Just as Gantang was immersed in the joy of petting the wolf, delighting in the fluffy sensation beneath her fingertips, her fingers accidentally brushed across Lu Qiancha’s back—and touched a thin layer of fine dust.
Ah… it seemed her senior brother had rolled on the ground earlier…
Only then did Gantang belatedly recall the way the little wolf cub had been curled up on the courtyard floor.
The originally clean and soft clothing was now covered with dust, and even the fragrant, soft little wolf in her arms had turned into a somewhat gray and dirty little wolf.
“Sigh…” Gantang let out a helpless sigh, looking at the muddle-headed little bundle in her arms that kept rubbing against her, completely unaware of her own condition. This would not do. She needed a wash.
She quickly made up her mind to help her senior brother take a bath—and change out of those dirty clothes as well.
Once she decided, Gantang carefully lifted the still-content Lu Qiancha, holding her like a large plush toy.
Lu Qiancha seemed very displeased at being disturbed. Her little paws unconsciously clutched Gantang’s collar, and she made dissatisfied grumbling sounds in her throat.
“Good girl, good girl. I’ll take you somewhere even more comfortable.”
Gantang coaxed softly, carrying the reluctant little wolf toward the side room bath connected to the main house.
Inside the changing room, steam filled the air and the temperature was just right. Gantang set Lu Qiancha down, trying to make her stand properly.
Holding her shoulders with both hands, she bent slightly and looked into those still-hazy blue eyes.
“Senior brother, be good. Raise your arms.”
“Mmm…”
Lu Qiancha completely ignored Gantang’s words—or rather, she simply could not process them.
Instead of raising her arms, the little wolf cub tilted like a piece of iron drawn to a magnet. Her small body leaned right back into Gantang’s embrace, the fluffy little head rubbing against Gantang’s neck and chest.
The tips of her slightly trembling ears brushed against the sensitive skin of Gantang’s neck again and again, sending waves of ticklish sensation through her.
“Haha… s-senior brother…”
Gantang was rubbed until she felt both ticklish and numb. Leaning back slightly to avoid it, she spoke helplessly, half laughing and half crying.
“Stop rubbing for a moment. It tickles so much. Let’s finish the bath first, then you can cling to me, okay?”
However, Gantang’s persuasion vanished like a stone sinking into the sea.
Forget it. Expecting senior brother to cooperate on her own was impossible…
Gantang sighed in resignation.
She could only peel the clothes off Lu Qiancha piece by piece like peeling garlic, while trying her best to hold down the wolf cub that kept pressing herself against her.
The dusty outer robe, middle garment, and inner clothing were removed one by one.
By the time the little wolf was finally stripped down to only her close-fitting undergarment, Gantang had already worked up a thin layer of sweat.
Her own previously clean clothes had long been rubbed gray, covered with bits of grass and dust from Lu Qiancha.
Well, great. Now she had to wash too…
Looking at the results on herself, Gantang shook her head helplessly.
Still, it worked out fine. The bathhouse was large enough. While washing her senior brother clean, she could rinse herself off as well.
More importantly—
Gantang looked at the muddle-headed little wolf in front of her, who instinctively kept trying to rub against her, her fluffy tail swishing unconsciously.
Gantang could not help feeling a little disappointed. If only she could record this moment somehow—she would watch it every day in the future.
Shaking away the messy thoughts, Gantang focused on bathing the wolf cub.
For Gantang, the whole bathing process was less romantic and more like a frantic rescue mission. She had no time to entertain any stray thoughts.
***
Meanwhile, the little wolf soaking in the warm bathwater—still enveloped in the lingering effect of Wolf Mint—was extremely restless.
Like a slippery fish, she wriggled in Gantang’s arms, rubbing here and there, nudging Gantang’s neck one moment and brushing against her chest the next, splashing water everywhere.
What made Gantang’s heart nearly stop was that sometimes her senior brother seemed to have an itch in her mouth and wanted to grind her teeth.
Several times without warning she suddenly leaned forward and bit down with those small baby teeth.
“Senior brother, don’t bite.”
“No, stop. Let go!”
Gantang’s startled cries rose one after another in the misty bathroom, accompanied by the junior sister’s gradually reddening face—and the satisfied humming of a certain little wolf.
After enduring what felt like endless hardship, Gantang finally managed to scrub the restless little wolf clean from head to toe—including that fluffy big tail that splashed water everywhere.
She wrapped her in a soft, absorbent cotton cloth.
By then, Gantang herself was completely soaked and sweating lightly. There were even a few faint bite marks in sensitive places.
She let out a long breath and quickly rinsed herself with cool water, washing away the exhaustion.
“Wuu…”
Just as Gantang was rinsing the foam from her hair and water rushed down around her, a soft whimper suddenly reached her ears.
The sound carried deep embarrassment and guilt—like someone caught doing something wrong.
Gantang’s heart jumped. She immediately turned off the water, wiped the droplets from her face, and looked back.
By the bathing barrel, Lu Qiancha was wrapped in cloth like a silkworm cocoon, only her small head exposed. Her eyes had regained clarity.
But her delicate face was red like something fully ripened, as if it might start steaming.
Her gaze drifted briefly to the small bite marks on Gantang’s body. Then she hurriedly looked away toward the cloth wrapped around herself, refusing to meet Gantang’s eyes.
Every inch of her seemed filled with embarrassment and mortification.
“S-senior brother… you’re awake?”
Alarm bells rang in Gantang’s head. She hastily twisted her wet hair into a messy bun atop her head, not even bothering about the water dripping down her neck.
She hurriedly spoke first, the words coming out rapid-fire.
“Senior brother, listen to my explanation first. I swear I didn’t bring you here to bathe with any bad intentions. I only saw you lying on the ground covered in dust, so I thought of washing you clean.”
“I swear to heaven I didn’t have any improper thoughts at all. So you can’t scold me—and you definitely can’t deduct my allowance.”
She finished the entire speech in one breath, holding it nervously afterward. Her eyes darted around, giving the strong impression of someone protesting too much.
Listening to Gantang’s increasingly suspicious explanation, Lu Qiancha’s face—already flushed from extreme embarrassment—showed a hint of speechless disbelief.
Silently, she pulled the cloth around herself higher, almost covering half her face, leaving only her watery blue eyes visible through the lingering steam.
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s hum, tinged with self-defeating embarrassment.
“I never said I was going to blame you…”
“That’s great!”
The moment Gantang heard that, the weight hanging over her heart finally dropped. She let out a long breath of relief.
She immediately leaned closer, examining Lu Qiancha’s slightly flushed cheeks with concern.
“Senior brother, how do you feel now? Are you still dizzy? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Not dizzy anymore…” Lu Qiancha murmured softly, heavy with exhaustion.
She tried to focus her gaze on Gantang’s face, but the memories from earlier all surged back.
“Wuu…”
A soft cry filled with shame and despair escaped her throat uncontrollably.
It was over. Completely over. She had no face left to show anyone.
Junior sister must definitely think she was a complete pervert.
The little wolf cub wished she could immediately dig a hole and crawl into it—or disappear on the spot.