Since Lin Yiren made the decision to post online, several more weeks passed, and it was already the end of May.
On Sunday morning, Lin Yiren carried breakfast in one hand and opened the villa’s front door.
“Mommy!” As soon as the door opened, a little dumpling dressed in red and green wobbled out to greet her.
“Be careful now.” Lin Yiren turned sideways to take off her canvas shoes, revealing her small feet wrapped in white ankle socks. She patted Xing Yao’s head and set the breakfast down in the dining room.
Xing Yao followed closely behind her mother from the dining room into the living room.
Chen Zhaoyue was sitting on the sofa looking at her computer. When they approached, she lifted her face from the screen, looked at the girl in a knee-length skirt and white t-shirt bathed in the early morning light, and the little girl clinging by her side, and said with a smile, “Our daughter really likes it when you wear skirts.”
Wearing women’s clothes—once you do it once, you’ll do it countless times. Ever since then, she would occasionally send clothes to Lin Yiren. Although she still didn’t pay much attention to dressing up, the frequency of her wearing skirts was gradually increasing.
“Let’s eat.” Lin Yiren didn’t want to respond, so she picked up Xing Yao and headed for the dining room. Miss Chen’s graduation thesis had already been submitted in May, so now she spent more time at home.
Chen Zhaoyue closed her laptop and came to the dining room. Seeing Lin Yiren feeding Xing Yao, she buried herself in her own meal.
Before, her parents often stayed over at her place, and they’d all have breakfast together. Although she wasn’t stiff about it, she still ate gracefully. This time, though, she ate with gusto.
“It’s about time to take Xing Yao to that ‘Qinzi Hall’ for a look.” Chen Zhaoyue swallowed a mouthful of porridge and said.
“Mm.” Lin Yiren put a spoonful of food into Xing Yao’s little mouth. She’d also been in touch with Sister Deng Min lately, discussing taking Xing Yao over, and had mentioned her plans to write a novel, hoping for some advice.
She hadn’t told Miss Chen about her desire to write yet. Looking up at the elegant young lady slurping her porridge, Lin Yiren felt an odd urge to surprise Chen Zhaoyue only when she had some results.
When Chen Zhaoyue looked up, Lin Yiren averted her gaze, raising her hand to gently wipe away a grain of rice at the corner of Xing Yao’s mouth.
***
At noon, after coaxing Lin Xing Yao to sleep, Lin Yiren was just about to take a nap herself when she suddenly felt a strange sensation in her lower abdomen.
Did she eat something wrong at lunch? She changed into a light sleepwear, lay on her side and pulled the blanket over herself, rubbing her lower belly through the cover with one hand.
She tried to sleep, but the feeling in her abdomen became more pronounced, a sensation of heaviness making her delicate brows knit together.
It felt different from her usual stomachaches. The room had the air conditioner on for coolness, but now it made her feel a bit chilly.
Lin Yiren’s expression suddenly changed, and her hand froze mid-rub on her stomach. She felt something flowing out, causing her pajamas to stick to her smooth skin.
Could it be! A flush of heat rushed to her cheeks. She thought her period might be coming, but when it really arrived, it still caught her off guard.
She hadn’t bought any sanitary pads. Lin Yiren frowned in distress, creeping off the bed. Enduring the discomfort in her belly and the warm, spreading feeling of blood down her thighs, she walked toward another room.
***
“Knock, knock knock.” A soft knocking at the door.
“It’s not locked.”
Click—the door opened, and Chen Zhaoyue looked up to see the girl in pajamas standing at the door, one hand covering her backside, her fair skin tinged with blush, like blooming crabapple flowers.
“What’s wrong?” Chen Zhaoyue felt a strange tickle in her heart as she looked at Lin Yiren, not sure why.
“Do you have… sanitary pads?” Lin Yiren asked in a small voice.
“What?”
“Sanitary pads.” She had to raise her voice.
“Oh, I have some.” So her period had started—this was a part of every woman’s life, after all. Chen Zhaoyue didn’t joke around, knowing Lin Yiren probably wasn’t feeling well at the moment.
She fetched a pack and said, “Sanitary pads can feel sticky in the summer, so I’m used to using tampons.”
“What are tampons?” Lin Yiren was a little confused.
“I’ll show you how to use them, it’s easy.” As Chen Zhaoyue walked up, her gaze fell on Lin Yiren—and was suddenly caught by a particular spot.
Summer sleepwear was thin, and Lin Yiren had the habit of sleeping without a bra. Now, the front of her pajamas was gently arched, two faint bumps visible beneath.
A rush of heat exploded from Miss Chen’s ears, spreading instantly across her whole face. Even as a fellow woman, she couldn’t help but praise, “big and beautiful.”
Seeing the other suddenly freeze, Lin Yiren took a step forward to take the bag.
She opened it, just about to take one out, when a hand reached over and picked one up.
Chen Zhaoyue suppressed her restlessness and said, “This is the applicator type. It’s not so easy for beginners—I’ll show you.”
She demonstrated how to use it and explained the key points.
Lin Yiren thanked her and, tampon in hand, walked to the bathroom. Just as she was about to close the door, a hand stopped her.
She watched as Miss Chen, with a straight face, came in and leaned against the wall, looking at the window. “Just in case something happens, I’ll wait here. Don’t worry, I won’t look.”
***
Lin Yiren suddenly recalled the feeling from her boyhood, when she needed to pee and someone else came in to share the urinals.
But Chen Zhaoyue was doing this out of kindness… probably.
Turning her back to Miss Chen, Lin Yiren gently pulled her pants down to her knees, then tried to use the method Miss Chen had just taught her to insert the tampon.
But she really didn’t know the anatomy well enough, and with someone behind her, she grew even more nervous, so she couldn’t get it right after several tries.
Time dragged on, and the clean bathroom took on an oddly sticky atmosphere.
Chen Zhaoyue sneaked a glance at the slim figure in her peripheral vision, Lin Yiren’s hand hidden at her knees, her movements clumsy.
She knew periods were a bother and should only feel concern for Lin Yiren, but a secret desire grew in her heart.
She felt a bit feverish, but managed to look back at the greenery outside the window.
Lin Yiren finally got the tampon in place and quickly pulled her pants back up.
“Thank you.” With her hand against her pants, her mind felt like it was melting from embarrassment, but she still expressed her thanks to Miss Chen.
“Mm.” Chen Zhaoyue replied in a businesslike tone and left.
Back in her own room, Chen Zhaoyue lay on her back on the bed, staring at her hands in a daze.
Was she being too attentive? Why did she even go in there?
Lost in thought, Chen Zhaoyue stared at the ceiling, unable to figure it out.
She rolled over and buried her face in her pillow.
***
After changing into a tampon, the bleeding was effectively absorbed, and everything felt fresh and clean.
Lin Yiren held a cup of brown sugar water—brewed by Miss Chen for her.
Do girls help each other like this? Maybe it was normal, but when Miss Chen looked at her, she could feel…
Women really are scary! She buried her blushing face in her cup.
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