Julie finished eating forty dumplings pretty quickly and still felt like she could eat more.
She glanced at the others' bowls—there weren't many dumplings left, so it didn't seem worth cooking more.
As she put down her chopsticks and stood up, she noticed Lorrie staring at her with eyes full of hope and shyness.
She immediately understood what he meant.
She had already promised, so she wouldn't go back on her word.
"Alright, I'll come tonight," she said before walking away.
Lorrie's face instantly turned red, like someone had brushed peach-colored blush on his soft, round face—he looked sweet and lovely.
When he heard Julie's reply, he shyly lowered his head and nervously played with the hair in front of his chest. Still, he nodded quickly, afraid she might not notice his little gesture. Then he quickly looked up and said, "I'll wait for you."
Their eyes met for a brief moment before he quickly buried his face in his bowl again.
Julie didn't tease him and simply went back to her room.
Haven and Bailee laughed and comforted Lorrie. They knew their younger brother had been looking forward to this, but he was also nervous. As older brothers, they wanted to ease his worries, especially to remind him not to act childishly and upset their wife.
Back in her room, Julie sat cross-legged and felt a bit worried.
Lorrie was still quite young. Even though in rural areas like this, it wasn't uncommon for sixteen-year-olds to get pregnant and have children, it was still risky.
People always said having more children was a blessing, but they didn't think about the dangers.
There were no C-sections here. No ultrasounds.
Everything depended on the man carrying the child for ten months, risking his life to give birth.
Sometimes the baby wouldn't be positioned correctly, and there'd be no way to tell in advance.
That's why many died during childbirth—or families were forced to choose between saving the baby or the mother.
The younger the person, the riskier childbirth became.
Yet there was still a common belief: have kids while you're young so you can have more. But nobody seemed to care whether the body was ready or strong enough.
There was no science behind it, but people believed it anyway.
Julie didn't want Lorrie to go through that so early.
It's not that she wouldn't want a child if it happened, but she wouldn't ask him to get rid of it either.
She had thought about giving him birth control herbs from the pharmacy, but knowing how sensitive and emotional he was, he'd probably cry and overthink it.
Dealing with him always gave her a bit of a headache.
Still, she told herself to be careful and self-controlled. His body just wasn't ready for this kind of thing yet.
She was thinking about his health—not her own desires.
After 9 p.m., she went to Lorrie's room.
He was wearing a light blue inner robe, his long hair down, curled up under the blanket with just his head peeking out, stealing glances toward the door.
He was nervous, afraid she wouldn't come, but also full of hope and fear.
Usually, he looked excited about these moments. But now, he seemed more scared and shy than anything else.
When Julie walked in and saw him like this, she found it kind of cute.
She didn't laugh, but her face did relax a little.
He wasn't like Bailee, who would blush and still try to meet her eyes with courage.
He wasn't like Haven either—confident and eager.
No… Lorrie was just… timid.
She closed the door and leaned by the bed, watching him bury his face under the blanket the moment she entered.
Lorrie was hiding under the blanket, his face flushed red. After waiting for less than half a cup of tea's time, he started to feel anxious and worried.
He was getting nervous.
Why wasn't Julie saying anything?
Did she leave?
Feeling restless and uneasy, Lorrie suddenly threw off the blanket and sat up.
Then he saw Julie leaning against the side of the bed, calmly watching him.
Lorrie was both nervous and anxious. He hadn't even thought that if she had really left, he would've heard the door or her footsteps.
Now, he couldn't hide under the blanket anymore.
His eyes darted away, his cheeks blushing red. His messy hair fell on both sides of his face, making him look more gentle and quiet than usual—less playful, more delicate.
"Nervous?" Julie didn't go straight to the point.
She didn't want to scare him and was trying to calm his nerves.
Lorrie stammered, "I'm not nervous. I just thought you weren't coming." He kept his hands under the blanket, nervously twisting his fingers together to try and ease his uneasiness.
"I wouldn't do that," she said. She wasn't the type to go back on her word.
But looking at his current state, was he really ready?
"If you're scared, we can wait a bit longer," she said gently. There was no need to rush something like this…
If he wasn't in the right state, maybe they should do this another time?
As soon as Lorrie heard that, he stopped fidgeting, pulled his hands out from under the blanket, got up, and tugged lightly on Julie's sleeve.
He didn't pull hard—it was more like he was being playful. His voice was a mix of boldness and desperation: "Don't go. You're already here, so don't leave. I'm just nervous, but I know this has to happen eventually. It's better to just get it over with. I can handle it. Go ahead."
After that, he laid down stiffly, his body in a big starfish position.
Julie was a bit embarrassed by what he said, and when she saw his dramatic pose, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
She never planned to go anywhere. She only meant to lie down under the blanket and talk for the night.
Now things got awkward…
Julie moved forward gently…
Before anything even happened, Lorrie let out a loud scream like a pig being slaughtered.
Tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks as he cried out, "It hurts, it hurts…" Curling up in the blanket, he shrank to one side of the bed.
Julie stood by the bed, her face dark.
She hadn't expected things to end like this…
She quietly put her robe back on and left Lorrie's room. Outside, she stood in the cold wind for a while to calm down.
After thinking for a bit, she went to knock on Bailee's door.
Bailee opened the door looking sleepy, hair messy, eyes dazed, and wearing only his underclothes.
He was a little confused.
He hadn't even spoken yet when Julie said, "Lorrie… maybe go check on him. Put on something warm so you don't catch a cold. Comfort him. I'll be sleeping in my own room for a while. I'm going back now." Then she saw him nodding blankly. He was being obedient, but she wasn't in the mood to pat his head.
She went straight back to her room.
Bailee slowly realized what was going on.
His little brother must've upset Julie again.
What did he do this time?
It had to be something Lorrie did—something bad enough to make her leave in the middle of the night.
He was worried, but also frustrated with his brother.
After all the time they spent talking, still…
His feelings were mixed—concern and disappointment—but his actions were quick. He got dressed, put on a robe, and went to his brother's room.
When he walked in, he saw Lorrie curled up in the corner of the bed, crying softly, his body trembling. His eyes were red and swollen, a sight that made Bailee's heart ache.