Chapter 23: Buying Sanitary Napkins
That night, Xia Yu didn’t sleep well; partly because her tummy was acting up, and partly because of the firecrackers that had been going off all night.
As usual, at six in the morning, Xia Yu was dragged out of bed by a fresh round of firecrackers…
Yawning, she finished washing up and went downstairs. Sure enough, there they were: her grandpa and grandma, her father and mother, and her older brother and younger sister.
Of course, when it came to the New Year, you wouldn’t turn down the red envelopes.
So, just like every other year, Xia Yu said with a habitual smile, “Congratulations, grandpa and grandma, have good health, smooth sailing, and live to be a hundred years old~”
After receiving her grandparent’s envelopes, Xia Yu continued like clockwork before her parents: “Wishing mom and dad good health, success, and prosperity~”
And just like that, Xia Yu collected four red envelopes.
The amount in each envelope? No guessing required—her parents gave her one-hundred-yuan notes for each, while her grandparents gave twenty-yuan notes. In total, that made Xia Yu a small fortune of two hundred and forty yuan…
Once the new year greetings and red envelopes were done, it seemed the day’s excitement was over, save for the ongoing fireworks.
Boys usually liked something a bit more thrilling, of course, and Xia Le was no exception—he was the one always tasked with lighting the fireworks.
Listening to the sizzling bangs made even the already chilly air feel colder.
When morning came, it was likely that the village’s numerous aunts and uncles had also woken up. So Xia Le, Xia Yu, and Xia Ling could now head out again to secure more red envelopes. After all, who would turn down extra cash?
After nearly two hours of strenuous begging, the three of them had visited all their friendly neighbors, transforming their initial haul of around two hundred yuan into over five hundred yuan. Villagers often give loose change, with some even putting just two yuan in each envelope.
Plus, during the rounds of greeting, Xia Yu’s long hair wasn’t spared from the jests. The adults would say things like she looked really girly—whether it was praise or ridicule, she couldn’t tell.
So, after collecting all the envelopes, while Xia Le and Xia Ling wore wide grins, Xia Yu wore a face of dismay.
Meanwhile, the village basketball tournament kicked off. After all, the New Year was all about having a blast.
The kids could finally let loose; if only last year, Xia Ling would’ve used part of her new year money to buy toy guns for pretend battles. But now… never mind.
On the way back home, Xia Le parted ways with Xia Yu and Xia Ling since he had no intention of going back. Outside was much more fun, and he had some money to spend.
It was now the third day of Xia Yu’s period, so her tummy ached as usual. When she returned home, she just wanted to sit still and plop down on the sofa to watch TV.
Xia Ling felt the same way; she preferred playing mobile games rather than adventuring outside…
Even though a great animated show was playing on the TV, Xia Yu wasn’t paying much attention. Instead, she kept glancing at her little sister.
Finally, taking a deep breath, Xia Yu turned to Xia Ling and said, “Littl…Little Ling, do you still have any pads? Can I buy one from you?”
Sure enough, Xia Ling no longer shared her stash of sanitary napkins, leaving Xia Yu dependent on ordinary tissues instead. She learned her lesson the hard way.
