Chapter 36: Medicine, Medicine, I Need Medicine!
Mi Hongdou woke up, sat up, and the scratching sound disappeared. She sat alone in the darkness for a while, hearing nothing. Perhaps it was a dream? Mi Hongdou rubbed her face, feeling a little foolish, quietly got up to use the bathroom, came back, climbed into bed, and tried to sleep again.
Perhaps because she had washed her face in the bathroom, she felt refreshed and didn’t fall asleep immediately this time. Soon, the rustling sound started again. Mi Hongdou pinched her palm. It was a dull ache, not a dream. The sound was in the bedroom, and quite close. Mi Hongdou held her breath and listened carefully. It seemed to be coming from… the bed next to her. Where was a small animal coming from on the bed next to her!
Earlier, Ji Junxin had politely let Mi Hongdou choose her bed. The bed by the wardrobe had a white background with a light yellow puppy pattern, and the one by the window had a light purple jacquard pattern. Keeping Ji Junxin’s favorite, or keeping the style she usually used outside, was a dilemma for Mi Hongdou.
Although she felt that it would be lovely to let Ji Junxin sleep on the bed with the cute puppy pattern, Mi Hongdou honestly kept the jacquard one for Ji Junxin. The biggest takeaway for Mi Hongdou tonight was a clearer understanding that the person in front of her wasn’t the same person she knew and interacted with. Indeed, having some foreknowledge could help her gain Ji Junxin’s favor faster. But more importantly, perhaps they needed more time to get to know each other again.
So, in the end, Mi Hongdou slept on the outer bed. When she got up to use the bathroom earlier, she didn’t have to pass by Ji Junxin’s bed. Now, Mi Hongdou regretted it a little. If she had chosen the inner bed, she would have had a reason to walk past and investigate. Otherwise, getting up now would be too abrupt. But she couldn’t fall asleep without knowing what was going on. Mi Hongdou lay still, waiting. The sound continued, a light, rhythmic scratching, as if something was scratching fabric.
“Ahem…” Mi Hongdou coughed deliberately and turned over, making some noise.
The sound stopped abruptly.
If it wasn’t an animal, and not some supernatural being, then undoubtedly, the source of the sound was Ji Junxin.
Why was she scratching at something in the middle of the night? Could it be that she wasn’t full? Mi Hongdou’s first thought was that Ji Junxin, after having a bowl of porridge, two eggs, and most of the candied egg rolls, was still hungry. She was too embarrassed to ask for more, so, starving in the middle of the night, she could only tearfully and secretly rummage for snacks in bed… Mi Hongdou’s imagination was vivid. But where would she get snacks from? And why would eating snacks make a scratching sound? Or was she uncomfortable? Having a nightmare? Mi Hongdou’s imagination and self-doubt made her uneasy.
Finally, Mi Hongdou gave up and spoke softly, “Are you… asleep?”
The bed next to her was silent, as if all the previous sounds had been her imagination.
Mi Hongdou resisted the urge to turn on her phone and check what was going on and asked again, in a lower voice, “Are you asleep? I seem to hear something… scratching…”
Having said this much, there was finally some movement from the bed next to her. There was a rustling sound, as if someone was turning over, and then Ji Junxin’s muffled voice: “Maybe it’s some small animal outside the window, digging in the dirt.”
Are you kidding me! Such a high floor! Forget about where a small animal would come from! Tell me, where’s the dirt! Was such a clumsy excuse really appropriate? Mi Hongdou mourned the disappearance of Ji Junxin’s IQ.
However, exposing her idol wasn’t right. Since Ji Junxin had responded, it meant that nothing major was happening. To avoid having her IQ insulted by her idol, the quick-witted Mi Hongdou replied, “Yeah, maybe it’s a bat scratching at the window.” She pulled up the blanket and prepared to go back to sleep.
For a long time, there was no more scratching sound from the bed next to her. Okay, since there was no more sound, she wouldn’t pry further. Going to sleep was the priority. Mi Hongdou thought this, calmed down, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Just then, a faint “Hey… hey…” came from the bed opposite her.
“What’s wrong?” Mi Hongdou tearfully crawled back from the edge of dreamland.
“Can you… check if there are any bats outside?” Ji Junxin’s voice was small and weak, unlike her usual self.
So! Are you admitting that it was you scratching earlier? I was just making a casual remark! Mi Hongdou mourned the imaginary bat.
Perhaps because she had opened her eyes so many times in the darkness, Mi Hongdou could now vaguely make out the outlines of the room. For example, on the bed next to her, there was a… something… curled up in a ball? Ji Junxin’s bed was near the window. Could it be that she was scared by her casual remark earlier? Thinking this, Mi Hongdou was no longer sleepy and quickly got up to deal with the consequences of her own words.
She pulled open the blackout curtains, and moonlight streamed into the room through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Although it wasn’t as bright as the lights, it was more than enough to see everything in the room. The first thing she saw was Ji Junxin, curled up in a ball on the bed near the window, only her small, frightened face visible.
If Mi Hongdou still couldn’t tell that Ji Junxin was truly scared by her words, she would be an idiot. Overwhelmed with regret, Mi Hongdou softened her voice: “Look, there are no bats. And the window is very sturdy.” She even knocked on the window. A solid thump.
Ji Junxin breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing a little, and the ball on the bed uncurled slightly. “Then… then… let’s go to sleep.” Ji Junxin shyly burrowed further under the covers. She was most afraid of rats, bats, and the like. Even if she knew that the sound earlier wasn’t a bat scratching at the window, just imagining a bat clinging to the other side of the glass, just a short distance away, was enough to scare her.
“Should I close the curtains?” Seeing how scared Ji Junxin was, Mi Hongdou held the curtains, not daring to close them without permission.
They were on a high floor, and there were no buildings opposite them. Ji Junxin hesitated for a moment and replied softly, “Then… close them a little, but not all the way.”
Mi Hongdou closed most of the curtains, leaving a small gap for Ji Junxin and letting in a sliver of moonlight, so the room wasn’t completely dark. After dealing with the curtains and returning to her bed, Mi Hongdou realized that she had walked past Ji Junxin’s bed twice, and she hadn’t smelled any food. So what was she scratching at earlier? Was the bed uncomfortable?
Mi Hongdou had many questions, but she didn’t ask. After all, they weren’t that close yet. Constantly asking questions would be awkward. She didn’t want to be seen as nosy and troublesome.
Ji Junxin, however, shyly emerged from under the covers and asked, “Do you want some water?” After Mi Hongdou shook her head, Ji Junxin got up, padded out to the living room in her slippers, and the sound of pouring water could be heard.
How long could it take to pour a glass of water? After the sound of pouring, Ji Junxin didn’t come back. There were rustling sounds from the living room, not very loud at first, but soon escalating into the sounds of opening cupboards, suitcases, plastic bags, all kinds of opening and rummaging, one after another. If Mi Hongdou could still stay in bed after hearing this, she would be deliberately ignoring it.
Getting out of bed for what seemed like the nth time that night, Mi Hongdou rubbed her face and went to the living room. As expected, several cupboards were open, and two suitcases lay on the floor, their contents in disarray. The culprit was rummaging through a third suitcase.
“What’s wrong?” So, this was the nth time she had asked this question tonight… Mi Hongdou was really afraid that Ji Junxin would find her annoying. But having seen this scene, it would be even stranger to just walk past without asking.
In just a few minutes, Ji Junxin had practically gone through all her luggage. So, the medicine kit was with Lu Gaoshi? … Previously, when working away from home, Ji Junxin was used to relying on Lu Gaoshi for everything. Many things she didn’t use often were kept by Lu Gaoshi. If she needed anything, she would just call her. She hadn’t found it inconvenient before, but now, it was clearly troublesome. “I… my stomach hurts a little. Do you have any medicine?” Ji Junxin finally gave up on the third suitcase, which was now a mess, straightened up, and said a little embarrassedly.
“Yes, yes, I do. Where does it hurt?” Mi Hongdou was startled and looked Ji Junxin up and down, wishing she could turn her eyes into x-ray machines.
“It’s nothing, just a minor problem.” Having been uncomfortable for a while, feeling that she wouldn’t be able to sleep without taking some medicine, Ji Junxin had to ask, “Can you lend me some?”
This wasn’t a sci-fi movie, her eyes couldn’t turn into x-ray machines. Mi Hongdou quickly resigned herself to the situation and took out her medicine kit from her luggage. “What’s wrong? What kind of medicine do you need? Let me see if I have it. But you can’t just take medicine randomly. Should we go to the hospital? Where does it hurt?” Mi Hongdou was getting anxious, her speech speeding up. Although it was out of concern, it sounded a bit like an interrogation.
“…” Ji Junxin, who just wanted to take the medicine kit without saying anything, was stopped by Mi Hongdou.
“Don’t just take medicine randomly, tell me first, where does it hurt?” Mi Hongdou opened the medicine kit but wasn’t ready to let the seemingly unreliable Ji Junxin have access to it yet.
“…” Ji Junxin blushed and shuffled back.
“…” Seeing Ji Junxin like this, Mi Hongdou wondered if she was prying into some strange personal matter… But after knowing her for so long in her previous life, she had never seen her unwilling to talk about anything. “Period cramps?” Mi Hongdou thought for a moment, took out a box of painkillers from the medicine kit, and held it out to Ji Junxin.
Painkillers… that would work… it could do the job. Ji Junxin hesitantly reached out.
Then, the painkillers, so close at hand, were put back into the medicine kit by Mi Hongdou. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Don’t take medicine for period cramps. I’ll make you some brown sugar water, see if that helps.” Mi Hongdou put down the medicine kit, preparing to make the sugar water.
“No…” Ji Junxin grabbed Mi Hongdou’s wrist, her face burning red. “It’s not that. I just… have a stomachache.”
Stomachache? Not period cramps? Then she must have eaten something wrong? But that didn’t make sense. If her stomach hurt now, it must be because of something she ate a few hours ago. But she had made everything herself, there shouldn’t be any problem! Mi Hongdou’s mind raced. Could it be the boxed meal she ate on set? No… Mi Hongdou paused. There seemed to be another possibility.
“Then… what medicine do you want to take?” Mi Hongdou asked the same question again, not expecting an answer, but wanting to see Ji Junxin’s reaction, to see if it was what she thought.
As expected, when asked what medicine she wanted, Ji Junxin hesitated and didn’t speak, her head lowering further and further, her hand releasing Mi Hongdou’s wrist.
Mi Hongdou had a hunch. “Let me see, is it uncomfortable here? Or here? Or here?” Mi Hongdou asked Ji Junxin to look at her and pressed on different parts of her abdomen, the upper abdomen, the stomach area, and the lower abdomen.
After a moment, under Mi Hongdou’s insistent gaze, Ji Junxin silently raised a finger, pointing to her stomach.
Okay, it was really what she thought… Mi Hongdou couldn’t believe it! She almost blurted out a comment, but seeing Ji Junxin’s evasive gaze, as if she wanted to quickly get back into bed and pretend nothing had happened, Mi Hongdou knew that if she said it directly, the favorability she had gained today would probably be gone.
She found a box of medicine in the kit, opened it, took a tissue, placed a pill on it, thought for a moment, and added another one. Then she put the tissue with the two pills in Ji Junxin’s hand. “For stomachaches, take this. I often have stomachaches, and I always take this.” She pushed the glass of water Ji Junxin had poured earlier towards her. “You can chew it or swallow it whole.”
The pills in her hand were triangular and had a faint fruity scent. They tasted a little sour, a little sweet… a very… familiar taste. Ji Junxin silently took the medicine, thanked her, blushed, hastily packed her messy luggage, and went to bed.
Mi Hongdou also returned to the bedroom. That night, neither of them mentioned the fact that Ji Junxin had overeaten, causing a stomachache that kept her awake for a long time, even waking Mi Hongdou up, and then taking two digestive tablets.
After cooking, eating, rubbing her stomach, and searching for medicine, coupled with sharing a room for the first time, neither of them slept very well. Fortunately, their scenes the next morning weren’t too early, so they could sleep in a little.
Unfortunately, even though they had specifically set their alarms later, it wasn’t the alarm that woke them up in the end.
Mi Hongdou grabbed the incessantly ringing phone from the nightstand, looked at the name on the screen, then at the still dark sky outside, and sighed deeply.
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