"I've boiled the water."
Xu Weidong pointed to the corner, where two thermoses of hot water sat beside a metal tub. There was even a new bar of soap placed next to them.
Beside the steaming tub, Ji Xiaosong discovered that Xu Weidong had laid out brand-new undergarments for her. They weren't made of the coarse cloth common at the time, but of soft cotton gauze, with stitches so fine they resembled a work of art.
As she was stroking the fabric in a daze, she heard Xu Weidong's deliberately heavy footsteps outside, followed by the sound of a washbasin being placed on the floor.
"I'm going to get some water," he said, his voice muffled by the door. "I'll be back in twenty minutes."
He was giving her enough time to get ready.
Ji Xiaosong buried her face in the new clothes, inhaling the scent of sunshine.
When Xu Weidong returned, covered in a light mist from the night air, the small room had been transformed.
