Chen Yuanxing had never had a girlfriend, so of course he didn't know what a stomachache meant. "Did you eat something bad?"
"No!" Xiao Qiqi was so annoyed by his persistence that she gritted her teeth and said, "Get lost! If you don't understand, go home and ask your mother!" She forced herself to get up, pushed Chen Yuanxing out of the room, threw the down jacket on the hanger to him, and then pushed him out the door.
Chen Yuanxing struggled, but seeing her pale face and even glistening tears in her eyes, he finally dared not disobey her any longer and let her push him out the door.
He stood at the door for a long time, worried but helpless, and could only go home anxiously. His aunt was waiting for him again. She noticed he had initially been happily chattering about the day's events, but quickly sensed Chen Yuanxing's unhappiness. So she lowered her voice and asked, "Yuanxing, why are you unhappy? Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?"
Chen Yuanxing patted his aunt's shoulder helplessly, "Auntie, what nonsense are you talking about? I don't have a girlfriend."
"Hehe, Yuanxing, you're all grown up now, what's there to be ashamed of having a girlfriend? Why are you hiding it from your aunt? I knew you were going on a date with your girlfriend as soon as you got back today."
Chen Yuanxing was shocked by his aunt's bold statement about his girlfriend. Girlfriend? That fierce and not-at-all-gentle woman? He blurted out, "Who would want such a fierce woman as their girlfriend!"
Hearing him say that, his aunt became even more convinced. "Yuanxing, don't be so stubborn. Girls are precious. They need to be coaxed and loved. Don't act like a spoiled brat in front of her!"
"To coax love?" Chen Yuanxing frowned at his aunt. Both words sounded ominous. Xiao Qiqi wasn't his girlfriend, so why should he coax love for her? But his interest was piqued by his aunt, so he pulled her to sit down and asked, "Auntie, let me ask you a question."
The aunt was eager for him to find a girlfriend soon, and hurriedly said, "You're a boy who doesn't know anything about girls. If you don't know anything, just ask me, and I'll give you some advice."
"Why does a girl always throw tantrums for no reason?"
"She has a bad temper?" The aunt quickly shook her head. "That won't do. A girl needs to be gentle and lovely to become a virtuous wife and loving mother."
Chen Yuanxing hesitated, "Actually, it's not that. She...she's only bad-tempered with me." Chen Yuanxing thought that Xiao Qiqi was very gentle and friendly to everyone else, so why was she bad-tempered with him? Was it because he was good-tempered?
"So it was only you." The aunt breathed a sigh of relief. "That means she treats you specially. What else is there to understand?"
Special? Chen Yuanxing shook his head. No way, that woman probably just harbors resentment towards him, right? Maybe it's because he asked her for money. "Auntie, there's another question. I've been thinking about it all the way here but I still can't figure it out."
The aunt nodded. "What's the problem?"
"She was pale just now and said her stomach hurt, but she wasn't sick. I asked her if she had eaten something bad, and she said no. She even got angry and told me to come back and ask my mom. I've been thinking about it for a long time, and I don't know if she was joking or scolding me. What should I ask my mom?"
The aunt stared at Chen Yuanxing for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter, leaving Chen Yuanxing bewildered. The aunt pointed at him and said, "Yuanxing, what kind of girlfriend do you have? This girl is quite interesting."
"Auntie, what are you laughing at? What's so funny?"
"Sigh!" The aunt shook her head. "Boys shouldn't be so careless. No wonder you said she has a bad temper. You're so silly, how can she not be angry?"
Chen Yuanxing was even more confused. "Auntie, do you know why? Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly!"
Is she still sweating and feeling cold?
Chen Yuanxing thought for a moment and nodded, "It seems so, my hands are ice cold."
“That’s menstrual cramps, silly Yuanxing.” His aunt patted his face and smiled kindly. “You’re a boy, how would you understand the hardships women endure? Those are the most painful days of the month. Being irritable is secondary; the key is the physical suffering. When I was young, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t get out of bed.”
"Huh?" Chen Yuanxing scratched his head in surprise, realizing that was the reason. "That's just...bleeding, how could it cause a stomachache?"
"You don't understand. Young girls all go through this. After they get married and have children, their physiological pathways will open up and they will naturally get better. But right now, well, they need more conditioning to alleviate it a bit."
Chen Yuanxing felt very embarrassed and didn't want to look at his aunt. "Then how can we alleviate this?"
"Girls are especially sensitive to cold when they have their period, so it's best to buy them a hot water bottle to keep them warm, it will make them more comfortable. When we were young, we all drank brown sugar water. My mom used to make me brown sugar water every day, and it helped a lot. Nowadays, people use medicine to regulate their bodies, like Wuji Baifeng Wan or other Chinese herbal decoctions, but I think that's not a fundamental solution. The best thing is to get married and have children, and things will naturally get better."
After the aunt nagged for a while, Chen Yuanxing lowered his head and took notes, "Why is it that getting married and having children is all it takes?"
"That's simple. A woman is only complete after she has given birth. All the meridians in her body are functioning properly and smoothly, so menstrual cramps will naturally disappear." The aunt had two children when she was young, but both of them died young, so she couldn't help but shed tears when talking about her children.
Seeing this, Chen Yuanxing quickly handed the aunt tissues and offered a few words of comfort, but his mind was already elsewhere. Poor Xiao Qiqi, unable to have children—did she have to suffer from menstrual cramps for the rest of her life? The aunt recovered quickly, and then Chen Yuanxing asked, "Auntie, what if—and I mean what if—she can't have children in the future? Will she continue to suffer from menstrual cramps?"
The aunt laughed again, "Silly child, things usually get better after marriage. It's not like you'll be in pain forever."
"You're calling me stupid again. Didn't you just say that you need to have a baby to get better?" Chen Yuanxing looked at his aunt, puzzled. "Why are you saying that marriage will solve everything?"
The aunt looked at her and smiled inexplicably, making Chen Yuanxing feel quite embarrassed. The aunt then said, "You'll understand when you become a husband." After saying that, she got up and said, "It's almost one o'clock. Auntie can't keep arguing with you anymore. I'm going to sleep. You should go to sleep early too."
"Hey, Auntie, you haven't finished yet!"
The aunt smiled, shook her head, and ignored Chen Yuanxing before leaving, leaving Chen Yuanxing alone, deep in thought.
19. Moved
After Chen Yuanxing left, Xiao Qiqi drank a large glass of water, but then felt chilled all over. She quickly crawled into bed, curled up, and spent her first night like that without even taking off her clothes. The next day, she woke up naturally, but just as she was about to get up, she remembered that it was Sunday. Even if it weren't Sunday, she probably wouldn't have to go to work. Having offended Xu Qing so badly, going now would probably be suicide! She decided to sleep some more; anyway, she wouldn't have a good day.
I was feeling a series of cramps in my stomach, so I managed to get up and go to the bathroom. I sat down weakly on the sofa in the living room. To make matters worse, I had run out of painkillers. I really didn't want to go downstairs to buy more medicine, but I didn't know how I would get through the day if I didn't.
The doorbell woke Xiao Qiqi, who slowly walked to the door and asked softly, "Who is it?"
"It's me," Chen Yuanxing's cheerful voice came from outside the door, "Xiao Qiqi, I'm bringing you the receipt."
Xiao Qiqi didn't want to open the door, but after he said that, she had no choice but to open it. Without a doubt, the person had entered as if he were alone, carrying a large bag on his shoulder and another in his hand.
Xiao Qiqi shuffled back to her room, sat down in the warm single sofa, covered herself with the cushions, and didn't even bother to look at Chen Yuanxing. "Where's the receipt?"
"Oh, I forgot to bring it," Chen Yuanxing replied shamelessly, rummaging through his bag. Xiao Qiqi looked up—laptop, game console, cell phone, batteries. What was he planning to do? Stay for an extended period? Before she could even react, more things appeared: a thermos? Brown sugar? A hot water bottle? A book?
"What...what are you going to do?" Xiao Qiqi stammered a little, looking at Chen Yuanxing with a puzzled expression.
Chen Yuanxing said nonchalantly, "Of course I use the computer to play games. Do you think everyone is like you, watching childish TV dramas at home? And how do you even use that spherical computer of yours?"
Xiao Qiqi pointed to the other things, "What are these? What are all these?"
Chen Yuanxing picked up the thermos. "This is black chicken soup Auntie made. She said it was for you, but she wouldn't even let me drink it." Chen Yuanxing was still a little indignant thinking about it. Early that morning, his auntie had shoved this into his hands, insisting he take it to his girlfriend immediately. He wanted a taste, but his auntie wouldn't let him. He took out brown sugar. "Auntie said to make you some water to drink." A hot water bottle. "Auntie said to warm your stomach." A book. "I'm reading it myself." A bag by his leg. "A down jacket. Consider it compensation for losing your job."
Xiao Qiqi stared intently at Chen Yuanxing, her stammering becoming even more pronounced, "You, you...you..."
"It wasn't me, it was my aunt who insisted that I bring it." Chen Yuanxing said confidently. Actually, it wasn't entirely his aunt. His aunt only made black chicken soup. The rest was what he bought himself based on his aunt's suggestion, along with a book on women's health and medicine and some clothes.
"You, you..." Xiao Qiqi still couldn't finish her sentence.
Chen Yuanxing looked at her strangely, "Xiao Qiqi, when did you start stuttering?"
"Why don't you call me senior sister anymore?" Xiao Qiqi's mind was in a mess at the moment, and suddenly she blurted out such an unrelated question.
"If you don't want to call, then don't." Chen Yuanxing picked up the thermos. "How do you open this thing? I don't know how. Where's the bowl? I'll get it for you."
Xiao Qiqi finally understood her own feelings; she was moved. This boy, doing all these things—asking his aunt about women's physiological issues for her sake, and even buying those kinds of books to read—wasn't he being too good to her?
"Oh dear, you woman, why are you crying again? I didn't do anything to upset you." Chen Yuanxing turned around and saw Xiao Qiqi's tears falling in a flash. He panicked. This woman is really made of water. Why does she always cry?
"Chen Yuanxing, why...why are you so good to me?"
Chen Yuanxing was taken aback, and replied in a strange tone, "I'm afraid you'll die of illness and won't pay me back. Let me tell you, my family is dirt poor, we don't even have money for food. If you don't work hard to earn money to pay me back, my whole family won't be able to have a good New Year. Don't you know that I haven't paid my tuition for this school year yet?"
Looking at his serious face, Xiao Qiqi couldn't help but laugh again, "You're always so unreliable. Who knows how much of what you say is true and how much is false?"
"I'm not lying to you, I really am going to drop out of school. Anyway, I won't pay you back the IOU until I get the money, and there's nothing you can do about it, hehe."
Xiao Qiqi said sincerely, "Chen Yuanxing, thank you."
"Thank me? Just give me my money back." Chen Yuanxing deliberately sat on the table with his legs crossed in a cocky manner. Actually, he was afraid that Xiao Qiqi would cry, so he was just teasing her. When he saw that Xiao Qiqi's expression changed again, he quickly jumped down to examine the hot water bottle. "Hey, who invented the hot water bottle? It gets warm after you hold it for a while. It's really amazing."
Seeing that he deliberately changed the subject, Xiao Qiqi sighed inwardly. Although her expression was not good, she was actually deeply moved and held out her hand: "Give it to me."
"Huh?" Chen Yuanxing asked, puzzled.
Xiao Qiqi blushed. "Didn't you bring it to warm my stomach?"
Chen Yuanxing scratched his head sheepishly, handed the bowl to Xiao Qiqi, and looked away shyly, saying, "I'll get you a bowl of soup."
Xiao Qiqi placed the hot water bottle on her stomach, and soon felt a comfortable warmth, which indeed lessened the pain in her stomach. However, she heard a clanging and banging sound coming from the kitchen. Chen Yuanxing hadn't returned for a while, so she had no choice but to get up and go to the kitchen. "My God, Chen Yuanxing, are you raiding a village or are the Japanese invading it?" In just a short while, the kitchen was a complete mess thanks to Chen Yuanxing.
Chen Yuanxing stood up angrily, "Hey, Xiao Qiqi, where did you hide all your bowls?"
Xiao Qiqi pointed to the cabinet below, annoyed, "Isn't it in the cabinet?"
Chen Yuanxing looked down and exclaimed, "Wow, there's a cabinet here. How come I didn't see it?" He squatted down to open the cabinet, but then said, "Why did you put the bowls so low? Don't you know I'm tall and can't see down there?"
Xiao Qiqi gritted her teeth in anger, "Young Master, is it that all you ever look at is the sky?"
"I'm not looking at the sky, I'm just looking at the pretty girls." Chen Yuanxing, with a grin, followed Xiao Qiqi back into the house with a bowl and spoon. "Hey, how come I've never seen your neighbor before?"
“I was away on a business trip. You’ve come at a bad time.” Xiao Qiqi glanced at him sideways. “But you’re a real beauty.”
"Wow, really?" Chen Yuanxing's eyes lit up. "How's your figure?" But his eyes glanced at Xiao Qiqi. "Don't be as skinny as you."
Xiao Qiqi was annoyed. "I call this a well-proportioned, slender beauty, okay?" But she couldn't hold a grudge against him. Considering he brought her soup, she decided to let it go and ignore him.
Xiao Qiqi drank the soup, still warm, thick and fragrant. The soup felt incredibly comforting as it went down into her empty and uncomfortable lungs. "Your aunt... what did you tell your aunt?" Xiao Qiqi put down her bowl and looked at Chen Yuanxing, who was staring at her expectantly. "What are you looking at? Do you want to try some?"
Chen Yuanxing nodded, "Auntie is so stingy, she didn't leave me a single bite." His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked greedy, "Could you let me have a bite?"
Xiao Qiqi looked at him with amusement, her pouting expression quite childish, and couldn't help but chuckle, "Go get another bowl to drink from, I won't fight you for it."
Chen Yuanxing reached out and snatched Xiao Qiqi's bowl, took a sip, and smacked his lips, "Wow, it's really delicious."
Xiao Qiqi forced a smile as he poured her another bowl of soup, still feeling grateful to the unfamiliar aunt. "Are you really going back to ask your aunt?"
"You told me to go back and ask my mom, so I obediently asked her," Chen Yuanxing shrugged. "What's wrong with asking? It's not like I haven't seen it before..."
A sharp slap landed on his forehead. Xiao Qiqi blushed, immediately recalling how he had forced her to talk about "sanitary napkins" at the hospital, just like last night. "You still dare to talk!"
"Why did you hit me?" Chen Yuanxing covered his head in grievance. "Violent woman!"
Thinking of the hospital brought back painful memories, memories intertwined with unforgettable emotions. Xiao Qiqi's face immediately darkened, she closed her eyes helplessly, put the chicken soup on the table, curled up on the sofa, and drifted off into a daze.
Seeing her changing expressions, Chen Yuanxing knew she was reminiscing about the past again. He was annoyed but didn't know what to say. He simply flipped open the women's health book and immediately saw an article about the dangers of abortion. His heart softened. Sigh, this woman was a victim too. The fact that she never mentioned that man showed how deeply she was hurt. He handed her the chicken soup. "Have you finished? It's getting cold. Hmm?"
Xiao Qiqi turned her head and looked into his sincere phoenix eyes. The coldness in her heart slowly melted a little, and she forced a smile and said, "Thank you." She took the soup and drank it down sip by sip, swallowing the endless melancholy in her heart at the same time.
After drinking the soup and pressing a hot water bottle against her stomach, Xiao Qiqi felt much better and her energy levels improved. Seeing that her complexion was becoming rosier, Chen Yuanxing pulled her to try on the new down jacket he had bought.
Xiao Qiqi frowned as she looked for the price tag, then immediately protested, "So expensive? Are you ripping us off?"
Chen Yuanxing said nonchalantly, "Anyway, I'll put it on your tab."
"Then return it quickly. I can't afford this kind of luxury item. It's just burning money. It's just a piece of clothing. With this money, I can go to the zoo and buy a whole bunch of them."
Chen Yuanxing didn't bother arguing with her, grabbed the red mid-length down jacket and put it on her. "Don't all women love to be pretty and vain? Why are you talking so much nonsense? I'm not asking you to pay me now."
"Then I'll give you money in the future too, but I don't want it anyway." Xiao Qiqi pushed Chen Yuanxing's hand away. Chen Yuanxing had no choice but to put his arm around her waist. "Xiao Qiqi, if you keep moving around, I won't be polite. Trying won't kill you, why are you moving around?"
Xiao Qiqi thought about it and agreed. Why not give it a try? This dress does look very pretty, and the red one would definitely look especially beautiful in the snow.
After putting it on, Xiao Qiqi and Chen Yuanxing glared at each other in the mirror. Chen Yuanxing shook his head again and again, "No, no, I won't give you a refund even if I have to rob you. This dress suits you so well." Xiao Qiqi looked around and also felt that it was very comfortable and beautiful. The red color made her fair face look even more delicate and pink, and added a touch of charm. "...Then I'll pay you back next year."
Chen Yuanxing hesitated for a moment but did not object. He always used the matter of owing money to argue with Xiao Qiqi. If this connection was removed, would Xiao Qiqi kick him out like she did last night?
Xiao Qiqi felt cold, so she simply wore her down jacket and snuggled up on the sofa. "Chen Yuanxing, I'm talking to you seriously."
Chen Yuanxing chatted away with the girl, grunting "Hmm" without turning his head, "Go on."
"I've saved some money over the past few months, and I was hoping that with my year-end bonus and salary, it would be enough to pay you back. But now I'm unemployed, so can you please pay me back a little later?"