Chapter 32: Ragdoll Cat
After carefully adjusting the phone’s font to traditional characters, Xiao Luohan huddled under her covers and read the long article word by word.
In that world, menstruation wasn’t a “taboo.” Every healthy girl would have her first period when she reached a certain age. Even a special case like her, starting at seventeen or eighteen, wasn’t unusual.
There was no need to hide blood-stained undergarments while washing them. Having your period while attending a ceremony wouldn’t be met with scorn from men. Everything could be discussed openly.
Even the items used for menstruation were openly displayed on dedicated shelves in stores. After use, they could be discarded in the bathroom trash can without needing to be hidden.
Xiao Luohan opened the package of sanitary pads that came with the phone in front of Shizhu, and the two women, with a considerable age gap between them, studied its usage with interest.
“Shizhu, you can also use this when you have your period…”
“No, no! This is a gift from the ghost or spirit to Your Highness. I can’t—”
“But in the ghost or spirit’s world, everyone uses this, from young girls of eleven or twelve to elderly women in their fifties and sixties.” Xiao Luohan recalled Jiang Xue’s words, then added her own thoughts. “We are both women, and now we depend on each other. There’s no reason why you can’t use something gifted by the ghost or spirit.”
Jiang Xue knew that she and Shizhu were close. These words were both an indirect expression of gratitude and a way to make things easier for Shizhu.
Shizhu felt more than once that this princess didn’t have the airs of a princess at all.
Social status didn’t seem to matter much to her. Shizhu had only heard that it was only royalty in distress who acted this way, which showed how much hardship Princess Zhuìyù must have endured since childhood.
So she repeatedly expressed her gratitude, “I will definitely live up to Your Highness’s kindness!”
Princess Zhuìyù didn’t keep track of these small acts of kindness, but Shizhu would remember them for the rest of her life.
Jiang Xue had also mentioned in the precautions that some people might experience allergic reactions to sanitary pads. If that happened, Xiao Luohan should tell her, and she would send a different brand.
After changing into clean underwear and applying a sanitary pad, Xiao Luohan worried about an allergic reaction, her attention constantly drawn to it.
She didn’t know if the ibuprofen had a sedative side effect or if her body simply needed rest, but as she focused on it, she unconsciously drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up, it was already dusk.
She was annoyed that she had slept so soundly that she hadn’t even had a glimpse of a dream.
Jiang Xue sent another bowl of beef noodles to Xiao Luohan that evening, even adding extra meat.
She deserved good food during her period! She should eat more meat! Eat a warm meal and sleep well!
After sending the noodles, she asked Xie Xitong to watch the diary while she rushed to the supermarket downstairs and bought several brands of sanitary pads, day and night use, and also grabbed two large bags of brown sugar ginger date tea.
When she returned to their usual corner in the third-floor restaurant, Xie Xitong was still there, slowly eating her noodles. The empty bowl hadn’t been returned yet.
“You bought so much?” Xie Xitong asked, her cheeks puffed out. “Why not wait for her to finish and ask for more?”
“That’s too inconvenient.”
“But you could chat a little more,” Xie Xitong swallowed her food. “And you said it yourself, sending too much at once is a burden for the Third Princess.”
“This is different!” Jiang Xue argued, making up excuses with a straight face. “Look, there are so many brands of sanitary pads. How can she know which one she likes best without trying them all?”
“Just think of it as me sending her candy. Of course, I can send many different kinds of candy at once! Chocolate and milk candy are not the same, are they?”
“Okay.” Xie Xitong didn’t argue with her flawed logic. After finishing her soup, she suddenly asked, “Has there been any exciting progress between you two recently?”
If anyone else asked about progress, Jiang Xue would answer truthfully according to the actual situation, but when her friend asked, it usually meant gossip—it was always like this during their casual chats.
“She’s my transtemporal pen pal,” she emphasized seriously. “We’re not dating.”
“Who asked about that?” Her friend looked innocent. “I mean, have you opened up to each other more? Especially the Third Princess.”
Her expression puzzled Jiang Xue. Her intuition and understanding of her friend told her that her interpretation of “progress” wasn’t wrong.
“I think so.” To be cautious, Jiang Xue continued the serious topic. “During lunch break, I took her to the gardening club’s glass room, talked to her, and listened to her thoughts.”
She paused and clutched the plastic bag containing the sanitary pads. “She said… she has no future there.”
Actually, the process of reaching this conclusion had been roundabout, and she had brought it up first, then the Third Princess confirmed it.
“That’s true,” Xie Xitong nodded. “Over there, escaping is very difficult. Other than that, she can only try to please the noble ladies of the Daying royal family, and powerful women like the Empress and Empress Dowager.”
“But, not to mention how suffocating the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship can be in ancient times, and how ‘unqualified’ a princess from a defeated nation is to be the Crown Princess, if the Empress and Empress Dowager could actually help, you wouldn’t have had to travel through time and space to save her that day.”
“For now, it seems only the Emperor of Daying can restrain that dog of a Crown Prince. But you should know better than me, right? What price a woman has to pay to gain the favor of an emperor.”
Even though Xie Xitong hadn’t explicitly said it, Jiang Xue shuddered.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already made a promise to her,” she said, feigning confidence. “We’ll figure out how to travel through time and space and try to bring her here before… anyway, as soon as possible.”
“Before what?” Xie Xitong caught the key word.
“She’s a princess sent for marriage, waiting to be wed.” Jiang Xue didn’t want to elaborate, only emphasizing Xiao Luohan’s status.
With that, both fell silent.
The awkwardness was broken by the appearance of the empty bowl.
Before sending the noodles this time, Jiang Xue had specifically reminded Xiao Luohan not to wash the bowl, otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to explain it to the owner. Xiao Luohan obediently followed her instructions, only carefully wiping the area that had been in contact with the diary and placing a small handkerchief underneath.
“I’ll return it!” Xie Xitong volunteered. After returning the bowl, she lingered in the shop, playing with the dairy cow cat, creating space for Jiang Xue to talk to the Third Princess alone.
After greeting Xiao Luohan, Jiang Xue, with a serious expression, placed the packages of sanitary pads on the diary, one after another, watching them disappear and travel to another time and space.
Even if they had planned for the future, for now, let alone whether the disappearance of a princess sent for marriage would become the trigger for another war between Daying and Beiliao, the Third Princess was a loyal and righteous person. If she left, what would happen to Shizhu?
But if their hypotheses and speculations were correct, only Xiao Luohan should be able to cross over—the connection between the two worlds probably only existed between them; no one else had such a privilege.
As for the diary transportation…
Actually, she had already secretly tried it, leaving a note and feeling apprehensive about “what if I can’t come back,” without telling her older sister or Xie Xitong.
She could indeed stand on the open diary, but after stepping onto it wearing shoe covers, she wasn’t transported like an object.
She had thought it was because there wasn’t enough time, so she waited patiently for half an hour, but nothing happened. She took off the shoe covers, tried using thick paper towels to cover her feet, but it still didn’t work. Even the paper towels didn’t go through.
Perhaps the diary could only transport plants.
Then she could only pin her hopes on the dreams. Only when they were dreaming could they travel to each other’s worlds.
But neither she nor the Third Princess had any ideas about how to help Shizhu.
In her world’s terms, “this question is beyond the scope of the syllabus”—they hadn’t had much contact with society. Probably only a “working adult” like her older sister could give Shizhu advice.
When Jiang Xue came back to her senses, only a small portion of the sanitary pads remained.
On the other side of the diary, Xiao Luohan curiously arranged the packages in a row after sorting them by category, comparing their differences.
She could now recognize Arabic numerals and common letter abbreviations, but she had no reference for the specific values of “centimeters” and “meters.” After some thought, she took out the first package and used its values as a reference.
【How is it? Are they comfortable?】 Jiang Xue asked.
【A little uncomfortable at first, but they’re soft and convenient. I can just discard them after use, without Shizhu having to wash them.】
After writing this, she thought for a moment and added: 【Like the air conditioner, sanitary pads are also one of “mankind’s greatest inventions.”】
This was her first period, and also a more fortunate experience than other girls had.
She was weak and had been exposed to the cold, but the ibuprofen alleviated the abdominal pain that Shizhu was most worried about, leaving only fatigue, which could be recovered with rest. There was no need to hurriedly prepare menstrual cloths, as sanitary pads were much cleaner and more convenient. She had eaten ramen with lots of beef for dinner, and now Jiang Xue had sent her two large bags of brown sugar ginger date tea that only needed to be brewed…
She owed Jiang Xue so much. Repaying her with drawings and heartfelt words wasn’t nearly enough, was it?
While resting in bed, Xiao Luohan began to seriously consider how she could “repay her kindness” through dreams.
She thought for a long time, and finally, looking at the “Shiba Inu” plush toy beside her pillow, thought of Jiang Xue transforming into the large white cat.
The soft and warm creature, snuggling close to her, its pink paw pads small and cute, she had loved it so much, wishing she could keep the cat by her side.
“Can I also turn into a cat?”
Before her consciousness drifted off, Xiao Luohan couldn’t help but wonder.
What kind of cat did Jiang Xue like the most?
It seemed to be called… a “Ragdoll”…?
As Jiang Xue was packing her bag after evening self-study, she caught a glimpse of white in the corner of her eye.
She paused, surprised, and looked down.
A beautiful Ragdoll cat was sitting quietly not far from her, its fur fluffy and clean, looking up at her.
Its eyes were like sapphires, precious and lively. Just being gazed at by it made Jiang Xue’s heart melt.
“Oh my! Where did you come from, little cutie?~” Jiang Xue immediately squatted down and picked up the Ragdoll cat, her voice becoming high-pitched and sweet. “How did you get lost here? Where’s your owner?”
The Ragdoll cat meowed softly and nuzzled against her.
“What are you doing, A-Xue?” Xie Xitong, who had been waiting by the back door of the classroom, poked her head in and asked.
“I’ve been ‘claimed’ by a little cutie.” Jiang Xue showed her the Ragdoll cat in her arms. “It’s strange, so late at night, how did a Ragdoll cat wander into our classroom?”
Xie Xitong took a long look at the “cat.” “…That’s true, it’s so late, we can’t let it sleep in the classroom. Why don’t you take it back with you and bring it back tomorrow morning to see if anyone claims it? Xixi is very possessive and will fight if I take it home.”
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