Chapter 56: Coming of Age

Xie Xitong was true to her word and actually signed up for the shot put event.

So, every afternoon after school, the four of them would set aside thirty minutes to accompany her for training.

“Hey, do you guys think she’s really serious this time?” The three of them sat in the bleachers by the school field, watching Xie Xitong training earnestly with the others, and discussed among themselves.

“I think she is,” Zhao Qian replied. “I’ve never seen her work this hard before.”

“But she’s never participated in a sports meet,” Sun Xiaoxiao still couldn’t understand. “At least in all the years I’ve known her, not even once.”

They watched Xie Xitong in her sportswear, her ponytail swinging, her profile serious against a backdrop of fiery red clouds, like a painting of rare beauty.

A breeze swept by, lifting the strands of hair on her forehead, but the girl paid it no mind, focusing all her attention on the shot put in her right hand as she hurled it with all her strength.

“Maybe…” Lin Xia murmured. Perhaps, she just wants to be under the same sky as her brother, to feel the same atmosphere.

To work hard to catch up with his footsteps, to stand by his side.

“What?” someone asked.

Lin Xia smiled. “Nothing, I’m just hungry.”

“Yeah, I’m starving too.”

As soon as she spoke, their stomachs rumbled in unison.

“I’ll go to the cafeteria and grab something for us. Wait here,” Lin Xia grabbed her bag and headed off toward the cafeteria.

Behind every unusual act, it was all just because of feelings.

Whether it was familial love, friendship, or something more.

Xie Xitong cared about her brother, which was why she did so many things to attract his attention, not wanting him to be taken away by others.

Lin Xia had thought about talking to Xie Xitong, but, firstly, the two of them weren’t close enough for her to comment on personal matters. Besides, using her current identity, her advice might not have any effect.

It might even make Xie Xitong resent her.

She needed to find a subtle, yet effective way to gently persuade her.

With this thought, Lin Xia felt a bit troubled.

Before she could figure out a solution, the sports meet arrived as scheduled. The field blared music so loud and repetitive it almost made one’s ears grow calluses.

Xie Xitong, dressed in a blue and white Nike tracksuit with her hair in a ponytail, stood out among a crowd of plainly dressed athletes.

She was warming up nearby and asked Sun Xiaoxiao, “Where’s Xia Xia?”

Sun Xiaoxiao looked around. “Huh, she was just here a moment ago. Where could she have gone in such a short time?”

Xie Xitong bit her lip, glanced at the crowd not far away, and said to Zhao Qian, who was approaching with a bottle of water, “Qian Qian, could you check if Xia Xia is over there?”

“Oh, you mean Xia Xia? She just told me she had a stomachache and is in the bathroom now,” Zhao Qian handed a bottle of juice to Sun Xiaoxiao. “Here.”

Watching the frenzy of girls at the high jump area, Sun Xiaoxiao sighed regretfully, “Sigh, I can’t go watch Brother Chen do the high jump this year.”

Xie Xitong twisted her wrist and rolled her eyes. “Then go watch him now!”

Sensing she might be annoyed, Sun Xiaoxiao grinned ingratiatingly. “Hehe, I was just saying. After all, he’s your big brother; we should go and cheer him on, right?”

“Alright, after my event is over and Xia Xia comes back, we’ll go together,” Xie Xitong replied, secretly wanting to see her brother’s event herself. She was glad to go along with the suggestion.

“You’re the best, Tong Tong!”

Meanwhile, Lin Xia had locked herself in the bathroom, looking at the crimson stain on her underwear, nearly in tears.

Why did her period have to come at this moment!

She cleaned up as best she could and, taking advantage of the relatively empty campus, hurried toward the school store.

At the store, she saw a dozen people gathered—likely members of the various class logistics teams for the sports meet—holding lists and buying water and snacks.

Buy pads in front of all these boys?

Lin Xia couldn’t even imagine it.

If she were thirty, perhaps it wouldn’t matter; after all, once she’d bought them, no one would know her anyway.

But now, they were all the same age. If she really bought them in front of so many people, she’d die of embarrassment.

So, she had to wait off to the side.

Fortunately, everyone was in a hurry to watch the events, and they moved quickly, so soon the crowd thinned out.

While the coast was clear, Lin Xia rushed over. “Boss, one package of sanitary pads.”

When the shopkeeper placed the package in a black plastic bag and handed it to her, Lin Xia breathed a sigh of relief; this shopkeeper had some tact.

She handed over a ten-yuan bill, and just as several boys walked in, Lin Xia hurriedly said, “Keep the change,” and dashed off clutching the pads.

Using a small bread roll as a makeshift pad, Lin Xia clenched her fists—she really was hopeless. In her previous life, her first period had come in the same semester of eighth grade; how could she have forgotten something so important?

When she got back, she’d buy a dozen packs of pads to keep in her storage space, so that no matter when her “good friend” arrived, she’d always be prepared.

After tidying up, Lin Xia finally left the bathroom.

Yes, she knocked her head. How could she forget about the storage space—a must-have for home and travel?

But it wasn’t really her fault. Unless absolutely necessary, most people wouldn’t think to use something that had appeared out of nowhere.

Besides, she’d truly been busy lately.

Most importantly, she didn’t know why this space existed, nor when it might disappear.

Humans always fear the unknown, and Lin Xia’s feelings about it were complicated. Most of the time, she chose to forget it was there.

Depending on heaven or earth was never as reliable as depending on oneself; only by becoming strong and capable could one truly rely on something.

Getting rich off the storage space or special abilities was just too unrealistic.

So Lin Xia had always maintained an indifferent attitude toward it. Since it didn’t harm her, she’d just let it be.

When she got to the field, the broadcast was playing the report she had written: “Xie Xitong from Class 1, Grade 8, is about to compete in the shot put. The Four Friends Group and all her classmates wish her the best of luck.”

“How’s the competition going?” Lin Xia asked Zhao Qian.

“It’s already started. She’s doing well—holding steady in the top three,” Zhao Qian handed her a can of Sprite.

Lin Xia waved it off. “My period’s here—I can’t have cold drinks.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than she felt another rush below.

Her body stiffened. How could she have forgotten that in her last life, her first period lasted an entire week with this same intensity? Sometimes, Lin Xia was amazed at how such a small body could lose so much blood—it was truly incredible.

Hearing this, Sun Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows mischievously. “Oh, Xia Xia’s a grown-up now!”

A girl’s first period was a symbol of coming of age, marking the beginning of fertility.

They had learned all this in biology class in seventh grade. But in Creek Town, life was simple and so were the teachers; they didn’t elaborate, just told the girls to study on their own.

In the county, life was more advanced than in the town, and Xie Xitong and the other two had experienced their first periods back in seventh grade.