She didn’t get the chance to finish her words.
—Just what she had managed to say was enough to send Xi Yi into a frenzy. The moment she paused, he had already scooped her up in his arms without hesitation.
By the time she realized what was happening, he had already carried her to the outer area where Xi Gu was sleeping on an animal hide. Without any explanation, he roughly woke the groggy Xi Gu.
Sha Yi was speechless.
Xi Gu, still half-asleep and utterly confused, sat up sluggishly with a grumpy expression.
Xi Yi, however, couldn’t wait a second longer. He quickly crouched down and gestured for Xi Gu to look at her.
Sha Yi was completely at a loss for words. Just as she was about to explain that it was just her period, Xi Gu took one glance at the bloodstains covering them both, froze for a moment, and then immediately jumped up, smacking Xi Yi squarely on the head. The next second, Xi Gu started yelling at him.
Watching Xi Yi take an inexplicable slap, Sha Yi was stunned. By the time she understood the words Xi Gu was shouting, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. But before she could even attempt an explanation, Xi Gu raised her hand again, ready to hit Xi Yi once more.
This time, Sha Yi couldn’t hold back. Instinctively, she reached out to stop Xi Gu, who was so shocked that she even forgot her tirade. Xi Gu stared at her in disbelief, as if accusing her of siding with the enemy.
Sha Yi felt a little embarrassed, but an explanation was absolutely necessary. Even though Xi Yi usually didn’t mind such things—especially since the other party was his own sister—she couldn’t just let it slide. Xi Gu had truly misunderstood him.
She had heard Xi Gu mention before that Xi Yi had done something to make her pregnant, but she had never taken it seriously. Now, she regretted not explaining earlier. Xi Yi had done everything for her, only to end up getting smacked by his own sister. She wondered how he must be feeling.
When she turned slightly to look at him, she found him frowning back at her, his face full of anxiety. It seemed he hadn’t even registered Xi Gu’s slap.
However, he clearly didn’t know how to explain her situation to Xi Gu or how to ask for help. He opened and closed his mouth several times but couldn’t get a single word out.
Sha Yi couldn’t help but chuckle, but the intermittent dull ache in her lower abdomen suddenly intensified, turning her smile into something more like a grimace.
Xi Yi immediately tensed up again. Ignoring Xi Gu’s glare, he pushed Sha Yi’s arm aside and urgently pressed his hand against her abdomen, gently probing while asking frantic questions.
Seeing that the situation wasn’t what she had assumed, Xi Gu crouched down beside them and poked Sha Yi’s arm in confusion, whispering, “Didn’t you lose the baby?”
Compared to Xi Yi, discussing this topic with Xi Gu was far more difficult than she had anticipated. Just hearing that blunt yet completely mistaken statement made her blush furiously. Formulating a response was proving to be a real challenge.
After struggling for a long time, she finally replied in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum, “It’s not what you think… Xi Yi and I haven’t…”
Xi Gu immediately let out an “Eh?” before turning a suspicious glare on Xi Yi. After a long pause, she turned back and asked, “Then what’s going—”
Mid-sentence, Xi Gu stopped.
From the look of it, Xi Gu had figured out that it was her period.
However, Xi Gu’s expression was unusually strange—somewhere between delighted and sly. She casually slung an arm around Xi Yi’s shoulder and began whispering to him.
Sha Yi had no idea what they were saying, but when Xi Yi turned back to her, his expression had completely changed. He looked almost giddy with joy—though the worry and tension in his eyes when he looked at her remained unchanged.
Xi Gu motioned for him to carry her back.
But Sha Yi grew anxious. As Xi Yi turned away, she grabbed Xi Gu’s arm and whispered, “Xi Gu, how do you usually handle… this kind of thing?”
Xi Gu blinked in surprise before bursting into laughter. Finally, she leaned in close and whispered back, “When it drips, we just wipe it off with something. No one really cares, so don’t worry about it. Xi Yi’s dumber than most men—what are you afraid of?”
She should’ve known asking would be pointless.
Still, the idea of handling it the way they did—waiting for it to drip and then wiping it away—was completely unacceptable to her. It was embarrassing, messy, and disgusting. Her world no longer had sanitary pads, so she’d have to come up with another solution.
She vaguely remembered reading that ancient women would use cloth pouches filled with plant ash during their periods. Right now, that seemed like her only option.
Back at the bathing area, Xi Yi held her with one arm while using the other to wipe the large tub clean with a big leaf. Then he laid out a thick, clean brownish-yellow animal hide before preparing to set her down.
Sha Yi quickly stopped him.
She hadn’t dealt with her period issue yet, hadn’t changed out of her bloodstained clothes, and hadn’t even cleaned herself. If she lay down now, the hide would be ruined, and she couldn’t stand the thought of lying there covered in filth.
After a moment’s thought, she gestured to him, “Xi Yi, I need some plant ash—can you get that for me? And I need a knife, the sharpest one you have. Also, some water—I need to change my clothes. Oh, and a bone needle…”
He nodded quickly, found a large leaf for her to stand on, then retrieved the fruit knife and a long-unused bone needle from nearby and handed them to her. He repeated her requests to confirm, “Plant ash—the stuff left after burning, right? And hot water? I’ll go boil some now.”
His obedience and thoughtfulness warmed her heart, but she didn’t miss the word “hot water” in his response.
She hadn’t mentioned hot water—just water. Yet he knew. Clearly, Xi Gu had whispered every detail about women’s matters to him while she wasn’t paying attention. At this point, he probably understood her situation better than she did.
The realization sent a rush of blood to her face. She didn’t even bother checking if he’d missed anything in his recap—she just waved him off impatiently.
His footsteps quickly faded into the distance, but not before she caught the low, pleased chuckle rumbling in his chest.
In the early morning rain, many in the cave settlement were still asleep. Xi Yi, at least, had the decency to keep quiet.
While he was gone, Sha Yi quickly selected the smallest vest from her clothes and cut it into several pieces with the fruit knife, planning to use them as makeshift pads for the plant ash. As for the bone needle Xi Yi had given her, it was far too thick—piercing the fabric with it would likely create holes large enough to let the ash spill out. So she abandoned the idea of sewing and decided to simply wrap the fabric instead.
For the ties, she cut several lengths of polyethylene rope and fastened them to both ends of the wrapped cloth pouches. Not only would this prevent them from falling off, but it would also keep the ash from spilling. Compared to twisted vines, this method was far more practical.
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