Chapter 9: Flaunting affection

Since Fusang clamored about having a small fox cub for Su Yu, the number of times the red bed drapes were let down increased, wearing out a certain little fox so much that he complained nonstop.

He consented to a little hard work, but it turned out to be a lot of hard work!

The little fox couldn't stand it any longer after a month like this.

He grabbed Su Yu's hand as he was ready to let down the bed curtains, and his soft and sticky voice contained his grievances: "Su Yu, I feel like I'm pregnant with a fox cub."

As though scared Su Yu wouldn't believe it, he took Su Yu's hand and placed it on his tummy, his face filled with anticipation. "If you don't believe me, feel it for yourself. It's really swollen."

He burped while speaking.

Fusang: "..."

Su Yu's eyes bent in amusement, unfathomably staring at him.

"Did you overeat at noon, SangSang?"

He wondered how gluttonous Fusang had been to cause the flat lower abdomen to expand like a small ball.

A certain someone who had been caught in the act pouted and stopped talking.

He had several plates of cakes in the afternoon and was still hurting from stuffing himself to the brim.

Su Yu caressed his soft belly helplessly. "I'll make you some hawthorn tea. You must not overeat like this again. It’ll make your stomach uncomfortable."

The little fox nodded obediently.

He then sighed sadly.

He just wanted a cub, how could it be so difficult!

Fusang couldn't take it any longer and dashed off to complain to the bamboo spirit. He grumbled about how difficult it was to conceive his fox baby.

Surprisingly, after hearing his remarks, the bamboo spirit mocked him severely.

"Let's not get into how foxes give birth to fox pups; I've never heard that male foxes can give birth to cubs! So amusing..." The bamboo spirit laughed loudly and had no intention of saving Fusang's face.

Fusang scowled and had to inquire, "What do you mean? Are you saying I can't have a baby fox?"

The bamboo spirit was torn between laughing and crying. "Have you ever seen a male fox give birth to a fox cub? In any case, I've never seen it."

Finally, he teasingly said, "If you really give birth, you are guaranteed to cause a sensation in the Three Realms, and it will be much more shocking than your soaring into godhood."

"..." Fusang became suspicious of Su Yu's claims after seeing the bamboo spirit talk with such assurance.

Didn't Su Yu say he could get pregnant if they work hard? He lacked knowledge. Could Su Yu have been deceiving him?

Fusang adhered to facts, telling the bamboo spirit everything Su Yu had told him and how hard the two of them had tried.

The bamboo spirit initially listened with relish, but when he heard the specifics, his face turned red, and he finally interrupted Fusang with a low cough when it got unbearable.

"I have a reasonable suspicion that you are using this tactic to covertly flaunt your love to me!" the bamboo spirit cried numbly.

Fusang was anxious: "I just want to know if what he said is true. Did he lie to me?"

Of course he lied to you! If he didn't, how could he justify doing indescribable things like this and that to you! Sure enough, no matter how gentle or good a man is, he is the same as a dog in bed! The bamboo spirit muttered, but he was fearful on the inside.

It is said even an honest and upright official will have difficulties resolving a family dispute. What if Su Yu realized he had ruined his good thing and stormed into the forest with a shovel to uproot him?

His good brother will not work hard at that time, but he will become cannon fodder!

So, for my own safety, please keep working hard, brother!

The bamboo spirit declared emphatically: "He is correct; doing so will indeed increase your chances of having fox cubs. Yes, well, that's it."

"..." Fusang was obliged to accept reality.

Fortunately, it wasn't too bad, and it was even a bit interesting. But he was simply too exhausted and embarrassed...

Especially the new tricks Su Yu had recently learnt from who knew where. He couldn't bend down the next day after being bullied.

The more Fusang thought about it, the redder his face became, and even the tips of his ears turned a light pink.

When the bamboo spirit saw Fusang blushing like this, he didn't need to wonder about it because he knew it had to do with Su Yu gongzi, and he promptly began to unceremoniously ask the guest to go.

Humph! Isn't it just becoming an adult before him? What's the big deal!

The bamboo spirit gritted his teeth and mused bitterly: When I become a human, I'll immediately seek a lovely little demon to marry and then show off in front of Fusang.

It was merely that when he calculated, he estimated it would take him a hundred years to transform into a human form...

The bamboo spirit closed his eyes and surrendered straightaway.

After being chased away by the bamboo spirit, Fusang picked handfuls of wild fruits on the cliff and returned home with them.

He hadn't yet approached the cottage when he noticed two strange men dressed in distinguished attire standing in their yard, discussing something with Su Yu.

Su Yu had abandoned his customary gentleness. His expression was cold and solemn, and he did not smile while he spoke.

Fusang dashed behind the fence in front of the house, his two fox ears erect, and listened intently.

The men were too far away to hear much more than a few words like "my lord" and "come back."

Su Yu's face sank like water, and he stood up to see off the guests after speaking a few more sentences to the two men.

The two men had no choice but to leave reluctantly after seeing his firm attitude.

Fusang emerged only then, blinking his fox eyes and asking, "Who are they?"

Su Yu's expression returned to the tenderness of the past when he realized it was him, and a smile came on his lips.

"It doesn't matter; they're just two friends I met previously," he explained quietly.

"Oh!" Fusang murmured lightly. He did not take it seriously.

Unexpectedly, those two people returned three days later.

And this time, the troops sent were significantly larger. More than a dozen people arrived, as well as a luxurious carriage draped in pearl curtains and wrapped in gold foil.

The carriage was glowing with golden light, and in this dingy and dilapidated courtyard, it seemed entirely out of place.

Su Yu's expression changed when he saw so many people approaching. He drew Fusang in and told him he had to hide in the house and not come out no matter what.

Fusang disliked crowds as well, so he obediently remained in the house, just peeking through the crack of the door.

A richly and elegantly dressed middle-aged woman alighted from the gorgeous carriage, and tears welled up in her beautiful eyes when she saw Su Yu.

Fusang had no idea what they were talking about. He just knew they talked for the majority of the afternoon, and when the magnificent carriage returned, the sun was lowering on the horizon.

When Su Yu entered the room, Fusang was so sleepy waiting for him that he collapsed into his arms with his head tilted.

Su Yu seemed to laugh, wrapping his arms around his waist and cradling him in his arms, rubbing against his warm forehead. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

Fusang shook his head, and when he looked up, he could see the exhaustion between the man's brows. "What's wrong?" he asked, a little worried.

Su Yu reassured him with a small smile. "I'm all right."

"These people today...why were they here?" Fusang couldn't help asking.

Su Yu's indifferent eyes rose slightly, and after a long silence, he replied, "They are...my family."

Previous ┃ Next