Chapter 57

They had indeed shared a bed during past New Year’s celebrations.

But that was only because they were back in their hometown, where rooms were usually scarce and they had no choice but to bunk together.

With how close Chen Nian and Fang Zhi were, they naturally got assigned the same room. Grandpa, Grandma, and the maternal grandparents would even prepare two separate quilts—one for each girl—just in case one of them caught a chill.

So their past sleepovers had never involved anything more than one of them drowsily flinging an arm over the other’s quilt in the night or unconsciously scooting closer in their sleep.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

There was really no need to carry on the tradition.

Chen Nian felt a shiver under Fang Zhi’s intense gaze and took a step back before answering. “It wasn’t like we had anywhere else to sleep back then.”

“So you’re saying you find me disgusting?” Fang Zhi pressed.

“No, no, no…” Chen Nian protested.

“So you only put up with sleeping next to me before because you had no other choice?”

“No, no, no, no…”

“So on one hand, you say I’m the most important person to you, but on the other, I can’t even spend the night in your room, right?”

“Holy crap, that’s one hell of a leap, sis!”

“No swearing.”

“That’s one hell of a leap, sis!!!”

“I want to wake up on New Year’s morning and see you right away, just like old times.”

“…”

Chen Nian pushed open her bedroom door. “Fine. You win.”

She couldn’t help thinking Fang Zhi was getting scarier the older she got—especially when it came to zeroing in on her weak spots.

She knew exactly how to poke at the softest parts of Chen Nian’s heart, how to make refusal impossible.

Chen Nian’s bed wasn’t large enough for two quilts if they were both sleeping on it.

Fortunately, Anliang had central heating, so the room stayed nice and toasty. Even if someone ended up sleeping with their belly exposed, they wouldn’t risk catching cold.

After washing up, they climbed into bed, pillows side by side.

They both lay perfectly still, neither making a move.

Once their eyes adjusted to the dark, the room’s outlines sharpened into view.

Firecrackers still crackled noisily outside. Chen Nian flicked her gaze sideways and saw Fang Zhi’s eyes still open.

“Can’t sleep?” Chen Nian asked.

“Mm,” Fang Zhi murmured.

“Want to chat?”

“No.”

“Ah…”

Chen Nian fell silent. She knew she had a habit of talking too much, which could grate on people.

But lying there awake without exchanging a single word felt…

…awkward.

Awkward enough that she could hear each other’s breathing, feel the warmth radiating from their bodies, sense every point of contact—their shoulders brushing, hips pressing together.

Ten minutes or so dragged by. The firecrackers finally died down, and the girl beside her closed her eyes at last.

Chen Nian blinked a few times, let her body relax, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Fang Zhi’s sleep wasn’t deep. At first, she chalked it up to sleeping in a strange bed. Then she blamed it on nerves. Eventually, she realized her body just felt off.

A dull ache in her stomach—not the churning kind that signaled an upset tummy.

It left her feeling chilly even in her half-dozing state, drawing her instinctively closer to Chen Nian. Fortunately, Chen Nian slept like a log and didn’t stir.

Chen Nian was so warm and comforting to snuggle against.

But she couldn’t very well press her aching belly right up against her. So Fang Zhi dreamed she was a pancake batter, flipping this way and that on the griddle but never quite cooking through. She grew frantic with worry.

Then she realized the problem: she wasn’t actually in the pan. So she leapt onto the sizzling-hot surface. The pan greeted her cheerfully. “Hey, Zhizhi!”

Chen Nian’s voice. Chen Nian’s face.

“…”

Fang Zhi jolted awake.

Luckily, all she’d done in reality was drape her arms and legs over Chen Nian.

Chen Nian snored on with bubbly little puffs, the night utterly still around them.

With utmost care, Fang Zhi disentangled her limbs and rolled over to face the other way.

Turning her back to Chen Nian helped calm her racing heart from the nightmare.

That was when the cramping hit her lower belly for real.

Intense. Unmistakable.

Something warm and gushing flowed out of her.

Fang Zhi couldn’t lie there pretending anymore. She flung back the quilt, practically leapt from the bed, and bolted for the bathroom.

Her period… had arrived…

She stared down at her underwear, lost in thought.

This was her first one. She’d read up on it and overheard classmates gossiping about theirs, so it didn’t shock or frighten her.

It was just…

…embarrassing.

No—mortifying.

If this had happened at school, in her own room, or even in a mall restroom while out shopping, it wouldn’t have fazed her one bit.

This was perfectly normal. She wouldn’t have batted an eye at anyone else’s stares.

Unless this perfectly normal thing had happened on Chen Nian’s bed.

Out of all the nights in a year they’d slept together, why did her first period have to come tonight?

Menstruation marked sexual maturity, triggered by hormonal changes in the body. So how on earth had her hormones decided to kick in right there on Chen Nian’s bed???

Fang Zhi couldn’t make sense of it at all.

Just the thought of bringing it up with Chen Nian sent a flush of heat rushing through her.

Thankfully, there were sanitary pads in the bathroom. Fang Zhi quickly cleaned herself up, grabbed one, headed to her own room to change into fresh clothes.

After mulling it over, she decided to go back, inspect Chen Nian’s sheets, and come up with a good excuse for why she had to leave.

By the time she slipped back into Chen Nian’s room, Chen Nian was stirring awake.

She mumbled groggily, “What’s wrong?”

Fang Zhi whispered, “Nothing. Just going to the bathroom.”

“Oh.” Chen Nian rolled toward the inside of the bed, clearing out a big space for her. “Hurry up and get back in here. I don’t mind if you stink.”

Fang Zhi: “…”

Fang Zhi bent down and slipped her hands under the covers, feeling around the spot where she’d been lying.

The world seemed to stop. Her fingers brushed a small damp patch.

Fang Zhi: “…”

How was she supposed to change Chen Nian’s sheets without waking her up???

It was a problem for the ages…

She’d have to deal with it tomorrow.

Fang Zhi climbed into bed, carefully steering clear of the spot, then lay there rigid and staring at the ceiling.

Over the next few hours, she drifted in and out of sleep, utterly tormented by that little patch.

When daylight finally broke, it felt like a pardon from on high.

She smacked Chen Nian’s arm. “Get up! Get up!!!”

Chen Nian’s eyes were glued shut, her mind foggy. “Huh? Huh?”

Fang Zhi: “It’s Lunar New Year’s Day! We have to rise early or we’ll be lazy all year long!”

Chen Nian: “Huh? Huh?”

Fang Zhi: “Happy New Year!”

Chen Nian finally cracked a smile. “Happy New Year.”

No matter how grumpy Chen Nian felt in the morning, it all melted away in front of Fang Zhi.

Prodded by Fang Zhi, she dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom to freshen up. When she emerged, she found Fang Zhi had stripped the sheets and duvet cover off the bed, bundled them into a big ball, and was heading out the door.

Chen Nian: “Huh?”

With half her face buried behind the bundle, Fang Zhi said, “New year, new start. Out with the old!”

Chen Nian: “But Mom just changed them a couple days ago. They’re still clean!”

Fang Zhi: “We need to be diligent and clean, or the whole year will be nothing but sloth and filth.”

Chen Nian: “Huh, but they’re not dirty!”

Fang Zhi had already marched into the bathroom with her bundle and locked the door with a click.

Chen Nian stood frozen outside, listening to the sounds of washing from within. She was utterly stunned.

Something told her this wasn’t so simple. Fang Zhi’s expression had been all wrong.

If it wasn’t about good luck for the new year, then it had to be… Fang Zhi really did think she was dirty…

Fang Zhi thinks I’m dirty, boo hoo hoo. After just one night together, she thinks I’m dirty, boo hoo hoo. How could Fang Zhi be like this…

Chen Nian knocked on the door. “Zhizhi, I showered last night. I’m clean.”

No answer.

Chen Nian: “I don’t grind my teeth or snore or fart. The sheets and duvet are clean.”

No answer.

Chen Nian: “Zhizhi, don’t work so hard. If something seems dirty to you, I’ll wash it.”

Fang Zhi: “Get lost!”

Why tell her to get lost???

Chen Nian’s face fell. She wanted to run to her mom and cry about it, but her parents’ bedroom door was still firmly shut.

Everyone had stayed up late the night before, so they wouldn’t be up yet.

Chen Nian was exhausted herself. After hovering outside the bathroom door for a bit, she gave in, shuffled back to her room, and flopped onto the bare mattress.

With that, she was out again.

When she woke up next, her parents were already up and breakfast was ready. A glance outside showed her sheets and duvet cover hanging on the balcony, clean and drying.

Chen Nian went looking for Fang Zhi, but Liu Chunhua spotted her and said Zhizhi was studying—don’t disturb her.

“Why study on New Year’s Day?” Chen Nian thought it was weird, but she didn’t want to upset anyone, so she didn’t barge in.

They’d see each other at breakfast anyway.

And they did, but Fang Zhi acted like she didn’t want anything to do with her.

Chen Nian tried talking; no response. She asked questions; all she got were vague hums and haws. When Chen Nian looked her way, Fang Zhi immediately ducked her head and buried her face in her bowl.

Chen Nian was truly bummed out.

After the meal, she started sidling up to Fang Zhi to ask what was wrong, but Liu Chunhua grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the kitchen.

“Mom, what is it?” Chen Nian grumbled.

“Come on, help me with the dishes.”

Fang Zhi said, “Auntie, let me do it.”

Chen Nian replied, “No, no, no, I’ll do it. Zhizhi, you go study.”

Fang Zhi didn’t argue with her anymore. Chen Nian followed her mom into the kitchen. As soon as the kitchen door closed, Liu Chunhua poked her hard with her crutch and asked, “My girl, you’ve grown up, huh?”

Chen Nian: “Huh????”

Liu Chunhua grinned with an expression that was hard to put into words—proud yet shy, and shy yet sly. “Heh, what’s so hard to tell your mom? I saw everything.”

Chen Nian: “Huh????”

Liu Chunhua got annoyed and threw down the dishcloth. “You used my sanitary pads, and you washed the bedsheet too. What are you ‘huh’-ing about? It’s just your period—can’t you even tell your mom about something this small????”

Chen Nian: “Ah!!!”

She finally understood. She really, truly understood now.

How could she not have thought of this? With all this evidence and such a straightforward line of reasoning, she’d been blinded by her own childlike perspective.

“Mom, I love you” Chen Nian leaned in and gave her mom a big hug.

Liu Chunhua said, “You don’t need to thank your mother this much just for getting your period…”

Chen Nian pulled open the kitchen door and walked out. “Mom, I’ve got something to do—you wash the dishes yourself.”

Liu Chunhua called after her, “How can you be so inconsistent in your words and actions? What big thing could you possibly have going on?!”

Heh heh, her business was huge.

Chen Nian was going to pull Fang Zhi down to sit and give her a proper rundown on girls’ physiology, to break through her menstrual shame and let her face her own growth head-on.

As someone who’d been through it, Chen Nian was fully stocked with knowledge on this topic. She didn’t need any special prep and marched confidently and boldly to Fang Zhi’s door, knocking on it with full assurance.

“Zhizhi, I have something to tell you.” Chen Nian’s voice was incredibly gentle, guiding her step by step.

“It’s about you.”

“I know all about it, so don’t worry.”

“I won’t laugh at you or dislike you, because this is something we…”

The door opened.

Fang Zhi stood inside, her eyebrows furrowed in anger and her cheeks flushed red.

“Get lost,” Fang Zhi huffed angrily. “I’m mad—ten days, starting now.”