Zhang Ma brewed her some brown sugar water and took meticulous care of her, "Don't worry, it's just a woman thing. After you have children, you won't feel this pain anymore."
Xiang Wan was skeptical, "Really? Is that true?"
Zhang Ma promised sincerely, "Of course, it's true! The older generation all say that as a girl, you hurt every month, but after you're married and have kids, it gets better."
After finishing the brown sugar water, Xiang Wan found a comfortable position to lie down, thinking about having children; that would probably be many years away.
As she closed her eyes, the image of the marks on her neck surfaced in her mind, but she had no recollection of when they were made.
Suddenly, her phone chimed with a message notification. She grabbed it and saw it was from Shi Nian'an, a photo of her and Lao Hei holding hands, accompanied by a message that reeked of smugness: I'm off on a date, no need to come to the shop to find me today.
