"Here we go, Fuzzy is going to take a bath..."
Yu Xueqing grabbed the scruff of the fox's neck with one hand, walked towards the bathroom, and then placed Ansheng in an antique-level large red basin.
Yu Xueqing moved to the electric water heater to adjust the water temperature.
In Changxi Town, although the self-built houses could be as grand as a manor, without exception, no matter how luxurious, none had widespread access to piped gas.
Solar and electric water heaters were mainstream here.
Seeing Yu Xueqing adjust the water temperature, Ansheng didn't idle around like a master but squatted in the red basin, gradually leaning his back against the basin's edge, totally exposing his furry underbelly and fluffy fur.
Yet, amidst this fluff, near his belly area, was a black circle, like the bullseye on a target.
Ansheng looked gravely up at the bright overhead light and then guardedly at Yu Xueqing.
During bath time, other matters were insignificant. The only important thing was that the vital spots were exposed to the light.
Ansheng watched Yu Xueqing warily, as if he were facing a major adversary.
Seeing her family's fox putting on a do-or-die stance, Yu Xueqing couldn't help but wear an awkward expression.
At home, there were two places Xiaolan wouldn't go.
The first was the kitchen if Yu Xueqing was there, the second was the bathroom with her presence.
On the first day of adopting Xiaolan, Yu Xueqing was inexperienced. When cleaning him, she mistook the black circle on Xiaolan's belly for his belly button and poked the center with a finger full of body wash.
At that moment, Yu Xueqing heard the little fox's scream of terror mixed with pain for the first time.
The fox, once solitary, became a bundle.
It turned out the black bullseye on his belly had no relation to a belly button.
Yu Xueqing's divine mistake almost hit the fox's jingle right off.
Since then, whenever they were in the bathroom together, the fox would always stand in the brightest spot and had deep wariness towards Yu Xueqing.
As to why Ansheng refused to enter the kitchen if Yu Xueqing was there?
Because, when Yu Xueqing was cooking, she splashed hot oil on the fox's tail.
For the first time, Ansheng had a profound understanding of his jumping ability.
He was peacefully nuzzling Yu Xueqing to coax her into buying him soda.
Instead of getting a lemon-flavored soda, hot oil splattered onto his tail, and he almost missed falling three inches into the pot to be cooked with the fish.
"I checked Qian Du and know where the belly button is..."
With a floating gaze, Yu Xueqing nervously explained to the fox.
Honestly, amidst snowy white, that black protrusion was really hard to not draw attention.
Yu Xueqing reached out a hand.
Ansheng, supporting himself against the basin with his tail, lifted a hind leg and stopped Yu Xueqing's hand with it.
Yu Xueqing withdrew her hand, switched direction, and extended her hand again.
The fox extended a leg perfectly, pinning her wrist.
After staring at each other for a moment, Yu Xueqing silently picked up the bath ball.
"So unfair, not a shred of trust..."
After cleaning and blowing dry Ansheng, Yu Xueqing tossed the fox into the bedroom and grabbed her clothes to head to the bathroom.
Reclining on the bed, Ansheng stretched luxuriously, feeling invigorated rather than weary from the nightfall.
Closing his eyes, Ansheng began browsing through his [Wish List] in his mind.
As expected, there was a new wish related to Yu Xueqing.
"Sigh — no trust left, what kind of pet is so wary of its owner. Yu Xueqing, full of sadness, mutters while bathing and scrubbing."
[Wish Fulfilled: Foxy Brand Double-Door Refrigerator]
Seeing the wish, Ansheng leapt up in disbelief.
He initially thought Ah Qing would wish for help with live-streaming sales, but unexpectedly, she suddenly wished for a Foxy Double-Door Refrigerator.
A double door naturally meant the little fox laying flat on the ground with limbs spread open.
But after thinking about it, Ansheng felt there wasn't anything wrong with this wish.
In the past, foxes absorbed human Yang Qi to become spirits.
But society progressed, technology developed, and humans started absorbing small animals' Yang Qi instead.
Online, there were even groups led by a user named Lady Shiji, organizing premeditated, large-scale activities to absorb small animals' Yang Qi.
Lady Shiji's appearance and demeanor were sinister beyond words.
"Forget it... The language of the steel wool flower means forbearance, just consider it rent for living in a big mansion."
Ansheng muttered in his heart, sprawled out in a double-door fashion to continue browsing, wanting to see what else on the wish list was easier to fulfill.
After viewing it thoroughly, the easiest wishes to fulfill were a few elementary school kids wishing they didn't have to do homework.
Ansheng twitched slightly at the corners of his eyes because he didn't want to write homework for them either.
Of course, he was quite willing to copy parents' signatures.
Unfortunately, technology progressed so fast that now even parental signatures required facial recognition on WeChat.
Thinking again, Ansheng felt that the easiest wish to fulfill on the list was what Yu Xueqing had wished for him earlier: Tea Mountain's Prosperity and Decline.
Ah Qing's family ran a tea shop, but because of serious market homogeneity, profits gradually dwindled.
Ah Qing's father wanted to pivot, feeling that he had enough expertise to manage a tea plantation after years in the industry.
Of course, he had responsibility for the elderly and children, without the guts to act rashly, so he leased a few acres of forested land up the mountain to try planting and gain experience.
But the trees on those few acres would sometimes thrive and sometimes wither, leaving Ah Qing's father at a loss.
As for why exactly, neither Ah Qing nor her father could figure it out.
But the reason was quite simple; when Ansheng went to that mountain land and took a look, he smelled a familiar scent.
The rented mountain land was essentially a mountain rat den; beneath the soil and tea fields were robust mountain rats chewing roots for fun.
After seeing the land, Ansheng prescribed a remedy for them.
With thirty snakes let loose in there, the hidden pest problem was contained, and the tea trees gradually returned to normal.
As Ansheng thought about checking the mountain tonight to fully resolve the rodent problem,
Yu Xueqing returned to the bedroom after her bath and saw the little fox sprawled out like a pancake, cooling off under the AC on the bed.
Yu Xueqing's eyes lit up as she buried her head into the little fox's chest, making a strange laugh as she sniffed the fox happily.
Does the fox stink? Her Xiaolan had no smell at all, with a slight aroma of plants and honey,
taking a deep sniff felt so intoxicating!
Surprised by Yu Xueqing's belly attack, Ansheng felt extremely ticklish, unconsciously letting out a cooing laugh.
After playing around until eleven o'clock, Yu Xueqing stroked the fox's belly, gradually drifting into sleep.
Ansheng crawled out from beneath the covers, shook off his snow-white fur, eyed the door and air conditioner, and with a sense of heroic resolve, stepped out of the room.
What could make a little fox step out of the air-conditioned room into a hot summer night?
Love, responsibility, or beauty?
If Ansheng were to answer, he'd say it was the aroma of late-night snacks from the auntie's house next door!