RPS – Chapter 3 The First Pair of Primitive Underwear is Born

Li Feng believed that this primitive society was likely in the early stages of the Neolithic Age. The people here were already quite intelligent—their bone needles, ornaments, and various stone tools were all finely crafted. However, due to their limited way of thinking, they often didn’t come up with innovations until the need arose.

There was already pottery here. He had seen a large clay jar filled with clean water inside the cave. In a corner of the cave, he also found sharpened wooden spears and bone tools. Clearly, they had long understood how to make and use tools.

Walking out of the cave, Li Feng saw the continuous mountain ranges and dense forests not far away. Judging by the weather, it must already be summer—the hottest time of the year.

It was noon, and the sun outside was blazing, but the cave was dim and cool. Thankfully, caves in the summer were indeed very refreshing. Otherwise, staying outside all day would have been unbearable.

Having finished eating the roasted meat and drinking plenty of water, Li Feng sat in a brighter spot near the cave entrance and began preparing to sew some underwear. He truly couldn’t stand the feeling of going bare down there. With everything swinging loosely at every step, it felt way too unsafe. Beside him, Li was sitting and sharpening wooden spears and various stone tools.

Li Feng picked up a relatively thin and soft piece of tanned hide with short fur. He had no idea which animal it came from, but it was soft and reminded him of cowhide. Hopefully, it was just as breathable. Having grown up in an orphanage where he often helped the headmaster mend clothes, he was no stranger to needlework. Although he wasn’t skilled at tailoring, he’d seen it done often enough to figure out how to proceed.

There was no thread here, so he searched near the cave and found some plant fibers, which he threaded through the smallest bone needle he could find. Though the bone needle was much larger than a normal one, it was already a great improvement. Honestly, he wouldn’t even know how to make a needle from scratch yet.

There were no scissors either, but he did have a sharp stone knife. Using it, he cut the hide into two triangular pieces—one larger, one smaller. This way, when sewing the crotch area, the seam wouldn’t rub against sensitive parts. He first sewed the sides of the two pieces from the inside, then worked on the crotch. One piece was intentionally made longer in the crotch, so when sewn together, it wouldn’t chafe in the back.

The last step was simple: he cut a few holes around the waistband and threaded a string through them. And just like that, the first pair of primitive underwear was complete. Before making it, Li Feng had measured his waist with the hide. While the sizing wasn’t perfect, it was close enough. The drawstring—braided from several strands of fiber—ensured a snug fit.

As soon as it was done, Li Feng put it on. He’d noticed the guy named Li sneakily glancing at his lower half too many times, and it was creeping him out. Better to wear it now and play it safe. He planned to make a few more pairs for himself later. Maybe even make a few for the baby? Oddly enough, it hadn’t even occurred to him to make one for the man next to him!

“Feng, what is that thing you just made?” Li had watched Feng fiddling with something for a while and initially paid no mind. But as he saw the final result—something that could actually be worn—his curiosity was piqued. “Is that even comfortable? It looks so tight.”

“Uh…” Just as Li Feng was feeling thrilled about putting on his new underwear, the voice startled him as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. Couldn’t this guy at least give a warning before speaking?

“This is underwear. See? Now I don’t have to worry about the wind lifting up my animal-skin skirt. I can even make boxer-style ones later—those will be even more comfortable!” Li Feng got carried away in his explanation and ended up spilling his plans for boxers too, even gesturing excitedly as he spoke.

“Feng, when did you learn to do this?” Li found the idea ingenious but was more intrigued by how Feng suddenly knew so much. He’d never mentioned any of this before. Could it be a gift from the heavens? After all, Feng was a man who had given birth to a child—already a miraculous thing. Maybe the heavens had endowed him with special abilities, knowing their tribe had too few women, so they granted Feng the power to bear children and divine knowledge.

Li Feng shivered. Crap! He’d gotten too excited and let his guard down. How was he supposed to explain himself now? Just as he started sweating from panic, Li continued, “I get it! This must be a gift from the heavens, right? That’s why you can have babies and know all these things. You must have gained the knowledge after giving birth, isn’t it?”

Li Feng nodded furiously. “Yes, yes!” In this society, people revered the heavens as omnipotent gods, so attributing anything miraculous to them would be easily accepted by the tribe.

“That thing really feels comfortable to wear? Then can you make one for me too?” Li’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Feng.

“Sure, sure,” Feng nodded like a pecking chick, eager to get away from the man. That suspicious look earlier had nearly scared him to death. What if they found out the truth and burned him at the stake?

In this primitive society, people were already aware of the difference between men and women. Although they all wore hide skirts, strong gusts of wind often lifted them up, revealing everything underneath. So once Li started wearing the underwear and boxers Feng made, they quickly became popular throughout the tribe—especially among the women, who found them particularly useful. Some clever ones even added decorations and embellishments, and a few even crafted long pants. Of course, their craftsmanship was better than Feng’s. But still, considering how much sewing he’d done in the orphanage back in the day, his handiwork wasn’t bad at all.

When it comes to the essentials of life—clothing, food, shelter, and transportation—clothing is listed first for a reason. You could live without a jacket or trousers, but underwear? That was an absolute must!