Li Ting put on his outer robe and walked into the courtyard. Bai Qianjing was still standing in the center of the yard, clutching the pillow Li Ting had thrown at him and staring with a face full of accusation. The little fox gave a short click of his tongue. “It is only because you barged in and startled me. Give me back my pillow.”
Bai Qianjing pointed an accusing finger at him. “You hit me right in the face! What kind of best friend does that?”
Li Ting grabbed the pointing finger and pressed it against his own cheek. “This kind of best friend is right here. Next time, do not come in without knocking.”
The peacock was left speechless by Li Ting’s sheer audacity. He knew it was indeed wrong to burst in, but Bai Qianjing also knew that was not the main point. The real point was that when he entered, he saw Li Ting’s nine tails being held by Xu Yanqiu!
“Why did you let him hold your tails while he slept?” Bai Qianjing withdrew his hand and followed close behind Li Ting, who was walking toward the flower beds. “I know you two have always been close, but since when did you get this close? You never even let me hold a tail!”
“Are my tails meant for you to hold?” Li Ting sighed, squatting by the flower bed to check the seedlings. Bai Qianjing squatted down beside him, continuing his chatter. “Yes, yes. I begged you so many times in the past, and you would not even let me touch them. I have known you my whole life and have only managed to grab them twice during a fight. How is it that he gets to touch all of them?”
Li Ting glanced at him. As expected, there was no jealousy or resentment on his friend’s face, only intense curiosity. His face practically screamed, “Tell me everything!” The little fox stroked the tender leaves of a seedling and said in a low voice, “Yesterday, I seem to have released my true form without realizing it.”
“That is a sign of a growth period,” Bai Qianjing blurted out. “Your first growth period is coming soon, is it not?”
Li Ting froze. Since arriving in Dongxu Village, everything had been so smooth and pleasant that he had actually forgotten about this. By human standards, he was an adult, but a fox had to go through a growth period before truly being considered a mature adult.
Different species had different numbers of growth periods, and the duration varied greatly. He had once witnessed Bai Qianjing’s growth period, watching him transform from a large peacock into a tiny chick the size of a palm. It took nearly a month for him to pass through it. Furthermore, a peacock had to undergo a second growth period after reaching maturity to truly bid farewell to its past self.
Bai Qianjing was still waiting for his second one, but it seemed Li Ting had reached his first one first.
“Do you need to write a letter to your father?” Bai Qianjing suggested. “You are not an ordinary fox. Neither of us knows exactly what happens during a nine-tailed fox’s growth period.”
“No need,” Li Ting interrupted. “I should be fine. However, I might need you to stay here a bit longer.”
“Of course. How could I miss such a show? Ow! Do not pull my hair! Fine, I know you want me to help you take care of your little fellow.” Bai Qianjing rescued his hair from Li Ting’s grip and whispered, “Do you think he would accept it if you just told him the truth?”
“He would be scared away,” Li Ting said firmly. “Do not tell him.”
“You are the landlord, so you call the shots. Oh, he is coming out.” Bai Qianjing looked back and saw Xu Yanqiu, fully dressed, supporting himself against the doorframe as he stepped out. He walked along the corridor toward the kitchen at a pace that was not slow at all. Bai Qianjing noticed he was holding a rope in his hand and nudged Li Ting’s shoulder. “I wanted to ask you yesterday. Is that rope you strung around the yard for him?”
Li Ting looked up and saw that Xu Yanqiu had safely navigated the corridor and entered the kitchen. Only then did he look back down at the plants. “I originally thought about adding bells, but the wind would have made them ring.”
He had decided against the bells to avoid disturbing Xu Yanqiu.
Bai Qianjing sighed. “How should I describe you? A hopeless romantic? Or a fool?”
“Brother Li?” Xu Yanqiu’s voice came from the kitchen door. Li Ting replied, “I am here.”
Bai Qianjing watched as the little blind boy walked over as quickly as a puppy. It was clear he had walked this path countless times; there was not a single hesitation in his steps. If it were not for his hollow gaze, Bai Qianjing might have believed his eyes could see.
Xu Yanqiu squatted beside Li Ting, one hand resting on the edge of the flower bed. His face was still radiating warmth, a clear sign he had just washed with warm water. Bai Qianjing did not disturb them and stood behind them with his arms crossed, curious to see what Xu Yanqiu would do.
Li Ting looked back at his friend with a look of utter disdain before turning back to Xu Yanqiu. “Are you hungry?”
“I am not hungry.” Xu Yanqiu seemed exceptionally happy today, his voice rising with excitement. “I want to help Brother Li move the flowers today. We talked about it a few days ago, right?”
“Then go and bring me the small flower pots from the west side first.” As soon as Li Ting finished speaking, a gust of wind seemed to rush past him. He paused, looking at Xu Yanqiu’s retreating back in confusion along with Bai Qianjing. “What is with him?”
“You are asking me? You are the one sharing a bed with him.” Bai Qianjing curled his lip. “If you do not know, how could I? But it is clear he is very cheerful today.”
Xu Yanqiu was indeed joyful. He had found a goal: to work harder than ever to help Li Ting with anything he could. Whether it was moving flowers, warming the bed, or anything else, he even wanted to cook a full meal for Li Ting. He wanted to protect Li Ting in his own way.
The little blind boy ran over cheerfully and returned carefully clutching a small flower pot. These pots were made of thin porcelain; he would be devastated if he dropped and broke them.
Li Ting was willing to spend a lot on his plants. One of these pots cost as much as two or three flatbreads. At first, Xu Yanqiu thought they were too expensive, but now, as long as Li Ting liked them, he was willing to go to the market to buy them himself.
Xu Yanqiu handed the small pot to Li Ting, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and squatted beside him again. He felt for the small iron shovel and, under Li Ting’s guidance, gently dug a seedling out of the bed and placed it in the pot.
“Brother Li, I did not break it, did I?” Xu Yanqiu let out a sigh of relief only after the weight on the shovel disappeared. “Is the seedling okay?”
“It is fine.” Li Ting stared at the boy’s expectant face, unsure of what to say. “Xiao Qiu, there is no need for you to help me. I can do this myself.”
“But I want to help Brother Li,” Xu Yanqiu said firmly. “If I can do the first one well, I can do the second and the third.”
“I did not say you could not do it. I am just worried you will get tired.” Li Ting wanted to rub the boy’s head, but his hands were covered in mud, so he gave up. Xu Yanqiu shook his head. “I am not tired. I will continue.”
Bai Qianjing watched in amazement. It was as if the little blind boy were trying to sell himself as a permanent laborer for Li Ting. He was practically begging for work.
Seeing how motivated he was, Li Ting could not bring himself to refuse. He simply told him to be careful not to cut his hands. Before he could say more, there was a knock at the door. Bai Qianjing raised his hand. “I will get it.”
“Someone is at the door.” Xu Yanqiu turned toward Li Ting. “Brother Li?”
“It is fine. Qianjing went to open it.” Li Ting looked toward the gate and did not notice the blush on Xu Yanqiu’s face. Had Master Bai heard everything he just said?
It was embarrassing, but those were his true feelings. Xu Yanqiu took a deep breath and continued his work. What did embarrassment matter as long as he could help Brother Li?
Bai Qianjing spoke with the person at the door for a moment. When he returned, his face was clouded with suspicion. He pulled Li Ting aside and lowered his voice. “Li Ting, it is Xiao Qiu’s cousin at the door. He is looking for him.”
Xu Yanqiu was focused on the flowers and did not hear them. Li Ting looked toward the gate and patted Bai Qianjing’s back. “I will go see.”
The visitor was indeed Xu Yanqiu’s cousin, Xu Wu. He looked confused when he saw Li Ting approach, but he was mostly surprised. On the day his wife had chased him with a knife, he had seen this man laughing and talking with Gao Cheng, so he assumed they were on good terms.
“Master, I am looking for Xu Yanqiu,” Xu Wu said with a fawning smile, nervously rubbing his hands together. “The villagers told me he is staying here?”
“Why are you looking for him?” Li Ting asked coldly. He had no good impression of Xu Wu and had no intention of being polite. If he were not afraid of scaring Xu Yanqiu, he would have slammed the door in Xu Wu’s face.
“It is about Constable Gao. He said if I want my wife to forgive me, I need Yanqiu to come out and testify.”
“Testify? About what?” Li Ting had not expected this. Xu Wu continued shamelessly, “Everyone in Dongxu Village knows Yanqiu is the reason my family lost our child. That is just how it is! Is it not normal for him to come out and say a few words? Everyone believes he did it anyway. That cursed boy is a jinx; it is perfectly possible he cursed a child to death! Ow!”
Before he could finish, Li Ting slapped him across the face. The slap was powerful enough to knock the grown man backward onto the ground. He clutched his reddened face and wailed about the Li family’s son hitting people.
Li Ting was still furious and kicked him in the leg. Xu Wu’s fake wailing turned into genuine screams. “My leg! Someone come quickly! He is killing me!”
It was the time when those who had started farming early were returning. Xu Wu’s shrill voice attracted a crowd of curious onlookers. They were not surprised to see Xu Wu, but they were shocked to see the son of the Li family being the one to strike him.
“Why would such a nice young master hit someone?”
“He always seemed so kind.”
Li Ting, who was well prepared for the darker side of human nature, grabbed the door handle and slammed his own gate shut. He then stepped on Xu Wu’s foot without hesitation. Amidst Xu Wu’s howls of pain, Li Ting’s lips curled into a smile. He spoke with a grin, but his words chilled Xu Wu to the bone. “You want a witness? I will be your witness. You frequented the entertainment houses and killed your own flesh and blood with your own hands, only to frame someone else.”
“You! What right do you have to say I killed my own child! What evidence do you have!”
“Evidence?” Li Ting sneered and increased the pressure on the man’s foot. “I am sorry, but I actually do have it.”