Chapter 34 By the Little River

  I didn't expect washing long hair to be so tiring, his waist was almost broken, and he hadn't even finished washing yet. He had to find a stool to sit on and continue washing. After finishing, his waist and back hurt, it's really suffering! What's the point of having such long hair?!

  Wiped her hair semi-dry with a washcloth, scooped hot water into the large wooden tub, mixed in some cool water, and then took off her clothes and set them aside. She climbed into the large wooden tub, letting her long hair hang outside the tub so it wouldn't get wet, and finally relaxed and enjoyed her bath.

  After soaking for nearly half a day, the water had warmed up, and he finally got up. His hair was almost dry, so he put on his quilted jacket. Together with Lian Wo, they carried Xiao Song Shu upstairs and placed him beside their pillow. Xiao Song Shu slept very soundly. Only then did he lie down in bed, stretch his waist, and feel very comfortable. He added more quilts and took another hot bath, so he no longer felt cold. This time, Zuo Siyang slept very soundly.

  The next morning, Zuo Shaoyang's nose itched and he let out a loud sneeze with his eyes closed. When he opened them again, he saw that the little squirrel's long fluffy tail was dangling right in front of his face. The little creature had been startled awake by the sneeze and stared at him with its big round eyes, unafraid.

  Zuo Shaoyang suddenly sat up, holding the little squirrel in his palm: "Hey! Are you awake?" The little squirrel looked at him and squeaked twice.

  "Are you hungry?" Zuo Shaoyang took out a handful of pine nuts from his pocket and handed them to the little squirrel.

  The little squirrel has opened its eyes but hasn't grown teeth yet and can't gnaw on the pine nut. It's anxious and squeaking.

  "Wait a minute, let me finish what I need to do first, and then I'll feed you."

  He put the little squirrel back in its nest, took the nest and went down the stairs with disheveled hair, first putting the squirrel's nest on the medicine cabinet, then came to the kitchen, found a wooden comb, combed his long hair, but didn't know how to braid it. He twisted and turned, got tired and sweaty, finally managed to twist and turn and braid it roughly, wrapped it with a headscarf and put on a hat. Then he took a water bucket from the kitchen to the riverbank well to fetch water.

  As he reached the stone steps, he heard the sound of laughter coming from the well below, where the young girl and the woman were chatting, but their figures were blocked by the large bluestone slab covering the well, and he couldn't see them. Left Shao Yang's heart was racing with anticipation, unsure whether to go down or wait a while.

  The smiling young woman glanced over and saw Zuo Shuangyang on the stairs, then elbowed the girl next to her: "Hey! That fool is staring at you again! Hehe!"

  The girl poked her head out and took a peek, her pretty face smiled slightly, and she hit the young woman lightly: "You're talking nonsense again!"

  "What nonsense am I talking? Look, someone is staring at your chest, their eyes are about to pop out! Hehehe"

  "What are you talking about! Watch me tear your mouth!" The girl stretched out her hand to pinch the young woman's face, and the young woman giggled and dodged away. "Don't make trouble, he's watching. If you want to be coquettish, others won't appreciate it!"

  As soon as she heard this, the girl immediately stopped making trouble, glanced at Zuo Shuangyang on the stairs with a look, and lowered her head to start fetching water.

  That young woman looked up at Zuo Shao Yang and said, "Hey! What are you standing there for? Don't come down, afraid that little sister will eat you up? Hehe"

  Zuo Shaoyang chuckled and hurriedly carried the water bucket down the stairs, which were slippery with water. The cold wind blew and froze it into ice, requiring great care to avoid slipping and falling, which would be embarrassing and humiliating.

  As soon as Left Shao Yang arrived at the well, the young woman poked that girl: "Hey, didn't you have something to say to him? What's wrong, dumb?"

  "Really?" The girl blinked her almond-shaped eyes.

  "How could you forget, your second sister's matter, you were still asking a doctor last night, wasn't it readily available before? At worst, you help the family carry water back and forth as payment for the diagnosis."

  "You wouldn't have mentioned it, I had really forgotten." The girl giggled and didn't say a word, her face already turned into a red pomegranate. She lowered her head and said: "Ah, I want to ask for your help, okay?"

  Zuo Shaoyang saw that she wasn't looking at him, so he deliberately looked around and then pointed to himself, saying: "Miss, are you talking to me?"

  "Put garlic on you!" The young woman scolded, "She didn't tell you, could it be that there's someone else?"

  "Don't you count as a human?" As soon as he started talking, Zuo Shao Yang realized that speaking with Tang Dynasty girls was still very smooth and his mouth was also nimble.

  "Fight!" The young woman raised her hand as if to hit, then pushed the girl again: "Hey, this idiot is offending me, and you're not doing anything about it?"

  "What's it to me? You two are flirting and quarreling... that sort of thing. Hehe, what business is it of mine?"

  "You little scamp!" The young woman reached out to tickle the girl's waist, and the girl giggled and dodged, the two of them tumbling about in a heap.

  The young master of Zuo Shao Yang saw the two girls in their prime, and his gloomy mood over the past few days also cleared up a lot. He smiled and said, "Miss, if you have anything to say, please feel free to speak, I will definitely help if I can."

  The two women stopped struggling and tidied up their clothes. The girl's face turned red as she said, "It's like this, my second sister has weaned the child, but there's still a lot of milk, and it's very painful to be so swollen. Do you have any way to treat it?"

  "It's simple," said Zuo Shaoyang, "Go back and let your second sister use four liang of raw malt to decoct and take it, which can restore milk and relieve distension."

  "Really?" The girl looked up at him and then lowered her head, saying: "Thank you! I'll help you carry the water!" She reached out to take Left Shao Yang's bucket. How could Left Shao Yang let a girl help him carry water? If that got out, he'd be humiliated to death. He hastily pressed down on the bucket: "No, no, I'll do it myself, thank you!"

  The young woman said: "You're really a fool! Such a good opportunity is in front of you, why don't you just go along with it!"

  "No way, haha, I'm a big man, how can I let you girls help me carry water, people will laugh at me."

  The girl and the young woman exchanged a glance and giggled. The young woman said, "She'll be washing clothes here this afternoon; otherwise, bring your clothes over and let her wash them for you."

  "This... never mind, I'll wash it myself."

  That girl glared at Zuo Shao Yang and said to the young woman, "He's worried that I won't be able to wash it clean!"

  "No, it doesn't mean that." Zuo Shaoyang saw that the girl's words were a bit awkward and thought that helping with laundry didn't represent anything, so he said: "Then, I'll bring them over this afternoon, thank you, miss."

  "Don't mention it!" The young woman chuckled and said, "If you can cure her heartache tomorrow, that's all the repayment I need!"

  The girl hit the young woman: "You're talking nonsense again!"

  Zuō Shǎo Yáng hurriedly said with a serious expression: "Miss, you have heart and mouth pain? This can't be taken lightly, I can help Miss take a look."

  The girl's neck turned red with anger, and she scolded: "Don't listen to her nonsense! I'm not hurt at all, she's just teasing me!" As she spoke, she went to tease the young woman again. The young woman giggled and resisted. The two women struggled, and the young woman deliberately pushed the girl towards Zuo Shao Yang with a sudden force. The girl let out a cry of surprise as she collided with Zuo Shao Yang's body.

  The steps were narrow and icy, and Zuo Shao Yang couldn't dodge in time. Fortunately, one hand grasped the stone cover of the well, which was as tall as a person, or he would have been knocked over. His body swayed violently, and his hat fell askew. The hair bun on his head, which had been tied up with great effort, came undone at once and scattered down like splashed water, covering his head and face.

  The girls and young women were taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing.

  Zuo Shaoyang's face turned red, and he hastily tidied up his hair, clumsily coiling it on top of his head. This action made the two women laugh even harder. The young woman laughed while pushing the girl: "Hey! Aren't you going to help him fix his hair?"

  The girl covered her mouth and laughed as she came over: "Hey, I'll help you do your hair. You're so old, but you still don't know how to put up your hair, hehehe"

  Zuo Shaoyang smiled and said: "Thank you, miss."

  The girl lifted her slender arm and lightly took down a peach wood comb from her hair, walked to Zuo Shao Yang's side: "You're standing like that, how can I comb?"

  Zuo Shaoyang hastily made a horse stance, and the two girls found it even more amusing. The girl stood in front of him to help him comb his hair. The two were very close together, and Zuo Shaoyang smelled the faint scent of the girl's body, saw her plump chest right in front of him, and couldn't help but feel his heart fluttering wildly. Afraid of being seen in this awkward state, he quickly closed his eyes.

  The girl moved quickly and helped him comb his hair in just a few strokes, braiding it into a bun and wrapping it with a cloth strip. She also helped him put on his hat. Only then did she insert the peach wood comb back into her hair. Smiling, she said: "Alright! - Why are you closing your eyes?"

  The young woman chuckled and said, "Haven't you seen how much I'm enjoying this? My heart is definitely delighted. If I had someone like you to help me comb my hair every day, that would be the life! Hehehe!"