Chapter 273 Awakened by Pain
Meng Jinyao woke up before dawn.
She was awakened by pain; her lower abdomen was distended and the pain was unbearable, causing her to break out in a cold sweat and turn pale.
She clutched her stomach with both hands, clenching her teeth to keep quiet so as not to wake the man beside her. She remembered that her husband had to go to the morning court early this morning, so he needed to rest well to have the energy. After all, it wasn't an illness; it was just her period.
Gu Jingxi was a light sleeper, and he woke up when the person in his arms moved. By the light of the single lamp left on not far from the bed, he could see that the person in his arms was pale, sweating, and looked like he was in pain, which startled him.
He asked hurriedly, "Ayao, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
When Meng Jinyao saw that he was awake and looking at her with a nervous expression, she was stunned for a moment, and then whispered, "It hurts, my stomach hurts."
Her voice unconsciously carried a hint of grievance, mixed with a touch of coquetry.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi suddenly sat up from the bed and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with his sleeve. Although he was a little flustered, he remained calm on the surface and coaxed her gently, "Ayao, don't be afraid, it's alright. I'll have someone go and fetch the family doctor right away."
"No, don't go."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao disregarded her stomach pain and reached out her hand, which had been covering her stomach, to grab his sleeve, trying to stop him from going to the royal physician.
Gu Jingxi thought she was just being temperamental because she was sick, so he comforted her, "Listen to me, if you're not feeling well, you have to see a doctor. Don't hide your illness and avoid seeking medical help."
Meng Jinyao quickly shook her head, feeling a little ashamed, and replied rather embarrassedly, "No, I'm fine, it's just... it's just that my period started."
Gu Jingxi was stunned. He hadn't expected this. He knew that women menstruate, but seeing his wife's pale face and the fact that she looked quite ill, he couldn't help but worry: "Ayao, are you sure you can manage without seeing a doctor?"
Meng Jinyao nodded and replied, "I used to be like that too. Just bear with it, and it will be fine in a couple of days."
Gu Jingxi frowned. If it hurt this much, it must be very painful. Enduring it wouldn't work. He asked gently, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Meng Jinyao thought for a moment, then murmured softly, "The clothes are dirty, and the bedding is dirty too." Her voice was pitifully soft as she buried her face in the bedding in embarrassment, and whispered again, "My husband, please let Qingqiu and Ningdong in. They know what to do."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi understood what was going on. He put on a cloak and instructed the maid on night duty to summon Qingqiu and Ningdong. He also instructed the maid to find a servant in the front courtyard and ask the servant to ask for a day's leave on the grounds of illness, and then go to the Imperial Hospital to invite Physician Wen over.
Returning to his room, Gu Jingxi took off his cloak and was about to check on Meng Jinyao when he suddenly noticed a bright red stain on his white trousers—it was stained with blood.
Meng Jinyao noticed it too, and immediately felt extremely embarrassed. Her face flushed, and she gripped the quilt tightly. She had her period that night and was completely unprepared, so she had soiled her clothes and bedding, and even stained her husband's clothes. Hearing that men were very concerned about these things, saying that a woman's menstrual blood was unclean, she felt uneasy again, afraid of being disliked.
Gu Jingxi glanced at her and noticed the slight tension on her face. He roughly knew what she was nervous about, so he stepped forward and patted her head to comfort her, saying gently, "It's alright, I'll go change my clothes first, and the maid will come in soon."
Seeing that his young wife's tense expression had relaxed, he went to get a clean set of clothes and changed behind the screen.
At this moment, Qingqiu and Ningdong also came in. Upon learning that their mistress had started her period, Ningdong quickly fetched a basin of hot water to wipe her body. She wiped her body and then, together with Qingqiu, helped her change her clothes and changed the bedding. They then took all the dirty clothes and bedding out.
Gu Jingxi then got back into bed and warmed the blankets. He then took his wife, who was still in pain and huddled in the blankets like a little quail, into his arms and gently massaged her lower abdomen with his warm hands.
His palms were warm, and with his warm palms pressed against her stomach, Meng Jinyao felt a little more comfortable, though she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination.
After a long while, Gu Jingxi suddenly asked, "Ayao, why didn't you look like this when you had your period before? Is it because you're not feeling well?"
If it weren't for this incident, Meng Jinyao would have forgotten about menstruation. She said, "It's normal that my husband didn't notice this problem before, because this is the first time I've had my period since I married you, so it's normal that you didn't notice it before."
Gu Jingxi was taken aback, somewhat bewildered, and asked in confusion, "But, doesn't a woman's period come once a month? Why does it take so long to come?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "My periods are irregular, sometimes coming only once every few months, and I've experienced this before."
Gu Jingxi frowned, realizing the seriousness of the situation, and then asked, "Have you seen a doctor?"
Meng Jinyao said, "When I was in the Meng family, the family physician came to treat me when I was sick. I did ask about this issue. The physician said that it is normal for a woman's menstruation to be irregular for two or three years after her first period."
Moreover, she suffered from unbearable abdominal pain every time she had her period, and sometimes she even felt that it would be better if she didn't have her period. In addition, her period was irregular, so she didn't pay much attention to the problem.
Gu Jingxi was taken aback. He didn't know anything about medicine and was unfamiliar with this kind of thing, but was it normal to be in so much pain? Oh well, he'd wait until Physician Wen arrived later to see what was going on.
After massaging her for a while, Gu Jingxi asked again, "Ayao, are you feeling better?"
Meng Jinyao truthfully replied, "I feel a bit better, but it still hurts a lot."
Gu Jingxi had no experience and didn't know how to help her, so he could only hold her and gently massage her. Seeing his wife looking listless and lacking energy, even her voice sounded weak, he felt bad for her.
Meng Jinyao couldn't sleep either. The pain was so bad that she felt like her stomach wasn't even her own anymore. She had no mood to talk to Gu Jingxi. She turned her back to him and curled up to sleep, which made her feel a little better.
When the time came, Meng Jinyao turned around and asked, "Husband, there is a court assembly today, and you have to go to court. Why aren't you up yet?"
Gu Jingxi said, "I've already asked for leave, so I won't be going today."
Meng Jinyao was bewildered: "Why do you need to ask for leave?"
"How can I go to court with peace of mind when you're like this?" Gu Jingxi said, then reached out and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. Her pale, paper-white face was heartbreaking to look at.
Caught off guard, Meng Jinyao suddenly felt her heart filled with sweetness, and the pain in her stomach seemed to have lessened considerably. Because of her, her husband didn't even attend the important court session, which proved that he put her first.
She didn't want to cry when her stomach hurt, but the feeling of being cared for and cherished brought tears to her eyes.
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