I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 151. My Period Started
"What a death!"

On my way home from school in the afternoon, a few junior high school students were riding modified motorcycles and driving recklessly on the road. The next second, one of them, who was trying to do a wheelie, lost control and a lot of his equipment exploded on the spot.

Sitting in the school bus, Xu Qingfan couldn't help but clap his hands in delight.

"Tsk tsk tsk~" Xiao Ruanwen also shook her head and sighed, saying, "I hope the road is okay."

The school bus did not stop, its wheels rolling over the equipment scattered on the ground.

Xia Xiaoxiao withdrew her gaze from the sidelines, frowned slightly, and said, "Are they wearing the uniforms of Licheng Middle School? Doesn't the school care?"

Licheng Middle School is only a few hundred meters away from Lianhua Compound, and they often encounter students wearing Licheng Middle School uniforms.

"Do you think this is still elementary school? Those middle schoolers are taller than the teachers, and if they anger you, they'll even hit the teachers. The school can't expel them, so how can they be controlled?"

"Huh?" Wu Lingyu opened her mouth wide in disbelief. Hitting a teacher was too outrageous in her value system.

"Ugh~ What's wrong with Licheng Middle School? I'm starting to not want to go anymore," Xiao Ruanwen said with a look of disgust.

"How do you know? You didn't even go to junior high school!" Xia Xiaoxiao looked at Xu Qingfan with some disbelief. Her mother was an elementary school teacher, and she had never heard her mother mention any students hitting teachers.

"Why would I lie to you? Go back and go to the Baidu Tieba forum and find Licheng Middle School. There's a ton of dark history there: students beating teachers, early relationships and getting pregnant, even forming gangs. It's more dramatic than any TV drama!" Xu Qingfan had studied at Licheng Middle School in his previous life, so he knew the school all too well.

Junior high school isn't even the most chaotic. Some vocational schools and high schools that you can get into with a score of 200 or 300 on the high school entrance exam are the real-life versions of Crows Zero.

Unfortunately, this middle school is already the best middle school in Licheng.

As long as schools are located near the school, it's inevitable that one bad apple will spoil the whole bunch.

In contrast, the high school he attended in his previous life didn't have so many problems; there wasn't even anyone smoking at the school.

"Ugh~ What you said makes me not want to go to school anymore. Experimental Primary School is better!"

After listening to Xu Qingfan's story, the three girls all felt resistant to the junior high school life that was about to begin in September.

Xu Qingfan couldn't help but recall his middle school days with Xia Xiaoxiao in his previous life, and the time he was the leader of the mutual support study group with whom he had a broken hand.

Although they wouldn't be boarding students this time during junior high, Xu Qingfan still felt very annoyed at the thought that Xia Xiaoxiao and the other girls would still be harassed and called "sister-in-law" by some scumbags, just like in his previous life.

Given his current status, it's impossible for him to confront those scumbags head-on like he did in his previous life. He still understands the principle that a son of a wealthy family should not sit under a dangerous roof, and that a fine piece of jade should not collide with a worthless piece of porcelain.

[I need to find an opportunity before the start of the new semester to rectify the campus atmosphere at Licheng Junior High School.] Xu Qingfan thought to himself.

This is not a difficult task for him now; it's just a matter of finding an opportunity to mention it to Zhang Chaoqun or Zhang Chunxue.

"It's alright, Ruanwen, you're so strong, what are you afraid of? If you don't get close, four or five junior high school students can't beat you!" After figuring it out, Xu Qingfan quickly put the matter out of his mind and teased Xiao Ruanwen.

"Hmph~ Of course, I learned all my kung fu from the older women in the army. Do you think it's like what they say in the news?" Xiao Ruanwen said with her arms crossed, looking very smug.

After hearing this, the three of them remembered the news they had seen on their browsers last time and burst into laughter.

A woman was robbed by an armed assailant. She used all sixteen sets of military boxing techniques, but was still stabbed 32 times and died from her injuries.

"Still laughing? Still laughing? You'll lose ten years' worth of merit!" Xiao Ruanwen said, then burst into laughter herself, infected by the laughter.

"Hahaha"

Xiao Ruanwen got off the bus shortly after, and the school bus soon arrived at Lianhua Compound.

The three of them got off the bus and watched it drive away before walking side by side into the courtyard.

"Let's go back and put our schoolbags away first. My mom probably hasn't bought groceries yet. Let's go together later," Xu Qingfan said as usual, kicking away the dog that came up to rub against the two girls.

"Ok!"

"I want braised potatoes!"

"Xiaoyu, what do you want to eat tonight?"

"Anything is fine, I'm not picky, but it would be even better if I could have your ginger and scallion chicken!" Wu Lingyu said, then playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

"You say you're not a picky eater, but when you make ginger and scallion chicken, you have to buy vegetables at the market. Frozen chicken from the supermarket won't do!" Xu Qingfan chuckled and patted her backpack.

"Hehe!" After spending a few years together, Wu Lingyu has also developed some of the mischievousness that a girl her age should have.

When Xu Qingfan finished cooking and came out of the kitchen, the two women were already waiting for him in the living room.

"Let's go, there really isn't any food at home." He said to the two of them, picking up the reusable bag hanging on the wall.

The Experimental Primary School only has two classes on Friday afternoons, the last of which is physical education. After class, students take the school bus home for the holiday, and it's not even 4:30 pm.

After returning home, the three of them would take a walk to the nearby farmers' market to buy groceries and cook. It was an ordinary, pleasant afternoon, and also Xu Qingfan's most relaxing time.

Because they are all getting older, the three of them no longer hold hands in the street like they did when they were children.

Usually, Xia Xiaoxiao and Wu Lingyu would walk hand in hand, with Xu Qingfan trailing behind by a step.

"Lychees are being sold so early?" As the three of them walked toward Fu Peng Market, an old woman selling lychees on the sidewalk caught Xia Xiaoxiao's attention.

Normally, lychees are harvested in June or July, so it's only mid-April now, which is quite early.

“It’s a Concubine’s Smile grape. Normally it ripens in May. If you pick this one while it’s still green, it’s bound to be sour!” Xu Qingfan said after taking a look.

The three of them passed by the stall without any intention of buying anything.

"There are only two types of lychees to choose from: Guiwei and others. This year's lychee harvest is expected to be abundant. We'll go back to Chuxi Village to pick and eat lychees during the summer vacation."

Whether or not there is a good lychee harvest each year depends entirely on the amount of rainfall around the Qingming Festival. Late March and early April is the time when lychees bloom and pollinate. If there is too much rain, the newly opened flowers will be knocked to the ground, affecting the harvest.

However, if there is no rain at all, the lychees will not fetch a good price because there will be too many on the market. The labor cost of picking lychees is more expensive than the wholesale price, so farmers would rather let them rot on the trees than bother to pick them.

“The glutinous rice balls are delicious too.” Xia Xiaoxiao turned her gaze away from the lychees and said to Xu Qingfan.

"The frozen glutinous rice balls are pretty good, but they're not really good to eat directly."

The three chatted as they strolled through the market, quickly buying the ingredients they would be cooking for dinner.

"It's your turn to carry it." Xia Xiaoxiao handed the eco-friendly bag full of vegetables to Xu Qingfan.

Over the years, the three of them developed many unspoken understandings, such as each carrying a part of the load for a while.

Xu Qingfan took the eco-friendly bag. "I'll pick it up from Xiaoyu when we get to the power bureau!"

"Ok!"

It was nearly 5:30 when they returned to Lotus Courtyard. The aroma of food wafting through the air made their stomachs rumble.

"Hurry up and cook, I'm hungry!" Xia Xiaoxiao grabbed Xu Qingfan's wrist and headed upstairs.

"Xiaoyu, give me one side." Xu Qingfan reached out and grabbed one side of the eco-friendly bag's rope, and the three of them walked up the stairs like a train with carriages connected together.

Xu Qingfan took out his key and opened the door. Xia Xiaoxiao heard the door open, pushed it open, took off her shoes, and ran barefoot into Xu Qingfan's bedroom.

"Put on your shoes!"

"Wait a bit before you put it on!" Xia Xiaoxiao's voice came from the room, along with the sound of a Windows computer starting up.

"Internet addict girl." He shook his head and smiled at Wu Lingyu.

Xia Xiaoxiao wasn't particularly interested in cooking, but Wu Lingyu would always learn and help him whenever he cooked. After Xu Qingfan tied on his apron, Wu Lingyu had already turned on the tap to fill it with water to wash the vegetables. "Ginger and scallion chicken, ginger and scallion chicken. Xiaoyu, can you soak the chicken I just bought in water for me? I'll fry a few eggs to make soup first," Xu Qingfan said, snapping his fingers as he considered the cooking steps.

"got it!"

Teamwork makes the dream work. Xu Qingfan put the cooked tofu and fish head soup on the induction cooker to keep it warm, while Wu Lingyu had already helped marinate the chicken with salt, ginger slices and cornstarch.

"Watch closely, it's the same no matter what you're frying. To prevent it from sticking to the pan, remember to heat the pan and add cold oil. First, sauté the ginger slices to release their flavor before adding the chicken," Xu Qingfan explained as he demonstrated.

"What does it mean to stir-fry until it tastes like ginger?" Despite having lived in Licheng for many years, the girl still had only a vague understanding of some of the unique terms used in Licheng.

"Tsk~ It's just frying the ginger into the oil to infuse it with flavor. Don't worry about it, just fry it until the ginger slices are golden brown, like now."

"Oh." The girl nodded.

"Once the chicken skin is browned, you can start seasoning. Since salt was added during marinating, you only need to add sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and this key ingredient, Jiujiang Shuangzheng rice wine!" Xu Qingfan poured the high-proof rice wine into the clay pot, and a flame more than ten centimeters high immediately rose up.

After Xu Qingfan closed the lid, the flame went out naturally.

"Wow~ Brother Fan, you're amazing!" Even though it wasn't the first time she'd seen it, Wu Lingyu couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"No big deal!"

"It smells so good! Xu Qingfan, what are you cooking? Is it ready yet? I'm so hungry!" Xia Xiaoxiao, who had been standing at the kitchen doorway at some point, smelled the aroma.

"It'll be ready in five minutes. Have some soup if you're hungry."

"Then I'll wait for you guys!" Xia Xiaoxiao turned around and was about to go back to her room to continue playing a game.

"Huh? Xia Xiaoxiao, why is your bottom wet?" Xu Qingfan noticed a small black patch on Xia Xiaoxiao's light blue school uniform pants and asked in confusion.

"Huh? Is it?" Xia Xiaoxiao subconsciously reached out to touch it, only to find that it was indeed damp.

"Why is there water on the stool in your room? It was dry just now!" Xia Xiaoxiao said, bringing her hand to her nose to smell. "It smells so strange."

"What can water do?" Xu Qingfan immediately realized, "You're not on your period, are you?"

"Period? What period? Isn't tomorrow Saturday a holiday?"

Xu Qingfan then realized that "menstruation" was a new term that came about later through internet surfing. "It's menstruation. Didn't your teacher talk about it in the mental health class when school started?"

"Ah!" Xia Xiaoxiao remembered what her female teacher had said in physiology class, and immediately ran shyly into the bathroom.

Xu Qingfan threw the remaining scallion segments into the clay pot, turned off the heat, and then walked out of the kitchen.

"Don't be shy, take a shower with hot water first, and I'll have Xiaoyu go to your room to get you a change of clothes." It was rare to see Xia Xiaoxiao in such an embarrassing state, so Xu Qingfan smiled and patted the bathroom door.

"Xu Qingfan, you shameless bastard!" Xia Xiaoxiao's furious voice came from the toilet.

Xia Xiaoxiao was shocked that Xu Qingfan could say those two words without batting an eye.

"What's the big deal? We boys also have a molting period every month. It's normal physiological knowledge." Wu Lingyu had already gone to the next room to get clothes for Xia Xiaoxiao, leaving only Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao in the room.

"Then, has yours arrived yet?" Xia Xiaoxiao couldn't help but ask curiously.

"I'm here. I've been here for a while now. It's nothing serious!" Xu Qingfan lied without batting an eye.

"The teacher said that you grow taller quickly after your period starts, so why are you still so short? Xu Qingfan, are you not going to grow any taller?" Xia Xiaoxiao's suppressed laughter came from the bathroom.

"."

Xu Qingfan's face darkened; he really wanted to kick the door open, go in, and slap her butt.

"You wait here, I'll go to my mom's room and find you some sanitary napkins." Xu Qingfan pursed his lips and turned to leave.

His mother usually hangs her sanitary napkins in black plastic bags, which contain both daytime and nighttime types.

Thanks to Xia Xiaoxiao from his previous life, he really knows how to distinguish them. Daytime sanitary napkins are generally shorter, with a length of about 190-250mm, while nighttime sanitary napkins are twice as long, generally 250-450mm.

He took out an opened daily-use item, put it back in its place, and turned to leave the room.

Wu Lingyu was standing at the toilet door at some point, and it seemed she had already taken the clean clothes inside.

"Open the door, I've brought you sanitary napkins," Xu Qingfan called out, turning the doorknob.

"Xu Qingfan, can you please stop being so perverted!" Xia Xiaoxiao's face flushed when she heard his words, and Wu Lingyu next to her was not much better off.

Xia Xiaoxiao opened the door a crack and stretched her hand out. Xu Qingfan handed her a sanitary napkin, saying, "You didn't say anything when you coughed and threw your own cough in my face when we were little."

"Xu Qingfan!!!" With outsiders present, Xia Xiaoxiao absolutely did not want anyone other than Xu Qingfan to know about this.

"Fan-ge, what are you two talking about?" Wu Lingyu felt that the two were saying something she couldn't understand and wanted to join in.

"I wasn't saying anything. Xiaoyu, could you help me go back to my room and get another pair of pants? I accidentally got them wet."

"Okay."

After hearing the footsteps leaving, Xia Xiaoxiao spoke fiercely, "If you dare to tell anyone about what happened when we were little, I...I...I..."

"What do you want to do?" Xu Qingfan leaned against the door and smiled smugly. He could keep Xia Xiaoxiao's secret for the rest of his life.

"I'll tell Aunt Yao you bullied me!" Xia Xiaoxiao said weakly, like a deflated balloon.

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore, okay?"

"You swear, if Xu Qingfan dares to tell anyone, he'll make sure his instant noodles never have the seasoning packet!"

"Damn it! Xia Xiaoxiao, you're so vicious!"

"Tell me quickly, or I'll tell Aunt Yao!"

He shook his head with amusement, "Alright, alright, if I, Xu Qingfan, dare to tell anyone that Xia Xiaoxiao threw her panties at my head when we were little, I'll eat... Xiaoyu, when did you get here!"

"Ah!" Xia Xiaoxiao, believing it to be true, squealed in fright.

"Just kidding, you silly dog, hahaha~"

"Xu Qingfan!!!"

After making the solemn oath, Wu Lingyu returned not long after.

The two waited outside the restroom for seven or eight minutes, but Xia Xiaoxiao didn't come out. Xu Qingfan couldn't help but ask, "You don't even know how to use a sanitary napkin, do you?"

"You know that!" Xia Xiaoxiao couldn't help but complain as she examined the sanitary napkin.

"You're so stupid! After you tear it open, stick the adhesive side onto your panties. The long side is for covering your butt. Don't stick it on the wrong side. Once you're done, come out and eat!"

Xia Xiaoxiao's face was burning hot. She did as instructed and soon opened the bathroom door.

"Pervert!" Seeing Xu Qingfan still standing at the door, Xia Xiaoxiao ran away as if she had encountered a ghost.

"Brother Fan, you know so much!" Wu Lingyu said, cupping her burning cheeks.

"Sanitary napkins need to be changed every two hours, otherwise bacteria can easily grow." Xu Qingfan waved his hand and went into the kitchen to continue cooking.

There was nothing he could do; short videos were so prevalent in his previous life that some strange and unusual knowledge inexplicably invaded his brain.

The two women were deeply shocked by his retreating figure; he knew far too much!
(End of this chapter)