Chapter 10: An Uncomfortable Feeling
Afterward, Xia Ling started convincing herself that boys should definitely have a body fragrance too, right? Her second brother was so pretty and looked like such a girl; he must naturally have some kind of scent.
Even so, Xia Ling leaned in playfully to Xia Yu and said, “Second Brother, your body has a nice, fragrant smell!”
Upon hearing this, Xia Yu suddenly stopped playing her game and sniffed suspiciously at her collar. “There’s nothing there, though.”
“Dummy Second Brother, that’s called body fragrance. You can’t smell it yourself! I didn’t know you had body fragrance too!” Xia Ling nudged Xia Yu’s side, chuckling a bit. She much preferred hanging out with her twin, Xia Yu, over her older brother Xia Le.
Xia Yu didn’t pay her much mind and went back to playing on her phone. To get a better whiff of Xia Yu’s supposed scent, Xia Ling boldly rested her chin on Xia Yu’s little shoulder, watching her play like that.
The adults didn’t say anything, figuring it was just the usual sibling behavior. Xia Ling used to cling to Xia Yu, and Xia Yu used to cling to Xia Le, but now things had changed; Xia Yu no longer clung to Xia Le.
After finishing a round of Candy Crush, Xia Yu promptly handed the phone back to Xia Ling, since it was after all their parents’ phone and Xia Ling had been generous enough to share. Still, without even realizing it, Xia Yu kept watching her sister play, hoping for another round since sitting around was such a drag.
Knowing Xia Yu’s thoughts, Xia Ling generously took turns, playing one round, then Xia Yu, then Xia Ling again…
Unwittingly, Xia Yu forgot about her secret and stopped being so paranoid about her sister, Xia Ling.
Shopping with the adults, the two kept up their old routine, taking turns playing games.
Then, during one of these games, Xia Yu’s tummy started to feel off—a dull ache mingled with a strange bloating sensation. Oh no, probably had the runs, right? But then why did her belly hurt so much? Not good, being out in public.
Reluctantly, Xia Yu decided to tough it out, hoping the game would take her mind off it. Yet despite her efforts, something was still flowing out from…somewhere within.
Before long, Xia Yu realized her undies were wet. Boys’ undies were usually looser, so this wet feeling wasn’t making her feel great.
Her discomfort coupled with the abdominal pain made things worse. Slowly, Xia Yu lost interest in the game and focused instead on dealing with her body’s distress.
Seeing Xia Yu like this, Xia Ling didn’t say much, figuring maybe she just didn’t want to play anymore. But noticing her unhappy expression, she asked cautiously, “Second Brother, anything wrong?”
“No…nothing,” Xia Yu lied.
“Okay…”
Hearing this, Xia Ling dropped it, assuming second brother, being a boy, had to be as tough as big brother.
Thankfully, soon enough Xia Yu and her family reached the only big supermarket on the street. It was the most crucial detail in her mind: there was an actual toilet there.
Immediately inside, Xia Yu asked her sister, “Little Ling, do you have any paper?”
