Gu Jianli stared blankly at Ji Wujing’s actions, completely stunned. If she hadn’t seen and touched it herself, she would have suspected Ji Wujing had been castrated.
Ji Wujing measured it twice, still not understanding how to tie the cloth band. Holding the ends of the four straps, he asked, “Tie it around the legs? Won’t it slide down?”
Ignoring the pain in her left leg, Gu Jianli propped herself up on the table, determinedly trying to snatch the menstrual cloth back from Ji Wujing. He was still interested in studying it further, but seeing Gu Jianli standing on one leg, he reluctantly let go, allowing her to take it back.
Gu Jianli put the two menstrual cloths back into a small box, forcefully closing the lid, feeling a bit angry.
Ji Wujing said earnestly, “Gu Jianli, I really think this fabric isn’t soft enough.”
Gu Jianli looked up and met Ji Wujing’s curious gaze. Just as she was about to speak angrily, she paused. She didn’t find the lewd and filthy disdain she usually expected in his eyes. She felt a strange sensation, vaguely thinking she might have misunderstood something.
Lowering her head slowly, she picked up the knee pads and needle, explaining in a calm voice, “It’s not tied to the legs, but to the waist. You can’t use fabric that’s too soft… it… it won’t absorb water…”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, her voice trailed off towards the end.
Ji Wujing was slightly stunned, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes. He looked deeply at Gu Jianli.
Quickly, he smirked, leaning back lazily in his chair, watching Gu Jianli as she worked on her needlework, and spoke slowly, “Gu Jianli—”
Gu Jianli waited and waited, but didn’t hear the rest of his sentence. She looked up at him in confusion.
Ji Wujing half-closed his eyes and looked at her without saying anything further. Perhaps he had intended to say something but decided not to, or maybe there wasn’t anything more to say; he just thought her name sounded nice and wanted to call it out.
Feeling the topic was too awkward, Gu Jianli tried to change it, “What have you been busy with these past few days?”
“Drinking, eating, playing around, visiting brothels,” Ji Wujing replied casually.
Gu Jianli responded with an “Oh” and continued sewing the knee pads. She threaded the fine needle through the fabric, pulling the thin cotton thread through. As she inserted the needle for the second stitch, halfway through the fabric, she paused and looked at Ji Wujing, asking, “Really?”
Ji Wujing met her gaze, paused, and said, “No.”
Gu Jianli responded with another “Oh,” lowered her head again, and continued sewing, stitch by stitch.
Suddenly, Ji Wujing spoke, “Gu Jianli, I want one too.”
Gu Jianli was startled, looking at the knee pads in her hand, and asked, “Do you want this one?”
Before Ji Wujing could reply, she shook her head, saying, “You won’t like this gray one. After I finish making one for my father, I’ll make you a red or white one, okay?”
Ji Wujing reluctantly agreed with an “Oh.”
After a while, Gu Jianli suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, my mother came by today. She wants us to go back.”
“Who?”
“Madam, your mother.”
Ji Wujing frowned and asked, “Did you call her ‘mother’?”
Gu Jianli recalled for a moment, then shook her head and said, “No.”
Ji Wujing’s face darkened almost instantly, and he impatiently said, “Those old fossils, there’s no need to call them mother or father.”
Gu Jianli glanced at his expression and nodded in agreement, “Got it.”
In ancient China, it was considered highly disrespectful not to address one’s in-laws as mother and father. However, since Ji Wujing forbade her from calling them that, she complied. She never had the desire to do so anyway. Even in the past, in the entire Marquis of Guangping household, she only cared about Ji Wujing. Now, she no longer worried about being bullied, nor did she need to care about anyone else in the household.
The gloom in Ji Wujing’s eyes slightly dissipated. He looked at Gu Jianli, slowly retracting the remaining darkness from his eyes, and resumed his carefree demeanor. Leaning forward, he reached out and patted Gu Jianli’s face, smiling, “Having our good father, Big Tiger Gu is enough for us.”
Was that a compliment or an insult?
Gu Jianli glared at him, finding it hard to understand.
Not wanting to listen to Ji Wujing’s nonsense any longer, Gu Jianli decided to find something for him to do. To Ji Wujing’s slight surprise, she grabbed his hands and placed his elbows on the table, raising his hands.
Ji Wujing looked at her in surprise, waiting.
Gu Jianli took out a bundle of colorful silk threads, found the end, and placed it in one of Ji Wujing’s hands, instructing him to press it with his thumb against his palm and then start winding the thread around.
Gu Jianli wasn’t sure if the temperamental Ji Wujing would suddenly get angry and leave. She was at her wit’s end and randomly found something for him to do. To her surprise, as she wound the colorful silk thread around his hands, Ji Wujing maintained his patience. He watched the colorful thread being wound around his hands without much expression on his face. Occasionally, he would glance up at her, casually.
Gu Jianli looked up at him, meeting his gaze.
“Keep going,” Ji Wujing drawled, sounding relaxed and patient.
Gu Jianli obediently continued winding the thread, circle after circle.
As the warm twilight sun streamed in through the open window, it enveloped the two of them.
Ji Wujing absentmindedly watched Gu Jianli’s focused expression. The soft light illuminated her face, making her fair skin glow with a crystal-like quality. The light also fell on her eyelashes, casting long, curved shadows.
Today, Gu Jingyuan came home unusually early. He wanted to check on Gu Jianli’s leg injury. Before he got close, he saw through the window the scene of Gu Jianli and Ji Wujing sitting together, winding thread. Gu Jingyuan paused, observing the two for a long time before frowning and turning away without checking on Gu Jianli.
Not only did Gu Jingyuan come home early, but Ji Wujing also didn’t disappear suddenly today. He lazed around like a big cat, falling asleep on the bed.
Gu Jianli lay on the inside of the bed. She was used to sleeping on her side, but now, due to her leg injury, she could only lie on her back, which was very uncomfortable for her. Additionally, the pain in her leg kept her from falling asleep for a long time.
Ji Wujing turned over, facing Gu Jianli. He moved closer, lazily rubbing his face against her shoulder, and then placed his hand on her waist. Because of her injured leg, Ji Wujing no longer draped his long leg over her but instead placed his hand on her waist.
The quilt almost covered Ji Wujing’s head.
Gu Jianli pushed the quilt down a bit, revealing his face so he wouldn’t be stifled.
In the dim light, Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing’s outline and gradually closed her eyes, falling asleep.
That night, Gu Jianli didn’t sleep well. She had a nightmare in which she fell into the water. She tried to struggle, but something was pressing on her, making it impossible to move. In her sleep, she vaguely realized it was Ji Wujing’s arm pressing on her. She tried to push it away but couldn’t. However, she also hazily knew she couldn’t turn over as it would hurt her leg.
Her hand, resting on Ji Wujing’s wrist, went limp, and she stopped pushing, simply laying it there lightly and continued to sleep.
At dawn, Gu Jianli woke up from the pain. The pain was both familiar and unfamiliar. She lay there, sleepily staring at the canopy over the bed for a while before fully waking up.
When she was completely awake, she suddenly opened her eyes wide and sat up abruptly. She lifted the quilt covering her and stared at the bloodstain on the mattress in shock. The pale lotus-colored mattress was embroidered with large, elegant lilacs in silver thread. The lilacs had turned red, looking like plum blossoms.
Gu Jianli was so shocked she covered her mouth.
It wasn’t that she had forgotten to prepare ahead of time, but since the family’s misfortune a few months ago, her mood and diet had changed significantly, and she hadn’t had her period for over four months. This kind of issue was hard to talk about, and she hadn’t mentioned it to her family or seen a doctor.
“Why now…”
Gu Jianli felt a bit panicked, almost as if it were her first period.
She noticed that even Ji Wujing’s snow-colored sleeping pants had some blood on them.
“Gu Jianli,” Ji Wujing, just waking up, spoke in a hoarse, lazy voice.
Gu Jianli quickly pulled the quilt over her legs, trying to cover up.
Ji Wujing yawned, lazily sat up, and said, “Don’t bother hiding it, I can smell the blood. I’ve smelled it for two hours.”
“Then why didn’t you wake me up…” Gu Jianli’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
Ji Wujing casually said, “I saw it wasn’t from your leg injury.”
“You!” Gu Jianli didn’t know what to say, lowering her head and staying silent.
Ji Wujing got out of bed, slipped into his shoes, and went to get her clean clothes. He asked, “Where is that stuff? The ones I saw this evening?”
“No, in the bottom drawer of the wardrobe…”
Ji Wujing brought everything to her and placed it on the bed, asking, “Anything else?”
Gu Jianli hesitated for a moment before softly saying, “Water, hot water.”
Ji Wujing turned to leave but stopped at the door, suddenly exclaiming, “Huh?” He didn’t move, just turned his head and asked, “Gu Jianli, why didn’t you call for Jixia?”
Gu Jianli sighed and looked at Ji Wujing in frustration, her voice muffled, “Ji Wujing, you’re really annoying.”
“Instead of calling me uncle, you could call me grandfather.”
“Fifth Uncle, please help me out, and I’ll teach you how to use the menstrual cloth. Is that okay?” Gu Jianli used the coaxing tone she usually reserved for coaxing Ji Xinglan.
Ji Wujing was silent for a long time before he spoke, “Gu Jianli, you’ve become naughty.”
“It’s because Uncle teaches well.”
Ji Wujing stood there silently for a moment before turning and leaving the room.
It was just dawn, and the servants hadn’t gotten up yet, so there was no hot water. Ji Wujing had to heat the water himself. By the time he returned with a basin of hot water, Gu Jianli had already gotten out of bed and was sitting on a stool, having changed the bedding.
Ji Wujing placed the wooden basin in front of her. Gu Jianli said expressionlessly, “One basin isn’t enough. Could you boil another one for me?”
Ji Wujing’s eyes sparkled as he laughed, “Gu Jianli, your excuse to get rid of me is terrible.”
Gu Jianli pressed her lips together and remained silent.
“It’s dark and cold outside. I just barely recovered, and you can’t treat me so badly.” Ji Wujing bent down and poked Gu Jianli’s forehead with his finger, “Have a little conscience, my dear Jianli.”
Gu Jianli’s head tilted back from his poke, and she dodged to the side, rubbing her forehead where he had poked her. She lowered her head, looking at the gently rippling water, which reflected her dejected face and Ji Wujing’s smile.
