At the military's group wedding, my best friend and I swapped husbands.

Chapter 16 Public Bathhouse

When we arrived at the cafeteria, it was dinner time and there were many people.

Four people lined up for food. When it was their turn, the cook saw the two girls covered in dust and was taken aback: "Oh, what have you been doing? You're all covered in mud."

Lin Weiwei said irritably, "Get to work."

The foreman laughed: "Good job, it's an honor to do the job."

His subordinate gave them an extra spoonful of food and added an egg to each of them: "Come on, new bride, eat more to nourish yourself."

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan, carrying their full lunchboxes, found a seat by the window and sat down.

Bai Rongbei and Bai Si'an also brought their food over and sat down to eat.

Lin Weiwei was really hungry. She picked up a cornbread and started eating it, then stuffed a large mouthful of shredded potatoes into her mouth.

Su Wanwan was also hungry, but she ate more politely, taking small bites.

Bai Rongbei watched her eat and suddenly remembered the half-eaten steamed bun she had left over yesterday.

He picked up an egg from his bowl and put it into her bowl.

Su Wanwan was taken aback and looked up at him.

"Eat." Bai Rongbei said only one word before lowering his head to continue eating.

Su Wanwan looked at the eggs in the bowl and felt a warmth in her heart.

She whispered "thank you" and then ate in small bites.

Lin Weiwei saw it and looked at Bai Si'an as well.

Bai Si'an was engrossed in his meal and didn't notice her gaze.

Lin Weiwei tapped his bowl with her chopsticks: "Hey."

Bai Si'an looked up: "Hmm?"

"I want an egg too," Lin Weiwei said.

Bai Si'an glanced at her bowl; she had already stuffed the egg into her mouth in one bite.

"Be careful, don't choke." Bai Si'an said as he picked up an egg from his bowl and put it into hers.

Lin Weiwei was satisfied and continued eating.

After finishing their meal, the four of them walked back.

As evening fell in the Gobi Desert, the wind subsided, the sun began to set, and the sky turned orange-red. Layers of clouds filled the sky, like an oil painting.

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan walked very slowly, partly because they were tired, and partly because they were dirty and felt sticky and uncomfortable.

"I want to take a shower," Lin Weiwei said softly.

Su Wanwan nodded, "Me too, covered in dust."

Bai Si'an heard this and said, "There's a public bathhouse in the family compound, it opens after dinner."

"A public bathhouse?" Lin Weiwei asked, "The kind where a lot of people bathe together?"

"Okay." Bai Si'an nodded. "The men are on the left, and the women are on the right."

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan exchanged a glance, both seeing resistance in each other's eyes.

Before they transmigrated, both of them came from middle-class families, but they had never bathed with anyone.

"Can...can I not go?" Su Wanwan asked softly.

Bai Rongbei glanced at her: "Okay, but you have to boil your own water and wash inside."

"That would require boiling so much water..." Lin Weiwei muttered.

The four returned to the family compound.

Bai Rongbei opened the door. The room was pitch black. He struck a match and lit the kerosene lamp.

The dim light illuminated the room, which, though still simple, was much cleaner than yesterday.

"You all rest first," Bai Rongbei said. "I'll go fetch water."

Bai Si'an followed, and the two brothers carried the buckets out.

Only Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan remained in the room.

The two sat on the bed, neither wanting to move.

"Wanwan, do you think we really want to go to the public bathhouse?" Lin Weiwei asked.

"I don't know..." Su Wanwan said, "but I'm so dirty, I have to wash."

"I'm dirty too." Lin Weiwei scratched her hair, feeling the dust falling off. "But washing with a bunch of people... how embarrassing."

As the two were talking, the two brothers returned with water.

The two men placed the buckets on the ground: "The water's here, go wash up."

Su Wanwan glanced at it; one bucket of water was definitely not enough for two people to bathe in, at most just enough to wipe themselves down.

"Thank you..." she said softly.

The two hummed in agreement, turned around and left, closing the door behind them.

There were two people left in the room.

Looking at the half-full bucket of water, neither of them felt satisfied with their wash.

"How about..." Su Wanwan bit her lip, "we should go to the public bathhouse instead? At least we can soak in the water for a longer time."

Lin Weiwei thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Fine! I'll go! It's just a shower, who's afraid of who!"

The two took their change of clothes and towels and headed out to the bathhouse.

The bathhouse was located at the far east end of the residential area. It was a standalone red brick building with smoke billowing from its chimney, and the sounds of rushing water and talking could be heard from inside.

A sign hangs at the entrance that reads "Bathhouse Opening Hours: 17:00-21:00".

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan stood at the door, both a little hesitant.

The sounds coming from inside were very noisy, including women's laughter, children crying, and the sound of water.

"Shall we go in...?" Lin Weiwei said.

"Hmm..." Su Wanwan nodded.

The two pushed open the door, and a wave of hot, humid air hit them.

Inside was a large hall with a wet floor. There were rows of long benches where some women were changing clothes, while others were drying themselves after washing.

Everyone looked over when they saw them come in.

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan felt uncomfortable being stared at, so they quickly lowered their heads, found a corner, and began to take off their clothes.

When they were down to their underwear, they both stopped.

"How about... washing it while wearing underwear?" Lin Weiwei whispered.

"How do you wash these clothes...?" Su Wanwan asked.

As the two were hesitating, an older woman nearby spoke up: "New here? Shy?"

She has a loud voice, and everyone looks at her when she speaks.

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan both blushed.

"No...no," Lin Weiwei said, forcing herself to speak.

"What's there to be shy about? We're all women, everyone's seen each other before." The woman said, quickly stripping herself naked and walking into the bathroom. "Hurry up, there won't be any hot water soon."

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and took their clothes off as well.

After stripping naked, he quickly wrapped himself in a towel and ran into the bathroom.

The bathroom was steamy, and visibility was very low.

But you can still see people when you get closer.

Under the rows of faucets, women of all ages and weights stood taking a bath.

The water was splashing, and the voices were buzzing.

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan found a spot on the side and turned on the tap.

The moment the hot water came down, they both let out a comfortable sigh.

But then, I felt the gazes from all around me.

Those gazes fell upon them, filled with scrutiny, and... envy?

Lin Weiwei looked down at herself, then at Su Wanwan.

Since they transmigrated here, they haven't had a chance to examine this body closely.

Looking at it now, although the original owner was delicate, she really had a great figure.

Her skin was fair and delicate, like a peeled egg.

She has curves in all the right places and is slim where she should be, with a shapely figure.

Looking around at the other women, most of them came from the countryside, with rough skin and thin figures. Some, like Wang Xiuying, were as thin as bean sprouts.

Lin Weiwei suddenly understood the meaning behind those gazes.

She nudged Su Wanwan and whispered, "We seem to have pretty good figures."

Su Wanwan noticed it too, and blushed slightly: "Stop talking, hurry up and wash."