The birth of an actor

Chapter 79 I feel at ease

The bathhouse near my home is called "Qingxin Pool".

I don't know if it has anything to do with Tsinghua Pool.

Judging from the decor, this bathhouse must have been around for quite some time.

They still use a bath ticket system, charging eight yuan for a scrub and wash, and they even give you a bath towel.

An Xin didn't use anyone else to scrub him down; although he grew up in Northeast China, he was still a little uncomfortable with this kind of washing method. So he just spent two yuan to buy a long bath towel and went into the men's bath area.

Stepping into the bath, a wave of heat hit me.

Through the mist, he glanced at the large bathhouse.

In that one glance, I saw a middle-aged man sitting by the tiled bathtub, one foot in the water and the other raised, scrubbing away dead skin.

"..."

So he lost interest in going into the pool.

Actually, the most awkward part about taking a shower at this time is precisely this.

The best water is available in the morning; by evening, the bathhouses are closed, so the water isn't very clean.

So he walked directly under the showerhead, and felt a sense of comfort as the warm air flowed over his head.

There were quite a few people taking showers in the evening, with at least a dozen in the men's area alone. Some of them even knew each other and were chatting about everyday things.

Saying things like, "XX didn't come today, he got beaten by his wife yesterday" or "I heard that XX's family member XX died."

It is particularly full of life.

After he had thoroughly cleaned himself inside and out, he went to the rest area.

To be honest, the towels on the sofa bed looked quite clean, and the cups were all white porcelain cups with some old-fashioned tea-colored filling, each one upside down on an iron plate.

The old tea canister bears the logo of "Wu Yutai".

Whether it's the one currently in use is unknown.

Anxin chose a clean cup, brewed herself a pot of tea in a thermos, lay down on the sofa bed, and yawned.

Someone nearby was smoking and playing chess.

Every now and then I could hear the sound of someone tapping my back.

A young man in a white short-sleeved shirt was constantly refilling water for people and carrying cups for the cupping therapist.

A few guys were also playing cards together.

It was bustling and lively; what a beautiful scene!

He was tired too; before he could even take a sip of tea, he yawned again.

I just closed my eyes.

The noisy surroundings didn't cause any discomfort; on the contrary, they created a unique atmosphere of everyday life in the city.

Unconsciously, some associations began to form in his mind.

Through his memories before closing his eyes, he wondered what the two guys playing chess next to him did for a living.

That person likes to hold a cigarette in their mouth while smoking, probably because their hands are always occupied when they smoke.
He often works with his hands, so much so that he doesn't even have time to smoke... The only people he can think of are those who do renovations. To be more specific, he thinks of plasterers.

So he opened his eyes again to confirm, and found that the man's finger joints were indeed quite thick, like the kind of person who does manual labor.

Feeling reassured that she had guessed correctly, Anxin suddenly became interested and began observing the others.

People say that the only place where it's hard to tell the difference between the poor and the rich is in a bathhouse, because everyone is naked.

Therefore, he can only judge based on various characteristics.

Observe, think, judge...

For some reason, he felt that this kind of observation was actually similar to the observation of actors.

After looking at this person, he looked at the person opposite him.

Unfortunately, we can't see anything this time.

Normal skin color, no obvious physical abnormalities...

The person felt the reassuring gaze and glanced in their direction.

Anxin politely avoided eye contact and looked away.

Old, young, strong, weak...

What started as a rest became an observation of the other guests from a corner.

After watching for a while and finishing his cup of tea, he felt a little sleepy.

In the steamy heat, I drowsily closed my eyes.

"Anxin, is there anyone named Anxin? Who is Anxin?"

He only opened his eyes and responded when he heard someone call his name.
"Hey, I'm here."

"The guests in the women's bath area have finished bathing and are calling you."

"Oh, good."

I don't know how long I slept before I woke up feeling relieved. I rubbed my face and went to change my clothes.

After changing his clothes, he came out and saw Fan Bing drying her hair in front of the mirror.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but the girl does seem to be even more radiant than when she arrived.

When Fan Bing saw An Xin in the mirror, she smiled and greeted her before continuing to blow-dry her hair.

Anxin took her card, paid the bill together, and then sat on the bench to wait for her.

Having just woken up, he was a little dazed and stared blankly at the door of the women's bathing area.

until……

"What are you thinking? You can't see it."

Along with these words came a faint milky aroma.

And a bottle of yogurt was handed to him.

Regaining his composure, he glanced at the disheveled girl and took the yogurt bottle.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Hehe~"

The girl smiled and nodded, then sat down next to him with her yogurt and stretched out her arm.

"Give."

Looking at those arms as white as lotus roots, Anxin asked speechlessly:

"what?"

"Let me let you smell it."

"I don't hear it."

"Oh, smell it, it smells so good."

She extended her arm even closer.

"Just one sniff, please."

"..."

Anxin shook her head helplessly:
"I could smell it when you first arrived, it smelled like milk."

"hey-hey……"

Fan Bing smiled even more broadly, and said while munching on a yogurt:

"You fell asleep?"

"How did you know?"

"Your eyes are quite red. Go back and get a good night's sleep; you seem a bit tired."

"Um……"

It's impossible to say I'm not tired.

After all, the crew of "My Fair Princess" at least got two days off, but he hasn't had a single day off since filming started. He was drafted on the day it rained, and his two days off were spent traveling to Qingdao.

I'm definitely a bit tired.

So Fan Bing didn't say anything more.

Only after seeing that Anxin had finished the bottle of ice-cold yogurt did she take a few big sips, empty her own bottle, and stand up.
"Let's go?"

"Ah."

She was in front, and Anxin was behind.

Who knew that as soon as I stepped out the door...

"oops!"

"Are you okay?"

Not only did I feel at ease, but even the shop owner at the cashier looked over.

Fan Bing looked pained, standing on one leg while refusing to put her other foot on the ground.

The bathhouse had two very low steps. They both clearly saw them when they came in, but she forgot about them when they left, and she missed a step and twisted her ankle.

Anxin quickly helped her up:
"Why are you so careless?"

"Hiss... Ouch... No, I can't land."

"Please sit down first, I'll help you over there, take it slow."

He carried the girl directly to the bench by the door.

Fan Bing hopped to her seat, her face contorted in pain.
"It hurts so much..."

"Who told you to be so careless? Lift your foot up so I can see it~"

The girl stretched out her foot, and Anxin placed her fingers on her ankle:

"this?"

"No."

"this?"

"Yes, yes... Ouch, it hurts..."

"I'll press it lightly, and you can give me feedback so I can see if I've damaged any bones."

"Ah."

So, Anxin held her fair foot and slowly began to apply pressure, trying to find her sore spot and see where she was injured.

At the same time, he observed the girl's expression.

He only let go after she showed signs of pain.
"It's alright, no bones are broken, just a sprain. It should hurt for a day or two."

"Uh……"

The girl felt relieved and nodded while asking:
"You can see?"

"Yes, I know a little bit. My grandfather used to learn a little bit from a traditional Chinese medicine doctor when he was hiking in the mountains, and he taught me some of it."

"Oh...hey, stop pinching me..."

"Relax……"

After confirming again that the girl's bones were not broken, he said:
Do you have Yunnan Baiyao at home?

"No."

"Safflower oil?"

"No..."

"..."

Anxin is truly speechless now.

Keep in mind, it's already past 9 o'clock and the pharmacy has long since closed.

There's no Meituan these days, and forget about 24-hour pharmacies unless you go to a hospital.

But there's really no need to dwell on such a simple setback.

Even without medication, the pain will only last for a day or two and will subside on its own.

After thinking for a while, he said:
"Let's rest for a while and see how things go."

"Ah."

The girl pulled her leg back, and after putting on her shoes with some difficulty, she suddenly said:
"Am I stupid?"

"Anyway, he's not smart."

Oh, you!

The pig puffed up its cheeks, clearly unhappy.

An Xin, on the other hand, put her hands behind her back and looked up at the sky.

These past few days have been blessed with clear autumn skies and crisp air. With no sandstorms yet and heating not yet on, it's rare to see stars in Beijing.

Fan Bing followed his gaze and looked up.

After seeing the twinkling stars in the sky, Baozi's chubby cheeks stopped puffing up and he also fell into a daze.

A few minutes later, a cold wind suddenly blew by, and she instinctively shivered.

After Anxin noticed this, she said:
"Let's see if you can walk."

"Ah."

She cautiously tried to stand up, but as soon as she put her strength into it, her face fell.
"No, it hurts."

"……bring it on."

Seeing this, Anxin immediately squatted down.

Fan Bing was taken aback:
"You...you're going to carry me on your back?"

"Um, how much do you weigh again?"

"..."

Seeing Anxin squatting down, the girl was stunned for a moment, and then, for some reason, she suddenly smiled.