She had nothing to do after her meal, so she went into Lu Yi’s room to use the computer. After some time, the housekeeper came in with a bowl of soup and placed it in front of her.
It was ginger soup with brown sugar. Now only did she realize that her time of the month was approaching, and this soup would reduce the intensity of her cramps.
She picked up the bowl and drained it mouthful by mouthful. The soup was not that tasty and she knew it since her first sip. Yet, she kept drinking. In fact, she felt sad each and every single time she drank the soup, as it meant that she was not pregnant.
Lu Yi and her had used contraception only back when she was in the army, but she had never gotten pregnant even after that. Little Lei was almost turning one, but there was still no news from Lu Yi and her.
Lu Yi said that he was infertile, but she was hoping that a miracle would happen. Maybe God would take pity on them and bless them with a child.
“Aunty, why does the soup taste weird recently?”
Yan Huan finished drinking the soup. It tasted sweet and spicy, mixed with some weird taste. The taste made her feel sad, like she wanted to cry.
“I had added some Chinese herbs inside,” the housekeeper said. She took the bowl and put it away. “My grandmother used to make this for me. Women should pay extra attention to their menstrual period and take care of their health. You are no longer a little girl and yet you don’t treasure your body. Eventually you would suffer from a chronic disease if you keep it up. Anyway, this soup is nutritious and would not bring harm to your body. After all, prevention is better than cure.”
“Just get more rest and you would feel better.”
“Okay, I understand,” Yan Huan leaned forward and slumped on the table, still suffering. It must be because of that soup just now, making her feel unwell.
She was also becoming less active and lazy. This was probably normal as her menstrual period was around the corner.
In the evening, her period came as scheduled.
Her abdomen was attacked by cramps and she was hit with waves of nausea.
The housekeeper again prepared some soup for her.
“Miss Yan, just drink it. You will feel less pain after drinking.”
“Thank you,” Yan Huan accepted the bowl weakly and finished it in one gulp. She could not stop her tears from flowing, and drop by drop they fell into the bowl. The housekeeper saw this and it made her feel sorry for her.
Being a woman was tough.
Lu Yi was busy and only came back around eight o’clock at night. He had been to the riverbanks all around Sea City and checked through the documents of sea coast construction. In the end, he found that there was a problem with one of the batches of materials.
Hence, he investigated from the procuratorate. As expected, he could pinpoint the source of the problem. Now, he had sped up the restoration at a few sites, hoping that this would be of help.
When he came home, the housekeeper was still there.
“Where is she?” Lu Yi asked the housekeeper while taking off his coat.
“She’s inside the room,” the housekeeper pointed to the door.
“She wasn’t feeling well and had been sleeping the whole day. It just so happened that Sir had come back and we are eating soon, so could you wake her up to eat together?” asked the housekeeper as she brought the dishes out from the kitchen.
The dishes for dinner were simple and not greasy or strongly flavored. There were preserved eggs and lean meat with porridge, and some light dishes.
When Lu Yi went into his room, he saw Yan Huan curled up into a ball on the bed. She had only occupied a small corner out of the entire king-sized bed.
He walked toward her and sat on the bed. He rested his hand against her forehead. Her body temperature was lower than normal, and her face was pale.
“You’re back,” Yan Huan opened her eyes, still not willing to move. She held onto his big hands tightly. He found that both her hands were cold.
“Why are your hands so cold?” Lu Yi held Yan Huan’s hands tightly and pulled them under the blanket in an attempt to warm them up.
“I’m fine,” Yan Huan snorted. “My stomach is cramping though.”
“Stomach?” A thought suddenly came to Lu Yi’s mind. He reached through the blanket and placed his big hand on Yan Huan’s abdomen. In a jiffy, it was as if the warmth from his hand had seeped through her skin, spreading to the depths of her stomach.
“Is the pain unbearable?” He was thinking if he should let He Yibin come over. If the pain was too much, he would not let her suffer to this extent anymore.
“It is okay. It’s only a slight pain,” Yan Huan lied before sitting up straight carefully. Then, she felt a warm stream of blood flow down her thigh.
She pulled off the blanket immediately and walked toward the toilet. She was worried that her blood would wet her shorts.
Her body was just like what the housekeeper had said. She had indeed mistreated her body when she was younger. However, this was not totally her fault as she used to act as a stunt double in films. This was the only way to earn more money as she was poor. She would wrap herself in a thick cotton coat during spring and soak in cold water during winter. Regardless of whether she was on her period, she had to subject herself to extreme conditions if it was requested of her.
There were some times where electricity and hot water were not available at home. In that case, she was forced to shower with ice-cold water. This was how she survived for all those years. She did not take proper care of her health. Now, her body was giving her a taste of her own medicine.
When she walked out of the toilet, she looked so weak that it seemed like she was going to faint anytime.
Lu Yi immediately went to support her and helped her sit down. After that, he served her a glass of warm water.
“Why are you so weak every time during your menstrual period?” He sat cross-legged in front of her and put her legs on his, rubbing her hands and legs alternately as not only were her hands cold, but her legs as well.
“I was used to ignoring it,” Yan Huan explained as she held the glass and drank in greedy gulps. Her legs were in Lu Yi’s hands and she felt so warm. Gradually, she felt the pain in her abdomen recede.
“There was a time when we soaked in cold water during winter. Yiyi and I were so poor. There was neither hot water nor a radiator in the house. We had to put up with cold water to bathe with during winter. That was what we had to go through during hard times. That was the reason why I am suffering now, I brought this upon myself.”
Lu Yi took Yan Huan’s slippers and put it on her feet.
“Let’s go and eat first. Aunty made black-boned chicken soup, you should drink more of it.”
“Okay,” Yan Huan agreed. She rubbed her stomach, feeling much better now. The brown sugar ginger soup that Aunty served her today had finally worked its wonders.
Lu Yi brought Yan Huan to the washroom to wash her hands.
“Use warm water. Don’t even think of using cold water.” If Lu Yi was at home, he would never let her use cold water again. This was because he already knew of her condition. It would be beneficial to her body if she stopped using cold water. If she had continued to do so, then she might end up crying from the pain.
“Oh, I recalled something,” Yan Huan put her fingers under the flush of hot water, which brought her unfathomable comfort.