Aether didn't have to wait long; Hu Tao prepared both the bathtub and hot water very quickly.
"Speaking of which, is this place specifically used as a bathroom by you?" Aether, wrapped in a bath towel, stepped into the room barefoot.
She held one corner of the bath towel with one hand, and at the same time, looked up to examine the room in front of her.
Both the floor and the walls were distinctly different from other rooms; these wooden materials seemed to have been specially waterproofed.
"Not entirely, no," Hu Tao also pushed the door open and walked in. She, like Aether, was only wearing a bath towel.
Unfortunately, her heart was not strong enough. When viewed from the front, she couldn't have the same good support as Aether.
Of course, Aether always believed that in this aspect, each had its own merits and could not be generalized.
It was just a pity that when changing clothes earlier, Hu Tao, who had always been open, was somewhat hesitant, and Aether couldn't watch Hu Tao finish changing.
In the end, Aether could only change first and walk in.
But it didn't matter anyway; they would be completely honest with each other sooner or later.
Aether was not in a hurry at this moment.
She couldn't help but lick her somewhat dry lips and turned to look at Hu Tao.
"Before I moved my room here, this place was used by Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to store ice," Hu Tao stood behind Aether, her cheeks slightly red as she stared at Aether, who had turned around.
The bath towel couldn't completely wrap Aether's body, so most of Aether's chest was exposed.
Aether seemed not to care at all.
Hu Tao only felt her mouth and tongue go dry.
"Ice?" Aether was a bit confused.
"Hmm, as you know, it's harder for us to do our work when the summer temperatures are high, so Wangsheng Funeral Parlor used to store some ice," Hu Tao explained, nodding her head.
Hu Tao didn't explicitly say it, but Stelle guessed that the ice was probably used to prevent corpses from decaying.
"But, wouldn't a Cryo Vision work?" Stelle asked curiously.
She wasn't very knowledgeable in that area.
"Of course it would, but people with Visions are one in a million, let alone specifically finding someone with a Cryo Vision," Hu Tao said, spreading her small hands.
So, it was more practical to store some ice. This room was specially modified for that purpose, allowing ice to be stored for a longer period.
It was just a pity that Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was located within Liyue Harbor and couldn't dig a cellar, so they could only find a relatively cool room.
Although the average temperature in the Funeral Parlor was slightly lower than outside, ice on the ground would still Melt to some extent.
Therefore, the entire room here was designed to be waterproof.
Later, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor found a more suitable place to store ice, and this room gradually fell out of use. Hu Tao would occasionally use it as a bathroom if she didn't feel like going to the public bathhouse.
"I see," Stelle nodded, then no longer paid attention to the room. She walked directly towards the large bathtub placed in the room.
It was indeed very large; Stelle even needed to step on a small ladder beside it to get in.
She first tested the water temperature with her toes, and after confirming it was just right, she directly untied the bath towel from her body.
Hu Tao watched Stelle's actions with a red face, standing frozen in place. It wasn't until Stelle had already entered the bathtub, and some water overflowed to Hu Tao's feet, that she finally snapped back to reality.
"Hu Tao, the water temperature is just right, come on in," Stelle waved to Hu Tao, who was still standing there.
Hu Tao herself had suggested they bathe together, but with her current behavior, what would she do in a moment?
Stelle was even a little excited.
"Ah!? I, I know, I'm coming!" Hu Tao quickly said.
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"Hu Tao, your feet are very pretty," Stelle suddenly said something that made Hu Tao blush fiercely as she got in.
"Are, are they?" Hu Tao's toes, already in the water, couldn't help but curl up.
Sitting in the bathtub, Hu Tao didn't know how to take this bath for a moment.
She didn't quite dare to look up at Stelle's body. Just a few simple glances earlier had made her lose herself for a long time, let alone observing her so closely now.
"Of course they are," Stelle said with a smile.
"Cough, well, thank you for the compliment," Hu Tao coughed lightly, her expression a bit unnatural.
Growing up, many people had complimented Hu Tao on her appearance, saying her features were delicate, and her figure was well-proportioned.
But no one had ever complimented someone's feet as beautiful, so Hu Tao was really a bit unaccustomed to it.
She even felt a rare sense of slight shame.
After all, Stelle was an outsider and might not know the Liyue saying: "Men don't touch heads, women don't touch feet."
In Liyue, feet were a private part for girls.
Although Stelle was also a girl, there wasn't much issue in that regard, but...
How to put it, Stelle was a girl, yet not an ordinary girl.
From the moment she first saw Stelle, Hu Tao had never treated Stelle as an ordinary passerby.
The impulse she felt in her heart when she first saw the other person could still be recalled now.
Although Hu Tao didn't quite understand what that impulse, that feeling, was, she undoubtedly liked Stelle.
Therefore, it was natural for Hu Tao to feel shy, even if she wasn't yet clear about the exact meaning of her current liking for Stelle.
"Ah?!" Hu Tao suddenly couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
Just as she was thinking, a strange sensation suddenly came from her toes.
Hu Tao quickly shrank back, but no matter how big the bathtub was, the space was limited, and she was quickly caught up by Stelle again.
"Hu Tao, when you mentioned 'sleeping foot-to-foot' before, did you mean sleeping like this?" Stelle asked Hu Tao curiously, hugging her knees.
Her toes were pressed against Hu Tao's toes.
The sensation was very good.
"That, that's just an idiom!" Hu Tao couldn't avoid it and could only explain to Stelle with embarrassment.
"It's used to describe how good our relationship is, it doesn't mean we literally have to sleep like this…"
"Ah~ I see," Stelle nodded knowingly.
It definitely wasn't as simple as the literal meaning; she had known that all along and was just pretending to ask to tease Hu Tao.
Moreover, she said she understood, but her foot movements didn't stop.
Her toes curled slightly, rubbing against Hu Tao's toes, experiencing a sensation she hadn't felt before.
"Stelle…" Hu Tao's cheeks were burning hot, but for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Stelle looked up at Hu Tao, whose eyes seemed a little dazed, and smiled.
"Hu Tao, let me help you wash."
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