Chapter 16: Am I a Boy or a Girl?
There was no way Xia Yu was going to disobey Xia Ling now. If she said drink, Xia Yu would drink. So, Xia Yu picked up the warm cup of brown sugar ginger tea and chugged it down without hesitation…
It tasted sweet, like sunshine in a cup!
Instantly, Xia Yu felt a warm sensation flow straight to her stomach. It was incredibly comforting, and the discomfort in her lower abdomen seemed to have eased quite a bit.
Seeing Xia Yu obediently drink the tea, Xia Ling nodded approvingly. Then, she grabbed Xia Yu’s little hand and dragged her into her princess room, much to Xia Yu’s curiosity.
As soon as Xia Yu entered Xia Ling’s room, she could smell a pleasant aroma. She couldn’t figure out why her younger sister’s room smelled so nice, but she sure liked it.
Xia Ling promptly sat Xia Yu down at her vanity table and started rummaging through the drawers underneath for a hairdryer. Otherwise, if Xia Yu caught a chill and complained about stomachache again later, Xia Ling would have no choice but to intervene.
And Xia Yu at this point didn’t dare say a word. She had no idea what her younger sister wanted from her and had to wait patiently for instructions.
Soon enough, Xia Ling’s princess room echoed with the sound of hair-drying: “whoosh whoosh.”
Xia Ling found it all very strange. She had already confirmed that Xia Yu was a girl, yet Xia Yu seemed oblivious to this fact.
So while Xia Ling was drying Xia Yu’s hair, she pinched Xia Yu’s cheeks and asked, “Second Brother, do you know if you’re a boy or a girl?”
“Am I not a boy?” Xia Yu replied via the mirror, looking at Xia Ling with surprise.
Xia Ling: …
“Do you still think you’re a boy?” Xia Ling asked again. She felt it was crucial for Xia Yu to recognize her gender; maybe soon, she would have to call Xia Yu “Big Sister” or something.
Hearing her younger sister’s repeated question, Xia Yu fell silent. She wasn’t confused about gender differences but thought that with her… parts, it didn’t make sense for her to be considered a boy anymore.
Seeing Xia Yu’s silence, Xia Ling thought she might be on to something. She continued, “Your below is just like mine, and you get your period. So, you must be a girl. Why don’t we go find Mom tonight…”
But Xia Yu quickly and boldly interrupted her, “No way, no way. I’m a boy, not a girl. And tonight, I’m staying put—right here.”
Xia Yu knew that if she were to talk to her sister about this stuff, her parents would likely take her to the hospital for a checkup. That would surely expose her secret: that she was a man-made freak show.
Indeed, Xia Yu still believed she was just an experiment gone wrong—a transgender person, rather than a real girl.
Hearing Xia Yu’s sharp response, Xia Ling refrained from forcing the issue and instead placated her, “Oh well, stay if you want. But since you won’t go anywhere, can I come to your room and play tonight? Understood?”
Xia Yu looked at her younger sister, feeling grateful for all the help today. A small request like this wasn’t too much to ask: “Alright… sure.”
“Alright, so that’s settled.”
With that, Xia Ling turned off the hairdryer and lifted Xia Yu’s long hair, which hadn’t been cut in nearly a year: “Your hair looks pretty long. Maybe you should keep it long like me, yeah?”
