Fox has no heart part 1

TLNote: I translated this from the audiobook because I couldn’t find the ebook. So, I may have made some mistakes. I tried to let the story flow as smoothly as possible. Hope you enjoy this story as much as I did. I will be posting one part every day.

Part 1

I forgot which year, which month, which dynasty and which emperor it was. I only remembered, that day it snowed very hard. I lazily wrapped myself around the quilt. I closed my eyes and quietly listened to the burning of the fire. My hands and feet were a bit cold. Ever since I drove him away, there was no one to keep me warm in his arms. Forget it. Tomorrow, I will go catch a fat cat to hug and keep me warm. Ah… I was nearly taken away by tiredness.

“Only a fox would sleep so heartlessly.” The god of dreams sat at a side and lamented.

I muttered, “Old man, why are you exaggerating? It’s fine as long as you take me (to the dreamland).”

There were sounds outside. A faint human scent flew over. I didn’t need to smell it. Just by the familiar smell, I knew that Fan Zilan had returned. I frowned slightly. The god of dreams also timely went away.

Fan Zilan came in the room together with the cold wind. He took off his shoes, took off his coat, brushed off the snow from his head and went into my quilt. This was done in one go. He gently turned my shoulder over. His cold lips touched the back of my neck. Until when he saw me mutter unsatisfied did he chuckle.

“I knew you were pretending to be sleeping.”

I said with closed eyes, “Why did you return again?”

“Didn’t I return every time when you abandoned me countless of times ever since from when I was young?”  His lips weren’t well-behaved again. He opened my collar and wandered back and forth on my back. It felt like ice pasted on my skin that couldn’t go away.

I got impatient and pushed him away. I moved to the more inside of the bed.

“Since you came back, then behave well. Don’t disturb my sleep.”

Presumably, he was also tired. Finally, he let go and lay quietly beside me. He didn’t move at all.

The god of dreams appeared again, hung at the end of the bed and chattered, “Yesterday, you left him in the jungle. He walked for a whole day before he was able to get out.”

I humphed.

“Do you know why he could always find the way back?”

I glared at him. “You talk too much today, old man.”

He seemed like he didn’t hear me. “It’s because you’ve never really abandoned him.”

I was startled. When I thought about it, it seemed really to be like that.

I couldn’t remember how many years ago it was. I was picking herbs on the snow mountain. Unintentionally, I saved a five to six-year-old boy from an evil wolf’s mouth. After driving those wolves away, I turned and left. I didn’t expect that he would follow behind me and begged, “Big sister, I beg you to take me with you.”

Although, I’m a fox, but I am a clean-living and honest fox. I was not a fox-spirit (enchantress) who fondled the flowers and trampled the grass. I also didn’t have the thoughts of eating this human child. At that time, I was too lazy to be bothered with him. I walked around the mountain for three days and three nights in one go. I thought that with his young age, he would back out from a difficult situation. I didn’t expect that when I entered the village below the mountain, he was still following behind me. Although, he was at his last gasp, he still held onto my clothes and didn’t let go.

• Fondle the flowers and trample the grass: to seduce many people.

“Don’t abandon me.”

I had no way but to buy a bowl of congee for him. While he was devouring ravenously, I sneaked away quietly.

I didn’t expect that on the same night, he would find the inn I was staying in. He stood barefooted at the door.

“Big sister, I found you again.”

I was fed up, opened the door and shouted, “Presumptuous! Can you call me the two words “big sister”? With my age, I would even be too old to be your grandmother. I tell you, I’m transformed from a fox. If you dare to enter, I will eat you.”

At night, there were ‘bada, bada’ sounds. It was he who sneaked inside the room, got into my quilt and only revealed a small head. He smiled at me, “Then, come eat me. I’m very tasty.”

I reluctantly let him stay for one night. The next morning, when I continued on the road, I grabbed his ear and threw him in the stream. “So stinky. We can talk after you’ve washed up.”

His face and lips got pale because of the coldness of the water from the stream. He shivered, but he still tried hard to pull a smile and asked, “Big sister, are you now willing to let me stay?”

I lazily sat at the side of the stream and sneered, “First, wash up. If you’re handsome, I will let you stay and let you become fat. When your skin gets soft and your flesh tender, I will eat you.”

I don’t eat human flesh, but I intentionally intimidated him to get rid of this baffling trouble.

“I will give you one more chance. If you don’t leave now, then don’t think about leaving in the future.”

I didn’t expect that he was unconcerned. He washed carefully and came to shore. Looking at him under the sunlight, although he was malnourished and sickly in appearance, but he was a handsome boy. Especially his pair of eyes. They were round and black. His lashes were very long. I grabbed his chin and laughed evilly, “Why don’t I eat you today with wine?”

He smiled without any fear. He jumped into my arms and rubbed his head back and forth on my chest. A faint smell of grass came to my nose. He said, “Big sister, good big sister.”

I finally knew that the one who couldn’t get away wasn’t him but me. I grabbed the back of his collar, looked him in the eyes and said fiercely, “I’m a fox not a human.”

He said, “I know you’re a fox.”

I said, “Then, why are you following me?”

He said, “I like you.”

“But I won’t like you.”

I said, “I don’t have a heart.”

He said, “Then, I will give you my heart.”

So ignorant. I humphed coldly and put him down.

“Since you want to follow me, you have to listen to me.”

He didn’t hesitate a bit, “Okay.”

“You have to serve me wholeheartedly. Cook for me, sweep the floor, wipe the table.”

“Okay.”

“When I’m angry, I will beat and scold you. You have to endure it.”

“Okay.”

“If one day my hunger is aroused and I want to eat you, you should go wash yourself, boil a pot of soup, jump inside and cook yourself. You can’t have any complaints. Can you do that?”

He smiled at me, “If a gentleman says it, it shall be done as if spurring a fast horse with a single whip.”

I reached out hesitantly and bumped my palm against his.

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