On the morning of December 31, Wang Zhong woke up and reached out to find that, unusually, the space beside him was empty, and the sheets had completely cooled, indicating that Ludmila had gotten up a long time ago.
He threw back the covers and sat up, only to see Nelly adding wood to the fireplace.
Wang Zhong, "Ludmila's not here to give me my daily morning hug. Nelly, could you... fill in for her?"
Nelly patted her chest, making a thumping sound, "Are you sure?"
Wang Zhong, "I'm fine with a hard one, it's the feeling of being cared for that's important."
Nelly looked at Wang Zhong with a very "caring" expression.
Caring for a fool is still caring.
Wang Zhong gave up on being coddled and flipped onto his feet, "Bring me my clothes."
Moments later, dressed and tidied up, Wang Zhong left the room, only to take a few steps before he saw through the corridor window that outside, Ludmila was directing servants to bring a tree into the courtyard.