Lin and I make our way down the winding path toward Jade Garden, her cheerful demeanor bringing lightness to my load as she helps me carry a few small items from my room. "Wow, we were heroes today!" she exclaims, a laugh escaping her lips as she skips ahead. The sun filters through the leaves above, casting playful shadows on the ground. "Who would've thought Leo was Doctor Yun's grandson?" She twirls around, her hair catching the breeze, and walks backward, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "What a small world it is, Meimie! Let's not forget Doctor Yun's promise. He said he would help us with one favor each when we're in need. But honestly, I doubt I'll need anything from him. Maybe he was just being courteous." With a light-hearted shrug, she turns to walk forward again.
As we pass through the lush greenery of Jade Garden, the atmosphere around us shifts, and we finally arrive at the majestic double lion statue. Lin presses its nose, and the door creaks open to reveal a shimmering, watery image beyond. With a grin, she turns to take my hands, and together we step through the door, emerging on level -1. The transition is almost magical, the world around us shifting back into familiar surroundings.
As we walk through the softly lit hallway, Lin excitedly chats about our plans for tomorrow, her voice dancing with enthusiasm. We finally reach the resting quarters designated for females aged 16 and older.
Upon entering the grand wooden double doors, I'm struck by the sight before me. The once empty room, echoing with silence, is now alive with the presence of girls our age and a few older, each occupying their own space. Rows of beds line the walls, and the warm, inviting atmosphere contrasts sharply with the earlier quiet.
"We're here!" Lin announces, her voice filled with a hint of pride. "This is where all the 16-year-olds sleep." She lets out a resigned sigh, crossing her arms. "They still see us as children and have put us at the farthest end of the room, way back by the wall—'to protect us,' they say. Protecting us from what? The chilly night air?" She rolls her eyes dramatically, a playful frown creasing her forehead.
I glance around and notice we are indeed deep within the room, with more than fifty beds neatly arranged along the walls. Lin continues, "This row next to us is for 17-year-olds, and next to them is for 18-year-olds, then next to them is..." I grasp the layout and zone her out as I follow her and look around. Each bed holds a wooden nameplate at its foot, elegantly inscribed in black ink, displaying the names of the girls who occupy them. As we traverse the rows, I observe the lively scene: some girls are seated on their beds, others at their vanities, and clusters of friends chatter animatedly, filling the air with a comforting hum of companionship. They are all dressed in soft, white hanfu pajamas. They seem entirely immersed in their world, paying no mind to Lin and me.
Finally, Lin and I arrive at our designated beds, and to my relief, I see my name etched onto the wooden nameplate at the end of mine. Next to my bed, I catch a glimpse of Lin sprawling out on her own bed, her carefree nature in full display. She pops up after a moment and walks over to me, a grin plastered across her face. "Oh, here you go!" she says, handing me a bundle of my clothes wrapped in a well-worn cloth basket before flopping back onto her bed with a dramatic thud.
I instinctively move toward my wooden closet to stow away my clothes, then to my vanity to organize my other belongings. Lin shifts onto her side and looks at me thoughtfully. "We might be a bit late for a bath, but I still think we need one," she says, sniffing at her sleeve playfully. "Even though boys and girls have separate bathrooms, we're only separated by a wall," she adds with a cheeky wink.
After retrieving her hanfu pajamas from her wooden closet, she gestures for me to do the same. With a nod, I grab my pajamas, and together we retrace our steps back to the entry, which also serves as the only exit point in this expansive room.
Behind the cafeteria, I see a narrow vertical hallway, dimly lit and lined with pale blue walls. As we walked about 20 feet down this corridor, it opened up into two horizontal paths, each branching off like the arms of a fork. Lin, animated and full of enthusiasm, continued chatting about tomorrow's busy schedule before veering to the right into one of the horizontal hallways.
This hallway wrapped around a corner and led us into a wider vertical hallway that eventually opened through a large, inviting door. As we stepped inside, we were greeted by a striking sight. A white wooden screen stood about three feet in from the door, effectively blocking the view from the outside. Curiosity piqued, I trailed closely behind Lin as she walked around the right side of the screen and into the main area, and my breath caught at the sight that unfolded before me.
In the center of a spacious, softly lit room was a vast pool of spring water, shimmering like a vertical lake under the ambient light. Its edges were shallow, perfect for lounging or sitting, while the center deepened invitingly, seemingly capable of accommodating a couple of hundred people comfortably. The water glistened, presenting a sense of tranquility, and I imagined how delightful it would be to submerge myself in its warmth.
To the right, a majestic waterfall cascaded gracefully, feeding into its own smaller pool, the sound of rushing water blending harmoniously with the serene atmosphere. The entire room was enveloped in steam rising from the warm spring water, creating a dreamy, almost ethereal ambiance. I noticed the left side of the room featured a wall that mimicked natural stone, its rugged texture contrasting beautifully with the softness of the water and steam. When I glanced up to assess its height, I was surprised to find it wasn't as imposing as I expected; in fact, if I lifted Lin onto my shoulders, we could easily peek over the wall and gaze beyond.
To my astonishment, the room had no ceiling; it was open to the night sky, allowing the silvery glow of the full moon and the sparkle of countless stars to shine through. The openness gave the room a magical quality, making it feel as though we were bathing under the stars, fully immersed in nature.
As we continued to explore, we walked along a stone pathway next to the wall of this impressive "bathroom," and I noticed that we were the only two people there, which only added to the enchanting atmosphere.
Finally, we reached an area filled with hundreds of small, empty cubicles, each one designed for storing clothes and shoes. The cubicles varied in height, from shoulder height down to the floor, making them accessible and easy to use. Towels were neatly hung on rustic wooden racks, ready for us to use after our bath.
Lin selected a random empty cubicle and began to undress. I watched, eyes wide in surprise, as she peeled off her clothes down to her underwear. With practiced ease, she placed her pajamas in one cubicle and her clothes and shoes in another, organizing her belongings with care. After that, she removed the hairpins that held her hair in tight buns, letting them cascade down her shoulders before placing them gently on her pajamas inside the cubicle.
When she was finally completely naked. Excitedly, she ran into the spring and jumped into the water, laughing happily. She turned around and motioned for me to do the same as she swam toward the middle of the hot spring lake.
"Oh, I would think humans would be a bit embarrassed about being naked, especially these kinds of humans," I thought to myself as I undressed until I was naked and put my things away in an empty cubicle next to Lin's. I also removed the hairpin that was holding up half of my bun. Then, I walked over to the edge of the spring and gently dipped into the water.
Lin swam toward me and gently asked, "Are you okay? You don't have some kind of trauma from that night, right?"
I smiled back at Lin and nodded to reassure her that I was okay. "I'm fine, Lin. It's just so magical here. I can never get used to it and am just enjoying the view," I laughed back at her.
"Right? Although I've been here for more than ten years, I still get mesmerized by this view," she said as she splashed water at me. Then she pulled me into the spring water, and my whole body sank down toward her. I swam up, and as I floated up, I saw her laughing and saying to me, "Loosen up! Bath time is for getting your whole body cleansed and your muscles relaxed by this amazing spring water. Every time I bathe here, I feel all my muscle aches fade away, and everything from head to toe—hair to fingernails—gets thoroughly cleansed without any soap or shampoo." Lin then pooled water into her cupped hands and sniffed it. "See, it's already scented... *sniff*... it smells so good." I looked at my naked body and noticed that I did feel cleaner, my muscles had loosened up, and it indeed smelled very good, like a flowery scent.
"Wow, pretty Lin, I see," a husky voice calls out, breaking the playful atmosphere. "Who's your friend?"
"Stop peeking over, you pervert!" Lin bursts out laughing as she playfully shouts at him from behind the sturdy stone wall that stands behind me. Curious, I glance over and catch just a glimpse of his deep-set, brown almond-shaped eyes and damp, tousled blonde hair.
Feeling suddenly exposed, I sink lower into the warm spring water until it rises just above my nose, seeking refuge beneath its surface.
"Don't be shy, Meimie! This is our comrade, Tuan. It's not like we haven't all seen each other naked before," Lin teases, her voice light and carefree. Yet, she doesn't make any move to pull me up from my hiding spot beneath the water.
"You're making Meimie shy!" Lin calls over teasingly, her laughter mingling with the splashes as she swims further out of Tuan's line of sight. "You can look at me in tomorrow's class, Tuan!" she adds, still giggling as I try to compose myself. Meanwhile, I can hear him catcalling and whistling in response, his playful tone ringing in the air as I try to shake off my shyness. I hold my breath and dive deep into the spring water, chasing after Lin, and when I finally see her feet, I swim up to get air. Floating in the middle of the spring lake, I ask her, "Is this normal? Is it okay to do that?"
"To peek over?" Lin finishes my sentence. I nod in response, and she replies, "You don't remember, do you? Tomorrow you will see why it's not a big deal." She laughs and swims toward the edge of the pool to dry herself off and I follow behind her.