out, she'll certainly do it for your uncle, and you wouldn’t want to see her overworked, right?"
Hearing this, Fu An frowned and said, "That wouldn’t be right."
"If you don’t want your grandma to know, then keep it a secret."
Feeling somewhat guilty towards his uncle, Fu An hesitated for a moment.
After a moment, Fu An nodded. With a guilty glance at his uncle, he decisively turned and left the hut without looking back.
Yu Ying noticed the look Fu An gave Fu Wei and thought that although he felt guilty, it wasn't overwhelming.
Yu Ying set down the medicinal wine and brought in a basin of cold water.
She wrung out a cloth to half-dry and said to him, "Pull down your shirt."
Fu Wei looked slightly puzzled, "Aren’t you going to apply the medicinal wine?"
Yu Ying explained, "Ideally, cold compresses should be applied, but we don’t have ice, and the water isn’t very cold. So for now, we’ll make do with a compress, and tomorrow morning we can use the medicinal wine to massage the bruise."
She unfolded the cloth, waiting for him to act.
After a moment of silence, Fu Wei undid the shirt he had just put on, revealing his left shoulder and arm.
As Yu Ying was about to apply the cloth to the bruised area, she noticed other old injuries that she hadn't seen clearly before.
The opening of his shirt inevitably revealed his chest.
His lean chest still bore the traces of its former tautness. On the pale skin, there were numerous small and large abrasions.
They looked like abrasions from being dragged.
This realization shifted her gaze to his shoulder blade, where there were lingering bruises and marks of scabs.
Yu Ying suddenly remembered the bruises and abrasions around his knees and ankles.
She had initially thought they were injuries from when his legs were broken, but now they seemed more like abrasions from being dragged on the ground.
For a few moments, Yu Ying didn't move, and Fu Wei, sensing her scrutiny, spoke indifferently, "They're just old wounds."
Just old wounds…
Yu Ying knew that for him, they were old now, but in the past, they were fresh.
She lowered her gaze, took a deep breath, and then covered his arm with a slightly cool cloth.
As her fingertips brushed over the skin of his arm, Fu Wei's arm tensed slightly.
Unaware, Yu Ying instructed, "Every so often, when the cloth gets warm, wash it and reapply."
Fu Wei nodded slightly in response.
Without asking anything else, Yu Ying said, "Apart from the bruises on your legs which we'll leave for now, we'll apply heat to the other bruises on your body tomorrow."
Fu Wei pressed the damp cloth, remaining silent for a long time. Just as Yu Ying straightened his sleeve and was about to leave the room, he finally spoke.
"Do you know about my past?"
Yu Ying, who was turning away, turned back to look at him, wondering why he chose to ask now—wasn't it a bit late?
Yet she nodded and replied, "I know some of it."
Fu Wei lowered his gaze, "Since you know, you should understand that the man who swapped identities with me for twenty years doesn't wish me well. He hopes to see me struggle and be miserable. Now with power and influence, he could easily destroy me and everyone around me again."
"And then?" Yu Ying asked.
Fu Wei looked up at her, his voice slow and steady, "He could easily destroy you too. Everything you're working for now could vanish in an instant."
Yu Ying was aware of this, but she also knew that the era of the Wuling Prefecture's Governor was coming to an end soon.
Moreover, in times of war, she, as a woman, would likely struggle to protect herself.
Yet Fu Wei, even with his broken legs, had the ability to protect himself. Staying by his side seemed like the right choice.
These thoughts, of course, were not to be voiced.
Yu Ying changed her approach, "Where can I go? Wander the world, or return to the Yu family?"
She paused, then added, "If I go back to the Yu family, do you think he would leave me alone?"
Fu Wei remained silent.
Yu Ying continued, "If I return to the Yu family, do you think I can survive there?"
The people of the Yu family knew Yu Liuniang best. She couldn't play her role flawlessly forever. Moreover, living as someone else for a long time, she feared she might eventually forget who she truly was.
Perhaps realizing that her situation was difficult anywhere, Fu Wei too fell silent.
Yu Ying sighed helplessly and said, "Right now, the only thing to do is to react as situations arise, to counter the moves as they come. You don't need to tell me more; I already know what I should."
In fact, she knew even the things she shouldn't.
Having said this, she turned and walked towards the door.
Fu Wei watched her lift the straw curtain and leave, sinking into deep thought.
After a while, he placed the slightly warm cloth in the basin, then lifted the thin blanket to look at his legs, which he had despised for over a month.
Through the thin layer of fabric, it was clear that something was fixed to his legs, prominently visible.
After looking for a few moments, he initially thought to cover them again, but after clutching the thin blanket in his hand, he eventually tossed it aside into a corner.
Then, Fu Wei picked up a bamboo pole by the bed and propped open the grass curtain of the window, gazing outside.
In the courtyard, the small, sun-darkened figure of Fu An washed wild vegetables and stoked the fire in the clay stove. Despite being only eight years old, he had already taken on the responsibilities of the household.
And Luo Shi, appearing older than her years due to early hardships, her body bent and eyesight failing, could only sit on a wooden stump, unable to offer much help.
Little Fu Ning, malnourished and sickly, was nearly five but still couldn't speak.
Fu Wei's gaze finally rested on Yu Ying.
She had many secrets, but there was no doubt that her current situation was far from ideal.
Each of them had their misfortunes, and there was a time when even thin porridge was a luxury, but aren't they still persevering and surviving?
Fu Wei, who had wished for death, yet could not die.
He thought, since he must live, perhaps it was time to find a new way to live.
By the time dinner was ready, it had already grown dark.
The thatched cottage was dim, so Yu Ying brought the clay stove inside, reigniting the firewood. The room was immediately filled with a dim yellow light, though it became somewhat warm.
To avoid obstructing the light, she boiled medicine on just one stove opening.
She kept the window and door curtains open for ventilation, to prevent smoke from filling the room.
When Yu Ying brought the food to the table, she noticed that Fu Wei had stopped covering his legs with the thin blanket.
She thought to herself that this might be a good change.
She brought over two wooden bowls filled with cabbage and egg drop soup, followed by a simple stir-fry of wild amaranth cooked in pork fat scraps.
When the food was served, Fu An and Fu Ning stared at the fat scraps without blinking.
Even before their uncle arrived, the siblings rarely had meat; their memories of eating meat were still from the day their parents left for the stone quarry.
The modest meal, only slightly flavored with meat, was already a lavish feast for them.
Yu Ying served half a bowl of rice to everyone, a little less for Fu Ning.
Though not full servings, it was certainly more satisfying than just porridge.
Fu Wei glanced at the dishes on the table and then at the half bowl of rice in front of him. After a moment of silence, he looked towards Yu Ying.
In this barren region of Lingnan, in the impoverished Jade County, in just half a month, she had surprised everyone time and again.
From having nothing, the Fu family now had rice and meat, all thanks to her abilities.
Yu Ying noticed Fu Wei's gaze. As their eyes met, he lowered his gaze and began to eat.
Yu Ying felt puzzled but said nothing, simply stating, "Let's eat."
Fu An and Fu Ning picked up their bowls but hesitated to take the fat scraps, only daring to pick the vegetables. Fu An carefully placed a single piece of fat scrap in his grandmother's bowl.
Luo Shi paused for a moment when she tasted the meat.
Yu Ying felt a pang of discomfort seeing them eat so cautiously.
There wasn't much fat scrap, probably just about two pieces per person.
Yu Ying picked out the fat scraps from the vegetables, placing two in Fu Ning's bowl and one in Luo Shi's.
Sensing this, Luo Shi covered her bowl as Yu Ying was about to add the second piece, insisting, "I don't need it, you eat, you eat."
Yu Ying calmly replied, "Eat it, otherwise the children won't dare to."
Luo Shi whispered, "Just one bite is enough for me. You work hard, you should eat it."
Yu Ying gave a look to Fu An.
Fu An hesitated for a moment, seemingly understanding her intention.
After a thought, he said to his grandmother, "If Grandma doesn't eat, we won't eat either."
Even Fu Ning placed her bowl back on the table.
Luo Shi, though blind, heard the sound of the bowl being put down and hesitated for a moment before reluctantly moving her hand away from the bowl's mouth.
Yu Ying placed two pieces of fat scrap in Luo Shi's bowl, then did the same for Fu An. Fu An looked at her in surprise, then lowered his head and quietly said "Thank you."
When it was Fu Wei's turn, he casually picked up the smallest piece of fat scrap.
Yu Ying decided not to fuss over him any further.
Fu Wei, not particularly indulgent in food, only took one piece and didn’t reach for more.
After the meal, Yu Ying served them each half a bowl of warm egg soup.
The egg drop soup seemed to comfort them, and Fu An even felt as though he had regained strength.
The children's faces were filled with contentment after a full meal.
Fu An conscientiously began to clean up the dishes.
The clay stove was too hot to move outside, so Yu Ying planned to heat water inside the house for everyone to wash in turns.
Previously, lacking facilities, the family, including Fu Wei, used only cold water for washing, which only weakened their frail bodies further, especially when using cold river water.
Yu Ying built a fire in the yard, and with the illumination, the family sat together outside.
A fresh breeze carrying the scent of green grass brought a calming effect.
Just as Yu Ying was about to start grinding bryony seeds, Fu An approached, looking uneasy, and said, "Let me do it, you rest."
His awkwardness amused Yu Ying, "No need, you don’t have the strength for it."
Grinding the seeds into a thick juice was not an easy task.
Yu Ying had thought of asking Fu Wei to help, but seeing the bruises on his arm, she decided to wait a few more days.
As she ground the bryony seeds, the water boiled. Yu Ying asked Fu An to bring out several new cloth towels she had cut earlier.
"One for you, your sister, and grandma," she said.
Fu An was surprised, "For us?"
Yu Ying nodded. Their old towels were in such poor condition, she couldn’t bear to look at them, which is why she had cut new ones today.
Fu An felt both shocked and delighted, almost as if he had received a treasure. He couldn't help but smile and whispered to his sister, "We have new towels now."
Then, Yu Ying instructed Fu An to bring half a basin of water into her room and helped Luo Shi inside.
These days, Luo Shi and Fu Ning had been washing up in Yu Ying's room at night.
Yu Ying would wait outside while Luo Shi bathed.
Watching Fu An help Luo Shi into the room, Yu Ying realized this was not a long-term solution.
She thought maybe when building the kitchen tomorrow, she could propose setting aside a space for a bathing area.
She thought about how to do it while kneading the fruit seeds, and when the thick juice came out, she poured it into the bucket, letting it settle before using all the water and then transferring it to the water tank.
Luo Shi groped her way out of the house; the water was boiling again, and it was Fu Ning's turn.
Fu Ning also tried to wash by herself, but because she was so small, she could never get completely clean.
Yu Ying filled a new basin with hot water, mixed in some cold water, and carried it into the house, also having Fu An bring in the old basin.
She brought Fu Ning into the room and gently asked her, "Would you like Auntie to help you bathe?"
Fu Ning pinched her skirt, then gently nodded her head.
As she undressed, Yu Ying saw Fu Ning's thin body, her ribs visible, and paused in shock.
Though surprised, she knew that just a few days of improved meals wouldn't add much weight, especially since the current food wasn't that great. Gaining weight would take time and careful nourishment.
Gathering her thoughts, she had Fu Ning stand in the old wooden tub and poured water over her with a ladle.
She carefully wiped off all the dirt from her body, making her clean.
Fu Ning, watching her Auntie bathe her, felt a warm feeling in her heart, growing fonder of her.
After Yu Ying finished all her tasks and quickly washed herself, she stepped outside to pour out the water, only to find Fu Ning squatting outside the house.
Yu Ying asked, "Why aren't you going back to sleep?"
Fu Ning stood up, reached out her little hand to grasp Yu Ying's clothes, and gazed at her with eager eyes.
Yu Ying seemed to understand what she wanted and tentatively asked, "Do you want to sleep with me?"
