Chapter 53 The Cultural Fox is Superbly Respected "The two people in the book,..."

The fox was completely unaware that his image in Tinglan's mind had become extremely pitiful; he was still happily thinking about how he would eat more later.

During the meal, my good friend seemed a bit off; he barely touched his chopsticks and just sat at the table looking up at me.

The fox looked down at the delicious food on the table and asked in confusion, "Don't you like these?"

Tinglan shook her head. "No, it's just that I don't have much of an appetite today."

The fox, with a chicken leg in its mouth, thought for a moment, then got up and poured Tinglan a glass of grape juice. "You can drink this. It's sweet and sour, and it'll whet your appetite."

Tinglan took it, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Would Your Highness like to go out for a stroll this afternoon?"

He had wondered before why Ji Qing found everything so strange, but only today did he understand: Ji Qing had grown up deep in the mountains and knew nothing of the world... but it was always good for him to go out and experience the realities of life.

The fox's eyes lit up, and it clapped its hands happily, "Great! Great!"

He loved going out to play; the outside world was much more interesting than the palace.

"Yay! So many good things happening today, even happier than a holiday!" The fox's eyes sparkled as it quickly stuffed another chicken leg into its mouth.

Hehe, after we finish eating we can go out and play. There's nothing better than this.

Tinglan was taken aback by what he heard. He lowered his eyes and, to hide his emotions, picked up his glass and took a sip of grape juice.

The carriage of the Ninth Prince slowly drove out of the palace gate. The fox sat in the carriage, looking out excitedly, with the small floral bundle on his lap.

Tinglan's gaze lingered on the bundle for a moment. "Why has Your Highness been carrying this with you all this time?"

"I want to bring a gift back for my sister," the fox said with a smile.

"Do you know what your sister likes to do on a regular basis?"

"She likes playing mahjong, practicing swordsmanship, sleeping, and soaking in hot springs," the fox said without hesitation.

Tinglan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "How about we go pick out a sword tassel?"

The fox nodded, hugging his little bundle and smiling brightly, "I also want to bring lots and lots of snacks for my sister. There are so many kinds of snacks sold here, I've never seen them before."

Tinglan's heart began to ache again, and she had no choice but to look away.

Completely unaware of what his good friend was thinking, the fox enthusiastically carried his bundle and raided the best pastry shops in the capital.

He slung the bulging bundle over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and skipped and hopped forward.

He was thinking to himself that these pastries would spoil if left out too long, so he might as well eat this batch first, and after he tasted them carefully and figured out which one was the best, he would buy more and pack them up for his sister to take back.

Hehe, I'm so smart!

The weight on its shoulder suddenly lightened, and the fox was startled, turning around to look.

"I'll carry it for Your Highness, you can just go shopping."

The fox pursed its lips. "It's not heavy. I can carry it myself."

Hehehe, don't underestimate my strength. I can carry you around the store.

Tinglan smiled helplessly and continued gently, "How about we put the things in the carriage first?"

The fox then released its grip.

So the Imperial Guards saw that the usually expressionless and dignified Ninth Prince was carrying a rustic yellow floral bundle.

"Put it on the carriage," Tinglan instructed.

The Imperial Guards accepted the order and carefully carried the bundle away. If the Chief Seal valued it so much, what could be inside? And why does it smell so...delicious? It even looks rather appetizing.

The market after the New Year was incredibly lively, with vendors selling goods, acrobats performing, and opera singers. The fox felt like it couldn't take it all in, looking around everywhere.

The fox stood on the street, not knowing where to go, and wandered aimlessly.

There's a sign up ahead that the fox recognizes; those two characters mean "bookshop," a place that sells books.

Not bad, not bad. Let's go buy a couple of books. After all, we're with a good friend, so we can't just buy him snacks. It would seem like all he does is eat.

Buying books makes him seem more cultured and gives him face.

So the fox strode into the bookstore and slammed the silver on the owner's table in a domineering manner, saying, "Boss, I want your best-selling book."

The boss greeted them warmly and then turned to serve the fox a set of the Four Books and Five Classics.

The fox looked at the thick stack of books, picked up one of them and turned the page. It saw densely packed words on the paper. It recognized the words, but couldn't understand them at all when they were put together.

How could perfectly normal words be arranged in such an incomprehensible order? I instantly felt like I was suffocating.

The fox quickly waved his hand, glanced at Tinglan behind him, and, finding that he hadn't noticed them, whispered, "No, I want storybooks, preferably the kind with illustrations."

Otherwise, it's all text, which makes my eyes dizzy.

The bookstore owner suddenly gave a mysterious smile, as if he had just realized something. "Oh, so you need a painting with it? We have many kinds. Which one would you like, young master?"

"Anything new?" the fox asked.

The shopkeeper immediately glanced around and said in a low voice, "It's obvious that the young master knows his stuff. This is a new arrival in our shop; you can't find it anywhere else."

The fox took it, flipped to a random page, and was very satisfied. "This is good. I can understand it. It also has illustrations. Not bad at all."

"Then buy this one. And bring me any other popular items as well."

The bookstore owner smiled broadly, "Alright, I'll wrap it up for you right away."

Very good, today you're a cultured fox too.

The fox, carrying the storybook, walked to the bookshelf. "I've bought it."

"I never expected Your Highness to be such a book lover now."

The fox was very pleased with the praise, and proudly raised its head, its mouth agape. "Of course!"

"What book did Your Highness buy?"

The fox knew that Tinglan usually liked to read profound books. Although the fox couldn't understand them, it felt they were very impressive. However, the books that the fox could understand were not so impressive.

Upon hearing this, he immediately lowered his head and mumbled, "Uh... it's all wrapped up, it's not good to open it again, I'll check it when I get back."

The cunning fox immediately slipped and darted out of the shop.

The two of them picked out a sword tassel, strolled around the street, watched some acrobatics, and then slowly boarded the carriage as the sun was about to set.

On the way back, the fox, clutching his beloved little bundle, lifted the curtain and looked out the window. The sunset outside was magnificent and dazzling.

"Is Your Highness happy today?"

Upon hearing this, the fox turned around and nodded. "Yes, it's so much fun outside the palace."

"Does Your Highness find it boring in the palace on ordinary days?"

"I won't be bored. I'll never be bored as long as I'm with you." The fox pulled Tinglan's wrist, his eyes crinkling as he smiled, revealing two dimples.

Tinglan was stunned, her eyes filled with panic, her mind in turmoil, feeling somewhat lost and helpless. She subconsciously pinched the thumb ring that the little prince had given her.

Foxes have that ability to easily stir people's hearts with just a few words... No, that person specifically refers to Tinglan.

After returning from outside the palace, the fox carefully savored the pastries, selected a few of the best ones, and then secretly took out a storybook from the paper package.

While Tinglan was still away, I opened it and started reading.

The first few pages were quite easy to understand, so why did I lose track of the later ones?

What does two people sleeping have to do with fish and water? What are they doing?

The book says this is something only lovers can do; it's written in the book, so it must make sense.

He turned the page and continued reading.

The book also thoughtfully includes illustrations. The fox looked closely and realized it was just two people stacked together.

The fox often does this too, lying on top of his best friend and playing with his hair.

That's great, my best friend and I are also in love.

The fox was satisfied and turned the page.

The more I looked at the fox, the redder its face became, and even the base of its ears turned red.

Ah, ah, this... this... why are they like this?

The wooden door in front creaked open, and the fox slammed the book shut and shoved it under his bottom, then sat up straight and properly.

As soon as Tinglan entered, he saw the young prince sitting upright, grinning at him.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?"

The fox quickly shook its head and took the plate of snacks from the fox. "No, no, it's fine. I ate too much and I feel a little choked."

"Then I'll go get some water for Your Highness."

While Tinglan turned around, the fox prepared to quietly move the storybook under its buttocks.

He didn't know why, but he just felt that it was best not to let anyone find out about this.

Tinglan turned around and looked at the fox who was suddenly bending down furiously. He frowned and asked, "What is Your Highness doing?"

The fox was startled and quickly threw the storybook under the table, frantically opening his hands, "No, no, I didn't take anything."

Tinglan raised an eyebrow and walked over with a cup in her hand.

"What is Your Highness hiding?"

"No." The fox lowered its head, ready to deny it to the death.

Ugh, I got caught. I should have just hidden the storybook under my butt instead of taking it out.

Tinglan picked up the candlestick beside her, bent down, and saw a corner of a book page peeking out from under the table.

It's just a book...

Tinglan reluctantly picked it up and put it back on the table. "Why is Your Highness reading so mysteriously, as if you're ashamed to be seen by others?"

The fox lowered its head and whispered, "Actually, I didn't understand."

Tinglan smiled and turned the page of the book. "Where did Your Highness not understand? This servant will take a look."

Tinglan reads extremely fast, skimming through ten lines at a glance. He frowned after turning just one page, and after turning a few more, he felt something was amiss and immediately closed the book.

Tinglan felt a pang of regret; perhaps he shouldn't have tried to be a know-it-all today.

But the young prince, still curious, leaned closer and asked, "Did you understand?"

Tinglan didn't speak, but her face belatedly flushed red.

This is basically a fire-avoidance diagram, only it might have a few more words... and it's still about those kinds of things between two men.

The fox continued eagerly, "Tinglan, you must have understood it, you're so smart, so what exactly were those two people in the book doing?"

After all, foxes are naturally curious and never ashamed to ask questions.

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The author's note: The Fire Avoidance Picture is like a spring painting, full of vitality, with all things flourishing.