Su Xiaoqi's heart stirred as she heard the sound from Zhao Ye's throat.
She suddenly grabbed his wrist, two fingers resting on his pulse.
Zhao Ye's body trembled, and he looked at Su Xiaoqi in surprise.
He didn't understand what she was doing.
Su Xiaoqi said she was checking his pulse and told him not to move.
Zhao Ye waved his right hand gently, not understanding.
He meant his hand was already healed, and the snake venom had mostly cleared, so why check his pulse.
Su Xiaoqi was concentrating on taking his pulse, signaling him with her eyes to stay still.
Zhao Ye obediently stiffened his body, letting Su Xiaoqi do as she pleased.
As long as it was something she wanted to do, he wouldn't resist.
About fifteen minutes later, Su Xiaoqi withdrew her hand, had him open his mouth to examine his throat, and then made him perform vocal exercises as she instructed.
Afterward, she pondered for a moment and said, "I've examined your condition, and there are no obvious wounds on your throat.
This indicates you should be able to speak.
The reason you can't open your mouth might be psychological."
It was possible that he had suffered some trauma in his childhood, which scared him into silence, and since then, he believed he was unable to speak.
Su Xiaoqi then asked him if he remembered if anything very frightening had happened when he was young.
Zhao Ye looked at her with confusion.
He waved his hands, indicating that he couldn't remember anything from his childhood.
Su Xiaoqi patted her forehead, thinking it was indeed the case.
If Zhao Ye's condition was due to childhood psychological trauma, it was clearly something he had deliberately forgotten.
How could he possibly remember it?
If he could remember it himself, perhaps he would be able to speak.
Upon learning that Zhao Ye was not born mute, Su Xiaoqi suddenly had the intention to treat him.
She thought, if she could cure Zhao Ye's muteness, it would be a great achievement.
Then, she could use the "key" to touch Shen Yun, and her space could be upgraded again.
Su Xiaoqi was engrossed in her thoughts.
Zhao Ye didn't disturb her; he sat not far from her.
Seen from behind, the two stood side by side, watching the sun gradually set in the west, with a large expanse of pink and green lotus flowers and leaves beside them.
The scene was actually quite beautiful.
When Shen Yun came to find Su Xiaoqi, he saw this scene.
His heart immediately soured.
Without a second thought, he stepped forward, took Su Xiaoqi's hand, and said, "It's time to go home."
Su Xiaoqi was jolted back to reality from the beautiful scenery and leisurely atmosphere.
She looked at Shen Yun, whose handsome face was clouded with displeasure.
Without overthinking, she greeted Zhao Ye and was about to leave.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Ye sat on the hem of her skirt.
As she stood up, Zhao Ye pulled her, causing her to lean forward slightly.
The two almost collided.
Shen Yun, standing behind, immediately reached out, put his arm around her slender waist, and pulled her into his embrace.
Then, he kissed Su Xiaoqi's lips, a gesture that was both a warning and a declaration.
Zhao Ye watched this, lowered his head, and veiled all his thoughts.
Su Xiaoqi was still immersed in the recent peril, discovery, and the beautiful scenery.
She hadn't noticed the undercurrents between the two men.
She followed Shen Yun, chattering away.
"I never thought there would be such beautiful scenery in such a remote village," Su Xiaoqi turned her head, looking at the pink lotuses in the setting sun, her heart filled with joy.
Shen Yun had seen it long ago, but for some reason, he didn't want to bring Su Xiaoqi to see it.
This was because Zhao Ye had cultivated it.
Before this, Zhao Family Village certainly didn't have it.
"And you know what? Zhao Ye's muteness can be cured.
He's so pitiable, losing his parents at such a young age.
And he can't speak. I don't know how he managed to grow up..."
Su Xiaoqi's words were filled with concern for him.
Shen Yun felt even more bitter upon hearing this.
He suddenly turned around, precisely cupped Su Xiaoqi's chin, and lowered his head to seal her lips.
"Mmm… mmm, what are you doing?"
Su Xiaoqi, unable to speak, had a flurry of thoughts:
"You scoundrel Shen Yun, using this trick again. I haven't settled the score with you for biting me so many times last time."
Su Xiaoqi thought it was time to teach him a lesson.
She opened her mouth to bite Shen Yun.
However, he seemed to have anticipated her thoughts and dodged.
He even slipped into her mouth when she wasn't paying attention.
His agile tongue stirred up a storm within her mouth.
It swept across her teeth, as if deliberately provoking her.
"Mmm… no," Su Xiaoqi's breathing quickened, her body going weak, unable to stand.
She could only wrap her arms around Shen Yun's neck, hanging most of her weight on him.
The two embraced and kissed in the setting sun; only they knew if the scene was beautiful.
Zhao Ye, watching from behind, felt immense sadness.
He covered his face, let out a low howl, and rushed towards the pond.
He picked a lotus flower, placed it in his palm, and ground it into mud under his feet.
From a distance, Shen Yun looked up and vaguely saw a figure stomping by the pond.
He gave a cold smile, his eyes filled with countless thoughts.
The golden crow set in the west, the jade rabbit rose in the east.
Shen Xiaomei returned and prepared dinner, calling the whole family to eat.
Su Xiaoqi washed up early and returned to her room.
Her period had returned!
Damn it, it was so annoying.
Now it was good, her period was regulated and fixed to these few days at the end of the month.
Fortunately, Zhao Xiaozhu had made enough sanitary napkins.
Since she and Shen Xiaomei had used them, she had truly come to like them.
Whenever she had free time at home, she would make a few with the scrap cotton cloth Su Xiaoqi had given her.
Making them every day, she inadvertently made over four hundred of them and stored them. Every woman in the family, except for the menopausal Old Madam Yu, had received one hundred pieces.
The Zhao family matriarch initially thought it was a waste and refused to use them.
But after Su Xiaoqi cajoled her a few times, her attitude became the same as Shen Xiaomei's and Zhao Xiaozhu's.
If it weren't for her poor eyesight, which prevented Su Xiaoqi from letting her strain her eyes, she would have picked up her needle and thread and sewn them herself.
However, every time she used them, she would lament, "Cotton is so expensive. Using it is like using copper coins."
Su Xiaoqi could only smile and persuade her, using witty remarks to smooth over the matter.
Cotton was indeed expensive.
But she had plenty in her spatial dimension.
She thought, although this was considered cheating with an advantage, she wouldn't hoard it.
She planned to open a shop specializing in selling these items.
Just like in modern times, she would create different brands and different grades.
She would first offer three tiers: the high-end ones for young ladies from wealthy families.
The mid-range ones for gentry and rich households.
And the low-end ones for women in the village like their own family.
Of course, although she categorized them like this, the production process was almost the same.
The quality was also guaranteed to be the same.
It was just that she intended to make money from the mid- and high-end products.
For the low-end ones, she would aim for break-even.
She would do her best to make affordable and effective "sanitary napkins" accessible to the women of the Great Liang Dynasty.
This could also be considered an act of charity.
Although there was a degree of self-interest, the intention was good.
Currently, Su Xiaoqi was working on the business plan for this endeavor.
Meanwhile, Shen Yun was painting by the window under the light of two oil lamps.
Lighting oil lamps, and lighting two at once, was a very extravagant act.
Oil lamps were expensive.
The oil for just these two lamps alone cost twenty wen.
Ordinary families would never be able to afford it.
Even Shen Yun in the past couldn't afford it.
Therefore, he never engaged in late-night reading by lamplight.
It was costly and bad for the eyes.
However, he hadn't finished the painting he promised Su Xiaoqi.
During the day, except for two days off each month, he had to stay at the county school and had little free time.
So, he had to put in extra hours at night.
Moreover, through this, he had verified something about Su Xiaoqi.
Shen Yun's deep eyes swept towards Su Xiaoqi beside him; her face was close, appearing even more elegant and refined.
His heart stirred, and his mind became even clearer.
That's right, he now finally understood that being with Su Xiaoqi, whether reading, writing, or painting,
Significantly boosted his efficiency, making his mind exceptionally clear and his thoughts exceptionally coherent.
Even the smoky smell from the oil lamps didn't seem so unpleasant anymore.
Having finished the business plan, Su Xiaoqi looked up at the sky and was suddenly startled.
She suddenly thought of something.
She put away the business plan, glanced sneakily at Shen Yun, and while he was engrossed in his work, she quietly slipped out.
"Where are you going?" Shen Yun, without looking up, his voice cut through the air.
Su Xiaoqi was startled and placed a hand on her chest, stammering, "Uh, you, I, I'm just going for a walk."