I walked for several hundred meters, glancing back secretly to see that Huang Jiu was still following me. I smiled with satisfaction. If Huang Xian'er comes asking, it wasn't me who took Huang Jiu away; it came of its own accord, so it's not my problem.
I didn't pay much attention to Huang Jiu along the way, and it figured out my thoughts, quietly following behind. Just as we were about to enter the town, Huang Jiu caught up to me and said ingratiatingly, "Li Xiaoge, look, we're almost in the crowd. You've got to help me, or else..."
"Or else, I'll be like a rat crossing the street, everyone shouting at me?" I finished its sentence and stopped to take a rest.
Huang Jiu squinted its small eyes and chuckled twice.
I sized it up and stroked my chin, "I still prefer you when you're rebellious, calling me Little Li Zi. How about you go back to that?"
"No way, Li Ge, from now on, you're my brother. If anyone dares to call you Little Li Zi, I, Huang Jiu, will be the first to take issue!" Huang Jiu, wearing flower-patterned shorts, jumped onto a withered tree stump.
It looked like it was ready to raise one hand to the sky and swear an oath.
However, this issue must be settled with it; otherwise, it could call me several different names in its mouth.
"You want to come into the city with me?"
Huang Jiu nodded eagerly.
I said, "Then we have to calculate properly. Look at you, with this appearance, once we get to the city, you won't be able to show your face. I'll have to manage everything for you—food, drink, and bathroom, right?"
Huang Jiu's eyes darted around, but since what I said was true, it couldn't find any excuse or reason.
I continued, "All that adds up to quite an expense, doesn't it?"
Huang Jiu shyly said, "I'll try to eat less. Bro, look, I even brought some things out with me."
It mysteriously leaned in and pulled out a jade bracelet and a few small gold beans.
I swatted its hand away, saying, "Don't think I'm a fool just because I've never had tap water. If you try to sell this stuff, you'll be in jail by tomorrow."
It knew better than anyone where these things came from.
With no other choice, Huang Jiu grumbled, "How about I just owe you?"
"No way!" I flatly refused, "You should go back and keep your wife company!"
Huang Jiu shivered and quickly shook its head, "No, no, absolutely not. I can't stand being around that wicked woman for another day. It feels like hell!"
Its description was somewhat relatable.
"This won't do, that won't do. What do you propose?" I spread my hands, ready to enter the town alone.
Huang Jiu rushed up, grabbing my pants leg, "Li Ge, what do you want me to do?"
I had been waiting for it to say that for quite some time.
"I say, how can you be so stubborn? You never give up until you've hit rock bottom. You know exactly what I want, right?" I said with some exasperation.
Previously, I thought Huang Jiu was simple-minded based on what Grandpa said, but now I wasn't so sure.
It was quite cunning.
Huang Jiu hesitated for a few seconds before gritting its teeth and saying, "I can't give you the Buddha bone relic, but I can lend it to you. You can take it whenever you need it. How about that?"
Looking at its expression, it seemed like this was its bottom line.
I thought for a moment—if I could take it whenever I needed it, then it would be the same as if I had my own. Besides, having a holy object from the Buddhist world in my hand every day wouldn't be a good thing.
I nodded in agreement, and Huang Jiu immediately became excited, hopping around with joy.
However, bringing it into the city wasn't as simple as bringing a pet.
I took half the things out of my bag and let it hide inside.
With Huang Jiu around, the journey became more lively.
From it, I learned that it and Huang Xian'er were a couple by chance, but the "chance" was Huang Xian'er's doing, while it remained a "young, unmarried yellow fox."
Of the seven little yellow foxes, only one was its biological child.
I couldn't help but feel a little emotional after hearing that, jokingly saying, "Others might only marry a table of Mahjong players, but you, you've got an entire football team. You're quite the model husband!"
In response to my teasing, Huang Jiu said with a sigh, "Actually, my wife is quite good to me."
In its eyes, there was a hint of reluctance.
Just as I was starting to think of it as a "good husband," Huang Jiu's eyes suddenly lit up. It leapt out of the bag, one foot on the backpack and the other on my head, exclaiming energetically, "Born a yellow fox, I shall roam the world, experience the flowers and the bright lights..."
Its high-pitched voice was suddenly cut off when I shoved it back into the bag.
In the small mountain town, there weren't many people, but there were still some passing by.
"Keep your voice down. If you keep acting like this when we reach the provincial capital, you'll definitely be caught and dissected, studied for ten or twenty years," I threatened.
Huang Jiu was somewhat scared, as a talking yellow fox knew its uniqueness.
There was a bus to the provincial capital from the town, and I bought the ticket. We boarded smoothly.
At 4 pm, the bus reached the provincial station.
Having not eaten or drunk all day, I was both thirsty and hungry.
But as soon as I got off the bus, I was immediately stunned by the bustling scene in front of me.
The farthest I had been was the county town, where I spent three years.
But since my family wasn't well-off, I spent most of those three years inside the school, rarely going out.
Thankfully, during those three years, I learned quite a bit and gained a broader perspective.
I bought a bottle of water from a roadside stall, and while drinking it, I ran into a migrant worker who had won fifty thousand in a lottery but didn't have the fare to go to Beijing to claim the prize. He wanted to sell his winning tab for 100 yuan.
I got scared and quickly walked away.
I hailed a taxi and told the driver to take me to Qingning Street, No. 85.
The driver sized me up the whole way, and when we arrived, he charged me a full 50 yuan.
Being new to the city, I didn't argue, and I paid up without question.
However, when the taxi driver reversed, he slammed into the flowerbed.
Huang Jiu stuck its head out sneakily and muttered disdainfully, "Does he really think we've never had tap water before?"
I couldn't help but smile knowingly.
The 100 yuan I had given the driver was actually just a piece of white paper.
If you think about it, I actually made a profit of 50 yuan.
I patted the bag and reminded Huang Jiu, "Keep it down. I've heard there are a lot of capable people in the city. Don't let them discover you and eliminate you."
Huang Jiu quickly shrank back into the bag.
I found Qingning Street No. 85 according to the street signs.
It was a shop with antique-style decoration. In front of the door was a half-meter-high fish tank with a few feng shui fish swimming inside.
The sign read: "Li Ji Consulting."
There were wooden plaques on both sides with an odd couplet:
Left side: "Fortune-telling and divination will ensure your success." Right side: "Feng Shui and geomancy will protect your ancestors for generations."
I frowned and double-checked the address.
Qingning Street No. 85, no mistake.
My uncle runs a place like this in the city?
No wonder every time he came home, when my father asked what he did for a living, he always gave a vague answer.
And the couplet—it was full of Grandpa's style!
All in all, my impression was summed up in three words: "Unreliable!"