Wu Xiaohang doesn't like winter.
Winter means more money for food, warm clothes, and heating. For most people, this might just be a change of season, but for him, who's financially strapped, it's a heavy burden. He used to be alone, gritting his teeth and getting by, but now there's a child at home. Even though the child says he doesn't mind the cold, he can't bear to leave him alone in an unheated house through the winter.
After gritting his teeth and scraping together enough money for the heating bill, Wu Xiaohang breathed a sigh of relief as his home became warmer.
After winter came, the originally lively child became much quieter. Apart from eating, he was almost unwilling to move. Wu Xiaohang found ways to bring him delicious food, for he was afraid that he would lose even his last hobby and become completely indifferent.
The child had been living in his home for almost six months, and Wu Xiaohang had grown accustomed to his presence. Although he considered calling the police to find the child's family, he later abandoned the idea after discovering that the child's family seemed to be in dire straits. Furthermore, he checked the city's missing persons information daily and found no one looking for the child, which indirectly confirmed the child's claim that his family didn't love him and had no intention of searching for him even after discovering he was missing.
While Wu Xiaohang felt sad, he also breathed a sigh of relief and let go of the guilt in his heart.
In the autumn, the child was injured again, this time seriously, and fell into a coma upon returning home. Wu Xiaohang was horrified to see this and immediately carried him on his back, intending to rush to the hospital. However, Wu Ruhuo woke up halfway and refused to go to the hospital.
"I'm fine. Don't go to the hospital." Wu Ruhuo insisted, "I'll be fine after a few days of sleep."
"Who hit you? Who hit you?" Wu Xiaohang gritted his teeth, wishing he could help Wu Ruhuo get back at him immediately. "Such a young child was so cruel - he's really a piece of shit." He couldn't help but swear, but he quickly shut up as soon as he said it. After all, he had a child on his back, and it would not be a good thing for him to learn swear words.
Wu Ruhuo rubbed Wu Xiaohang's cheek naturally, with a hint of coquettishness, and said, "Yeah, he's really a piece of shit. Let's go back. I really don't want to go to the hospital. It's just a superficial wound. It will be healed in a few days."
"No, how could this be just a superficial injury?" Wu Xiaohang still refused.
But Wu Ruhuo refused to go to the hospital. Wu Xiaohang's persuasion was ineffective, so he had no choice but to take the child home. After returning home, he asked Wu Ruhuo why she didn't want to go. Wu Ruhuo was silent for a moment, then said something that made Wu Xiaohang feel extremely distressed.
He said, "Hospitals are very expensive, and our family doesn't have the money."
After hearing this, Wu Xiaohang hugged him tightly, feeling extremely upset. He thought that he would never let the child suffer such grievances again, nor would he let anyone else hurt him again.
The child did not comment on Wu Xiaohang's promise. He leaned on Wu Xiaohang's shoulder, but his eyes no longer had the pitiful look from before, but became as calm as dead water.
Although he was seriously injured in the fall, he had become much quieter since winter and didn't like going out. Wu Xiaohang was worried but also relieved. If Wu Ruhuo didn't go out, it meant that no one else would have the opportunity to hurt him.
Wu Xiaohang had received his salary that day, so he bought Wu Ruhuo's favorite cake from the bakery and happily carried it home. But before he even entered the house, he heard a heated argument inside, as if Wu Ruhuo was arguing with someone. Startled, his first thought was that Wu Ruhuo's parents had come to the house, but after carefully eavesdropping through the wall, Wu Xiaohang realized that only Wu Ruhuo's voice could be heard from inside.
"I won't do that, just shut up!" Wu Ruhuo was furious. "He is different—at least to me."
Wu Ruhuo became even angrier after hearing what the person on the other end said. He even knocked something over. "I'll let him know, but it's not the right time yet. I'll wait a few days."
Wu Xiaohang was just trying to let him know something when the noise in the room became quieter. Then there was the sound of a door opening. Wu Ruhuo, who was standing at the door, had already noticed him coming back.
Their eyes met, and Wu Xiaohang was startled. He saw a look in Wu Ruhuo's eyes he had never seen before. It was cold and cruel, staring at him as if he were an ant that could be crushed at will. Wu Xiaohang was shocked and took a step back reflexively. When he looked again, Wu Ruhuo had returned to his usual gentle demeanor, looking at him with a smile and saying, "Brother, you're back."
"I... I'm back." Looking at Wu Ruhuo in front of him, Wu Xiaohang quickly put aside the terrible feeling of disharmony just now. He said, "I brought you your favorite cake. If you don't eat it now, it will be frozen solid. Come and try it."
Wu Ruhuo laughed.
The two of them entered the house and happily shared the small piece of cake. Wu Ruhuo suddenly said, "Brother, if you find out that I'm lying to you, will you blame me?"
Wu Xiaohang was cutting a cake with his head down when he heard this and asked, "What did you lie to me about? Did your family ask you to go back?"
Wu Ruhuo shook his head, indicating that it was not the case.
Wu Xiaohang said, "Everyone has their own secrets. If you don't intentionally want to harm others, occasional deception is allowed." He raised his hand, touched Wu Ruhuo's head, and said, "Or do you want to tell me now?"
Wu Ruhuo bit the spoon and thought for a moment, but rejected Wu Xiaohang's suggestion. He said, "No, I don't want to tell you now. It's not the right time yet..."
Wu Xiaohang laughed: "What do you mean it's not the right time? What's going on?"
Wu Ruhuo said, "It's a very important matter, but I don't want to say it now." He observed Wu Xiaohang's expression, and thought of the step Wu Xiaohang involuntarily took back at the door just now.
However, Wu Xiaohang did not take Wu Ruhuo's words seriously. Wu Ruhuo was only a teenager. How could a teenager have any particularly important secrets? Wu Xiaohang guessed that the secret was probably related to his family, so he was not in a hurry and said that he could wait until Wu Ruhuo wanted to say it.
Wu Ruhuo smiled with satisfaction and said, "Brother, you are so nice."
Wu Xiaohang patted his shoulder and motioned him to come over and eat cake. The orange light in the house cast a layer of warmth on both of them. This winter did not seem as harsh as Wu Xiaohang had imagined.
…
Tonight's meal was stewed lamb, served with cabbage stored in the cellar and a homemade dipping sauce. It was quite appetizing. In fact, Lu Qingjiu really liked to blanch some pea sprouts when eating lamb, but unfortunately the snow came too early this year and they didn't have any at home, so they had to give up. But who knew that when they were halfway through the meal, Bai Yuehu suddenly stood up and went out. Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun were both bewildered. Just when they were wondering if something had happened in the city again, Bai Yuehu came back with a handful of crisp and tender pea sprouts. There was still white snow on his shoulders and hair, but he didn't care. He just patted it and said, "You guys eat first, I'll go wash it."
Lu Qingjiu couldn't help but smile and nodded. He didn't say that he wanted to eat fresh vegetables, but he didn't expect Bai Yuehu to see it at a glance.
After washing the pea sprouts, they were put into the boiling soup pot. After a brief rinse, they were ready to eat. These pea sprouts had a rich aroma, and both the leaves and stems were very fresh and tender, very refreshing. Lu Qingjiu asked, "Where did you pick them?"
Bai Yuehu said, "I bought it at the supermarket."
Lu Qingjiu said: “It’s delicious.”
Bai Yuehu nodded in satisfaction. Although Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun couldn't go out, he could. So, they weren't too isolated from the world.
After eating the pea sprouts, Lu Qingjiu felt much better. She even drank several bowls of soup in a row, which warmed her body. After dinner, Yin Xun took the initiative to wash the dishes, while Bai Yuehu and Lu Qingjiu sat by the bed and continued knitting. It must be said that knitting is truly addictive. Once you start, you just can't stop. Lu Qingjiu was only one-third done with the earmuffs she planned to knit for Bai Yuehu, so it was still a long way from being finished. As for what Bai Yuehu was knitting... Lu Qingjiu didn't even understand it.
After winter came, the snow showed no sign of stopping. It was so continuous that it looked like a big hole was poked in the sky. In just one night, the snow outside was as high as a person's thigh, and even the door could hardly be opened.
To prevent the house from being blocked, the first thing they did every morning was to sweep the snow. However, sweeping the snow had nothing to do with Lu Qingjiu. Although he wanted to do it, Bai Yuehu firmly refused. She said that Lu Qingjiu's constitution was originally cold and he needed to rely on Zhu Rong's ginger soup to warm his body. Too much contact with snow was not good for him. Lu Qingjiu failed to argue, so he had to give up and stood in the house watching Bai Yuehu and Yin Xun sweep.
After being cooped up in the house for several days, Lu Qingjiu finally encountered a sunny day and went out to bask in the sun. After the heavy snow, the outside was white and the sunlight fell on the snow, which was dazzling. Yin Xun sniffed and asked Lu Qingjiu what we were going to eat tonight.
Lu Qingjiu said, “It depends on what you and Yuehu want to eat. Why are you having a runny nose?”
Yin Xun said: "I seem to have a cold..."
Lu Qingjiu: "Can mountain gods catch colds?" Yin Xun, the mountain god, is a little too fragile.
Yin Xun said: "The cold virus is very scary. Everyone gets a cold, even dragons can catch a cold!"
Lu Qingjiu: "..." He didn't know what to say.
Although it was a sunny day, Lu Qingjiu didn't dare go far. He just walked around the yard a few times to stretch his muscles. The yard was now empty. Lu Qingjiu had moved all the chickens and rabbits indoors before the snow fell. Niu Niu didn't go inside. Bai Yuehu said that he had good cold resistance and as long as there was a constant supply of grass and fodder, the meat would be better if he kept it outside for a winter. Niu Niu shuddered silently at Bai Yuehu's words.
As for Qin Yuan and the bees in the backyard, Lu Qingjiu also put them in a special storage room and placed some edible sugar for the bees to use during the winter. In short, the whole family is now ready to welcome the winter.
In December, fox father Su Yan arrived as usual to take the little fox cub, Su Xi, home. After last year's setback, Su Xi had perfectly preserved his sleek fur, no longer worrying about being mistaken for a poodle. Su Yan was deeply moved by this sight, and he took Lu Qingjiu's hand and shook it vigorously several times to express his gratitude. Finally, under Bai Yuehu's unfriendly gaze, he quickly fled. He noticed the sweaters in Bai Yuehu and Lu Qingjiu's hands, and a chill ran down his spine. He grabbed his son and quickly fled.
Lu Qingjiu asked in confusion what was wrong with Su Yan, why he looked so panicked and like someone was chasing him.
Bai Yuehu said, "Look at the color of the yarn in your hand. Doesn't it look like smooth fox fur?"
Lu Qingjiu: “…”
Bai Yuehu said, "He runs fast."
Lu Qingjiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had initially bought the wool from the town, but after their day and night efforts, it soon ran out. Of course, Bai Yuehu wouldn't allow his gift-giving mission to be thwarted, so he quickly brought back balls of very high-quality wool. Lu Qingjiu didn't think much of it, thinking that Bai Yuehu had gone out to pluck wool from somewhere. Now, seeing Su Yan's expression as if he had seen a ghost, no matter how foolish he was, he guessed where Bai Yuehu had gotten the wool from...
I have to say that this group of nine-tailed foxes were really miserable when they met the white moon fox. Not only did they lose their tails, but a lot of their fur was also pulled out.
After Su Xi left, the family became much quieter. This year, the New Year's Eve was early, almost mid-January. Lu Qingjiu had originally thought that they would wait quietly until the New Year, but who knew that at the end of December, a major event occurred in the city - the Candle Dragon, which had been keeping a low profile, actually rioted.
It was still snowing that day. Lu Qingjiu woke up in a daze and saw Bai Yuehu getting dressed beside him. He asked, "Where are you going..."
Bai Yuehu said, "I'm going to the city." He turned around and placed a gentle kiss on Lu Qingjiu's forehead. "You stay at home and don't go to the yard. It's too cold outside."
Lu Qingjiu said yes.
Bai Yuehu stood up and left, her back slightly hurried. It seemed that things were not going well. Lu Qingjiu stayed in bed for a while, then got up as well. The room was plugged in with an electric radiator, so it wasn't too cold. It was past ten in the morning, and Yin Xun should have arrived. Lu Qingjiu sat on the edge of the bed and noticed a strange red glow in the sky. He was very familiar with this red glow, clearly a symbol of a great fire. It seemed to be the work of Zhulong again. He just didn't know what had provoked him.
Lu Qingjiu was sitting by the window when he heard a knock on the door. His first reaction was that Yin Xun had come, but after the knock, no one came in. Lu Qingjiu's heart moved, and he knew that the person outside the door must not be Yin Xun.
Every time Bai Yuehu left, something would happen. Lu Qingjiu had a feeling about this, so even though he heard the knock on the door again, he didn't move.
The knocking sound continued for a while and then stopped. Lu Qingjiu was a little confused and looked out through the peephole. Unexpectedly, he saw a familiar figure standing outside the door in the wind and snow, staring quietly at the black door in front of him.
Unexpectedly, his grandfather would suddenly come to his door. Lu Qingjiu was surprised but also a little worried. He quickly opened the door and said, "Grandpa, why are you here?"
Ao Run looked a little tired. He slowly reached out and gently grasped Lu Qingjiu's arm, and wrote on the palm of Lu Qingjiu's hand: Qingjiu, I have something to tell you.
Lu Qingjiu asked, "What's the matter?"
Ao Run wrote: About the White Moon Fox.
Lu Qingjiu walked to the door and opened the door to the yard. As expected, he saw Ao Run standing outside the door. However, Ao Run's appearance scared Lu Qingjiu. He was covered with wounds and had burn marks on his cheeks. He looked like he had escaped from a fire scene.
"Grandpa, are you okay?" Lu Qingjiu was shocked.
It’s okay…Ao Run shook his head to indicate that he was fine: I just had a fight with a beast.
When Lu Qingjiu heard the name "beast", he immediately remembered something: "Did you fight with Zhulong?"
Ao Run nodded slightly.
Lu Qingjiu said, "Come in first. I'll help you treat your wounds." The wounds looked too hideous. Not only was the skin burnt black, but even the red flesh inside was exposed, which was terrifying to watch. Lu Qingjiu looked at his grandfather in this state, but he thought of how distressed his grandmother would be if she saw it.
Ao Run walked into the yard, but he did not go into the house. Instead, he found a stone bench in the snow and sat down.
Lu Qingjiu hurried into the house to get alcohol and gauze, intending to treat Ao Run.
The alcohol on the wound should have been very painful, but Ao Run remained calm. The more Lu Qingjiu cleaned it, the more sad he felt. He whispered, "This won't do. We still need to go to the hospital to get it stitched up..."
Ao Run refused, saying that his condition was not that serious.
"How can it not be serious?" Lu Qingjiu said, "You can even see the bones!" He really couldn't bear it, and tried his best to slow down the movement of his hands, but this was just a drop in the bucket for the serious wound. "What happened? Why did you fight with Zhulong? Aren't you two in the same group?"
Grandpa didn't answer, but just sighed softly. He wrote slowly: You are not the same as grandma.
Lu Qingjiu exclaimed.
Your grandma is quiet and good-tempered, but she's also very stubborn. If she saw me like this, she'd definitely sulk again. Grandpa wrote that she was very smart, so she rarely tried to persuade me. Smart people rarely say unnecessary words, and she knew she couldn't persuade her lover, so she simply stopped trying.
Lu Qingjiu listened quietly.
You are a good child. Ao Run suddenly wrote this sentence, you shouldn't get involved in all this.
Lu Qingjiu said: "But I've already gotten involved."
Ao Run wrote: No, you still have a chance. He raised his head slightly, his closed eyes looking at Lu Qingjiu, and then seemed a little confused: Why don't you leave Shuifu Village?
Lu Qingjiu stopped what he was doing, took a deep breath, and said in a serious and earnest tone: "Because here are the people I love, and everything I want to protect."
Ao Run said: But you are just a fragile human being, who do you want to protect?
Lu Qingjiu said: "Humans are the guardians, and the dragons are just tenants."
Ao Run was speechless, and sighed again. He looked helpless. Lu Qingjiu continued to treat his wounds. He felt that Ao Run's breath was a little weak, and a faint worry rose in his heart.
They both fell silent, with only the sound of falling snow around them. Lu Qingjiu asked Ao Run if he wanted to go into the house to warm up for a while, but Ao Run refused.
I'm leaving, Ao Run wrote, but before I go, there are some things I need to finish.
Lu Qingjiu asked: "What?"
Ao Run said: Are you really not leaving Shuifu Village?
Lu Qingjiu was originally bent over, but after hearing Ao Run's question, he straightened up. He was a little confused as to why Ao Run was so insistent on leaving here.
"I won't leave." Lu Qingjiu said firmly, "No matter what happens, I won't leave." He couldn't imagine the scene of leaving Bai Yuehu and Yin Xun here. The two of them couldn't even cook a meal. If he left, what would happen to the whole family?
Ao Run said: But you will die here.
Lu Qingjiu was stunned for a moment after hearing this.
You will die here, like your parents. Ao Run actually wrote such a sentence.
Lu Qingjiu was silent for a moment, and gave Ao Run his final answer: "Everyone will die. Death is the final destination of mankind. Being able to be with the one you love is not that scary."
After hearing Lu Qingjiu's answer, Ao Run had an indescribable melancholy between his brows. His expression looked like he was crying, but also like he was laughing. Combined with the hideous wound on his face, he looked particularly weird.
Lu Qingjiu was about to ask what was wrong when he saw Ao Run suddenly stand up, with his free hand on his shoulder. He wrote: "Sorry, Qingjiu, I don't want this to happen either, but if I don't do this, you will definitely die..." As soon as he stopped moving, Lu Qingjiu felt a cold breath flowing through his hand into his body. He was instantly frozen, and the whole person was like an ice sculpture, frozen in place. However, although his body was frozen, his consciousness was still clear. Lu Qingjiu heard Ao Run's heavy sigh. He wrote: It's about to start, it's too late.
Then, a fierce roar was heard from the door. It was Yin Xun, who should have been here earlier but had just arrived. Upon seeing this scene, he rushed towards Ao Run like crazy: "Asshole, let go of Lu Qingjiu——"
Yin Xun was naturally no match for Ao Run. Before he could pounce on him, Ao Run waved his hand and knocked him against the wall.
Seeing this, Lu Qingjiu was horrified. He didn't understand why Ao Run did this, but he also knew that Ao Run would not kill him. But Yin Xun was different. To Ao Run, he was just an insignificant mountain god.
Fortunately, Ao Run did not make any unnecessary movements. After Lu Qingjiu was completely frozen, he let go of Lu Qingjiu's shoulders, reached out and gently touched Lu Qingjiu's cheek. His fingers trembled slightly: I'm sorry.
Lu Qingjiu was speechless and could only look at Ao Run.
I don’t want to be like this either. Ao Run wrote the last sentence: But I have no choice... He lowered his head. Although he couldn’t see his expression, Lu Qingjiu felt that he must be extremely sad at this moment.
After Ao Run finished speaking, he slowly turned around and left in the snowy wind. Lu Qingjiu stood in the yard, like a lifeless ice sculpture. Yin Xun, who had been knocked away, stumbled over and rushed over. After confirming that Lu Qingjiu was still alive, he took out his phone and wanted to call Bai Yuehu, but the phone signal had long been gone. His tears flowed from his eyes and turned into ice droplets on his cheeks. He choked and said, "Jiu'er, it's okay, it's okay, you'll be fine. Let's go into the house now. It's warm inside."
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