After the old woman had completely vanished, Xu Ruizhi looked at Fang Hanmeng's back and sighed.
The old woman was gone, but Fang Hanmeng inside the room remained focused on spreading the bedsheets, completely unaware that her grandmother had left.
Xu Ruizhi stored the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon back into his mind, adjusted his emotions, and then walked toward Fang Hanmeng.
"Xiao Meng, is the bed ready?" Xu Ruizhi asked.
Fang Hanmeng stopped what she was doing, turned around, and gave Xu Ruizhi a bright, sweet smile. "Big brother, the bed is ready. See?"
Xu Ruizhi's gaze fell on the bed. It wasn't large—just enough for two people to sleep on. The bedsheet was a clean, light gray, and two summer quilts were neatly folded together, printed with a flower pattern that looked quite lovely.
Looking at the pristine bedsheet, Xu Ruizhi couldn't help but pause, then asked, "Xiao Meng, did you wash these bedsheets and summer quilts yourself?"
"Yes!" Fang Hanmeng nodded with a cheerful smile. "When Grandma was still here, she would assign me household chores every day. I had to learn all these things well. Grandma said that if she were ever gone one day, I'd need to take care of myself."
After saying this, she mumbled, "If I didn't do a good job, Grandma would hit me. And when she hit me, she would also cry. I didn't dare make Grandma angry or sad."
Hearing Fang Hanmeng's words, Xu Ruizhi suddenly felt a pang of sorrow in his heart and sighed inwardly. Ah, the heart of a parent is truly pitiable.
Xu Ruizhi didn't dwell on the topic and instead changed the subject. "Can you take a bath at home?"
He looked at Fang Hanmeng's dirty clothes and grimy face, finding it almost unbearable to see.
Having just performed the Mysterious Prohibition Blessing and invoked the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, the little spiritual energy left in his body was nearly depleted, so he couldn't use the Clear Water Technique.
"Yes, Big Brother! Do you want to take a bath?" Fang Hanmeng looked at Xu Ruizhi with wide, watery eyes.
"What about you? Do you want to take a bath?" Xu Ruizhi asked in return.
"No, no! Grandma wouldn't let me take a bath. She said I had to keep myself covered in mud and dirt, or else people would bully me. I can't take a bath."
Upon hearing Xu Ruizhi's question, Fang Hanmeng shook her head repeatedly, looking too afraid to even consider it.
Xu Ruizhi was taken aback for a moment before understanding the reasoning behind it. It was a form of protection. The old lady had done this for her granddaughter's sake. After all, a clean girl, especially one with intellectual disabilities, would attract the attention of troublemakers and hooligans. If any bad person approached, the consequences would be unimaginable. Worried about Fang Hanmeng's safety, the old lady had come up with this method.
Xu Ruizhi smiled and said, "It's okay. From now on, with Big Brother here, no one will dare bully you."
"Really?" Fang Hanmeng's eyes instantly lit up as she looked at Xu Ruizhi with delight.
"Really," Xu Ruizhi nodded. "Big Brother won't lie to you."
"Mm-hmm!" Fang Hanmeng nodded vigorously, her face full of anticipation as she asked, "Then, Big Brother, can I take a bath from now on?"
Xu Ruizhi smiled and replied, "Of course! You can wash yourself until you're all fresh and clean. After your bath, we can sleep together, okay?"
"Mm-hmm!" Fang Hanmeng nodded eagerly, jumping up excitedly before running into the room, where a series of clattering sounds could be heard.
A moment later, Fang Hanmeng dragged out a huge bath...
Not a bathtub, but a large basin. It was enormous—half a meter tall, about two meters long, and nearly thirty centimeters wide. Watching Fang Hanmeng drag such a heavy basin over, Xu Ruizhi's lips twitched slightly.
Xu Ruizhi quickly walked over to help Fang Hanmeng lift the large basin onto the floor beside the sofa. Once everything was settled, Fang Hanmeng cheered, "Wow, big brother, I can finally take a bath!"
Seeing Fang Hanmeng's elated expression, Xu Ruizhi sighed inwardly. It seemed this girl really wanted to bathe too.
"Is there water for the bath?" Xu Ruizhi asked.
"I'll go fetch water. There's a faucet outside," Fang Hanmeng said, about to leave, but she nearly stumbled.
"Wait, let's go together," Xu Ruizhi stopped her.
"Okay, I'll get the big pot to boil water."
Fang Hanmeng obediently agreed and then hurried into another room. Soon, she returned carrying a large pot shaped like a lid. Xu Ruizhi quickly took it from her.
"Where's the faucet?"
"Follow me, big brother. I'll show you."
"Alright."
Carrying the pot together, Xu Ruizhi and Fang Hanmeng headed outside.
Once outside, Xu Ruizhi saw a stone platform not far away with a faucet on it.
"Big brother, the faucet is right there. That's where I usually get my drinking water. When Grandma was here, she also fetched water from there for me to wash my face, brush my teeth, and bathe," Fang Hanmeng pointed at the faucet and explained.
Xu Ruizhi looked over. The faucet was a simple pipe. Though crude, at least there was water, so they wouldn't be completely without it.
Together, Xu Ruizhi and Fang Hanmeng placed the pot on the stone platform. Xu Ruizhi then turned on the faucet, and water gushed out noisily.
Watching the flowing water, Fang Hanmeng's face lit up with excitement. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed a warm bath.
Soon, the pot was filled with water.
Looking at the full pot, Xu Ruizhi asked Fang Hanmeng, "Xiao Meng, how do we boil this water?"
Fang Hanmeng blinked, glanced at Xu Ruizhi, and replied, "Big brother, we'll carry the water to the kitchen. There's a stove there. We can use that to boil it."
"Alright."
Xu Ruizhi nodded, and the two carried the pot back into the house, heading to the kitchen.
The kitchen wasn't particularly spacious—just a table, a stove, and some firewood, making it feel quite cramped.
Xu Ruizhi set the water down and looked at Fang Hanmeng. "You go get the lighter. I'll boil the water."
Fang Hanmeng nodded and quickly ran to the living room, returning with a lighter and some paper, which she handed to Xu Ruizhi.
Xu Ruizhi took the lighter and paper. Meanwhile, Fang Hanmeng went over to the firewood, gathered some, and placed it in the small pit beneath the stove. Xu Ruizhi lit the paper and tossed it into the stove, instantly filling the kitchen with smoke...
After nearly an hour of work, the large bathtub was filled with water, and thick steam filled the living room.
Exhausted, Xu Ruizhi and Fang Hanmeng collapsed onto the sofa, panting heavily. Xu Ruizhi wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the clock on the wall—it was already past one in the morning. Fortunately, tomorrow was Saturday, so there were no classes and no need to go to school.
"Where will you bathe?" Xu Ruizhi looked around. Apart from the living room, the house only had a kitchen, a bedroom, a storage room, and a very small bathroom. There was no other available space.
Fang Hanmeng thought for a moment, then looked at Xu Ruizhi with her large, watery eyes and smiled, saying, "Let's do it here. Carrying it back and forth is such a hassle. Besides, only the living room is a bit spacious. The other places are too narrow and small—there's no way to fit a bathtub."
Hearing this, Xu Ruizhi nodded in agreement. Indeed, there was no other choice but to bathe here. He stood up, walked over to the bathtub, and dipped a hand in to test the water, finding the temperature just right.
"You go ahead and undress. Call me when you're done," Xu Ruizhi said, then turned and headed toward the bedroom.
"Big brother, where are you going? Weren't you going to give me a bath?" Fang Hanmeng gazed at Xu Ruizhi with wide, pleading eyes, tilting her head slightly. Her large eyes were clear and innocent, like black gemstones, transparent and pure.
Upon hearing Fang Hanmeng's words, Xu Ruizhi stumbled, nearly falling over.
"Ahem..." Xu Ruizhi coughed lightly, trying to cover up his inner embarrassment, and explained, "Big brother won't bathe you. You should bathe yourself."
"But... but... I don't know how to bathe."
Fang Hanmeng lowered her head sadly, pouting, her voice growing softer as she added, "Grandma used to bathe me before... Wuwu, big brother is mean... won't bathe me..." As she spoke, she began to cry.
Seeing Fang Hanmeng's tearful expression, Xu Ruizhi couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. He quickly explained, "Xiao Meng, don't cry. Big brother isn't refusing to bathe you, but because a girl's body shouldn't be casually seen by a boy, so... big brother can only turn his back."
Hearing this, Fang Hanmeng immediately stopped crying. She lowered her head thoughtfully, then looked up at Xu Ruizhi with watery eyes and said, "I think my grandma also said that boys shouldn't touch a girl's body, or else she won't be able to get married in the future."
Just as Xu Ruizhi breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Fang Hanmeng's words, she suddenly added, "But then, I'll just marry big brother! I like big brother anyway!"
"Ahem..." Xu Ruizhi choked, staring blankly at Fang Hanmeng. He never expected her to suddenly say something like that.
Fang Hanmeng continued, "Big brother, I really like you. Will you marry me? Then you can bathe me!"
Hearing this, Xu Ruizhi was once again left speechless. How could he explain to Fang Hanmeng the differences between genders?
Seeing that Xu Ruizhi remained silent, Fang Hanmeng thought he didn't want to marry her and immediately burst into tears.
"Xiao Meng, don't cry. Big brother promises you, but this must be kept a secret, okay? No one else can know," Xu Ruizhi sighed helplessly.
"Mm-hmm!" Fang Hanmeng wiped the tears from her cheeks, nodded vigorously, and broke into a smile, jumping up happily.
Xu Ruizhi rubbed his temples, watching Fang Hanmeng's excitement with suspicion—was this little girl doing it on purpose?
Shaking his head, Xu Ruizhi didn't dwell on it further. He picked up a towel nearby, intending to first wipe the dirt off Fang Hanmeng's face.
He dipped the towel into the bathtub, wrung it until it was half-dry, then walked over to Fang Hanmeng and gently wiped her cheeks.
Xu Ruizhi's movements were soft, as if afraid of hurting her. Since there was quite a bit of grime on Fang Hanmeng's face, it took some effort to clean.
After wiping away the dirt, Xu Ruizhi looked at Fang Hanmeng's face and was instantly stunned, his mouth agape in surprise.
Fang Hanmeng's face had originally been smudged with grime, but after bathing, her skin became fair, tender, and smooth, so delicate it seemed it could break at a touch. Her almond-shaped eyes were round and bright, with slender, curled lashes. Her nose was straight and delicate, and her lips were like tempting cherries, rosy and alluring. Her mature, charming face, paired with those clear, innocent, watery eyes, made her look like a flower about to bloom, utterly endearing.
Fang Hanmeng noticed Xu Ruizhi's intense gaze and, somewhat puzzled, touched her own face as she asked:
"Big brother, why are you staring at me?"
Xu Ruizhi withdrew his gaze, his face slightly flushed, and quickly replied, "It's nothing. I'll go wait for you in the bedroom. Call me when you're done washing up."
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Fang Hanmeng suddenly grabbed his sleeve and said pitifully:
"Big brother, weren't you going to help me bathe?"
Xu Ruizhi looked down at the small hands clutching his sleeve and smiled bitterly. I can hardly hold back—I'm no Liu Xiahui!
Seeing the hopeful look in Fang Hanmeng's eyes, he steeled himself. Fine, let me be a beast then. After all, her grandmother asked me to take care of her. Since I've already decided to help her bathe, I should take responsibility. Besides, taking care of her for a lifetime would be even better.
With that thought, Xu Ruizhi took a deep breath and said to Fang Hanmeng, "Alright! Big brother will help you bathe."
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