When Spring Burns - Chapter 27

The hot spring pool was enveloped in a misty haze.

He Jianxue stepped in first, while Sheng Tingmian, one hand clutching the towel at her chest and the other gripping her sister’s hand, slowly followed.

The warm spring water gradually rose over her feet, knees, and finally reached her chest.

They sat down by the edge, leaning against the pool wall. Sheng Tingmian soaked her towel, wrung it out with her small hands, and placed it on her forehead. Closing her eyes, she let out a contented sigh.

After so many days of traveling, a soak in the hot spring washed away all her fatigue. Her sister had thought of everything.

He Jianxue couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her sister tilting her head back with the towel, looking utterly relaxed.

Sheng Tingmian’s delicate face was flushed with a faint rosy hue from the hot spring, her long but straight eyelashes casting a fan-shaped shadow. At times, she resembled a delicate, endearing little bird.

After about half an hour, He Jianxue suddenly felt something lean against her shoulder. A soft splash echoed across the water’s surface, and when she opened her eyes, she saw a towel had fallen into the pool.

Turning her head, she noticed that her sister, whether asleep or simply dizzy from the heat, had rested her cheek against He Jianxue’s arm, her body tilting slightly toward her.

The towel wrapped around Sheng Tingmian’s body had absorbed water, and under the pull of gravity, the knot tucked over her left chest had gradually loosened.

The water’s surface remained calm and undisturbed, revealing the shape, size, and even the rosy tips beneath.

Further down, her slender legs were slightly bent and pressed together, also leaning in He Jianxue’s direction.

He Jianxue froze for a moment, her gaze drifting upward to rest on the girl’s flushed lips, which, under the steam of the hot spring, exuded the allure of ripe cherries.

It had to be said, her sister sometimes truly resembled a soft pink grass parakeet, dazed and prone to dozing off against her sister. He Jianxue chuckled softly under her breath and carefully rewrapped the towel around her.

Reaching into the water, she found the bend of Sheng Tingmian’s knees and lifted her out of the hot spring.

After asking a female attendant to assist, He Jianxue changed into a bathrobe and emerged to hear the attendant explain that Sheng Tingmian had actually fainted from the heat. She had already been dressed in a dry bathrobe, and her hair had been dried. The attendant asked if she needed someone to carry her back.

He Jianxue approached Sheng Tingmian, who was still asleep on the sofa, head tilted back.

Fainted from the heat…

She had actually fainted from the heat…

A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of He Jianxue’s lips. She signaled to the attendant, who immediately stepped aside, watching as the chairman of the He Group from the East bent down to lift the girl into her arms, silently admiring how well she treated her sister.

…

When Sheng Tingmian woke up, it was already the next day. The sound of a servant delivering breakfast at the door roused her, and she lay there for a long moment, dazed and disoriented.

Then, a wave of comfort washed over her, as if she had just enjoyed a full-body SPA massage, leaving her body and mind completely refreshed.

“Miss He, please enjoy your meal. Wishing you a pleasant day.”

Sheng Tingmian snapped back to reality. They were in a resort hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, still on vacation.

She got out of bed and stretched, just as her sister walked in to call her for breakfast. Immediately, she lowered her arms and adopted a more ladylike posture. “Good morning, sister. Weren’t we in the hot spring last night?”

He Jianxue’s mind involuntarily flashed back to the adorable scene from the previous night. “Don’t you remember? You fainted from the heat last night.”

“What?!” Sheng Tingmian couldn’t believe her ears. How could she possibly faint from soaking in a hot spring? How utterly embarrassing. “Really, sister?”

He Jianxue stood before her, arms crossed as she looked down at her younger sister. “Would your sister lie to you?”

Sheng Tingmian felt her heart sink with regret and despair. “Then how did I get back, sis?”

She was terrified that someone had carried her back. There were plenty of staff along the way from the hot springs to the hotel room. Had she embarrassed herself all the way abroad?

Even after they returned home, this resort might still be buzzing with her embarrassing story, how a girl passed out while soaking in the hot springs, becoming a topic of amusement for everyone.

He Jianxue could tell exactly what she was thinking. “Don’t worry, aside from one female attendant, no one saw. I carried you back.”

Relieved, Sheng Tingmian’s tension melted away, and her anxiety vanished. Smiling brightly, she stepped forward and hugged He Jianxue in gratitude. “Sis, thank goodness I have you.”

Seeing how quickly her sister’s mood shifted and her worries faded, He Jianxue couldn’t help but chuckle softly. The girl rested her chin on He Jianxue’s arm, her eyes sparkling with innocence. “Go freshen up. We’ll have breakfast soon.”

“Okay~”

After breakfast, the group headed to a local market to stroll around. They watched up close as the train at the Maeklong Railway Market cut through the crowd, bringing with it a wave of vibrant energy.

At the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market by the Chao Phraya River, all sorts of goods and food drifted by on boats. One small boat was piled high with various hats.

He Jianxue watched as her sister crouched down and, using the broken Thai she’d picked up over the past couple of days, bought two handwoven straw hats.

“Sis, this one’s for you.” Sheng Tingmian placed one hat on her sister’s head and put the other on herself. Paired with a cool green camisole, she seemed to blend seamlessly into the foreign summer atmosphere.

“You’ve adapted quite well,” He Jianxue teased her. Just two days ago, she hadn’t dared to speak to the locals, and now she was already bargaining for purchases.

Sheng Tingmian caught the playful tone in her sister’s voice, her ears turning pink. She stepped forward and linked arms with He Jianxue. “…It’s because you’re here with me.”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to let loose like this in a foreign country.

In the sweltering heat of Bangkok in May, Sheng Tingmian followed her sister into a forest café for afternoon tea.

The unique location created an almost fairy-tale environment. As Sheng Tingmian marveled at the lush greenery and the Tyndall effect shimmering in the pond, she noticed that her two older sisters had already settled down, too lazy to move, and were sipping hand-ground coffee on the opposite side of the pond.

Sheng Tingmian fed some fish food to the koi in the foreign pond, feeling it was a meaningful experience. She might never see these koi again in her lifetime, but in this moment, she could feed them.

Facing her sister’s expression, a mix of helplessness and affection, Sheng Tingmian explained, “Sis, don’t you feel a connection in this moment?”

“A connection with those fish?” He Jianxue looked at her sister and suddenly felt that innocence had its own beauty, the way she always leaned toward thoughts of truth, kindness, and beauty.

“No, a connection with this foreign land.” Sheng Tingmian took a sip of her iced green drink. “It’s not something that can be summed up by buying a few local souvenirs. It’s a mysterious feeling.”

She gestured with her hand, cleared her throat, and said seriously, “In our opera, it’s like, ‘Parting is hard to bear, not by spirits or ghosts contrived.'”

Her recitation, altered in tone and pace, sounded nothing like what one would hear on an opera stage, yet it struck like a heavy hammer against the eardrum.

He Jianxue leaned back in her chair, quietly watching the girl in front of her for a long time. Wasn’t her encounter with this younger sister also as mysterious as “a rare meeting, not orchestrated by gods or ghosts”?

“So, do you want to take it back with you?”

Sheng Tingmian was slightly taken aback and shook her head. “Sis, that wouldn’t work, would it? We still have to take a flight back.”

What would it mean to bring a fish back to the country?

He Jianxue suddenly teased, “If you like it, I can buy it for you and bring it back for you to raise.”

Sheng Tingmian nearly choked. “Sis, stop joking…”

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw her sister break into a hearty laugh and realized she was just teasing her.

Sheng Tingmian puffed out her cheeks, pinched her straw, and took a big gulp of her drink.

…

Sheng Tingmian thought the topic was over, but that afternoon, while riding an elephant at the Ancient City of Siam, her sister, who was sitting on the same elephant, meaningfully asked, “You just fed it, and now you’re riding it. Aren’t you deepening your bond with this country?”

Sheng Tingmian shuddered, looking at the woman beside her with a mix of shock and embarrassment. Seeing the curve of her sister’s red lips, she couldn’t help but reach out and hit her. “Sis!”

They sat atop the elephant’s back, a gentle breeze blowing. He Jianxue chuckled softly, thinking how her sister, when angry, looked exactly like a furious little parrot.

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” Sheng Tingmian huffed and shifted slightly to the side. Unfortunately, the elephant’s seat was only meant for two, and He Jianxue could easily pull her back with a single reach.

“Mianmian, you’re adorable.” Realizing her sister was upset, He Jianxue promptly soothed her. “I was just joking earlier.”

“Hmph.” Although she had noticed during this vacation that her sister had become much more relaxed and smiled more often, Sheng Tingmian was determined not to speak to her.

“I won’t make jokes like that again,” He Jianxue apologized sincerely. “Okay?”

Sheng Tingmian turned to look at her. Faced with her sister’s elegant and extraordinary face smiling at her, she found it impossible to stay angry. “Considering you carried me back last night, I’ll temporarily forgive you.”

“Thank you for your magnanimity, little sister.” He Jianxue finally managed to placate her, pulling the little parrot close as they enjoyed the scenery of the Ancient City of Siam together.

As the sun set in the evening, the three of them planned to head to a restaurant for dinner. Passing by a night market, with its bustling crowds and brightly lit streets, Sheng Tingmian suddenly wanted to try the local street food and asked if they could change their plans.

For safety reasons, they had been dining at hotel restaurants in downtown Bangkok these past few days, but she wanted to experience the grounded, lively atmosphere of a Thai night market.

The assistant glanced at He Jianxue in the back seat. After a moment’s thought, He Jianxue nodded. “Of course.”

Only then did the assistant park the car near the night market. The market was crowded with tourists and locals alike, filled with food stalls. They chose a seafood restaurant.

Sheng Tingmian felt that since she was here, she ought to try some Thai alcohol. Worried about getting drunk, she only took a small sip. Fortunately, she didn’t get drunk, but as they left the restaurant, she excitedly picked up a stray brown Singapura cat, beaming at He Jianxue and the assistant. “It’s so cute and tiny!”

The assistant, drawing on her knowledge of the breed, explained, “This kind of cat is called a Singapura cat, also known as a Singapore cat. They are quite adorable, but it’s a stray and loves to crawl into sewers.”

Sheng Tingmian replied, “But it’s not dirty at all.”

The assistant: “…Probably hasn’t been spayed yet.”

Sheng Tingmian carried the kitten, which weighed less than two kilograms, over to He Jianxue. “Sister, look, a kitten.”

He Jianxue gazed at the faint redness at the corners of her sister’s eyes, flushed from the alcohol. A youthful girl, dressed in exotic attire, with a pure and kind soul, even without her stage costumes, her younger sister still shone so brightly it was impossible to look away.

“Do you like it?”

Amid the bustling night market, Sheng Tingmian’s eyes were fixed only on her sister, as if she were her anchor. She nodded emphatically, “Yes!”

“Do you want to take it back home to raise?”

Sheng Tingmian hadn’t completely lost her senses. The passing Thai people and the sound of the Thai language around her reminded her that they were in Thailand, not back home.

But her sister’s words held a certain magic, different from the teasing remarks earlier in the day. It was as if she could see right through her, understanding her affection and compassion for this little kitten.

Koi fish and elephants were different, they belonged to others. She had never thought of taking what others cherished, so she had always maintained a tourist’s mindset: looking, playing, and feeding were all she could do. Even without her, the koi and elephants would live just fine.

But this kitten was different. It was a stray, hiding in a corner outside the restaurant. She had spotted it while eating inside.

It waited pitifully for someone to offer food and charity, never knowing when its next meal would come.

She hadn’t wanted to trouble anyone…

Especially not her sister…

But,

The words of refusal that were on the tip of her tongue transformed into a hopeful inquiry: “…Sister, is it possible?”

He Jianxue looked at her younger sister standing in a foreign night market, holding a stray cat. The kitten was smaller than any cat she had ever seen, so tiny and quiet, nestled obediently in her sister’s arms, just like her temperament.

Under the handwoven hat, the girl’s round eyes were full of worry yet brimming with hope as she gazed at her.

He Jianxue inexplicably thought of her own theory of bonds and could guess what was troubling her sister. The fact that she had mustered the courage to ask meant that, in her heart, He Jianxue held a position worthy of entrusting her wishes to.

“Of course, it’s possible. Your sister can do anything.”