Countdown to Awakening

When Chen Juan heard her husband say this, she stopped talking and carefully put it away.

But Sun Pandi was very unhappy: "Mom, please leave a pack for me, I still need this...it was originally meant for me." After saying that, she pursed her lips, her hands still nervously clutching the corner of her clothes.

"What are you going to use? Is this for you? You should have some shame. You bring up such a trivial matter and want others to donate it to you? You are so shameless! You have no sense of shame! I told you, this is the new insole of your father and your brother. You still want to use this thing? Think about it! You are being pretentious!" Chen Juan said angrily.

Sun Pandi was no match for the three of them and could only watch helplessly as the things that originally belonged to her were given to others.

——Qi Yuanyuan also received it.

Her family was lucky, as she was the only child. Qi Rongfeng and Liang Xiaocui loved her, so Liang Xiaocui would give her money to buy sanitary napkins, but she could only afford the bulk ones.

She took it and examined it carefully. It was a brand she had never seen before, and the words "fragrant" were written on the packaging.

"Why did Teacher Qin think of donating this to us?" Liang Xiaocui asked.

"This was not donated by Teacher Qin, but by Teacher Qin's cousin. I heard that her cousin was the provincial champion in liberal arts this year and was also admitted to Youcheng University. What a coincidence, she goes to the same school as your daughter. I heard that she is already a student in the Chinese Department of Youcheng University." Wang Xiaohong said.

Qi Yuanyuan was immediately thrilled when she heard that this was donated by the provincial champion. She had heard that the provincial champion was a girl, but she had never expected it to be Teacher Qin's cousin, and she certainly hadn't expected that she would donate this to her... After all, they didn't even know each other...

"What's the name of the provincial top scholar?" Qi Yuanyuan asked.

"Oh, he was on TV a few days ago. Maybe you don't have a TV at home so you can't see it... I think his last name was Fang, but I forgot his real name... You'll know when you get to Youcheng University. I heard that this year's top science student and Teacher Qin's cousin grew up together. He was also on TV."

Qi Yuanyuan was immediately intrigued. Aren't these the childhood sweethearts from the novels she'd read? And both had gotten into key universities.

So if she goes in, won’t she be able to ship the couple?

Qi Yuanyuan started laughing at the thought. Seeing her like this, the director immediately asked, "Yuanyuan, what are you laughing at?"

"Well, I'm happy. I got into university... and even went to the same university as the top scorer..." She calmed down a bit, then put away the black bag and went into the house.

After Liang Xiaocui saw her enter the house, she said to the director, "Director, don't donate anymore. We're all from the countryside, so we're not that squeamish. I usually go to town and buy some bulk for Yuanyuan. Tell Teacher Qin's cousin not to donate anymore. It's embarrassing to bring this kind of stuff out."

Wang Xiaohong said in embarrassment: "How can you say that? They mean well, how can we just say no? Besides, the village is short of these things anyway... Although it's embarrassing to give these things away, there's nothing we can do about it. If they insist on donating, how can we refuse?"

Liang Xiaocui continued, "Luckily, Rongfeng wasn't home, otherwise it would be hard to say. This kind of thing shouldn't be seen by others, especially men. I usually buy it for Yuanyuan secretly. Fortunately, the thing she donated was also packed in a black bag, otherwise it would be hard to say."

Wang Xiaohong said helplessly, "Who said it wasn't? But they insisted on donating it, and what can I do? We're short of everything here. Even though it's hard to give this thing away, it's out of kindness. If they don't want it, after this donation, I'll ask Teacher Qin to tell her cousin not to donate anymore."

Liang Xiaocui then nodded.

She didn't want to be called delicate. All the women in her village used toilet paper. But out of concern for her daughter, and having heard that city dwellers used it more hygienically, she bought her daughter cheap, bulk sanitary napkins at the town's grocery store.

These things are used by city women. Why would she use this? Isn't it a bit too delicate? Why would she, a farm worker, need such delicate things? Just a few sheets of paper will do.

Wang Xiaohong also nodded.

Then the director left, and Liang Xiaocui came in.

"Yuanyuan." As soon as she entered the room, she called Qi Yuanyuan. Qi Yuanyuan came out of the room after hearing that.

"Yuanyuan, don't show this off so often in the future. It's not something worth showing off. Especially don't let your dad see it. Got it? Mom taught you that."

Qi Yuanyuan thought about it. She had been thinking about talking about Liang Xiaocui, but suddenly she didn't want to say it anymore. Maybe it was because of different times and mindsets. Back then, menstruation was something she could talk about and openly use sanitary napkins. Girls would share their experiences. But now...

Forget it.

Unexpectedly, Liang Xiaocui continued, "Yuanyuan, don't tell anyone about this. Don't tell anyone about your coming here. There's nothing good to say, and it's bad luck."

"Mom, you're so conservative. People overseas don't pay attention to this effect. We should learn from them. This is a normal physiological phenomenon for women. What's there to be ashamed of?"

Liang Xiaocui was stunned for a moment after hearing this. Then she corrected him, "Yuanyuan, you're wrong. How can this be considered something glorious? Although it's normal, it's not something you can talk about everywhere. And don't show that thing to anyone. Everyone wants to use it as a shoe insole. Besides, they're overseas. How can we compare? They're crazy. Are you crazy too? How can you tell everyone about this? If you do, you'll be shameless. How can you talk about something so embarrassing?"

Liang Xiaocui finished speaking, and her words sounded a bit harsh.

Qi Yuanyuan couldn't understand it, but she couldn't tell him she'd traveled through time, could she? Although she knew it was wrong to criticize the current era with the ideas of her own era, she couldn't help herself.

"Yuanyuan, you've been acting really weird lately. Not only do you like to talk back, but you also say some very strange things. A while ago, you were saying something about fish having legs, and that such things were nothing to worry about. When did you become like this? Why are you saying such harsh things? We are girls, we should be more modest..."

As Liang Xiaocui spoke, she recalled that when she had discussed these matters with Qi Yuanyuan before, Qi Yuanyuan had never objected. Although everyone knew that Qi Yuanyuan had a sharp tongue, she had never reacted so strongly when she had spoken to her about matters like marriage before...

Now he not only reacts strongly, but also talks back a lot.

"I think you've lost your mind after taking a test, haven't you? Yuanyuan, some things can't be said casually. Everything Mom said is for your own good. Don't be ungrateful."

Qi Yuanyuan hesitated to speak. Ultimately, the words stuck in her throat... Never mind. Her words were harsh, and Liang Xiaocui would be upset again.

She didn't understand why there was such a thing to hide. Why, even in this day and age, was menstruation considered shameful? Why was it so embarrassing to talk about it?

In her time, sanitary napkins could be stored in transparent plastic bags, and people could talk about it openly without feeling any shame… and no one would laugh at her for it…

But here, it can't even be mentioned... Normal physiological phenomena are said to be embarrassing...

Want to use her daily necessities as insoles? You wish! So many necessities that girls can't afford are actually insoles for them.

She knew that even in her generation, and in other generations, there were always people who would use her necessities as insoles. There were also many people who had a big misunderstanding about this.

I heard from older girls that the reason they could openly use sanitary napkins in their generation was because many older sisters had fought for them for a long time...

I vaguely remember the uproar over the high-speed rail sanitary napkin incident, but they finally gave in. For them, this isn't just a question of whether or not to have sanitary napkins, but a fight for their rights.