บท 4: A cold bed, a warm hand.
Right after the two of them made a pinky promise, Qing Chun sprung up from the ground, stretching her back. She walked over to the wall, activating the array that was responsible for gathering sunlight and spreading it through the house. Once the house was flooded with light, she looked at the bloody wooden pole and floor, clapping her hands.
"Alright, now we have to clean up all this blood. If we don't, Uncle Xiang will certainly scold you. And after that, you have to go and get some proper sleep, otherwise, how will you accompany me tomorrow?"
Qing Chun left the room after speaking, heading towards the kitchen. The house only had three rooms, a kitchen, this living-room, as well as one bedroom, making every room quickly accessible. Liang Chen also stood up, slowly stretching his aching body. While he was stretching his body, the voice of Qing Chun rang out from the kitchen again.
"Little Chen, don't you have a bucket I can borrow? I don't want to just splash the water on the floor."
Liang Chen rolled his eyes for a short moment as he thought, trying to remember where the bucket was placed. He swiftly remembered the last place he had seen the bucket, calling out to Qing Chun as he started walking towards the door.
"I think I saw the bucket out by the restroom, I will go and fetch it."
Liang Chen left the house, entering the courtyard and walking to the back of the house. There was a small two-room cabin hidden behind the house, the trees surrounding it preventing others from seeing it. Liang Chen pushed open the door to the cabin, entering a small room that contained a large open tub as well as some soap. This cabin was something his father and mother had built themselves, as they did not want to use the shared baths and toilets.
Liang Chen found a small wooden bucket located behind the tub, picking it up and slowly walking back to the house. He was slightly absent-minded as he walked, everything he saw causing familiar memories to flood his mind. He felt his eyes sting slightly, so he quickly shook his head and forced the oncoming tears back down, after all, one of the last things his mother had told him was that he mustn't cry, he must be strong. He could not allow himself to cry like he had done right after the execution.
Once he returned to the house, Qing Chun was waiting for him in the living-room, humming a slight tune. Once Liang Chen handed her the small bucket, she placed it on the floor next to the blood, crouching down in front of it. She raised both her hands, pointing her palms towards the bucket. After a short moment, thin streams of water flew out from her palms, entering the bucket and slowly filling it up. This was the element that Qing Chun specialized in, the water element. Once the bucket was filled, Qing Chun tore some cloth in half, tossing half of it to Liang Chen as she spoke with a slight smile.
"Did you think you could get away without cleaning? Come on, you can clean the pole."
Liang Chen caught the piece of cloth, dipping it into the bucket that was now filled with cold water. The two of them started to silently wash away the blood that Liang Chen had spilled, switching out the water in the bucket three times before they managed to clean up the last of the blood. Once all the blood was gone, Qing Chun grabbed Liang Chen's wrist and pulled him towards the last room in the house, the bedroom.
The bedroom was very simple, containing three small closets, a single table, three chairs, and a bed large enough for three people to sleep in. Liang Chen's parents had considered building a second bed, one for Liang Chen, but as they were uncertain where to place it, they had never gone through with it. Upon entering the room, Liang Chen closed his eyes for a slight second, taking a deep breath.
It had only been four days, so the faint scent of his parents was still lingering in the air. While he was feeling slightly melancholic, he felt a slight squeeze on his wrist. He opened his eyes again, turning towards Qing Chun, who was looking at him with a soft smile.
"Don't worry. Aunty and Uncle are no longer here, but I will stay with you until you manage to fall asleep."
Qing Chun led Liang Chen over to the bed and covered him with the blanket, she then brought one of the chairs over to the side of the bed, sitting down on it and holding onto Liang Chen's hand. Once she sat down, she turned towards Liang Chen and pointed at their connected hands, speaking with a smile.
"There, I will hold onto you until you manage to sleep peacefully, so don't you worry about anything and focus on getting some sleep. But don't forget that you have to meet me tomorrow at noon, we can meet by the eastern fountain and take a walk through the market."
The market by the eastern fountain consisted mostly of various stands that sold food, so Liang Chen and Qing Chun had often walked through the market and tasted the diverse types of food. Liang Chen found that the empty bed felt chillingly cold, but the heat from his hand kept the cold from digging into his bones. His mind slowly grew hazy, but he still managed to let out a slight mutter.
"Okay, I promise."
Qing Chun let out a bright smile upon hearing Liang Chen promise and then proceeded to silently sit at the side of the bed and hold his hands. She continued to sit beside him even after she noticed that he had fallen asleep, a peaceful silence covering the entire house.
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