Chapter 32
"I found it in the bamboo forest. It probably hasn't eaten anything today. Auntie, is there anything here that it can eat?"
Although Li Ziqing was a prince, he had never been to the kitchen, but his words and actions showed him to be friendly and approachable.
Aunt Wang had worked in the prince's mansion for a year, and only yesterday did she see Li Ziqing's face.
Seeing that Li Ziqing was very concerned about the little fox cub in his arms, he immediately scooped a small blue fish out of the water tank and brought it to Li Ziqing.
"Your Highness, look, this little bluefish, will it eat it?"
Li Ziqing instructed the cook to place the fish on the cutting board, then set the little fox aside and spoke:
Do you want to eat some small bluefish?
After the little fox steadied itself, it walked to the side of the little blue fish. The fish was still alive, but because it had left the water, it kept thrashing about on the cutting board.
She stretched out her little paws towards the little bluefish.
Just as Li Ziqing and the cook thought she was going to eat the small bluefish, she gently pushed it, sending the small bluefish off the cutting board on the table.
Li Ziqing was amused by her actions and said to Aunt Wang, "It seems that it doesn't want to eat the small bluefish."
Aunt Wang's gaze shifted from the little fox to Li Ziqing, catching the lingering smile on his face.
Goodness, this sixth prince's smile is even more beautiful than a woman's.
Li Ziqing noticed the gazes of others, immediately withdrew her smile, and resumed her aloof demeanor.
"Auntie, is there any other food?"
Aunt Wang was brought back to her senses and said directly, "Yes, yes."
The little blue fish escaped unscathed and returned to the water tank.
Then, Yingning pushed down a small shrimp and a crab.
It even managed to avoid an old hen.
Even Aunt Wang was completely bewildered by it:
"This little fox cub won't eat anything. What does it want to eat?"
Li Ziqing's gaze fell on Ying Ning, who was slumped weakly on the table, perhaps because she was extremely hungry or exhausted.
A thought suddenly occurred to him: "Aunt Wang, do you have any porridge left?"
"Yes, it's in the pot."
"Then let's serve it a bowl."
Aunt Wang was also curious. This fox doesn't eat fish or chicken, so could it possibly drink porridge?
But no one dared to speak out. The master's order had already been given, and how could a servant possibly inquire about the master's affairs?
Aunt Wang ladled a bowl of pumpkin porridge for Yingning from the pot. It was almost mealtime, so the porridge was just warm on the stove.
It was still steaming hot when it was served.
As soon as the porridge was placed next to the little fox cub, Aunt Wang saw a scene she couldn't understand.
The little fox sniffed it and immediately started eating.
As Li Ziqing watched her eat the pumpkin porridge obediently and quietly, his suspicions gradually became clearer.
Perhaps it simply doesn't like eating raw food.
Having come to this idea, Li Ziqing waited until Yingning finished a bowl of porridge, then picked her up again and told Aunt Wang:
"Now, bring the meal directly to my room."
Aunt Wang readily agreed.
Li Ziqing then carried the little fox in her arms back to her room.
When the morning's meals were served and Li Ziqing saw the little fox eating a sesame dumpling, she was certain of her suspicions.
"I never expected you to be such a picky eater."
Upon hearing his words, the little fox's ears twitched, and it actually walked to his side.
He pointed at his chopsticks with his paw, and Li Ziqing immediately understood.
"Are you inviting me to have a meal?"
The little fox stopped moving, but seeing that he still hadn't moved, it pointed again.
Li Ziqing, intending to test him, deliberately did not pick up his chopsticks.
"Little fox, can you understand me?"
This time, it seemed that Li Ziqing was the one who noticed its movements.
It seemed to be moving its front paws restlessly, then pretending not to understand what the human in front of it was saying.
He tilted his head slightly, his fox eyes filled with innocence.
"If you don't understand, then you shouldn't eat the sesame dumplings."
“I don’t keep little foxes here that can’t understand human speech,” Li Ziqing said.
The little fox, who was about to eat another sesame dumpling, seemed to suddenly shudder.
Her bright eyes lingered on the sesame ball in front of her, and she lowered her head, looking utterly aggrieved.
Seeing its aggrieved look, Li Ziqing instantly understood most of what was going on.
This little fox has already developed a sense of sentience.
Now that he knew the outcome, he couldn't make things difficult for the adorable little fox any further.
He placed the plate of sesame dumplings in front of it and said softly:
"Eat."
The little fox immediately ate another sesame dumpling, seemingly completely unaware that it had revealed its ability to understand human speech.
Looking at its adorable appearance, Li Ziqing's appetite increased considerably.
He then picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.
*
Li Ziqing ate several meals with the little fox and often had to suppress her laughter at the funny things it did.
The little fox accidentally bumped into a bowl and cup, spilling the tea that Li Ziqing had served her all over the floor.
At the next meal, the little fox accidentally ate a bite of the sour plum used for seasoning, and almost didn't want to eat anymore because of the sourness.
Today, for some reason, it stepped on a fish bone that Li Ziqing had peeled off for it, and the next second, it jumped into his arms, trembling in pain.
After lunch, Li Ziqing applied some medicine to her little paws and gently instructed her:
"Next time, be careful of fish bones."
After that, they brought Yingning to the study.
Li Ziqing ground ink and spread out paper. With fluent strokes, he sketched a bamboo forest in ink. Then he switched to a vermilion brush and with a few casual strokes, drew a small red blob.
Yingning watched curiously from the side and realized that Li Ziqing was drawing herself.
"Little fox, can you understand this painting?"
Yingning's paws stepped on the Xuan paper and came to Li Ziqing's front. She turned her back to him, seemingly examining the painting.
It extended its claw and pressed the area where the cinnabar brush had been used to draw.
"Yes, that's you."
Li Ziqing already knew that Yingning could understand human speech and responded to her.
Then the little fox stepped onto the Xuan paper again, came to the inkstone, and stretched out its paw.
"Little fox!"
Li Ziqing was about to stop it to prevent it from getting covered in ink.
Then Yingning touched the ink in the inkstone with her paw and ran back again.
Ink and claw marks were left along the way.
She walked into the bamboo grove, pondered for a moment, and then gently stomped her feet a few times.
In an instant, the ink spread across the rice paper.
At first, Li Ziqing thought she was going to cause trouble, but unexpectedly, a rough-looking thing appeared under those furry paws.
But upon closer inspection, one can see a figure.
A hint of surprise appeared in Li Ziqing's eyes as she asked, "This is..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
