### Chapter 155: Reasoning Things Out
Xia Yu thought she was just going to remain an unseen background figure. But nope! Her mother, Wang Wenjuan, dragged her along too with a smile: “Little Yu, you should come along as well.”
And there they were—Wang Wenjuan dragged Xia Yu and Xia Ling to the other side of the store to pick out some cute little panties for the girls. As for Xia Hong, he couldn’t help but wonder why his wife was buying those cute undies for their daughters. Was she trying to pass Xia Yu off as one of them now? Could it be that she truly considered Xia Yu as a daughter? This had him increasingly worried. How was he supposed to tell his wife? That their son would never become a daughter? It was a tough nut for Xia Hong to crack.
Seeing Xia Yu’s very masculine appearance, Xia Hong realized he needed to get to the root of the problem. Maybe if Xia Yu acted more masculine, his wife wouldn’t be so set on the idea of surgery.
It wasn’t the first time Wang Wenjuan had brought this up. Xia Hong had flatly refused her back then. But now, he figured she must see Xia Yu as a girl because of something she had said. “Dad, I’ve chosen some! Just these.”
Upon hearing Xia Le’s declaration, Xia Hong spotted that he packed three boxes already, and Xia Le was wrapping them up in bags. Xia Hong nodded, then turned to face the shopkeeper, “We’ll settle everything once we finish picking over there.”
The shopkeeper knew quite well who Wang Wenjuan and the girls with her were shopping for feminine undergarments. So, she didn’t rush the transaction: “No problem at all.”
In the end, Wang Wenjuan bought six boxes of panties and ten camisoles for her daughters, packing them herself. Xia Hong became even more convinced of his suspicion; Xia Ling wouldn’t need so many in such a short period.
Domestic matters were best kept within the home. Xia Hong didn’t want to discuss it outside and quietly paid up. He thought, “This shouldn’t keep happening to my family.”
He threw the laundry in the car and headed for the mall with the family, ready to make things better.
Yet, Xia Yu felt nothing but gloom, despite the outing. She couldn’t explain why and bottled it all up.
By eleven o’clock at night, they ended their mall trip and returned home. Xia Yu finally got a chance to shower after getting settled.
Normally, Xia Hong would go first. As the head of the household, everyone followed his lead. Otherwise, why would Wang Wenjuan worry about how Xia Hong would react to the changes in Xia Yu? Xia Hong washing first was actually convenient for Wang Wenjuan; she could take her daughters to Xia Ling’s room and separate the clean clothes while casually discussing the intricacies of femininity with Xia Yu.
And there Xia Le was, left alone in the living room…
Xia Yu and Xia Ling sat on the bed as their mother passed out the new panties and camisoles. Wang Wenjuan brought over a chair from Xia Ling’s vanity and sat in front of them, ready to teach Xia Yu about the female anatomy and how to act like the lady she wanted her to be.
Looking at Xia Yu, unmoved by the whole ordeal, Wang Wenjuan asked her first question: “Xia Yu, do you remember when your last period was?”
Of course not, who wouldn’t? Xia Yu sighed thinking about all the discomforts. “Around the eighth, I guess.”
“The eigth?” Wang Wenjuan checked her phone, noticing that tomorrow would be the eighth. Xia Yu’s periods seemed to be arriving promptly. She put away her phone and continued, “Do you have any idea how to handle this?”
Xia Yu nodded, still stone-faced, “I do.”
This wasn’t the first cycle Xia Yu had dealt with, and Xia Ling’s guidance surely helped. Xia Yu felt prepared.
“That’s good. We bought loads of pads tonight, grab some for your room too, in a dark bag, so they don’t find out,” Wang Wenjuan instructed.
“Okay.” Xia Yu mumbled.
Then Wang Wenjuan inspected the new panties and tops, “After sorting them, remember to wash them tomorrow, it keeps everything healthier.”
“And don’t keep those old ones Xia Yu. Remember to throw them away when you get home. Wearing those isn’t healthy.”
Before Xia Yu could respond, Xia Ling jumped from behind and hugged Xia Yu around the neck, assuring their mother, “Mom, leave it to me. I’ll take care of this.”
Xia Yu just rolled her eyes.
Wang Wenjuan then delved into numerous lessons about being a proper lady, advising caution around males and the perils of early romance and intimacy.
Xia Yu, typically stoic, found herself touched by these talks. As for Xia Ling, she blushed: “Mama, we know all this already.”
“It’s good you’re aware, don’t consider it nagging. Think of it as mom’s love, guiding you the right way,” Wang Wenjuan concluded, leaving the room, guessing they’d finished bathing.
Sure enough, when Wang Wenjuan brought Xia Yu and Xia Ling out, Xia Hong and Xia Le were already fresh and relaxed.
Xia Hong lingered a second before standing up, addressing Wang Wenjuan, “Jue, I’ve something to talk to you about.”
With a nod, Xia Hong led the way to his room.
Since the talk with Mama Wang was off-limits, Xia Ling generously offered Xia Yu the first shower.
“Hey, sis, go ahead. I’ll be next.”
Xia Yu, of course, complied without hesitation, heading back to fetch her pajamas.
Aside from his existing and brand-new outfits, Xia Yu only possessed a wardrobe of lovely, pricey dresses bought by Jiang Kekai. Changing was awkward, but not a first time ordeal. The new outfits hadn’t been washed, leaving her little choice but to don those pajamas again.
As the family retreated inside, Xia Hong and Wang Wenjuan began their conversation.
Even though they were married, Xia Hong and Wang Wenjuan remained casual about their children’s matters—sitting on the bed, they discussed Xia Yu.
“I’m concerned about Xia Yu. What’s your take?”
“Is it really worth discussing?”
Worried, despite a calm exterior, Wang Wenjuan feared discussing Xia Yu’s bodily issues. “Just…just, maybe we should rethink treating Xia Yu as a girl.”
Sighing, Xia Hong admitted, “I can see how you might feel that way, but Xia Yu isn’t a girl. If she was perceived as one, there’s bound to be a psychological impact.”
Listening, Wang Wenjuan breathed a sigh of relief, glad Xia Yu wasn’t physically misidentified.
Braving, Wang Wenjuan argued, “But Xia Yu’s happiness should be our priority, right? We’d already agreed on this.”
“To an extent, yes, but that was during her worst mental state. Now I think we might have gone too far.”
Xia Hong glanced at his wife before admitting, “I plan to talk with Xia Yu, suggest cutting her hair. Teach her to be more masculine, prevent others from seeing her as a girl.”
“No!”
Wang Wenjuan rejected Xia Hong’s thoughts without hesitation.
She remembered Xia Yu was genuinely female, knowing full well that a girl’s hair was like her second life. She wouldn’t let her husband do that to their precious daughter.
“It’s not an easy decision. It takes years to grow long hair, and it’s a struggle to lose so much effort.”
This puzzled Xia Hong. He couldn’t understand his wife’s adamant stance. Simultaneously, he felt a hunch; maybe Xia Yu harbored a secret neither knew about.
“Nothing’s wrong. I understand the effort involved. I don’t want Xia Yu’s hard work to go to waste. Besides, I think she looks great with longer hair,” Wang Wenjuan rationalized, almost believing her own words.
Xia Hong was speechless this time. “But Xia Yu is a boy. What’s with the longer hair? It’ll cause trouble at school.”
“Those issues will sort themselves out. There are plenty of boys with long hair.”
Caught off guard, Xia Hong had no rebuttal.
