Chapter 48 - Two in One: Have You Had Your Menstrual Cycle? ...

After Sun finished speaking, she didn't say anything more. Apart from the adults asking them a few questions, the children stopped playing with them. Lin Jialang felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He got up, told Sun, and called his younger siblings to go home.

He said he was leaving, and Lin Miaomiao couldn't stop him, so she had no choice but to leave with him.

Back home, Lin Miaomiao turned to Lin Jialang and asked in a low voice, "Jialang, do you think Grandma and the others don't want to help us either?"

Lin Jialang looked at Lin Miaomiao and sighed deeply.

"Actually, no one wants to help us now, and no one can help us."

Lin Miaomiao frowned, looking at Lin Jialang with a puzzled expression.

"Why?"

"Because we never grow up."

They are only eleven or twelve years old, their younger siblings are nine or seven, and the oldest, Lin Miaomiao, is only fourteen. It will be many years before all six of them can get married. What family would be willing to raise children for nothing?

Nobody would be willing to do that.

Lin Miaomiao had thought that no matter which family they lived with, they would work very hard. But now she realized that the other family didn't lack workers, or that the little work they did wouldn't even earn them enough to eat.

After realizing this, Lin Miaomiao's face turned deathly pale.

With only this much food left at home, she had to think of a way to make ends meet.

*

After Lin Jialang apologized and left, Pei Ying and Lin Chuntao said, "Did your aunt want you to take pity on her and her siblings and help look after them after apologizing?"

Lin Chuntao raised her eyebrows slightly, her expression indifferent.

"I guess so." She paused, remained silent for a while, and then said, "At first glance, it does seem a little heartbreaking, after all, the child is still so young. But thinking about it carefully, it's all anger. Is a simple 'sorry' enough? Why don't they apologize to the officials and ask them to forgive them?"

"Sometimes I think it's the adults' fault, and the children are innocent. But when I look up and see Lin Jialang and the others, and they look so much like Miao Feng, I feel like I can see Miao Feng's face. I feel disgusted."

Lin Chuntao rarely disliked someone so much; she had never been this angry, not even when her stepmother, Qian Shi, was mentioned.

Pei Ying, unaware of the reason, couldn't help but ask, "What did Miao do to make you so angry?"

Lin Chuntao took a deep breath before telling Pei Ying how Miao had sown discord and harmed Xu Shi back then.

Pei Ying frowned as she listened. Lin Chuntao continued, "My mother was just too kind and soft-hearted. Lin Changhe was a scoundrel. He desperately wanted a son and let those people mistreat my mother. But he had no money or food. It didn't make much difference whether he was there or not. The money and food were all in the old lady's hands. Miao Shi could be so vicious, taking advantage of my mother's illness after childbirth to do such things. Now she still wants me to take care of her child? She can dream on."

Seeing Lin Chuntao's angry expression, Pei Ying patted her on the back.

"Don't be angry, getting angry is bad for your health, we won't interfere."

Lin Chuntao snorted, "I'm not angry."

Pei Ying looked at her and smiled helplessly.

Not long after, Lin Chunxing returned with her younger sisters, carrying pig feed on her back. She was quite surprised to see that the pig feed in the basket was long and tender, and all of it was lush and green, made of goosegrass.

"Where did you get it from? It's so tender."

Lin Chunhe laughed and said, "There's a cornfield on the back hill covered with this kind of grass. That field seems to belong to the next village. They haven't come to weed it yet, so it's grown a lot. Let's go and call Sister Qingqing and the others to go and cut it again."

Hearing that it was land belonging to someone from the next village, Lin Chuntao gave a word of advice: "Be careful in the fields, don't damage the crops."

The three sisters nodded, and Lin Chunxing said, "We are being very careful."

Seeing them about to leave after dumping the pig feed, Lin Chuntao quickly called out to them, "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat lunch?"

The sisters shook their heads in unison, as if shaking a rattle-drum.

"Not hungry yet."

Lin Chuntao said, "Come back when you're hungry, and I'll make some pancakes for you."

Hearing her words, the three sisters left happily.

Lin Chunxing and the others went to Lin Qingqing's house. They heard that there was a piece of land where they could cut pig feed, so Lin Qingqing and Lin Jiaye carried baskets and sickles and went there.

Big and small, they chatted and laughed all the way, chasing each other, looking carefree and without worries.

Lin Changhua's wife, Wang, said with a smile, "These Chunxing sisters seem to have gained some weight recently, and they are more cheerful and talkative."

Lin Changhua watched the group of little rascals chase and fight away into the distance, then looked at Wang Shi.

"When there's hope for the future, and you earn your own living, you'll naturally gain weight and be happier."

"I've never seen them get along so well before."

Wang laughed and said, "Then I have to thank you for letting them go cut weeds. I heard Qingqing mention it, and Chuntao even fried pork cracklings and shared them with them. Over time, they became even closer."

Hearing his wife's words, Lin Changhua blushed slightly.

He wasn't really going to help Lin Chuntao and the others cut weeds that day. It was just that Lin Chuntao spoke up in public, making him lose face, so he had to send those lazy kids to do it. Who knew that they would be so efficient at working on Lin Chuntao's land when they were lazy on their own land?

However, all that is in the past. Yesterday, he even went to Lin Chuntao's field to take a look. The corn seedlings had almost all sprouted, and they were all neatly arranged in rows, which was pleasing to the eye.

Renting an ox to plow the land isn't much money, but making another plow is possible. We can do what Lin Chuntao and the others did: plow the land first, then plant the seeds. With the older children in the family able to help with spring planting, it should be much faster.

Lin Changhua acted on his impulse. Taking advantage of the few days he had free, he went into the mountains to find timber. After telling Wang Shi, he took his machete and left.

Lin Chunxing and the others went out at noon and didn't return until evening, carrying a large basket full of food. They must have cut pig feed and then gone out to play, as their faces were flushed and their hair was wet.

Lin Chuntao started a fire and boiled water, then poured it for the girls to wash their faces and hands.

Lin Chunxing looked at Lin Chuntao and said, "Sister, could you please boil some more hot water for me? I need to wash my hair."

"I want to wash too! I want to wash too!"

Lin Chuntao shook her head helplessly and said, "The sun has already set. If you want to wash your hair, you should come back earlier."

Lin Chunhe chuckled, "It's not cold at all. It'll dry after I wash it and blow-dry it."

It wasn't cold in the summer, so Lin Chuntao didn't care. She boiled hot water for them, and the sisters squatted under the bamboo fence to wash their hair.

"How about we have pancakes for dinner? I'll make some for you."

As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, the others replied in unison, "Okay."

Lin Chuntao took out a few cucumbers and tender melons, cut them into very fine shreds, and then scooped out some flour to make dough. She added an egg and water to start kneading the dough.

Making this vegetable pancake is very simple. Lin Chuntao used to love making this pancake for breakfast, and she was very skilled at it.

By the time they finished washing, Lin Chuntao had almost finished frying.

The golden-brown pancakes on both sides still faintly reveal the bright green color of the melon shreds.

"Sister, it smells so good."

Lin Chuntao smiled at them and said, "Put your hair up and come eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Lin Chunxing and the others smiled and agreed.

Buckwheat pancakes are delicious, buckwheat rice is also good, and rice is delicious too, but they also want to eat pancakes, buns, and steamed buns made from wheat flour.

After bringing the flour back, they went to jail. After they came out, Lin Chuntao fell ill again. Tonight, she finally got to eat the white flour pancakes she had been longing for. The strong aroma of wheat made her dizzy.

"Sister, do you know we want to eat this pancake?"

Lin Duo'er looked at the half-basket of flatbread and asked with a grin. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I also know you want to eat steamed buns and mantou."

Upon hearing this, Lin Duo'er's eyes widened, while Lin Chunxing and Lin Chuntao exchanged a glance and then burst out laughing.

Lin Duo'er felt that her two older sisters were laughing at her, but she had no proof. Oh well, the pancakes smelled too good, so she decided to eat them first.

After dinner, Pei Ying went inside. While Pei Ying was out of the yard, Lin Chuntao called Lin Chunxing over and asked, "Have you started your period yet?"

Lin Chunxing was stunned for a moment, then blushed and looked to the side in a panic. Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunhe were not far away, and they both turned around when they heard Lin Chuntao's question.

"Sister, what is Gui water?"

Hearing Lin Duo'er's question, Lin Chuntao waved to the two of them, "You two come over here too."

Looking at the bewildered Lin Duo'er, and the shy, evasive Lin Chunhe and Lin Chunxing, Lin Chuntao said in a calm tone, "Guishui is the blood that flows out when the uterine lining sheds. Girls usually start having Guishui between the ages of eleven and sixteen. It is a very important physiological phenomenon for women of childbearing age."

Lin Chunxing looked at Lin Chuntao. She spoke so calmly. She knew what "guishui" meant; it was bleeding from the lower body. All the girls in the village who were older than her would bleed. Every time they bled, everyone was very shy and embarrassed to talk about it.

"Sis, let's go inside and talk about this."

Lin Chunxing spoke in a low voice and kept staring at Pei Ying's door, as if afraid that Pei Ying would come out of the house.

Lin Chuntao looked at her and said, "This is our home. It's the same whether we talk about it in the yard or inside the house. There's nothing to be ashamed of. The onset of menstruation is a sign of growing up. If you haven't started menstruating by the age of sixteen, there might be a problem with your health, and you should see a doctor. For example, I think that's what happened to me."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Chunxing suddenly looked up at her.

She used to see that the girls in the village would have their period once a month, but Lin Chuntao didn't seem to. She even asked her secretly, but Lin Chuntao was too embarrassed to say and just gave a vague answer.

Now, suddenly, they said it in broad daylight, and even said things they couldn't understand.

"Sister, what is the uterus?"

Lin Chuntao was stunned. She didn't know what the uterus was called in ancient times. She frowned, looking somewhat embarrassed, and after a long while, she said, "You know that you will have a baby after marriage, right?"

"Know."

"Do you know where the baby will grow up?"

"Isn't it inside their bellies?" Lin Duo'er said seriously. "I saw that their bellies were big, and the babies are growing inside them, right?"

Lin Chuntao smiled upon hearing this.

"In your belly, there are intestines, a stomach, and things like the heart, liver, and lungs. So, where does the baby grow?"

Lin Duo'er frowned, "Could it be in the intestines?"

Lin Chunhe glared at her, "Then wouldn't you have expelled the baby when you pooped?"

Faced with Lin Chunhe's astonishing words, Lin Chuntao almost couldn't help but laugh. She continued, "The baby must be growing in the uterus that you just mentioned."

Lin Chuntao nodded, "Yes, our uterus grows inside our bellies. The baby will grow inside, and the menstrual blood will flow out from there."

"Therefore, the menstrual blood is a sign of whether or not one can have a baby. If one has not had their menstrual blood by the time they reach the appropriate age, then one should see a doctor."

Lin Chuntao originally wanted to say that the "Gui Shui" (癸水) is a sign of the healthy development of the reproductive system, but they probably didn't understand what the reproductive system was, so she had to use a term they could understand.

"I'm going to see the doctor tomorrow, so I'll take you all with me."

Lin Chunxing and Lin Chunhe both nodded. They understood what Lin Chuntao was saying, but they still found it difficult to bring it up.

I reached out and touched my cheek; it felt so hot.

Lin Chunxing thought to herself that her face must be very, very red. She glanced at Lin Chunhe, whose cheeks seemed alright, not very red.

Lin Chuntao looked at the two of them and said, "One of you is already of age, and the other is almost there. It would be better to have a doctor check you to make sure there are no problems. They can also prescribe a medicine to help you regulate your body."

"Duo'er, you're still young, don't worry about this."

Lin Duo'er nodded obediently.

Lin Chunhe glanced at Pei Ying's room, which was still closed, and asked in a low voice, "Sister, are you pregnant?"

Lin Chuntao stared at Lin Chunhe quietly for a moment, her brows slowly furrowing.

Did you understand what I just said?

"Did you understand?"

Lin Chuntao patted her on the shoulder. "Did you understand what you were asking me? I'm so old and I still haven't had my period, so I can't have a baby."

"ah?"

Lin Chuntao sighed deeply, "What are you 'ah' about? You're so silly. Go fix your hair, dry it quickly and go to sleep. We'll go tomorrow morning."

After hearing her words, the sisters dispersed.

They were talking quite loudly outside, and Pei Ying could hear them clearly from inside the house. He stood inside waiting for Lin Chuntao to finish speaking, then rested for a while, pretending that he hadn't heard anything, before coming out of the house.

The doctor said the other day that she should go back to get the medicine after she recovers from this illness.

At the time, the doctor only said that she was prone to miscarriage if she was pregnant, but he didn't say that she couldn't get pregnant. However, he just heard Lin Chuntao say that she hadn't had her period yet, so she couldn't have a baby.

Lin Chuntao is already nineteen years old.

Girls her age would usually be married by now, and their children might be two or three years old. But she hadn't had her period yet, which suggests that no one in that family treated her like family.

The doctor said she was exhausted, hungry, and had even fallen into the water.

Pei Ying thought it couldn't be something like washing her feet in the river and falling into the water.

He glanced at Lin Chuntao, who was sitting in a chair playing with a small wooden stick. She didn't seem unhappy, but he felt gloomy and unhappy.

That night, after the younger sisters dried their hair, they went to sleep. They were going to the county town the next morning, and although it was to see a doctor, they were unusually excited.

Pei Ying heated up some herbal medicine for Lin Chuntao. After drinking it, she quickly felt sleepy, washed up, and went to lie down.

Pei Ying went to bathe in the river again, but he was quick to leave and quick to return.

She had been ill for the past two days, and even sharing a bed with him, she didn't have the energy to think about anything else, but she felt better. As she watched Pei Ying approach and naturally lie down, her heart was pounding with anxiety.

Fortunately, after Pei Ying lay down, she just lay there properly.

But in this stillness, an awkward atmosphere permeated the air, and Lin Chuntao felt that time was passing incredibly slowly.

“I overheard what you were saying to your sisters just now.”

Pei Ying suddenly spoke up, saying something that Lin Chuntao pursed her lips and continued, "Our mother is gone, otherwise there would be no need for me to say these things to them."

Pei Ying turned over and lay on his side facing her, and Lin Chuntao also turned her head slightly to look at him.

“When I carried you to get acupuncture that day, Dr. He mentioned this problem and said that after you finish this medicine, he would take you back to get a few more doses.”

Lin Chuntao's eyes lit up, and she asked, "What else did the doctor say?"

He said it was due to your exhaustion and hunger.

Is that all?

Pei Ying shook her head slightly, "He also asked me if you had ever fallen into the water."

Lin Chuntao sighed softly and said to Pei Ying, "I did fall into the water, but not long ago, so it shouldn't affect this."

"Why did you fall into the water?" Pei Ying asked.

Lin Chuntao turned over and said quietly, "Because I didn't want to get married, I kept eyeing the man who wanted to marry Lin Xian'er. I was the one who first proposed marriage. When I told Lin Changhe that I wouldn't marry him, he slapped me. With nowhere else to turn, I jumped into the lake."

"I only heard about the family's plan to have a marriageable person marry an outsider after I was pulled out of the water. If I had heard about it earlier, I wouldn't have been so angry that I jumped into the lake."

She spoke casually, but Pei Ying's brows were furrowed.

Lin Chuntao chuckled and reached out to poke his forehead. "The past is the past, everything's fine now."

Pei Ying grasped her slender wrist and gently pulled her into his arms. Her warm breath sprayed onto his chest, and in the quiet night, only the sound of their two hearts pounding could be heard.

Lin Chuntao's heart stopped for a few seconds when he pulled her, but he did nothing but hold her tightly.

"Go to sleep, you'll get up early tomorrow."

Lin Chuntao gave a muffled "hmm" and fell asleep, resting her head on Pei Ying's arm.

The next day at dawn, the system started ringing like an alarm clock. Lin Chuntao frowned slightly and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Host, host, you're awake? Are you feeling better? The mushrooms in the mountains are sprouting up again and again."

Lin Chuntao stretched and yawned, "You're awake, and you're all better."

"Then hurry up and get up to pick mushrooms! I didn't even call you the other day because you were too sick to do anything."

Lin Chuntao smiled, thinking to herself that this system was quite humane. Just as she finished thinking, the system said, "Although I am a system, I am also a good partner of the host."

"Get up quickly, the termite mushrooms from that place twelve miles away have sprouted again!"

Termitomyces! Lin Chuntao sat up instantly, and Pei Ying next to her woke up as well. "The rooster hasn't crowed yet, has it?"

Upon hearing Pei Ying's voice, Lin Chuntao said, "I haven't heard it yet. Lie down a little longer. I'll go call Chunxing and the others first, in case they dawdle."

Lin Chuntao was about to leave when Pei Ying grabbed her wrist. She looked back, her emotions obscured in the darkness, but she could feel his burning gaze.

Pei Ying grabbed her hand and sat up lazily. "We can't hold hands for a while, but let's hold hands for now."

Lin Chuntao chuckled lightly, "If you want to hold my hand, then do so. What can the younger sisters say?"

The younger sisters couldn't say anything, but Pei Ying felt it was inappropriate.

He held on for a long time without letting go. Lin Chuntao was thinking about the matsutake mushrooms and was anxious. She struggled to break free and leave.

"I'll lead them later. I need to go wake them up first, or all the mushrooms in the mountains will be picked by now."

Hearing her words, Pei Ying had no choice but to let go of her hand. He watched as she put on her shoes, quickly opened the door, and went out. He then got up as well.

Lin Chunhe and the others were eager to go to the county town, so when Lin Chuntao called out from outside, they woke up and hurriedly ran to open the door.

"Sister, are you leaving?"

Seeing their eagerness, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Get up quickly, wash up and we'll go. We'll pick mushrooms first, then go to the county town."

The sisters worked quickly. After watching them finish, Lin Chuntao went to get the basket and bamboo basket, and then went to get a few bamboo strips. Sometimes you need to pry the mushrooms when picking them, and bamboo strips are more convenient than sticks and won't damage the mushroom stems.

As they locked the door and left, the first rooster crowed from the village.

Only a half-moon remained in the sky, occasionally hiding behind the clouds.

Once outside the courtyard, the sisters skipped and hopped ahead, with Pei Ying walking beside her. Thinking about how he had looked just now, Lin Chuntao calmly reached out and intertwined her fingers with his.

Pei Ying turned her head and glanced at her, smiling faintly.

The other day, his sisters had seen him carrying her in and out of the house, so there was no need to be secretive about something that was perfectly legitimate.

Lin Chunxing and the others turned around and saw the two holding hands, but they just smiled and continued walking forward.

They walked until they were about to enter the mountains before parting ways.

Lin Chuntao had been there once before, and then went twice more to see if they had any termite mushrooms. She was quite familiar with the place, so she arrived even faster today.

The sisters were stunned by the pure white termite mushrooms under the moonlight!

Lin Chuntao hurriedly reminded her, "Watch your step carefully, don't step on anything."

Lin Duo'er was afraid of accidentally stepping on the termite mushrooms, so she stood still and didn't dare to move. Lin Chuntao said, "Duo'er, you hold the small bamboo basket and wait a while. Your second sister and I will pick them up first."

Lin Duo'er obediently took the small bamboo basket and nodded.

"good."

Lin Chunxing was incredibly excited to see so many termite mushrooms for the first time.

"Sis, did you pick those termite mushrooms here last time too?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and nodded slightly, "Yes, it's this area. Last time I found a basket and a bamboo basket, and many of the termite mushrooms hadn't opened yet. Today, many of them look like they've already opened."

"Be careful, don't break it, it won't look good."

Lin Chunxing nodded in agreement, and Lin Chuntao handed them bamboo strips, teaching them how to take the termite mushrooms out of the soil intact without damaging the mushroom stems.

Every single mushroom is a treasure, and Lin Chunxing and Lin Chunhe picked them up with extra care.

Seeing the mushrooms filling their baskets, the sisters were in high spirits. Lin Chunxing ran over and took the small bamboo basket from Lin Duo'er's hand.

Termitomyces are not as easy to store as other mushrooms. The open caps of Termitomyces take up a lot of space. After picking this patch, both small bamboo baskets were full.

Lin Chuntao carried a basket on her back, while Lin Chunxing and Lin Chunhe each carried a bamboo basket.

Thinking of Dr. He, who was so eager to buy matsutake mushrooms, she decided to go to his pharmacy today to get medicine, so she carried the mushrooms with her back.

When they arrived, the old man was having breakfast, with fried dough sticks and soy milk on the table.

After they entered, Doctor He looked up and smiled when he saw it was her.

Are you feeling better?

Lin Chuntao replied with a smile, "Thank you, Dr. He, I'm all better now."

She was just about to say that she had found some termite mushrooms when the old man craned his neck to look at her basket and asked first.

"Did you find some termite mushrooms again?"