Free Web NovelChapter 639: Raising a Little Fox
After a bowl of egg custard, the little fox was obviously much more spirited. If it weren’t for the lingering effects of the anesthesia, it might have already jumped up.
At this moment, it no longer harbored any hostility toward Xu Mumu and them and even let Xu Mumu pet its fur.
Seeing the little fox getting close to her, Xu Mumu’s face lit up with a bright smile, feeling that her effort in saving it was worthwhile.
By the time the Xu Family returned at noon, a group of children was gathered around the little fox, looking at it with great curiosity.
The anesthesia was gradually wearing off, and its leg was hurting more. With so many people now around, the little fox shivered with fear.
It was Xu Mumu who came to the rescue, picking up the little fox, which then felt less afraid. It was still Xu Mumu who gave it a sense of security.
"Mom, where did you find this little fox? I want to go get one too," Doudou wanted to reach out and touch the little fox, but since it was afraid of him, he wanted to find one that wouldn’t be scared of him.
"You’d have to walk a long way, and there’s only this one little fox; you won’t find any others." Xu Mumu was amused by her son’s naive statement — thinking he could just go out and find another one so easily.
"Why wouldn’t there be any more?" the little child was unhappy.
"This one was probably abandoned by its parents. When I found it, the little fox was nearly dead, and healthy foxes run very fast, you can’t catch them." Xu Mumu said with a smile.
At noon, Xu Mumu took out a wild chicken and had her fourth aunt cook potatoes; it tasted really good.
After lunch, it was time to go back. The little child was reluctant, having made many friends while playing in the village the past few days; once they left, he wouldn’t be able to play with them anymore.
"Mom, I don’t want to go back." The little one hugged Xu Mumu’s neck, burying his head in her shoulder, unwilling to leave.
"We’ll come back often. In a few days, we’ll return for the New Year, okay Doudou? Don’t be sad." Xu Mumu gently comforted the little guy.
"Really?" The little one looked at Xu Mumu expectantly, not feeling as upset anymore.
"Of course it’s true, Mom never lies to Doudou." Xu Mumu said earnestly.
When they got in the car to go back, Xu Minglei stayed behind. With only Grandpa and the younger brother there, he was not at ease, so he stayed there, and he could often visit Grandpa.
Xu Mumu didn’t say much about her brother’s decision; it was good that he could frequently visit their grandpa.
When they got home, Xu Mumu went to Li Caixia to talk about their grandpa’s situation, and about her brother staying in the old home.
Jiang Yuxiu and her husband were there too. They had gone to the hospital for a check-up a few days ago, and didn’t dare to follow Xu Mumu everywhere; her belly was big now and it was inconvenient to go anywhere.
Xu Minghui and his family were quite concerned about Grandpa’s health, and after learning about his situation, the couple also fell silent.
Back home, Xu Mumu handed the two wild chickens and one wild duck she brought back to Madam Chun for processing, then went to set up a bed for the little fox.
Suddenly in a strange place, with two big dogs watching it eagerly, the little fox was trembling in fear.
"You all are really lucky to just happen upon a little fox." Professor Jian petted the little fox’s fur; as a biology professor, he could easily tell it was a common red fox, so keeping it wasn’t a problem since it’s not a protected species.
Xu Mumu wanted to keep the fox as a companion for Doudou, which was totally feasible, and if cared for well, keeping it for over ten years would be no issue at all.
With a little fox in the house, the two dogs began to vie for attention, having been spoiled and lazy before. Perhaps feeling a sense of threat now, they eagerly approached Xu Mumu and her family, overly enthusiastic.
"You sycophantic dogs." Xu Mumu laughed, patting each dog’s head.
She also quite liked these two dogs, having raised them for so many years, they were a part of the family now.
With the little fox officially settled in, despite the lively home, it gradually grew bolder. These people meant it no harm, but its leg was still in pain, otherwise, it would be ready to wander around its territory.
The wild duck soup that evening was exceptionally tasty; the little one ate two full bowls of rice and drank a big bowl of soup, ending up completely stuffed.
"Next time, don’t overeat like that." Xu Mumu, helplessly looking at the little one, gave him some digestive medication.
"Madam Chun cooks so well." The little one rubbed his stomach, having eaten too much, he felt a bit unwell as it had been ages since he ate so much.
"Even so, you can’t overeat, or you’ll grow chubby and not look good." Xu Mumu said earnestly, knowing the little one loves being good-looking, she prepared to use this as leverage.
"As chubby as Erdan?" The little one’s eyes widened in horror; in his mind, Erdan from the village was the chubbiest, just five years old, nearly as round as a ball but not as quick as him.
"Even chubbier than Erdan." Xu Mumu continued to frighten him, needing to ensure he developed good habits.
"Ah, I don’t want to, I don’t want to be that chubby." At the thought of being as chubby as Erdan, the little one’s whole demeanor shifted.
"No worries, our Doudou won’t get that chubby. Now, let grandpa take you for a digestion walk." Professor Jian shot a look at Xu Mumu, chastising her for scaring Doudou at such a young age.
The little one was taken out for a walk, while Xu Mumu shrugged helplessly.
The little fox officially made a home there, given good food, with Xu Mumu taking it to the vet for check-ups every other day; being so young, it healed relatively quickly.
Though not fully recovered by the end of the year, walking around was no longer an issue.
As the New Year approached, Madam Chun woke up early to prepare various delicious dishes.
When Xu Mumu got up, she also went to the kitchen to help.
Professor Jian and the others, knowing they were of no help in the kitchen, directly took Doudou aside for some educational lessons.
The two professors, along with Yin Yang, teaching Doudou various knowledge made for quite a lively scene.
It was Yin Yang who intervened, deciding that in the morning, Professor Song would teach, in the afternoon, Professor Jian, and by evening, Yin Yang himself would teach.
The little one’s playtime was suddenly divided, satisfying the old professors too. Though too young to fully grasp, he was quite happy learning from Professor Song and the others, as it was a world of new things he hadn’t encountered before, distracting him even from playing.
Xu Mumu picked some apples and brought them over, seeing Professor Song engrossed in a geometric lesson, with Little Douding listening with shining eyes.
