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墨書 Inktalez
On the sixth day of November, it was a rainy day.
Xing Ruyi rarely overslept and got up early. The fox was making porridge with Yin Yuan in the kitchen, where many red beans and coix seeds were laid out on the countertop. Xing Ruyi quietly approached but was unexpectedly caught in a hug by the fox as it turned around. Yin Yuan quickly covered his eyes, but his gaze peeked through the gaps between his fingers. With a slight smirk, he said, "Consort Ruyi, Father Fox, could you please consider my mental health as a child?"
Xing Ruyi reached out and lightly flicked Yin Yuan's forehead, saying, "If you want to look, do it openly. Sneaking peeks is not appropriate. Besides, Father Fox and I haven't done anything inappropriate that would affect your mental health!"
Yin Yuan lowered his hands and grinned mischievously, whispering to the fox, "Could it be that Father Fox has already done something inappropriate with Mother?"
The fox gave Yin Yuan a serious glance and asked, "What does that have to do with you?"
"Of course it matters!" Yin Yuan puffed out his chest. "You know I have no objections to having another little fox brother or a human sister."
"You're thinking quite far ahead!" Xing Ruyi lightly flicked Yin Yuan's forehead again and turned to the fox, asking, "What are you cooking?"
"Coix seed and red bean porridge!" The fox replied, lowering its head to steal a kiss from Xing Ruyi's cheek. "I noticed you've been sleeping poorly these past few days and haven't had much of an appetite, so I thought I'd make you some porridge."
"Well, it's rare for you to be so thoughtful!" Xing Ruyi happily wrapped her arms around the fox's neck, ignoring Yin Yuan's protesting gaze, and kissed the fox's cheek lightly. "In the Shennong Bencao Jing, coix seeds are listed as top-quality ingredients. They can treat dampness and benefit the stomach and intestines, reduce water retention, and strengthen the spleen and stomach while promoting energy. Red beans, known as chi dou in traditional Chinese medicine, have similar effects but also nourish the heart due to their red color. Cooking coix seeds and red beans into porridge allows for easy absorption by the body without burdening the spleen and stomach. With such a thoughtful husband like you, I will definitely finish every last bit!"
"That's good to hear; it makes my efforts as a dignified fox spirit worthwhile!" The fox said, playfully tapping Xing Ruyi's nose. "It's raining today; do you still want to open the shop? If not, I can take you out for a walk."
"I want to go too!" Yin Yuan raised his chubby hand in protest.
The fox glanced at him indifferently and said, "The front door is right there; we aren't stopping you!"
"Father Fox, do you think it's appropriate to bully a child like this?"
"I think it's very appropriate!" The fox replied as it picked up Xing Ruyi. "The porridge is ready! You should eat some; no need to finish it all—save some room because I'm taking you out for delicious food."
Xing Ruyi nodded, squatting down and looking at Yin Yuan's pouting face, asking, "Are you feeling envious and jealous?"
"Hmph!" Yin Yuan turned around and walked out.
"Aren't you going to eat the porridge?" Xing Ruyi called out, unable to hide her laughter.
"I'm not eating! I don't have insomnia or irritability, so why would I eat barley and red bean porridge? I'm going to Sister Si's Family to ask for a chicken leg!" Yin Yuan replied stubbornly, not forgetting to grumble, "Yin Yuan is indeed an adopted child; Father Fox doesn't care, and Mother Fox doesn't love me."
Xing Ruyi covered her mouth and burst into laughter.
The fox still maintained a serious demeanor, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. Xing Ruyi poked him with her finger and asked, "If it were our biological child, would you treat him the same way?"
"If it were a son, I would!"
"Why?" Xing Ruyi asked curiously, thinking that perhaps all the foxes were just doting on their daughters.
The fox glanced at Xing Ruyi and replied calmly with a few words: "Because he is male!"
"I see, boys should be raised freely while girls should be nurtured carefully!"
"That's not it!"
"Then what is it?"
"Because I won't allow other men to cling to you or be close to you, nor will I permit you to be nice to other men, even if he is my son!" The fox said seriously, with a touch of sternness in his tone.
Xing Ruyi knew that the fox was domineering, but she never expected him to be so unreasonable. She shook her head and said, "Forget it, I guess I'll just have a daughter!"
"Why?" This time it was the fox who asked.
"Because being your son would be pitiful! A daughter, well, even though you would spoil her and love her, my heart is broader than yours. I wouldn't be so petty as to be jealous of my own daughter."
"Of course you wouldn't!" The fox was confident, but the next thing he said shocked Xing Ruyi.
The fox said, "I will have our daughter raised by the clan's wet nurse. Our Fox Clan is different from your human race; even a newborn infant can survive independently."
"What if the daughter I give birth to is a mortal?"
"That won't happen!" The fox calculated with his fingers. "At the very least, she will have half of the Fox Clan bloodline!"
At this point, Xing Ruyi was completely unsettled. She even felt a bit jealous of her yet-to-be-born daughter, who may or may not exist in the future. It was simply because her daughter would be a mortal while their children would at least have half of the Fox Clan bloodline. Having the Fox Clan bloodline meant more time spent with the fox. As a mortal, even with Ghost Technique, she could not live for a thousand years. After a year, she would turn eighteen. People of the Golden Tang Dynasty did not age easily, which is why there are sayings about how rare it is for someone to live to seventy. Between her and the fox, they had only a few decades left together.
Thinking of this, Xing Ruyi's mood instantly sank. Holding the red bean and barley porridge that the fox had just made, her eyes quickly filled with tears. In a low voice, she murmured, "Fox, what should I do? I can't bear to part with you!"
"Fool!" The fox embraced her and sighed softly.
As Xing Ruyi's husband, he knew very well what troubled her.
"Trust me, I will find a way. Even if we miss this life together, we will have future lives and lives beyond that. Don't forget, you were the one who helped Meng Po find her job; when the time comes, whether we take the back door or act tough and unreasonable, I won't let you drink Meng Po Soup. I will make sure you remember me in every lifetime, and I will seek you out in every lifetime."
Xing Ruyi's heart warmed as she wiped away her tears and fed the fox a spoonful of porridge. "What do you mean by every lifetime? You already monopolized me for two lifetimes; do you want to keep doing this forever? I don't want that! I still want to find other handsome men; after all, no matter how good-looking you are, seeing you for decades or even hundreds of years becomes numb."
Xing Ruyi's two lives are in the present and the Golden Tang Dynasty. One is a neurotic Xing Ruyi who stays at home writing, while the other runs a Ruyi Rouge shop in the Golden Tang Dynasty, possessing ghostly skills and dealing with various demons and monsters. Upon careful consideration, life has treated her very well, providing her with two completely different and exciting lives. The most fortunate part is that in both of these lives, there are foxes present.
The red bean and barley porridge made by the fox carries a mix of emotions, making it taste complex and rich.
After breakfast, she changed her clothes, originally intending to go out for a stroll with the fox. However, just as she stepped out the door, she heard a servant report that a special guest had arrived at the shop.
Since business cannot be neglected, Xing Ruyi, under the slightly displeased gaze of the fox, sweetly kissed his lips. After a tender moment, she was finally allowed to go out and greet the guests.
A man and a woman entered; the man was in his early twenties, while the girl appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen. Both were dressed in blue clothing. The difference was that the girl wore a conical hat with white gauze surrounding it, obscuring her features just enough to give a vague impression of her face.
Seeing Xing Ruyi come out, the man nodded slightly and politely asked, "Are you the manager of the Ruyi Rouge shop?"
"That would be me, Xing Ruyi. May I ask who you are?"
"My name is Fang Ping, and this is my fiancée, Luo Luo!"
"Luo Luo? What a unique name!" Xing Ruyi smiled and led them to sit at a table.
"The name Ruyi is also quite lovely!" Once seated, Luo Luo spoke up. Her voice was clear and melodious like that of a young girl, perfectly matching her name.
"I wonder what brings you both here today? Are you looking to choose something? My main offerings are rouge and face powder, but if you have other needs, I can customize them for you. Of course, they will be more expensive than ready-made products, but they will definitely be worth it."
"We understand the rules here at Ruyi. Before coming here, I had already inquired thoroughly with Ping!" Luo Luo said as she removed her conical hat. Upon seeing this, Xing Ruyi was momentarily taken aback. It turned out that Luo Luo had white hair!
Noticing Xing Ruyi's expression, Luo Luo showed a hint of apology on her face. She lowered her head and said softly, "I hope I didn't startle you with my appearance."
"Scared? Not really, just a bit surprised!"
"Surprised that Luo Luo at such a young age has a head full of white hair?" Luo Luo smiled, her smile bright and showing no signs of insecurity about her white hair. "To be honest, miss, this hair is natural."
"Natural white hair?" Xing Ruyi looked at her seriously.
She had seen examples of natural white hair before, but those were mostly children with albinism. However, Luo Luo was clearly not one of them. She had delicate features and a beautiful appearance, and there was no sign of frailty about her. The contrast between her head of white hair and her skin, which was as smooth as jade, was quite harmonious. However, since most people had black hair, even if her white hair looked beautiful, it would inevitably attract attention on the streets and might lead to others calling her a "monster."
It seemed that Luo Luo guessed what Xing Ruyi was thinking. She looked up at Fang Ping and said, "Luo Luo has lived in the mountains with my parents since birth. If I hadn't met Ping, I might never have come out into the world."
"They fear you because they are ignorant!" Fang Ping gently held Luo Luo's hand. "I know you are a good girl, one of the best in this world."
"Ping!" Luo Luo shyly pulled her hand away and glanced at Xing Ruyi. "Actually, it's not entirely true that my hair is natural. According to my mother, when I was born, although I didn't have much hair, it was all black. But on the night of my first full moon, a strong wind blew and knocked me off the bed. When my mother picked me up again, my hair had turned from black to white. Later on, my parents worried that I would be seen as a monster and looked down upon by others, so they took me to live in seclusion in the mountains. Originally, I didn't mind this white hair; neither did Ping."
"Though I don't mind it, I want to marry Luo Luo properly," Fang Ping said with some excitement in his voice. "My parents are ordinary people, and our relatives and neighbors have never seen much of the world, so..."
"So you came to find me!" Xing Ruyi rested her chin on her hand and pointed with her lips. "You want to help Luo Luo turn her white hair back to black so she can happily marry into your family and be accepted by your parents, relatives, and neighbors. You heard from others about a shop called Ruyi Rouge in Luoyang City and came here for our current conversation."
"Ruyi is completely right!" Fang Ping raised his hand in salute. "I ask you to help Luo Luo!"
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