‘Phew, it’s just my period; for a moment, I thought nerve damage had made me lose control and wet the bed…’
It had been several years since she first experienced this physiological phenomenon, and she had long since adapted, unlike those unfortunate souls who had just transmigrated into a female body and would make a fuss.
Having lived in this body since childhood for over a decade, she possessed the fundamental knowledge to cope with such situations.
However, with the recent drastic changes, she hadn’t had the chance to keep tampons with her.
Most of her personal belongings had been left behind in that half-collapsed firing point, buried under dust and occupied by the Lanforthians.
She wondered when they would be able to push back, return to where the story began, and reclaim that trench heavily encircled by barbed wire.
Many of her memories were buried there, memories of her medic senior, of Lieutenant Xia… ah, Lieutenant Xia hadn’t died, had he?
****
“Why is there blood?” Yang Xi, a seasoned veteran, was incredibly sensitive to the color and scent of blood. “Did a wound tear open somewhere?”
“It’s blood, yes, but I’m not injured… This is…”
“Your period?”
“No… no, no, yes.”
The fact that such a word could be uttered so casually by someone like him genuinely surprised Lin Yu. “Since you already know, why would you ask such a foolish question as whether a wound had torn open?”
“You’ve also sustained a gunshot wound and haven’t fully recovered, so I couldn’t definitively conclude the cause of the bleeding.”
“Alright, alright, enough talk. If you have the energy, go quickly find me a tampon. Don’t just sit there chattering.”
Despite not being a 100% pure-blooded woman, she still felt a slight awkwardness, much like any ordinary girl, when discussing such topics in front of other men.
“I’ll go at once.”
As Yang Xi’s retreating figure vanished, she finally exhaled, able to discreetly check the bleeding.
With blood already clinging to her fingers and nowhere to wipe it, Lin Yu could only reach back into her covers and smear it onto her trousers.
Since they were already soiled, she reasoned it was better to make use of them; doing so was certainly preferable to wiping on the bedsheets, wasn’t it?
Yang Xi, who had hastily risen and headed out the door, returned swiftly, a crimson handprint emblazoned on his face, while in his hand, he clutched an unopened tampon.
Lin Yu found it difficult to tear her gaze away from the handprint on his face. “What happened to you? Who hit you?”
“I asked a passing nurse for what you called a ‘tampon,’ and she inexplicably slapped me, then slandered me as a pervert.”
Yang Xi could barely comprehend the nurse’s actions. “This thing is truly frightening; it can actually lead a normal man to face such severe accusations.”
“You, you really are…” Lin Yu was so exasperated by his words that she nearly laughed. “If you didn’t say you were getting it for me, and just directly asked for such a thing, it’s no wonder people would take you for a pervert!”
‘She truly didn’t know what to say about him.’
‘Call him stupid? Yet he knew what menstruation was and wouldn’t dramatically exclaim, “You’ve been stabbed between the legs!”‘
‘Call him smart? Yet he dared to directly ask someone for such an item without clarifying that he was borrowing it for someone else.’
‘Lin Yu’s former gaming teammates possessed “dual god-demon natures,” which, applied to him, translated into “dual wisdom-folly natures.”‘
‘At times he was profoundly wise, yet appearing foolish; at other times, he was profoundly foolish, or, in other words, an idiot.’
“Ah, so it was merely a misunderstanding. I understand now.”
“As long as you understand.”
“…”
“So, are you just standing there, intending to watch me change my tampon?”
Prompted by Lin Yu’s blunt remark, Yang Xi belatedly realized his faux pas and rose to retreat, temporarily stepping outside the door to grant Lin Yu some private space.
“You really are something…”
‘Sigh, she truly didn’t know what to say about him anymore.’
Rising, Lin Yu confirmed that no one could pass by outside the window, which was several stories high, before finally throwing back the covers and removing her hospital trousers, now partially stained crimson.
Next, she strained to arch her back, using one hand to briefly wipe away the bloodstains with her trousers, then, with her barely mobile left hand assisting, swiftly inserted the tampon into place.
“Alright… you can come in now.”
A slight blush crept onto Lin Yu’s face due to the intimate contact with a sensitive area, a blush that perfectly complemented the handprint emblazoned on Yang Xi’s face as he entered.
Tucking her blood-stained hospital trousers behind her, Lin Yu prepared to ask him for another small favor: to retrieve a set of underwear and a pair of well-fitting trousers for her.
In her current state, she absolutely could not get out of bed, leaving this task to others.
Before she could speak, however, Lin Yu’s gaze once again fell upon the conspicuous handprint on his face.
The distinct impression of individual fingers was clearly visible on his cheek, and Lin Yu could discern that the handprint’s owner possessed slender fingers.
‘It was similar to Nangong’s hand, meaning he had been slapped across the face in indignation by another medic.’
‘Hmph, how could someone do that to him? If anyone was going to hit him, it should be me…’
Suppressing these peculiar thoughts, Lin Yu decided to simply ask him to call any nurse in, intending to entrust all her needs to the “nurse big sister.”
“Besides just looking at me, is there nothing else you wanted to say?”
Before dismissing Yang Xi to call a nurse, Lin Yu also asked if he had anything else to discuss.
‘Visiting the sick could be simple, or it could be quite complex.’
‘It could be as simple as checking at the bedside to confirm the patient was still breathing, or as complex as sitting by the headboard, offering warm solicitations, and then collapsing onto the bed in tears.’
Lin Yu’s physical condition was certainly not so severe as to warrant someone collapsing onto her bed, crying, “You mustn’t die!” Therefore, her ideal visiting procedure merely involved Yang Xi engaging in conversation with her.
It would have been even better if he had brought a basket of fruit or small gifts; after all, a visit couldn’t merely consist of a few glances from the bedside, could it?
Alas, when Yang Xi entered her hospital room, his hands were empty, bearing no semblance of a gift.
Even if he had, it would surely be far removed from a delicious and aesthetically pleasing fruit basket.
“…The literal meaning of ‘visiting’ is just—”
“You really were just looking, weren’t you…”
“That medic did tell me to bring something, but… I don’t have anything to give you.”
Yang Xi continued, following the thread of the conversation, and soon his words turned into a lament. “There are locals selling sundries around the hospital, but I have no money on me, so I couldn’t buy anything.”
“Alright, alright, never mind that. I’m not a child asking for birthday presents; if you didn’t bring anything, you didn’t.”
Though her lips uttered dismissive words, deep down, she still harbored a strong anticipation for gifts. After all, the last time she had received a present… it had been that box of hard candies, a specialty of the plains, brought back by Nangong.
‘Because too many complex emotions had been woven into them, their taste had seemed a little strange. Next time, she hoped to savor the most authentic candies.’
Pondering the gifts she might receive in the future, Lin Yu forgave Yang Xi for his oversight this time.
“I apologize. I’ll bring something when I get the chance.”
“Apologize for what? You didn’t do anything wrong. I came empty-handed when I thanked you last time, so let’s call it even…”
‘The word “even” deeply pierced her seemingly careless words, making her shift from a casual reply to serious contemplation.’
‘Between her and Yang Xi, who truly owed whom more?’
‘She couldn’t quite grasp it.’
“All in all, I wouldn’t mind if you came empty-handed; of course, it would be better if you could bring something.”
“I understand. Next time, I’ll bring something.”
“Hmph, hmph, remember what you’ve understood, and don’t forget it in the blink of an eye.”
Lin Yu, while saying this, had completely forgotten that she herself was the one who forgot things in the blink of an eye—she had promised Yang Xi not to call him an “idiot” anymore, but would still curse him out when provoked. She had even reenacted a childish exchange of insults with him, calling him a “quack doctor” and him calling her an “idiot.”
With the matter of gifts settled, Lin Yu shifted to asking him to call for help.
“Go quickly and call a nurse over; I have something to tell them.”