The Shared Fate of Women

Wei Li Na got up before daylight. She didn't need that many hours sleep, normally sleeping only four hours in the night. She tied up her halter top, which Li TengFei said was called a dudou. Last night, with a complicated expression, Li TengFei actually let her have one of his precious collection. He was most likely pained to part with any of his lady underwear collection.

Wei Li Na opened the door to Li TengFei's room. He was already up, heating water on a brazier. He was topless, wearing light pants identical to the one he lent Wei Li Na for pajamas.

"Senior Li, what a godly figure!" She had returned to calling him "Senior" as she normally would during their school days. Without a shade of embarrassment, Wei Li Na sat at the table waiting for breakfast. Li TengFei gave her a glance, he still had that complicated look on his face.

Li TengFei walked over, inspecting her bare back. He peeled a piece of dried mud from her skin, it came off in a fine powder. "Your inflammation has gone down. With a few more days of treatment, infection should completely clear up. The scar shouldn't be too deep."

"No. The scar will be negligible." She knew her body best, and her scarring ability was pretty good. In addition, she consulted Dave last night and he said there would be no scar. Dave also said, the stinky tallow ointment was beneficial for her peeling burned skin. The new skin will heal faster, without marks and unevenness if she applied the tallow.

With no ceremony, Wei Li Na lifted her leg and rolled up the pant leg as high as it could go on her upper thigh. She did the same on the other leg.

Li TengFei lightly coughed.

Wei Li Na looked up, but didn't bother understanding Li TengFei's difficult expression. Wasn't he shirtless himself? In the school dormitories back in the day, it was very normal to walk around half naked. Furthermore, she's in the shape of a very unappealing, flat chested 14 year old girl!

Wei Li Na dipped her whole hand into the tallow pot, and started rubbing the concoction onto her legs. At this point, Li TengFei had already rushed out of the room without her noticing.

She had a lot of skin rubbing to do, aside from her legs, her arms, face, and neck were all peeling skin. It seems that aside from her initial burn injuries, her face, arms and hairless head had suffered severe sunburn. Dave said that it was because she had very low resistance to real sunlight.

When she was a child, growing up on Earth she lived underground like all privileged families. Living underground protected you from pollution and environmental damage. The Earth's atmosphere was already so damaged at that time, it was much safer to live indoors all the time.

When she left Earth to study, there was no more natural sun on the space station. It can be said that until she time travelled, she had never felt Earth's natural sun on her skin. Wei Li Na inspected the skin on her stomach, compared it side by side with the skin on her arm. The difference was too far!

The skin on her stomach, never seen by the sun, was very pale, almost translucent in quality. It looked like glass that could be broken by the wind. In fact, her skin did break in the wind! She had windburn on her cheekbones and the back of her hands!

Li TengFei returned to the room. He had regained his composure and put on a loose robe. He was greeted by the sight of a very adorable Wei Li Na, looking to the ceiling like she was the most pitiful creature in the world. The image made him smile.

Li TengFei poured the hot water from the brazier in a bowl. He dipped a rough cloth into the hot water and used the cloth to wipe the mud off Wei Li Na's back. "How is it? Just say if it hurts." His voice had unconsciously softened when he spoke to Wei Li Na.

Li TengFei's actions were very gentle. He blew on the skin that looked particularly red. Even when he bumped over a sore spot, Wei Li Na didn't complain. After all the mud was cleaned off, Li TengFei concluded there was no need for a second application. The swelling was greatly reduced, infection very minimal. She could just let her back dry and it should heal nicely.

"Little Li Na, there's something I need to talk to you about." Li TengFei's tone sounded serious, so Wei Li Na was all ears. "The etiquette between men and women here is very different from what you're used to. Women are treated very differently. They're punished more severely for actions that men are allowed to do freely. You can't be so careless and carefree anymore, at least not with outsiders, and definitely not in public."

"Huh?" So far Wei Li Na didn't feel any different treatment. Then again, every single person she has encountered, save for Li TengFei, has thought she was a male on first meeting.

Li TengFei could see that new information was not sinking into Wei Li Na's brain. It was too much a new concept for the pampered military brat of a wealthy family to understand. Her upbringing was too privileged, who can tell her she can't do this and can't do that because she was female?

But there were many things she had to accept, otherwise her life in the ancient world would be unnecessarily difficult. Even if Wei Li Na could fight and win small battles, how can she go against the foundations of an entire ancient culture. She didn't speak with the right speech of a lady, she was far from modest, and was only selectively obedient. She had no family backing, nevermind finding a husband from a good family.

Her prospects were dismal, just based on these traits. Li TengFei had a far away look in his eyes, he then remembered Wei Li Na, at the age of 20. Her family had a send-off party before she left for her station in the outer galaxy. He remembered her exquisite face, her tall and proud womanly figure. Her countenance more dazzling than meteorite jade. She was a beauty only seen in a thousand years. And she'll grow into that beauty again in a few short years. By that time, what sort of wolves would she attract?