"Sorry..." Xiuniang lowered her head, regret stirring in her heart.
She had heard her grandfather say that Gu Zhao must have encountered a formidable enemy and accidentally fled all the way here. He might even have internal injuries. Now that she had dragged him into acting, she did not know whether it would worsen his condition.
"What's there to apologize for?" Seeing Xiuniang's timid look, Gu Zhao did not tease her. He merely gently rubbed her head. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. Something held me up for a while."
Xiuniang looked at Gu Zhao, so moved that she was nearly in tears.
"Alright, alright, don't cry." Gu Zhao had no experience dealing with women's tears, nor did he have any with girls'. "Hurry home. Your grandfather is probably worried sick by now."
Xiuniang nodded again and again, about to leave with Gu Zhao, when she suddenly remembered something.
She looked down at the white fox, bloodstained and filthy, gathered her courage, and carefully asked, "Young Master, it... it just saved me. Can I take it home and treat its injuries?"
"It should be a demon, shouldn't it? Does it need you to treat its injuries?" Gu Zhao asked teasingly. "Perhaps before you even bring it home, its wounds will have already healed."
"Huh?" Xiuniang froze.
"Ying ying ying..."
The white fox seized the moment and pounced, hugging Xiuniang's calf and rubbing against it up and down. It nodded repeatedly, even displaying a wound on its side for her, its body giving an appropriately timed twitch.
Gu Zhao: "..."
It was also his first time seeing a demon, and he was curious beyond measure. If Xiuniang had not just suffered such a fright, he might already have started studying this white fox.
The white fox could not beat that ghostly thing, and that ghostly thing could not beat him. Wasn't the food chain plain as day?
Still, the white fox had just saved Xiuniang once and could understand human speech. It could practically be treated as a person. Gu Zhao did not know what it wanted, so out of politeness, he felt somewhat embarrassed about directly reaching over to feel whether it was male or female.
But since it was willing to follow Xiuniang, Gu Zhao naturally would not refuse. "Then bring it along."
"Thank you, Young Master!" Xiuniang agreed happily and scooped up the white fox at her feet into her arms.
"Grandpa, we're back!"
Walking home with Gu Zhao, Xiuniang's face had long since blossomed with smiles. From far away, she called out to Elder He, who was sitting at the entrance to the small courtyard.
"You're back!" The moment Elder He saw Gu Zhao, he immediately rose to his feet. "The food is warming in the stove. The Zhang family's wife picked some wild vegetables this afternoon and brought them over, so I made some sweet porridge with them."
"Grandpa and Young Master can eat first. I'll go clean it up." Xiuniang lifted the white fox in her arms slightly.
Only now, at close range, did Elder He make out the fox in Xiuniang's arms through the dim twilight. Hesitantly, he said, "Young Master Gu caught a fox? But it's too late to cook it now. How about we eat it tomorrow?"
Gu Zhao: ???
Xiuniang: ???
White fox: ???
"Grandpa!" Xiuniang stamped her foot anxiously and hurriedly stroked the white fox's fur, terrified that it might suddenly rise up and kill her grandfather. "This white fox saved my life!"
"Huh?" Elder He was somewhat confused. "How could this fox save you... save... save..."
The way Elder He looked at the white fox turned horrified. "This is... this is..."
Xiuniang nodded, then watched Elder He turn and run into the courtyard.
But after taking two steps, he came to his senses. He slowly stopped, awkwardly turned back, and repeatedly cupped his hands with a fawning smile. "This old man had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. Please, Lord White Fox, be magnanimous and forgive me."
As he spoke, Elder He could not help glancing at Gu Zhao beside Xiuniang.
The white fox ignored him, merely wriggling in Xiuniang's arms to find a more comfortable position.
Gu Zhao was speechless as well. No wonder Elder He had fled Xiu Yue County and returned to the village so early. He truly was timid and afraid of such things.
"Is the stove fire still burning?" Gu Zhao asked.
"It is," Elder He replied.
"Perfect. I brought back a few dishes too. We can heat them up while we're at it and eat together in a bit." Gu Zhao lifted the plastic bag and takeaway containers in his hand.
"Ah! Alright, alright!" Elder He had never seen such things before, but he did not dare ask.
Then Gu Zhao followed Elder He into the kitchen, while Xiuniang carried the white fox to one side of the small courtyard. She scooped a ladle of water from the water vat and began washing it.
"Ying ying ying..."
The white fox lay quietly on the platform, allowing Xiuniang to wash its fur and wounds. Its glossy black eyes carefully watched the kitchen.
All of a sudden, the white fox could not help twitching its nose. Its pupils widened slightly, and even the wounds on its body seemed to stop hurting.
"It smells so good!"
Xiuniang, who was washing the white fox, also caught the scent. She could not help turning to look toward the kitchen, where she saw Elder He and Gu Zhao carrying out several bowls. The fragrance was coming from them.
"Young Master, what is that?" Xiuniang asked.
"I brought back a few dishes," Gu Zhao replied. "Come try them and see which ones suit your tastes."
"Okay!" Xiuniang answered. "I'll dry it..."
Before Xiuniang could finish, the white fox abruptly stood up. After shaking itself twice, it instinctively glanced back at Xiuniang, then swiftly leaped off the platform and went to one side to shake its body.
Countless droplets flew away. A faint burst of heat rose from its body, and in the blink of an eye, all moisture in its fur had evaporated. It became an adorable white fox with fluffy, snow-white fur all over.
The instant that heat rose, Gu Zhao sharply sensed that aura and could not help turning to look at the white fox.
That aura was not the yin energy of a ghostly thing, but a restless presence carrying heat. Gu Zhao could sense within it vitality and vigor far beyond that of ordinary people, along with a natural wildness and spiritual nature.
Could this be demonic energy? Gu Zhao thought.
Seeing Gu Zhao look over, the white fox immediately withdrew its demonic energy and put on a flattering smile again. Then, with tiny sideways steps, it shuffled over to Xiuniang's feet.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Zhao tested the waters. "Do you want to try these dishes too?"
"Ying ying ying!" The white fox nodded wildly.
"Then we'll set some aside for you," Gu Zhao said.
"Ying ying ying!" The white fox nodded wildly again.
"I'll get it a bowl." Seeing the white fox had climbed down, Xiuniang no longer picked it up. Instead, she quickly fetched another porcelain bowl from the kitchen and went to the table, where she saw the three dishes Gu Zhao had brought.
One bowl held several large, bright-red chunks of meat, streaked with fat and lean, soft and silky, their fragrance rushing straight at her. With just one look, Xiuniang felt her mouth begin to water.
Another bowl contained a kind of meat rimmed with red. Its fragrance was not as rich as the previous dish's, but it seemed to carry a hint of honey-like sweetness.
The third bowl held chopped chicken pieces scattered loosely within it. The skin gleamed with oil, the meat was pale, and a rich aroma of spices wafted from it, making one's appetite surge.
Xiuniang could not help swallowing, then heard Gu Zhao point to the dishes and say, "Give it a piece of Dongpo pork, then a few slices of char siu. As for the five-spice roast chicken, give it the head and the butt."
I don't want to eat chicken butt!
"Ying!" The white fox glared, wanting to get angry, so it got angry for a moment.
After being angry for a moment, it smiled again, licked its lips, raised its forelegs, and began bowing. "Ying ying ying~~~"
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