The Little King

6 | Bellyband

Translator: PastTimer

Editor: PastTimer

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The seeds he had planted soon broke through the dirt as small sprouts but died because of a blizzard after early winter came and never emerged. Xia Xi didn't have any regrets, he knew that the plant wouldn't be able to survive long, it was a good thing that he didn't waste too many seeds, he could try again next winter.

Winter came early in Yudu, after the first snowfall the weather only became even colder. Xia Xi's health wasn't very good, he couldn't stand the cold and so nestled inside his palace every day, sitting by the charcoal fire to keep warm. In his free time, he would make clothing and shoes for Chu Lan.

Some servants in the Palace specialized in making clothes but Xia Xi felt that he had nothing better to do anyway. Xia Xi made a belly band¹ for Chu Lan, Chu Lan often liked to kick the quilt off while sleeping at night which always made his stomach feel cold and hurt. Cai Huan felt that there were other reasons for the King's stomachache, she whispered: "The King eats so much meat every day, some of them even look undercooked. With a diet like that, stomach pain is no surprise."

There were no other people in Xia XI's quarters, the two people nestled together. Xia Xi was languid with a small smile on the corners of his mouth, he said softly: "They're used to eating like that and can bear it, it shouldn't be the reason. The Barbarian people don't wear bellybands when sleeping, he also doesn't like wearing clothing." Chu Lan probably felt shy whenever they sleep together so he always wore a thin overcoat, whenever he had to sleep on his own again, he mostly didn't even bother to wear shirts and was only willing to put on pants.

Cai Huan helped with the lining and asked: "Will he wear it after it's made?"

Xia Xi said: "I'll coax him to put it on. After the cold began, he's been experiencing a few stomachaches." Xia Xi used a piece of fur as a material for the belly band. The fur was very soft and warm, and the straps were ones he had brought together with him. Xia Xi was moderately skilled at making clothes, it only took him a few days to sew the belly band. When Chu Lan came back that evening, Xia Xi took it out and held it in front of him, saying that it was for him to wear.

The teenager looked at the thing and found it quite strange. He fiddled with it for a while and then asked, "Why would I need to wear this?"

Xia XI said: "You can protect your belly button in the evenings. Even if you kick off the quilt, your belly won't catch a cold."

Chu Lan stared at him, disbelieving, "I kick the quilt when I sleep? How is it possible? Every day I wake up and is covered."

Xia Xi didn't know how to explain the fact that Chu Lan kicked off the quilt regularly and it was him who covered him several times every night. So he only said: "This is also good for you to wear, can you try it? Do you like this? Or should I make another one tomorrow?"

Chu Lan moved his gaze away from his face to his body, he suddenly asked curiously: "Are you wearing this too?"

Xia Xi nodded lightly, "Yeah."

Chu Lan stared at him eagerly, "Let me see."

Xia Xi was stunned for a moment and subconsciously covered his collar, his face turning red. He wanted to shake his head but his mind was still enforced with the moral: 'can not disobey any order from the King'. He had always felt that if he ever disobeyed his ending wouldn't be good, so he quickly stopped himself from thinking about it. He felt shy. Although they had been married for nearly five months, they had never copulated or done anything immoral, mostly because of their young age and lack of proper knowledge about it. They had always slept on the same bed but just simply sleep, at most Chu Lan would roll over and hug him.