Chapter 31: First Period
Xiao Luohan didn’t reply immediately.
Unlike her outward composure, Jiang Xue was actually very nervous.
She was afraid she couldn’t save Xiao Luohan, and even more afraid that Xiao Luohan would continue to be trapped in that mire due to guilt.
But what she feared most was losing Xiao Luohan.
Living under another’s roof was like walking on thin ice. Every day of peace was a “gift” from others, and once they withdrew it or turned against her, she would have nothing left.
Moreover, Xiao Luohan lived in a “cannibalistic” feudal society and was a princess sent for marriage alliance.
To Beiliao, she was like a “holy maiden” sacrificed for the country, bound by shackles and unable to control her own fate. To Daying, she was probably just a tribute from afar, her life and death insignificant, at the mercy of those in power, who could send her from an icy abyss straight into hell.
“I’m sorry, I… I want you to come here.”
As she confessed her wish, Jiang Xue lowered her gaze, not daring to meet Xiao Luohan’s eyes.
She felt her cheeks burning—what she was about to say would likely negate all of Xiao Luohan’s efforts since she could remember.
But she was truly afraid, so afraid that she had to confirm it. Biting her lip, she finally said, “It’s my selfish desire for you to escape, and it’s my presumptuous assumption that… you can’t survive there.”
She couldn’t see a future for Xiao Luohan there.
The Crown Prince of Daying was utter scum, daring to cause such harm before the wedding. She didn’t believe that such a person would treat Xiao Luohan well after marriage.
Returning to her home country, Beiliao, was impossible. Moreover, if the Emperor of Beiliao had truly cared about Xiao Luohan’s well-being, this political marriage wouldn’t have happened in the first place!
As for escaping… Even for someone like Shizhu, who was healthy and experienced in worldly affairs, it wouldn’t be easy to make a living in that era. A princess who had been confined indoors due to illness for many years, with almost no contact with the outside world, where could she possibly escape to?
After speaking her mind, Jiang Xue’s heart pounded like a drum.
She had wanted to ask these questions for a long time but hadn’t found the right opportunity.
Separated by paper and words, she couldn’t, like her older sister, discern the writer’s emotional changes just from their handwriting.
But now, sitting face to face, she still couldn’t imagine how Xiao Luohan would respond. She was already thinking about how to salvage their friendship and offer help if it fell apart because of this…
“It’s not presumptuous.”
Xiao Luohan’s voice interrupted her thoughts, affirming her words. “I wouldn’t have survived anyway.”
Jiang Xue abruptly looked up, stunned, recalling what Xiao Luohan had written when they first met:
—【My mother said that this illness has been with me since birth. The old imperial physician, who has been called a ‘Hua Tuo reborn,’ determined that I would not live past eighteen.】
And Xiao Luohan was the same age as her this year, seventeen.
“Even without the illness, Daying wouldn’t tolerate me.” But Xiao Luohan’s next words made her feel even worse. “If it weren’t for Shizhu and you, I wouldn’t have survived that day.”
If the Crown Prince wanted to punish her, no one could interfere. Even if Shizhu was completely loyal, without the help of “ghostly powers,” even if she risked her life to carry her back inside, she wouldn’t have survived—the Crown Prince would never let a servant who had upset him go unpunished.
“I had planned to discuss escaping with Shizhu when my health improved, but the winter months in Daying can be deadly. We would have to wait until spring at least.”
Xiao Luohan sighed, also confessing her thoughts. “So, I set my sights on you.”
“You didn’t!” Jiang Xue blurted out. “If you really wanted to use me, you would have clung to me like a lifeline! Not maintain a friendly distance and even ask me, ‘Is it wrong to leave the past behind and embrace a bright future’!”
In her opinion, Xiao Luohan had so many emotional cards she could play.
From her illness and background to her current situation, each one could be a powerful moral burden. If Xiao Luohan wanted, she could easily guilt-trip her.
But Xiao Luohan only revealed a little information when asked. The important information she now knew was what she had painstakingly and cautiously coaxed out.
Xiao Luohan hadn’t used any of it to improve her own situation!
Seeing Xiao Luohan staring at her, her beautiful eyes wide and unblinking, as if she had been startled, Jiang Xue quickly sat back down, taking deep breaths and trying to calm her intense emotions.
“I mean, you…” she stammered, trying to explain. “Don’t think of it as using me. We both have our own selfish desires. Let’s just call it even, okay?”
“Okay.” This time, Xiao Luohan readily agreed.
“…Anyway, just tell me if you need my help. If you want to come here, I’m always prepared to support you.” Jiang Xue was still worried and added, “But how to completely come over is a problem. We still need to figure that out.”
Although Xiao Luohan could already come here through dreams, her existence was almost like a “ghost” that only a few people could see, and she would return as soon as the dream ended.
Just as this thought crossed Jiang Xue’s mind, she saw Xiao Luohan’s form begin to fade.
Speak of the devil!
Just then, the bell rang for the end of lunch break.
“I’ve heard this instrumental music before,” Xiao Luohan looked up at the black speaker on the wall. “But I don’t know its name.”
The MP3 player didn’t display song details.
“A Wish Across Time,” Jiang Xue replied.
“What kind of story is it about?” Xiao Luohan asked.
Seeing her form fading further, Jiang Xue bit her lip and forced a smile. “It’s a secret for now. I’ll tell you when you come here.”
When Xiao Luohan woke up, she felt a dull ache in her lower abdomen.
At first, she thought she had eaten something bad, or that the food had been poisoned with a slow-acting toxin, and hurriedly called for Shizhu, who tasted her food for her.
Shizhu was also startled, but she quickly composed herself and said seriously, “I’m not feeling any discomfort. Your symptoms… seem like you’ve started your period.”
Before Xiao Luohan could speak, she asked, “When was your last period, Your Highness?”
“I…” Xiao Luohan was stunned by the question. After a moment, she shook her head. “Never.”
She had grown up with her mother and had her elder sister’s frequent company, so she naturally knew what menstruation was.
But her health had always been poor. Just being alive was a blessing, and her period never coming, both mother and daughter knew the reason and hadn’t expected anything more.
She had thought Shizhu would be worried, but Shizhu was overjoyed. “Only a healthy body can have a period! Your Highness, your health is improving!”
Xiao Luohan didn’t understand why she said that—after waking up from the dream, she only felt the pain intensify, draining what little energy she had.
This confusion turned into fear when she saw the clothes Shizhu had changed for her.
She didn’t know why she was bleeding so much, not just blood, but also clots. Her body ached, she felt weak, and her lower abdomen was bloated and painful…
Had her liver ruptured? Was she nearing the end of her life, and Shizhu was only saying this to comfort her, to prevent her from being afraid?
She fearfully huddled under the covers. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but there seemed to be a faint smell of blood in the bed.
To avoid the smell, she adjusted her position, covered her nose and mouth with the clean, cold side of the quilt, held her breath, and curled up tightly.
As if this could slow down the arrival of death.
So when Shizhu returned with ginger brown sugar tea and a stack of heat patches, she saw a “shrimp” curled up on the bed.
“Your Highness, you can’t do this, you need to breathe!” Shizhu hurriedly pulled back the covers, but for some reason, the usually obedient princess held onto them tightly.
“Then… then at least let me apply a heat patch for you, Your Highness!” Shizhu said helplessly. “This treasure is for when your period comes. It will warm you up and make you feel more comfortable.”
Xiao Luohan remembered that the heat patches were sent by Jiang Xue, stored together with the other things for keeping warm.
The thought of Jiang Xue was like grasping at a final lifeline.
She struggled to sit up, let Shizhu apply the heat patch, and then pleaded, “I want to talk to the ghost or spirit!”
If she truly was nearing the end of her life, she wanted to see Jiang Xue’s words one last time.
Seeing her pale and distraught, Shizhu immediately went to grind ink.
Jiang Xue happened to have a math class that afternoon where she couldn’t “slack off.” After handing in the quiz, she opened the diary.
And she saw a series of alarming words:
【I’m afraid I’m not long for this world.】
Startled, without even opening her phone, she immediately asked: 【What happened? Did that dog of a Crown Prince do something again? Where do you feel unwell?】
Fortunately, writing the questions she wanted to ask in traditional characters wasn’t difficult and didn’t require the conversion software. However, due to her anxiety, her handwriting was so messy it looked like it was about to fly off the page.
Class wasn’t over yet, and the entire classroom was silent, except for the rustling of pens on paper.
But Jiang Xue was sweating profusely in this silence.
When had the Third Princess written this? Was it too late for her to notice? Was there still… time?
It wasn’t until she saw Xiao Luohan’s explanation that her heart settled back down, and she breathed a long sigh of relief.
This wasn’t surprising. Hearing about “that time of the month” and experiencing it were two different things. And usually, no one would specifically examine the bloodstains on sanitary pads or tampons thrown in the trash during a family member’s period.
Let alone Xiao Luohan, who was in ancient times, where such “artifacts” hadn’t been invented and physiological knowledge wasn’t widespread.
Jiang Xue immediately took out the ibuprofen she carried with her and sent it over, telling Xiao Luohan to take it for the pain. After class, she ran to Xie Xitong’s desk and asked, “Can I borrow a sanitary pad?”
“Isn’t yours due at the end of the month?” Xie Xitong was puzzled. “Are your hormones out of whack?”
“No.” Jiang Xue replied, tilting her chin towards her own desk.
Xie Xitong suddenly understood, rummaged through her bag, took out an unopened pack of pink sanitary pads, and reminded her with a smile, “Remember to tell her to change it every two or three hours.”
Along with the sanitary pads, Jiang Xue also sent her phone.
She specifically searched for an article explaining menstruation, and after confirming the content herself, showed it to the Third Princess.
【It’s not the end of your life. Shizhu is right. Your Highness’s body is recovering. Congratulations!】
【The principles of menstruation are all explained in this article. If you don’t understand any of the terms, just ask me. I’m studying biology, so this is also part of my studies.】
Taking advantage of the break, considering that this was Xiao Luohan’s first time, she also listed many precautions.
After writing everything, Jiang Xue excitedly sent a WeChat message to her older sister: 【The Third Princess has entered her “magical time”! The prescription is effective! Thank you, Dr. Qi! The Qi family is amazing!】
【Sword: Good.】
【Sword: You brought your phone to school.】
Jiang Xue: …
Although it didn’t matter that her older sister knew, being caught suddenly made her feel like a guilty thief.
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