Chapter 29: Blood

The path by the river was in the middle of nowhere — there were no villages, no stores — it was pitch-black. Liu Tao was so worried that tears were almost falling.
“Su Niannian, don’t scare me! What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”
Su Niannian’s face was deathly pale as she bit her lower lip. “It’s… it’s my stomach…”

“Should I carry you?!”
“…?”
“Would you let me break my back?”
“All right… wait here. I’ll go back to the farm and get help.”
With that, Liu Tao turned and rushed off, quickly disappearing into the night.

In the silence, only the sound of the wind whistling through the trees remained. To avoid bumping into the group of men who had left previously, Su Niannian held her stomach and, as the pain slowly eased, slipped into the nearby grass. Just as she was about to move further in, a ray of light suddenly appeared in the distance — it was a flashlight. At this time, only soldiers had flashlights. Su Niannian reflexively raised her hand. “Comrade, could you please help me?”

Gu Zhiye was walking down the country path, his piercing gaze scanning the darkness and his ears attentive to his surroundings. When that weak “Comrade” drifted toward him, he immediately quickened his pace. In a few steps, he reached the spot where Su Niannian was hiding. The first thing he saw was his little wife’s red, teary eyes — a look that made her hold her breath in disbelief. “Gu Zhiye… why are you here?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he knelt down to support her by the shoulders. “Did you sprain your ankle? Or is something else the matter?”
“My stomach hurts.”

The moment he heard that, Gu Zhiye slipped his arm under her knees and around her back, lifting her up in his arms. The feeling of suddenly being off the ground made Su Niannian let out a small cry, then she covered her mouth. In the dimness, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, his expression hidden by shadow — yet his tense muscles revealed a rush of nervousness.

Su Niannian was suddenly nervous and didn’t even dare to reach out to hold his warm chest. She whispered, “You still haven’t answered my question.”
The girl was light as a feather — much thinner after a month’s weight loss. Gu Zhiye was not pleased. His expression grew heavy, and in a brief, decisive tone, he said, “To pick someone up.”

Su Niannian glared at him, reluctantly aggressive: “Didn’t we agree to keep our relationship a secret? Why are you openly… … Gu Zhiye, I’m not going to thank you! Who told you to come all the way from the northwest just to… …”
Before she finished, a deep laugh rumbled in his chest, sending a rush up to Su Niannian’s ears. His piercing eyes glimmered warmly in the dark, and his voice was gravel-like yet gentle: “I missed you.”

All fell silent except for their heartbeats and the distant, bustling voice of Liu Tao. Su Niannian tightened her grip on Gu Zhiye’s arm in a moment of panic. “Put me down, quickly!”
Before they knew it, the two had already left the path by the river. Perhaps distracted by their moment together, the pain in Su Niannian’s stomach had gone away. She reluctantly stood up while Gu Zhiye kept a steady hand under her arm. The faint redness creeping up her cheeks was concealed by the night.

Yang Laoshi and Liu Tao came hurriedly, pushing a small handcart. They were momentarily taken aback upon seeing the two, but Yang Laoshi recovered first and called out, “Captain Gu, why are you here?”
Gu Zhiye casually let go of Su Niannian. “The political commissar asked me to come and pick up Mr. Xie. While I was passing by the river, I stumbled upon the young comrade from your troupe. She… seemed unwell.”

Su Niannian, just about to get up into the handcart, fell silent. So… he hadn’t come for her after all! So embarrassing! She exchanged glances with Liu Tao, who rushed forward, much faster with the handcart.

When Su Niannian went back to her room to get some money to see a doctor, she noticed a red spot on her underpants — it was that time of the month. Liu Tao was still urging her outside, but Su Niannian blushed and said quietly, “Tao Zi, there’s no need to see a doctor.”
“What? You shouldn’t ignore your health just because you’re ashamed.”
“No, really… I’m just on my period.”

Liu Tao rushed back in immediately upon hearing this, glancing at Su Niannian retrieving her sanitary pad. “Tsk, tsk… When I see you, I think… it’s a blessing for your future husband.”

Su Niannian paused briefly and turned away, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“That’s not nonsense! Last time I ate ice cream, my period disappeared for months afterwards… We girls are delicate. Let me go and get you some brown sugar.”

Feeling responsible, Liu Tao drew back the curtain and rushed out.
She then bump into Gu Zhiye on the path.
He casually asked why Su Niannian hadn’t gone to see a doctor.
Liu Tao was really embarrassed — these were girls’ private matters — but under his piercing stare, she decided to be frank. “No, there’s nothing… it’s just… women’s issues.”
“Clearly, her stomach is hurting.” Gu Zhiye furrowed his brows, worried he might need to step in.
Liu Tao sighed and said quietly, “It’s a girls’ thing — all she needs is brown sugar and warm water, Captain Gu… Do you understand?”
“…” Gu Zhiye fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

The farm’s poverty opened Liu Tao’s eyes yet again — there was not even brown sugar there. Just when she was dejectedly turning back, she saw Su Niannian smiling warmly, cup in hand. “Yang Laoshi brought me brown sugar and warm water. She’s really kind.”

Liu Tao dutifully filled a basin with warm water for Su Niannian to soak her feet. The following morning, when Su Niannian went to change her sanitary pad, it was spotless — just as Liu Tao had said. So… was it really true that poor health messed up periods?
She furrowed her brows and made up her mind that when they got back to the northwest, she’d need to see a doctor.
She couldn’t let her already irregular periods worsen.
Just as she finished tying up her pants, a commotion suddenly rose outside — a mess, a riot —
and faintly, Su Zhaodi’s crying could be heard.