Chapter 12: The First Meeting

It wasn’t that Wen Jiajia deliberately brushed her off earlier; she really wasn’t feeling well.

She always felt uncomfortable and panicked, like holding back an evil fire, with itchy hands wanting to scold people, and easily exploding.

Seeing that the stubborn chicken wouldn’t go into the nest, she almost couldn’t help but raise a knife to kill the chicken.

By evening, she knew why.

The obvious heat flow from her lower body and the long-lost menstrual pain made her realize that this wasn’t her original body.

Damn!

Wen Jiajia covered her stomach and wanted to curse her mother, desperately searching for a menstrual belt.

While searching and recalling, she remembered that the original owner was often exposed to ice water, and the menstrual cramps were quite serious. After going into the river yesterday, it will only get worse this month.

It was late at night, and the two girls, snuggled up to each other, were already asleep.

The noise didn’t wake them up. Wen Jiajia rummaged through the room and didn’t find the menstrual belt. Thinking it over, she opened the door and went upstairs to the room of the second sister, Wen.

Unfortunately, the second sister’s room didn’t have anything. Wen Jiajia broke into a cold sweat and curled up in pain on the staircase, almost unable to come down.

She regretted it.

She had used up today’s synthesis opportunity. Why did she only think about synthesizing iron products and not try synthesizing cotton? Maybe she could have even gotten sanitary napkins.

There wasn’t even a piece of straw paper at home, so in desperation, she took a piece of her own underwear, cut the clothes into strips with pain, and then sewed them into the shape of menstrual belts.

Wen Jiajia didn’t care about cooking and disinfecting it. She was in so much pain that she almost rolled on the bed. Her fragile mood skyrocketed with world-weary thoughts, and when she woke up the next day, her pillow was still wet.

She didn’t know if it was soaked with tears or cold sweat. She couldn’t wait to go to the commune to buy menstrual bands and then go to the health center for medicine; otherwise, she would kill herself sooner or later!

There was brown sugar at home, and Wen Jiajia made herself a cup of thick brown sugar egg soup.

The two girls drank the same thing. They seemed to feel the low pressure around Wen Jiajia and were silent all morning. Until Chen Ailai picked them up to take them to school, they still turned back every three steps, unsure if they were afraid that Wen Jiajia would run away or die.

“What’s wrong with Auntie?” Wen Xuan frowned, her little face worried. Recently, she had gradually regained her liveliness, only to become quiet again.

Wen Chun squatted by the door, looking in the direction of their home, shaking his head with teary eyes.

Wen Jiajia asked Aunt Zhang next door to help her ask for leave. Her stomach wasn’t as uncomfortable now, so she needed to buy it quickly.

Zhang Xiuli said, “What’s the need for leave? Only during the autumn harvest are we forced to work; it doesn’t matter if you don’t go today. The leader of your group, Fang Duotian, has the sharpest eyes and the most complaints! He checks everyone every day and knows who hasn’t gone.”

After speaking, she was still unhappy.

Seeing that Zhang Xiuli wanted to continue complaining about Fang Duotian, Wen Jiajia hurriedly excused herself and smiled, “Auntie, I really have something to do. I’ll talk to you when I get back.”

“… Ay! Okay, we’ll talk when we have time.”

Wen Jiajia wanted to run but couldn’t.

She walked out of the door with stiff steps, moving briskly towards the commune. What usually took over ten minutes feels extremely long now.

People passed by on the road, heading to work. Wen Jiajia’s strained face and cold aura made few people dare talk to her.

Fortunately, she quickly walked out of the Fuyang Brigade’s range, and by the time she entered the commune, she was frosty, and her hurried look attracted much attention.

“Isn’t that the girl from the Wen family?”

“Yes, that’s her.”

“Is something happening again? She looks more anxious than if her house were on fire.”

“Who knows.”

Everyone watched, and after seeing that Jiajia rushed to the supply and marketing cooperative, they couldn’t help but wonder if the supply and marketing cooperative was expecting something special today. Otherwise, why would she be in such a hurry?

The commune supply and marketing cooperative was very small. Although called a cooperative, it was actually similar to village commissaries from decades later.

The area was small, and there were few items for sale.

When she entered, she found that most of the kitchen seasonings, like salt and soy sauce, were gone. A quick scan revealed that half of the shelves were empty.

Wen Jiajia had a faint bad premonition in her heart, so she asked the salesperson, “Hello, comrade, do you have menstrual products?”

The salesperson, leaning lazily against the counter, yawned and shook her head, saying, “No! You can only get those at the county supply and marketing cooperative. There are no markets in the countryside.”

“Really?!”

Wen Jiajia looked like the sky was falling, which startled the salesperson a bit.

Wen Jiajia asked again, “What about cotton?” If there was cotton, she could make something herself.

“We don’t have cotton either. Rare items like that are snatched up as soon as they come in, and they don’t last three hours.” The salesperson asked, “Do you really need it?”

Wen Jiajia’s tears were about to flow: “I really need it, really need it.”

The salesperson looked at the door, lowered her voice, and said secretly, “Then I’ll give you one in private.” Then she added, “The price will be half a percent higher, and I can earn a roll of toilet paper.”

Wen Jiajia nodded eagerly, “Okay, but you haven’t used it, right?”

The salesperson flatly denied, “Of course not!”

Wen Jiajia had reason to suspect she had used it.

The salesperson didn’t say much, asking the lady next door to watch the store, then running home herself.

After a while, she came back with a small bag, took out a small box from it, and handed it to Wen Jiajia: “Take it.” The box was red, slightly larger than a cigarette pack from decades later.

She muttered, “I just bought it not long ago, so it’s cheap for you. I won’t charge you menstrual coupons, just six cents.”

Wen Jiajia didn’t hesitate to pay the six cents.

But she also inspected the goods in public, opening the box and pulling out a palm-sized menstrual belt from it.

Wen Jiajia was helpless, “This has obviously been washed.”

The salesperson was confident, “Of course I washed it. Don’t you wash this kind of thing when you buy it?”

Wen Jiajia was speechless. She would indeed wash it.

The salesperson probably hadn’t seen her so wild, grabbed the menstrual belt from her hand, stuffed it back into the box, and whispered, “You can put it away. You don’t want to be caught by the men. I don’t want to be caught either.”

Wen Jiajia tried hard to convince herself that it would be separated by paper anyway, and the obstacles in her heart slowly disappeared.

There was paper in the supply and marketing cooperative, so Wen Jiajia bought a roll and left, heading to the health center.

The commune clinic seemed to have just opened, and Fang Lan was carrying out baskets of herbs to dry.

“Wen Jiajia?” Fang Lan asked suspiciously, “Is something wrong?”

Wen Jiajia walked in, “Yes, Dr. Fang, do you have any painkillers?”

Fang Lan had an expression of “you’re dreaming”: “Painkillers? To tell you the truth, we don’t even have anti-inflammatory drugs at the moment.”

“What about the painkillers?” Wen Jiajia was relentless.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Fang Lan looked at her for a moment: “Where does it hurt?” In fact, painkillers can’t be taken casually; this kind of thing is addictive. Even if you go to the county hospital, the doctor won’t prescribe it casually.”

Wen Jiajia tugged at the corners of her mouth and said, “My menstrual cramps hurt.”

Fang Lan suddenly realized, and then looked calm: “Drink more ginger brown sugar water. If you don’t have brown sugar, ginger egg soup will work. I really can’t help it, but the pain will subside in two days.”

As for eating more pork to increase nutrition, she didn’t mention it. Not touching cold water on weekdays to reduce the cold was also left unsaid. Many diseases stem from poverty.

Wen Jiajia left, feeling depressed.

The brown sugar at home was almost gone, and soon she wouldn’t even have brown sugar water.

When she passed by the supply and marketing cooperative again, the salesperson called out to her: “Comrade.”

Wen Jiajia turned around and asked, “What’s the matter?”

The salesperson said, “The commune will go to the county to pull fertilizer later. Do you want to go to the county with the car?” Only in the county could you buy cotton.

Wen Jiajia nodded hurriedly, “Yes!”

If she could follow the car, she wouldn’t miss the opportunity to get menstrual products these days.

“When does the car leave?” she asked.

Salesperson: “In about half an hour, you have to hurry up and get to the commune entrance.”

Wen Jiajia hurriedly thanked her and rushed home.

After a while, she came to the commune with money and tickets.

Strangely, she didn’t feel a stomachache when she was running around in the morning, but as soon as she sat down, the familiar dull pain rose in her stomach again.

Wen Jiajia was numb, pressing the kettle filled with hot water to her stomach and placing a straw mat under her, which made her feel a little better.

The cart was a tractor, which was faster than a donkey cart but still bumpy. Fortunately, she had wisely brought a straw mat, which was intended to prevent cold and leakage, but also provided some shock absorption.

Wen Jiajia swayed left and right, holding on to the railing. To avoid the wind, she sat behind the driver, hoping he would block some of it, but the black smoke from the exhaust drifted straight to her face.

“Ahem, ahem!” Choking and nauseated, Wen Jiajia almost couldn’t care about her stomachache.

“Do you want to follow along?” Suddenly, the tractor stopped, and the driver shouted at several people who were walking.

“Scholars, what are you transporting?”

“Transporting fertilizer.”

“Wait, can I come back with you?”

“It depends on how much fertilizer we transport, but generally speaking, there’s usually only half a load, so it should be okay.”

The people below the cart climbed up while talking, obviously also heading to the county.

Wen Jiajia seized the opportunity to move to the left near the front, where the black smoke couldn’t reach, and the wind was stronger.

The tractor “rumbled” and restarted, slowly moving forward, gradually picking up speed.

She tucked her coat, and her hair was blown about, tousled by the wind.

I thought I could go directly to the county seat now, but I didn’t know that I would meet someone on the road more than ten minutes later.

The student drivers seemed excited and appeared to speed up a bit.

“Wei Dai!” he shouted.

Wen Jiajia’s eyes were closed, her arms tightly wrapped around the pole, and her forehead leaning against it.

As soon as he shouted, her eyes opened.

This man was familiar.

The person not far away turned around and said with a smile, “Brother Xuemin, are you going to the county seat?”

“Yes!” The student driver seemed happy. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride.”

Wei Dai pulled the pole at the back of the car, pedaled in, and walked straight to the opposite side of Wen Jiajia.

Wen Jiajia retracted her stretched legs and saw the person clearly through her messy hair.

Very tall, at least 1.85 meters.

The average height in the south isn’t comparable to the north, and most people aren’t well-nourished at this time, so there are few tall people. It’s been a few days, and he is the tallest person Wen Jiajia has seen.

His figure is also stronger than the average man at the moment, and his waist is straight when he sits down. Wen Jiajia guessed that he probably spent time in the army.

As for his face, without looking closely, her stomach began to twitch and hurt again. Wen Jiajia just wanted to lie down at the moment; she wasn’t pursuing Hästens anymore, just any straw mattress would do.

Wen Jiajia’s eyes slowly closed. The wind blew hard, and the student driver chatted more and more energetically. He finally sang a song, and she suspected the driver might have diarrhea today.

When they were about to arrive at the county seat, the student driver asked, “Hey Wei Dai, can you stay at home for a few days this time? When will you return to the army?”

Wei Dai glanced at the person opposite and said, “I’ll return to the army at the end of next month. I can stay at home for 40 days.”

“That’s good, you can get married while you’re at it.”

Wei Dai smiled. “What nonsense, it’s far away.”

“Far? It’s not far away. I saw Grandma Tian coming to our commune a few days ago, so you should wait.”

“What, she’s talking about your commune?”

“Yes, Sister Liu Yu said that her grandmother asked her mother to help find a suitable girl.”

Sister Liu Yu… her grandmother… her mother…

Wen Jiajia opened her eyes and remembered where this damn familiarity came from—a life-saving benefactor.