Chapter 39: The Provocation of a Tease

Cai found it rather inexplicable. Ever since her arrival on the mountain, remaining by Wang’s side, she had sensed a peculiar shift within her own heart.

The catalyst for this transformation lay with the young woman she shared her abode with—more precisely, in Wang’s unique way of doing things.

For the preceding four days, Wang had consistently drawn Cai into activities that varied daily. Yet, if one were to pinpoint a constant, it was Wang’s habitual, almost ritualistic, tapping of Cai’s forehead—an act repeated two or three times each day, regardless of the hour.

This was by no means an act of violence; the gentle taps on her forehead were so light that even Cai, a young woman, felt not the slightest twinge of pain.

In truth, Wang harbored no sadistic inclinations; her daily ritual was simply a unique form of playful teasing. It was, in essence, quite akin to the way certain domineering figures might casually lift another’s chin.

Cai, however, did not perceive it so lightly, nor did she believe this seemingly innocuous gesture was so insignificant in the profound changes it wrought within her.

After her forehead had endured a cumulative thirty taps, in the pre-dawn hours of the fifth day, as she stirred awake, a singular desire bloomed within her consciousness: “I wish to be teased by you once more…”

Cai fixed her gaze upon Wang, who remained peacefully lost in the realm of dreams, and consciously articulated the fervent desire that stirred within her heart.

This was no jest, nor was it a mere act of self-deprecation. Cai harbored no ulterior motives; she simply, purely, yearned for the familiar sensation of those taps on her head!

The innocent maiden recognized the peculiarity of this thought, yet found no fault in it. After all, her desire wasn’t to inflict harm upon others, but rather to be playfully tormented by the girl slumbering beside her.

Driven by this burgeoning desire, Cai, from the moment she awoke in the early hours, began to cautiously probe the very edges of danger.

Soon after Cai’s resolve solidified, Wang, having replenished her energy, also opened her eyes wide at a certain moment.

Having risen from bed that morning, Wang resolved to embark on a different course of action for the day: she would refrain from teasing Cai.

It wasn’t that Wang had abruptly altered her character simply because it was the final day; the situation was far from that. Rather, her decision stemmed from a momentary caprice.

One must recognize that Wang was a capricious young woman, her disposition—whether tender or headstrong—wholly dictated by the whims of her current mood.

And so, owing to her cheerful disposition, Wang planned to treat Cai with a touch more kindness today.

With their individual resolves now firmly set, the two beautiful maidens, sharing the same bed, turned their heads, their gazes meeting the other’s, now mere inches away.

“Good morning!” Wang uttered, and she could vividly picture the warm, radiant smile that had bloomed on her face as she spoke—a smile as bright and inviting as the first rays of spring sunshine.

“What you ought to be doing now isn’t merely offering a greeting,” Cai replied, mirroring Wang’s smile. Yet, the words that flowed from her lips hardly sounded like a typical morning salutation.

She pointed towards the corner of Wang’s mouth. “Just look at those marks,” she declared. “You must have drooled profusely in your sleep; how unbecoming! And I saw your sleeping posture last night—it was, frankly, a sight for sore eyes!”

Though the smile on Wang’s face seemed to freeze, it hadn’t entirely vanished. Beyond the superficial awkwardness, a more potent thought simmered within her: ‘This woman is revolting! What? Just one day without a playful tap, and she thinks she can walk all over me?’

Had it not been for this particular day, had Wang not been intent on presenting a more amiable facade, Cai’s burgeoning desire would undoubtedly have been thoroughly appeased at that very moment.

While Wang battled fiercely within her own heart, Cai’s eyes, wide with eager anticipation, fixed intently upon her companion, her heart’s rhythm quickening considerably.

The young woman fully expected her wish to be granted immediately, anticipating the familiar touch to descend upon her in the very next instant…

“Hmph hmph hmph, the silly girl is right!” Wang declared, her smile still radiant. “I’ll be sure to mind my sleeping posture at night from now on.” Yet, aside from the subtle stiffness in her clenched hands, she appeared almost entirely unchanged from moments before.

Cai felt a pang of disappointment… but she quickly rallied her spirits. So what if her first attempt hadn’t succeeded? She possessed ample perseverance and would undoubtedly continue to test the boundaries.

The two girls successively left the bed, Cai settling at the dining table while Wang, after tying on an apron, disappeared into the kitchen.

While Cai typically handled the majority of household chores, Wang staunchly refused to cede any sovereignty over the kitchen. Having personally endured a “hell on the tip of her tongue” experience not long ago, she vividly recalled the dreadful taste and was absolutely determined never to repeat such a culinary disaster.

Several minutes later, Wang returned, bearing the meticulously prepared breakfast. Identical servings of the same dish were carefully arranged on the table, one after the other.

Wang harbored an almost inflated confidence in her culinary prowess, a sentiment distinct from mere arrogance. Indeed, so long as she wasn’t indulging in idleness, conjuring a table laden with “earthly delicacies” was a trivial feat she could accomplish in the blink of an eye.

Wang held no particular obsession, nor was she fixated on necessarily receiving accolades. Yet, should Cai indeed utter words of praise later, it certainly wouldn’t be an unwelcome development.

Driven by some unspoken impulse, Wang refrained from touching her chopsticks, merely observing Cai as she brought a mouthful of food to her lips. The young woman chewed, then swallowed, and as these two actions concluded, it was, quite naturally, time for the verdict:

“It’s not good!” Alas, these three words, uttered so readily, utterly shattered all of Wang’s expectations.

Cai mused that if she were to lie against her conscience, she would surely provoke a “chastisement” from Wang. Even if it didn’t involve physical action, a few scathing words would suffice!

Yet, the unfolding reality once again veered sharply from the path she had envisioned.

Though Wang, with tightly clenched chopsticks, proceeded to “slowly torture” the food in her bowl, transforming solid rice grains into a porridge-like consistency through vigorous stirring, she stubbornly refrained from uttering a single word or making any overt move.

Cai was utterly bewildered: ‘What precisely have I done wrong? Why does she refuse to lose her temper?’

Likewise, Wang found herself utterly perplexed, musing: ‘What peculiar potion has this foolish woman consumed today? Why does she seem so desperately to be asking for it?’

Though their desires were diametrically opposed, they simultaneously found themselves grappling with similar bewilderment, each silently concluding that the other had become rather abnormal.

Were two normal individuals seated at that table, they would surely have been unable to resist opening their mouths, inquiring as to which nerve the other had inadvertently struck. Once such an interrogation concluded, all misunderstandings would undoubtedly be clarified. What might transpire thereafter would be a matter for a later discussion…

Yet, these two chose not to, for, strictly speaking, neither of them could genuinely be classified as ‘normal.’

When the time came for post-meal dishwashing, Wang sprawled languidly against the chair’s backrest, transforming into a “salted fish”—a metaphor for extreme laziness—maintaining a perpetually arched posture.

It is a common human tendency to feel disinclined to move much after a satisfying meal, and this characteristic post-prandial lethargy offers a perfectly reasonable explanation. Simultaneously, in Wang’s particular instance, it could be just as accurately described as “pure, unadulterated laziness”!

“Silly girl,” Wang called out, “the momentous task of washing the dishes falls to you!”

It wasn’t a matter of deliberate division of labor or cooperation; Wang and Cai simply happened to have one responsible for preparing the meal and the other for the subsequent cleanup. Such a distribution of tasks was purely an accidental arrangement.

“Very well, leave it all to me!” Cai responded cheerfully. “Please, enjoy your well-deserved post-meal languor.”

Prior to Cai accepting the dishwashing chore, Wang had been scrutinizing her intently. The young woman had attempted to detect any hint of unnaturalness in Cai’s demeanor.

From Wang’s perspective, she simply concluded that Cai must have taken some peculiar medicine today, which accounted for the subtle shift in her personality compared to previous days.

Yet, the instant Cai voluntarily accepted the dishwashing task, Wang’s anxieties eased, her tightly strung nerves completely unwinding. For Cai had, just then, displayed her inherently diligent side; at least on the surface, she remained the industrious girl who willingly took on household duties.

With her resolve thus relaxed, Wang surrendered her body to the chair’s embrace, her back settling snugly into the inward curve of the backrest. Her languid posture bespoke an air of profound leisure. This serene sense of contentment persisted, unbroken, until the sudden, sharp report of a crisp sound pierced the quiet.