Translated and given permission by MissQ to post on Puretl.com
Edited by Pure

Chapter 27: After A Long Absence!

That afternoon, Lin Si Yao returned to the inn. 

Su Shuilian was resting, with her chin on her hand, as she waited for him. Seeing that he had come back unharmed, she happily exclaimed, “You’re back!”

“Mn.” Lin Si Yao nodded, his eyes flashing with deep joy at her warm welcome.

“The timber was carted to Fan Hua Town.” Taking the wet towel from Su Shuilian, Lin Si Yao wiped his dusty face and hands. After changing his outer garment, he led her to a seat.

“Shuilian, just hire several carpenters to work on the furniture at the same time,” Lin Si Yao suddenly proposed.

Su Shuilian blinked several times in confusion. “What happened?” She had never seen him so anxious.

Lin Si Yao had looked down, so it was hard to read his expression.

“Okay.” Su Shuilian gently smiled as she held onto his large hands. “I will always believe in you.”

When Lin Si Yao heard this, he looked up at her before nodding. “I will not deceive you.”

Su Shuilian was unsure whether to laugh or cry. She had thought he was going to explain, but this kind of response… a promise? Her cheeks flushed, revealing her inner joy.

---

Su Shuilian hid under the canopy as she stared at the pants she wore under her skirt…. O’heaven, are you doing this on purpose?

Previously, she had worried every month about it not coming, but just when she had come to accept it and had forgotten about it, her body started to menstruate, catching her by surprise. 

What should she do? Su Shuilian laid stiffly on the bed, afraid to move and cause a mess on the white sheets.

Fortunately, she had previously bought those two rolls of white cotton fabric. It took her a bit before she finished several linings that were about a hand-width. She stacked them together and put them in her pants, hoping that this would help her avoid staining one of her only two change of clothes.

But because of this, she didn’t dare to leave her room.

It was at this time that Su Shuilian started to miss the cotton pads from Su House. The other linings were made of the same thin cotton fabric she was using now, but the inside had a thick layer of cotton along with water-absorbent paper. Although it felt weird, at least it would not cause a mess on her skirt pants.

Thinking about it, Su Shuilian lightly rubbed her slightly distended abdomen. She hoped she wouldn’t bleed too heavily at once. Slowly, she fell asleep. 

---

That morning, Lin Si Yao had left early to supervise the construction in Fan Hua Town.

He had hired another three carpenters to work alongside the previously hired carpenter, Feng Laoliu. The four were busy working on the house.

They had never seen this kind of colored wood before. They had secretly guessed that it had been brought from the outside. After all, they had heard from the villagers that it had been brought here in a four-wheeled cart. 

Because of their profession, they were very much aware of what raw materials were being sold at the store. Although they had never seen such a purple-colored wood before, it seemed to be sturdier than authentic rosewood.

Their whispers were completely overheard by Lin Si Yao, but he had no interest in clarifying the matter. As long as it did not affect their speed or ability to work, there was no need to stop their gossiping. 

Holding a branch, Lin Si Yao circled around the house a few times, before finally stopping in the backyard. Next to the cherry tree, he drew a circle. Ignoring the strange looks from the carpenters, he said, “Build a bench here.”

The four carpenters looked at each other. In the end, it was the eldest, Feng Laoliu, who spoke up. “Gongzi wants to use the wood to make a bench?” In the yard, it was usually popular to have stone tables and seats, but wooden ones….

Lin Si Yao glanced at them coldly, his meaning clear. I’m telling you to do it, not telling you to say useless words.

The four quickly lowered their heads and quickly got to work. Heavens, just who was this person? With just a glance, they felt a heavy pressure suppressing them. Forget it, just keep working. Once done, they can finally go home to their wives. Fortunately, the pay for this task was not low. Moreover, if they can complete it within ten days, there would be a bonus! Therefore, it’s best not to waste any time. 

Lin Si Yao no longer paid them any mind as he continued to think while walking around. In a short while, he had the carpenters build several more benches of the same style under the Jujube tree near the river in front of the house. He also instructed a set of quincuncial piles* to be built on the flat meadow near the river. 

*(Quincuncial piles are used by martial artists for training.)

It was then that the four realized that this imposing man, who was not past his early twenties, must have been a martial artist. Otherwise, why would a farmer think of having quincuncial piles built? And to even use such sturdy hardwood, it’s definitely not just for display! With this, the hands of the four carpenters started to move at a faster rate as they used all of their strength to complete this project. 

---

When Lin Si Yao returned to the inn, Su Shuilian was still sleeping soundly on the bed.

Lin Si Yao gently caressed her forehead. He was relieved that nothing was out of the ordinary. Sweeping a glance around the room, he noticed that nothing had changed since he had left that morning. 

He frowned. He headed downstairs to ask the innkeeper what had happened that afternoon. When he found out that she had not ordered food or gone out for lunch today, Lin Si Yao frowned more deeply. 

After ordering a few light dishes to be brought up, Lin Si Yao returned to her room as he continued to guess the reasons why she hadn’t eaten. 

“Eh, you’ve returned? Is it that late?” Su Shuilian was awakened by the noise and sluggishly opened her eyes. That had been a nice nap. She had almost forgotten about the pain in her lower abdomen. 

When she saw Lin Si Yao directing the waiter where to put the food and hot water, Su Shuilian finally realized that the day was almost over. 

“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?” Lin Si Yao wrung the hot towel before he gently wiped her cheeks that had become red from sleep.

When Su Shuilian heard his question, her face flushed even more red.

When Lin Si Yao saw this, he gave her a puzzled glance. If not for her normal temperature, he would have thought that she had a fever. 

“Didn’t eat this afternoon?” Lin Si Yao gently helped her to sit up and leaned her against the headrest. He got up to fill a bowl with rice and a bit of each side dish with a pair of chopsticks before sitting back down next to her. This kind of posture, it seemed as though he was about to help feed her. 

“I’ll... I’ll do it myself.” Su Shuilian reached for the bowl and chopsticks. 

“Tell me what’s wrong, or else I’ll feed you.” With a swift motion, the bowl and chopsticks moved from one hand to the other. Lin Si Yao threatened her with a cold voice, but it contained a slightly worried tone as he set the conditions. 

Su Shuilian was angry and embarrassed at his words. She turned her head, ignoring him. 

Lin Si Yao sighed lightly. “Shuilian, is it something that is not appropriate to tell me? ...Or is it that I do not have the qualifications for you to tell me? ”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” When Su Shuilian heard this, she immediately turned around. Casting aside the etiquette between a man and woman, she covered his mouth with her hands, not allowing him to continue his self-deprecating words.

Lin Si Yao took her hand and held it in his palm, his deep black eyes looking at her without blinking. 

“My...thing...came.” Unable to resist him any longer, Su Shuilian softly mumbled this one sentence, confusing Lin Si Yao. 

“What thing?” Lin Si Yao asked as he saw that she continued to look down without any intention of saying anymore.

“My period!” Su Shuilian yelled furiously before immediately blushing. When she realized that she had spoken in an inappropriately loud voice, she quickly covered her mouth. 

Lin Si Yao’s mind went blank for a bit. When he finally figured out what she meant, his face could not help but also flush.

---

“The innkeeper’s wife wants to know if this is enough.” Lin Si Yao entered Su Shuilian’s room while holding a wad of white cotton.

“Oh, that...should be enough.” Su Shuilian rubbed her lower abdomen as she rested on the bed. Receiving the cotton from Lin Si Yao, she estimated that this much could make about four or five pieces. 

Yes, Su Shuilian, the Eldest Miss Su, was about to sew her own sanitary pads by just relying on her past memory. After all, she did not want to lay in bed for the rest of the week. Moreover, even if she stayed still in bed, it didn’t mean that it wouldn’t stain her clothing. Since she was already bedbound, why not think of a good countermeasure?  

Common folk would normally use their harvested cotton while it was white and fluffy to make cotton robes and comforters , leaving some leftover.  Although cotton was not expensive here and therefore did not sell for much, they would sell these leftovers to passing peddlers.

This must have then been taken from the innkeeper’s own private savings.

As Su Shuilian requested, Lin Si Yao took out a thick embroidery needle from her bag along with some uncut pieces of thin white fabric and brought it to her. Although he was curious, Lin Si Yao did not ask her about it. He speculated that it had something to do with her period. 

At that thought, Lin Si Yao’s face flushed with an almost indiscernible blush. 

Once a woman started menstruating, it meant that she was able to give birth to children. Children… he had been an orphan, and in the past twenty years, he had lived in the darkness as the killer Si Ling. However, in the future, he would be able to even have children of his own… 

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