At sixteen, Chinua was taller than the average women and teen. Sitting in a tavern in Ntoo village, a male worker hurriedly greeted the three people.
The worker asked, "What can I give the three gentlemen?"
Khunbish said, "Gave us some mutton, beef, two chickens, and goat milk."
Khenbish said, "We're going to stay for one night too."
The worker said, "I will have people prepare three rooms for the three gentlemen."
Khenbish said, "We just need one room."
The worker looked strangely at the three people sitting at the table and nodded. He smiled and said, "Your food will be out in no time."
Khunbish looked at Chinua and noticed that Chinua was paler than usual. Usually she talks a lot, but this afternoon she didn't. Also, her lips were even paler. He asked, "Chinua, where is the pain?"
Chinua said, "I have a stomach cramp."
Khenbish asked, "Are you still shocked by today's killing?"
Chinua frowned at her two guards. She really didn't want to talk to them. She was annoyed by the movements of their mouths as they spoke. She sighed irritably and said, "Maybe, today is the first day I took a life, not one, but two." She put her left arm on the table and lowered her head. "I do not want to eat."
The worker brought a large mutton mixed ceramic plate and another ceramic plate with two boiled chickens on the table. He smiled and said, "Gentlemen had a great time eating." He quickly left to serve other tables.
Khunbish picked up the knife and began to cut the soft-boiled mutton into small pieces, saying, "Eat it first, maybe you will feel better when you have a full stomach." He began to feed Chinua.
Khenbish shreds the whole chicken and hands Chinua a drumstick. He said, "Here, your favorite part of chicken."
Chinua raised his head and took the meat from Khunbish. She said irritably, "Khunbish, I can eat by myself. I still have hands."
Khunbish and Khenbish can tell from the way Chinua is behaving, for some reason she is particularly annoyed by every little thing they do today. Chinua has never behaved like this in the past. The two guards decided not to provoke Chinua, and continued to eat quietly, looking at Chinua from time to time.
Chinua ate the mutton in her left hand, only half the drumstick, and returned the half to Khenbish. She said, "I'm not eating anymore."
Khenbish took the half-eaten chicken leg, pushed the warm goat milk to Chinua, and said, "Drink some warm milk if you don't want to eat."
Chinua said, "I've never had a stomach problem like this before, and I want to lie down."
Khenbish stood up and grabbed the male worker. He asked, "Is our room ready?"
The worker said, "Yes, on the second floor on the right, room three."
Khenbish thanked the worker and walked back to the table. He said, "Chinua, upstairs in room three on the right."
Chinua said, "Eat first." She sat down and continued drinking the warm goat's milk. She felt the warm goat's milk eased her stomach cramps slightly. She reached out and grabbed another piece of beef from the ceramic plate. "Khenbish, I feel better." She drank the last drop of the goat's milk.
After the three finished eating, Khunbish paid the worker and returned to the table. He said, "How is your stomach?"
Chinua frowned and said, "It's better, but I still have cramps, but not that bad." She stood up, feeling a stream of warm urine pouring from the inner thighs. She grunted in pain, pressing her right hand to her stomach.
Khunbish held Chinua's left arm, "Chinua..." He looked down at the bench where Chinua had just stood up and saw blood stains on the chair. "Chinua!" he panicked.
Chinua looked at the blood on the bench, shocked. She mumbled, "Someone poisoned me..."
Khenbish drew a dagger from his waist and pointed it at the man's throat as he walked by. He looked at the male worker angrily and asked, "Who asked you to poison Chinua?"
The male worker was puzzled and horrified by Khenbish's angry eyes. He stammered, "I...I...I don't...know what you're talking about, sir? Who's been poisoned?" His hands shook violently, and he lost his grip on the kettle, which fell to the ground, the warm goat milk spilled under his feet.
The middle-aged woman rushed to the table and pleaded, "Oh, sir, please spare my son's life, we are just ordinary citizens, and we have not hurt anyone."
Khunbish frantically said, "We eat the same food, we just drink from different bowls. He must have poisoned Chinua."
The middle-aged woman said, "But you both drink from the same kettle. If the two of you are okay, then this young man was poisoned long before the three of you entered my tavern."
Chinua, who is still in the panic phase, agrees with the middle-aged woman. She said, "Khenbish, drop your weapons, she's right. I'm probably not poisoned here, but somewhere else."
Khunbish said worriedly, "Chinua, how are you feeling? Let's go home."
Chinua nodded.
The middle-aged woman stood up and saw the blood on the bench. She asked frighteningly, "Is this young man... a girl?"
Khenbish asked madly, "Why are you asking?"
The middle-aged woman burst out laughing. She smiled and said, "Oh yo...if she is a girl, she is not poison."
Khenbish asked, "What do you mean?"
The middle-aged woman smiled and said, "It's normal for a girl to become a woman. Come... come... go to your room, and I'll explain."
Khunbish said, "Wherever she goes, we go."
The middle-aged woman smiled and said, "There are some things that women should know, but men don't need to know. I'm an old woman, and I can't hurt her, if you don't believe me, you two stand guards behind the close door, but you two cannot enter the room until we say so."
The middle-aged woman held Chinua's left arm, and the two walked upstairs slowly. Khunbish and Khenbish quickly followed behind Chinua. When they got to room number three, the middle-aged woman stood in the middle of the door, preventing Khenbish and Khunbish from entering the room.
The middle-aged woman said, "You two can only go this far. One of you can get me a bucket of hot water, the sooner the better." She closed the door in front of them. She turned to look at Chinua, who was still standing with her legs outstretched. She sighed and got closer. "Take off your clothes and go wash." She pointed to the bathtub behind the screen panel.
Chinua asked, "What do you want to do?"
The middle-aged woman said, "Child, is this the first time that you bleed like this?"
Chinua nodded.
The middle-aged woman smiled and said, "Ah-yo, you are a late bloomer. I bleed for the first time when I was nine or ten years old." She smiled at Chinua. "Hurry up and take off your clothes. I will teach you how to take care of yourself the next time you bleed."
Chinua looked at the middle-aged woman strangely, "Is there a next time?"
The middle-aged woman laughed at Chinua's innocence. She smiled and said, "Every month, until you get pregnant, or until your hair turns gray like mine."
Chinua asked, "Is there any way to stop the bleeding permanently?"
The middle-aged woman said, "Like I said, wait until you are pregnant, or you are old."
Someone knocked on the door. "The hot water is here," said Khenbish.
The middle-aged woman said, "Quickly take off your clothes and jump into the bathtub before I open the door." The woman turned her back to Chinua and gave her some privacy. "Tell me when you're in the bathtub."
Chinua hurriedly took off her clothes and went to the tub to take a bath. She turned to look at the middle-aged woman who was still facing the door. She sighed, cleared her throat twice, and said, "I'm in the bathtub."
The middle-aged woman walked to the door and opened it. She took the bucket of water from Khenbish. Just as Khenbish stuck his head out to peek into the room, the middle-aged woman tapped him on the head. She said angrily, "Give the lady some privacy." She closed the door in front of Khenbish.
Khenbish was overwhelmed because nothing like this had happened before. When they were in the palace, besides the two old eunuchs, Khunbish and himself served Chinua closely. There is no such wall called "privacy" between Chinua, Khunbish and himself.
Khenbish looked at Khunbish and said, "Privacy, why would she say that to me." He grinned.
Khunbish said, "If she can help fix Chinua, there's no reason why Chinua shouldn't be with her at this moment. Let's continue to guard this closed door tightly, and if Chinua is in trouble, we can break in."
Khenbish complained innocently, "What's wrong with seeing Chinua undress? We've been helping her get dressed countless time." He scratched his head.