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"What about Censer? Crane asked. He placed another bait on the hook.
"He's not getting any better," Bai Ze faced her own reflection in the water. "But at least he's not getting any worse, I suppose. His fever seemed to have cooled down quite significantly but I'm afraid he might not recover by the end of this month."
"You seem sad about him," Crane said.
"He'll be fine," She leaned into the lake and filled her jug with the cold flowing water "He always bounces back"
Of course, Censer basically despised her, to say the least. But even though Censer was being such a menace to her, Bai Ze knew better than to strike back at his childish antics. Censer was stubborn and obsessive at times, but no one in this part of the mountain really hated him. The mountain was quiet and now even quieter now that there was a lack of Censer around.
"Well, unless he accepts your help, he might not. He must forgive you for something?" Crane said. Bai Ze shook her shoulders. "Well then. Good day to you, Crane."
She approached the antique shop across the lake, walking slowly so the water didn't spill. She turned the door handle and stepped inside.
"Miss Bai? Is that you? Did I hear Crane? What did he say?" As soon as she entered the shop, she heard Censer's shouting from the other room.
She looked around, the shop was filled with steam radiating from Censer, the air around was suffocating and hot. Bai Ze expected that much, though, because Censer himself was basically a censer. She put the jug on the counter and opened the windows to let some of the steam exit.
"Bai Ze? Don't you hear me? Don't ignore me!"
Bai Ze entered the other room to meet Censer.
Censer was sitting straight up on his floor bed with nothing but his undergarments. The previous night, Crane had tried to take them off too, to dip him inside the lake and ultimately found out that half-conscious Censer was as stubborn and aggressive as fully conscious Censer.
"You sound significantly better than yesterday night," Bai Ze passed by his bed to open the window. Some of the steam was already leaving. She just hoped that no one would think her shop was on fire. She kneeled beside him and checked his temperature with the back of her hand. "Your fever is cooling down. Though I'm not going to lie, I'll miss the unconscious Censer who was less of a menace."
"What did Crane say?" Censer said neutrally.
"Nothing you should be concerned about. Now, you're probably hungry. I should prepare you something." Bai Ze got up and walked to the shop area.
"What did Crane tell you? I need to know!" Censer shouted as she was turning the handle.
"You don't need to know anything, Censer. Now stay still, I'll make you some soup."
"Hmph." Censer got under the blanket.
"Censer, you are a grown man." Bai Ze complained before entering the shop area.
"So?"
"Censer, can I get some peace of mind, please?" Bai Ze complained loudly to the man in the other room.
"Fine."
Bai Ze grabbed the jug and sighed. She then got back to the other room, feeling pretty surprised at the sight of the quiet Censer. It seemed like he really accepted defeat, he had snuck out his bottle green eyes out of the blanket and was staring at the sight of the mountain outside the window. Bai Ze was afraid he'd increase his fever, but she was too scared to break his silence to take him out of the blanket.
Instead, she entered the kitchen.
Her kitchen was quite small, only making room for two people at most. The kitchen's small window was lower from the hill it opened to, sometimes she could see people's shoes from the window. She took a pot from one of the shelves filled with spices and such. She grabbed the filter from the shelf right above her and poured the water inside the pot through the filter. After that, she took one match and set fire to the fireplace. She grabbed the pot from the counter and set it on the fireplace. She started preparing the soup.
Step by step, the soup was coming along, and she didn't realize how she spaced out until Paddle suddenly appeared in the small kitchen window.
"MS. BAI!" Paddle yelled.
Bai Ze nearly jumped. "Oh dear, you scared me, Paddle. What are you up to?"
"I smelled some soup." The little boy leaned in the kitchen. "Is there some for me? Please?"
"I suppose there's enough for the both of you." She mixed the soup again. She looked up to the boy, and smiled. "And since you asked so nicely…"
"Does that mean I'm getting soup? Yes!" Paddle celebrated. His expressions were blocked by the potato sack over his head, but his celebration was still obvious. Paddle ran, and disappeared from Bai Ze's line of sight out the window.
"Don't enter with shoes. Wash your hands, Paddle," she yelled.
"Okay!"
In what seemed like a second, Paddle had entered the shop and suddenly appeared beside her.
"Alright, this looks pretty done," Bai Ze said, though she couldn't be sure, for she didn't prepare dishes like soup so often.
She took the pot from the fireplace and set it down on the counter. Paddle had already taken out his bowl and also put it on the counter, nearly jumping with impatience. Bai Ze poured into his bowl. "If you'd take your spoon too, Paddle." Paddle grabbed a spoon from the drawer, and took his bowl.
"Be careful Paddle. Don't spill it, it's hot." She warned while pouring the second bowl. She also took a spoon and left the kitchen.
She brought it to the room Censer was laying.
"Stovey! So that's where you've been!" Paddle was nearly jumping on Censer when she came in, his bowl of soup was abandoned somewhere on the floor.
"For the last time, I am no pot, or stove. I am a censer, a Boshan censer." Censer complained loudly again.
Bai Ze approached them. "If you'd give him some space, Paddle," She said. "He needs to eat."
"I don't want to eat soup!" Censer said.
"Come on Censer, even Paddle eats his soup," Bai Ze pointed to Paddle who had sat on the floor, devouring his share of the soup.
"Well, I don't want soup made by you." Censer united his hands in his chest.
"Come on Censer, you're miserable and without my help you'll die, and you're still talking about the tomb?"
"Of course I am." Censer turned his head to face away from her.
She held out a spoonful of soup. "Censer. Please."
"No."
She held the spoon against his mouth. "Come on, Censer."
"No!"
"Stovey!" she complained loudly while trying to put the spoon in his mouth.
"No, I am not a pot, or a stove of some kind, I am a censer,and a Boshan censer, you hear me, woman?!" Censer said while dodging the spoon.
"Yes, but you are a Boshan censer in need of immediate care!" Bai Ze tried to grab him by the cheeks and keep him still. "Must I really hold your face like a baby?!"
"You can't force m-" Bai Ze grabbed his face and stuffed the spoon in his mouth.
Censer swallowed. "You're lucky this tastes good."
"Whatever, Censer. Just shut up and please eat." She held another spoon.
After the difficult chore of feeding Censer, Bai Ze grabbed his and Paddle's bowls (he yelled "Thank you!" while handing the empty bowl) and took them to wash with the other dishes. After washing, and putting the dishes to dry in the backyard, she went back inside to Paddle and Censer, to see that Paddle was curled up on Censer's chest to sleep.
They looked peaceful. Bai Ze sighed, and crashed herself on the couch.