Chapter 108: The Mighty Force of the Plot

Right now, Meng Jia was filled with energy, her mind occupied solely by the fact that Lu Liqin had agreed to marry her. She could already see the bright, comfortable future awaiting her.

Before long, she would beg her future father-in-law to have them both transferred back to the city.

And then, when the spring of the reform and opening-up arrived, she and her husband could start a business and make a fortune together.

By then, she would be a wealthy merchant's wife in her own right, no longer just the tag-along best friend of one, relying on others' handouts.

She wouldn't even have to walk on eggshells around Tang Xin anymore. In fact, she and her mother could gloat right in front of the Tang family.

Just thinking about it made Meng Jia gleeful, and her confidence in life was instantly restored.

When Tang Xin learned of this, she could only marvel at how powerful the original plot's pull remained. After all, the male and female leads of the novel had ended up together anyway.

Not everyone was given a second chance at life. Meng Jia had been blessed with one, yet she chose to walk down a crooked path.

Shaking her head, Tang Xin cast these thoughts aside. She had just received an unexpected payment for her writing, along with some welfare supplies from the production brigade leader.

This was perfect timing. She could ask Li Sheng to buy some meat to improve their meals at home, especially with the spring plowing just around the corner. Everyone would soon be working hard in the fields, so it was only right to nourish their bodies beforehand.

But right now, Tang Xin had no energy to worry about anything else.

It was that time of the month again, and for some reason, sharp waves of pain were radiating through her lower abdomen. At first, Tang Xin tried to bear it in silence, but when the pain became unbearable, she quietly whispered to her husband.

The moment Li Sheng heard this, he panicked. His wife was in pain and unwell; this was a serious matter.

He immediately moved to scoop her up in his arms. "I'll take you to the commune clinic to see a doctor."

Tang Xin shook her head in refusal. "Women go through this every month. I always get cramps, it's just that this time is exceptionally painful."

She figured she must have caught a chill while staying up late during the Lunar New Year celebrations, which was why the cramps were so excruciating this time around.

Truth be told, during the winter here, she missed her twenty-first-century life more than ever—televisions, phones, air conditioners, refrigerators, and water heaters. The absence of any of those modern conveniences dragged down the quality of life significantly.

To be honest, Li Sheng hadn't quite understood at first. After all, he was just a young man who had only tasted the joys of marriage for a few months, and he had never received any sex education.

Normally, a mother would teach her daughter about the wedding night before marriage, but Tang Xin had received no such guidance. Not that it mattered; coming from the twenty-first century, even if she hadn't experienced it firsthand back then, she was well-informed.

Li Sheng, however, was clueless. It was inappropriate for his mother, Madam Fang, to discuss such matters with him, and his father was certainly not the type of old man to have those talks with his son.

Fortunately, guided by male instinct, their intimate life had been highly harmonious since their wedding night. Yet when it came to the finer details of female biology, Li Sheng remained largely in the dark.

He watched as his wife retrieved some unfamiliar sanitary products from the wardrobe. Too embarrassed to use the outdoor latrine, she shyly changed her clothes right there in the room.

Seeing her pale face and the color drained from her lips, she looked incredibly fragile and pitiful.

Although they were husband and wife and had shared the most intimate moments, Tang Xin still felt a bit self-conscious, so she asked him to step out while she changed.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Sheng hurried to his mother for help. Madam Fang immediately went to the kitchen to brew some brown sugar water for her daughter-in-law.

After all, the sugar in the house had been bought by Tang Xin herself. Usually, the kids devoured most of it, so it was only right that Tang Xin drank some brown sugar water now to soothe her body.

Seeing how terrible she looked, Li Sheng still wanted to take her to see a doctor. Although he knew a bit of medicine and could gather herbs to treat minor ailments, the old professor who had taught him was no expert in gynecology. Besides, they were two men and had been too embarrassed to discuss such things, so Li Sheng had learned nothing about women's health.

Left with no choice but to watch his wife suffer in anxious distress, it was Madam Fang who saved the day. She found a hot water bottle, filled it with hot water, and brought it in to warm Tang Xin up.

She also instructed her son, "Make sure she rests well and doesn't overexert herself. She shouldn't touch cold water or eat anything raw, cold, or spicy for the next few days."

Though his mother was an uneducated village woman, Li Sheng knew that her advice was rooted in generations of wisdom. Following her advice would certainly do Tang Xin some good, but Li Sheng resolved that if she didn't feel better by tomorrow, he would take her to see a doctor in the city.

Still uneasy, he slipped away unnoticed to consult the old professor, returning with a special remedy. He planned to buy the herbs and brew a decoction to help regulate her body. However, knowing his own kitchen skills were no match for his mother's, he had to ask Madam Fang to handle the actual brewing.

While tending to the medicine, Madam Fang said to her son in a half-teasing tone, "You know, when it comes to women's ailments, I naturally know more than you. We elders have a saying, though I don't know if you'll heed it."

Li Sheng immediately replied, "Tell me, Mother."

"Well, if you two hurry up and have a baby, she won't suffer nearly as much pain during her monthly cycle after that."

Li Sheng fell silent for a moment. This actually sounded somewhat plausible, rather than just an excuse his mother made up to rush them into having children.

Yet in his eyes, Tang Xin was still practically a child herself who needed looking after. If they had a baby now, wouldn't they both be completely overwhelmed? Still, if they did have a child, it would be theirs, bound to look like a mix of both of them.

"We aren't trying to force anything," he said. "We'll just let nature take its course." If it happened, it happened. That was just how life went.

Although she hadn't received a promise of a chubby grandson right away, Madam Fang was pleased enough just knowing they were open to the idea.

Meanwhile, Li Sheng returned to the bedroom with the hot water bottle. Tang Xin was in so much pain she wanted to roll around on the bed, but she didn't dare. In this era, there were no sanitary pads or leak-proof undergarments. She had to lie perfectly still, otherwise, it would be highly embarrassing if she stained her clothes or the bedsheets.

When Li Sheng placed the hot water bottle against her lower back as his mother had instructed, the sudden contrast of hot and cold made her shiver.

Soon, a soothing warmth radiated from her lower back. Coupled with the heat of Li Sheng's palm resting gently on her lower abdomen, she began to feel much more comfortable.

Perhaps it was the warmth of her family's care, but the combination of the hot water bottle and the brown sugar water she had drunk earlier finally began to dull the sharp edges of the pain.