Social death. Yu Zhou was convinced that if there was an award for the degree of social death, she would definitely win first place.
After pinching her philtrum a few times in her heart, she sat down calmly before explaining the situation to Xiang Wan.
“This thing does look a bit like the gloves we wore that day when we had crawfish, but first of all, that glove was square and this one is smaller and rectangular.”
After mentioning the appearance, she found it hard to continue.
Damn it…
She thought for a moment before picking one up, then squeezed it in her hand while gesturing for Xiang Wan to do the same as well.
“Biu… Do you feel it? This thing isn’t like those plastic gloves, it’s, well, it’s slippery and oily.”
Xiang Wan looked at her with clear eyes while pinching the finger cot with her thumb and forefinger. “I can feel it.”
Oh dear… what was she doing? Yu Zhou criticized herself inwardly.
“So, ” XiangWan lifted the package of finger cots while asking her, “What is this?”
“It’s not important, but in any case, it’s a very private thing. You can’t just leave it out in the open. You have to put it away somewhere safe.”
“Something that can’t be shown to others?”
“It’s not that it can’t be shown, it’s just like your lingerie, it is only fabric, right? It also looks presentable but you can’t just line them up on the couch, can you?”
Thinking of that picture, Yu Zhou couldn’t help but laugh at herself.
Xiang Wan furrowed her eyebrows slightly as she watched Yu Zhou laugh, but also smiled along with her.
“So, what is this thing exactly? You have to tell me, otherwise, I’ll make a fool of myself.”
“Finger cots,” Yu Zhou’s ears were slightly red. She used force on the heel to lift the sole, looking at her feet as she playfully lifted and put them down.
As the name suggested, Xiang Wan understood what finger cots were, but she was even more confused. Why could larger gloves be used in a store, but finger cots couldn’t?
“You’ll figure it out yourself!” Yu Zhou tapped her toes as she said cryptically before standing up and going outside to get a drink of water.
As she walked up to the water cooler and drank more than half a glass of water, she tilted her head to listen to the noise inside. Xiang Wan still hadn’t come out yet.
With a hiss, she thought for a moment, then picked up the glass of water as she walked back in.
Walking in, she was startled.
Xiang Wan sat on the bed, tearing open a package of finger cots. She pondered for a moment before putting the slippery finger cot on her left middle finger.
Pushing the finger cot to the base, she raised her hand and looked at it, but still couldn’t figure out its use.
Oh my god…
“Xiang Wan!” Yu Zhou shouted before she quickly walked over, her face turning red. “What are you doing?”
The sudden chaos startled Xiang Wan. She looked at Yu Zhou with her deer-like eyes and bit her lip as she said, “You told me to figure it out on my own. So, I decided to try it on myself.”
“It’s a little tight, but smooth and won’t come off. It’s different from gloves,”
Yu Zhou sat next to her as she slammed her cup heavily on the bedside table. Her face was red but her expression was that of a tiger.
“Why…” Xiang Wan hesitated to speak.
Yu Zhou stared at her fiercely.
“Why are you making such a big fuss? Are you feeling nervous?” Xiang Wan tilted her head while asking.
“I’m nervous? Ahahaha, why would I be nervous?” Yu Zhou laughed and cleared her throat as she caught a glimpse of Xiang Wan’s finger wearing a finger cot. She had to admit that her finger was beautiful, long, slender and pale like it was wrapped in a layer of milk.
The milky white finger had a pink rubber covering, giving it a hint of sensuality.
“Take it off!” Yu Zhou whispered to her in reprimand.
“You still haven’t told me,” Xiang Wan was a bit stubborn and a little aggrieved. Yu Zhou’s behavior was so unusual that even a fool could tell something was wrong.
“Don’t you already know? You’re just pretending.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Xiang Wan frowned, her tone growing anxious.
“You don’t know? You wear it on your middle finger!” Yu Zhou was angry. She didn’t know where Xiang Wan learned these things from. Yu Zhou wondered if there was something on her iPad that shouldn’t be there.
“Can’t I wear it on my middle finger?” Xiang Wan lowered her head and glanced at it.
“I just felt that the circle was round like a ring, so I rolled it onto my finger, gave it a little push and then it covered my finger,” she explained.
Yu Zhou saw her sincerely and her words seemed to be plausible, so the anger dissipated a lot. She noticed Xiang Wan’s eyebrows were creased because of her own annoyance, looking like two small bumps, similar to hillocks, looked so pitiful.
Yu Zhou felt sorry for her.
“I was just a little anxious,” she said hesitantly, whispering, “I thought you were watching something by yourself.”
This girl is such a naughty trickster. Based on past experience, she might have stumbled upon some website on her old phone.
“Then just tell me, okay?” Xiang Wan said, extending her other hand and lightly shaking Yu Zhou’s thigh.
It was an unnoticeable plea with a bit of coquettishness.
Yu Zhou sighed. “This finger cot is…well, we lesbians use it in blissful harmony.”
She used a subtle ancient word, which was also suitable for Xiang Wang to understand.
Xiang Wang looked at her as her eyes gradually turned pink. She opened her mouth before taking a deep breath.
Now it’s time for you to be awkward, Yu Zhou blew her bangs up to the sky with her toes still digging into the ground.
After a few seconds, Xiang Wang lowered her head as she looked at her own hands, glancing at the back and front. In a small voice, she asked Yu Zhou, “How to do it?”
It was a whisper voice. There was no light on in the room so it felt like two close friends were secretly discussing something taboo.
So Xiang Wang’s heart began to race as Yu Zhou only glanced at her.
She leaned slightly forward, propping herself up on the bed with her hand while raising the finger with the finger cot on it, deliberately avoiding touching the sheets with that finger.
Yu Zhou looked at her movement and her ears reddened even more. She pursed her lips and remained silent.
She wouldn’t say anything more, speechless.
“You said that I should deal with people on my own like an adult, but there are many certain tricks that adults have to know, yet you don’t tell me. So, if I get cheated, what should I do?” Xiang Wang said slowly and carefully.
Yu Zhou took a deep breath and then exhaled, moistening her lips before looking at Xiang Wang seriously, “Xiang Wang, I am very worried that you will be cheated, but I also have my doubts.”
“What do you mean?”
“Really? You don’t know?” Yu Zhou stared at her while asking.
Xiang Wang blinked.
“You’re eighteen now. In your ancient times, you probably had to hold a coming-of-age ceremony at the age of fourteen. And you are at the age to consider marriage. Hasn’t your governess taught you anything about the things between men and women?”
“I…”
“You told me that you knew about the male-male and female-female relationships. With your curiosity, you wouldn’t try to get your hands on a few banned books and secretly gain knowledge in your long and boring life in the boudoir?”
“When you were calmly telling me about grinding mirrors[1], did you understand why it’s called that? Knowing the result but not the reason is not the style of a noble and talented young lady like you, right?”
She pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, asking Xiang Wang.
It was rare to see Yu Zhou like this. This was her serious and irritable demeanor. Xiang Wang withdrew her body and stopped teasing her. “I really didn’t know before but I have some guesses now, not completely sure.”
She whispered, “Putting…it into that place, right?”
“Right.” Yu Zhou nodded when she saw that Xiang Wang asked straightforwardly.
Xiang Wang raised her hand, sticking out her middle finger while curling the rest of her fingers as if she was deep in thought. “I see now.”
“Eh!” Yu Zhou nudged her waist.
“Hmm?”
“Don’t give people the middle finger, it’s impolite!”
“Oh,” Xiang Wan was going to retract her gesture.
As they faced each other, they heard a woman’s voice that sounded like the wind blowing. “How many times do I have to shout that it’s time to eat? Are we eating or not!”
Ms. Zhao was angry and knocked on the door, but the latch wasn’t secure so it easily gave way to her hand.
Holding her chopsticks, Ms. Zhao stared at Xiang Wan’s hands in a state of trance.
The three of them were speechless for a few seconds until Ms. Zhao suddenly let out a string of astonishing high-pitched screams. “I’m going to die! What the hell! I’m going to die!”
She covered her eyes, turned and angrily walked out, “What are you doing?! Why don’t you close the door? I’m going to get sty![2]“
Yu Zhou shrugged as she sighed deeply, placing the middle and ring fingers on her forehead.
Before coming in, Ms. Zhao had been giving Yu Zhou a “playing wildly” look and it seemed like she misunderstood they had “kitchen play”[3].
Now it was a futile attempt to clear their name.
“磨镜”(Mo Jing) is the term for lesbianism in ancient times, and it also refers to sexual activities between women. In ancient China, female homosexuality was often referred to as “Mo Jing”, which originated from a sexual practice in which both parties rubbed each other’s bodies. Due to the similarity in their body structures, it appeared as if a mirror was placed between them, hence the name “Mo Jing”. [return to text] In Chinese idiom, if someone does something immoral or sees something inappropriate (such as someone’s nudity, sexual activities, etc.), they will get “sty”. [return to text] Doing intimate things in the kitchen. [return to text]
Social death. Yu Zhou was convinced that if there was an award for the degree of social death, she would definitely win first place.
After pinching her philtrum a few times in her heart, she sat down calmly before explaining the situation to Xiang Wan.
“This thing does look a bit like the gloves we wore that day when we had crawfish, but first of all, that glove was square and this one is smaller and rectangular.”
After mentioning the appearance, she found it hard to continue.
Damn it…
She thought for a moment before picking one up, then squeezed it in her hand while gesturing for Xiang Wan to do the same as well.
“Biu… Do you feel it? This thing isn’t like those plastic gloves, it’s, well, it’s slippery and oily.”
Xiang Wan looked at her with clear eyes while pinching the finger cot with her thumb and forefinger. “I can feel it.”
Oh dear… what was she doing? Yu Zhou criticized herself inwardly.
“So, ” XiangWan lifted the package of finger cots while asking her, “What is this?”
“It’s not important, but in any case, it’s a very private thing. You can’t just leave it out in the open. You have to put it away somewhere safe.”
“Something that can’t be shown to others?”
“It’s not that it can’t be shown, it’s just like your lingerie, it is only fabric, right? It also looks presentable but you can’t just line them up on the couch, can you?”
Thinking of that picture, Yu Zhou couldn’t help but laugh at herself.
Xiang Wan furrowed her eyebrows slightly as she watched Yu Zhou laugh, but also smiled along with her.
“So, what is this thing exactly? You have to tell me, otherwise, I’ll make a fool of myself.”
“Finger cots,” Yu Zhou’s ears were slightly red. She used force on the heel to lift the sole, looking at her feet as she playfully lifted and put them down.
As the name suggested, Xiang Wan understood what finger cots were, but she was even more confused. Why could larger gloves be used in a store, but finger cots couldn’t?
“You’ll figure it out yourself!” Yu Zhou tapped her toes as she said cryptically before standing up and going outside to get a drink of water.
As she walked up to the water cooler and drank more than half a glass of water, she tilted her head to listen to the noise inside. Xiang Wan still hadn’t come out yet.
With a hiss, she thought for a moment, then picked up the glass of water as she walked back in.
Walking in, she was startled.
Xiang Wan sat on the bed, tearing open a package of finger cots. She pondered for a moment before putting the slippery finger cot on her left middle finger.
Pushing the finger cot to the base, she raised her hand and looked at it, but still couldn’t figure out its use.
Oh my god…
“Xiang Wan!” Yu Zhou shouted before she quickly walked over, her face turning red. “What are you doing?”
The sudden chaos startled Xiang Wan. She looked at Yu Zhou with her deer-like eyes and bit her lip as she said, “You told me to figure it out on my own. So, I decided to try it on myself.”
“It’s a little tight, but smooth and won’t come off. It’s different from gloves,”
Yu Zhou sat next to her as she slammed her cup heavily on the bedside table. Her face was red but her expression was that of a tiger.
“Why…” Xiang Wan hesitated to speak.
Yu Zhou stared at her fiercely.
“Why are you making such a big fuss? Are you feeling nervous?” Xiang Wan tilted her head while asking.
“I’m nervous? Ahahaha, why would I be nervous?” Yu Zhou laughed and cleared her throat as she caught a glimpse of Xiang Wan’s finger wearing a finger cot. She had to admit that her finger was beautiful, long, slender and pale like it was wrapped in a layer of milk.
The milky white finger had a pink rubber covering, giving it a hint of sensuality.
“Take it off!” Yu Zhou whispered to her in reprimand.
“You still haven’t told me,” Xiang Wan was a bit stubborn and a little aggrieved. Yu Zhou’s behavior was so unusual that even a fool could tell something was wrong.
“Don’t you already know? You’re just pretending.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Xiang Wan frowned, her tone growing anxious.
“You don’t know? You wear it on your middle finger!” Yu Zhou was angry. She didn’t know where Xiang Wan learned these things from. Yu Zhou wondered if there was something on her iPad that shouldn’t be there.
“Can’t I wear it on my middle finger?” Xiang Wan lowered her head and glanced at it.
“I just felt that the circle was round like a ring, so I rolled it onto my finger, gave it a little push and then it covered my finger,” she explained.
Yu Zhou saw her sincerely and her words seemed to be plausible, so the anger dissipated a lot. She noticed Xiang Wan’s eyebrows were creased because of her own annoyance, looking like two small bumps, similar to hillocks, looked so pitiful.
Yu Zhou felt sorry for her.
“I was just a little anxious,” she said hesitantly, whispering, “I thought you were watching something by yourself.”
This girl is such a naughty trickster. Based on past experience, she might have stumbled upon some website on her old phone.
“Then just tell me, okay?” Xiang Wan said, extending her other hand and lightly shaking Yu Zhou’s thigh.
It was an unnoticeable plea with a bit of coquettishness.
Yu Zhou sighed. “This finger cot is…well, we lesbians use it in blissful harmony.”
She used a subtle ancient word, which was also suitable for Xiang Wang to understand.
Xiang Wang looked at her as her eyes gradually turned pink. She opened her mouth before taking a deep breath.
Now it’s time for you to be awkward, Yu Zhou blew her bangs up to the sky with her toes still digging into the ground.
After a few seconds, Xiang Wang lowered her head as she looked at her own hands, glancing at the back and front. In a small voice, she asked Yu Zhou, “How to do it?”
It was a whisper voice. There was no light on in the room so it felt like two close friends were secretly discussing something taboo.
So Xiang Wang’s heart began to race as Yu Zhou only glanced at her.
She leaned slightly forward, propping herself up on the bed with her hand while raising the finger with the finger cot on it, deliberately avoiding touching the sheets with that finger.
Yu Zhou looked at her movement and her ears reddened even more. She pursed her lips and remained silent.
She wouldn’t say anything more, speechless.
“You said that I should deal with people on my own like an adult, but there are many certain tricks that adults have to know, yet you don’t tell me. So, if I get cheated, what should I do?” Xiang Wang said slowly and carefully.
Yu Zhou took a deep breath and then exhaled, moistening her lips before looking at Xiang Wang seriously, “Xiang Wang, I am very worried that you will be cheated, but I also have my doubts.”
“What do you mean?”
“Really? You don’t know?” Yu Zhou stared at her while asking.
Xiang Wang blinked.
“You’re eighteen now. In your ancient times, you probably had to hold a coming-of-age ceremony at the age of fourteen. And you are at the age to consider marriage. Hasn’t your governess taught you anything about the things between men and women?”
“I…”
“You told me that you knew about the male-male and female-female relationships. With your curiosity, you wouldn’t try to get your hands on a few banned books and secretly gain knowledge in your long and boring life in the boudoir?”
“When you were calmly telling me about grinding mirrors[1], did you understand why it’s called that? Knowing the result but not the reason is not the style of a noble and talented young lady like you, right?”
She pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, asking Xiang Wang.
It was rare to see Yu Zhou like this. This was her serious and irritable demeanor. Xiang Wang withdrew her body and stopped teasing her. “I really didn’t know before but I have some guesses now, not completely sure.”
She whispered, “Putting…it into that place, right?”
“Right.” Yu Zhou nodded when she saw that Xiang Wang asked straightforwardly.
Xiang Wang raised her hand, sticking out her middle finger while curling the rest of her fingers as if she was deep in thought. “I see now.”
“Eh!” Yu Zhou nudged her waist.
“Hmm?”
“Don’t give people the middle finger, it’s impolite!”
“Oh,” Xiang Wan was going to retract her gesture.
As they faced each other, they heard a woman’s voice that sounded like the wind blowing. “How many times do I have to shout that it’s time to eat? Are we eating or not!”
Ms. Zhao was angry and knocked on the door, but the latch wasn’t secure so it easily gave way to her hand.
Holding her chopsticks, Ms. Zhao stared at Xiang Wan’s hands in a state of trance.
The three of them were speechless for a few seconds until Ms. Zhao suddenly let out a string of astonishing high-pitched screams. “I’m going to die! What the hell! I’m going to die!”
She covered her eyes, turned and angrily walked out, “What are you doing?! Why don’t you close the door? I’m going to get sty![2]“
Yu Zhou shrugged as she sighed deeply, placing the middle and ring fingers on her forehead.
Before coming in, Ms. Zhao had been giving Yu Zhou a “playing wildly” look and it seemed like she misunderstood they had “kitchen play”[3].
Now it was a futile attempt to clear their name.
“磨镜”(Mo Jing) is the term for lesbianism in ancient times, and it also refers to sexual activities between women. In ancient China, female homosexuality was often referred to as “Mo Jing”, which originated from a sexual practice in which both parties rubbed each other’s bodies. Due to the similarity in their body structures, it appeared as if a mirror was placed between them, hence the name “Mo Jing”. [return to text] In Chinese idiom, if someone does something immoral or sees something inappropriate (such as someone’s nudity, sexual activities, etc.), they will get “sty”. [return to text] Doing intimate things in the kitchen. [return to text]