The Little Fox Spoils Her Blind Husband - Chapter 12

“A wealthy heir?” Bai Qianjing finally deigned to let go of the clothes Chang Shouye had crumpled during their scuffle. He completely missed the point of Li Ting’s words. “I have always followed your advice to keep a low profile. How did they even find out I am rich?”

“Is that the point right now?” Chang Shouye fumed at the sight of him. He was not a dull-witted man; he had simply been trapped in a dead end of his own making. Now that he had cleared his head, he gripped Feng Lin’s struggling hand tightly and pointed an accusing finger at Bai Qianjing. “Was it not you who came to Feng Lin’s house every single day? If you were not after him, then what were you doing?”

Just as Feng Lin was about to explain, Bai Qianjing raised a hand to scratch his head. “Pursue? Me, pursue someone? I am so beautiful that unless I find someone even more stunning than myself, I would never take the initiative! Besides, who in this world could possibly compare to my—”

Li Ting promptly clapped a hand over his best friend’s incessant mouth before he could spill any secrets, locking him firmly in his arms. He turned to Chang Shouye and Feng Lin. “Alright, the misunderstanding is resolved. Everyone go home now. And you two, just talk things out and you will be fine.”

“Thank you, Master Li.” Chang Shouye watched blankly as Li Ting dragged Bai Qianjing backward into the small courtyard. It was not until the gate shut with a heavy thud that Chang Shouye snapped back to reality and instinctively muttered his thanks. A moment later, he was being yanked away by his little fiancé. “Feng Lin, what are you doing?”

“We are going back to talk things through clearly,” Feng Lin said, his face flushed bright red, whether from anger or pure humiliation. “Lest you find another label to slap on me!”

Inside the Li courtyard, as the sound of footsteps faded into the distance, Li Ting and Bai Qianjing stared at each other. The latter had just breathed a sigh of relief when Li Ting kicked him. Bai Qianjing clutched his foot and stumbled back two steps to steady himself. “Li Ting! Are we brothers or not? How can you kick me the moment we meet?”

“You have the nerve to blame me?” Li Ting said irritably, helping him stand upright. “It is one thing that you did not bother writing a letter to tell me you were coming, but you caused trouble the second you arrived!”

By now, Bai Qianjing had finally pieced everything together. He pulled over a small empty stool and sat down, meticulously smoothing the corners of his newly bought clothes while grumbling. “How was I supposed to know? I just wanted Feng Lin’s father to drop something off at the mountain for me on his way out. Who knew that blockhead would misunderstand? This is a monumental injustice!”

“Fine, keep your voice down.” Li Ting gave him a light nudge. After having not seen each other for so long, the two locked eyes and simultaneously burst into laughter. Bai Qianjing was about to share his travel stories when he saw the smile vanish from Li Ting’s face. Li Ting began looking around frantically; where was his little blind companion?

Fortunately, even in his moment of panic, he had not forgotten Xu Yanqiu’s scent. Scenting him inside the room, Li Ting breathed a sigh of relief, only to meet Bai Qianjing’s gossiping eyes. “What are you doing?”

“Are you hiding something from your brother?” Bai Qianjing draped an arm over his shoulder. “Spill it! Are you hiding some delicious food? Or maybe you bought some nice clothes for me?”

“Why would I buy clothes for you?” Li Ting pushed him away and strode toward the bedroom. Bai Qianjing, never one to miss out on excitement, poked his head in behind Li Ting to see what was being hidden. As soon as his head ducked under Li Ting’s arm, he saw a small shuang’er sitting obediently by the bedside, ears tilted as if listening to the sounds outside.

Bai Qianjing remarked, “So, you are hiding a beauty in your house.”

“Stop talking nonsense; this is the younger brother I have taken in.” Li Ting pulled him up and brushed past him into the room. Hearing Li Ting’s voice approach, Xu Yanqiu spoke softly. “Brother Li, I only just came inside. How is it outside? Is Master Chang alright?”

Li Ting’s lips curled into a smile. The little fellow actually remembered his request: he was only allowed to call him “Brother” and no one else. Such behavior deserved a reward. He reached out and rubbed the top of the little blind boy’s head. “Everything is fine outside, but we have a guest.”

“A guest?” Xu Yanqiu’s tone held a hint of delight. “Will they be staying for a few days?”

“Why are you so happy? Is having me accompany you not enough?” Li Ting asked with a trace of dissatisfaction. Xu Yanqiu shook his head. “It is not that. I just feel that with Brother Li accompanying me every day, it might delay your important business.”

He knew what Li Ting was planting—both vegetables and flowers in a corner of the yard. He knew everything: the sound of flowerpots clinking and the sound of soil being scooped up and scattered. Over the past two days, whenever he lay down to sleep, he could still hear those sounds. Brother Li must be spending his days looking after him, leaving no time for his own work, only to catch up on his chores at night. If someone came to visit, perhaps Li Ting would not have to spend all his energy on someone as helpless as him.

“What important business could I possibly have?” Li Ting did not catch his drift at first. After all, he knew the state of those flower seeds best; they had only been planted a few days ago and were barely sprouting. Working at night was just a matter of watering them. It was not until he saw Xu Yanqiu lower his head that he realized what the boy was thinking. He gave Xu Yanqiu’s head a firm rub. “Do not overthink things. If you have that much free time, why not walk around the yard to familiarize yourself more? Have you forgotten my words?”

“I have not!” Xu Yanqiu perked up at this. “Only by knowing the layout of the courtyard can I ensure Brother Li does not have to worry about home when he goes out!”

Li Ting had not expected him to be so spirited. The little fellow slipped out from under his palm, felt for Li Ting’s arm to find the table, and followed his daily fixed route toward the door. However, both of them forgot that Bai Qianjing was still standing there.

Bai Qianjing was busy watching the drama with his arms crossed when the little guy bumped right into his chest. Startled, he looked up to see Li Ting’s murderous glare and quickly grabbed Xu Yanqiu’s shoulders to steady him. “You, stand properly!”

Xu Yanqiu was also startled, clearly not expecting someone to be at the door. Once he recovered, he bowed hastily in apology. “It was my fault for not paying attention.”

Bai Qianjing stepped aside, watching the little blind boy walk out step by step. He then leaned toward Li Ting. “A brother, huh? Do you have any idea what your eyes looked like just now?”

“I know.” Li Ting’s response left Bai Qianjing unsure of how to react. The little fox walked past his friend and stood at the door, watching the figure who was currently using his fingertips to familiarize himself with his surroundings. “That is why I am working hard to restrain my nature.”

Once Bai Qianjing realized the boy was blind, he revealed his true form. The handsome young master transformed in a flash into a man-sized peacock, his magnificent green feathers trailing across the ground. The peacock lowered its head to meticulously preen its feathers. Between breaths, it opened its beak, though the voice that emerged was still Bai Qianjing’s. “Afraid of scaring him?”

“He does not know anything.” Li Ting withdrew his gaze and looked back at the vain peacock. “No matter how much you groom those feathers, they will always look like that. Why waste the effort?”

Before Li Ting could finish his teasing, the peacock tackled him to the ground. Bai Qianjing swept his massive tail back and forth across Li Ting’s face until Li Ting was thoroughly annoyed. He finally shifted into his own true form to wrestle back.

Xu Yanqiu was still focused on his exploration. He had just reached the kitchen door when his fingertips followed the wall and touched the dried fish Li Ting had bought earlier. After feeling it for a long time, the little blind boy realized his hands smelled of salt fish and quickly turned to find the water vat to wash them. He was entirely unaware that in the room behind him, a peacock was being pinned to the ground by a pure white nine-tailed fox. The fox’s tails smacked the peacock’s head twice, and the dizzy peacock rose up to bite one of the little fox’s tails.

Li Ting swallowed the yelp that almost escaped his throat. He hissed in the language only the two of them understood. “Let go!”

The peacock let the words slip through its beak. “You let go of my tail first! Are you childish or what?”

“I should be saying that to you!”

A while later, the two of them finally rose from their chaotic scuffle to face Xu Yanqiu, whose face was slightly flushed from walking several laps around the yard. Li Ting cleared his throat. “Xiao Qiu, you must be hungry?”

Xu Yanqiu nodded sheepishly. Bai Qianjing tossed his head back. “Tell you what, today is on me. There is a decent restaurant in Dongxu Village. Come on, I will take you both out to eat!”

The trio, who originally just wanted a meal, had no idea they were about to witness a major spectacle before they even made it out. There were not many restaurants in Dongxu Village; Xu Yanqiu could count them on his fingers. Following them to a storefront, Bai Qianjing was about to tell him where they were when he saw Li Ting swaying the hand he held with Xu Yanqiu. The latter mused, “Is it the one next to Hunter Wang’s house?”

“Very good. You remembered after I walked you past it once.” Li Ting spoke to Xu Yanqiu, but his eyes were fixed on Bai Qianjing, gloating.

Faced with his best friend’s provocation, Bai Qianjing gave a cold, heartless sneer. He did not believe a word of the “brother” excuse.

“What would you gentlemen like to eat?” The shopkeeper, who had been boredly checking his ledgers, rushed over to greet them when he saw people at the door. He smiled at the two leading the way. “Please, come in and sit.”

“Bring out all your signature dishes, stir-fry a few side dishes, and bring a jar of good wine.” Bai Qianjing wanted to be a proper host. Since he and Li Ting had grown up together and Xu Yanqiu was now family, he did not mind if they had leftovers to take back.

The shopkeeper led them to a table with a wide smile. As he noted their order, his eyes swept over their faces. When he saw Xu Yanqiu, his pupils contracted. Though he inwardly cursed his bad luck, he said nothing for the sake of finally having customers and headed to the kitchen.

Bai Qianjing saw everything. Just as he was about to ask Li Ting about it, a commotion broke out at the door. Suddenly, a kitchen knife flew past the entrance.

Bai Qianjing asked, “Was that?”

Li Ting answered, “Yes.” It was a very large kitchen knife.

Wang Juan’er’s voice followed immediately after the knife. “You godforsaken bastard! I told you not to go fooling around again! I will chop that thing of yours off!”

Li Ting frowned at the words and said to Xu Yanqiu, “Stay here. I am going outside to take a look.”

“I think I heard my cousin-in-law’s voice?” the little blind boy asked in confusion. Li Ting simply told him he had misheard. Before the boy could ask further, a cup of warm tea was pressed into his hands. Bai Qianjing said with a smile, “It is nothing. I will go take a look too. Stay here and drink your tea; I will buy you some candy later.”