On the twentieth day of the fifth month, before dawn, Jiang Xuesui woke up in bed. It took her some effort to pry open Wen Qiao's arm wrapped around her waist. As she tried to sit up, Wen Qiao pulled her back into his arms, rubbing his face against hers for a while.
"Your stubble has grown out, it's scratchy. If you rub against me again, I'll bite."
Jiang Xuesui tried once more to pry open his hand, which tightened around her waist.
Wen Qiao didn't open his eyes. He mumbled, "My shoulders are covered in the marks you bit last night. One more wouldn't make a difference."
Seeing she couldn't break free from his grip, Jiang Xuesui kissed his cheek.
"I have household affairs to manage today and no time to fool around with you. Let go. I need to wash up."
Wen Qiao nuzzled her cheek, neck, and chest like a cat for a while before finally releasing her.
Jiang Xuesui sat up and realized she wasn't wearing her lotus-colored cloud-patterned silk bellyband. That aside, that bellyband was made by her mother before her death. She grabbed Wen Qiao's loose nightgown and wrapped it around herself, then began searching the messy bed.
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