Chapter 19

Shen Qing’s mouth didn’t stop. “Your rice cakes are delicious. Your tea and herbal drinks are all great! You’re so beautiful! You smell amazing!”

He was just telling the truth, but his timing couldn’t be worse.

Xiao Wanling looked like she had seen a ghost, a flicker of fear in her eyes. She stepped back two paces, pushing Shen Qing’s hand away.

Shen Qing stepped forward again.

Xiao Wanling shrieked and ran toward the bathhouse in a panic. Realizing he followed her in, she grabbed a ladle and smacked it at him.

Shen Qing raised his arm to block, looking pitiful. “Why did you hit me?”

“You’re acting weird!” Xiao Wanling said.

Shen Qing tossed the ladle back into the water bucket and tried to explain, “I’m trying to win your favor!”

Xiao Wanling stared at him with a mix of suspicion, fear, and wariness. He had gone out today without saying a word and had been strange ever since he came back. Had someone done something to him?

Shen Qing instinctively hugged her. “Don’t be mad! Tell me—what should I do?”

“I want to bathe. “Out,” she said flatly.

Shen Qing let her go. He poured the hot water from the bucket into the bath, mixed in cool water, and then brought another bucket of hot water just in case.

He went to heat more water. Seeing the bathhouse door closed, he scratched his head. Wasn’t I trying to cheer her up? Why did it make her angry instead? I don’t get it.

After bathing, Xiao Wanling came out holding her clothes. Shen Qing rushed over. “I’ll take that!” He soaked her dirty laundry in a basin, then dumped the bathwater. He used her bathwater once before and got scolded for it, so he’d learned his lesson.

Watching him running back and forth, crouching in the yard to do laundry, and throwing her a silly grin now and then, Xiao Wanling was struck for the first time by how much Shen Qing had been doing for her; she’d been so focused on earning money she hadn’t noticed before.

That morning she’d woken up with stomach cramps. She thought it was just from overwork and clutched her belly as she headed to the outhouse.

Then she noticed a shadow on the ground. Turning around, she saw Shen Qing trailing her. Could the fever have affected his brain? she thought. That would explain a lot.

Step by step, he followed her. Finally, Xiao Wanling whirled around. “I’m going to the toilet!”

Shen Qing quickly stepped back, looking panicked.

Xiao Wanling felt both guilty and speechless. If I’d noticed the fever earlier… Distracted, she returned to her room. Shen Qing followed with a rolled-up bamboo mat. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

She paused. “Why did you get a fever the other night?”

Shen Qing lowered his head. He couldn’t say it, as it would make her mad. Just thinking about his dreams of her made him feel hot again.

Since he wouldn’t answer, Xiao Wanling gave up and lay down with her back to him. “Go sleep in your room. If you get a fever again, I won’t help you.”

“…Okay.” Shen Qing left the room. But the moment he closed his eyes, all he could see was her in his arms—fair skin, soft lips, and the light fragrance on her. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Then he suddenly heard groaning.

He bolted to her door. “Wanling?”

Xiao Wanling was curled up in pain, her forehead drenched in sweat. She felt wet underneath and caught the metallic tang of blood in the air. Her period had come.

She slid off the bed, stabbing cramps wrenching her belly. She crouched on the ground, unable to move.

Outside the door, Shen Qing paced anxiously. Finally, he clenched his teeth and barged in—only to find her collapsed on the floor. His face turned pale with fright.

He rushed forward, lifted her into bed, and wiped her sweat with his sleeve. Then he noticed the blood on his hand. His hands trembled uncontrollably.

“You’re not dying, right? Don’t leave me…” He whispered, kneeling at her bedside, clutching her hand.

Seeing his red, tear-filled eyes, Xiao Wanling reached out and patted his shoulder. “Get me hot water… cotton and cloth!”

“Got it!” Shen Qing bolted out the door.

There was a clatter outside as he ran around gathering things. Soon, he returned with hot water and a bundle of cotton and cloth, placing them by the bed before retreating outside.

Frightened out of his wits, not knowing where she was bleeding from, Shen Qing hitched the oxcart and rushed to find a doctor.

Xiao Wanling washed herself up and changed clothes. Exhausted, she fell asleep the moment she lay down.

The next day, she opened her eyes to see Shen Qing sitting by the bed, eyes red, offering her a cup of brown sugar water. The doctor said she was too frail and overworked and had to avoid cold and rest well to have children in the future.

After drinking the brown sugar water, Xiao Wanling said, “Tell the clients their orders will be delayed by two days.”

“I’ll do the work,” Shen Qing replied.

Too drained to argue, she just nodded and fell back asleep. Half-dreaming, she smelled medicine. A bowl of bitter decoction appeared at her lips—she pinched her nose and gulped it down.

She lay in bed for two days. Aunt Wu came by and brought her sanitary pads, teaching her how to use them.

Once she could sit up, she grabbed her needlework basket and began sewing more with the cotton cloth. Most of the cotton Aunt Wu gave was nearly used up. She didn’t want to resort to ash pads and was worrying over it when Shen Qing entered with a bamboo basket. It was covered with blue cloth, and inside was pure white, fresh cotton.

“Thank Aunt Wu for me,” Xiao Wanling said.

Shen Qing hesitated. Actually, he’d traded for it from Aunt Wu. He said nothing and quietly left.

After two days off from the teahouse, Xiao Wanling was itching to get moving. In the kitchen, she found half a sack of cornmeal. The weather was hot—if she didn’t use it soon, bugs would get in. She soaked it all to make cakes the next day.

That night, she steamed a batch early for dinner. After eating, she returned to her room and found two new sanitary pads on the bed. She assumed they were from Aunt Wu. It should be enough for the next few days.

She picked them up and put them in the wardrobe. The stitches were crooked, but she didn’t think much of it.

The next morning, she returned to the teahouse. Next door, Chen Gui stared at her with a strange expression.

Shen Qing stepped between them, glaring. Chen Gui immediately scampered back to his own stall.

Aunt Wu’s voice boomed cheerfully, “Oh my! Thank goodness Shen Qing’s been so helpful! Madam Xiao, you’re lucky to have married him!” She leaned in and whispered, “Only a few men would go to such lengths!”

Xiao Wanling smiled and nodded. “Thank you! How much were the items yesterday?”

Aunt Wu waved her off. “Shen Qing already paid. I asked him why he needed so much cotton, but he wouldn’t say.”

Not Aunt Wu? Then who made those pads?

Xiao Wanling turned to look at Shen Qing—his ears were beet red. Her own cheeks flushed too.

The stall was empty of customers when suddenly Xue Cui came running over, face covered in tears and snot. She glared at Xiao Wanling, then shouted at Shen Qing, “If you don’t marry me, I’ll throw myself in the river!”

“I already have a wife,” Shen Qing said, expressionless.

Xue Cui stared at him, stunned. “You heartless man! You’ll regret this!”

Old Lady Liu emerged from behind the teahouse and dragged her away, muttering, “I told you not to make a scene. Hou Youcai is so much better. Generous too—not like that penniless Shen Qing.”

“I don’t want to marry a cripple!” Xue Cui sobbed.

Moments later, Old Lady Liu came running back in tears. “Shen Qing! Help Xue Cui! She really jumped in the river!”

“Did she?” Shen Qing asked coldly.

“She did! No one can pull her out—she’ll die at this rate!”

Shen Qing tossed aside his rag and marched out. Old Lady Liu smirked triumphantly and followed.

Just then, Chen Gui crept out of his teahouse and loudly shouted, “Madam Xiao, you really had a miscarriage? Who’s the bastard that did it?”

Xiao Wanling froze in place, then grabbed the basin of dishwater and flung it at him.

Chen Gui hadn’t expected her to retaliate. He jumped back, but his pants and shoes were soaked. “You deserve it! Stealing Xue Cui’s marriage—serves you right!”

Xiao Wanling raised the ladle and drenched him again. He wiped his face, and seeing her reach for another basin, he fled back to his shop.

“If I hear one more rumor from you,” Xiao Wanling shouted, “I’ll dump a bucket on you every time I see you!”

“I heard you, I heard you!” Chen Gui yanked his door shut. He wasn’t afraid of her—he was afraid of Shen Qing, that living hellspawn.

Not long after, Shen Qing returned. The eldest grandson of the Xue family slid down from a tree and tugged on his sleeve, whispering what had happened earlier.

Shen Qing glanced at the tightly closed door of the tea shop. “Your grandmother’s looking for you.”

The boy pouted. “I’m not going back!” His aunt was lying on the ground screaming and might take it out on him.

Xiao Wanling handed him a rice cake, and he skipped away happily.

Shen Qing saw her washing again and quickly scooped her up onto a bench. “The doctor said no cold water.”

“I boiled this,” she said.

Shen Qing rolled up his sleeves to clean the pot. “Don’t push yourself until you’ve fully recovered. Xue Cui’s getting married—it has nothing to do with me. No one dares gossip anymore.”

Surprised he offered an explanation, Xiao Wanling simply answered, “Mm.”

None of those rumors had ever happened—she didn’t care what people said. It’s better to spend time thinking about how to make more money.

Since opening the teahouse, customers from Dayan Village had started coming too. They could now earn around 500 cents a day.

Xiao Wanling wanted to expand. It had been days since she gave Madam Zhang the recipe—she wondered if it was popular.

Shen Qing poured rice batter into the steamer and asked, “Like this?”

“Looks good. Even thickness, even cuts,” she praised.

He wouldn’t let her do heavy work or touch cold water, so she had little to do. With spare time, she decided to forage some plants and dye cloth to make Shen Qing a pair of shoes—after all, he’d done so much for her.

He insisted on going too, to carry things. Climbing trees for fruit was dangerous, he said, and reminded her again of the doctor’s warning. She had been underfed and poorly clothed before, so her health was weak.

Recalling how painful her period was, Xiao Wanling didn’t argue.

They crossed two mountains before reaching the spot where Shen Qing said wild grapes grew.

Vines coiled around a dead tree. They filled half a basket with grapes from the lower branches, but the rest were too high.

“We’ll bring tools next time,” Xiao Wanling suggested.

Shen Qing tried reaching and then crouched in front of her. “Sit on my shoulders and pick.”

Before she could refuse, he lifted her by the waist and stood up.

Perched on his shoulder, Xiao Wanling instinctively grabbed his collar. From her vantage point, she was captivated by the clusters of translucent green grapes.

She picked them and dropped them into his basket as he steadied her, moving beneath the vines. They filled the basket until it was brimming.

Suddenly, Xiao Wanling felt a little awkward. Sitting on his shoulders like this… It’s such an intimate position.