Chapter 8: A Little Nest of Pine Needles
“So that’s how the straw mat is supposed to be used.” Looking at the pile of pine needles arranged like a cozy little forest nest, Gu Xiaoshuang felt that there were surprisingly many activities included in this 50-yuan experience.
The kind-hearted college student couldn’t help but sigh.
“The owner is practically doing charity.”
“Well, it’s a new business. When you’re trying to attract first-time customers, you have to make a good impression.”
Even as she said that, the astonishment in Li Qian’s eyes was no less than Xiaoshuang’s.
The two eagerly held onto the edge of the pool and stepped into the water. The moment they sank into the hot spring, they simultaneously let out a long, contented sigh—
Amazing.
The kind of amazing that shoots straight to the top of your head.
Gu Xiaoshuang remembered reading somewhere that a person’s sense of security comes from their mother’s womb. Buying thick blankets, soft mattresses, or curling up in a warm nest while a storm rages outside are all attempts to recreate the warmth and comfort we felt before birth.
She had always dismissed that sort of quote. If she wanted to, she could write eight hundred similarly pretentious lines in a day.
But the moment her entire body was immersed in the hot spring, that sentence immediately came back to her.
The warm water enveloped her from every direction. It was something a blanket could never compare to. A blanket only creates a warm space around you, but water seeps into every gap, like countless invisible yet perfectly gentle hands softly caressing every inch of skin.
It was different from any other water.
When Gu Xiaoshuang was little, she once visited an older cousin in a big city. She had watched stylish urban influencers come home from work in high heels, fill a bathtub with hot water, and toss in an elegantly shaped bath bomb. Sweet fragrances would instantly fill the bathroom.
Rich, soft bubbles would swirl through the water. Then they would brew a cup of coffee and lounge in the tub, leisurely flipping through a magazine.
That was already considered quite luxurious. In China, where bathtub culture isn’t particularly common, both the space-consuming bathtub and the single-use bath bombs could be considered luxuries.
Not to mention when she was a child—even now, as a college student living in a dormitory, she still envied that lifestyle.
Yet for the first time, she found herself thinking…
Compared to a natural hot spring, water heated by a water heater is nothing!
Not only could adding essential oils to hot water not compare to this pool, even adding hot water to pure essential oils wouldn’t feel as comfortable as this spring.
Tap water delivered through pipes felt dry and light. The moment you stood up, it would stream right off your skin, sometimes carrying the sharp smell of chlorine.
Natural hot springs were completely different. Perhaps because of their rich mineral content, the water possessed a silky smooth texture with a tangible sense of weight, capable of enveloping a person entirely.
The spring water felt a little “heavier,” creating a comforting sensation of gentle pressure and containment, somewhat like a weighted blanket. Yet unlike a weighted blanket, there was no real burden pressing down on the body. In the underwater environment, gravity was actually reduced, and the water softly buoyed her up.
The perfectly designed spring dissolved and melted away her sense of vigilance. Gu Xiaoshuang relaxed and closed her eyes, leaning back slightly as she enjoyed the feeling of being tenderly embraced and protected by the water.
As tense, stiff muscles gradually loosened, her consciousness also became lighter and hazier.
Exams, internships, and all the worries waiting outside the mountains slowly drifted down to the bottom of the pool…
In a place this safe, there was no need to think. Simply existing was meaning enough.
When comfort reached this level, nobody had the energy to drink coffee or read magazines.
Beyond the psychological comfort, the spring’s perfectly balanced warmth also continuously affected the body. The pleasantly hot water gently and steadily seeped into her pores, and before long, waves of deep, tingling warmth rose from the soles of her feet.
Gu Xiaoshuang couldn’t help letting out a soft hiss.
Her face felt a little warm. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but it seemed as though the blood in her body was flowing faster.
Squinting, she looked at the writing on the wall opposite her.
Oh.
It said that natural hot springs could promote blood circulation, boost metabolism, help with rheumatoid arthritis, improve sleep quality, make people look younger the more they soaked…
Well, now that’s just unfair.
Fine. I’ll soak. I’ll keep soaking, okay? No need to be so polite about convincing me.
“Hehehehehe…”
Turning her head, she saw that Li Qian beside her was just as flushed, her face red as though she’d drunk counterfeit liquor. She looked pleasantly dazed, already so light-headed that she seemed to have forgotten heaven, earth, and everything in between.
The scent of mugwort and pine needles drifted around their noses, mingling with the mineral-rich aroma rising from the hot spring. In a natural environment that no artificial fragrance could ever replicate, both body and mind reached a state of complete calm and emptiness. Time itself seemed to slow down.
The two best friends, who normally never ran out of things to talk about, had both fallen into a strangely comfortable silence after sinking into the pool.
Who knew how long they soaked before Gu Xiaoshuang finally came back to her senses. Sweat had begun to bead on her forehead. She glanced at her fitness band.
Her heart rate had reached 100.
“This feels way too good…” Li Qian shook her head, trying to regain some clarity. “I feel like I’m drinking water through my whole body. It’s like I’ve turned into one of those monstera plants over there.”
Every pore in her body seemed to have opened up.
“My heartbeat’s getting kind of fast.” Gu Xiaoshuang stood up from the water, cheeks flushed pink. “I need a break. If I stay in any longer, I’ll turn into mush. I need to pace myself.”
“Oh, right, you’re not very sturdy. Go sit in one of the cooler pools.”
“No way. This one is the best. The others definitely won’t feel this good.”
Xiaoshuang scrambled out of the pool. Her legs felt so weak that she had to squat on the shore for quite a while before pulling herself upright with the railing.
She staggered toward the straw mat area as if walking on cotton, then plopped down and collapsed onto the mat in one motion.
“Wow. This feels amazing too.”
The first thing she noticed when she flopped into the pile of pine needles was the dry, crisp rustling sound.
Crinkle, rustle…
The pine needles had been baked by the geothermal heat until they were crisp and crunchy, like caramel butter cookies fresh from the oven.
Unlike the sharp, cool pine scent found deep in the forest, this warmth carried the cozy fragrance of roasted nuts in autumn—rich, comforting, and pleasantly drowsy.
Xiaoshuang rolled over and pressed her stomach against the ground, wearing the blissful expression of a cat who had discovered the secrets of the universe.
“This is kind of like the heated brick bed at Ayue’s house up in Northeast China, but even better. The pine needles smell wonderful, and the heat feels so soothing and so intense…”
She paused, basking in the warmth.
“I feel like this could cure menstrual cramps.”
“With the pine needles wrapped around you and that paper mat underneath,” Li Qian teased, “you look like a steamed soup dumpling.”
“You’re making me hungry,” Gu Xiaoshuang said.
She rolled herself over again and lay there like a salted fish, staring up at the ceiling.
“The pine scent is seeping into my body. I feel like some wild person living in a primeval forest.”
Slowly, she closed her eyes.
“I think I’ve become a mountain mushroom absorbing the essence of the sun and moon…”
Just as the two were sinking into this state of blissful oblivion, the door to the hot spring room was gently knocked.
“Ladies, your hot spring eggs and volcanic mud are ready~”
It was Xiao Tian returning, and behind her came a new guest. Then another voice rang out—a rich, booming female voice.
“Oh ho, this pool isn’t bad at all. The public bath is pretty spacious, and it’s nice and clean too.”
“That’s right. Even though it’s indoors, the ceiling is high, the ventilation is great, and everything feels very open~ Would you like to take a look at the private pools too, ma’am?”
“I like spacious places. Small rooms feel stuffy. Can’t breathe in them.”
The wealthy-looking auntie let out the classic laugh of someone who had never worried about money. Lifting her chin, she removed her sunglasses and squinted at the hot spring eggs and volcanic mud Xiao Tian was carrying in.
“Hm, those eggs and that mud look pretty good too. Give me the full package.”
“Where’s Xiao Zhi? Girl, go get Auntie’s handbag for me. I always used to get facials from her. My skin only listens to her magic touch. After my soak, have Xiao Zhi work on me a bit. If everything looks good, I’ll get a membership here.”
She then glanced toward Gu Xiaoshuang and Li Qian.
“What about you two young ladies? Auntie barging in isn’t disturbing you, is it? Doesn’t seem crowded, so I figured we could share?”
The two girls looked at the thick gold necklace around the auntie’s neck and the bracelets and rings covering both her hands, then nodded enthusiastically.
The auntie started taking off her jewelry and clicked her tongue.
“Need to remove all this before getting into the hot spring, right? Oh dear… all these bits and pieces are such a hassle to deal with…”
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