Chapter 86: Eighth Floor Bathhouse

(1)

The Eighth Floor Bathhouse isn’t actually on the eighth floor; it’s on the first floor.

In fact, this building only has two floors in total.

Although it’s a newly opened bathhouse, its predecessor was also a bathhouse that simply shut down last summer.

In the past, bathing was inconvenient for most rural residents.

Although the city had bathrooms, there were no dedicated shower rooms.

When washing, soap often slipped into the squat toilet, and there was no hot water during winter.

Now, most people’s living conditions have gradually improved.

Many have gone out to work, and though the income isn’t much, they can still add some new things to their homes.

Many rural villages have even installed water heaters—though the elderly often worry about wasting electricity and hesitate to use them.

After all, the south doesn’t have much of a public bath culture, and the weather isn’t that cold.

With technological progress and the times changing, public bathhouses have become fewer and fewer.

But in small cities like this, there’s still some demand.

Small cities are called small because they’re not yet prosperous enough.

Besides these old-style apartments nearby, there are still many rundown urban villages.

The evening breeze blew gently, and An Jing quietly raised her head to glance at the brand-new, brightly lit signboard.

For a moment, she felt a bit dazed.

It was like returning to her childhood.

Back then, it wasn’t easy to go to a public bath.

At night, you had to call someone to start the boat, then ride a bicycle to the town’s public bathhouse.

After washing, you’d ride back.

By the time you returned, your body was covered in sweat and dust, yet you felt exceptionally happy.

“An Jing, do you remember? When we were kids, Huihui and I would go bathing and take you along.”

“I was just in elementary school back then.”

An Jing hugged the basin holding her change of clothes, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.

“Ha— I sat in the back seat, and Fei-jie, if I remember correctly, sat on the front crossbar, while Huihui-jie rode the bike.”

“Every time it wore me out.”

Yu Minghui lowered her head and laughed softly.

“Coming back, I was sweating so much it felt like I hadn’t washed at all.”

“But bathing in the bathhouse was warm, and— after bathing at night, the feeling of cruising outside was really refreshing.”

“Right, right. I liked sitting on the boat for the last stretch back the most. Usually, we came back pretty late, so we’d sit on the bench and watch the starry sky reflected in the sea.”

“Oh, the waves rise and fall like that.”

Yu Mingfei, like a brother, threw an arm over An Jing’s shoulder.

“Sometimes I’d fall asleep swaying on the boat.”

“You’ve got nerve saying that! Wasn’t it me and Huihui who carried you back once?”

“Tch, with your little frame, how much strength could you really have?”

The three chatted about the past as they walked into the newly renovated bathhouse.

Of course, the price was much higher than last year.

Originally, a bath cost five yuan, but now it had doubled to ten, with private rooms available as an option.

“What’s inside the private rooms?”

Yu Minghui pointed at the price list and looked up to ask.

The owner was a young woman in her early thirties, sitting with her legs crossed, snacking on sunflower seeds.

“The private rooms? They have a soaking tub, two showerheads, a changing and resting room. After soaking, you can lie down and watch TV—it’s open from now until two in the morning.”

“Fifty yuan,” An Jing clicked her tongue.

“A bit expensive.”

“But it’s clean, and no one disturbs you.”

Yu Mingfei winked at her.

“You’re just… shy.”

“It’s not like I come often. Fifty yuan for three people is still pretty cost-effective.”

Yu Minghui nodded.

“We’ll take that one, please open a room.”

“That’s on the second floor, take the stairs on the right.”

“I’ll pay.”

Yu Mingfei generously pulled out her wallet and took out a brand-new hundred-yuan note.

“Hehe, just got my paycheck.”

“Don’t spend it all at once.”

“I’m not wasting it!”

“Okay, second floor, room 202. Here’s the key.”

***

(2)

The renovated bathhouse was obviously much more refined than before.

Previously, there were only two large shower rooms, with the soaking tubs placed inside the same area.

If you didn’t want to leave right after bathing, you could go upstairs to relax with a massage.

The walls were only painted white, and the floor was still concrete.

Now, not only the floor but the walls were tiled, and individual rooms were separated for customer use.

This was probably to keep up with the times; as cheap customers decreased, the service focused more on those willing to pay.

Yu Mingfei turned the brass key and opened the private room’s door.

Inside was a changing room.

From left to right were lockers, a sofa bench, and two massage chairs for resting.

A full-length mirror hung on the wall, and when Yu Mingfei passed by, she paused to look at herself a little longer.

“Hm— why do I feel like I’ve aged so much?”

“Fei-fei, you haven’t aged at all.”

“Really? I just don’t feel the same as when I was in college.”

“Well, Fei-jie has always been that violent type. Nothing’s changed before or now, right?”

“You little punk, what did you say?”

“Eh heh, can’t hit me!”

“Tsk, enough nonsense, take off your clothes!”

“That sounds like you’re bullying a good girl.”

“Hmph, little girl, be good and listen…”

“Wait!”

An Jing suddenly dodged Yu Mingfei’s groping hand.

“Why don’t you two go in first? I’ll wait outside. You go wash, and then I’ll come in and undress…”

“What’s the difference? Once you’re inside, you’re naked anyway.”

“Ah ah… but, um.”

“Xiao Jing, don’t be so shy.”

“Wah—!!! Huihui-jie, when did you get undressed!?”

“How’s my Huihui’s figure?”

“I didn’t see anything, I didn’t see anything! I saw nothing at all!!”

An Jing covered her eyes with both hands and turned away.

“What are you shy about?”

Yu Mingfei pressed her head down.

“You’ve seen it before when we were kids.”

“Back then and now are completely different, okay! I’m a boy; I can’t just do that!”

“Really don’t want to look?”

“No!”

“Alright, alright, we’re getting in. Hurry up and take off your clothes and come in.”

“Oh.”

An Jing just opened her eyes and quickly covered them again with her small hands.

“Lies!!! How come you’re all—!”

“Freezing! Freezing! Huihui, come in quickly. I’m not playing with this little brat anymore.”

“Xiao Jing, come on in.”

“Coming!”

An Jing carefully opened her eyes and saw the changing room empty.

She finally relaxed and slowly undressed, but just as she was about to enter, she couldn’t help but stop in front of the full-length mirror.

In the mirror taller than her stood a bashful, pretty girl blushing deeply.

The few pink highlights on her skin made her dizzy just looking at them, yet she couldn’t look away.

Her figure didn’t match Yu Minghui’s or even Yu Mingfei’s, but it had a certain youthful freshness.

For An Jing, who hadn’t even graduated from middle school, this was definitely the preferred type…

Her skin was as clear and bright as jade.

Though she wasn’t curvy, the slight curve of her lower abdomen was quite alluring.

When her gaze landed on the meteorite fragment hanging from her neck, her body trembled.

To transform back into a boy, she had to suppress these desires—

Even though she wasn’t sure if doing so would really change her back.

“Phew… ha— phew…!”

She took several deep breaths and finally averted her eyes.

She stretched out her slender, pale arm, gently lifted the curtain, and stepped into the steam-filled bath.

***

(3)

“Eek— the little brat walked in backwards, so sly.”

“I’m just observing morality!”

“That has nothing to do with morality!”

“This is a man’s principle!”

“What part of you is manly?”

“Xiao Jing’s skin is so smooth, no hair anywhere.”

“Now that you mention it, I was already… covered in armpit hair back in middle school.”

“Ugh! Eek— Fei-jie, why did you come to the front?”

“What? Let me see how you’re developing. Hmm… just budding now.”

“Wow…”

“Stop covering your eyes pretending to be innocent. Honestly, if you didn’t want to see, you wouldn’t have come in. Hurry up and come, let me get a good look!”

“Hey hey hey!”

“Xiao Jing, you haven’t been washing your hair properly lately. There’s a little stool; sit there, and I’ll wash it for you.”

“Ah, no need…”

“You’re here now, just wash up properly.”

“Sit down~!”

“Wow, Fei-jie, you touched my head!”

“Where? Oh… whatever, it’s not as soft as Huihui’s anyway.”

“Heh…”

An Jing struggled a little, then gave up resisting.

Not doing anything mischievous was already the best she could do at this point.

She was like a doll, let the two sisters fuss over her and carefully clean every corner of her body.

“Girls have to wash this area well, or it’ll smell and is prone to inflammation.”

“A girl’s body is so troublesome…”

“But if it’s clean, it smells much nicer than a man!”

“If men cleaned as well as girls, they’d have to smell good too…”

“Kid, who do you think has the better figure, me or Huihui?”

“… Fei-jie’s is bigger.”

“You’re looking pretty closely!”

“Ahem, ahem, ahem!!!”

“So that means I’m better, right?”

“But Huihui-jie is slimmer, Fei-jie’s a little chubby.”

“I’m not fat!!”

“You are, Fei-fei. Feel it yourself, your little belly’s sticking out.”

“Damn it, I work so hard, how did I get fat? The world is just too unfair to me!!”

“Phew, finally done rinsing, can I get out now…?”

“What are you thinking? We’re here to soak, aren’t we? Come on, the water’s ready.”

“B-but all three of us cramped together…”

“Now you’re shy? Why didn’t you refuse earlier? Hmph… such a two-faced little one, come on—”

“Ahh— don’t pull my arm! I can walk myself, I’ll go in myself, I’ll go in myself!”

An Jing felt she wasn’t here to bathe, but like a little lamb caught by the Big Bad Wolf, thrown into a pot to be boiled into mutton soup…