Chapter 37

  Fortunately, Chen Jiayin was stronger than imagined. The next day, she still didn't say much, but she also didn't show any unusual depression. Of course, the cruel life didn't give them enough time to be depressed either.

  Chen Jiayin had to find a place to live and arrange her life in an extremely short period of time, and this world, without warning, pushed a fourteen-year-old child to mature a bit more.

  The house was not easy to find, and it was even more difficult for several students who had little experience. After running around for a day, they found a house in an old residential area far from the school, and the landlord was an elderly and kind couple.

  A standard single apartment, the environment is not very good. He Shou Si looked at the rusty and mottled refrigerator with an unknown era and frowned, "This is no better than the previous one!"

  Good things are piled up with money, Chen Jiaoyan wiped the fine sweat on her forehead and continued to sweep the house. She didn't have that much money, she still had to make a living, and she also wanted to go to college. She not only had to be frugal but also had to think of ways to make money. This kind of helplessness towards reality was something that He Shouguang, a rich young master like him, couldn't understand.

  It's been almost a week since the new life has officially gotten on track, Chen Jia-yin has lost a lot of weight, her injured body has recovered, and there is still a smile on her face, but the light in her eyes has dimmed. She never mentioned her mother, neither before nor after, not even once.

  He Shuang had her first period, and she was finally a big girl. At this age, it wasn't unusual to encounter such a thing, and textbooks had also touched on this physiological phenomenon. So when she saw the unfamiliar bloodstain on her underwear, although she was flustered, she didn't lose her composure.

  She folded the toilet paper and put it under her pants, then got up and ran out in a hurry. Wu Aunt came out with a bowl of soup and saw this, "Hey, you've eaten already, where are you going?"

  Her voice echoes from afar: "I'll buy something."

  Yuan Zhi came down from upstairs and looked at Aunt Wu, "What did she go buy?"

  "I don't know."

  There was a small supermarket at the intersection, and He Song rushed to the shelf selling toilet paper with a dazed expression. The colorful packaging bags made her eyes dizzy, and in the end, she bought several packs according to the TV commercial that often played. It was the little girl's first time buying such private daily necessities, and she felt especially ashamed and embarrassed. The mechanical sound of the barcode scan made her heart skip a beat, and when paying, she also buried her head low, as if wanting to hide in her clothes.

  "Could I have a cloth shopping bag?"

  "That's an additional 20 yuan."

  "Good."

  Out of the store, He Song twisted the shopping bag into a ball and hugged it in his arms as he walked home, only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

  As I approached the entrance of the residential area, I met He Shou Si, who had somehow sneaked back from who-knows-where. This guy has been acting strange lately, disappearing as soon as he gets home from school and not bothering to pester Yuan Zhi anymore. It's really rare for him to be back so early today.

  "What's Xiao He Sheng holding in his arms?" He hooked his thumb around the key and swung it back and forth, his curious gaze fixed on her shopping bag.

  "It doesn't matter."

  "Let me see."

  He Sheng furrowed his brow, "It's nothing special."

  "Since there's nothing special, then let me take a look!" He started to glance over at He Song, his face smiling mischievously as he said in a strange tone, "Little He Song, be good and give it to me, or else big brother will snatch it away."

  He realized the other person was troublesome, and He Song felt his back start to sweat. He tightened his grip on the thing in his hand, took a step back, and then suddenly bit his lip and rushed to the side with his head down.

  He Shou's quick hands and feet intercepted her, laughing as he pulled out the shopping bag and pulled it outward. "What good things are you hiding from me? You're getting more and more dishonest!"

  He Sheng has lived here for quite some time, and the elders nearby can recognize him. Occasionally, when they meet on the road, they will greet each other. At this moment, someone passing by would think that the two are just playing around. They all know that the three children in the neighborhood get along well with each other, so no one comes to stop them.

  He Sheng was dead set on not letting go, his face red with anxiety, the two of them were in a heated tug-of-war when suddenly Yuan Zhi's angry roar echoed out: "He Shou Si, you're asking for a beating!"

  Then a strong force came, He Shouci stumbled and let go of his hand, He Song was also pulled down to the ground with a thud, and the shopping bag fell to the ground.

  He Shouzi shouted a few times, and he kicked him a few feet, first picking up the shopping bag, waving his hand, "What's wrong with you, I just took her thing to see you kick me."

  "How can you look at me and pinch her neck so hard?" Yuan Zhi asked with a raised eyebrow, if he hadn't come to find He Song after such a long time without returning, he wouldn't have known that these two had already started fighting!

  "What's wrong? You're seeing things!" He Guanshu said nervously and was about to open the shopping bag to take a look.

  He Sheng's face changed, and he jumped up excitedly, wanting to rush over, shouting in a loud voice: "Give it back to me!"

  He Shou's eyes widened, and he subconsciously stopped in his tracks. Yuan Zhi was also startled, having never seen He Shuang so agitated before, as if he were about to fight someone to the death. The normally quiet and reserved child rarely lost his temper, but when he did, it was intimidating.

  He furrowed his brow at He Shouci and waved his hand, saying in a low voice: "You damn well give it back to her."

  He Shou felt a bit unwilling, but still handed over the bag. Just as He Song was about to touch it, he quickly turned his eyes and pulled back his hand, swiftly taking out the semi-transparent plastic bag inside. His smile suddenly froze, damn it, after fighting for half a day, what he got was actually a woman's sanitary napkin.

  He swallowed his saliva, threw the thing into the bag and stuffed it into He Sheng's wooden-like hand, and said with a scornful tone: "What's the point of hiding this kind of thing? You're wasting my energy."

  He Sheng's face turned white as he clutched the shopping bag tightly, his eyes wide with anger and about to pop out.

  Yuan Zhi pushed the person away with force and stuck to He Shou Si's ear, gritting his teeth and saying: "You're so full that you're grabbing her sanitary napkin, now even children are being made to cry by you."

  "What's wrong with me? I didn't mean to!"

  I knew it was this thing, stupidly went to grab it, a big man can't even use it.

  He Sheng felt that her most secretive thing was exposed in front of others, and the other party was two people of the opposite sex, which made her feel a sense of shame doubled from the bottom of her heart, with an urge to find a hole to bury herself. Without saying a word, she turned around and wanted to leave.

  "What? Little He Sheng, your pants are dirty."

  New bloodstains unknowingly seeped through the fabric, and the girl's growth was so abruptly displayed before them. A gust of wind blew by, and the two boys finally felt a little embarrassed too.

  He Shouci scratched the back of his head and said, "Sorry about that!"

  Yuan Zhi glared at him with an uncurable gaze and warned, "With this kind of temperament, you'd better not provoke her in the future."

  "It's all said it wasn't intentional."

  Yuan Zhi walked up to He Sheng, who was hanging her head, took off his jacket and tied it around her waist, covering the place that made the other child feel especially embarrassed.

  Gan Gan comforted her by saying, "It's nothing, it's normal. The girls in our class are like this all the time, we're used to it."

  He Shuang didn't say a word, Yuan Zhi felt a bit strange, and held her head to reveal her face. The other party's face had no expression, only those eyes that were usually clear and warm like spring water were hazy as if they had a layer of fog. Yuan Zhi suddenly felt heartbroken, "Ah, what's wrong with this? Why are you so sad? It's not like it's something unusual! Didn't we learn about it in class too? Every girl has it, it's abnormal if you don't!"

  He Shou also came up, smiling and saying: "Yes, little He Sheng don't be angry, brother was wrong, really wrong, I guarantee that in the future I will never snatch things from you again."

  Yuan Zhi gave him a shove on the shoulder and said impatiently, "Hurry back home, don't block my way."

  He Shouzi curled his lip and said, "Little He Song, I'm leaving now! Next time I'll buy a lot of sanitary napkins to give you."

  After finishing speaking, Yuan Zhi quickly slipped away with a fiery temper.

  "Let's ignore him!" Yuan Zhi glanced in that direction, "The more we talk to him, the more arrogant he becomes. Let's go, let's go home and have dinner, Wu Aunt must be waiting anxiously."

  After returning home, Wu Shu learned that He Sheng had come to her senses and specially cooked brown sugar tea for her in the evening, telling her some usual precautions. In the bustling youth, this is just a shallow stroke, and soon no one will remember it.