Chapter 55: Chapter 55: A Miserable Bath
After lunch, everyone went about their own tasks.
Wu Chao and Wenquan Xin were responsible for cleaning the dishes.
Lin Bo took A Cheng and Wang Qiang to arrange their tents.
Tang Xiaoquan, along with Hu Xiaodong, arrived at a makeshift little house built with wire and plastic sheeting.
"This is the bathhouse," Hu Xiaodong pointed to the small house in front of him and explained, "I wasn’t planning on making something like this initially, but considering everyone’s privacy, I set it up simply. Haha, it’s quite basic, don’t mind it."
Looking at what was more like an illegal structure resembling a curtain-shed than a bathhouse, Tang Xiaoquan awkwardly chuckled twice.
After all, Chinese people traditionally take nudity seriously, even though at school or in public bathhouses, everyone was often bare-chested and scantily clad.
But ultimately, those places were enclosed, with roofs overhead, whereas the current near-open-air bathing environment was indeed a bit...
Fortunately, Tang Xiaoquan was sensible and understood that the current conditions didn’t allow for luxury, so he smiled and responded, "Uh~ no problem, Brother Hu. We men don’t fuss over these things; just having a wash is satisfying enough for me."
Nodding in appreciation, Hu Xiaodong was quite satisfied with Tang Xiaoquan’s unaffected response.
Moreover, unbeknownst to Tang Xiaoquan, while he was secretly analyzing and evaluating Hu Xiaodong’s team, the latter was doing the same.
For instance, by personally bringing him to the bathhouse, Hu Xiaodong aimed to assess how well these young people adapted to harsh conditions.
If Tang Xiaoquan had shown any dissatisfaction or disgust earlier, Hu Xiaodong certainly would have had a negative impression of their team.
Eventually, as these negative impressions fermented and reached an irreconcilable peak, it could evolve into an irreversible conflict.
Luckily, Tang Xiaoquan handled things well enough, unknowingly extinguishing the bad outcome’s budding.
"Bring the basin over," Hu Xiaodong gestured for Tang Xiaoquan to pick up the porcelain basin on the ground. Hu Xiaodong poured some clear water into it from a large pure water container, "Resources are tight now; you’ll have to make do with just this to wipe yourself clean. When it rains, we’ll take a good soak, hahaha."
Laughing heartily, Hu Xiaodong seemed to have imagined the pleasant scene of bathing in the rain, his face unable to hide his smile.
The conditions here were evidently quite tough, as Tang Xiaoquan couldn’t help but bitterly smile at the nearly empty basin of water.
Thinking to himself: Brother, you can’t be joking with me, since when has getting drenched in the rain become such an enjoyable thing? You must be sent by monkeys to amuse me!
Perhaps to corroborate the previous thought, after Hu Xiaodong finished speaking, he added:
"Also, if you don’t use up the water later, pour it into that waste water barrel over there so we can use it for laundry later, haha, reuse it, being thrifty is a virtue."
Finishing his remarks, Hu Xiaodong didn’t forget to playfully lift the corners of his lips, exuding a strong vibe of Wenquan Xin.
Unfortunately, Tang Xiaoquan wasn’t in the mood for jokes; if he previously doubted his own judgment, now he was convinced that the other was sent by monkeys to tease him.
With so little water, barely enough to wipe his body, you still want me to conserve it? Brother, are you asking me to wash or not?
Watching Hu Xiaodong leave with some helplessness, Tang Xiaoquan let out a long breath.
His eyes instinctively scanned the surroundings. The bathhouse was located at the back half of the rooftop; the reason for calling it half was because a room resembling a storage house was built in the center of the rooftop.
Tang Xiaoquan was always curious about why this room wasn’t used for living, but since he had just arrived here, it wasn’t appropriate to ask, so he suppressed his curiosity.
On the right side of the bathhouse, there was another curtained room, inside which a half-open plastic barrel held some stagnant yellow liquid that was shimmering slightly in the sunlight.
"Toilet," these two words immediately popped into Tang Xiaoquan’s mind, no wonder he had smelled a faint odor of staleness when he arrived here.
Shaking his head helplessly again, Tang Xiaoquan withdrew his gaze and began to miss his previous rental home.
Though that house was cheap and located in one of the city’s notable poor areas, compared to the primitive-like desolate environment now, it was distinctly better.
Casually throwing his stripped clothes onto the wire rack, Tang Xiaoquan splashed some clear water onto his face.
"Refreshing!" This was a heartfelt exclamation, although the water had lost its coolness due to the sun’s heat, the smooth sensation from the clear water on his skin still made Tang Xiaoquan involuntarily express his appreciation.
The towel gently wiped his body, Tang Xiaoquan proceeded very cautiously, fearing that overly vigorous movements might result in his precious water spilling onto the ground.
About ten minutes later, once the towel was dry and could squeeze out no more water, Tang Xiaoquan reluctantly ended his washing session.
Body cleaned and a change of clothes, when he appeared back in front of everyone, Tang Xiaoquan felt extremely refreshed, as if reborn.
"Hey, Qiang, the tents are sorted. You’ll stay with me, Lin Bo and A Cheng will share the other, how’s that? No problem, right?" Wang Qiang beckoned Tang Xiaoquan, pointing to the two tents with some exhaustion in his tone, evidently having exerted quite a bit of effort adjusting the tents.
Tang Xiaoquan contemplated briefly; honestly, he didn’t fuss over who to stay with or where to stay.
However, considering Wang Qiang’s often unreliable speech and straightforward personality, avoiding unnecessary trouble, bunking with him seemed like a wise choice.
So, without hesitation, Tang Xiaoquan patted Wang Qiang on the shoulder and affirmatively replied, "No problem, we’ve been brothers for years, never separated. Besides, you can’t sleep well without a brother around, haha!"
Rarely teasing Wang Qiang, Tang Xiaoquan then pointed to the curtained room behind him, urging, "Quick, hurry to take a shower out back, so you don’t bring odors into the tent. Also, remember to use the water sparingly, lest people talk about us."
After giving the necessary remarks, Tang Xiaoquan ignored the indignantly muttering Wang Qiang, instead directing his gaze towards Hu Xiaodong leaning against the rooftop edge, puffing smoke...