Jiang Xiaoxiao had just been staring intently at the constellation map in the sky.
Hearing the sound, she turned her head, "What did you say?"
"Nothing."
Xie Xun withdrew his gaze, opened the lid of the medicine jar and looked inside, then closed it again. He squatted in front of the stove, fanning the flames with a woven fan.
By the time he finished drinking the medicine, the night had completely fallen.
Xie Xun was not in the habit of staying up late.
Moreover, he was still recovering from an illness.
He planned to go to bed early, but saw Jiang Xiaoxiao sitting motionless in the hall and asked her, "Isn't it too late to not be resting?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao frowned slightly.
She wanted to go to sleep too, but suddenly her abdomen started aching.
Jiang Xiaoxiao's constitution was quite special. She rarely fell ill under normal circumstances, and even when she got injured during cultivation, her tolerance for pain was extremely high.
But this abdominal pain that had just appeared made her feel uncomfortable.
Seeing her pale complexion, Xie Xun's drowsiness dissipated, "What's wrong?"
"My stomach..." Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn't quite describe the pain, it felt like her lower abdomen was being twisted into a knot.
Xie Xun carefully thought back to what they had eaten that evening. Could there have been a problem with the mushroom soup?
But if there was an issue with the soup, he should have been affected too.
"You go back to your room and lie down. I'll go to the town and call a doctor for you."
At this late hour, the clinic in town had most likely closed, so getting a doctor would depend on luck.
But even so, that was better than doing nothing.
Jiang Xiaoxiao was in too much pain to speak, her gaze was vacant.
At that moment, there was a sudden knock on the courtyard gate.
Xie Xun went out and opened the door to find Lin Guifang, the village chief's wife, standing outside.
Lin Guifang was holding a large slab of cured pork.
Seeing Xie Xun, she smiled warmly, "Young Master Xie, you're not asleep yet?"
"Young Master Xie" was how the village elders addressed Xie Xun.
But since he was an outsider, and had been labeled as an "ominous star," few villagers ever approached him closely.
It had been a long time since Xie Xun had heard this address.
He glanced at Lin Guifang indifferently and asked, "Is there something you need?"
Lin Guifang had been sent by the village chief.
Earlier that day, Dean Gu had come to see Xie Xun, but Yang Ershun saw them and hurried back to tell his father.
That kid had a loose tongue, and he couldn't help but spill the beans about how Xie Xun had saved Dean Gu last year, but refused to take credit for it and let Yang Wei take the credit instead.
Although the village chief regretted that Luming Academy had wrongly rewarded Yang Wei, a hopeless case, with ten taels of silver, he was not an unreasonable man.
After careful consideration, he felt that he had spoken too harshly to Xie Xun that day.
But as the village chief, he couldn't bring himself to go in person, so he sent his wife with a slab of cured pork as a gesture of apology to Xie Xun.
"We cured this pork before the new year, and I'm bringing you some to taste its freshness," Lin Guifang said with a smile.
In fact, she had always had a good impression of Xie Xun.
It wasn't just because her son Yang Ershun constantly praised Xie Xun in front of her, but more because as a mother, she couldn't bring herself to dislike a child who had grown up without parental love and support.
Xie Xun didn't accept the pork. "If you have something to say, just say it directly."
Lin Guifang lowered her head, "About you saving Dean Gu, Ershun told us the truth. My husband, the village chief, feels quite remorseful about it. But you know how he values his reputation and can't bring himself to come see you in person, so he asked me to come and apologize to you."
Xie Xun said, "I didn't want to admit it myself originally, so you don't need to apologize."
Lin Guifang looked at his detached manner, rejecting her a thousand miles away, and sighed helplessly.
Xie Xun had endured so much criticism and disdain from the villagers over the years, living a difficult life. It was unrealistic to expect him to let go of the past just like that.
"I heard a young lady has come to stay with you," Lin Guifang said. "If you need anything, you can always come to me."
Just as she finished speaking, Jiang Xiaoxiao emerged unsteadily from the hall.
Two lanterns were lit in the courtyard, and the light was not very bright, so it was difficult to clearly see Jiang Xiaoxiao's complexion, but her unsteady gait indicated that something was amiss.
Lin Guifang was startled, "Miss, what's wrong with you?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao held her lower abdomen and said, "I think I'm bleeding."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xun turned to look at her, his expression revealing a hint of surprise.
Was the food he cooked that poisonous?
Lin Guifang looked at Jiang Xiaoxiao's condition and suddenly realized what was happening. She smiled and asked, "Have you ever experienced this before?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao shook her head, saying she hadn't.
"Come with me," Lin Guifang said, taking Jiang Xiaoxiao's hand.
Seeing this, Xie Xun frowned.
Lin Guifang noticed his concern and explained in a low voice, "Young Master Xie, your young wife has most likely started her menstrual cycle. Since you're not prepared at home..."
Xie Xun was completely baffled, having no idea what "menstrual cycle" meant.
No use explaining further.
Lin Guifang said, "If you're really worried, you can come to our house and wait. I'll get some things for your young wife."
Lin Guifang took Jiang Xiaoxiao away, while Xie Xun remained standing at the courtyard gate.
...
Old Village Chief Yang was pacing anxiously in his courtyard, waiting for news from Lin Guifang.
Finally, there was movement outside.
Unable to wait any longer, Old Village Chief Yang was about to go and ask how Xie Xun had responded, when he saw his wife leading a young lady inside.
Old Village Chief Yang recognized her as Jiang Xiaoxiao, the young lady staying with Xie Xun who had nearly struck Yang Wei a few days earlier.
Why was she here?
The words he wanted to say stuck in his throat, and the village chief could only go and sit in the hall.
Lin Guifang took Jiang Xiaoxiao to the bedroom and retrieved some unused sanitary pads from the bedside cabinet for her to change into. Then she went to the kitchen to brew some brown sugar water for her.
It was then that Jiang Xiaoxiao learned that when girls reach a certain age, they start to "bleed" – a phenomenon known as the "monthly cycle" – with some mild abdominal pain being normal.
Lin Guifang said that she herself didn't start her cycle until she was sixteen, which was considered late.
Had it not been for Lin Guifang's timely appearance, Jiang Xiaoxiao might have thought, like Xie Xun, that there was something wrong with a part of her body.
The brown sugar water was ready soon, and Jiang Xiaoxiao held the small bowl in both hands, enjoying its warmth.
Lin Guifang sat down and looked at her with maternal affection. "Normally, these things should have been taught to you by your mother, but it seems I was the first to encounter this. From now on, if you have any questions, just come and ask me."
She then gently patted Jiang Xiaoxiao's head.
"Mother..." Jiang Xiaoxiao murmured, slightly dazed.
In the past sixteen years, she had never seen what her mother looked like, let alone knew who her father was.
At one point, she had even suspected that she was not born from parents, but had sprouted from a crack in a rock.
Seeing her daze off, Lin Guifang reminded her, "Drink the brown sugar water while it's hot. It will warm your body and ease the pain in your abdomen."
After finishing the brown sugar water, Lin Guifang personally escorted Jiang Xiaoxiao back with a lantern.
Xie Xun was still waiting at the courtyard gate.
Upon seeing him, Lin Guifang spoke in a low voice, "These few days are the most difficult for young ladies. Don't let her drink tea or eat cold foods, and don't... ahem, be intimate. Make sure she rests properly."
Xie Xun's brow twitched slightly, "We haven't..."
Jiang Xiaoxiao moved closer and asked, "What does 'be intimate' mean?"
Xie Xun replied, "It means letting you stay in your room and rest, without going out for a stroll."
Jiang Xiaoxiao said, "Oh, I see."
