In the bathroom, two large wooden tubs were filled with water and flower petals…
After the maids finished their arrangements, they quickly departed.
Cai Zhaoji, still uneasy, rechecked the water temperature and cleaning utensils before slowly exiting, leaving the space to Cao Cao and young brother Lu Yu, and forbidding anyone from approaching within a hundred paces of the bathing chamber…
Recalling her elder brother’s words, Cai Zhaoji could tell.
With Cao Cao’s meticulous nature, such an arrangement for a private talk in the bathroom must have a reason…
Perhaps… it was simply to prevent eavesdropping, hence the choice of the bathroom…
Or perhaps, this kind of “openness” could quickly foster a close relationship between him and young brother Lu Yu, turning them into bosom friends.
In Cai Zhaoji’s opinion, there was a saying in the market, crude but with a kernel of truth – men who had attended school together, fought wars together, and frequented brothels together were true brothers…
By that logic, men who had bathed together must be brothers among brothers.
At this moment, the innocent Cai Zhaoji’s mind raced, utterly bewildered!
…
Shedding clothes, entering the tubs, bathing.
Steam rose, and instantly, the air became misty…
The Wei Mansion was, after all, the wealthiest in Chenliu, and even the cleaning supplies for bathing were complete.
Bath beans, soap pods, mugwort water, ash… to find these around the bathtub was considered high-class in this era.
Among them, “bath beans” were the most precious. They were made by grinding pig pancreas into a paste, mixing it with bean powder and spices… and then drying it naturally. Equivalent to “soap” before crossing over, they were the “Hermès” of bathing products in ancient times!
“Cough cough…”
Lu Yu sank into the water, coughed lightly, and closed his eyes in resignation. The items were good, and bathing was bathing… but he couldn’t bring himself to be happy.
In his opinion, after moving into the “Wei Mansion,” even if Sister Zhaoji wasn’t there to bathe with him, there should at least be some maids or servants.
As it turned out, he was bathing alone in a wooden tub, with Cao Cao in the tub beside him. Not a single maid was in sight, and all he could see was a rough old man.
The scene was too bizarre, too much to bear.
“Lord Cao, forgive my directness, but when it comes to bathing, I prefer to be alone… With Lord Cao here, I feel a bit…”
Lu Yu wanted to say, “a bit self-conscious…”
After all, bathing with a powerful figure like Cao Cao was something even a transmigration novel wouldn’t dare to write; it was too far-fetched!
“Hahaha…” Cao Cao burst into laughter. “We’re both men, what’s there to be afraid of? Hahahaha…”
“Young Master Lu Yu, having read a hundred scrolls, have you not heard of the ‘Record of Rites: Inner Regulations’ which mentions that every five days one bathes in hot water, and every three days one washes their hair? If one’s face becomes dirty in between, they wash it with rice water; if their feet become dirty, they wash them with hot water!”
Upon saying this, Cao Cao laughed heartily again…
However…
Heh, Lu Yu just went “heh heh.”
He knew that ancients valued such things. The few sentences in the ‘Record of Rites’ described the living habits of the ancients, specifically the upper class. For example… bathing every five days, washing one’s hair every three days. If their face got dirty in between, they would wash it with rice water; if their feet got dirty, they would soak them in hot water!
For this reason, the Han Dynasty even had a special statutory holiday called “Xiūmù,” meaning that no matter how high an official’s rank, they could take one day off every five days specifically to go home and bathe!
Thus, the ancient people’s anticipation for bathing was no different from modern people’s anticipation for weekends and holidays; it was incredibly grand…
However, Lu Yu’s feelings were complicated!
Although historical records indicated that Old Cao’s primary vice was “liking married women,” at this particular moment, Lu Yu felt a bit scared!
Think about it, who wouldn’t be scared?
…What normal person would invite you to bathe and be so open with you on their first meeting? This is truly being unreserved!
While Lu Yu was still closing his eyes, feeling resigned and smiling wryly…
Cao Cao, from goodness knows where, retrieved a cloth. To be precise… in the Han Dynasty, this item was called a “Meiren Quan” (Beauty Fist)!
There were two in total, about a foot and two inches long. They had “rattan” handles, and the satin covering was filled with silk wadding and spices, shaped into a “fist.” Its purpose, besides pounding the back and shoulders, was also to scrub the back…
This item was even more precious than bath beans and was a must-have artifact in high society.
Of course, that wasn’t the main point. The main point was… Cao Cao directly stood up from the wooden tub. He put on a “Meiren Quan” on each hand, and his naked body appeared before Lu Yu, a fawning smile on his face as he looked at Lu Yu.
“Come, Young Master Lu Yu, stand up. I’ll scrub your back for you!”
Ah… ah…
Lu Yu was completely dumbfounded. He had read many ancient texts, but none recorded… that the Han Dynasty had the custom of back-scrubbing!
What’s more, Cao Cao actively offering to scrub Lu Yu’s back made this even more bizarre!
Damn it…
“Lord Cao… I… Although I am young, my orientation is absolutely normal. I am male and prefer females!”
“Turn around…” Before Lu Yu could finish speaking, Cao Cao, like a hawk snatching a chick, spun Lu Yu around…
Lu Yu’s mind was sharp, but his physical strength was lacking. His body was weak. Even before crossing over, he couldn’t carry a bag of rice up to the fifth floor. How could he be a match for Cao Cao?
Before Lu Yu could even regain his senses, Cao Cao had already begun scrubbing his back…
Of course, it was just scrubbing his back.
This finally allowed Lu Yu’s agitated heart to calm down. He thought to himself, Old Cao, Old Cao… you’re something else. Ancients would buy horse bones with a thousand pieces of gold to seek talented individuals, but you, you’ve directly gotten your hands to scrub backs… becoming a gold-medal masseur!
However… your method of “thirsting for talent” is indeed ingenious. It has truly touched my heart…
Given our current situation, if I, Lu Yu, don’t help you with my advice, then my conscience won’t be at ease.
Lu Yu mused to himself while starting to enjoy it.
Truth be told, Cao Cao’s back-scrubbing was quite comfortable. His strength was just right, neither too strong nor too weak. Before crossing over, he could definitely have been a gold-medal masseur.
However… when Cao Cao was scrubbing the inner thigh of Lu Yu, his wrist stopped, and the “Meiren Quan” in his hand also paused.
His eyes were fixedly staring at Lu Yu’s inner thigh…
Uh…
This time, Lu Yu was utterly terrified!
What the hell was Old Cao staring at his inner thigh for?
Even if I, Lu Yu, had extraordinary talent, it wasn’t meant for a grown man like you to look at…
Moreover, Lu Yu dared not speak… fearing that Cao Cao would lift him up like a hawk grabbing a chick.
The strange atmosphere persisted for a full quarter of an hour…
Finally, Cao Cao spoke.
“Not bad!”
After observing for a long time, a spear-shaped birthmark extended from the inner side of Lu Yu’s right thigh, a spear emerging like a dragon, exceptionally clear!
Cao Cao nodded again with deep meaning, his tone struggling to maintain composure.
“Not bad, not bad…”
Uh…
At this moment, Lu Yu was completely speechless.
Not bad?
Not bad your second uncle’s head!
Lu Yu did not like being praised by men.
Heh heh… If I had known you were this kind of person, Old Cao, I would have gone to that mat weaver and peddler, and spent my life running errands… rather than coming to you…
Of course, at this moment, Lu Yu had no idea that the flame in Cao Cao’s heart was about to erupt. If he hadn’t deliberately suppressed it, he might have embraced Lu Yu right then and there!
Found him, found him…
For a full fifteen years, he, Cao Cao, and the son of the Lu family, had finally been found!
This delicate young man before him was… was his eldest son, lost to Cao Cao for fifteen years!
He wasn’t surnamed Lu, he was surnamed Cao… surnamed Cao… His name was Cao Yu!
…
…