Children Don’t Need Massages

“Welcome.”

As soon as they entered, a group of women in bathrobes surrounded them. For a moment, Xiaoguo thought she had arrived at a seedy place.

After double-checking that they were in the right place, she felt more at ease.

“Aiyo, little handsome boy, you’re so good looking. Let me hug you…”

“You can go to the side. Come, baby, let me kiss you…”

“Ah, how shameless of you.”

“Hahahaha…”

The women’s laughter instantly sounded through the air.

Xiaoguo looked at Zhuang Zhuang, who was surrounded by the women. Although he was feeling flustered, he still maintained a serious and grown-up expression on his face. It was quite amusing to watch.

In the end, Zhuang Zhuang could not stand the women’s ardor and looked towards Xiaoguo for help.

“Alright, alright. Sisters, stop fooling around. It’s time to welcome our guests.”

Before Xiaoguo could speak, one of the women spoke up, shooing away many of the women who had joined in the fun.

When the crowd had dispersed, Zhuang Zhuang heaved a sigh of relief. He hurried to Xiaoguo’s side and grabbed her tightly.

“Madam, which pool would you like for your soak today?”

The woman was good at business and had sharp eyes. It was obvious that Xiaoguo was a new customer, so she gave her a detailed introduction. She even guided Xiaoguo to the menu wall, where the various pool selections were carved into wooden planks for people to choose from.

After much deliberation, Xiaoguo picked out a rose flavored pool from the pile.

Why was it so difficult to make a selection? Although the different types of flavored pools here were enough to fill up a whole wall, less than half of the selection were floral pools. The rest were mainly Chinese medicinal ones.

Xiaoguo was actually leaning towards the traditional Chinese medicinal pool. However, considering that Zhuang Zhuang was still young, such pools are not quite suitable for him. Therefore, she ended up choosing the floral scented pool.

The entrance fee for children and adults were the same—it was ten copper coins per person. It was quite reasonably priced. Xiaoguo paid twenty copper coins for herself and Zhuang Zhuang.

The male and female pools were separated here. Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang followed the shop staff to the female section and went through the door. There were private rooms inside, just like an inn.

The lady brought Xiaoguo to one of the rooms and thoughtfully gave her a thin robe which she could wear to soak in the hot spring.

Xiaoguo was very grateful for this. Zhuang Zhuang was still young, so she wasn’t quite comfortable letting him go to the male section by himself. However, it was not exactly convenient for him to bathe with her. Now that she has this robe, she could at least cover up a little.

There was a curtain in the room. Xiaoguo took off Zhuang Zhuang’s clothes and put him into the pool before she got behind the curtain again. She undressed herself and changed into the robe.

As soon as she entered the water, her body was instantly engulfed by the warm water. The sensation made her sigh in relief.

Zhuang Zhuang lay leisurely in the water, his neck leaning against the side of the pool. His little feet kicked back and forth, causing the water to splash in the air along with the petals.

Xiaoguo immersed herself in the water as well, leaving only her head exposed.

The water here was constantly heated. The bottom of the pool has pipes connected to the outside. There was someone keeping guard outside, adding firewood to keep the water warm.

There were also massage services here. Xiaoguo hesitated for a moment and decided to get a massage for herself.

The thought of spending the next few days in a carriage made Xiaoguo feel uncomfortable instantly.

There was a bell in the room that was connected to the main hall. If someone pulled the rope in the room, the bell outside would ring.

Xiaoguo got up and pulled on the rope, Xiaoguo rang the bell a few more times in case someone didn’t hear it.

Soon there was a knock on the door.

“May I ask what service you require?”

Forgive Xiaoguo for thinking out of line as soon as she heard this, how could the lady’s voice sound so charming?

“Ahem, I need a massage.”

Xiaoguo cleared her throat. Because of the high temperature in the house, her voice sounded a little hoarse.

“Okay… Ten copper coins for a massage. When payment is made, the masseuse will come.”

The motto of this shop was to render services upon immediate payment.

Xiaoguo placed the money in a small wooden box hanging on the door. The person outside the door pulled the box out once the money was put in.

After the payment was done, Xiaoguo was quickly assigned with a masseuse.

After the person left, Xiaoguo suddenly felt a little uneasy. She had forgotten to ask whether the masseuse was a man or woman.

Zhuang Zhuang was playing happily in the water. One moment, he was holding the petals above his head, and the next moment, he was sticking the petals to his face. Xiaoguo was laughing out loud at his antics.

“Thump, thump, thump. Massage service.”

There was a knock on the door and Xiaoguo breathed a sigh of relief. It was a woman’s voice.

She walked over and unbolted the door. A woman came in with a tray. To be exact, it was a woman, dressed in a thin outfit, holding a tray.

Following her instructions, Xiaoguo undressed and lay on the bed by the side.

The woman took the initiative to draw the curtains in the room so as to create an enclosed space around the massage area.

The curtain was made of gauze, so the massage area wasn’t completely concealed. It was also convenient for Xiaoguo to observe Zhuang Zhuang’s movements to prevent any accidents from happening. After all, the pool wasn’t exactly shallow. Although she had placed him near the steps, accidents could still happen. It was better for her to watch him closely.

‘Now we are going to begin. Please relax.’

Xiaoguo felt that massages were magical. She always feel sleepy during massages.

“Is this strength alright?”

“Hmm… sure…”

Xiaoguo didn’t know why she answered her in such a tone. Perhaps it was because the massage was really comfortable, or perhaps it was because of the masseuse’s voice. Even as a girl, Xiaoguo felt that it sounded a little light and breezy. It made her feel very comfortable.

Xiaoguo forced herself to stay awake. She did not dare to close her eyes and kept an eye on Zhuang Zhuang constantly.

During the massage, the masseuse also used a fragrant essential oil. Xiaoguo was very much attracted by the smell. The scent somehow made her heart beat faster.

“What kind of essential oil is this?”

Xiaoguo couldn’t help herself. The fragrance was so tempting.

“This is a refined oil that we have developed ourselves. It is extracted from twenty spices, including orange flowers, pears, jasmine, almonds, vanilla, patchouli, and cedar. It is sold exclusively at our shop.”

When the woman heard Xiaoguo’s question, she immediately introduced the essential oil to her. She also told Xiaoguo that the oil was available for sale.

“Yes, that’s nice.” It couldn’t be cheap.

Xiaoguo felt that this essential oil sounded very expensive.

“We sell it exclusively in our store so you can’t buy it anywhere else. And it’s not expensive either. In fact, it’s very affordable.”

Xiaoguo was tempted. ‘Not expensive?’

After holding it in for a long time, she could not help but ask, “… How much is it?”

“Twenty copper coins a bottle.”

“…”

“Wow, this is not expensive? It’s extremely expensive. Just think about how much meat can I buy with this?”

Xiaoguo couldn’t decide whether to get it or not, so she looked at the size of the jar and tried to estimate if it was worth twenty coins.

“… Okay I will get a bottle.”

In the end, Xiaoguo bought a bottle. The container looked quite big so it should last her for a long time.

“Okay, you can go to the front to collect it later…”

Hearing that Xiaoguo was going to buy a bottle, the woman worked even harder. She started massaging Xiaoguo’s back and even her legs.

…

Xiaoguo put on her clothes, then she wiped dry Zhuang Zhuang before dressing him.

“Mother, why didn’t I get a massage?”

Zhuang Zhuang had been watching Xiaoguo alll this while and was curious about why he didn’t need a massage.

“Because… you’re still a child.”

Xiaoguo said the most commonly used line among all parents.

“Oh.”

“So it’s because I’m a child. I’ll go for a massage when I grow up then,” Zhuang Zhuang thought to himself.