Almost all the rooms in the old house that were needed for daily use had been cleaned up, but there were still a few rooms left that Lu Qingjiu had not touched. Those rooms had been in disrepair for many years, and the roofs were a bit broken. Besides, he didn't use them normally, so he thought of finding someone to completely renovate the entire house when he had some free time.
After Lu Qingjiu arrived here, he fell asleep almost immediately after hitting the bed. The insomnia that had troubled him in the past was no longer there.
The air in the countryside is good, especially in the morning. Lu Qingjiu got up at around seven o'clock, had a simple breakfast, took out the beans that had been soaked last night from the water, and carried a large bag of beans to the big millstone at the entrance of the village.
Today he and Yin Xun agreed to grind some beans and make tofu pudding. The beans were brought by Yin Xun from his house yesterday.
Most people in Shuifu Village knew the news that Lu Qingjiu had returned from the city. Along the way, the villagers greeted Lu Qingjiu warmly and cordially, and it seemed that they liked this college student who had returned from outside very much. Lu Qingjiu also responded one by one. He would live here for a long time, and it would not be a bad thing to establish good relations with the villagers.
When they arrived at the millstone, Yin Xun was already sitting next to it, eating some fried winter melon seeds. Seeing Lu Qingjiu coming, he stood up and greeted him: "Are you here?"
"Yeah." Lu Qingjiu said, "You're here so early?"
"My head was swollen yesterday and I didn't sleep well." Yin Xun said, "My face is a little better now that I woke up this morning."
Lu Qingjiu looked at Yin Xun and was relieved to find that his face was indeed less swollen. He said, "You put the beans in, and I'll grind the mill."
"Okay." Yin Xun didn't argue with Lu Qingjiu.
So the two of them divided the work and started grinding the beans quickly.
This millstone has been in the village for decades. Lu Qingjiu has a memory of climbing onto it as a child and being pulled down and spanked by his grandmother. He was a naughty kid, running around with a group of friends, practically every corner of the village. But now, almost all the friends in the village have left, leaving only Yin Xun, his childhood friend, still in the village.
The beans were grown by Yin Xun's family, and they were of excellent quality. The resulting soy milk was white and fine, with a delicate aroma of beans. Later, I would bring them home and boil them, then add some brine. When the soy milk solidified into lumps, the tofu pudding was ready.
A pot of beans turned into milky white soy milk. Yin Xun also put the bean dregs into the bag. The bean dregs are good for feeding pigs and cannot be thrown away like this.
The two of them walked back to the old house, one in front and one behind, Yin Xun holding the bean dregs and Lu Qingjiu holding the soy milk.
"I'm going to feed the pigs." Yin Xun raised the things in his hand.
"Go ahead." Lu Qingjiu thought for a moment and then said, "By the way, the neighbor's kids named the two little wild boars yesterday."
Yin Xun said, "Li Xiaoyu? What did he name the pig?"
"The older one is called Xiaohua, and the younger one is called Xiaohei." Lu Qingjiu replied.
"Why call me Xiaohua?!" Yin Xun asked, "Do you have to bring up my sad story?"
"It was the kid who named it, so I can't argue with him." Lu Qingjiu explained to Yin Xun helplessly.
"Oh." Yin Xun didn't say anything after hearing this. He just said with a vicissitudes of life on his face: "Then the big one must be more delicious than the small one..."
Lu Qingjiu: "..." Please shut up.
While Yin Xun was feeding the pigs, Lu Qingjiu poured the soy milk into the pot and lit the fire. After it boiled over high heat, he lowered it to a simmer, adding brine and pressing it down with a spoon. Making tofu pudding is a skill; if you press it too hard, it's too tough; if you press it too lightly, it won't form. Lu Qingjiu had made it at home before, so he had some experience. The soy milk was slowly turning into a solid state.
While making tofu pudding, Yin Xun's voice came from the yard: "Sake! Someone is looking for you!"
"Who is it?" Lu Qingjiu replied, "Who is looking for me?"
"You'll know when you come out and see." Yin Xun replied.
Lu Qingjiu suppressed his anger, turned around and went to the yard, and saw Yin Xun standing in the yard, but what caught his attention was the man next to Yin Xun.
"Hello...hello." Lu Qingjiu wanted to say hello to him, but he still had a spoon in his hand, so he could only wave the spoon in his hand awkwardly.
"Hello." The man spoke. His voice was soft but audible.
"What's up?" Lu Qingjiu felt awkwardly staring at him. He was a very handsome man, still sporting the same lazy look he'd seen a few days ago. He had those unique almond-shaped eyes, a high nose bridge, and a classical, ink-and-wash aesthetic.
"I told you I'd come find you," the man said. "Here I am."
Lu Qingjiu: “…”
He remembered that the man's name was Bai Yuehu, and he also remembered what the man said when they met in the market before, but he didn't expect that he would actually come to him.
"Why, did you forget?" Bai Yuehu stared into Lu Qingjiu's eyes.
"No, I haven't forgotten." Lu Qingjiu said, "Come... I'm here now. Do you want tofu pudding?"
Bai Yuehu asked, "What is tofu pudding?"
Lu Qingjiu said: “Delicious food…Do you have any luggage? Put it in the house first?”
Bai Yuehu nodded.
Lu Qingjiu led him to the guest room that had just been cleaned. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Bai Yuehu go in.
Yin Xun was stunned watching from the side. He reached out and pulled Lu Qingjiu, whispering, "Hey, you just invited people in like this?"
"He is a good man." Lu Qingjiu said.
"How do you know?" Yin Xun stared.
Lu Qingjiu said: "Because he is good-looking."
Yin Xun: “…”
Lu Qingjiu was joking, of course. In fact, he dared to call Bai Yuehu into the house because of the cloth bag that Bai Yuehu gave him. The gecko tail in the bag confirmed some of Lu Qingjiu's guesses. Everything that happened that night was not a dream, but a real fact. If it weren't for the man, he might have become a meal for the giant gecko.
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm a grown man, what can happen to me?" Lu Qingjiu patted Yin Xun's shoulder, comforting his good friend.
Yin Xun glanced at Lu Qingjiu, then at the man in the room, and muttered, "What's wrong with men? Men aren't safe these days either. Although the unsafe one may not be you..."
Lu Qingjiu was shocked: "...What do you mean?"
Yin Xun: "You heard wrongly. I didn't say anything."
"I'm too lazy to talk to you. The tofu pudding is still in the pot. Go cut the meat and I'll stir-fry the pork later." Lu Qingjiu carried Yin Xun back to the kitchen.
Yin Xun had bought this meat that morning—authentic pork belly, perfectly cooked with twice-cooked pork. Lu Qingjiu had already ordered the tofu pudding and then cut the pork belly into even, three-finger-wide pieces. He then heated the oil and added garlic sprouts and broad beans, stir-frying. The meat and oil released a rich, meaty aroma. The white fat was sautéed, turning an alluring golden brown. The entire piece of pork belly curled up, and even before he tasted it, he knew it would be delicious.
Yin Xun couldn't wait to pick up a piece with his chopsticks, chewed it twice and exclaimed: "It's delicious, the meat is so fragrant."
"Take it out. I'll make some cabbage and egg drop soup." Lu Qingjiu wiped the sweat from his chin and said, "Please serve the rice and tofu pudding as well. I'll make the seasoning for the tofu pudding later."
"Okay." Yin Xun went to work happily.
Lu Qingjiu finished preparing the remaining things. The two people outside were already sitting in front of the table, eagerly waiting for him. Yin Xun was fine, but Lu Qingjiu could actually see the anticipation on Bai Yuehu's face.
Lu Qingjiu put the things in his hand on the table and said, "Eat."
Upon hearing this, Yin Xun and Bai Yuehu next to him picked up their chopsticks and went for the meat.
Lu Qingjiu also took a chopstick of twice-cooked pork, tasted it and found it tasted really good. His cooking skills were actually quite average, but he didn't know if it was because of the ingredients, but the twice-cooked pork was particularly fragrant. The fat on the pork belly was not greasy at all, but was very chewy, soft and fragrant.
Lu Qingjiu tried some tofu pudding, which was also very successful, soft and solid. It went very well with rice when dipped in the specially prepared seasonings. Lu Qingjiu could eat a large bowl by himself.
He was almost full after eating two bowls of rice. Yin Xun had also eaten almost everything, but it looked like Bai Yuehu had no intention of stopping. The most surprising thing was that his eating movements were quite elegant, as if he was not eating some home-cooked dishes, but some exotic delicacies.
Yin Xun touched his belly and said, "I'm full."
"I'm full too." Lu Qingjiu said, "Yuehu, please wash the dishes later."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuehu nodded naturally, as if he had completely integrated into this collective family.
Lu Qingjiu didn't think there was anything wrong with asking him to wash dishes. Although he didn't know why he wanted to live here, since he moved in, he had to get used to doing these things.
After Yin Xun had eaten his fill, he stood up and said goodbye, saying he wanted to go home and take a nap.
Bai Yuehu picked up the dishes, rolled up his sleeves, and went to the kitchen. Lu Qingjiu was also ready for a nap, so he moved a chair into the yard and prepared to sleep in the sun. The early spring sun was much gentler than the summer sun, shining through the clouds and making people feel warm all over.
Lu Qingjiu was sitting on a recliner, about to fall asleep, when he felt something dripping on his face. He woke up suddenly and found that the bright sun above his head had disappeared without a trace, leaving only a dark cloud. Tiny raindrops fell from the clouds, dripping onto his cheeks.
Is it going to rain? Lu Qingjiu reached out and touched the tip of his nose, feeling a little damp. He climbed up from the chair and was about to walk into the house when he heard a strange sound... bang, bang, bang, as if someone was hitting something heavily with a stone. It should be meat or something, because Lu Qingjiu clearly heard the sticky sound of meat being smashed.
Lu Qingjiu's footsteps moved slowly. He walked around the corner and saw the backyard shrouded in rain. A man stood with his back to him, holding a heavy stone in his hands. The stone was stained with bright red blood. He bent over and smashed the object in front of him again and again. Although Lu Qingjiu was far away, he could see clearly what he was smashing. It was a bloody mangled figure. The man's face was no longer visible, and his long hair was mixed with the smashed flesh. There was no way he was still alive.
Seeing such a horrific scene, Lu Qingjiu paused for a moment and shouted loudly: “What are you doing!”
The man paused, apparently having heard Lu Qingjiu's cry. He slowly turned his head, allowing Lu Qingjiu to see his face. It was hardly a human face at all, covered in dense black hair, and only his features were vaguely visible. The man let out a shrill scream when he saw Lu Qingjiu, and then the black hair grew longer and longer, eventually completely enveloping the blood-soaked man.
"Plop!" There was another sound of something heavy falling into the water, and Lu Qingjiu suddenly woke up as if he had been hit by a slap in the face. He realized that he was still lying on the bench. Bai Yuehu, who had finished washing the dishes, was standing next to him, looking at him expressionlessly.
"I seemed to have had a dream." Lu Qingjiu said vaguely.
"Yes." Bai Yuehu said, "You had a dream."
Lu Qingjiu said, "I dreamed there was a dead person in the well in the backyard."
Bai Yuehu looked at him without saying anything.
Lu Qingjiu asked, “Is it true?”
Bai Yuehu was silent for a moment, then asked instead, "Then why did you come back here?"
Lu Qingjiu frowned: “I just feel tired in the city and want to come back.”
Bai Yuehu asked, "Is that all?"
Lu Qingjiu shut up. In fact, he didn't want to mention the reason why he came back here, because it was too absurd, so absurd that it seemed like a joke to tell it out loud.
Lu Qingjiu didn't say anything, and Bai Yuehu didn't ask. He looked at the sky, said it was going to rain, and turned back to the house.
Lu Qingjiu looked around the yard and suddenly felt the biting spring chill.
He stood up from the chair and walked to the backyard, but saw only a black well standing in the empty backyard. Seeing this scene, Lu Qingjiu nodded and returned to the house.
Sure enough, as Bai Yuehu said, a drizzle soon began to fall from the sky.
Spring rain is as precious as oil, especially for farmers. As Lu Qingjiu watched the rain nourishing all things, he felt as if he had also grasped a hint of Zen.
But Bai Yuehu, who was sitting next to him, obviously didn't think so. He stretched out his hand towards Lu Qingjiu and said, "Give me some sunflower seeds too."
Lu Qingjiu said "oh" and gave half of the melon seeds to Bai Yuehu.
Bai Yuehu said, "You just saw the yard, what do you think?"
Lu Qingjiu said, "The time is not right."
Bai Yuehu's eyes darkened: "How long are you going to wait?"
Lu Qingjiu: “Xia Tian!”
Bai Yuehu: "What if we wait until summer?" He was about to say that the things in the well would come out regardless of spring or summer, when he heard Lu Qingjiu sigh: "You don't understand, don't you? Watermelons and grapes can only be grown in summer. The yard is too small, so we can only grow these vines."
White Moon Fox: "...Are you just thinking about messing around with the yard?"
Lu Qingjiu was puzzled: "What else?"
Bai Yuehu: "..." He continued to eat melon seeds in silence.
Lu Qingjiu supported his chin, spit the melon seed shells into the trash can next to him, and sighed: "I was just kidding, let's call the police first, there must be something in the well."
Bai Yuehu said, "Yeah."
After a moment of silence between the two, Lu Qingjiu mustered up the courage to turn around and look at Bai Yuehu: "I have another question..."
"I'm a fox." Before Lu Qingjiu could even ask the question, Bai Yuehu spoke in a very serious tone, "I'm the kind of monster you humans love most!"
Lu Qingjiu: “…” He hasn’t even asked yet.
Not knowing what Lu Qingjiu's expression had caused Bai Yuehu to misunderstand, he stood up in a flash, turned his back to Lu Qingjiu and said, "I really am a fox." As soon as he finished speaking, several big furry tails stretched out from under Bai Yuehu's clothes.
The tail was covered in pure white fur, soft and fluffy, and looked very nice to touch. Lu Qingjiu felt a little itchy in his hands, but he didn't dare to stretch them out. He just said, "Oh, I see."
He didn't know if it was Lu Qingjiu's illusion, but he felt that after he said this, Bai Yuehu breathed a sigh of relief in a very subtle way, as if he was relieved of something.
Why did this fox reveal its identity so directly? Wasn't it afraid of scaring him? Lu Qingjiu felt a little lonely and a little strange at the same time. He always felt that Bai Yuehu's behavior was a little strange, as if... he was afraid that he didn't believe that he was a fox.
Well, but there is no reason for him to pretend to be a fox, right? Lu Qingjiu explained to himself.
Perhaps it was because Lu Qingjiu's desire for the white furry tail was too obvious in his eyes. Bai Yuehu frowned and looked at Lu Qingjiu, then said, "You can touch it."
Lu Qingjiu cried out but didn't react.
"You can touch it." Baiyue Fox repeated it again, and its furry tail shook slightly.
When Lu Qingjiu heard this, he immediately put his hand forward. After touching the furry tail, he even heard a sigh of joy from his soul. The big tail was furry and smooth, and felt like soft silk... Lu Qingjiu stroked it fiercely, and only after a while did he reluctantly withdraw his hand: "Thank you, Brother Bai." This was the first time in his life that he touched the tail of a vixen, and it might be the last time.
Seeing Lu Qingjiu's happy face, Bai Yuehu nodded, got up and went back into the house.
Lu Qingjiu didn't move. He had actually encountered these strange creatures many times before. There were so many kinds that it was hard to guard against them.
As time went by, he got used to it. If an ordinary person encountered someone like Bai Yuehu who revealed his identity as soon as he arrived, he would probably be scared to death.
But to be honest, this was the first time Lu Qingjiu had seen a humanoid and conscious demon like the White Moon Fox. Most of the ones he had seen before were creatures without self-awareness, such as the large tree at the entrance of their unit that would repeat the gossip that others had said...
After the dream just now, Lu Qingjiu was sure that there must be something dirty in his backyard, so he picked up his phone and called the police. Of course, he didn't say that he was dreaming, but just said that there seemed to be something in the well water, and he suspected that someone had accidentally fallen in.
The police said they would come as soon as possible and asked Lu Qingjiu to protect the scene. There were no police in the village, so the police would have to drive from town, and it would probably be dark by the time they arrived.
Lu Qingjiu went to the kitchen to get some flour, beat a few eggs, baked a big omelet, cooked a pot of sweet potato porridge, smashed two cucumbers, and prepared a simple dinner.
The three of them sat by the well and ate dinner. Yin Xun was a little confused and asked, "What are you doing? Why are you guarding the well? What's in the well?"
Lu Qingjiu: “There’s a ghost.”
Yin Xun took a bite of the biscuit and said vaguely, "You can't call the police if there's a ghost, right? Do they care about this?"
Lu Qingjiu said: "There must be a reason for ghosts to appear. What if the ghost's body is in the well?"
Yin Xun: "..." He felt that the cake in his mouth seemed to have a different taste... He silently put down the cake in his hand.
Around ten o'clock, the sound of sirens rang out at the entrance of the village. The sirens drove all the way to the door of Lu Qingjiu's old house, and then two policemen got out of the car.
"Did you call the police?" The young policeman knocked on the door of the old house.
"It's me." Lu Qingjiu said.
"You said someone fell into your well?" the police officer asked. "Are you sure?"
"I called the police because I wasn't sure," Lu Qingjiu said. "I just heard something fall into the well."
The two policemen looked at each other, and the older one said, "Take us there first."
So the group returned to the backyard. The young policeman shone his flashlight inside, then frowned and muttered, "There seems to be something floating in here."
The old policeman said nothing. After careful observation, he took out a rope from his bag. There was an iron hook on the rope. He threw the rope into the well, stirred it vigorously in the water, and said, "It's hooked."
"Can you pull it up?" asked the young policeman.
"I'll try." The old policeman tried to pull it out, but the thing in the water seemed very heavy and he couldn't hook it up no matter what he did. He shook his head and his expression became serious. "No, it's too heavy."
"It can't be a real person." The young policeman began to get a little nervous.
"I'll call the police station and ask them to send some more people and equipment to confirm it." The old policeman looked at Lu Qingjiu with a subtle expression and said, "It might really be a person."
Facing the police's suspicious gaze, Lu Qingjiu thought to himself, "It's useless for you to look at me. This matter really has nothing to do with me." Of course, the police wouldn't believe him, after all, he was the one who called the police to report someone falling into the well.
The author has something to say: Bai Yuehu: I really am a fox.
Lu Qingjiu: Are you repeating it so many times because you feel guilty or something?
Bai Yuehu: No matter what, I am a fox.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
