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There was an unseasonal chill in the air as Jinshi and Basen walked from the Military Headquarters to Maomao’s medical office. Jinshi wondered if he could talk Basen into a carriage for the trip home if he appealed to his friend's consideration for Maomao as a woman.
It was their first day back to work after their honeymoon and he was looking forward to being reunited with his wife. A new job assignment had been an adjustment, for him as well as everyone around him. Jinshi was sure of one thing, he quite liked the change. Absolutely nothing can bring his mood down, not even this chilly spring weather with dreary skies.
As they got within sight of her medical office they were joined by another member of the Ma clan, Chue. “Slow down little brothers, Miss Chue can’t keep up with your long legs and there’s something important you need to know!”
“Miss Chue, you look excited, did you have a great day, too?” Jinshi asked. He slowed his pace a little but it was difficult knowing how close he was to Maomao.
“Miss Chue certainly had an interesting afternoon. It started when it was time for my regular therapy session with Dr. Maomao. Little brother Jinshi, you might want to slow down a bit more and let Miss Chue finish her story,” she drawled.
“Can't it wait till the walk back home… or should we get a carriage. What do you think, Basen?” Jinshi shot a hopeful look at his friend.
Basen frowned. “Carriage? I think the exercise will be better. You're not a pampered prince anymore, Bajin.”
“I was trying to show consideration for the women.” Jinshi switched his gaze to Chue, maybe she would be on his side.
Chue tugged on Basen’s sleeve. “Miss Chue thinks you two aren't listening. There's something important you need to know.” They were mere steps away from the door to the medical office.
Basen stopped walking, his frown deepening. “What's so important Miss Chue?”
“There are some people who are a little bit upset with Dr. Maomao’s husband,” she informed them.
That brought Jinshi up short. He turned to look at her. “Upset with me? What did I do?” Everyone seemed friendly enough this morning when he walked her to work. They were even teased when they kissed before parting.
“Excuse me, sir. We’d like a word.” Jinshi turned to see Dr. Liu. He was accompanied by Dr. Li, Dr. Yao and En-en, standing just outside the medical office, glaring at him.
“Too late!” Miss Chue said cheerfully. “Little brother Basen, you should wait outside.”
“Do you think I’d let him go in alone, outnumbered? I’m not waiting outside!” Basen looked like he was ready to face an angry mob instead of some medical personnel. As much as Jinshi appreciated the sentiment, he couldn't help agreeing with Chue.
“Basen, I think she's right, wait here,” Jinshi implored him.
Basen stubbornly shook his head. “You’re not my boss anymore. I’m coming with you.”
“Fine, but please remember these are Maomao’s coworkers. They're doctors and medical assistants, not soldiers. No fighting.”
“Yes, alright,” Basen relented.
“Oh yes, let's go inside. Miss Chue can't wait!” Chue said enthusiastically.
The medical staff went inside and the three family members followed. Waiting for them were even more personnel; an elderly doctor whose name Jinshi didn't know and the other two medical assistants, Yo and Changsha. Maomao was the furthest away, staring at the floor.
Jinshi attempted to act casual. “Hello everyone. Maomao… what's going on?”
Dr. Li had his arms crossed, Basen must have decided he was the biggest threat because he was squaring off with him. The four women stood protectively in front of Maomao, Yao and En-en giving him a death glare. Dr. Liu was in the center of the room, he alternated between stern looks and rubbing his head. Only the older doctor and Chue seemed amused.
“It's just a little misunderstanding,” Maomao muttered.
“Little misunderstanding! You're being brutalized! What kind of man are you!” Yao was so angry she was practically breathing fire. En-en was so upset her young mistress was upset, she had a crowbar in her hand. Jinshi couldn't help thinking she was the biggest threat. Yo and Changsha seemed uncertain what to do, were they blushing?
“I don't know what's going on, but I haven't been brutalizing anyone, especially not my wife.” Jinshi tried to inject a soothing tone into his honeyed voice, something he used to do to break up cat fights in the Rear Palace.
“Yao, let me talk. Your anger on behalf of your friend is admirable but we need cooler heads right now.” Jinshi appreciated Dr. Liu injecting himself into the conversation but now he feared En-en was going to turn her wrath on him. “Master Bajin, we are concerned for Maomao’s health. She appears to have suffered quite a few injuries since we last saw her.”
“Injuries? Maomao, what are they talking about?” Jinshi felt a pit forming in his stomach.
“I told them they have the wrong idea…” Maomao finally looked up, she was blushing and still having trouble looking him in the eyes.
“Wrong idea! Look at her!” Yao yanked Maomao’s robe off her shoulder to reveal a red plum colored bruise.
“Oh, that…” Jinshi felt his own face growing warm. “It's just a kiss mark… you know, planting strawberries.”
Basen looked at Jinshi, his face was beet red. “I’m going to wait outside.”
“What a good idea, little brother, if only Miss Chue had thought of that!” She playfully mimed bonking herself on the head with her tongue stuck out.
“There are more than twenty of these bruises on her body,” spit was now flying from Yao’s mouth as she yelled, “and that's not all!”
“Maomao, why are your co-workers looking at your body? Does it hurt? You didn't complain at home. Did you need treatment?” The pit in his stomach grew. If she had only told him it hurt or it bothered her that much, he would have stopped.
“Oh now you're concerned!” Yao shouted.
“Yao, enough. Before your marriage, we were discussing anatomy and your wife volunteered to… well maybe she should explain.” Dr. Liu was blushing now, too. As Jinshi looked around, he couldn't help thinking it was contagious. Only the old doctor and Chue seemed immune.
“Remember when I conducted an exam of Lady Lishu to confirm her virginity was intact because of the falsehoods against her? So as Dr. Liu said, before our marriage, we were discussing female anatomy and I thought it would be a good opportunity to show… before and after, you know? Virgin… not virgin. It's something medical professionals need to know and seeing on an actual person is better experience than any illustration. So I volunteered. Everything was fine for the before…”
Forget warm, Jinshi’s face was on fire. “Are you saying everyone here…”
Maomao formed an X with her arms. “No no, of course not… just the women. I suggested it would be better for the men to go to the pleasure district for the lesson. I can make arrangements at the Verdigris House.”
Yao was incensed. “She has a bite mark on her inner thigh! Why would your mouth be anywhere near there!”
Jinshi looked away from Yao. His gaze turned to the old doctor whose eyes betrayed the smile he was covering with his hand. Jinshi thought about the last two weeks. Maomao’s entire body was a road map of where his mouth had been during their honeymoon. “I admit the bite may have been getting carried away.” There had actually been quite a few bites, but he was pretty sure that was the only one that left a lasting mark.
Dr. Li cleared his throat. “As you can see, Maomao's friends are very concerned for her safety… we all are,” he added at a glare from Yao. “They… I mean we… aren't completely convinced all these marks are, ‘planting strawberries’. So Miss Chue made a suggestion.”
Chue raised her hand excitedly. “Oh yes! Miss Chue had a brilliant idea! You just need to demonstrate!”
“Demonstrate?” Is it possible to blush at the same time the blood drains from your face? That's what he felt like, he’d have to ask Maomao later… assuming they make it out of there together.
“Good luck finding a place there isn't already a mark.” Now Yao was blushing, too. How can someone blush while so enraged?
Maomao lifted her hair. “I thought the back of my neck under the collar.”
“There's already one there,” Jinshi and Yao said together.
“Oh,” Maomao rubbed the spot, “I’d rather it not be on the front of my neck where everyone can see. Hmmm… what about my calf?”
“You want me to put a kiss mark on your calf, right now, while everyone watches?” His face got hotter. After being so careful not to leave one anywhere it would be visible, now this.
“Not everyone… Basen’s outside.” Maomao pointed out helpfully.
“How are we supposed to do this?” Jinshi looked around the room, whether looking for a respectable way to achieve this task or a way to make a tactical retreat, he couldn't say.
Chue seemed to read his mind. Not only did she position herself to block the exit, but she also had a suggestion. “Miss Chue thinks Dr. Maomao could sit on the counter, easier for everyone to see.”
Jinshi could feel steam coming out of his ears. “Just to be clear, everyone will be satisfied and let me leave here with my wife if I do this? All will be forgiven?”
“No more biting!” Yao shouted at him.
Jinshi relented, “Alright, no more bite marks.” One has to be clear about these things.
Jinshi tentatively stepped through the crowd to his wife, picked her up and set her on the counter. She crossed one leg over the other and pulled her skirt up just enough to show her calf.
“Oops, I guess not that one. That leg already has a kiss mark on it.” Jinshi could feel Yao’s glare boring into him as Maomao switched legs. “Here we go, a clean slate.” She helpfully stuck her leg out for him.
Here, with a crowd of spectators, Jinshi kneeled down in front of his wife, gently held her leg by the calf and ankle, then put his lips to the skin in between. Closing his eyes and opening his mouth as if to take a bite, he tucked his lips over his teeth, clamped down and sucked… like the sparkly leech she accused him of being. When he finished, Miss Chue tried to lead a round of applause. It didn't catch on.
“As you can see, it didn't take much to make a mark and it will get darker before getting lighter, it really doesn't hurt either,” Maomao casually explained.
Yao did not appear to be satisfied. “Yes, yes I see… but there's a line of them down your spine, did he make you stand there while he did that?”
Jinshi helped Maomao off the counter, “Oh no, she was lying on the bed, on her side… pretending to ignore me. I, umm, worked my way down… to get her attention.”
“Actually, I was ignoring you,” Maomao clarified.
“Hence the bite. Are we done here?” He really hoped they were done.
“Not quite, if you're going to ‘mark’ your wife, then you need to treat the damage you caused. This salve is for bruising and this one… well I don’t know if you broke skin on the bite, but if you did, use this other one for that.” Dr. Liu handed two jars to Jinshi.
Dr. Liu, Dr. Li, Yo and Changsha quickly departed. Unfortunately, Yao still wasn't done. “I still don't understand the bite! If you bit her after putting those kiss marks down her back, why was it on her inner thigh?”
“Young mistress, I don't think we should inquire further.” En-en was trying to tug Yao in the same direction as their departed colleagues.
Maomao, ever the calm professional, decided to explain, “It’s simple, Yao. I was on my right side. He went down my back, over my hip, lifted my top leg…”
“MAOMAO! My Lady Yao is a sweet, innocent maiden and should not be hearing such things!” En-en was waving the crowbar at Maomao now. Should he attempt to disarm her?
Maomao apologized, “Pardon me. Yao, I can get you a book. It has excellent illustrations—”
“MAOMAO!” En-en shouted.
Risking life and limb, Jinshi snatched the crowbar from her.
Chue raised her hand, “Miss Chue would like to see this book.”
“Miss Chue is a married woman, you might want to see a more advanced book. I was going to give Yao the one for new brides. It covers the basics like the pleasure zones for both men and women—”
At this point, En-en clapped her hands over Yao’s ears. “MAOMAO, I will thank you to please stop talking! My poor young mistress has heard and seen more than enough for one day!”
“En-en, stop! I’m an adult and a doctor. I can handle this,” the pout in her voice, as well as the red in her cheeks, undermined her argument, but Jinshi wisely kept that to himself. “Now I understand how, but why? Why would you do this to her? How would you like it if she did it to you?!”
“Uh, well… she did. It’s kind of fun.” Jinshi definitely had no room to criticize anyone for blushing.
“I don't believe you, show me.” Yao stomped her foot.
En-en desperately tugged on Yao’s arm. “YOUNG MISTRESS!”
“We are at work En-en, it’s Dr. Lu Yao! Show me she did to you what you did to her!”
Jinshi stared at Maomao trying to remember the various places she planted her own strawberries.
Thankfully Maomao was thinking the same thing. “Oh, I think I put one on your left shoulder near the collarbone. That should be fine. Sit down on that stool so she can see.”
Jinshi handed the crowbar to Chue, then loosened his robe before taking a seat. He slid his robe down his arm and leaned his head to the right so Yao would have a clear view.
Maomao came over and swept his hair back as well. “See? It’s starting to fade but it was just as dark as the ones you saw on me.”
“Are those scratch marks?! How did that happen?!” Yao looked appalled, she may never want to get married. Jinshi suddenly became aware Chue was helping Yao tug down his robe to get a better look at his back.
“The first time was an accident, but he liked it and asked me—” Maomao began.
“Maomao, I agree with En-en, that's enough talking.” Shaking all three women off, Jinshi stood, clasping his robe collar tight around his neck.
Maomao folded her arms in front of her chest and glared at him. “You’re the one who wanted more, you damn masochist.”
Yao looked like she had more she wanted to say but thankfully En-en and Maomao ushered her to the back.
The old doctor approached Jinshi. “Don't feel too bad, my wife and I used to uh… plant strawberries in our youth, too. Hell, I may plant one on her tonight for old times sake. You have any questions about the salves?”
Jinshi looked at the two jars in his hand. “Are either of these good for scratches?”
The old doctor smiled slyly before answering, “That one, same as for the bite.”
Jinshi pocketed the two jars. “Right, makes sense. Thank you. Maomao, are we ready to go? Please?” First day back to work, new job, now he already needs to ask for a transfer. Would Shaoh be far enough away?