Chapter 26

Chapter 26

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.

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."