Where Did You Get This?!
After a good night’s sleep, Qin Shi woke up feeling refreshed, with even the discomfort from her period gone. However, her good mood didn’t last long. As she got out of bed and stood up, she suddenly froze.
With a dark expression, she grabbed a roll of toilet paper and slowly made her way to the toilet in the corner of the Lu family courtyard.
In the 1980s, everything was rationed, including sanitary napkins, which were a luxury many people in rural areas had never even heard of. When her period had started a couple of days ago, Qin Shi had been in despair. She didn’t use the original owner’s menstrual cloth but instead found some fabric to quickly sew new pads, lining them with precious toilet paper.
Toilet paper was expensive, and if the villagers knew she was using it for this purpose, they would call her wasteful. After all, many people still used ash and other rudimentary methods.
Qin Shi felt her scalp tingle at the thought but was grateful the original owner had left a roll of toilet paper in the cabinet; otherwise, she might have gone crazy. On the bright side, unlike in her previous life where she suffered severe pain during her periods, the original owner’s period was relatively painless, though slightly irregular, which was a huge relief for Qin Shi.
After using the toilet, Qin Shi ran into Lu’s mother, who immediately called out to her, “Dear, the hot water and breakfast are ready. Come wash your face and eat.”
Qin Shi responded and hurried back to her room to put her things away before going to wash up.
Breakfast was red sugar water with boiled eggs. Lu’s mother had given her a bowl with four eggs, making Qin Shi feel overwhelmed, “This is too much; I can’t finish it.”
Lu’s mother feigned anger, “You have to eat it all, even if you can’t finish it! It’s good for you, and it’ll warm you up.”
Qin Shi paused, noticing the warm smile in Lu’s mother’s eyes, and felt a sudden warmth in her heart.
Just now, when she was heading to the toilet, Lu’s mother had probably noticed the roll of toilet paper in her hand and figured out that she had her period, which explained the special breakfast.
In her previous life and even in this life, Qin Shi’s biological parents had been unreliable, but now, she was experiencing genuine familial care from Lu’s mother.
Without further argument, Qin Shi started eating with determination. She could taste a bit of a strange flavour in the sugar, likely because it had been stored for a while, but she found it sweet and comforting nonetheless.
After finishing three eggs, Qin Shi felt she couldn’t eat any more. However, thinking of Lu’s mother’s care and effort, she gritted her teeth and ate the last egg.
After breakfast, Lu’s mother wore a satisfied smile.
Lu’s mother: “This child has a good appetite, a sign of good fortune!”
Qin Shi: “This is the best and fullest meal I’ve had since I travelled here.”
With breakfast finished, Lu’s mother busied herself, even though there wasn’t much to prepare. She bustled around, getting food and supplies ready for Qin Shi and Lu Zetian’s journey.
In her past life, Qin Shi often lived alone as her parents were abroad, and she had caretakers to prepare her things. She had never seen such a lively, bustling scene. Watching Lu’s mother directing Lu Zetian with a smile, Qin Shi couldn’t help but feel a fondness for this familial atmosphere.
As they prepared to leave, Lu’s mother suddenly pulled Lu Zetian into the house, whispering something to him. When they came out, their eyes met briefly.
Qin Shi: “What was that about?”
Lu Zetian didn’t respond, simply shaking his head to indicate it was nothing. He took her bundle from her, “I’ll carry this.”
There wasn’t much luggage, just two bundles. With his strength, Lu Zetian easily carried both, and Qin Shi was happy to let him do so without any pretence.
Qin Shi: “Thank you.”
Lu Zetian: “No problem.”
He carried the bundles out and placed them on the waiting ox cart. As Qin Shi followed with her shoulder bag, she noticed Lu Zetian’s ears were quite red. She looked up at the bright sun, thinking that his ears must be sensitive to sunlight.
Qin Shi: “His ears turn red so easily in the sun.”
The ox cart, rented by Lu’s father, was not usually available as the ox was needed for fieldwork. Qin Shi and Lu Zetian climbed onto the cart and waved to his parents, who stood there reluctantly.
“Mom, Dad, you can go back now. I’ll write to you once we arrive.”
“Alright, be careful on the way! Make sure to take good care of Er Ni, you hear?” Mother Lu wiped her tears, knowing that it might be years before she sees her second son again because of his busy schedule.
“I know, don’t worry.” Lu Zetian responded.
“Mom, Dad, take care of yourselves. When I have time, I’ll bring the kids back to visit you.” Qin Shi said to them.
“Alright, alright, go on.” Mother Lu was very happy to hear this from Qin Shi. Whether it was true or not, the fact that Qin Shi said it made the Lu parents happy.
As the ox cart drove away, Qin Shi looked back and saw them still standing in the middle of the road, watching. She felt a sudden wave of sadness. She glanced at Lu Zetian, who had just turned his head as well, and felt a twinge of envy that he had such loving parents.
Lu Zetian noticed something was off with her and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Qin Shi replied, “Nothing.” She was just feeling a bit of envy.
Lu Zetian wasn’t a talkative person, and Qin Shi was also feeling a bit uncomfortable. With other people around, they couldn’t have a private conversation, so they both remained mostly silent and rested with their eyes closed.
Upon reaching the town, Lu Zetian found a bus, put their luggage on it, and asked Qin Shi to get on first while he went to take care of some business, promising to return soon.
Qin Shi, feeling a bit of discomfort in her stomach, nodded and found a seat.
Half an hour passed, and the bus was about to leave, but Lu Zetian hadn’t returned yet. If it weren’t for his military uniform and his prior request to the driver to wait, the driver would have left already.
Another five minutes went by, and just as Qin Shi was getting worried, Lu Zetian returned. He thanked the driver and came to Qin Shi’s side.
Seeing sweat on his forehead, Qin Shi knew he had run back. Without saying anything, she opened her bag, tore off a small piece of tissue, and handed it to him.
“Here, wipe your sweat.”
Lu Zetian took it and thanked her.
“From now on, we don’t need to say thank you, it’s too formal,” Qin Shi explained in a low voice. “It’s not good for the kids to hear.”
Lu Zetian nodded, “Okay.”
As the bus started and left the town, the ride became bumpy. Qin Shi felt carsick and leaned back in her seat, her face pale.
Lu Zetian reached over and opened the window, letting the wind blow in, which made Qin Shi feel a bit better. However, not long after, the person behind her, who was holding a child, asked her to close the window.
The child was only one year old, and since it was almost autumn, the wind was a bit cold. They were worried the child might get sick from the draft.
Qin Shi glanced at the child in the person’s arms and had to close the window.
Lu Zetian took out a thermos, unscrewed it, and handed it to her. Qin Shi, ignoring her usual cleanliness, took the cup and drank, feeling a bit better in her stomach.
It was strange. The first two days of her period didn’t hurt at all, but now on the third day, she was feeling uncomfortable. Qin Shi searched her memory and realized it had always been like this. She hadn’t noticed it before and felt a bit helpless.
After more than two hours of bumping along, people on the bus began taking out their food, filling the bus with all kinds of smells, which nearly made Qin Shi pass out.
Lu Zetian took out the buns that Mother Lu had specially packed and asked, “Do you want to eat something?”
Qin Shi shook her head, “You eat. I don’t have an appetite.”
Knowing she was carsick, Lu Zetian put the buns away and took out a can of fruit from his bag. He opened it and handed it to Qin Shi. “Here, to change the taste in your mouth.”
Qin Shi took the can and drank a sip. The overly sweet taste of low-quality saccharin filled her mouth, suppressing her nausea but making her feel even worse.
So Qin Shi only took one sip before handing the can back to Lu Zetian. He didn’t say anything, just screwed the lid back on and put the can away. He then took the bag of buns from his lap and got up, heading to the front of the bus.
Qin Shi wanted to see what he was doing, but she didn’t have the energy. She just waited for him to come back.
Soon, Lu Zetian returned, carrying the bag of buns and two oranges.
“I saw him with a bag of oranges when I got on the bus, so I traded two buns for these,” Lu Zetian said, handing the oranges to Qin Shi.
Qin Shi took the oranges, a bit surprised. She looked at Lu Zetian, who had started eating his buns again as if he had done something trivial and expected.
Qin Shi peeled one of the oranges. The tangy and sweet scent made her feel a bit better. She broke the orange in half and offered half to Lu Zetian. When he shook his head to refuse, she couldn’t help but think about how this small act revealed his good upbringing and character.
She felt like she had lucked out. She hadn’t expected much when she agreed to marry him, but it turned out he wasn’t bad at all.
“If the father is like this, the children can’t be too bad,” Qin Shi thought. “Even if Lu Zetian is busy, there’s still his mom to take care of and educate them.”
Mrs. Lu could teach Lu Zetian to be like this, so the child she raised for several years is probably also not bad.
Qin Shi felt slightly relieved and began to ponder how to approach the first meeting with the child. The first impression is very important.
Before she could think for long, Qin Shi suddenly smelled an extremely foul odour, a strong smell of tea eggs. With her sensitive nose, Qin Shi immediately gagged and almost lost her composure.
The person who had farted in front of her heard Qin Shi’s gagging but showed no embarrassment. Instead, he turned his head to glance at Qin Shi and muttered, “Women are so delicate…”
Qin Shi covered her nose and mouth, marvelling at how thick-skinned this person was.
Beside her, Lu Zetian looked at her expression and suddenly smirked. It was the first time he had seen her display such a vivid expression, given her usually calm and composed demeanour.
Thus, in the midst of sweat, the foul smell of tea egg farts, and strange pickled vegetable odours, Qin Shi endured over two hours before they finally arrived in the county.
After getting off the vehicle, Qin Shi was so moved by the fresh air that she almost cried.
She couldn’t imagine how much worse it would have been if she had chosen the 1960s or 1970s, given how terrible the 1980s already seemed.
There were still three hours before the train arrived, so Lu Zetian took Qin Shi to a state-run restaurant. Qin Shi struggled to eat half a bowl of sour soup noodles, which made her feel a bit better.
Lu Zetian took her leftover half bowl and started eating, causing Qin Shi to widen her eyes, but she quickly returned to normal.
He was a soldier, and in this era, it was certain that he wouldn’t waste food. No need to overthink it, just normal!
After eating, Lu Zetian took Qin Shi to the supply and marketing cooperative. “My mom asked me to buy you two sets of clothes and shoes. If you need anything else, let’s get it too.”
Qin Shi nodded and didn’t hold back at all, considering it an advance on her salary.
Just as Qin Shi was about to enter the cooperative, Lu Zetian suddenly called out to her, took two tickets from his pocket, and handed them to her. “Here… take these.”
Qin Shi took a look and was surprised to see the words “Sanitary Napkin Ticket” on them. “Where did you get these?!”
When she looked up, she noticed that Lu Zetian’s earlobes were bright red.
Qin Shi was stunned.
Leave a Reply