With that slap and stick from Xi Yi, Sha Yi was instantly thrown into disarray. She stared at him for a long while, unable to utter a single word.
Who in the world would stick a sanitary pad on their head…
Sha Yi swore that if Xi Yi hadn’t boldly pioneered this absurd act, she would probably never have imagined such a bizarre scene in her entire life.
At this moment, she was utterly dumbfounded, her lips twitching uncontrollably.
Yet, Xi Yi had no idea why she suddenly wore such an expression of speechless disbelief. Not only that, but she was also glaring at him with an extremely strange look, saying nothing. Worried, he walked up to her, leaned down, and peered closely at her face.
As Xi Yi drew nearer, Sha Yi watched the glaring white sanitary pad loom larger and larger in her vision, her emotions tangled—
On one hand, the sudden appearance of the pad reminded her of menstruation. In this ancient era, if her period ever arrived, she couldn’t help but wonder how she would deal with it. On the other hand, the pad had fallen out of her dirty clothes. The week before she had crossed over, her period had just ended. If she remembered correctly, the only reason Xi Yi had gotten his hands on this pad was because she had stashed two in the pocket of one of her garments.
Now, one of the only two pads had been repurposed by Xi Yi as some kind of high-tech wound dressing—stuck upside-down on his head. She didn’t know whether to be angry or amused. In the end, she could only sigh helplessly and reach out to yank the pad off his head.
Xi Yi’s face twisted in pain as she pulled. The adhesive on the back of the pad was incredibly strong, and since he had stuck it directly onto his wound, tearing it off was bound to hurt like hell.
Still, seeing his innocent expression, Sha Yi couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. To minimize his discomfort, she exerted great effort to carefully peel the pad off. Predictably, Xi Yi’s wound was left in a terrible state—the skin around the gash was torn and raw, bleeding profusely.
The sight made Sha Yi’s heart ache. As she had been pulling, she had considered that sanitary pads were, after all, designed to absorb blood. Given that Xi Yi’s wound was now bleeding even more, using the pad might not be such a bad idea. Besides, in this era, there was nothing else that could match the effectiveness of a pad for a bleeding wound. Plus, it would spare her remaining clothes from being sacrificed—fabric lasted much longer, while pads would eventually run out.
With that in mind, Sha Yi decided to reapply the pad—properly this time. After all, no one else here knew what it was really for. She just had to make sure it was used correctly, unlike Xi Yi’s earlier self-inflicted ordeal.
So, she carefully pressed the pad onto a strip of cloth she had just retrieved, then wrapped it around his head a few times.
Truth be told, this wound of his was particularly nasty. The injuries from the giant serpent hadn’t been this gruesome. Yet, this time, after hunting what seemed like a harmless, deer-like creature, he had ended up with gashes all over his face. Sha Yi couldn’t understand how it had happened and leaned over to inspect the dead deer.
Size-wise, the deer was quite large, but its antlers didn’t look particularly sturdy. Unable to resist, Sha Yi reached out and touched them—just as she suspected, they still had a soft, pliable texture. It was entirely possible this was just a young deer.
Meanwhile, noticing her diverted attention, Xi Yi approached again, the sanitary pad still prominently displayed on his head. He then mysteriously pulled out two small, thick pieces of white fur-like material from his waist and gestured for her to sit down.
Sha Yi complied but couldn’t hide her curiosity about the objects in his hands.
They were two fluffy things, resembling animal pelts—but she knew they couldn’t be. She guessed they might be some kind of densely matted animal fur, thick and tightly woven, likely very soft to the touch.
Without explanation, Xi Yi laid one piece on the ground, then grabbed her ankle and placed her foot onto it. He then wrapped the fur around her foot, securing it with a thin vine using the knotting technique she had taught him the day before.
Stunned, Sha Yi watched as he repeated the process with the second piece of fur on her other foot.
Once both were tied, Xi Yi pulled her up and nudged her, gesturing for her to walk around and test them out.
Sha Yi realized he wanted her to see how comfortable these makeshift fur shoes were, so she obediently took a few steps.
The sensation was entirely different from walking barefoot. The fur provided a cushioning layer between her soles and the ground. Though it was just a bundle of fluff, the fibers were tightly interwoven and resistant to tearing. The softness around her toes was especially pleasant—though she suspected they might be a bit too warm for summer wear.
For the first time in a while, Sha Yi felt like she was wearing shoes again. Even if they were a little stuffy, it was still far better than constantly cutting her feet or stepping on thorns. She suddenly recalled the moment she had paused after stepping on a sharp thorn while preparing shrimp earlier. Xi Yi must have noticed—otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to craft these odd fur shoes for her. After all, the concept of footwear seemed entirely foreign to him.
Touched but frustrated by their communication barrier, Sha Yi could only nod at him, hoping to convey her gratitude and satisfaction.
Xi Yi grinned, his brown eyes bright with happiness.
After lunch, they packed up and continued along the river. Since their path followed a tributary, the water grew shallower and clearer as they went. However, dragging the deer along was cumbersome, so Sha Yi suggested they take the bathtub boat again. Xi Yi had no objections.
Two people, a pile of belongings, and a deer—fortunately, the bathtub was large enough to accommodate them all, albeit barely. Sha Yi was certain that even a slight wobble would capsize them, so they both sat with extreme caution. Xi Yi, paddling with the stainless steel basin, only dared to use one arm, his entire body tense with concentration. His overly serious expression made Sha Yi laugh for a long time.
Traveling by water saved them a significant amount of time. By afternoon, they had reached the bend in the tributary and followed Xi Yi ashore.
The area was lush with vegetation, and hidden among the dense foliage was a small cave. The entrance was low—barely a meter high—but several openings in the ceiling allowed ample light inside.
Xi Yi crawled in, hunched over. Ever since arriving here, his earlier cheerfulness had faded, replaced by a strange melancholy.
Concerned, Sha Yi followed him inside—only to freeze in shock the moment she entered.
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