Chapter 76 ☆ Little Lamb (Part 1)

Before Cheng Yaoyao could get up from Xie Zhao’s knees, Xie Fei had already pushed the door open.

The little deer’s eyes widened to the extreme as she watched the intimate scene between Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Zhao. Xie Fei, having been well protected by her grandmother and brother since childhood, didn’t understand the meaning of such intimacy between the two. She just blushed and stammered, “You… you…”

Cheng Yaoyao jumped up from Xie Zhao’s arms as if she had been burned, her cheeks flushed. “No, no, no, it’s not what you think!”

Xie Zhao remained calm and composed. He stood up, comforted the embarrassed Cheng Yaoyao, and said to Xie Fei, “Why didn’t you knock on the door?”

Xie Fei lowered her head, “I… I was so happy I forgot for a moment. I won’t do it again.”

Xie Zhao grunted and said, “What did you want to say to Yaoyao just now?”

Xie Fei, no longer in the mood to discuss the hairpin, replied, “Nothing… nothing. I’m a little sleepy, so I’m going back to my room.”

Xie Fei was interrupted by Xie Zhao and walked away in a daze. Xie Zhao went to the door, closed it, and bolted it.

Turning around, Cheng Yaoyao threw herself on the bed, kicking her legs and yelling, “It’s all your fault! Now Xiaofei has seen us!”

“Blame me,” Xie Zhao said, picking up a book and sitting on the bed. “Don’t worry, Xiao Fei won’t say anything.”

“Of course I know Xiao Fei won’t say anything.” Cheng Yaoyao raised her head angrily, her hair a bit messy and sticking to her cheeks. “But Xiao Fei’s innocent little mind has been tainted by you! And Xiao Fei adores me the most—what will she think of me now…”

Xie Zhao gently straightened Cheng Yaoyao’s hair and said, puzzled, “You’ll be mine sooner or later, so it doesn’t matter if she sees you.”

“…” Cheng Yaoyao pondered this somewhat awkward declaration, suspecting Xie Zhao was just trying to be reassuring, but unfortunately, there was no evidence. She shook her head and said, “That’s different. I’ve been teaching Xiao Fei that men are all unreliable, and told her to protect herself. What right do I have to teach her now?”

“You’re being unreasonable!” Xie Zhao silently reflected on what he might have done to give Cheng Yaoyao such a negative view of men. “Xiao Fei is still young. Why teach her these things? Not all men are…”

“Xiao Fei is different!” Cheng Yaoyao waved his hand away and buried herself in the quilt irritably. “You don’t understand!”

The hero of the original book was extremely handsome, and Xie Fei was immediately captivated by him. Some radical readers even labeled her a ‘green tea bitch’ ^[1]refers to a derogatory term for someone who pretends to be innocent while pursuing their own interests.. However, Xie Fei had a good relationship with the heroine of the original book and had never thought of stealing the man. She was simply a complete ‘face control’ ^[2]refers to someone who judges people primarily by their appearance..

Xie Fei’s own brother was extremely handsome. Later, when he met the male protagonist and the original Cheng Yaoyao, he had very high standards and looked down on all the suitors around him. Later, he was deceived by a scumbag from Beijing.

Although Grandma Xie and Xie Zhao loved Xie Fei, one was elderly and the other a brother, and there were many things they couldn’t say or were not equipped to teach. Hence, Cheng Yaoyao naturally took on the role of love educator.

Cheng Yaoyao thought gloomily, wondering if all her efforts had failed. It was all Xie Zhao’s fault!

He placed his large hand on her head and gently stroked her hair. “You didn’t sleep well last night, did you? You can take an hour-long nap today, and I’ll wake you up to review.”

“Well, you’re so nice!” Cheng Yaoyao smiled sweetly and immediately threw herself into Xie Zhao’s arms.

Xie Fei couldn’t fall asleep. She lay on the bed, staring at the roof beams. The scenes of Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Zhao interacting daily appeared vividly in her mind. She hadn’t thought much of it before, but now Xie Fei suddenly understood the intimate atmosphere between the two.

Xie Fei turned over, her hot cheeks pressing against the bamboo pillow. Sister Yaoyao had always said that one must not be alone with a man, let alone have any physical contact with him. But seeing her brother and Sister Yaoyao together so often, she thought their interactions were very beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

Xie Fei fell asleep in a daze. In her dream, she felt as if she were picking lotus pods in a lotus pond and riding a small boat. Suddenly, the boat capsized and the water flooded over it…

Xie Fei opened her eyes, feeling sweaty all over, and her stomach was a bit bloated and painful. She sat up and saw a bright red patch on the mat.

A scream came from Xie Fei’s room.

_

Xie Fei’s door was closed. Xie Zhao paced back and forth outside the door, his expression impassive. Only his slightly anxious footsteps betrayed his true feelings. He waited for a long time, and when Xie Fei’s crying gradually subsided, he knocked on the door: “Yaoyao?”

Cheng Yaoyao opened the door a crack after a long while. “It’s okay.”

“What happened to Xiao Fei?” Xie Zhao was deeply concerned. He only had one sister, and he loved her dearly. Hearing Xie Fei’s scream earlier had nearly driven him to tear the door down. But Xie Fei just covered herself with the quilt and cried, not wanting him, and insisted that Cheng Yaoyao stay alone with her.

Cheng Yaoyao smiled and said, “It’s not a bad thing.”

Xie Zhao was confused. “What do you mean?”

Cheng Yaoyao pushed him gently. “Hey, don’t ask. Go boil some hot water; Xiao Fei wants to drink it.”

“…” Xie Zhao coughed and understood. Having spent time with Cheng Yaoyao recently, he had some understanding of women’s issues. Cheng Yaoyao’s temper tended to be particularly bad a few days each month, and she couldn’t tolerate cold water during this time.

Cheng Yaoyao closed the door and turned to the back of the cabinet. “Have you changed it? Do you know how to use it?”

“…Okay.” Xie Fei, blushing, awkwardly walked out from behind the cabinet.

Cheng Yaoyao smiled and said, “Come, sit down. It will be a little uncomfortable at first, but it will be fine later.”

Seeing Xie Fei in this state, Cheng Yaoyao understood what had happened. She took out a few brand-new menstrual pads from the box and demonstrated how to use them.

This was Xie Fei’s first time dealing with this, and she was very nervous. Cheng Yaoyao put her arm around Xie Fei’s shoulders and gave her a detailed lesson on menstruation and hygiene.

Menstruation was once considered a secretive and shameful topic. Women would often hang their menstrual pads in secret, and many were unaware of proper menstrual hygiene. Until the 1990s, many women in rural areas still used plant ash as menstrual protection, leading to lifelong gynecological issues due to unsanitary conditions.

Xie Fei was stunned. She hadn’t realized that such a bothersome issue had so many details. Cheng Yaoyao spoke about it openly and naturally, which helped Xie Fei gradually overcome her initial nervousness and embarrassment, paying close attention to Cheng Yaoyao’s instructions.

Cheng Yaoyao solemnly warned, “You’re a real woman now. Whether you’re in a relationship with a boy or not, before you get married, you must never let him bully you, understand?”

“I know.” Xie Fei nodded vigorously. “I won’t get married.”

Xie Fei then asked, “So, you and brother…”

“Well… what we’re doing is wrong. You must not learn from us,” Cheng Yaoyao said quickly.

Xie Fei replied, “I like seeing you two together.”

Cheng Yaoyao’s expression was hard to describe. “Hah?”

Xie Fei blinked her innocent little eyes and said with certainty, “You and brother look very… very good together, and you two will definitely get married, right?”

“Yes, yes, yes.” What else could Cheng Yaoyao say? Xie Fei was obsessed with appearances! Fortunately, Xie Fei was still young and unlikely to encounter that scumbag from Beijing.

When Grandma Xie came back in the evening and heard about this, her wrinkles smoothed out with joy. She said repeatedly, “This is a good thing. I’ll make a bowl of brown sugar and eggs for Xiao Fei to nourish her.”

Cheng Yaoyao said, “I’ve already cooked some for her. There’s still half a bag of brown sugar left from what Xie Zhao brought back last time. How about cooking some brown sugar dumplings with the rest?”

Cheng Yaoyao looked so proud that Grandma Xie couldn’t help laughing and said, “Okay, you’re the hero this time. I’ll make whatever you want to eat. Go talk to Xiao Fei for a while, and I’ll cook!”

Grandma Xie scooped out half a ladle of glutinous rice flour, then another half ladle, mixed it with water, and kneaded it into small balls the size of fingers. She boiled them until they floated, then soaked them in cold well water. She added well water, osmanthus flowers, osmanthus leaves, ginger slices, and brown sugar to a pot, boiling it into a thick soup, then poured in the small balls and sprinkled some dried osmanthus.

_

At night, everyone enjoyed the cool air in the yard, each person holding a bowl of brown sugar dumplings. The white dumplings floated in the amber soup, soft and chewy. The soup was sweet and spicy, with a faint fragrance of osmanthus, making it feel as though they were under an osmanthus tree in golden October.

Days passed, and Xie Zhao’s arm was finally freed from the cast. The doctor who removed the cast smiled and said, “You’ve recovered quite well. Young people are strong and healthy.”

Cheng Yaoyao smiled and said, “Thank you, doctor. Can we go home now?”

The doctor replied, “I still need to check his ribs. Please wait outside.”

Cheng Yaoyao said to Xie Zhao, “An acquaintance of mine is giving birth in the hospital. I’ll go check on her. Don’t cry.”

Xie Zhao’s expression darkened, but he said nothing in the presence of the doctor. Cheng Yaoyao left feeling satisfied.

The hospital was small, and the obstetrics^[3]which is a branch of medicine that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. and gynecology^[4]which is a branch of medicine that focuses on the health of the female reproductive system, including the diagnosis and treatment of disorders. department was upstairs.

When Cheng Yaoyao entered, Liu Xiaoli was holding the baby. Seeing Cheng Yaoyao, she was surprised. “Yaoyao, what are you doing here?”

Cheng Yaoyao smiled and said, “I came to see you. Is this a boy or a girl?”

Liu Xiaoli said, “It’s a boy. His nickname is Wenwen. Come and hold him; you’re his great benefactor.”

Cheng Yaoyao carefully took the baby, and was initially disappointed when she saw him. The baby’s face was red and wrinkled, like a monkey. “Why do you say I’m a great benefactor?”

Liu Xiaoli explained, “Thanks to the ginseng whiskers you gave me, otherwise both me and this child would…”

Liu Xiaoli had a difficult labor and had no strength left, even vomiting the ginseng slices she had tried to eat. Chen Yong remembered the ginseng whiskers Cheng Yaoyao had sent and gave them to his wife as a last effort. Miraculously, Liu Xiaoli became energetic and successfully delivered the baby!