Zhao Meiyun glanced at the room door. There was no movement at all. Were they really not getting up to cook?
She was so angry she wanted to stomp her feet, but she had no choice. She still had to cook. She did not know what was wrong with her parents lately. If she refused to cook, she might end up getting beaten again.
After Zhao Meiyun finished cooking, Lin Siya shook Zhao Tianlei awake.
The two of them went out together and sat in the main hall, waiting for Father Zhao and Mother Zhao to return from work.
“I just finished cooking, and you two get up right away,” Zhao Meiyun muttered unhappily.
“Xiao Yun, if you do not want to cook, you can go work in the fields,” Zhao Tianlei said with a stern face.
Lin Siya almost wanted to give Zhao Meiyun a thumbs up. She was really resilient, like a cockroach.
Zhao Meiyun pouted and turned her face away, refusing to look at them.
Sure enough, once a man married a wife, he forgot his own family. He had only been married for such a short time, yet he already treated his sister like this.
The more she thought about it, the more she resented Lin Siya.
Lin Siya played the role of a virtuous wife, smiling brightly.
Comparing Lin Siya’s smiling face with Zhao Meiyun’s sulking expression, Zhao Tianlei’s heart unconsciously leaned to one side.
When Father Zhao and Mother Zhao returned, the whole family ate lunch together cheerfully.
Zhao Meiyun was completely baffled. Even if her parents were pretending, they were pretending too well.
She could not figure it out even after dinner.
Before long, she fell asleep.
She had no idea that her nightmare was only just beginning.
In another room not far away, Lin Siya felt a little awkward.
Did people here not bathe before sleeping?
Even though it was spring, should they not at least wash up?
“Xiao Ya, shouldn’t we sleep now?” Zhao Tianlei reminded her when he saw her lingering.
Lin Siya felt embarrassed.
“Don’t you wash your feet?”
“I already washed,” he replied.
Already washed?
She had not seen it at all.
Thinking that this man was leaving tomorrow, she wondered if tonight was supposed to be that kind of night.
“Brother Tianlei, my stomach feels a bit uncomfortable. I will sleep first,” Lin Siya said quickly.
Zhao Tianlei looked stunned.
After coming back to his senses, he asked, “Where does it hurt? Should I take you to see Father in law?”
He thought it was an aftereffect from before and grew even more worried.
“No, no. It is that thing women get every month,” Lin Siya said awkwardly.
Zhao Tianlei froze for a moment, then recalled what his comrades had said and asked with concern, “Does your stomach hurt badly? Should I make you some brown sugar water?”
“No need. I just need to lie down and rest,” Lin Siya said.
If she did not make something up to get through this, he would definitely want to do that tonight.
“I’ll massage it for you,” Zhao Tianlei said, reaching his hand toward her lower abdomen.
Lin Siya tensed up completely and almost wanted to slap him.
Zhao Tianlei noticed how stiff her body was.
“Does it still hurt like this?” he asked.
Lin Siya forced herself to endure it. Even though the previous owner of this body had been his wife, she was still not used to such intimate behavior.
What should she do?
If she did not divorce him, she would have to try to accept this man.
Since she had taken over this body and the original owner did not want a divorce, she had to fulfill that wish no matter what.
She just needed more time. Give herself more time. Give him more time too.
At the very least, she needed to understand him better before doing something so intimate.
“It feels much better now. Thank you. Go to sleep. You have to catch the train tomorrow,” Lin Siya said.
In truth, she was quite curious about trains. She wanted to try riding one someday.
No sword flight, no carriage, just sitting in a metal box and buying a ticket to wherever you wanted to go.
She also wanted to try flying on an airplane, soaring through the sky like a bird.
She wondered if its speed could compare to flying on a sword.
And guns.
From her memories, one shot could take a person’s life.
Strangely enough, this era where people could not eat their fill or dress warmly, and everything required coupons, had things that seemed even more advanced than the cultivation world.
Airplanes replaced sword flight.
Trains replaced carriages.
She realized she was thinking too far ahead.
“Xiao Ya, Xiao Ya,” Zhao Tianlei called softly.
Even though the oil lamp had already been blown out, he could still feel how tense her body was.
Was it really that painful?
He did not know much about it.
He had heard comrades say that monthly pain could be severe, even causing heavy bleeding.
“I am not in pain anymore. Sleep,” Lin Siya said.
His warmth and concern made her uneasy. What she feared most was losing herself.
Zhao Tianlei did not dare touch her again. They lay on the same bed but kept some distance between them, though they still shared the same blanket.
“Xiao Ya, if anything happens, you can write to me,” Zhao Tianlei suddenly said.
He remembered how his comrades treasured the letters they received.
They had not even taken a wedding photo together.
They had not had the coupons.
“If anything happens, I will look for you first,” Lin Siya replied.
That should let him sleep now.
This man was really a bit naggy.
Satisfied, Zhao Tianlei closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Lin Siya let out a soft breath. Finally, she could rest.
But the next morning, Zhao Tianlei woke up very early and immediately looked at Lin Siya’s peaceful sleeping face. She was beautiful.
Before Lin Siya opened her eyes, she felt a gaze fixed on her. She opened her eyes abruptly and met his tender eyes.
“Xiao Ya, time to get up,” he said.
Lin Siya remembered that she needed to cook.
“Alright.”
She moved quickly, tidied herself up, put on her shoes, and went out.
Zhao Tianlei followed behind her.
Lin Siya glanced at the empty kitchen, then her gaze fell on Zhao Meiyun’s door. The corner of her lips lifted in a barely noticeable smile.
She wondered how Zhao Meiyun’s dream within a dream had felt last night.
And involving the things women feared most, ghosts and snakes.
Lin Siya and Zhao Tianlei cooked together.
When Father Zhao and Mother Zhao woke up, the smell of food drifted from the kitchen.
Mother Zhao looked toward the kitchen with satisfaction and went to knock on Zhao Meiyun’s door.
She knocked for a long time, but no one answered.
“Xiao Yun, Xiao Yun.”
“The food is almost ready. Why is she still not up?” Father Zhao said unhappily.
Mother Zhao asked worriedly, “Could something have happened?”
“Father, Mother, let Xiao Yun sleep a bit more. She cooked yesterday,” Lin Siya said gently.
Her words immediately made Father Zhao even angrier.