Deng Ying resigned from his official position, and the Dongjishi Factory was temporarily handed over to the Silijian for control. His official uniform and seals were taken back by the Silijian.
He originally thought that after he returned, Li Yu, Chen Hua and others would look at him differently, but unexpectedly, the moat side of the house was more lively than he thought. Li Yu, with a face dirty from the smoke of charcoal, was picking up charcoal from the charcoal basket in front of the door. Chen Hua, with two young eunuchs, was helping to prepare meals. When he saw Yang Wan supporting Deng Ying back, he hurriedly came over and said, "You're finally back."
Deng Ying raised her hand and saluted, "Seal."
Chen Hua hurriedly supported him, "Excuse me, excuse me, are you trying to shorten my life?"
Deng Ying stood up and said, "It's done according to etiquette."
Chen Hua said: "Haven't you done enough for us in the past? When you have something to do, I'm showing off my status. Isn't this heartless?"
Deng Ying smiled and nodded.
The two of them stood in front of the door and talked. Yang Wan looked at Li Yu busy making a fire beside him, so she took out a handkerchief and wiped Li Yu's face, "Thank you for helping me clean up."
Li Yu pushed Yang Wan's hand away, "You are touching my face, I am just a child."
Chen Hua laughed and said, "Song Sizan scolded him early this morning, so he is in a good mood."
Yang Wan asked, "Where is Yun Qing?"
Chen Hua sighed, "You also know that the rules of the Shangyi Bureau are very strict. It's better to come here."
"Too."
Yang Wan nodded as she spoke, "I'll go check it out tomorrow."
Then he looked up at Chen Hua and said, "I'll help him to the bed and come out to work with you guys."
Chen Hua said, "You take care of Deng Ying. We are used to doing this and it's very efficient."
Yang Wan helped Deng Ying into the room.
The indigo mattress was laid neatly on the wooden bed. Yang Wan helped Deng Ying sit down on the bed and turned to the cupboard to get him a coat.
As soon as the cabinet door opened, a faint scent of soapberry wafted out. Deng Ying raised his head and looked at Yang Wan squatting in front of the cabinet. In order to pick him up, Yang Wan didn't wear palace clothes. She was wearing simple clothes and her hair was tied up in a simple bun. Yang Wan flipped through Deng Ying's clothes one by one and asked him calmly, "Wear the old ones, they are softer."
"All good."
Yang Wan laughed, took out a silk dress that had become starched and soft, and turned to look at Deng Ying's feet.
"Take off your shoes."
"Oh... OK."
When the two of them were together in private, he was used to having a slightly strong attitude, controlling every aspect of his life. Even though she was not a very meticulous woman, she was able to control herself and seemed to know when and how to treat Deng Ying, giving him the courage to follow his heart and move forward fearlessly, or to calm down and be an obedient man around her. In other words, she seemed to have known Deng Ying for a long time and was familiar with his self-aware temper, so that even the tone of his voice could comfort Deng Ying's heart in a timely manner.
Therefore, Deng Ying didn't want to think about anything. He put his feet on the ground meekly, waiting for Yang Wan to continue "nagging".
Yang Wan looked at Deng Ying's feet on the ground. She pressed her thumbs together shyly, as if she wanted to be seen by others, but was ashamed of the ugliness and seemed hesitant.
“It’s dirty.”
As he spoke, he smiled and squatted down, brushing the dust off his feet with his hands.
"Wanwan, you go ahead, I'll do it myself."
Yang Wan pinched his toes and looked up and said, "You still allow me to touch you."
Deng Ying felt that his pinch was a little painful, so he couldn't help pinching his trouser legs. He lowered his head and looked at Yang Wandao, saying softly: "I am sure, and I have always been the one who dared."
Yang Wan stood up, crossed her arms and said, "Go up."
"ah?"
"Sit on the bed."
He said, uncovering a corner of the veil, "Hurry up."
"good."
Deng Ying lifted his legs onto the bed. Yang Wan tucked his legs in for him and said, "The mattress hasn't been changed yet. If you want to lie down dirty, just lie down. After I change it for you, you can take a shower before coming up. And you can't go down unless you have nothing to do."
After saying that, he put Deng Ying's undershirt on the bedside and said, "These too, change them after you take a shower."
As he was talking, Chen Hua came in from outside and said, "Miss Wan, come here for a moment."
Yang Wan stood up and walked to the door. Chen Hua handed a shirt to Yang Wan and said, "Song Si Zan asked me to bring it to you. I'll tell Deng Ying about it... Si Zan said that the shirt you made is fine to wear at home, but if you wear it to outsiders, it's really... a bit ugly."
Yang Wan smiled, "This person, what big truth do you want to tell me."
Chen Hua also smiled, "Yes, this outfit is the one you scrapped at first. I took it apart halfway and modified it. I haven't had time to sew it yet, so I asked you to sew it slowly, otherwise it will look bad."
Yang Wan opened the long shirt and said to Chen Hua, "Thank you so much, both of you and Li Yu. I'm here to help you. If it were you, I would be clumsy and unskilled."
Chen Hua smiled and asked Li Yu, "You've been dawdling for so long, is the water ready?"
Li Yu squatted beside the stove and said, "It's my fault for dawdling. I've already cooked it. Why don't you ask Yang Wan to bring the basin of water?"
Chen Hua criticized him, "You still know how to call me Miss Wan."
Li Yu stood up angrily and said, "I'm leaving."
"Hey you..."
Chen Hua failed to call Li Yu back, and looked at Yang Wan with some embarrassment, "I'm really sorry, his sister sometimes asks me to hold him back, so I'm even better."
Yang Wan lowered her head and smiled, "It's okay. With his personality, he's just right for dealing with the one behind him."
Chen Hua couldn't help but laugh after hearing this, and nodded and said, "Miss Wan, that's true."
After saying goodbye, he said, "We are leaving too. Thank you for your hard work, Miss Wan. If you have anything to say, please ask Li Yu to go to the Xixin Department to find me, or you can go to the Shangyi Bureau to find Si Zan in person."
Yang Wan bowed to him, "I understand, thank you."
After seeing Chen Hua and others off, the wind suddenly blew.
Yang Wan walked back to the inner room and closed the doors and windows.
Deng Ying was still sitting quietly on the bed, raising her arms and fiddling with the cuffs of her clothes. Seeing Yang Wan coming, she quickly hid her hands under the quilt.
Yang Wan leaned against the door and said, "You can see that I made a mistake when I did it. It's the fault of the person wearing it."
After saying that, he sat down beside Deng Ying's bed and pulled out his hidden hand. "I'll wash it for you later, and you can wear it at home to keep warm. Take it off now, take a shower, and we'll eat."
"Wan Wan."
"Um?"
Deng Ying was a little at a loss, "Where should I wash..."
Yang Wan looked at his helpless look and said gently, "I originally wanted Li Yu to take you to the Hun Tang Si, but I accidentally angered him just now. Fortunately, he has boiled hot water. I will go and bring it over so that you can wash in the room."
Deng Ying clenched his fingers gently. He didn't say anything, but just curled up his legs subconsciously.
He and Yang Wan had already had physical contact, but Yang Wan had never really seen the body he hated. The remaining cartilage from the torture had sprouted, making him loathe himself even more. He closed his knees tightly and unconsciously reached for the wound.
However, before he could touch that hand, Yang Wan grabbed it through his pants.
"You are a patient, so you can do it."
As he spoke, he pulled his hand out, put it together with the other hand, and grabbed it together.
"Everyone has their moments of embarrassment and shame. Deng Ying, even if I saw your wounds, I would only love you more and cherish you more. Although you don't know, I have been self-righteously respecting you for many years. I am very fortunate that now I finally have the opportunity to comfort you with my own hands."
Deng Ying lowered her head and looked at her wrist which Yang Wan was holding in her hand.
"That's really..."
“Are the clothes I made ugly?”
Yang Wan laughed and leaned over to him, "Deng Xiaoying, if you keep talking, your ears will burn."
"What?"
Deng Ying was about to raise her hand to touch her ear, but Yang Wan held it down, "You are scared, right?"
"I don't."
"You know, when you're at peace, one of your ears will open, right?"
Deng Ying's palms were spread on his knees. He didn't know what to say, but he couldn't hide it. He just asked helplessly, "I... which ear is working?"
"Can I stay here?"
Yang Wan interrupted him and repeated softly, "Deng Xiaoying, can I stay and help you while you take a bath?"
Deng Ying lowered her head and did not speak for a long time.
Yang Wan stopped talking and just held his wrist and waited quietly.
The water on the stove outside had already boiled, gurgling against the lid of the kettle.
"Wan Wan."
Deng Ying called Yang Wan.
"Um."
Deng Ying hesitated for a moment, looked up at Yang Wan and said, "Are you... asking me to listen to you?"
Yang Wan smiled, took his hand and said, "Okay, come down, I'll go get some water.
**
That day, through the warm water, Yang Wan saw for the first time the most substantial harm that the Ming Dynasty had brought to Deng Ying.
It was not an ugly or hideous place, but it was enough to discipline him into a humble and lonely man.
Deng Ying closed his eyes and soaked in the water silently. Every touch of Yang Wan on his body almost caused a slight spasm.
Yang Wan lay on the edge of the bathtub and gently gathered his hair that was scattered on his shoulders.
"Let me give you a bun."
As she spoke, she stood up, took off her hairpin, and tied up Deng Ying's hair. As she tied it up, she said, "Deng Ying, I have seen it, and it is the same as I thought. From now on, you must not say anything nonsense again."
Deng Ying's voice was somewhat unsteady, "Wan Wan, what you gave me is nothing more than pity for a slave."
Yang Wan twisted her wrist and put the hairpin into Deng Ying's hair.
"It has been like that since the beginning. Deng Ying, ever since I woke up in Haizi, I have not been afraid of anything except you."
He lowered his head and looked at Deng Ying's neck. "The only thing I was afraid of was saving you. At first I was afraid of saving your life, and later I was afraid of protecting your self-esteem, but now..."
He looked at Deng Ying's bun and laughed, "I think God was not blind to let me come to you, Deng Ying, luckily I came, really, luckily I came."