She added, "How about we change the gift? I already have something I want."
"What? What does Ruan Ruan want?"
Su Ruanruan curled her red lips and whispered in Mu Bai's ear, "Brother Mu Bai, I've come of age now, so you can no longer find an excuse to avoid me. How about I give you to you as a gift?"
"Cough cough... Ruan Ruan..."
As Su Ruanruan watched Mu Bai's earlobes gradually turn red and he drew closer, she captured his moist lips and lingered on them...
The long, tender kiss ended, and Mu Bai's breathing became disordered.
Su Ruanruan nestled in Mu Bai's arms, her cheeks flushed.
Mu Bai held her tightly in his arms, his throat bobbing, his voice hoarse.
"Ruanruan, I'm sorry, I can't do that. Wait for me to come back, wait until we get married... okay? I don't want to wrong you, and I can't do that."
Su Ruanruan carefully traced his eyebrows and eyes with her gaze; every feature was exactly what she liked, perfectly matching her aesthetic sense.
It's no wonder she was in such a hurry; she was about to get her period and it was really painful.
That kind of pain can't be relieved by taking medicine or getting injections. She has primary dysmenorrhea, and (after [▓▓] **, the intense contraction and relaxation of muscles can relieve menstrual cramps).
Seeing Mu Bai's refusal, Su Ruanruan could only endure it and wait a little longer.
Mu Bai took out a beautiful bracelet of red beans from his pocket.
"Ruanruan, I made this bracelet myself. It's not an expensive gift, so please don't mind. I'll definitely give you something better in the future."
He placed the bracelet on Su Ruanruan's wrist, wishing her "May Ruanruan grow strong and healthy year after year, may spring grass grow tall year after year, may her life be smooth and worry-free, and may all her wishes come true."
The red bean symbolizes longing and love. The red bean is hard, shiny like lacquer, and never rots or fades, representing a steadfast and unchanging heart.
Red beans symbolize longing and affection; how could Su Ruanruan not understand this?
Compared to the hundred taels of silver and the expensive jade hairpin, this gift, imbued with Mu Bai's thoughtfulness, was her favorite.
"I like it very much, thank you Brother Mu Bai."
Bai Ruan was sleeping soundly under the covers, while Su Ruanruan felt especially secure leaning against Mu Bai's arm.
"Ruanruan, there's an ancient temple outside Lingzhou City. I heard that the wishing tree there is especially effective. After the autumn imperial examinations, I'll go and get you a string of Buddhist prayer beads, okay?"
"Okay," Su Ruanruan mumbled sleepily before drifting off to sleep.
Mu Bai held her hand and gently kissed Su Ruanruan's forehead. "Ruanruan, I like you so much."
...
The next morning, Su Ruanruan went out and brought back many things.
When she returned, the clothes she hadn't had time to wash in the past few days were already hanging on the bamboo pole in the yard, still faintly smelling of soap.
Seeing her return, Mu Bai came out of the kitchen.
"This is……"
"Brother Mubai, take all these food and supplies. You'll be staying at the examination hall for so long, so you should prepare more."
"Isn't this a bit too much?" Mu Bai looked at the large and small bags and said with a wry smile.
"Not much, not much. If you don't need it, just give some to Fang Ru. He left in a hurry and probably didn't prepare that much."
"Okay, thank you for your trouble, Ruanruan." Mu Bai carried the things onto the carriage he had hired outside the door.
The coachman went ahead to the city gate, while Su Ruanruan and Mu Bai walked hand in hand side by side. The road, which used to be so long, felt exceptionally short today, as if it had no end.
What I miss most is parting, but parting is for the best future.
"Brother Mu Bai, be careful on the road. I'll be waiting for you to come home."
Mu Bai held her hand, his eyes filled with reluctance, "Ruan Ruan, take good care of yourself at home."
He glanced at the tree not far away and said, "If you encounter any danger or trouble while I'm away, be sure to find someone who can protect you. Nothing is more important than your life."
"Okay, don't worry about me, I'll wait patiently for you to come back."
Until Mu Bai boarded the carriage and slowly drove away.
Su Ruanruan's smile vanished, replaced by a strange, stinging pain in her heart and a sense of unease. She had a feeling that something was about to happen.
She was still experiencing a sharp, stabbing pain in her lower abdomen and back. She bit her lip tightly, her expression calm, but cold sweat poured down her back, trying not to let Mu Bai, who was waving at her from the carriage, notice anything amiss. It wasn't until the carriage's afterimage disappeared from her sight that she finally couldn't hold back any longer.
This means my period is about to start, and it's even worse than last time.
Su Ruanruan endured the pain and went home.
Huo Yan sat under the tree and looked towards the city gate. He hadn't expected that time would be so tight, and that scholar Mu Bai had actually managed to return.
Su Ruanruan returned home and quickly put on her menstrual belt.
When she went to the kitchen to boil water again, she found a piece of paper on the table: "Ruanruan, you are menstruating recently, so don't touch cold things. Keep brown sugar on the table. Remember to boil it into water and drink it every day, in case you have abdominal pain during your period."
Su Ruanruan put away the note, opened the paper package next to her, and found a new packet of brown sugar.
She had run out of brown sugar at home and hadn't had time to buy any more. Mu Bai must have gone out to buy some while she was out shopping this morning.
After drinking the brown sugar water, Su Ruanruan lay down, not wanting to move at all.
But I hadn't even slept for half an hour when I was woken up by knocking on the door.
Su Ruanruan rubbed her lower back as she walked towards the courtyard, and Bai Ruan followed her out.
Seeing Bai Ruan wagging its tail happily in front of the door, Su Ruanruan knew that an acquaintance had come.
Sure enough, the person who came was Zi Wu.
"Why are you here? Did the Su family send people to cause trouble again?"
Ziwu shook her head, "No, I did hear that after Su Fangfang and Su Xiaoqiang were taken away, no one came to redeem them, so they were temporarily taken back to the gambling house by the owner to work as maids and servants..."
Su Ruanruan wasn't interested in their fate; as long as these people didn't cause her trouble, that was fine.
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