On the other side, after Meng Huaize left, Caizhi casually chatted with Wu Yue, smiling as if they were just making small talk: “This chicken originally belonged to Erbao’s mother, but yesterday, someone stole it. Did you hear about that?”
Wu Yue responded absentmindedly with a simple “hmm.”
“The person stole the chicken during the day, but returned it at night, along with some money to buy the chicken,” Caizhi laughed twice. “Don’t you think that’s really strange?”
Wu Yue finally lifted his head and glanced at her. Although his look seemed incredibly casual, Caizhi felt a chill run through her, as if cold air had swept over her entire body. For some reason, a slight sense of fear stirred within her heart.
Calm down, she told herself inwardly. Caizhi, you came here with a mission!
Yesterday, she had heard Widow Li shouting at both ends of the village for most of the day, cursing about someone who had stolen her chicken. Caizhi began to feel suspicious. There were only so many people in the village, and incidents of theft were extremely rare. But coincidentally, she had just seen a strange man at Doctor Meng’s house. Could it really be just a coincidence?
At the time, it was nothing more than a vague suspicion, as she had no proof. However, this morning, she heard that the thief not only returned the chicken during the night but also added money to pay for it.
The whole village was buzzing, trying to guess who this strange chicken thief could be. But Caizhi’s suspicions had already settled. It must have been that man who stole the chicken, and once Doctor Meng found out, he returned it along with money to compensate. Who else in the village, besides Meng Huaize, would be so honest and kind, so afraid of others suffering even the smallest loss?
Stealing a chicken was a minor issue, but what worried Caizhi was that if this man truly had sticky fingers, what crime had he committed that forced him to flee here in the first place? Doctor Meng was kind-hearted, but could he have been deceived by this man? What if, one day, Meng got caught up in trouble because of him?
The more Caizhi thought about it, the more uneasy she became. That’s why she came today to test Wu Yue.
Thinking this, she forced a smile and asked, “What did you do before?”
Wu Yue had just taken a bite of chicken. The meat was tender, simmered to perfection, and rich with flavor—much better than anything Meng Huaize could make. But after getting used to Meng’s cooking, anything else seemed to lack something.
He chewed slowly, swallowed, then finally responded, “Why do you ask?”
“Oh, nothing,” Caizhi said, still smiling. “I’m just curious. What was it that made you seek refuge at Doctor Meng’s? Was it something serious?”
“Don’t worry,” she added with a light-hearted tone, as if she was just making small talk. “I’ve got a strong heart. I’ve seen it all, so no matter what you say, I won’t be scared. And I promise, I won’t tell a soul.”
Wu Yue lifted his head. Faced with Caizhi’s expectant gaze, even though she kept her guard up, she couldn’t help but lose focus for a second, and a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
Just then, by the courtyard wall, Meng Huaize slapped his own face lightly. Caizhi didn’t notice, but Wu Yue, with his sharp senses, glanced in Meng’s direction.
Meng had his back turned to them, crouching by the flowerbed, doing something unknown.
Wu Yue turned his gaze back to Caizhi, who was still watching him eagerly. After thinking it over, he decided that since the snake demon could at least be considered a person, he answered, “I guess you could say… murder.”
“M-murder?” Caizhi’s face turned pale instantly, and she instinctively backed away from Wu Yue, putting more distance between them. It took her a while to find her voice again, stammering, “Wh-why did you kill someone?”
“He stole something from me,” Wu Yue said slowly, “and tried to take my life, so I killed him.”
Caizhi stared blankly for a while. Slowly, her expression softened, and the wariness in her eyes faded. Instead, there was a hint of sympathy and pity.
“That person tried to rob you and even wanted to kill you. He deserved to die,” Caizhi said firmly. “But because of this wicked person, you’ve had to leave your home and live in hiding. It must have been so hard for you…”
Wu Yue wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
She stood up, gathering the bowls from in front of Wu Yue, her expression resolute. “Now I understand why Doctor Meng risked helping you. Don’t worry. Whatever concerns Doctor Meng, concerns me.”
“Oh?” Wu Yue raised an eyebrow. “Why is Meng Yunzhu’s business also yours?”
Caizhi’s face instantly turned beet red. She stammered, unable to form a reply, and in the end, stomped her foot in frustration and ran off, not even bothering to say goodbye to Meng Huaize. Wu Yue was left wondering what just happened.
Meng was still crouched by the courtyard wall. Wu Yue stretched lazily and walked over to squat beside him, following Meng’s gaze. But all he could see were flower stems and dirt. Puzzled, he asked, “What are you looking at?”
Meng Huaize was staring intently at the ground, lost in thought, when Wu Yue suddenly spoke up, startling him so much that he instinctively jerked to the side, losing his balance and landing on the ground with a thud.
Wu Yue, lacking any sense of decency, burst into laughter.
Meng Huaize pressed his lips together, silently getting up. He dusted off the dirt clinging to his clothes and kept his head down, still avoiding Wu Yue’s gaze, only asking, “Has Miss Caizhi left?”
“She’s gone,” Wu Yue replied.
Meng Huaize felt a pang of discomfort in his chest again. It sounded as though Wu Yue and Caizhi were quite close with the way he asked and answered.
“What about Xuezhao?” Meng suddenly asked. “I want to see Xuezhao.”
Wu Yue glanced off to the side, where the ugly demon lay snoring against the base of a wall not far away.
Xuezhao had been basking in the sun, sleeping soundly, but suddenly felt a cold, oppressive pressure. His dangling leg twitched violently, causing the two green leaves that had been resting on his eyelids to fall off. He opened his eyes and was horrified to see the big demon staring at him from nearby.
Wu Yue nonchalantly withdrew his gaze and asked Meng, “Why do you need him?”
“It’s almost noon, so I wanted to ask Xuezhao what he wants to eat,” Meng explained.
“He’s a demon. What does he need food for?” Wu Yue retorted.
Meng shot a look at him, a hint of frustration in his voice. “You’re a demon too, but that hasn’t stopped you from eating.”
Wu Yue’s eyes darkened slightly, and Meng Huaize quickly dropped his head again.
“Fine,” Wu Yue said.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a flash of light in front of Meng Huaize. He instinctively blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw a trembling Xuezhao standing not far away.
“Xuezhao!” Meng Huaize exclaimed, delighted to see him again after just one night.
Xuezhao stood frozen in place, staring at them in a daze, too terrified to move.
“He says he wants to ask you what you want to eat,” Wu Yue said casually. “So, what do you want?”
Xuezhao shook his head hurriedly.
“No, no, no,” Xuezhao shook his head even more vigorously, his paws waving in the air as if afraid Meng wouldn’t believe him. “I-I-I don’t need to eat.”
“It’s really delicious,” Meng Huaize continued to persuade, “You’ve never tasted human food, have you? Give it a try.”
Xuezhao shook his head so vigorously it seemed like it might fall off.
Meng Huaize glared at Wu Yue, who looked completely innocent. “Why are you looking at me?”
Meng Huaize pointed with his hand. “You, go over there.”
Wu Yue obediently shuffled a few steps to the side, putting some distance between them.
Meng Huaize crouched down in front of Xuezhao and tirelessly coaxed him for a while. Eventually, Xuezhao collapsed on the ground, looking so pitiful he was about to start crying again.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Meng Huaize panicked, flailing helplessly. “Don’t cry, you don’t have to eat it, just please don’t cry.”
It took him a long time to calm the demon down. When he finally stood up, both mentally and physically exhausted, he glanced over at Wu Yue and despaired at how much trouble this big demon was causing.
Wu Yue, meanwhile, was holding some of Meng Huaize’s prized plants, sifting through them and picking out the ones he thought looked nice.
He looked at Meng Huaize and raised an eyebrow. “Come here.”
Meng Huaize turned to leave, wanting nothing more than to avoid seeing Wu Yue. But before he could take more than two steps, a black wolf knocked him solidly to the ground.
Wu Yue quickly shifted back into his human form, his black hair falling over Meng Huaize’s neck, sending a teasing tickle through his skin. Pressing Meng Huaize down, Wu Yue took one of the flowers he had just picked and tucked it into Meng Huaize’s hair.
Meng Huaize frowned and struggled. “What are you doing?!”
“Don’t move.” Wu Yue’s voice deepened, and Meng Huaize, momentarily entranced by the tone, froze in place.
Wu Yue had seen Caizhi tuck two flowers behind her ear earlier, which gave him the sudden impulse to tease Meng Huaize in the same way. Now, with the red petals contrasting against Meng Huaize’s pale face, the delicate touch added an unexpected allure. Wu Yue’s heart seemed to skip a beat.
He tilted his head and smiled. “Looks good.”
Not far away, Xuezhao sniffled, quietly picking up the two green leaves that had fallen earlier and placing them back over his eyes, one on each side.
Meng Huaize’s face flushed slightly. He turned his gaze away, muttering softly in dissatisfaction, “What are you doing…”
“That woman had them here just now…” Wu Yue began to explain, but before he could finish, Meng Huaize’s expression darkened. He managed to free an arm and yanked the flower out of his hair, throwing it at Wu Yue’s face with no hesitation.
Wu Yue dodged, and Meng Huaize used the opportunity to break free. He scrambled to his feet and, under Wu Yue’s puzzled gaze, stormed back into the house in a huff.