socalfunplaces Chapter 825 Little Fox's Mother Misses Her Child
Chapter 825 Little Fox's Mother Misses Her Child
He Yuzhu had just stepped out the door when he paused, as if suddenly remembering something important, and turned back. He looked at Xiao Li, who was watering the flowers in the yard, and said softly with a hint of hesitation on his face, "Xiao Li, I have something to tell you."
Xiao Li put down the kettle, wiped the water droplets from her hands, and hurried over, her eyes filled with curiosity: "Yu Zhu, what's wrong? Did you forget something?"
He Yuzhu smiled, scratched his head, and said with a hint of embarrassment, "I was thinking of showing off my skills today and cooking a few of my signature dishes to liven things up. But you might have forgotten that you specifically told me before you came that Xiuxiu and the others are shy and not used to strangers being too enthusiastic... If I'm busy running around in the kitchen, it'll inevitably be noisy, and Xiuxiu might feel awkward if she sees me. I was thinking, why not take them out for a walk? There's a newly opened garden nearby with nice scenery, which will be a good way for them to relax. You two rarely get to see each other, so you can chat comfortably at home."
Xiao Li paused, then remembered that she had indeed mentioned yesterday that Xiu Xiu was timid and shy. Feeling a little guilty, she looked at He Yuzhu and said, "Yuzhu, why don't I go out? You're the host, how can I let you take guests out while I stay home?"
He Yuzhu quickly shook his head, his tone becoming serious: "Forget it, you've just reunited with your aunt, it's the perfect time to have a proper talk. Besides, although this area looks peaceful, there are human cultivators coming and going outside, a mixed bag. If someone realizes that your aunt's identity is unusual, it might cause trouble—it's better to avoid trouble, it's safer for you to stay inside."
Xiao Li wanted to say something more, but He Yuzhu waved his hand, turned around and walked out, turning back to tell them as he went: "Don't be shy, just tell your family if you need anything. I'll take them out for a walk and be right back before dinner."
Watching He Yuzhu's hurried departure, Xiaoli felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She hadn't expected He Yuzhu to be so thoughtful, even considering the concerns she hadn't voiced—taking care of Xiuxiu and the others' shyness while also worrying about her mother's identity being exposed; his thoughtfulness was evident in every way.
At this moment, Xiaoli's mother came out of the house. Seeing the moved expression on her daughter's face, she asked softly, "Xiaoli, what did He Yuzhu say to you just now? Why did he suddenly leave?"
Xiao Li snapped out of her reverie, gave her mother a light smile, her eyes sparkling like fallen stars: "It's nothing. He Yuzhu was worried that with so many people at home, Xiu Xiu and the other kids would feel too shy, so he took them out for a walk. He said they were going to pick wild dates under the old locust tree at the village entrance." She paused, her fingers gently twisting the hem of her clothes, feeling even more grateful to He Yuzhu—with him around, even the most mundane household matters seemed to be handled perfectly, and the air felt less stiff and awkward. The children's laughter drifted from afar, sounding especially comforting.
Xiao Li's mother sat on a wooden stool covered with a coarse cloth, carefully examining her daughter from her flushed cheeks to the smile in her eyes. Seeing that her complexion was rosy and her brows and eyes held a calm relaxation, she slowly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of probing: "Are you aware that the dragons have recently appeared at the border?"
Little Fox shook her head blankly, her voice light and slightly bewildered: "These past few days, I've been staying at Yu Zhu's house, learning embroidery and identifying herbs from her. Every day I'm either embroidering in the yard or going up the mountain with her to pick mint and dandelions. I don't know much about what's happening in the village. The dragon clan has appeared? Is it... which dragon clan? Is it the Azure Dragon that lives in the East Sea in legend, or the Crimson Dragon that guards the Southern Mountain?"
Little Fox's mother nodded, not delving further into the matter of the dragon clan, and instead asked gently, "Are you doing well here? How has the Jade Bamboo family treated you? Have you been mistreated?"
"I'm fine!" Little Fox nodded quickly, her eyes shining even brighter, and she became more talkative. "Yu Zhu always makes me soft, sweet rice cakes with osmanthus flowers in them; when Ma Xiu Xiu comes back, no matter what she hunts, she always saves me a few pieces of the tenderest meat, saying I'm young and need to eat more. Oh, Mother, there's something else I want to ask you, something I've been holding back for a while."
Seeing that her daughter was safe and sound, Xiao Li's mother felt much relieved and stopped worrying about the dragon clan. She simply went along with her daughter's words and said, "Oh? What's on your mind? Tell me about it."
Xiao Li then recounted her encounter with the evil wolf a few days prior in detail—the wolf demon's fur was jet black, as if soaked in ink, its eyes gleaming with a ferocious, eerie green light, and it exuded a bone-chilling malevolent aura that made one dizzy just by smelling it. Its attacks were ruthless; if Yu Zhu hadn't arrived in time and driven it away with a wood-chopping knife and medicinal powder, the consequences would have been unimaginable. She frowned, her face full of confusion: "Mother, what kind of wolf demon was that? I don't think I've ever seen anything like it in the clan's records. Ordinary wolf demons, though fierce, possess the spiritual energy of the mountains and fields, but this one… only had an indescribable malevolence about it."
She also poured out her guesses, saying that the wolf demon's aura was neither like that of a common mountain wolf nor did it bear the marks of a clan. Instead, it seemed as if... its intelligence had been twisted by something, turning it into a monster that only knew how to kill.
As Xiao Li's mother listened, her expression gradually became serious. Her fingertips unconsciously tapped the table, making a soft "tap-tap" sound. "It shouldn't be like this..." She pondered for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly. "The kind of wolf demon you mentioned, with its bone-corroding ferocity, disappeared a hundred years ago. I heard from the elders of the clan that after that great battle, these kinds of demonic beasts corrupted by evil power were completely wiped out. They shouldn't have appeared again."
"Could it be a branch of the Azure Wind Wolf Clan or the Snow Ridge Wolf Clan?" Little Fox pressed, her eyes full of inquiry. "I remember the old books in our clan mentioning that the wolf demons of these two clans had undergone some kind of mutation, but the description was vague and didn't specify what it was like..."
Little Fox's mother thought for a moment and shook her head: "The two tribes you mentioned, though fierce and warlike, still uphold tribal ethics and would never have such a ferocious aura. Their ferocity is wild, but not evil. It's a pity I haven't seen that evil wolf with my own eyes, otherwise I might have been able to discern some clues from its claw marks and the scent it left behind."
Little Fox nodded, her doubts still unresolved, but she felt a little relieved—with her mother around, even the most difficult things seemed to have a clue, and even the deepest confusion could always find some direction. The mother and daughter talked for a long time, from the newly opened medicinal herb field in the clan to whose chicken in the village laid a double-yolk egg, from the new embroidery technique Yu Zhu taught her to the clearing of the mountain stream water, until the sun began to set and golden light shone through the window onto the ground.