Because of the incident with the arrogant insect, Lu Qingjiu felt as if he had learned a new side of Bai Yuehu that no one else knew. So, upon returning home, he quickly prepared a feast for his vixen, then watched with loving eyes as Bai Yuehu finished her meal.
Yin Xun didn't know what was going on. He looked at Lu Qingjiu with a bewildered expression, his fatherly love overflowing. He asked, "What's going on? Why do you look like this after going to the city?"
Lu Qingjiu said: "You don't understand..."
Yin Xun said, "How can I understand if I don't tell you?"
Lu Qingjiu glanced at Yin Xun and privately found a place to tell Yin Xun about what happened between him and Bai Yuehu. Of course, he also mentioned that Bai Yuehu might have gone through the trash can. After hearing this, Yin Xun slapped his thigh and said, "Why didn't I think of that!"
Lu Qingjiu thought he didn't expect Bai Yuehu to go through the trash can, but who knew that Bai Yuehu would say, "There are still trash cans to go through. What on earth did I miss?"
Lu Qingjiu: “…” Are you serious?
Until now, Lu Qingjiu still couldn't understand why the mountain gods and dragons recorded in other books were so awesome. Not to mention such trivial matters as eating, they could even make clouds and rain with a flip of their hands. However, the two poor little ones in their family had trouble eating. If one of them was not careful, he would have to make do with the trash can. It was simply cruel.
Thinking of this, Lu Qingjiu wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye.
For a while afterwards, Lu Qingjiu kept an eye on Lele's situation. He also told Hu Shu that the matter was over and the bees would not attack the Garden Kindergarten again.
After hearing this, Hu Shu naturally asked why, and it was obvious that he still wanted to find the murderer.
"Don't ask why. This is not your business." Lu Qingjiu decided to lie. "They're very powerful over there, but they came here for revenge. Now that their revenge has been taken, they won't come again."
Upon hearing this, Hu Shu could only smile bitterly and said, "Brother Lu, even though you said so, we still have to close the case... this... this..."
Lu Qingjiu said, "Oh, isn't this easy to deal with? Being stung by a bee is a very normal thing. If you're stung and sent to the hospital, it must be because you poked a beehive!"
Hu Shu was speechless.
"Don't you think so?" Lu Qingjiu perfunctorily dealt with Hu Shu, but still felt a little embarrassed, so she invited him to come to her house for dinner when he was free, and said that when the weather was good, they could have an open-air barbecue.
Hu Shu thought about it and felt that what Lu Qingjiu said made some sense, so he didn't continue to pester her and just agreed.
As for Zhuang Le's mother, she handled the entire matter neatly and efficiently. True to her strong woman nature, she acted decisively, first reporting the incident to the police, filing a report on Zhuang Le's injuries, and then firing their nanny. Of course, this was just the beginning; the mother's anger didn't subside. She had apparently made many other private arrangements, none of which Lu Qingjiu had disclosed. However, Lu Qingjiu had heard from Hu Shu that, after Zhu Xiaorong was released from the hospital, she was prosecuted by Du Qinghong and spent a year or two in prison with two other accomplices.
Many years later, Lu Qingjiu met Zhuang Wenshi by chance. After divorcing Du Qinghong, he married Zhu Xiaorong again. However, when he divorced, Du Qinghong did not let him take away any property, so his married life did not seem to be satisfactory, and could even be said to be embarrassing.
When Lu Qingjiu saw him, he was arguing with Zhu Xiaorong on the side of the road. Both of them had extremely ferocious faces and almost came to blows over a trivial matter. Lu Qingjiu watched from a distance. If Bai Yuehu hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have even recognized that the man was Zhuang Wenshi whom he had met in the garage.
But Lu Qingjiu doesn’t know that much now.
A few days after returning to Shuifu Village, Lu Qingjiu received a call from Du Qinghong. Du Qinghong expressed her gratitude to Lu Qingjiu on the phone and said that she wanted to bring her children to thank him in person.
Lu Qingjiu agreed, since he also wanted to see Zhuang Le's condition.
So a few days later, Du Qinghong brought Zhuang Le to Shuifu Village, carrying a gift box. When she got out of the car, Lu Qingjiu saw Jiao Chong also sitting in the back seat, holding hands with Le Le and looking in a good mood.
After entering the yard, Du Qinghong was a little surprised and exclaimed: "What a beautiful yard."
Lu Qingjiu smiled and said, "He's the one who takes care of everything." He was referring to the White Moon Fox.
Bai Yuehu sat in a rocking chair, indifferent to the visitor, not even raising his eyelids. Although he looked very lazy, he was usually very efficient in his work. For example, the yard in front of him was taken care of by Bai Yuehu himself.
Green vines snaked along the grape trellises, and lush fruit trees grew near the walls. Although there were chicken and rabbit coops in the yard, it wasn't dirty at all, not even a speck of excrement. This was thanks to White Moon Fox's good training; the rabbits and chickens would go to the grass to urinate, acting as fertilizer for the grape vines.
The stone table and chairs were placed in the middle of the yard, just hidden by the shadows of the grape vines. The sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, breaking into mottled light and shadows. The temperature was just right.
With the beautiful white moon fox lying on the chair, the style of the entire courtyard was as beautiful as an oil painting by a famous artist, which made Du Qinghong, who had seen the world, couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Du Qinghong said seriously, "Mr. Lu, I'm here to thank you. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have noticed Lele's abnormality yet. I hope you can accept my gift. It's not something particularly expensive, just a little token of my appreciation."
What she mentioned seemed to be some wine and supplements. Lu Qingjiu wanted to refuse, but seeing that Du Qinghong looked like she would not leave unless Lu Qingjiu accepted them, she finally accepted them.
"Since you're here, why not stay for dinner?" Lu Qingjiu invited.
"Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Lu." Du Qinghong was not polite.
"Just call me by my name, no need to be so polite." Lu Qingjiu said, "You sit in the yard for a while, I'll go get some snacks for Lele."
Du Qinghong smiled and sat down in the yard.
Accustomed to city life, seeing the leisurely pace of life in the village brought a certain envy. But even if she liked it, Du Qinghong would still feel uncomfortable living here forever. Zhuang Le, however, clearly loved it. He dragged Jiao Chong around the yard, petting rabbits or playing with the newly hatched chicks. Lu Qingjiu brought out some washed strawberries and apricots and placed them in front of the stone table.
"Qingjiu..." Du Qinghong was a little uncomfortable at first, but when she saw that Lu Qingjiu's face didn't change, she quickly got used to it. She said, "I have something to ask you."
Lu Qingjiu said: "Please speak."
Du Qinghong said: "It's just... I think there's something wrong with Lele."
Lu Qingjiu understood immediately, but still asked carefully: "For example?"
Du Qinghong looked around and made sure Lele was not around before she whispered, "He's always talking to himself. I'm worried that what happened before has had a huge impact on him."
Lu Qingjiu thought for a moment and said, "Sister Du, do you believe that there are spirits in the world?"
Du Qinghong was stunned.
"Is it a mountain god or something?" Lu Qingjiu carefully considered his words, observing Du Qinghong's expression. If Du Qinghong showed any negative emotion like disgust, he would immediately end the topic. Fortunately, Du Qinghong didn't seem to be opposed to the topic. She just whispered, "You may not believe it, but I saw those things when I was a child, but I didn't see them anymore when I grew up... Ah, that sounds a bit stupid, right?"
Lu Qingjiu laughed when he heard it: "So you believe that these things exist in the world?"
Du Qinghong: "I believe it, what's wrong?" She was also a smart person, and immediately thought of something, her expression froze, "Could it be that those who were stung by bees were..."
"Yes." Lu Qingjiu said, "To be honest, if that group of people hadn't made a big deal out of being stung by bees, I might not have discovered this." He didn't know how long Lele would have to suffer this torture.
After hearing this, Du Qinghong fell silent.
Lu Qingjiu thought she was worried about something and was about to explain, but Du Qinghong breathed a sigh of relief: "So Lele isn't talking to herself, that's great."
Lu Qingjiu: "Huh?"
Du Qinghong asked, "What does that mountain god look like? Is he also a child? How did he get to know Lele?" The mother was obviously very receptive. After learning the truth, she immediately became curious, "Can I see it?"
Lu Qingjiu looked at Bai Yuehu who was sitting next to him with a headache.
Bai Yuehu felt Lu Qingjiu's gaze, raised his eyelids, stood up from the chair, and walked in front of Du Qinghong.
Before Du Qinghong could grasp Bai Yuehu's intentions, she saw him raise his hand and flick his finger between her eyebrows. She felt a slight pain, and then the world before her seemed to undergo a subtle shift, a change difficult to describe. If anything, it was as if the entire scene before her had been completely refreshed.
"Le Le." Lu Qingjiu called Le Le's name.
Then Du Qinghong saw her son happily running out from the backyard, holding a very cute little boy in his hand. She saw that the little boy didn't understand and asked blankly, "Is this your child?"
Lu Qingjiu said: "This is the kid who helped your son avenge his death."
Du Qinghong opened her eyes wide in surprise. In her imagination, the mountain god must be an old man with a beard, but he turned out to be such a cute little kid.
"Mom." Zhuang Le was still not used to getting along with his mother, so he called out timidly while standing beside her.
Du Qinghong asked, "You...are the mountain god who avenged my son?"
Jiao Chong was stunned. He didn't expect Du Qinghong to see him. He felt a little worried. Just as he was about to say that he hadn't always been following Lele, Du Qinghong gently held his hand and said, "Thank you. If it weren't for your help, Lele would still be bullied."
"No, don't be so polite." Jiao Chong's face turned red again, and his eyes began to wander left and right. It was obvious that he was not used to the scene in front of him.
Du Qinghong said, "I could see these things when I was a kid, but I couldn't see them anymore when I grew up. As time went by, I started to wonder if it was just my imagination... How long can I maintain this state?"
Bai Yuehu said, "Half an hour."
Du Qinghong sighed, a look of dejection on her face. Ever since she started working, she'd neglected a lot, even naively thinking that simply providing Zhuang Le with a comfortable lifestyle would be enough. Now that she thought about it, she realized she'd missed out on so much. But fortunately, it wasn't too late; there was still a chance to salvage things.
Then, Lu Qingjiu went to the kitchen, leaving the yard to Du Qinghong and her son. Zhuang Le could actually sense Du Qinghong's love for him, otherwise he wouldn't have blamed his mother from beginning to end. It was just that Zhuang Le was too sensible and kept suppressing himself, forgetting to express his feelings to his mother.
The reason why Lu Qingjiu wanted Du Qinghong to accept Jiao Chong's existence was that he didn't want to see Jiao Chong continue to live alone in the park, relying on rummaging through trash cans to make a living every day.
Because there were guests, Lu Qingjiu prepared a sumptuous lunch and also made desserts that children would love for Jiao Chong and Xiao Lele. He originally wanted to make honey cake, but when he heard that Jiao Chong didn't like honey, he changed the flavor and made a chocolate-flavored lava cake.
Du Qinghong highly praised Lu Qingjiu's cooking skills, especially the sweet and sour spare ribs in front of her, the taste of which even made her look amazed. The ribs were pork short ribs, sprinkled with a layer of white sesame seeds. The meat was very tender and flavorful, and the sweet and fresh sauce coated the meat, with a perfect balance of salty and sweet, making it irresistible. The spicy diced chicken was also delicious. The chicken was fried until dry, but it was particularly fragrant. Because it was fried, even the bones were crispy. It was not spicy, but it was fragrant enough.
"It's so delicious," Du Qinghong said. "Even the chef I hired at home doesn't have the skills to cook like this."
Lu Qingjiu smiled and said, "They are all pigs and chickens raised at home, so they naturally taste much better than those grown outside."
Du Qinghong said, "You're too modest. The food we eat is also specially supplied, but it doesn't taste like this." She ate another piece of chicken and squinted her eyes happily at the rich and delicious taste of the chicken. "It's so delicious..."
Lu Qingjiu was quite happy to be praised for his cooking skills, especially when he saw the two little kids eating with such satisfied expressions. Although Jiao Chong didn't show it proudly, his bulging belly told Lu Qingjiu that he was very satisfied with the meal.
"Are you short of bees?" Jiao Chong wiped his mouth after eating. "What strange things are in the beehive in your backyard?"
Bai Yuehu glared at Jiao Chong unhappily when he heard this: "It's just a bee."
If anyone else had said this, Jiao Chong would have refuted it long ago, but it was Bai Yuehu who said this, so after a long pause, he finally said, "Okay, bees are bees... Then put two more beehives in the backyard."
Lu Qingjiu said, "You want to give me honey?"
Jiao Chong waved his hands, clearly disliking the honey. "Free, free, free. I'll give you as much as you want."
Lu Qingjiu: "Thank you then."
After the three of them finished their meal, they were about to leave. Lele took Jiaochong's hand again and got on the back seat with Jiaochong. Du Qinghong could no longer see Jiaochong, but she felt much better after knowing that her son's mumbling wasn't due to psychological problems. She also said that she didn't mind Jiaochong accompanying Lele at all.
Lu Qingjiu stood at the door and watched the three of them leave.
"It's good to have Jiao Chong accompany you," Lu Qingjiu said, "At least I don't have to worry about Lele being bullied by others."
Yin Xun stood nearby but was not in a good mood. He had heard the whole story from Lu Qingjiu before. Although he smiled brightly when he saw Lele and Jiaochong today, he sighed softly at this moment.
"Are you unhappy?" Lu Qingjiu noticed the change in his friend's mood.
"Tell me." Yin Xun said, "What if one day Lele can't see Jiao Chong anymore?"
Lu Qingjiu: “…”
Yin Xun said: "If at that time, Jiao Chong had to go back to the park again and search his trash can..."
Before he finished speaking, Lu Qingjiu reached out and patted his shoulder: "If Lele can't see him, don't we still have us?"
Yin Xundao: "But... you are also a human being."
Lu Qingjiu said: "Who said I am a human?"
Yin Xun didn't know about the love-hate entanglements of Lu Qingjiu's elders, and was confused by what Lu Qingjiu said: "You are not a human? Aren't you the only precious human in our family?" This whole family is not a human, only Lu Qingjiu is the only one.
Lu Qingjiu shook his head sadly: “I’m not.”
Yin Xun: "Then what are you?"
Lu Qingjiu: "Let me tell you a secret. I am actually one quarter dragon."
Yin Xun: “…”
Lu Qingjiu: "My grandpa is a dragon, ahaha, didn't expect that, right?"
Yin Xun was frozen in place for two seconds, then his expression twisted: "Fuck, when did you find out? Why didn't you tell me earlier? Such an important thing——"
Lu Qingjiu asked, "Is it important? Why is it important?"
Yin Xun said, "Of course it's important! For example..." He stopped talking halfway because after thinking about it carefully, he found that this matter didn't seem to be very important. After all, Lu Qingjiu behaved just like an ordinary person and didn't look like a dragon at all.
Lu Qingjiu sighed: “See, I told you this matter is not very important.”
Yin Xun: "Then you are not a human either. Doesn't that mean there is no one left in this room?"
Lu Qingjiu nodded.
Yin Xun sighed loudly, saying that their family had finally lost the last piece of pure land. Lu Qingjiu was too disappointing. As the only human representative, he did not even stick to his identity.
Lu Qingjiu: "I'm sorry?"
Yin Xun shook his head and went home with an expression that looked like Lu Qingjiu was really disappointing.
Lu Qingjiu was at a loss for words. After closing the door, he and Bai Yuehu planned to add two beehives to the backyard tomorrow. With Jiaochong's promise, they could finally have real bees at home. Qin Yuan, who worked a five-day, two-day-off schedule, was delighted. He had even considered asking for extra annual leave, but Bai Yuehu's icy gaze forced him to retreat, continuing his aggrieved pretense of being a bee. Honestly, their size was too conspicuous next to real bees; they looked completely out of place.
The next day, Lu Qingjiu went to town and bought two new beehives, placing them next to the Qinyuan hives. After about two or three days, bees began to move into both hives and began to build nests and produce honey. Perhaps because they were insects, these bees were not aggressive toward humans and would not sting even if approached. They even required no specialized equipment to collect the honey; they could simply collect it directly. However, unlike Qinyuan's honey, their flavor was stronger, more similar to regular honey, and lacked the same miraculous beauty benefits. While it couldn't be used for facial applications, it was still delicious.
Lu Qingjiu also learned from Du Qinghong that she had taken Jiao Chong back home and hired two new aunts to take care of Zhuang Le. With the lesson learned from the previous incident, Du Qinghong let go of some of her work and spent more time with her son, and the matter was resolved perfectly.
The only person who was troubled was Hu Shu, a policeman. They were confused from beginning to end. They didn't understand what happened and didn't find the murderer.
In order to get the truth, Hu Shu even brought a few pounds of braised pork to Lu Qingjiu's home, hoping to hear some information from Lu Qingjiu.
But Lu Qingjiu's mouth was tighter than a river clam, so they left the same way they came, and gained nothing except a few pounds of braised pork.
However, the investors of Garden Kindergarten later said that they did not want to pursue the matter any further, and the matter ended completely.
With the arrival of the Beginning of Summer, the weather begins to get hotter.
All the trees in the yard have grown lush branches and leaves. The rabbits we bought before have become fat and furry after several months of feeding, and look very cute.
Yin Xun stroked the rabbit's soft buttocks, praising them for being adorable with a happy face. He said they must be delicious if they were this fat...
Lu Qingjiu: “…”
Rabbit meat was indeed delicious, but it looked a bit cruel when it was killed. Bai Yuehu raised his knife and peeled off the whole rabbit skin, then handed the rabbit meat to Lu Qingjiu.
Lu Qingjiu scalded the rabbit meat to ensure that it was in the most elastic state and tasted great. When Lu Qingjiu was cooking the rabbit meat, Yin Xun stood by and watched eagerly, asking Lu Qingjiu what flavor he was going to make.
Lu Qingjiu said, "Let's make some cold rabbit. Go and peel some peanuts."
Yin Xun nodded and went happily.
Lu Qingjiu put the rabbit into the pot and fried it with hot water while preparing the ingredients for the cold-mixed rabbit. He was standing by the window, head down, cooking, when he suddenly felt a strong wind blowing in from the open window. The wind was so strange that it even blew out the fire on the stove.
The wind seemed to be mixed with something, and it blew right onto Lu Qingjiu's face, bringing a cold touch. Lu Qingjiu raised his hand and wiped his face casually, only to find that the wind was mixed with dark red blood, and a drop just landed on his cheek. The blood didn't seem fresh, and it had a strong fishy smell that made him feel very uncomfortable.
If Bai Yuehu were here, he would definitely know what happened, but he happened to be out in the fields, so Lu Qingjiu had no way to ask. He could only wash the blood off his hands and face, then close the window. But the strong wind continued to blow, making the window rattle. Lu Qingjiu looked outside, a hint of uneasiness in his eyes.
When Yin Xun came back from peeling peanuts, the strong wind had died down. Lu Qingjiu said casually, "The wind was so strong just now."
"What wind?" Yin Xun asked in confusion.
"Wasn't it windy just now?" Lu Qingjiu asked.
"It's windy?" Yin Xun didn't understand what Lu Qingjiu meant. "No, I was sitting in the living room peeling peanuts and didn't see any wind."
Lu Qingjiu frowned slightly when he heard this: "Really..."
Yin Xundao: "What's the matter?"
"It's okay." Lu Qingjiu shook his head and changed the subject, "I'll ask Bai Yuehu when he comes back."
The author has something to say: Lu Qingjiu: I lost the most precious thing.
White Moon Fox: What?
Lu Qingjiu: My identity as an ordinary person.
White Moon Fox: ...
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