Chapter 127: Menstrual Cramps
Just as Ning Xiyue was about to lie down on the heated brick bed and enter her space to study, she suddenly heard Chen Yechu’s painful groans from the other end of the bed. The sound pierced her ears and made it impossible for her to focus on studying — she had to go check on her first.
Ning Xiyue sat up and asked with concern through the curtain dividing them:
“Yechu, what’s wrong?”
Chen Yechu was curled up on the bed, clutching her stomach. Her weak, broken voice came through:
“I… I got my period… cramping… hurts… I’m going to… pour a cup of hot water.”
She struggled to sit up and get off the bed to get water.
“Hey, don’t move. Just lie down and rest. I’ll make you some brown sugar water.”
Seeing her struggle, Ning Xiyue raised her voice to stop her and quickly climbed down with a flashlight.
Chen Yechu, sweating coldly and leaning on the edge of the bed, whispered, “Thank you… my brown sugar is in the glass jar on the table.”
“Okay. Lie still and don’t catch a chill.”
As a fellow woman, Ning Xiyue knew all too well how painful menstrual cramps could be — they could feel like death.
Although she herself never suffered from them and couldn’t fully empathize, she had seen many classmates suffer.
One of her high school classmates and desk mate had it the worst. Every time she got her period, it was like going through a tribulation — she was completely drained, her face pale as paper, and she would faint in class without warning. It was terrifying; she would lose consciousness no matter how loudly they called her name.
Every first day of her period, she would pass out, and as her desk mate, Ning Xiyue would be on edge every time, watching her carefully, terrified she might not wake up.
Each time, that girl’s suffering tormented not only herself but also Ning Xiyue, who would witness her suddenly fainting again and again. It was so frightening that she often had to take several days off and rest at home to get through it.
Just hearing the words “menstrual cramps” made Ning Xiyue uneasy. She considered herself a secondhand victim. And now, hearing Chen Yechu say she was cramping made all those memories from those three years flood back — she was terrified Yechu might be as severe as that girl.
Ning Xiyue quickly poured a cup of hot water, found Chen Yechu’s brown sugar, cut off a piece, stirred it until it dissolved, and brought it over.
Lifting the curtain, she could now clearly see Chen Yechu’s suffering — her lips, once rosy, were now white as chalk. Her brows were tightly furrowed, the hair at her temples was damp with sweat, and her face was twisted in pain. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, as if she’d been crying from the pain.
“Thank you, Xiyue.”
Ning Xiyue helped her sit up and handed her the brown sugar water. “Drink this first, then we’ll talk.”
Chen Yechu took the cup with one hand and two white pills with the other, swallowing them in one go.
Ning Xiyue glanced at them — ibuprofen painkillers, highly effective against menstrual pain.
After drinking the sugar water and taking the medicine, Chen Yechu’s pain visibly lessened. There was still a dull ache in her belly, and she kept one hand pressed against it, but she could now speak to Ning Xiyue.
Chen Yechu exhaled deeply, a “survivor’s smile” on her face. “I finally feel alive again. Why is being a woman so hard?”
“As long as it doesn’t hurt anymore, that’s good,” Ning Xiyue comforted her, then asked curiously, “I’ve never seen you have cramps before. Why so sudden this time?”
Chen Yechu wiped the sweat from her forehead and shook her head. “I’ve always had them — it’s hereditary. But my period only comes once every three months, so you’ve never seen it. Every time it comes, I feel like I’m going to die. I wish I could just rip my uterus out. It’s hell. I’m so jealous that you don’t get cramps.”
Ning Xiyue took the empty cup and set it aside. “Well, most people feel a bit uncomfortable on the first day. It’s no big deal. Honestly, I’m a little jealous that you only get it every three months — that’s just four times a year. If you could manage your body better and not have cramps, it would be perfect.”
“It’s useless. I’ve never been able to fix it. I can only suppress the pain with medicine every time,” Chen Yechu said with a bitter smile.
She had tried many traditional remedies in her past life, but none had worked. Thinking of Ning Xiyue’s medical knowledge, she asked hopefully, “Xiyue, do you have any herbal medicine for regulating the body? Could you give me some to try?”
Ning Xiyue nodded, then shook her head. “I do, but I’m not sure it would work for you.”
She was deep in thought. If she could develop a medicine that cured menstrual pain, it would be a blessing for countless women. And if that medicine could make women feel nothing during their period at all, it would be even better — she herself would benefit too.
“It’s okay. I’m used to it. I can try.”
Chen Yechu was quite open about it — as long as she had painkillers, she could survive.
Ning Xiyue shook her head and looked at her seriously. “Let me research it first and see if I can make an effective medicine. You shouldn’t just take any drug — too much can burden your body.”
“Okay. Thank you, Xiyue.” Chen Yechu gave her a grateful smile and said, clutching her stomach, “If you manage to make a cure for menstrual cramps, I’ll definitely trade with you — even if I have to give you everything I own.”
“Deal.”
Ning Xiyue smiled and returned to her spot. When it came to making money, she was always enthusiastic — especially when it came to making money from Chen Yechu.
Chen Yechu earned money on the black market, and she earned money from Chen Yechu.
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became — Chen Yechu risked so much to get things to trade on the black market, and in the end, the money flowed right into Ning Xiyue’s pocket, risk-free.
She couldn’t help but feel a little thrilled.
Ning Xiyue quickly lay down again, excited to continue studying. “It’s getting late. I’m going to sleep now. Good night.”
“Okay, good night.”
As soon as she pulled the blanket over herself, Ning Xiyue closed her eyes and let her consciousness enter the space again, heading straight for the study room.
Once inside, she took out the Herbal Medicine Illustrated Guide and the Health Preservation Manual.
She flipped the herbal guide to Motherwort, known for promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, regulating menstruation, and diuresis.
She hadn’t unlocked motherwort yet, but the examples below showed its use in treating menstrual cramps. There were a few folk remedies listed — motherwort with red dates, motherwort boiled with eggs, and motherwort with cyperus soup.
Although these remedies worked, they weren’t cures. They helped mild cases, but for someone like Chen Yechu, who relied on painkillers, they had little effect.
Ning Xiyue continued looking into other herbs effective for menstrual cramps — Evodia rutaecarpa, cinnamon, fennel, polygonatum, and milletvine, among others.
She learned about many herbal formulas, but none were quite what she had in mind. She’d have to research more or unlock new knowledge.
She set aside the herbal guide and picked up the Health Preservation Manual, flipping to the chapter on Cold Uterus Syndrome, which included dietary remedies and complementary medicinal pills.
After reading the preparation steps, she clicked a link to enter the corresponding host training room to study.
Today’s instructor was “Hua Fei Brand. Big Turtle. Mi Yang,” wearing a noble concubine’s headdress, raising his orchid fingers and rolling his eyes disdainfully as he pinched his voice:
“Any student who doesn’t pay attention today shall be rewarded with a Zhang Hong!” (a punishment from palace dramas)
Ning Xiyue burst out laughing at the sharp voice. “Pfft, Teacher Mi Yang, I didn’t know you had such flair.”
Hua Fei Turtle glared at her. “Warning, student. Mock this concubine again, and you’ll receive a Zhang Hong.”
Ning Xiyue played along, mimicking a eunuch from a drama. “Yes, your servant understands.”
Hua Fei. Turtle. Mi Yang nodded in satisfaction. “Class begins.”
