The Little Fox Spoils Her Blind Husband - Chapter 6

Under Li Ting’s coercion, Gao Ke stood up and led him toward the large locust tree at the south end of East Xu Village. It was exactly as Gao Ke had described. The original house had been burned to the ground, leaving nothing behind.

“Can I go now?” Gao Ke asked tremulously. “Or do you have somewhere else to go?”

He did not want to stay with this man for another second, fearing that Li Ting might suddenly turn into a fierce monster and tear him apart. However, he did not dare run without permission, so he summoned his courage to ask.

Fortunately, Li Ting did not make things difficult for him. He waved his hand for Gao Ke to get lost. He did not watch as Gao Ke fled in a panic; instead, he stood before the charred ruins while clutching his groceries. Even though it had rained and snowed recently, the scorched wood had not faded. It was clear how massive the fire must have been.

The little blind boy had been right. Even if he wanted to dig something out of this rubble, it would have been unusable long ago. Li Ting sighed. He had hoped to bring something back to comfort Xu Yanqiu, but he found absolutely nothing. He decided it was best to head back and cook, lest the little one grew too hungry.

As he turned, a flash of red in the woods to the south caught his eye. Li Ting looked closer and saw what appeared to be red ropes stretched between several trees. The little fox was curious. Since he still had time, he decided to investigate. As he drew closer, he realized they were indeed just ropes, but they were positioned to form a circle around the destroyed house. It was a protective perimeter.

Li Ting realized that these were likely left by Xu Yanqiu’s father before he passed away. He reached out to touch the ropes, which had been weathered by wind and sun. An image formed in his mind of Xu Yanqiu using these ropes for guidance as he stood in the woods listening to the wind in the bamboo. He suddenly had an idea.

The little fox quickly left the ruins. On his way back, he stopped at the market to pick up the two sets of clothes he had ordered. When he returned to the small courtyard, he saw Chang Shouye standing by the gate with his arms crossed, looking quite unhappy.

“Young Master Li, you are finally back,” Chang Shouye said, hurrying forward to meet him. “You have no idea. A few children were throwing stones into the courtyard just now.”

“Did they hit you?” Li Ting interrupted.

Chang Shouye blinked and shook his head. “No, but they almost hit the medicine stove. I scolded them and they ran off.”

“Thank you.” Li Ting nodded. He handed over the money for the herbal medicine along with a little extra. “I will go to the pharmacy to pick up the medicine myself starting tomorrow. I am grateful to you and Doctor Chang for your hard work these past two days.”

Chang Shouye instinctively took the money. “Young Master Li, are you not going to pursue what happened just now?”

“It is not the first time. I gave them a lesson before. This time, I am lucky you were here, or my brother would have been bullied again.” Li Ting smiled. He deliberately sounded aggrieved, which left Chang Shouye feeling a bit guilty.

“Do not say that, Young Master Li. If you are busy tomorrow, I will come by again,” Chang Shouye offered.

“Would it not be a bother?” Li Ting asked.

Chang Shouye waved his hands. “No trouble at all. If I do not come, my father certainly will.”

After a few more pleasantries, Li Ting saw Chang Shouye off. He watched the man’s retreating back and smiled. He had not lied, but he had added a bit of emotion to his words. When he heard about the stones, his first concern had been for Chang Shouye’s involvement rather than Xu Yanqiu. Although he had placed a spell on Xu Yanqiu before leaving, meaning no one could have harmed the boy, Chang Shouye believed that the boy would have been injured if he had not been there to intervene.

Most people have a sense of compassion when they see the weak being bullied. Chang Shouye might not have witnessed such things so directly before, and this experience might change him. Perhaps it would not, but Li Ting bet on the former. If Chang Shouye were not that kind of person, he would have discouraged his father from coming rather than helping out himself. The little fox was rarely wrong about people.

Li Ting pushed the gate open and entered the courtyard. He saw Xu Yanqiu leaning against the doorframe, sleeping soundly. The sun was warm, and the boy did not seem to feel the cold even though his thin quilt had mostly slipped off. Li Ting placed his groceries in the kitchen. He saw that Chang Shouye had already poured out the medicine to cool and had cleaned the stove and pot. Li Ting had felt he might have overpaid for the favor, but seeing the tidy kitchen made him feel it was worth it. Perhaps Chang Shouye was more decent than he had imagined.

He did not intend to wake Xu Yanqiu yet. The sun would remain high until noon, which was enough time for him to prepare two meals. Since the boy was asleep, he would let him rest.

The little fox prepared the vegetables and chopped the meat into pieces. He tossed them into a hot pan, rendering the lard. He used a small white porcelain bowl to collect the lard, as it was excellent for flavoring dishes or mixing with rice. After finishing, Li Ting peeked out at Xu Yanqiu. The boy had not moved. It seemed he had finally relaxed enough for exhaustion to take over, as even the noise from the kitchen had not woken him.

Back in the kitchen, Li Ting checked the rice. He quickly prepared three small dishes: stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts, fried tofu, and spicy stir-fried greens. It was plenty for the two of them. As Li Ting went to call him, he found that Xu Yanqiu had already woken up. However, Li Ting could tell from his expression that he was still dazed. The boy was sniffing the air, searching for the source of the delicious smell. After a long moment, he whispered, “Big Brother Li?”

“Time to eat.” Li Ting spoke just as he reached him. This time, Xu Yanqiu was prepared and was not startled. However, he jumped slightly when Li Ting reached out to help him up.

“Big Brother Li, I can walk on my own,” the boy insisted.

“I know, but you must let me experience what it is like to take care of a younger brother,” Li Ting said righteously.

Remembering the talk about brotherhood from that morning, the boy did not refuse. He allowed Li Ting to lead him by the hand and help him into a chair. The boy was still wearing Li Ting’s clothes and shoes. The ill-fitting attire made him look a bit comical, but neither of them cared.

Li Ting placed the chopsticks and bowl in the boy’s hands and guided him to feel the edges of the dishes so he would know their positions. Xu Yanqiu thanked him. Before lifting his chopsticks, he asked tentatively, “Big Brother Li, are you looking at me?”

“I am.” Li Ting picked up a piece of meat but did not eat it immediately. He watched as the boy nodded and carefully extended his chopsticks. The boy first reached for the greens, but Li Ting had added some chili peppers for flavor, and Xu Yanqiu happened to pick one up.

Li Ting expected to see the boy sticking out his tongue from the spice, but the little guy was quite clever. He brought the chopsticks to his nose to smell the food and frowned almost imperceptibly before setting the chili on the edge of his bowl. Li Ting laughed silently and finally ate his meat. His culinary skills were inherited from his mother, and the little fox was confident in his cooking. He was also confident that he could help Xu Yanqiu gain some weight.

On his second attempt, Xu Yanqiu successfully grabbed a piece of green vegetable. Every movement he made relied on the layout Li Ting had shown him and the distances he had measured in his mind. The food was delicious. Xu Yanqiu’s eyes grew warm. He knew exactly how he must look right now. He felt like a pathetic child, making himself cry just from eating a meal. But he could not help it. It had been a very long time since anyone had been this kind to him, saving him from disaster, taking him in, and giving him a place to belong. Li Ting had even given him an honorable reason to stay.

Li Ting looked up halfway through his meal and saw the boy crying quietly. He calmly set down his bowl, placed the new handkerchief he bought that day beside Xu Yanqiu, and continued eating. He was not very good at comforting people, so he felt it was better to act as if he had seen nothing. He was becoming used to seeing Xu Yanqiu cry. When someone accustomed to the mud is suddenly placed on a soft cloud, they are bound to be overcome with emotion even if they have not yet dried off.

They finished their meal in silence. Xu Yanqiu even managed to gather his own dishes to hand to Li Ting. The little fox was surprised; it seemed Xu Yanqiu was more independent than he had thought. However, the boy could not help with the washing. When Li Ting finished his chores, he saw Xu Yanqiu leaning against the table and wiping the surface. He was even using the correct towel.

Li Ting guessed how he had managed it. The boy must have felt his way to the wall where two towels hung. One was for hands, and the other, used for the table, would feel slightly greasy no matter how clean it was. The boy had retrieved the right one and found his way back. Li Ting watched as the boy finished the table, felt his way back to hang the towel, and returned to the table. The boy tilted his head to listen for sounds in the courtyard. Hearing nothing from the kitchen, he called out softly, “Big Brother Li?”

Li Ting knew the boy had guessed he was nearby. This time, he did not tease him and answered immediately. The boy breathed a sigh of relief, glad he had not been startled.

“Do you want me to help?” the boy asked eagerly after completing his task. “I can help you with other things too.”

“Of course,” Li Ting said. He then dropped a metaphorical bombshell. “Be good in a moment.”

“What?” The boy did not understand.

“I am going to help you bathe.” Li Ting narrowed his eyes as he caught the flash of panic on the boy’s face. “There is no room for refusal. The hot water is already ready.”

“Big Brother Li, you can bathe yourself. I should be fine,” the boy said, but he stopped mid-sentence. He sadly remembered that he had been thrown into a river two days ago and had not cleaned himself since, yet he had been sharing a bed with Li Ting. Did Big Brother Li think he was dirty? “I will wash the quilt and clothes tomorrow,” the boy whispered. “As for the bath, can I do it myself?”

“I want to help you,” the little fox said seriously. He could have played along or used a different excuse, but he chose to be direct. “Is that not allowed?”

Xu Yanqiu hesitated before finally whispering a soft response. “It is allowed.”

“Then wait here while I prepare the water,” Li Ting said with a clap of his hands. “Do not wander off.”

“I was not wandering,” Xu Yanqiu defended. “I just wanted to help you.”

“There will be times when I truly need your help.” Li Ting led him to the chair where he had been sunbathing. “For now, I need you to sit here properly. Do you hear me?”

Li Ting was still unsure if the boy was prone to being stubborn, so he felt it was better to be firm for now. Xu Yanqiu nodded. “I hear you, Big Brother Li.”

Li Ting stared at him and said, “Good.”

The boy was startled, and then he felt the familiar pat on his head. Hearing Li Ting’s heavy, deliberate footsteps, he knew the man was walking away. He slowly raised his hand to touch the spot where Li Ting had patted him and whispered, “I will be very good.”