Severing Time & Space

In Sickness and Health

There were many servants wandering the compound. All she needed to do was hail down one and ask about where the cleaning supplies were kept. The maidservant she spoke to offered to clean Wu Jian's room herself, but Wu Meiying adamantly refused.

This was both her task and her desire.

She wouldn't let anyone else do it for her.

She returned with a bucket and some cleaning supplies, entering the room to find Hou Jingshu sitting on the bed beside Wu Jian. Wu Meiying paused for a moment to watch as the other girl tenderly stroked Wu Jian's sleeping face. The look in her friend's eyes was the same look she often wore whenever she watched Wu Jian. It was just proof that the other girl had fallen for him even if she wasn't willing to admit it.

Perhaps she doesn't even realize it herself. I feel like I should say something to her, but the realization wouldn't be as meaningful if she didn't discover it on her own.

Some things held more meaning when they discovered naturally, and Hou Jingshu's love for Wu Jian was one of those things. Wu Meiying was certain her love would become that much more powerful once she realized it for herself.

"I'm back," she announced, walking further into the room.

"Ah?!" Hou Jingshu released a furious cry of surprise as she leapt to her feet. She placed her hands behind her back and tried to pretend she hadn't been caught doing something as embarrassing as staring into a boy's sleeping face as she stroked his cheeks. "W-welcome back. Did you... er... get the cleaning supplies?"

"Of course." Wu Meiying lifted the bucket. "Now let's get to cleaning."

The first step to cleaning was making sure she could actually move. The sleeves of her hanfu were long and voluminous. They would definitely get in the way, so she rolled them up and used a simple rope to tie them in place. With that out of the way, she grabbed a broom and got ready to begin sweeping.

It only took maybe an hour to clean the room. They swept and polished the floor, dusted the window, cleaned the walls, and even removed some of the stains from where Wu Jian had sweat during his workouts.

Cleaning took a lot more work than she first assumed, but she enjoyed the task. Wu Meiying enjoyed taking care of Wu Jian, especially these days, since he tried so hard to be reliable to her instead. Rare were the moments when she could now take care of him.

When they were done, Wu Meiying wiped the imaginary sweat from her forehead and grinned.

"Whew. I think we did a good job, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah. It does look nice and clean."

"I wonder what we should do now? Maybe we should make something for Wu Jian? I'm told congee made with medicinal herbs can help with a person's fever."

"Do you know how to cook?"

"... Maybe we should ask one of the cooks to prepare something."

While they were trying to decide what kind of food they should get the servants to make, a low groan stole their attention. They looked toward the bed. Wu Jian stirred and shifted, eventually opening his eyes and blinking several times. His eyes looked much duller than normal.

"Oh. You're awake. How are you feeling? We didn't wake you, did we?" asked Wu Meiying. They had been making quite a bit of noise while cleaning.

"No. You're fine. I think I woke up because I feel kind of gross," Wu Jian admitted.

"It sounds like you need someone to wipe the sweat from your body." Wu Meiying wasn't hyperventilating at the thought of wiping Wu Jian's body. Certainly not. She wasn't excited. She just wanted to make sure he was comfortable. The suspicious moisture she wiped from her lips was most definitely not drool. "Hold on a second while I get some soap and water. Jingshu, you keep Jian company, okay?"