Meng Huaize was used to waking up early and rarely ever slept in, but on this particular day, he didn’t wake until almost noon.
Bright sunlight poured through the window, illuminating the bed. Meng Huaize’s eyelids felt heavy as he struggled to open his eyes, his entire body sore, especially his chest, which felt unusually weighted.
Lifting his head, he glanced down to see the wolf cub sprawled out on top of him, belly up, one paw resting against Meng Huaize’s chin.
With a sigh, Meng Huaize let his head fall back onto the pillow.
The movement disturbed the cub, who stretched and yawned lazily, waking up alongside him.
Man and wolf met each other’s gaze, and with a groggy voice, Meng Huaize mumbled, “Can you get off me? You’re really heavy…”
The wolf cub stood up and began to slowly, almost tauntingly, tread across Meng Huaize’s chest and down to his stomach, only to turn around and saunter back. Finally, it planted its front paws on Meng Huaize’s shoulders, staring down at him.
Meng Huaize, unable to hold back a few coughs from the pressure, dared not resist. Instead, he reached out, hoping to give the cub a gentle pat. Before he could do so, he noticed the wolf’s injuries had nearly healed overnight.
Startled, Meng Huaize sat up abruptly, catching Wu Yue off guard and sending the wolf tumbling into his lap.
With his hand on the cub’s back, Meng Huaize examined the wounds that had seemed so severe the night before. Now, they had mostly closed, leaving only faint scabs hidden beneath the fur.
Though he had been shocked once before, Meng Huaize couldn’t help but feel astonished again. The spirit’s ability to heal itself was beyond anything he had encountered.
Wu Yue, noticing Meng Huaize’s awestruck expression, was unimpressed. Spirits had an extraordinary ability to heal. If it weren’t for the loss of his inner core, these injuries wouldn’t have bothered him at all.
The wolf cub yawned lazily under Meng Huaize’s touch. Oddly enough, Wu Yue, who normally would have detested such physical contact, didn’t mind this human’s touch. Maybe it was due to the inner core, but he found it surprisingly comfortable.
After marveling for a moment, Meng Huaize suddenly remembered that he had something important to do.
The day before, he had gone up Chuanki Mountain to gather herbs for Uncle Li’s sick son. After returning late and dealing with the strange events of the night, he had completely lost track of time.
In a rush, Meng Huaize got out of bed without even eating, quickly preparing the medicine to take to Uncle Li.
Not knowing what to do with the wolf cub he had brought back from the mountain, Meng Huaize hesitated and then cautiously suggested, “I’m going to deliver some medicine. Could you stay here and wait for me? Please don’t run off.”
Wu Yue, however, didn’t bother responding. He had never been inside a human house before, and everything was new and fascinating to him. He busied himself rummaging through the drawers, scattering Meng Huaize’s cherished herbs everywhere.
Heart aching at the mess, Meng Huaize trailed behind him, trying to clean up. Finally, with no other options, he decided to take Wu Yue with him.
Before they left, Meng Huaize warned the cub repeatedly, terrified of drawing attention outside.
“Please don’t make any noise, especially don’t talk. If people realize you’re a spirit, it’ll be disastrous. You need to know that in our world, when we see spirits…”
“Shut up,” Wu Yue interrupted impatiently. “Let’s go!”
The medicine could have been carried by hand, but with the wolf cub in tow, Meng Huaize had to pack everything into his medicine box, leaving a small gap for Wu Yue to peek through.
Meng Huaize chose a less populated route, and Wu Yue stuck his head out of the medicine box, watching the world outside with keen curiosity.
The sunlight shone brightly, highlighting the glossy black fur peeking out from the box. Meng Huaize looked down at the cub and found the sight both amusing and a bit pitiful. Feeling a little sorry for him, he reached out to lift the lid further, giving the cub a better view.
“Doctor Meng!”
Just as Meng Huaize was about to lift the lid, a voice called out, startling him. His hand jerked back, and instead of opening the lid, he pressed it down even more firmly.
The voice belonged to a young woman, about seventeen or eighteen years old, leaning against her door with a smile. “Doctor Meng, did you go to the mountain to gather herbs yesterday?”
With one hand firmly pressing down the lid of the box, Meng Huaize forced a smile, still a little shaken. “Yes, Miss Caizhi.”
Caizhi asked, “Are you going to see a patient now?”
“Uncle Li’s son is ill. I’m bringing him some medicine,” Meng Huaize explained quickly, eager to avoid further conversation. With the wolf cub in the box, the last thing he wanted was to linger. “I need to get going, Miss Caizhi.”
Caizhi had hoped to chat a bit more but seeing how rushed Meng Huaize was, she nodded and watched him walk away.
It wasn’t until they were out of sight that Meng Huaize let out a long breath. He wiped the sweat from his brow and lifted the lid of the box, only to meet the glaring golden eyes of the wolf cub.
“W-What is it?” Meng Huaize asked, feeling a little guilty under the cub’s intense gaze.
Wu Yue glared at him, the fur on his head flattened from when Meng Huaize had pressed the lid down earlier.
With a sheepish smile, Meng Huaize smoothed the wolf’s fur and apologized. “I’m sorry for being so clumsy. Did I hurt you?”
Wu Yue, having been unceremoniously squashed into the box, had been fuming. But now, with Meng Huaize’s sincere apology, his anger seemed to dissipate. Huffing, he pulled away from Meng Huaize’s hand, resuming his position at the edge of the box to peek outside, leaving only his fluffy black head in view.
Soon, they arrived at Uncle Li’s house. Before entering, Meng Huaize cautiously asked, “Should I put the lid down?”
When Wu Yue gave no response, Meng Huaize closed the lid of the medicine box. He waited for a moment, and when the wolf cub inside remained quiet, he felt somewhat relieved and entered Uncle Li’s home.
Uncle Li happened to be in the front room and quickly stood up to greet Meng Huaize when he saw him.
“Oh, Doctor Meng, you’ve come!” Uncle Li said, a bit embarrassed as he saw the medicine in Meng Huaize’s hands. “You didn’t have to trouble yourself to bring it over. You could have just sent word, and I’d have come to get it at noon. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Meng Huaize quickly replied.
He handed the medicine to Uncle Li and reminded him of the necessary instructions for its use, which Uncle Li agreed to diligently.
As they spoke, Aunt Li emerged from the kitchen, carrying a bowl. When she saw Meng Huaize, she greeted him as well. “Doctor Meng, you’ve come!”
Meng Huaize smiled and greeted her back, “Aunt Li.”
Just as Aunt Li approached them, the medicine box—which had been still until now—suddenly began to stir. Meng Huaize’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pretended to cough, pressing one hand firmly down on the box.
Aunt Li held a bowl of chicken soup, the rich aroma wafting through the air.
She explained, “Little Yi is sick, and I wasn’t sure what he should eat, so I made some chicken soup to help nourish him. Doctor Meng, why don’t you stay and have lunch with us?”
Uncle Li also insisted that Meng Huaize stay for the meal, grabbing his arm to prevent him from leaving.
“No, no, no,” Meng Huaize stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. He tried to free himself from Uncle Li’s grip, repeatedly saying, “I really can’t stay; I need to get back quickly.”
As soon as he said this, the wolf cub inside the medicine box became even more restless, thumping against the lid with increasing force.
“What’s that noise?” Uncle Li asked curiously.
Aunt Li’s gaze shifted to the medicine box as well, her expression puzzled. “Doctor Meng, what did you bring with you?”
Meng Huaize’s heart raced, unsure how to explain. The wolf cub inside the box, oblivious to Meng Huaize’s rising panic, continued to bounce around energetically. The force of its movements made Meng Huaize’s hand tingle from the vibrations.
Under the curious stares of Aunt Li and Uncle Li, Meng Huaize had no choice but to open the lid briefly. But he quickly closed it before they could get a good look.
Aunt Li asked, “Is it a puppy?”
“Ah?” Meng Huaize was caught off guard, but quickly nodded, seizing the opportunity. “Yes, yes! I found it in the mountains yesterday. It was injured and can’t be exposed to the wind.”
“Oh, I see,” Aunt Li smiled. “Doctor Meng, you’re so kind. You couldn’t bear to leave even a little puppy behind to die.”
Meng Huaize forced a strained smile, eager to leave before anything else could go wrong. But as soon as he took a step, the wolf cub in the box began thumping around again.
Aunt Li and Uncle Li continued to urge him to stay for lunch, and once again, the box fell silent.
Meng Huaize refused, but each time he lifted his foot, the cub inside would start acting up again.
In that moment, Meng Huaize suddenly had an epiphany, as if he finally understood why the wolf cub was making such a fuss.
He hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly asked, “Aunt Li, could you… could you give me some meat to take home?”
The wolf cub inside the box instantly quieted, clearly satisfied.
Aunt Li was momentarily surprised by his request, but quickly agreed. “Of course! I’ll get some for you.”
A short while later, Meng Huaize left Uncle Li’s house carrying a bowl of meat, his face flushed with embarrassment.
He had never asked anyone for food before, and the whole ordeal left him mortified. He walked back in silence, keeping his head down, and only spoke once he was inside his courtyard. Slamming the gate shut behind him, he roughly placed the bowl on the stone table in the yard and tossed the medicine box onto the table before sitting down in a huff.
Wu Yue wasted no time leaping out of the box. He circled the bowl twice before dipping his paw into the broth and licking it off with his tongue. His eyes lit up with delight as he asked, “What is this?”
Meng Huaize was initially both angry and embarrassed, wanting nothing more than to ignore the wolf cub. But seeing the cub’s eyes light up with such joy, his anger started to dissipate, and he couldn’t help but ask, “You’ve never eaten this before?”
Wu Yue was far too engrossed in the food to answer. His paws clutched the edge of the bowl as his head almost disappeared into it, devouring the meal in true wolfish fashion.
He ate greedily yet contentedly, his eyes half-closed in satisfaction, his ears twitching with pleasure.
By the stone table, an old crabapple tree stood, its branches thick and lush. It had been there for many years. It was late spring, and most of the crabapple blossoms had already fallen, leaving only a few stray white petals hidden among the leaves. The green crabapple leaves cast dappled shadows on the table in the sunlight. As a light breeze passed, a few leaves drifted down onto the stone surface.
Watching Wu Yue eat for a while, Meng Huaize picked up one of the fallen leaves and playfully used its tip to tease the soft fur on the wolf cub’s head.
“Hey,” he asked, “Do you have a name, little wolf?”
Wu Yue, though fully absorbed in his meal, still managed to retort, “Who are you calling ‘little wolf’?”
“Big wolf then,” Meng Huaize corrected with a slight smile. “Do you have a name, big wolf?”
The warm spring sun bathed the courtyard, and a gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of the plants and trees. Wu Yue looked up and found himself meeting a pair of clear, gentle eyes with a faint, kind smile in them.
With some reluctance, but still responding, Wu Yue said, “Wu Yue.”
This was the first time he had ever told a human his name.