The Young Girl's Chronicles of Demon-Slaying

Chapter 8: Lingerie

After all, we live in an age of information overload. As people of this era, we receive information from all sorts of sources—educational programs, science documentaries, and even *****—all of which are more than enough to broaden any man’s horizons. Not to mention the astonishing phenomenon of cross-dressers—with men dressing as women seemingly becoming a trend, a simple trip to a lingerie store shouldn’t be enough to make anyone feel nervous or stiff. Although he wasn’t a cross-dresser, nor did he have a fetish for women’s clothing. Even though he was a virgin—having never been in a relationship, held hands, kissed, or gone any further—he felt this way because he’d seen so much that nothing surprised him anymore. The crux of the matter, however, was that once inside the store, he would be the center of attention. Fang Heng walked into the store. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, it was his first time in a place like this, and he still felt a bit dazzled by the array of colorful lingerie hanging all around him—there was simply too much to take in at once. Fortunately, he was a seasoned veteran; he shook his head, gathered his composure, and continued walking deeper into the store to find Lin Yuqin. The store’s layout wasn’t complicated, and Lin Yuqin wasn’t hard to find, but before he could get close, he heard her chattering away with the female shopkeeper about something. He listened closely for a moment and felt a headache coming on. What on earth were these two talking about? Even if it wasn’t taught in school, as people grow up, driven by curiosity, they naturally seek out some knowledge about the human body. In this regard, the same applies to both boys and girls. If you happen to take a few extra glances, you’ll naturally realize that girls mature earlier than boys—usually starting around age eleven or twelve. The first sign is breast development; I won’t go into specific details, but Fang Heng not only already knew this—he’d even experienced it firsthand. Based on what he knew about the subject, girls at this age usually start wearing soft, stretchy undershirts, and those who’ve developed a bit more might start wearing bras with cups a little earlier… To be honest, at this stage—whether for the sake of their developing figures or simply for comfort—underwear is indispensable. Although he was very reluctant, he had to admit that if she didn’t wear a close-fitting undershirt and put on clothes directly, the friction would be very uncomfortable, and over time, it would even start to hurt. That’s why, when Lin Yuqin suggested buying underwear, he didn’t refuse—he knew there was no getting around it, so he might as well accept it calmly, even if it was just for her own comfort rather than for the sake of her physical development. However, Lin Yuqin clearly didn’t see it that way. She was currently discussing with the female shopkeeper a range of health-promoting bras for teenage girls—ordinary ones made of cotton or ice silk, while higher-end options featured memory foam, nanomaterials, and so on. Never mind just comfort—there were all sorts of claims about promoting development and shaping the bust. Fang Heng listened, wide-eyed, thinking to himself, Isn’t this just a scam?! Shouldn’t a girl who’s still developing just wear a plain cotton tank top? Could it be that the information he’d… accidentally come across was actually false?! But what could he do? Was he supposed to call them out right there? Just as he was agonizing over it, he soon found himself staring speechlessly as Lin Yuqin chatted at length with the shop owner. When it came time to buy, she simply picked out a few plain cotton and ice-silk bralettes and tank tops, along with a few matching pairs of panties. After having them bagged, she left the store with Fang Heng. Little girls are just starting to develop, so there aren’t many specific requirements. As long as the underwear is comfortable, loose-fitting, and breathable, knowing the size is enough—there’s no need to even try them on—so buying them was naturally very simple. After they stepped out of the store and walked a short distance, Lin Yuqin finally adopted a serious expression and said to Fang Heng in a lecturing tone, “These shop owners are all unscrupulous merchants. It’s just a simple tank top for a little girl, and they’re hyping it up to the skies… Next time you go to buy underwear, don’t let them fool you!” If you knew they were unscrupulous merchants, why did you chat with them for so long? You made the shopkeeper think she’d landed a big fish and she was incredibly enthusiastic. But when it was all over, you just picked out a few ordinary items… Judging by the shopkeeper’s expression, it seemed like you were just toying with her. He didn’t really have a problem with that, though. After all, everyone hates unscrupulous merchants—if they insist on hyping up ordinary items to the point of absurdity just to make a sale, they deserve to be played. He was just speechless at Lin Yuqin’s behavior, which seemed like she had way too much time on her hands. As for that last remark about buying her own underwear in the future, he just pretended he hadn’t heard it. …How could he possibly buy them himself? The thought had barely crossed his mind when he heard Lin Yuqin add, “... Never mind. I’ll just keep buying them for you.” In the future? He’d be going to the Orphanage soon—maybe this auntie would come visit him often? Fang Heng didn’t dwell on it. There were too many things to think about in the future; for now, he needed to figure out how to move forward with his life in this state! Surely he couldn’t just grow up, get married, and have kids like everyone else? Just the thought of it sent a chill down his spine, so he quickly shook his head to banish the idea. Better not to overthink it—he’d take things one step at a time. Things would work out as they went; who knows, maybe he’d turn back into his old self someday? Even though deep down he knew the chances were slim, he still hadn’t given up hope—he always believed a miracle might happen. Back home, Lin Yuqin helped unwrap the newly purchased clothes, put them all in the washing machine, and then went to the kitchen to start preparing lunch. The two of them got back a bit late—it was already past 11:50 a. m. —but luckily, Lin Yuqin had been prepared before leaving. She’d put the rice in the rice cooker and set the timer; as soon as the time was up, the rice cooker would automatically turn on and start cooking. So even though they got back late, the rice was already cooked; all that was left was to wash and prepare the vegetables. Fang Heng saw that Lin Yuqin might not be able to manage everything on her own, so he followed her into the kitchen to help. “Go watch TV! I’ve got this!” Lin Yuqin said as soon as she saw him come in. “There’s nothing good on,” Fang Heng shook his head, crouched down, picked up the greens lying on the tile floor, and began sorting through them. Seeing Fang Heng like this, Lin Yuqin felt a bit pleased; she thought how well-behaved it was of a girl to help with the cooking! She’d surely be Mom’s little ray of sunshine in the future! Just as she was about to praise him, Lin Yuqin quickly noticed something was off. “Hengheng, your skirt has slipped down! Everyone can see everything!” Lin Yuqin warned. Prompted by this, Fang Heng looked down and realized that, just as Lin Yuqin had said, her skirt had slipped completely down to the sides of her thighs when she crouched. She felt a bit helpless inside, but didn’t say anything. She simply pulled the hem back up and, imitating what she’d seen other girls do, tucked it between her legs. He continued helping with the vegetable prep, but before long, Lin Yuqin called him out again. “Hengheng, close your legs! You’re spreading them so wide! That’s not at all ladylike!” Hearing this, Fang Heng had no choice but to obey and correct his posture. After that, he didn’t make that mistake again, but from these two reminders, Lin Yuqin realized that although Fang Heng was very sensible, he seemed to lack the self-awareness expected of a girl. It seems she’ll have to remind her more often in the future! Lin Yuqin thought to herself. With an extra pair of hands, the work went quickly, and they finally managed to finish stir-frying several dishes before Song Wencheng came home. Fang Heng helped carry the dishes to the dining table. Just as she stepped out of the kitchen, she happened to see Song Wencheng coming in, so she casually greeted him: “Hello, Uncle.” “Mm, hello!” Song Wencheng seemed a bit taken aback, giving Fang Heng a puzzled look as she set down the dishes, turned around, and headed back into the kitchen to fetch more. What’s going on here? Why is he still here? Didn’t the police come? Although he had some questions, he didn’t feel comfortable asking them out loud, so he simply set down his bag and went to wash his hands. By dinnertime, Song Wencheng felt even more puzzled. You see, in the past, when it was just the two of them at home, meals were always quiet and peaceful. But now that there was an extra girl at the table, it felt as if his wife had completely changed—she was welcoming the girl with great warmth, ladling soup for her and serving her food. He’d never been treated like this before! It wasn’t just Song Wencheng; even Fang Heng felt that Lin Yuqin’s attitude toward him seemed a bit too friendly. It wasn’t that her warmth and affection were bad—it was just an indescribable feeling that made everything seem a bit off. Lunch was over amid this peculiar atmosphere. After resting for an hour, Song Wencheng went to work as usual. Just before leaving, he suddenly seemed to remember something and said to Lin Yuqin, who was sitting in the living room watching TV, “Yuqin, I have two friends coming over tonight. They might stay for dinner, so remember to pick up some nice dishes on your way home.” “Friends?” Lin Yuqin turned her head, glanced at Song Wencheng, and said, “Is that guy surnamed Wang coming to take advantage of you again?” “What do you mean, ‘that guy surnamed Wang is here to rip me off’?” Song Wencheng said, sounding a bit annoyed. “Besides, he didn’t rip me off, okay!” “How haven’t they ripped you off? They sold you a lousy plate for over 100,000! Isn’t that ripping you off?” The more Song Wencheng protested, the angrier Lin Yuqin became. “Why can’t you just have a normal hobby instead of getting into antiques? That world is full of scams. If they rip you off someday, don’t come crying to me!” “All right, all right! It’s not like I’m definitely going to buy anything!” Seeing his wife’s angry expression, Song Wencheng had no choice but to back down. “I’ll just take a look and do some research—is that okay? Remember to buy some good food!” “What good food? Just feed him some wilted leaves!” She said this out of spite, of course. Song Wencheng knew it, and seeing that it was about time, he didn’t respond and hurried off. Watching the couple argue made Fang Heng, as an outsider, feel a bit awkward. He could only keep his eyes straight ahead and pretend not to hear anything while watching TV. After Song Wencheng left, Lin Yuqin was still fuming. She clearly had serious grievances against him but couldn’t do anything about it, so she could only vent her frustrations to Fang Heng. “Hengheng! Tell me, what’s so great about these antiques anyway? Sure, they have historical value, but that’s none of our business as ordinary people! Spending over 100,000 just to buy a lousy plate, then displaying it in the study as if it were a treasure—I really don’t see what’s so great about it! …” (End of Chapter)