Chapter 64: Just Foolish

The two boys didn’t understand a word of the conversation between the women. They took the opportunity to rub their aching shoulders and massage their behinds—don’t be fooled by how thin willow branches are; they sting when they whip, a sharp, lingering pain. The pain made them grimace and suck in cold breaths, which only made Old Madam Chen and Granny Liu’s hearts tighten even more.

Where did these demons and monsters come from? Thank goodness nothing truly terrible had happened yet.

Old Madam Chen and Granny Liu exchanged a determined look. They were resolved. Meanwhile, little Liu, left unattended, began glancing nervously around. He dreaded that once the willow switches broke, the grannies might switch to broom handles—thick as a wrist, a single blow from those would lay anyone low.

He couldn’t afford to raise the children of Xiao Shun and the others! It wasn’t that he was unwilling, just powerless.

At that moment, Bai Xi was on her way back from the foot of the mountain with Chen Rui.

Noticing the bamboo basket on her back shift uneasily, Chen Rui reached back to steady it. Even now, she still hadn’t quite recovered from earlier.

When her grandaunt had asked her to carry the basket, she hadn’t thought much of it. But after leaving the treehouse, her grandaunt had led her this way and that, eventually heading down the path toward the foot of the mountain. Chen Rui had stopped in her tracks, remembering the adults’ strict warnings.

But Bai Xi clearly knew how to deal with her; with just a couple of light remarks, Chen Rui had no choice but to follow.

“I’m taking Little Black for a walk. If you don’t want to come, then go back.”

“And don’t even think about tattling. Otherwise, you’d better watch your backside. I’m your grandaunt—are there places here I can’t go?”

Knowing she couldn’t dissuade Bai Xi, Chen Rui hesitated for only a moment before following along.

“Grandaunt, are we really just taking Little Black for a walk?” Actually, what Chen Rui wanted to say was that a walk could be taken in the village; there was no need to go up the mountain. And who needed a bamboo basket just for a stroll?

“Of course,” Bai Xi replied.

She smiled faintly, her eyes dark and bright, her round little face full of sincerity.

Yet Chen Rui couldn’t say why, but she just didn’t quite believe it.

Oh well, since grandaunt insisted on going up the mountain, who was she to stop her?

She couldn’t possibly let grandaunt go up the mountain alone. At worst, if they really ran into any venomous snakes or wild beasts, let them chase her grandaunt; at least Bai Xi would be able to make her escape in the chaos.

Bai Xi had no idea what Chen Rui was thinking. She walked along the path toward the foot of the mountain, grumbling as the wild grass and reeds on either side scratched her: “Little Black, you’re still too small.”

If only Little Black were bigger, she could ride him and avoid walking herself—and steer clear of these pesky grasses and reeds.

Chen Rui was already trying her best to part the grass for Bai Xi, but after a recent rain, the weeds had grown fast. The path, once half a meter wide, was now half overtaken.

Little Black ran ahead, sniffing here and there. At Bai Xi’s words, he turned back to look at her and whimpered, “Mistress, I’m trying my best to grow up. Soon I’ll be able to carry you!”

Bai Xi often brought this up when bored, so Little Black knew exactly what she meant.

Bai Xi hadn’t really lied to Chen Rui. When they reached the spot at the foot of the mountain where she’d found Little Black, Bai Xi stopped and patted his head: “Go on, then!”

With that, Little Black, standing beside her, threw back his head and howled before dashing into the woods.

At his tiger-like roar, Bai Xi’s expression froze in distaste. Chen Rui, startled, couldn’t help but ask, “Grandaunt, why does Little Black have to howl before going for a walk?”

“He’s just dumb.”

Little Black, bounding into the woods, stumbled and nearly ran into a tree.

“What?” Chen Rui stared in surprise.

Bai Xi said nothing more, thinking, He really is dumb—sent to hunt, and instead of sneaking up quietly, he announces himself with a roar, warning all the game to run. Isn’t that just sounding the alarm for the prey?

Now, Bai Xi was seriously beginning to wonder if something was wrong with Little Black’s intelligence. She remembered that spirit beasts were supposed to be clever—could Little Black be the exception?

The reason she’d brought Little Black hunting today was partly because she was annoyed by Xiao Shun and the others and bored at home, and partly because her divine power cultivation had made a bit of progress. She couldn’t eat fish every day.

Little Black, feeling his mistress’s disdain, was both ashamed and embarrassed. He’d just gotten excited after not being in the mountains for so long and howled without thinking, forgetting it would scare the game away.

Realizing his mistake, he vowed to himself that he wouldn’t show his face to his mistress again today if he didn’t catch at least two wild rabbits.

Bai Xi wasn’t worried about letting Little Black go alone into the woods; as long as he stayed within her divine sense and didn’t act too stupid, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Perhaps wanting to redeem himself in Bai Xi’s eyes, Little Black returned in just over ten minutes, excitedly carrying a wild rabbit in his jaws.

Chen Rui, who had been shelling peanuts for Bai Xi as she sat on a rock, was delighted. “Grandaunt, look! A wild rabbit! Little Black caught a rabbit—he’s amazing!”

Bai Xi had already seen it through her divine sense and only lifted her eyelids with a faint nod while chewing her peanuts. “Not completely useless,” she said.

Puffed up by Chen Rui’s praise, Little Black held his head high. As for the rabbit, trembling, it lay on the ground, too dazed to even think of running after being carried all the way by a beast.

Chen Rui’s bright eyes curved into crescents with her smile.

“So Little Black’s walk is really a hunt? That’s amazing!” It was the highest praise she could think of. This was far better than the hunting dogs Old Li kept—no wonder grandaunt wanted to bring Little Black up the mountain.

Though he enjoyed Chen Rui’s praise, what Little Black yearned for most was his mistress’s approval. He circled the rock twice and rubbed his head against Bai Xi’s leg.

Mistress, mistress, there’ll be meat to eat today!

Bai Xi, exasperated, relented at his pleading look and patted his head in consolation.

Only then did Little Black contentedly glance at the trembling, nearly-fainted rabbit and nudge Chen Rui to put it in the basket.

Though unable to speak beast language, Chen Rui understood his meaning from his expression and where he looked. Having followed Bai Xi together, with their mutual grumbling and growing understanding, she was the person Little Black was most familiar with aside from Bai Xi.

As he dashed into the forest again, Little Black lifted his head, preparing to howl, but suddenly felt two pairs of eyes on him. He glanced back, remembered himself, then whimpered awkwardly at Bai Xi and scampered away.

(I’ll work on fixing my habit of being so noisy.)