A Promise in a Thought 26

Chapter 26

Su Man didn’t stay long before returning to her own room. Seeing that it was getting late, Bo Muyu took a shower and went to bed early.

She needed to be sharp starting tomorrow, so she wanted to get to sleep early.

In the past, she had always been preoccupied with when Jiang Chenyin would return, so she would occasionally dream about her past with Jiang Chenyin. Since Jiang Chenyin’s return, she hadn’t had any more dreams related to her. She thought she wouldn’t dream of her again, but going to bed early today made her quickly fall into a dream.

She vaguely knew it was a dream, but she couldn’t control it. She was still drawn in, reliving that unforgettable day once again.

It was an afternoon when she had just started her first year of middle school.

The last class of that afternoon was outdoor physical education. During the previous class, she had felt a dull ache in her lower abdomen, a pain that was very unfamiliar to her.

She endured the pain and ran with her classmates in PE class. The moment the teacher announced their dismissal, she breathed a sigh of relief as if she had just been pardoned before an execution.

But the pain in her lower abdomen continued. She sat alone at the entrance of the school building, hugging her knees and enduring it silently, feeling more and more uneasy.

But she didn’t know who to tell. The PE teacher was a man and looked a bit fierce. She didn’t want to tell him.

A few playful classmates ran past Bo Muyu. She looked up, a few stray strands of hair that couldn’t be tied up fluttered in front of her eyes. Her plump little face was not as rosy as usual, but rather pale, and her lips were tightly bitten.

It seemed there were no classmates she could tell either. She wasn’t close to any of them. Who would listen to her talk about this?

She remembered, during class meetings, when it was her turn to introduce herself at the podium, she couldn’t say a word. She remembered, the whole class was laughing at her. Not a single one of them was her friend. She remembered, she didn’t have a single friend.

So, forget it…

Bo Muyu gritted her teeth, her hands, hugging her knees, clenched into fists.

After finally enduring until the end of the school day, she hurried home, enduring the pain.

When she entered the house, she heard the cheerful conversation between Ye Xialan and Jiang Chenyin. She didn’t have time to go over, running back to her room first.

“Xiaoyu, why didn’t you come and say hello to Auntie Yin after school? Xiaoyu…”

“Thud.”

The sound of the closing door blocked Ye Xialan’s voice. Bo Muyu leaned against the door, panting softly, one hand on her lower abdomen.

Her stomach still hurt, in waves. What was going on? Why did her stomach suddenly hurt?

She had eaten breakfast at home today, and her parents had eaten the same thing. But she had seen her mother just now, and she was fine, so it wasn’t the breakfast.

She had eaten lunch at her grandparents’ house. That was even less likely to be a problem. The chef at her grandparents’ house was the kind from a big hotel, very skilled.

The more she thought, the less she understood. But now didn’t seem to be the time to figure out why her stomach hurt…

She looked up at the bathroom, her feet moved, and a few seconds later, she ran in.

When she saw a few streaks of bright red, Bo Muyu’s eyes immediately stung with tears.

She pulled up her pants and came out, but she didn’t want to say a word, didn’t want to do anything. She took off her shoes and lay down on the bed, covering her entire body, including her head, with the blanket.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

No response. Ye Xialan opened the door. “Xiaoyu?”

The blanket on the bed was humped up like a small hill. Ye Xialan walked over and asked, “What’s wrong? You’ve been hiding under the covers since you got back.”

She tugged at it, but couldn’t pull it off.

This child…

“Come on, don’t sleep yet. Let Mom see if you have a fever,” Ye Xialan said, gently pulling at her blanket again. After a while, she finally let go.

Bo Muyu’s eyes were a little red, her clear, moist eyes glistening.

“Who bullied my baby? Come on, let Mom see…” Ye Xialan leaned down and kissed her forehead with a pained heart. Her temperature was not high, very normal.

Bo Muyu still didn’t speak, just quietly looking at Ye Xialan.

“What’s wrong? Where does it hurt? Tell Mom quickly,” Ye Xialan coaxed her softly, reaching out to wipe the corners of her eyes.

Bo Muyu shook her head slightly. Seeing Ye Xialan’s anxious look, the young girl said in a low voice, “Mom, I’m fine. I just feel a little uncomfortable…”

“Where are you uncomfortable? Your body or your stomach?” Ye Xialan pulled the blanket a little further and carefully examined her body.

Bo Muyu quickly pressed down on Ye Xialan’s hand, shaking her head even more vigorously.

Ye Xialan was very anxious, looking her over but finding nothing. “There are no injuries.”

Bo Muyu could only say in a small voice, “I just have a stomachache. I’ll be fine after a sleep.”

Ye Xialan stopped and looked at her daughter’s face, which looked a little wronged.

She sighed and gently kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Then you should sleep. You can eat later. But if it still hurts in a little while, you have to tell Mom.”

“Mmm,” Bo Muyu nodded and snuggled back under the covers.

Ye Xialan went out, but a short while later, there was another knock on the door. Thinking it was Ye Xialan again, she pulled the blanket down a little, waiting for her mother to come in.

It was Jiang Chenyin who came in.

“Muyu, does your stomach hurt?” Jiang Chenyin’s voice was gentle. Her footsteps had been light when she came in, and now her touch on her face was also light.

For some reason, perhaps because she had been holding it in, but she was just a child, after all, and couldn’t hold it in for too long. As Jiang Chenyin lowered her head, her long, curly hair brushed against the side of her face. Her cheek itched, her eyes itched, and a tear fell.

“Auntie Yin…”

Bo Muyu sobbed and threw off the blanket, throwing her arms around Jiang Chenyin’s neck.

The sound of her crying made Jiang Chenyin’s heart tremble. She hugged Bo Muyu and sat up, her warm palm gently stroking her back.

“It’s okay. It’ll be over soon. I’m here with you. It’ll be fine after a sleep.”

She kept comforting her in a warm voice, listening to the low sobs in her ear.

“It won’t be okay, it won’t… there’s blood…”

Bo Muyu’s intermittent words almost made Jiang Chenyin’s heart stop. She quickly let go of Bo Muyu and asked, “Where is there blood? Where are you hurt? Tell me quickly.”

“Bleeding… I’m going to die…” Bo Muyu couldn’t stop crying, her lively eyes were red, and her tears fell on Jiang Chenyin’s clothes.

“You won’t,” Jiang Chenyin said, wiping away her tears. “Your parents are here, and I’m here too. I won’t let anything happen to you. Tell me, where are you hurt?”

Jiang Chenyin was still holding her body, one arm firmly around her, so she couldn’t fall no matter what. She loved being held by Jiang Chenyin like this. It always felt like she didn’t have to worry about anything. Even if something happened, she could hold onto the person in front of her.

It was as if as long as she held on tight, nothing bad would happen.

“Pants…”

“What?” Jiang Chenyin couldn’t hear clearly and pulled her a little closer.

Bo Muyu hugged Jiang Chenyin’s neck tightly and whispered in her ear, “Underwear… there’s blood… my stomach suddenly started hurting during class this afternoon…”

When Jiang Chenyin heard the first few words, her pupils constricted, and her arms holding Bo Muyu tightened. It was only when she heard her say that her stomach had suddenly started hurting during class that she was stunned for a moment.

Although Bo Muyu had stopped crying, she was still sniffling.

Jiang Chenyin looked under her body and instantly understood.

Bo Muyu rubbed her cheek against Jiang Chenyin’s with a wronged expression, and then she felt Jiang Chenyin’s breath by her ear. “Muyu, it’s okay. This isn’t an injury. I remember your mother told you before that all girls get their period when they grow up. This is your period.”

Bo Muyu’s eyes widened. “Period…”

“Mmm,” Jiang Chenyin chuckled. “You’ll get it every month from now on. You should try to eat less spicy and cold things, especially in the few days leading up to your period. You must not touch them.”

“I don’t remember…”

Oh my god, so I’m not going to die?

Bo Muyu felt her face burn, and she quickly buried her head in Jiang Chenyin’s embrace.

Jiang Chenyin’s eyes curved as she stroked her hair, remembering the steps she had to teach her, and murmured, “Your mother went out to buy you medicine… I’ll do it…”

A short while later, Jiang Chenyin stood outside the bathroom with her arms crossed, waiting. The bathroom door was tightly closed.

She leaned against the wardrobe and thought about how the child had cried just now, shaking her head, feeling both amused and heartbroken.

She wondered if the child could understand the instructions.

Just as she was thinking this, the bathroom door opened. The girl with her black hair down ran back to the bed with her fair legs swinging and continued to hide under the covers.

So embarrassing…

Jiang Chenyin walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching under the covers to squeeze Bo Muyu’s palm. “Do you want me to stay with you? Or should I go out?”

She thought the child would be shy and probably ignore her, but her fingers were grasped, and then the girl’s soft, fragrant body pressed against her.

Bo Muyu’s tears had dried, her eyes once again clear and distinct.

She looked at Jiang Chenyin and asked, “Auntie Yin, if it wasn’t my period, if I was really bleeding…”

“There are no ifs,” Jiang Chenyin interrupted her. “Don’t make such assumptions. Your parents will definitely protect you.”

“What about you?”

Jiang Chenyin looked at her, her eyes and the corners of her lips filled with a warm smile. “I will too.”

After receiving Jiang Chenyin’s call, Ye Xialan had rushed home. Jiang Chenyin, having calmed Bo Muyu down, pulled her to a corner of the living room to explain the situation.

Bo Muyu secretly slipped out of her room and peeked from around the corner.

She couldn’t hear anything clearly, only seeing Ye Xialan desperately shaking Jiang Chenyin’s shoulders, while Jiang Chenyin was laughing.

And then, Ye Xialan’s angry scolding through gritted teeth, “Jiang, you made me miss my daughter’s first period! It only happens once in a lifetime, how are you going to compensate me!”

The introverted girl giggled from around the corner, her eyes sparkling. She would forever remember Jiang Chenyin’s words.

“Don’t make such assumptions. Your parents will protect you.”

“What about you?”

“I will too.”

The fluttering of the curtains let in a sliver of sunlight from outside. Bo Muyu slowly opened her eyes, letting the scene from her dream dissipate with her waking.

It wasn’t until she realized that the gentle smile and the low, rich voice wouldn’t fade that she licked her lips, her hand already reaching for the phone on her bedside table.

The call connected. It rang twice before being answered. The person on the other end sounded lazy, a hint of sleepiness in her voice. “Muyu, you’re up so early. What’s wrong?”

“I miss you.”

Bo Muyu had just woken up, so her voice was a little hoarse and much lower. Fearing the person on the other end couldn’t hear clearly, she repeated, “Auntie Yin, I miss you.”