The Little Fox Spoils Her Blind Husband - Chapter 9

Seeing the woman charge out of the crowd, Doctor Chang scrambled to get out of the way. He tried to pull Li Ting with him, but the young man stood firm. Instead, Li Ting lightly pushed the doctor aside, sending him stumbling directly into Gao Ke, who had hurried over to watch the spectacle. Neither of them dared to step forward, so they could only watch helplessly as Wang Juan’er, the Xu family’s sister-in-law, rushed toward them.

“You cursed bastard! You killed my son!” Wang Juan’er lunged at Xu Yanqiu, reaching out to grab his shoulders. However, her vision blurred for a split second, and the stranger next to the boy pulled him out of reach. She grabbed nothing but air. Gasping for breath, with tears on her face that seemed genuine, her hands shook uncontrollably. “Let go of him! If he does not pay for my son’s life today, my name is not Wang!”

“Mrs. Xu, please calm down!” Doctor Chang tried to intervene again, but Gao Ke pulled him back two steps, narrowly avoiding Wang Juan’er’s flailing arms. As Doctor Chang turned to thank him, he saw Gao Ke looking pale and trembling, trying to speak but unable to find his voice. Gao Ke felt as if his body had moved against his will; his hands had acted on their own!

Gao Ke stared wide-eyed at Li Ting. He saw Li Ting shielding Xu Yanqiu with one hand while calmly parrying Wang Juan’er’s strikes with the other. Li Ting even had the composure to glance his way. To Gao Ke, that look clearly said, “Yes, I did that.”

Gao Ke tried to scramble away and run, but his legs failed him several times. He was forced to sit on the ground next to Doctor Chang, completely lost.

The scene was so chaotic that no one noticed the old doctor and the young delinquent. The onlookers were torn between wanting to mediate and wanting to stay away. No one wanted to be touched by the “bad luck” of the blind boy, so for a moment, no one stepped forward.

Amidst the shouting, a stern voice rang out from the east end of the street. “Stop! Who is making such a disturbance here?”

Someone had gone to report the matter to the authorities. Whether they wanted to see more drama or felt a rare moment of pity, their actions allowed Xu Yanqiu to breathe a sigh of relief. He had no idea exactly what was happening, but he knew Li Ting was protecting him well. He could only hear his cousin-in-law’s piercing screams and insults, yet not a single finger touched him.

Wang Juan’er did not keep long nails because of her daily chores, but she had a peculiar strength in her grip. During the few days Xu Yanqiu had stayed at her house, she had pinched him constantly, leaving his body covered in bruises by nightfall. He prayed that Brother Li would not get hurt.

The crowd quickly made way for the newcomer to see the situation. Wang Juan’er was pulled away by bystanders. Li Ting helped Xu Yanqiu stand steady and looked calmly at the official.

The man appeared to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven, dressed in a dark blue official uniform. Judging by the medallion at his waist, he was a bailiff. His features were ordinary, but he carried an undeniable aura of righteousness.

“Brother! Brother, I am over here!”

Li Ting turned his head at the sound. He saw Gao Ke trying to stand up, only for his weak legs to give out again. It was hard to imagine these two were biological brothers.

“What is going on here?” the bailiff asked, standing in the center of the crowd. He looked at the furious Wang Juan’er, then at the trembling Xu Yanqiu hidden behind Li Ting, and finally at his own brother and the doctor helping each other up. His gaze landed on Li Ting, the most composed person present. “Who are you?”

“My father used to teach here. I only arrived in East Xu Village two or three days ago and have been too busy with household matters to register at the magistrate’s office yet,” Li Ting said methodically. “My apologies for the oversight.”

“Your father is Li Dongtang?” The bailiff was stunned. He stepped forward. “I did not realize you were my teacher’s son. I am the one who should apologize. Junior Brother, are you injured?”

Li Ting narrowed his eyes. He had not expected this man to be so calculating, immediately claiming a connection. He made a mental note to write a letter to his father to ask if he remembered this person. For now, however, the most important thing was to finish the performance.

The little fox draped an arm around Xu Yanqiu’s shoulder. He was careful not to use too much strength, but to the observers, it looked as though the two were deeply aggrieved. Li Ting made a show of patting Xu Yanqiu’s back, a flash of shock appearing in his eyes as he looked at the bailiff. “I am not injured, but”

He hesitated. The bailiff quickly asked, “But what?”

Wang Juan’er realized the two had a special connection and grew wary. Sure enough, Li Ting spoke again. “My money pouch is missing.”

The crowd gasped. People instinctively patted their own pockets, remembering that only Mrs. Xu had been close enough to them. Someone who enjoyed trouble shouted, “Was it snatched away by the Xu woman?”

At once, every eye turned to Wang Juan’er. She waved her hands frantically, shouting to the bailiff, “Gao Cheng, nephew Gao, I did not do any such thieving thing! I only came here today to burn spirit money for my son”

As she flailed her arms, a small floral pouch fell to the ground with a soft thud at her feet. Silence fell over the crowd. The evidence was right there; even the boisterous Mrs. Xu was speechless.

Gao Cheng glanced at Li Ting out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that the shock and confusion on Li Ting’s face seemed genuine, he said, “Auntie Wang, what do you have to say for yourself?”

“I did not take it! It must it must have gotten caught by accident earlier!” Wang Juan’er panicked. She froze, afraid that something else might fall out if she moved. Gao Cheng stepped forward, picked up the pouch, and handed it back to Li Ting. “Junior Brother, check if any money is missing.”

Li Ting took it. His gaze swept over Wang Juan’er before landing on Gao Cheng. The bailiff met his eyes and felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of unease, as if he were being scrutinized by a terrifying existence. The fear only dissipated when Li Ting looked away.

The little fox weighed the pouch in his hand and then handed it to Xu Yanqiu. “Check it. Is anything missing?”

Xu Yanqiu obediently held the pouch and weighed it in his palms. He grabbed Li Ting’s arm, stood on his tiptoes, and whispered, “Nothing is missing, Brother Li.”

He was not tall enough to reach Li Ting’s ear even on his tiptoes, so Li Ting had to bend down slightly to hear the secret. This gesture surprised Gao Cheng. He had heard rumors about this blind boy and how everyone in the village avoided him like the plague. He had never cared much, only knowing that Xu Yanqiu was exceptionally beautiful but cursed with bad luck.

Seeing them today, he realized that seeing was believing. Furthermore, it appeared the relationship between Xu Yanqiu and Li Dongtang’s son was quite significant.

“That is good,” Li Ting nodded. He cupped his hands toward Gao Cheng. “Thank you, officer.”

“Call me Senior Brother,” Gao Cheng said. “Junior Brother, perhaps Auntie Wang simply caught the pouch by accident. Why do we not let this matter drop?”

Everything was going according to the little fox’s calculations, including the appearance of Gao Cheng. He had wanted an opportunity to meet Gao Ke’s official brother and confront the Xu couple; today, he had managed both.

Li Ting was happy to accept the peace offering, but that did not mean he would not push for more. Gao Cheng saw a brief smirk on Li Ting’s face, but it vanished so quickly he thought he had hallucinated it. Li Ting remained serious. “This matter cannot simply be dropped.”

“This” Gao Cheng looked at him blankly.

Li Ting continued, “Mrs. Xu is my brother’s cousin-in-law. I only learned from Doctor Chang today about the tragedy her family suffered recently. I hope the Master no, I hope Senior Brother can investigate this matter thoroughly to give her the truth.”

The people of East Xu Village all believed that the blind boy’s cursed energy had caused Mrs. Xu’s miscarriage and the death of her child. Hearing Li Ting’s words, they wondered if there could be more to the story.

Gao Cheng did not expect the victim to show concern for his harasser, but given the circumstances, he had to agree. He promised to help Mrs. Xu investigate the incident.

Wang Juan’er was held back by others. She wanted to scream that it was all the blind boy’s fault, but she could not find the words.

“By the way, where is the Xu family cousin?” Li Ting asked before leaving. Wang Juan’er ignored him, so she said to Gao Cheng, “My husband had business out of town today and has not returned.”

Gao Cheng nodded. Behind him, Li Ting mused suspiciously, “Is that really so?”

Watching the group walk toward the Chang family clinic, Wang Juan’er suddenly began to doubt her own husband. For something as important as their son’s funeral rites, what business could possibly be more important than this?

Xu Yanqiu tucked the recovered money pouch into his tunic, shielding it with his arms for fear of losing it again. Li Ting squeezed his shoulder and whispered, “It is fine. I will explain everything when we get home.”

The little blind boy did not doubt him and nodded obediently, following Li Ting closely. They passed Doctor Chang’s clinic and bid him farewell. Having seen the events unfold, Doctor Chang understood the situation better than anyone. Despite his age, he realized Li Ting’s words were like hidden blades, shifting the public’s focus from Xu Yanqiu to Wang Juan’er. Once the truth came out, the village’s perception of Xu Yanqiu would change.

Doctor Chang watched the two brothers head toward the tailor shop and marveled at how well Li Ting treated Xu Yanqiu. Before he could finish his thought, he saw Gao Ke following Gao Cheng toward them.

The doctor started to call out but stopped, watching Gao Cheng walk away.

Li Ting had long noticed someone was following them. However, he acted as if nothing were wrong and brought Xu Yanqiu into the tailor shop. He paid for the tailor to measure his brother for two new outfits and several pairs of shoes.

The tailor was initially reluctant to take a blind boy’s business, but he could not resist Li Ting’s generous payment. No one turned away good money. He immediately smiled and had his apprentice use a soft tape to measure Xu Yanqiu.

“Sit here for a moment. I will be right by the door,” Li Ting patted Xu Yanqiu’s shoulder. “I will take you to buy food in a bit. What do you want to eat?”

The “Do not go” that was about to leave Xu Yanqiu’s lips was redirected into “I want to eat fried eggs.” Li Ting rubbed his head. “Okay. I will buy them and fry eggs for you when we get back.”

Once Xu Yanqiu was settled, Li Ting turned back to the shop entrance. Ignoring Gao Ke, who looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole, he looked at Gao Cheng, who was waiting there. “Is there something else, Senior Brother?”

Gao Cheng saw that he had not dropped the respectful title and beamed. “I did not realize Junior Brother was such a warm-hearted person, just like our teacher. How is my teacher’s health lately?”

“Everything is fine,” Li Ting nodded. “I have often heard my father speak of you, Senior Brother. Seeing you today, you truly are a man of integrity.”

Gao Cheng’s smile widened. He failed to realize that he had shifted from someone Li Ting wanted to know to someone who wanted to curry favor with Li Ting. “You flatter me, Junior Brother. Feel free to settle comfortably in East Xu Village. If you need anything, just have Gao Ke find me. As your Senior Brother, I will not let you suffer any grievances.”

This was exactly what Li Ting wanted. Before seeing Gao Cheng off, he reminded him once more. “Please keep the matter of the Xu family’s sister-in-law in mind. It would also help clear my brother’s name.”

He had praised Gao Cheng specifically for this moment. Gao Cheng had no reason to refuse and made a bold promise. He even left Gao Ke behind to accompany them before returning to the government office.

After Gao Cheng left, Li Ting ignored Gao Ke. The young man stood by the door, unsure whether to stay or go. He decided to stay and wait for orders. In his entire life, he feared nothing but his elder brother, Gao Cheng. Since his brother told him to wait here, he did not dare move.

When Li Ting returned to Xu Yanqiu, the tailor had found several pairs of ready-made shoes and boots in the correct size. Li Ting picked out a few pairs in bright or simple colors and paid for them on the spot. He also wrote down the requirements for the custom orders. He then packed the ready items and led Xu Yanqiu outside.

Xu Yanqiu tried to carry the bags, but Li Ting took them and handed them to Gao Ke. “Keep up.”

Gao Ke did not dare utter a sound and followed them. Along the way, Li Ting bought eggs, baby chicks, vegetables, and meat, making Gao Ke carry everything.

It was not particularly heavy, but the usual village bully and delinquent had been turned into a servant. Passing villagers stared in surprise. Gao Ke gritted his teeth but dared not get angry, following Li Ting back to the small courtyard.

Remembering the last time he had climbed the wall to bully Xu Yanqiu only to be thrashed by Li Ting, Gao Ke’s legs felt weak. Li Ting took the groceries into the kitchen, and the sounds of clattering pots began. In the yard, Xu Yanqiu did not realize Gao Ke was still there. He was carefully ushering the chicks toward the grassy corner of the wall. He remembered feeling the grass there earlier and figured the chicks would like it.

Gao Ke watched blankly as the boy moved tentatively. Seeing the boy was about to step on a chick, Gao Ke lunged forward and shooed the bird away. When he stood up, he saw Li Ting staring at him from the doorway with a knowing smile. For a moment, Gao Ke’s skin crawled.

Half an hour later, Gao Ke was invited to stay for a meal. Not only was he not beaten, but he also received a sincere thank you from Xu Yanqiu. Standing at the gate of the Li residence, hearing the little blind boy tell him to stay safe on the road, Gao Ke wiped his face.

These two were actually quite decent people.

How could he have been such a bastard in the past?