SDIWD - Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Hua Mu was so frightened she didn't dare move for a long time, but Bai Zhen continued to dutifully rub her stomach, and gradually, Hua Mu could no longer dwell on the matter. The other woman's body was much softer and warmer than the pile of hay; it was immeasurably more comfortable to lie on.
"Miss, are you feeling any better?"
"Mmm..."
Hua Mu did feel a little better, but the thought of having to deal with those other dreadful problems made her head ache again.
"Then you should wash your lower body with warm water and change into this."
As she spoke, Bai Zhen showed Hua Mu the item she had just made. Hua Mu stared at it for a long time, her expression gradually contorting.
"This... how do I put it on?"
A handkerchief was rolled into a long strip, filled with plant ash, and tied off at both ends. It was fastened with a pin to a strip of cloth torn from a tank top. The cloth strip itself seemed to have a specific design, with two thin straps at either end.
Bai Zhen explained in detail.
"It replaces your underwear. Use these thin strings to tie it around your waist."
Hua Mu understood; it was a kind of ancient sanitary pad. But wearing only this without any underwear was too humiliating! She was wearing a dress—what was the difference between this and going commando?
"I don't want to..."
"Miss, it's essential for girls to stay clean and hygienic during their period. Don't worry, this isn't dirty."
Hua Mu never imagined that she, who had always prized cleanliness above all else, would be lectured on hygiene by this disheveled Sentinel.
"But this is just too... too strange." It was crude, sure, but the design was also bizarre. This would surely go down as an embarrassing chapter in her life.
"You can wear my pants and jacket. I'll wash the clothes you change out of."
Bai Zhen had offered to wash her clothes more than once, and again, Hua Mu screamed the word "pervert" in her mind. This time, however, she didn't dare say it aloud, afraid the other woman would just throw all caution to the wind.
"You don't have to wash them..." In the end, she knew she had no choice but to use it, and she reluctantly took the contraption. The plant ash seemed to retain some warmth; it felt warm, soft, and dry in her palm.
The handkerchief was made of a fine material, and Bai Zhen had packed it tightly, so there was little fear of leakage. Of course, performing any strenuous activity while wearing it was out of the question.
Resigned to her fate, Hua Mu first went to the latrine. Because Bai Zhen frequently went into the sea, Hua Mu had later requested that the latrine be built on a leeward slope, a short distance from the beach. Each time she went, she brought charcoal ash to cover her waste.
While she was gone, Bai Zhen prepared warm water for her, using a coconut shell as a makeshift basin. The material of a Sentinel's undergarments was designed to be comfortable, soft, strong, and durable. Bai Zhen had fashioned the rest of her tank top into more pads—exactly seven of them. Unfortunately, there was only one handkerchief, and she didn't dare substitute her own tank top material for the part that would be in direct contact with Hua Mu's skin.
In the latrine, Hua Mu finally saw the messy state she was in. The thought of having clung to Bai Zhen for so long in that condition sent another wave of shame through her—she felt as if she would exhaust a lifetime's supply of humiliation on this island.
When she returned, Bai Zhen had warm water ready and had vacated the shelter to give her privacy.
Clean fresh water was incredibly precious; the distillation still collected less than a bottle's worth in an entire afternoon. Yet, in the process of cleaning herself up, she used at least three liters.
But as Bai Zhen had said, it was especially important for a girl to keep her private areas clean at a time like this. The handkerchief was already in use, so Hua Mu steeled her heart and had Bai Zhen cut a piece of her dress's lining to use as a towel.
She took some time to clean herself, finally emerging dressed in Bai Zhen's long pants and jacket.
At one meter sixty-three, Hua Mu wasn't particularly petite, and as a beautiful eighteen-year-old in the prime of her youth, she certainly didn't look childish. But now, dressed in ill-fitting clothes and clutching her white dress with a timid expression, she looked very much like a little girl who had secretly tried on her mother's clothes.
Bai Zhen had been waiting outside. When she saw Hua Mu emerge looking reasonably well, she called out joyfully, "Miss."
Hua Mu felt awkward and embarrassed. The bloodstains on her white dress were glaringly obvious, to say nothing of her underwear...
Besides, bloodstains were difficult to wash out, and they had very little fresh water left.
"I need to... wash my clothes..."
Bai Zhen rushed to take them from her. "I'll do it. You should rest."
Hua Mu instinctively wanted to call her a pervert but managed to bite her tongue.
"No, I'll do it myself. Just show me how."
Bai Zhen wouldn't hear of it. She took the clothes and said with a serious expression, "You're on your period. You can't touch cold water. I'll do it."
Hua Mu was incredibly conflicted.
On the one hand, she was the epitome of someone unaccustomed to manual labor; if she tried to wash the clothes herself, she would likely make a mess of it. On the other hand, letting Bai Zhen wash her clothes was one thing, but this was a particularly delicate situation.
Besides, she was exhausted. Her back ached, her hands and feet were cold, and the clothes were ill-fitting.
Seizing her moment of hesitation, Bai Zhen took the clothes from her.
"Hey—"
"Miss, please rest. Drink some more of the warm Kun grass tea. I'll be right back."
Seeing her walk away so quickly, Hua Mu stomped her foot. Fine, whatever!
Of course, while she pretended not to care, she couldn't help but worry. Sitting by the fire and sipping the warm tea, Hua Mu surreptitiously watched to see how Bai Zhen would handle her dress and... her underwear.
Bai Zhen dug a pit in the sand a few meters from the high-tide line, using the seawater that seeped in to wash the bloodstains. She had also grabbed a lime, and before soaking the garments, she squeezed its juice onto the stains.
The combination of saltwater and lime juice worked well on the bloodstains. After a few scrubs, the stains on the thin underwear were mostly gone. The juice of the miswak plant contained saponins and had antiseptic properties; she cut a branch, chewed the end to a pulp, and rubbed the juice into the fabric before washing it again.
The dress was a bit more trouble, but it didn't take long. After washing it in seawater, it naturally needed a final rinse with fresh water. Bai Zhen returned with the dripping dress to find Hua Mu sitting by the fire, chin in her hands, staring blankly.
"Miss, are you feeling more comfortable?"
Hua Mu glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. Seeing her own sheer, pure white panties in the other woman's hand made her skin crawl.
"Mmm..."
"I'll just give the clothes a final rinse with fresh water."
Hua Mu turned her head away, pretending not to see.
"There isn't much fresh water left, is there?"
"Don't worry, I'll figure something out tomorrow."
There was no reason to doubt Bai Zhen's reliability. Given her personality, she would never make a promise she couldn't keep.
Hua Mu stopped worrying about it and changed the subject. "You cut up your tank top and gave me your jacket and pants. Aren't you cold?"
Although Sentinels often stripped down to their sports bras and shorts, they usually wore a tank top and long pants when on land.
"I'm not cold. Are you cold, Miss?"
Bai Zhen's jacket was large and did a good job of blocking the wind. Sitting by the fire, Hua Mu felt warm all over.
"I'm fine... What was that you gave me to drink?"
Menstrual cramps were a chronic problem for her. In the past, when the pain was excruciating, she had relied on painkillers to get through it. While the effects of Bai Zhen's tea weren't immediate or dramatic, she was surprised to feel it working—though she couldn't be sure if it was just a placebo effect.
"It's Kun grass. It promotes blood circulation and dispels stasis. The elder woman in my clan said it's very effective for cramps. I remembered seeing some on the island, so I went to find it."
Bai Zhen wasn't a doctor, so she couldn't accurately diagnose the cause of Hua Mu's cramps. But she knew Hua Mu had seen many doctors who had found nothing physically wrong, advising only general wellness and conditioning. From this, she guessed it was related to her constitution.
Hua Mu's diet consisted mostly of seafood and vegetables; her tastes were rather plain, and her circulation had never been particularly robust. Bai Zhen had noticed her cold hands and feet earlier, which was why she'd chosen to make her the Kun grass tea.
At first, Hua Mu had assumed this was more knowledge Bai Zhen had acquired at the Tower. Hearing her suddenly mention her "clan" piqued her curiosity.
"Your clan? Aren't you an orphan?"
Bai Zhen was indeed an orphan, but she hadn't grown up alone. She was from the Black-Eyed Clan, and though she had lost her parents, she was raised by the clan until she awakened as a Sentinel and entered the Tower.
"Yes, the elder woman and I aren't related by blood..." Bai Zhen seemed reluctant to say more, lowering her head to rinse the clothes in the makeshift basin of bent sheet metal.
Hua Mu felt her question had been too personal and sullenly fell silent.
Bai Zhen finished rinsing the clothes shortly after. With so little fresh water, she could only do the best she could.
Hua Mu watched for a while. As Bai Zhen was about to hang the dress up to dry, she suddenly said, "You... you don't have any more material for the pads, do you? Cut up the lining of my dress and use that."
After all, she was the one who needed them. The other woman had already sacrificed her tank top; she couldn't very well contribute nothing herself, could she?
Without the lining, the dress would still be long enough to cover her thighs. She could accept that.
Bai Zhen had no objection. She carefully cut out six pieces, boiled them in hot water, and hung them up separately to dry.
On their thirteenth day stranded on the island, Hua Mu's dress—one of only three in the world, a creation from the hands of a renowned designer—was finally no longer intact.
It had been another busy and chaotic day.
Hua Mu felt exhausted and planned to go to sleep early. With no computer, no internet, and no form of entertainment, there was nothing to do at night but sleep.
However, the hay pile, which was uncomfortable on a normal day, was even more unbearable for Hua Mu tonight. She tossed and turned for a long time, but sleep wouldn't come.
Being exhausted yet unable to sleep had to be one of life's greatest tortures.
As Hua Mu lay there, she sensed something was off. She turned and saw that Bai Zhen, who had been sitting by the fire, had gone down to the shore at some point and was now squatting there, doing something.
The moonlight was bright enough for her to make out a figure, but her vision was nowhere near as sharp as a Sentinel's. She watched for a long time but couldn't tell what Bai Zhen was doing.
But whatever it was, it couldn't possibly be more important than staying with her!
"Bai Zhen!"
Hearing Hua Mu's voice from a distance, Bai Zhen quickly dropped what she was doing and ran to her side.
"Miss."
"It's already dark. What are you so busy with? It's time for bed."
The Young Lady was urging her to sleep, something that had never happened before.
"You go ahead and sleep. I'll keep watch."
Hua Mu had no intention of sleeping alone. She needed company. She needed a warm, soft body!
"Come over here and lie down. Block the wind for me."
Aside from a short nap the previous afternoon, Bai Zhen had always rested sitting up. This was the first time Hua Mu had asked her to... well, to sleep with her.
Bai Zhen grew flustered, looking as if she didn't know what to do with her limbs as she stood there hesitantly.
Hua Mu was annoyed that she was suddenly acting so prim and proper, especially when she'd held her so naturally just a moment ago!
"What are you standing there for? Get over here and lie down."
"Oh. Yes."
Looking as if she still didn't know what to do with herself, Bai Zhen lay down stiffly on the outer side of the hay pile, next to Hua Mu.
The Sentinel's body was slightly damp but very warm. Lying on the outside, warmed by the fire, she quickly became toasty.
Hua Mu had initially been lying with her back to Bai Zhen. The bed of hay, meant for one, was quite cramped for two. After a little while, she couldn't help but roll over, pressing most of her body against Bai Zhen's.
"M-Miss?"
"Shut up."
As my guard, as my Sentinel, isn't it only right and proper for you to offer your body as a human cushion when I'm in distress?
It wasn't that she found this big oaf's body comfortable, and she certainly didn't like this body!
She was a princess, for crying out loud, and she had suffered for so many days. Today, she was at her most vulnerable. What was wrong with using a human cushion for a bit? Besides, Bai Zhen was the one who said she couldn't get cold. If that was the case, then she should use her body heat to warm her!
Her getting close to Bai Zhen was a sign of trust, a way to win her over. It wasn't because she actually liked it.
Hua Mu's mind raced with a jumble of thoughts, and the more she thought, the more justified she felt.
Sigh. It was so much more comfortable than the hay. She truly regretted not swallowing her pride sooner and making Bai Zhen her cushion.
At first, Bai Zhen didn't dare move a muscle. But as Hua Mu snuggled deeper against her in her sleep, she finally found the courage to wrap her arms around the Young Lady, holding her close.
To Bai Zhen, Hua Mu had always been a lofty existence; the phrase "favored daughter of heaven" was insufficient to describe her status. But in Bai Zhen's eyes, Hua Mu's sanctity stemmed more from a childhood memory.
The moment she learned she would finally become her guard, Bai Zhen had resolved to protect her with her very life.
So, being able to serve as a cushion for the Young Lady made her very happy.
The inferiority she had once felt from the strange looks she received after awakening as a Sentinel, the confusion over growing taller and developing a body that was less and less like a slender girl's—in that moment, it all vanished like smoke.
Hua Mu felt she hadn't slept so comfortably and deeply in a long time. She had a plush pillow, a warm comforter, and a soft mattress; it was just like being back in her own bedroom.
Her stomach was still a little uncomfortable, but she had only to let out a soft whimper before the mattress automatically began to rub her belly—more high-tech than any bed she had ever slept in.
I should really let that blockheaded Sentinel enjoy the finer things in life, too, she thought. Maybe then she'll stop being so clueless all the time.
Seeing Hua Mu's brow gradually smooth out, Bai Zhen was about to stop, but the other woman, still not satisfied, grabbed her hand and guided it under the hem of her shirt.
"!"
Bai Zhen was startled and didn't know what to do. When Hua Mu was awake, she was very careful about physical contact; even when lying on her back, she was never fully relaxed. Bai Zhen instinctively felt that touching the Young Lady's body without permission while she was half-asleep would make her angry. But seeing her frown in discomfort, she couldn't bring herself to refuse or wake her.
In the end, she slid her hand underneath.
Hua Mu's abdomen was flat and smooth, her slender waist so narrow it could be spanned by a single hand. Bai Zhen couldn't help but feel a surge of tenderness, like one might feel for a small animal, as she warmed the Young Lady's aching belly with her palm.
It wouldn't matter if she got scolded later. She knew the Young Lady needed her now.
A girl as delicate and beautiful as a flower, as sacred and precious as a goddess, as innocent and kind as a child—she deserved the very best of care.
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