At this moment, Yin Xun finally understood that he and Lu Qingjiu had been talking about two different things. Looking at Bai Yuehu's confused expression, Yin Xun almost wanted to leave Lu Qingjiu there and run away. Lu Qingjiu still didn't understand why Yin Xun looked so painful. He kept asking, "What did you say? What confession? Who wants to confess?"
Yin Xun covered his face in pain, his expression unbearable to look at.
Bai Yuehu sat quietly beside them, watching the two interact. When his eyes fell on Lu Qingjiu, his black eyes flashed slightly.
Yin Xun refused to speak again. Lu Qingjiu, assuming he was just having a fit, ignored him and turned to look at the White Moon Fox. He wanted to quickly resolve the tail issue and find out why the White Moon Fox's tail had fallen off. Was it really the end of its lifespan, as Su Yan had said, or was there something else going on?
"Moon Fox, is what Su Yan said true?" Lu Qingjiu asked, "He said that only foxes nearing the end of their lifespan will have their tails fall off."
Bai Yuehu was silent for a moment, then said, "Foxes are usually like this."
Lu Qingjiu: “Ah?”
White Moon Fox said: "But I am a special fox."
Lu Qingjiu: “…”
Bai Yuehu said: "So don't worry about me dying."
Lu Qingjiu felt relieved after hearing this. He said, "Really?"
Bai Yuehu nodded.
Lu Qingjiu said, "That's great." He laughed and said casually, "I almost thought this tail wasn't yours anymore."
White Moon Fox: "..."
Yin Xun: “…”
After Lu Qingjiu said this, Bai Yuehu looked at Yin Xun expressionlessly. Yin Xun forced a smile, which was even more miserable than crying. Lu Qingjiu also glanced at Yin Xun, following Bai Yuehu's lead: "Yin Xun, Bai Yuehu doesn't have to die anymore. Why are you crying?"
Yin Xun was thinking that of course Bai Yuehu wouldn't die, since it was obviously him who died. Of course, he didn't dare to say it, but he tried hard to pull the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that couldn't be more fake: "Haha, haha, of course I'm happy for Bai Yuehu!"
Lu Qingjiu said "oh" and concluded the matter: "So the White Moon Fox is actually a special fox. It's okay to lose its tail, right?"
Yin Xun nodded painfully, and Bai Yuehu nodded lightly.
"Then you guys play, I'll go to the kitchen to cook first." Lu Qingjiu stood up, ended the topic neatly, and turned to go to the kitchen.
Yin Xun originally wanted to go, but Bai Yuehu gave him a look to signal him to stay. Although Yin Xun was afraid, he could only whimper in his heart and sit on the stool in fear.
Lu Qingjiu's back disappeared in the living room, leaving Bai Yuehu and Yin Xun staring at each other.
"You know what to say, right?" Bai Yuehu said.
"It's clear, it's clear." Yin Xun said firmly, "Brother Bai, I will never expose you!" - You see, your identity crisis this time is because you encountered a fake and substandard fox tail!
Bai Yuehu said, "Well, go ahead."
Yin Xun stood up and quickly rushed into the kitchen, not daring to stay with Bai Yuehu for another minute.
Lu Qingjiu was picking vegetables in the kitchen with his head down. He didn't turn around when he heard Yin Xun's footsteps. Yin Xun tiptoed behind Lu Qingjiu and was about to ask him what he was going to do when he heard Lu Qingjiu ask calmly, "What exactly is a White Moon Fox?"
Yin Xun: “…”
Lu Qingjiu continued, "It's not a fox, right?" He had never seen the original form of the White Moon Fox, so he had no way of judging. He just didn't understand why the White Moon Fox always had to hide its identity. Could it be that its original form was very special?
Yin Xun got goose bumps on his back because of Lu Qingjiu's words. He could even feel Bai Yuehu's eyes passing through the wall and falling on him. If he didn't give a good answer, he was afraid that today's lunch would be his last meal.
Yin Xun, a helpless, pitiful, and weak mountain god, was forced by a powerful force to betray his friend and sell out his conscience. He said, "The White Moon Fox is a fox."
Lu Qingjiu turned his head and glanced at Yin Xun.
Yin Xun pretended to be calm: "Why are you looking at me?"
Lu Qingjiu: "Well... although curiosity is not a good thing, I am indeed quite curious."
Yin Xun: “…”
Lu Qingjiu said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore." He felt that Bai Yuehu was indeed not a fox, but he really didn't understand why Bai Yuehu was so taboo about his true identity, as if something terrible would happen if others knew about it. However, since Bai Yuehu was so unwilling to confess, he simply didn't bother to ask. As long as he knew that Bai Yuehu's life was safe, it was enough. And now that the tail was separated from Bai Yuehu's body, wouldn't he be able to sleep comfortably every day holding the tail, without having to share a bed with Bai Yuehu? Thinking of this, Lu Qingjiu even felt like laughing.
Seeing Lu Qingjiu's unclear expression, Yin Xun thought he was unhappy, and said earnestly: "Jiu'er, some things are much happier not to know!"
Lu Qingjiu: "Not insects and reptiles, right?"
Yin Xun shook his head slightly: "Of course not, it's a fox, a fox."
Lu Qingjiu: "Why a fox?"
Yin Xundao said: "Who wouldn't like a big, furry and soft fox?" Especially humans who like to look at appearance.
Lu Qingjiu actually thought this made sense. Although he didn't want to admit it, he was actually very happy and even a little excited when he saw the White Moon Fox's big furry tail. The temptation of those nine furry tails was really too great...
Lu Qingjiu said, "Okay, let's have scrambled eggs with green peppers for lunch."
Yin Xun: “…” You changed the subject a little too quickly.
Bai Yuehu originally thought that Lu Qingjiu would continue to doubt his identity, but since then, Lu Qingjiu has never mentioned it, as if he had not discovered anything. However, there is one thing that makes Bai Yuehu a little dissatisfied, that is, Lu Qingjiu's attitude towards Wei Ba is much gentler than towards him...
At night, Lu Qingjiu would snuggle up happily in the quilt with her arms around her big tail, rubbing it with her face until she fell asleep.
After losing his tail, Bai Yuehu also lost the right to sleep on the kang with Lu Qingjiu and was persuaded to move to the guest room next door - he was not afraid of the cold anyway.
A few days passed like this, and Lu Qingjiu was still unable to extricate himself from the gentle embrace of the tail. However, he didn't know that one day when he was still sleeping, the White Moon Fox walked into his room and stared at the sleeping Lu Qingjiu with an unclear expression.
The next morning, Lu Qingjiu woke up from the empty bed and felt as if something was missing from her side. She reached out and touched it, and was horrified to find that her tail... Oh no, it was the White Moon Fox's tail that was missing.
"Moon Fox, Moon Fox." Lu Qingjiu, still wearing pajamas and slippers and having lost his big tail, rushed into Bai Yuehu's room and shouted, "Something terrible has happened!"
Bai Yuehu said: "What?"
"Your tail is gone!" Lu Qingjiu said, "I clearly slept with your tail in my arms last night, but when I woke up this morning I found that your tail was gone!"
Bai Yuehu: "No more?"
"It's really gone." Lu Qingjiu said anxiously, "I searched the entire room but couldn't find it."
"Don't worry." Bai Yuehu comforted Lu Qingjiu, "I'll have a new tail next spring."
Lu Qingjiu: “…Huh?”
White Moon Fox: "Wait a little longer."
Lu Qingjiu widened his eyes. From Bai Yuehu's tone, he realized that he was not joking: "Can it grow back?"
White Moon Fox: "Of course."
Lu Qingjiu was completely stunned. This was the first time he'd heard of a fox's tail growing back after it fell off. Could it be that the White Moon Fox's true form wasn't a fox but a giant gecko? But hadn't Yin Xun said the White Moon Fox wasn't a reptile?
Having lost his tail, Lu Qingjiu felt like he had lost his soul. What was even worse was that the little fox was also taken away by Su Yan. In just one short winter, he lost the two most precious treasures that soothed his soul.
Lu Qingjiu suffered a heavy blow.
That noon, Bai Yuehu and Yin Xun ate instant noodles, which was rare for them.
Yin Xun stared at the instant noodle box in front of him, took a sip with his fork, and said quietly, "How did you offend him?"
White Moon Fox: "..."
Yin Xun said: "Jiu'er is in a bad mood, we have to eat instant noodles."
White Moon Fox hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll take my tail back and tell him it won't appear again until spring."
Yin Xun: "Why?"
Bai Yuehu was not right but still felt confident: "He holds his tail every day."
Yin Xun was stunned: "If he doesn't hold the tail, will he hold you?"
White Moon Fox: "I don't mind."
Yin Xun: "..." But Lu Qingjiu minded! Of course, he didn't dare to say it. He just drank a mouthful of soup to calm himself down a little, so as not to say anything irreversible. He thought about it and said, "How about this, you make two more ears and let Lu Qingjiu touch them to satisfy his craving. You know, he likes furry things very much..."
Bai Yuehu frowned.
Yin Xun said, "Otherwise, he might get distracted while cooking and cut his hand!"
This sentence finally touched Bai Yuehu, and he nodded, agreeing to Yin Xun's proposal.
So that evening, Lu Qingjiu, who had been feeling depressed all day, saw Bai Yuehu suddenly sit down in front of him with a serious expression. Lu Qingjiu was startled by his expression and was about to ask what was wrong when he heard Bai Yuehu say, "You can make do with your ears without a tail." After all, the ears were unlikely to fall off.
As soon as he finished speaking, two fluffy ears appeared on his head. The two ears were white and soft, and they trembled slightly, which made Lu Qingjiu stunned. He said, "Can I touch them?"
White Moon Fox: "Okay."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Qingjiu stretched out his hands, one on the left and one on the right, and firmly grasped his two ears. The ears were warm, and they were soft and warm in his hands, like two hand warmers.
"So... so soft," Lu Qingjiu said. "White Moon Fox, you're so adorable." He didn't care what species the White Moon Fox was; as long as it had ears and a tail, it was the most beautiful vixen in his mind. If Yin Xun knew what Lu Qingjiu was thinking, he would probably curse Lu Qingjiu, calling her a superficial human.
Bai Yuehu accepted Lu Qingjiu's compliment calmly and said, "Go to sleep."
Lu Qingjiu nodded happily.
Finally, with Yin Xun's suggestion, Bai Yuehu successfully returned to Lu Qingjiu's bed. Although the price he paid was to expose his ears for Lu Qingjiu to pinch, what was the price? Bai Yuehu didn't care at all.
With all the fighting and playfulness, the end of the year is approaching.
This was Lu Qingjiu's first New Year here after his return, so he naturally wanted to celebrate properly. Bai Yuehu and Yin Xun both agreed with this. Bai Yuehu said that he could bring back a lot of fresh ingredients, while Yin Xun said that he could help Lu Qingjiu in the kitchen.
Before the Chinese New Year, Lu Qingjiu received a call from Su Yan, who asked Lu Qingjiu what the woman inside Su Ximao was.
Lu Qingjiu thought for a few seconds before he remembered that there was a little concubine named Yu Shi hidden in Su Xi's scarf... In fact, if Su Yan hadn't asked, he would have completely forgotten about it.
"Su Xi's mother thought Su Xi had fleas." Su Yan said, "But when he was taking a bath, a little man fell off his body."
Lu Qingjiu said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll ask Bai Yuehu to bring her back tomorrow." Thinking about it carefully, they dug up the grave of Yu Shiqi's concubine and treated her so roughly. It was a bit wrong.
"Don't bother Bai Yuehu anymore." Su Yan said, "After the New Year, I will send her and Su Xi back to you."
Lu Qingjiu: "Well... that's fine."
"Mr. Lu, I wish you a happy new year in advance." Su Yan said.
"Thank you, and Happy New Year to you too." Lu Qingjiu smiled.
Because of the autumn festival and the harsh winter weather, the atmosphere of spring wasn't strong in Shuifu Village. However, this didn't stop Lu Qingjiu from celebrating the New Year. He'd already prepared everything for the festival before winter even set in, even buying a few bright red lanterns and window decorations, happily decorating his home with festive cheer.
Bai Yuehu went out and brought back a lot of fresh vegetables and meat. Most of them were rare and exotic animals he caught in the mountains, and some vegetables he bought directly in the city.
It’s a pity that the TV at home has no signal, so we can’t watch the most representative Spring Festival Gala. However, it’s enough for the whole family to get together and have a warm New Year’s Eve dinner.
Lu Qingjiu prepared the New Year's Eve dinner menu and laid out a table full of delicious dishes. He cooked fish, stewed chicken, and stir-fried a variety of dishes. He even made a large bowl of plump glutinous rice balls with sesame filling. Dumplings were also a necessity, but Lu Qingjiu didn't cook too many, just one bowl per person as a token of appreciation.
On New Year's Day, the weather was good—at least it wasn't snowing. Lu Qingjiu set off a string of firecrackers in the yard. The crackling sound was particularly lively. This was a village custom. Even the poorest families would set off a string of firecrackers on Spring Festival to drive away the unhappiness of the previous year and welcome a new, better year.
The red firecracker confetti fell on the white snow, like withered red plum blossoms, which looked particularly beautiful.
"Do you want to set off some fireworks?" Lu Qingjiu asked.
"You bought it?" Yin Xun asked curiously. He hadn't celebrated the vibrant Spring Festival in ages, ever since his grandparents passed away. This holiday, so important to the Chinese, was incredibly ordinary to him, no different from any other day.
"I bought it." Lu Qingjiu smiled and said, "I asked Bai Yuehu to buy some when he went to the city." This place is remote and fireworks are not banned yet, so he asked Bai Yuehu to buy some. He wanted to make the New Year more lively at home.
"Put it in after dinner," Yin Xun said, "otherwise the food will get cold."
"That's fine." Lu Qingjiu said, "Let's go, Yuehu, let's go eat."
The three of them and the two pigs returned to the house and began to enjoy the delicious New Year's Eve dinner. There were more than a dozen delicious dishes on the table, more than enough for the three of them to eat and get drunk. Lu Qingjiu also took out his homemade wine and poured a glass for each of them.
The house was warm, with laughter, conversation, and the ringing of bells, and the new year had arrived.
When they were almost done eating, the three of them returned to the yard, one holding a handful of fireworks. These fireworks were of various shapes, ignited by a ball of flame, and burst into brilliant light.
Yin Xun was as happy as a child, running around in the snow with a smile on his face. Bai Yuehu stood behind him, with a beautiful light in his black eyes. Lu Qingjiu shouted, "Happy New Year, everyone!" As he spoke, he took out four neatly wrapped red envelopes from his pocket and gave one to Yin Xun, Bai Yuehu, Xiaohua and Xiaohei.
"You're giving me back the red envelope, is that appropriate?" Yin Xun said no, but his body was honest. He stuffed the red envelope into his pocket, revealing the cute canine teeth at the corner of his mouth, "Thanks, Dad."
Lu Qingjiu: "Hey, good son." After he said this, he turned his gaze to Bai Yuehu.
Bai Yuehu pinched the red envelope and glanced at Lu Qingjiu. Lu Qingjiu miraculously understood the meaning of his eyes and couldn't help laughing: "Take it, you don't have to call me dad."
Bai Yuehu then quietly put away the red envelope.
Who would have thought that the richest person in this family is actually an ordinary person like Lu Qingjiu.
After the Spring Festival, in just over ten days, this harsh winter will be over. The snow will melt and everything will come back to life. New things are always full of hope, making us look forward to the coming new year.
Lu Qingjiu has many plans. He plans to raise a hive of bees next year to produce honey for his family. He also plans to plant some fruit trees around the yard. In a few years, when autumn comes, the fruit trees in the yard will be full of red and yellow fruits, which will surely look beautiful.
As the night deepened, Yin Xun and Lu Qingjiu said goodbye and went home. Lu Qingjiu felt a little sleepy after watching the night, so he asked Bai Yuehu to clean up the table tomorrow and to heat the kang first before going to bed.
The warm quilt brought a pleasant temperature. Lu Qingjiu pinched Bai Yuehu's ears and chatted with him in the quilt: "Don't you feel itchy when I pinch you like this?"
"No." Bai Yuehu said, "I don't feel anything."
Lu Qingjiu was silent for a moment after hearing this, and then asked, "Will the tail grow back in the spring?"
Bai Yuehu nodded.
Lu Qingjiu finally felt relieved. Half of his face was tucked into the quilt, revealing only a pair of sleepy eyes. He looked as if he was about to fall asleep. He said, "That's good... The tail is gone... It really scared me..."
Bai Yuehu was lying next to Lu Qingjiu. By slightly turning her eyes, she could see Lu Qingjiu's face.
Lu Qingjiu is a very comfortable person, warm but not hot, making people want to get close to him, and they won't get burned even if they get close.
This was the first time Bai Yuehu encountered such a human.
After so many years, he still couldn't successfully integrate into the human world. It wasn't that he couldn't, but that he didn't want to.
This kind of thing is time-consuming and thankless, so Bai Yuehu is too lazy to do it.
Many gods and demons shared the same view. They couldn't understand many of the things humans pursued, but their only interest was what humans ate. It was just that sometimes these foods were mixed with other things, instantly losing their appetite.
But what Lu Qingjiu did was pure. He never made any demands on Bai Yuehu, nor did he ever ask for anything in return. Some people Bai Yuehu met changed their attitude after learning he wasn't human. Some became more affectionate, but this intimacy was tinged with flattery, while others became indifferent, fearful, and began to flee.
Only Lu Qingjiu still treated him as an ordinary tenant.
The person next to him had already fallen asleep, but he still refused to let go of the furry ears in his hand. Bai Yuehu was a little helpless, but in the end he did not push Lu Qingjiu's hand away and just let him go.
There should always be some new atmosphere at the beginning of the new year.
Lu Qingjiu got up in the morning and cooked four plump dumplings for each of them. These dumplings were different from the usual ones. Each one was half the size of a fist and filled with black sesame filling. When you bite into it, it is sweet and sticky.
Four glutinous rice balls is a custom that Lu Qingjiu's grandmother told him when he was a child. It means that the four seasons of the New Year will be complete and smooth.
After eating the glutinous rice balls, Lu Qingjiu also gave them each a bowl of dumplings. The dumplings contained both pork and cabbage and pork and sauerkraut. The cabbage had a lighter taste, but was more delicious. The pork and sauerkraut were very appetizing. Even Lu Qingjiu could eat more than 20 dumplings in one bite.
After dinner, Lu Qingjiu planned to go to the grave. Today was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and when offering sacrifices to ancestors, although Lu Qingjiu was not very particular about these things, he also wanted to go and clean the graves at home.
Yin Xun wanted to go with him, but Lu Qingjiu refused, saying that he wanted to go alone. Yin Xun looked at Lu Qingjiu, hesitant to speak, but seeing Lu Qingjiu's firm attitude, he had no choice but to agree.
Fortunately, the weather is good today and there is no snow. Although the mountain road is difficult to walk on, the cemetery is near the village, so there is no need to worry about it being too troublesome.
Lu Qingjiu carried a bag with paper money, incense and candles prepared for her grandma, and set off.
Following the path through the village, they soon left Shuifu Village. Lu Qingjiu didn't see anyone in the village along the way. But then again, since the beginning of winter, the entire Shuifu Village seemed to have entered a hibernation state, and no one went out. But that was normal, considering there wasn't much to do outside in the middle of winter, so it was better to just stay in your own yard.
Because of the snow, the cemetery was almost completely covered. Lu Qingjiu could only rely on his memory to find his grandmother's tombstone. Fortunately, he was lucky and quickly found the tombstone. He first cleared the snow from above, then lit incense and candles underneath and burned some paper money.
"Grandma, what did you give me?" Lu Qingjiu said to the tombstone while burning paper. "A monk named Xuanyu came to our house. He said he knew you. Is he your old friend?"
The grandmother on the stone tablet naturally couldn't speak. In the black and white photo, she returned to her youth, and there was still a gentle smile in her eyes, just like Lu Qingjiu.
The author has something to say: Lu Qingjiu: Without the furry white moon fox, it is not worth mentioning...
White Moon Fox: ...
Yin Xun: Damn it, Bai Yuehu, please don’t shave my hair!
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