Chapter 3, The Provocation of the Fox

Old Li hurriedly walked to the kang and helped his wife sit up straight, carefully covering her head with a piece of red cloth. Just as the red cloth was placed on her head, an unexpected change occurred. The previously silly and cheerful woman suddenly jumped up from the pit, emitting a sharp voice: "You think you can catch me? It's not that easy." Saying this, she jumped down from the pit, and Old Li reached out to grab her but missed.

No, no, I cannot leave empty-handed; I want to drink Halaqi. I want to drink Halaqi... Only after drinking Halaqi will I leave, only after drinking Halaqi will I leave...

A fox cub had died, but Lin Laoshi paid it no mind; after all, it would eventually be skinned and sold to wealthy families, so whether it died early or late made little difference, and it even spared him from taking that knife. He looked up at the sky; it had just snowed last night, and today it was still overcast, with a strong possibility of more snow. Lin Laoshi did not dare to delay any longer and carried two fox cubs home.

Old Wang furrowed his brow and said impatiently: "You have also had your drink, and her man knows that offending you is not right. There have been no grievances in the past and none recently, so let's just leave. Don't cling to them any longer."

Old Li was furious and struck with a stick, causing the fox to squeal and escape, limping away after breaking free from the mouse trap. The next day, Old Li's wife was enchanted by the fox, which alarmed the entire village. All the strong men in the village went to help, including Lin Laoshi. Upon arriving at Old Li's house, they found the front door wide open, and Old Li's wife sitting on the kang in the main room, disheveled and motionless, her face obscured by strands of long hair. Her limbs were tightly bound with hemp rope, and Old Li anxiously paced around the edge of the kang.

Then Old Wang, who was walking in a daze, suddenly spoke: "Quickly go and help your wife up"

Old Li pressed down on his wife, anxious, and asked: "No matter what it is, just agree to him. What is 'halaki'?"

As soon as the wine jar was taken away, a hint of fatigue appeared on Old Wang's face, and he coldly asked, "You have also drunk the wine, so it is time for you to leave, isn't it?"

Old Wang didn't have time to pay attention to his foolishness and said in a low voice to Li's wife: "Where can you find any steamed buns to eat now? Even if you want to buy some, you have to go to the town, and it would take a whole day for a round trip. How about this: you go back first, and I will have her husband buy some for you tomorrow. Once he buys them, he will leave them under the big locust tree at the village entrance. What do you think?"

This sound is sharp and piercing; it is neither a woman's voice nor a man's voice. It sounds quite awkward, akin to scraping a knife against the bottom of a pot

Old Li's family was poor and had no wine, but Aunt Zhao from the village had a good heart and saved some wine for the New Year, which she had her son bring over. Old Li carefully took the wine jar and placed it on the kang. Old Wang also released his grip on Old Li's wife's philtrum. Upon seeing the wine, Old Li's wife immediately began to salivate. Unable to contain herself, she grabbed it eagerly and deftly removed the clay seal. Lifting it up, she tilted her head back and gulped it down. Upon seeing the wine, Old Li's wife immediately began to salivate. Unable to contain herself, she grabbed it eagerly and deftly removed the clay seal. Lifting it up, she tilted her head back and gulped it down.

As soon as Li's wife spoke, the people around her immediately erupted like a boiling pot, chattering away with all sorts of comments. However, it was evident that everyone was very frightened. Old Wang remained still and shouted loudly at him: "I earn my living in the underworld and have some connections with the local city god. His man is being unreasonable, so I am here to offer my apologies on his behalf. Please do me a favor and let this go, alright?"

Old Wang shouted urgently: "Quick, catch her! We must not let her escape"

Since the Li family became pregnant, she has started to feel lazy. Lin Laoshi also cares for her, taking on all the household chores and responsibilities by himself. Usually, Lin Laoshi would go to the chicken coop early in the morning to fetch an egg for himself, but today, for some reason, he left in the morning and has yet to return, approaching noon. Could it be that something has happened?

Li's wife did not agree, laughing with a "giggle" and said, "I have already drunk the tea, but I haven't eaten the steamed cake yet. Hurry and bring me some steamed cake, Grandpa Hu.

It is just a pastry

Several strong men in the village hurriedly stepped forward to stop her, but unexpectedly, she suddenly exhibited tremendous strength, laughing softly as she exerted herself and managed to break the ropes binding her. Upon witnessing this scene, Lin Laoshi also reached out and grabbed hold of Li's wife, while several of Old Li's men exerted their strength to pin her to the ground. To their surprise, she suddenly ceased to resist; she was pinned down and squatting on the ground, one hand held by Old Li, while the other hand, as frail as dead wood, reached out and tightly grasped the broken pieces of a bowl on the ground

However, Lin Laoshi looked around but could not discern anything unusual about the old man. To his surprise, as soon as the old man entered Old Li's courtyard, Li's wife, who had been quiet on the kang, suddenly jumped up. Her movements were extremely swift; despite her hands being bound, she leapt up suddenly, startling Lin Laoshi and causing him to shiver involuntarily.

The laughter of Li's wife was like that of a night owl, emitting a strange "kekek" sound. This commotion frightened everyone in the village. At that moment, Old Wang suddenly stepped forward, holding a silver needle about an inch long in his hand. He approached her, forcefully pinching the philtrum of Li's wife with his left hand, and shouted loudly at her: "Who are you? What are you here for?"

Old Li stood there in a daze, unable to move. He came from a poor family, and having a meal of plain steamed buns felt like a celebration. He had heard of pastries, but those were delicacies reserved for the wealthy and noble families. He had never even seen them, let alone tasted them, and he was suddenly at a loss, unsure of what to do.

After Old Wang finished speaking these few sentences, Li's wife suddenly became furious and jumped up, shouting: "Stop fooling around with your Grandpa Hu. If you don't give me the steamed cake today, I will bring disaster to his wife."

The so-called "walking the underworld" refers to the belief that living people perform tasks in the underworld. The human world and the underworld are two distinct realms, and generally, they do not communicate with each other. The concept of walking the underworld suggests that certain living individuals are connected to the underworld and carry out tasks there. Those who walk the underworld are sent to the human world by the King of Hell, which grants them certain supernatural abilities

Old Wang snorted coldly: "He wants to drink, quickly go get some wine."

Li's wife was jumping on the kang faster and more urgently, shouting at Old Li: "If you don't give me the steamed cake, I will ruin your wife, if you don't give me the steamed cake, I will ruin your wife..." In the midst of her shouting and jumping, she suddenly yanked off her coat and tossed it aside. Once the coat was off, she was left with only a thin piece of undergarment.

Li was worried and wanted to find Lin Laoshi. However, when she opened the door, she found the snow piled up deeply at the entrance. Concerned about slipping and harming her pregnancy, she hesitated to go out. Instead, she returned inside, anxiously waiting. It was not until noon that she heard the sound of footsteps in the snow, signaling Lin Laoshi's return, which finally eased her heart.

Old Li felt a bit confused and did not know what "cáozi gāo" was, so he asked Old Wang: "What is cáozi gāo?"

Li's wife had a flushed face, dancing with joy, and laughing, she said: "Old man, how do you account for my one leg?"

The wine is rice wine, not very strong, but that jar of wine must contain at least 10 jin. If an ordinary person drinks it like this, wouldn't they burst their stomach? Watching her belly slowly swell, Old Wang hurriedly shouted: "We can't let her drink anymore, take the wine jar away."

Li's wife rolled her eyes, emitting a howl that was no longer human, but Old Wang firmly pressed her philtrum and did not let go. This stalemate lasted for about two minutes, during which Li's wife spoke in a strange tone: "You ask me who I am? I am your family’s Grandpa Hu. This old bastard is ignorant; it’s just a few broken melons. Not only did he set a trap for Grandpa, but he also crippled one of Grandpa's legs. This matter cannot be considered settled..."

Generally speaking, when a family has a member who suffers from a prolonged illness without improvement, experiences unusual symptoms, finds that medications are ineffective, faces multiple misfortunes, frequently has wild animals intruding, and hears strange noises within the home, they will often seek the assistance of such individuals for consultation. Of course, this consultation is not free; one must offer something in return, and it also depends on whether the person is willing to take on this task.

Old Lin had lived for over thirty years and had never seen such a terrifying living person. Li's wife had a pale complexion, her eyes flickering with an eerie red light, and she was grinning with her mouth wide open. All her front teeth had fallen out, and her gaping mouth had turned into a black hole. The flesh on both sides of her cheeks was covered in blood, with several shards of broken porcelain piercing through her face, continuously dripping blood

Lin Laoshi was still pondering why he hadn't seen the eldest son of the Lao Li family after such a big incident. In just a short while, his eldest son returned with a gloomy man in his forties. This man was not tall, had a pale complexion, and an ominous demeanor, making people feel quite uncomfortable. When the old man approached, everyone made way for him, and Lin Laoshi overheard a few older women murmuring that this old man was a wandering spirit from Guai Zi He village, a widower who understood such matters.

Old Lin sighed and recounted the entire incident regarding the painting and the book. After listening, Li exclaimed, "People in the mountains are most afraid of provoking the likes of foxes and spirits. Our village is already remote with sparse population, heavy yin energy, and little yang energy, unlike those large cities. Even if it has eaten our chickens, there is no need to chase after it. Have you forgotten about the incident last year with the fox spirit at Old Li's house on the east side of the village?"

This scene was truly horrifying, leaving Lin Laoshi somewhat dazed. As he grasped the hand of Li's wife, he couldn't help but loosen his grip. In that moment of release, Li's wife freed her hand, suddenly opened her mouth, and poured all the shards of the porcelain bowl into it, crunching away with a loud crackling sound. Blood continuously flowed from the corners of her mouth, yet she kept grinning foolishly.

This matter is indeed peculiar. The old Li family at the east end of the village is also a poor household. Last summer, they helped the Wang family watch over their melon field, but for several consecutive nights, melons went missing. Wang Decai wanted to deduct old Li's wages, which angered him. In response, he set several mouse traps in the melon field and stayed up all night, armed with a stick to guard the area. In the late hours of the night, he heard squeaking sounds. Following the noise, he discovered that one of the mouse traps had caught a hind leg of a large yellow fox.

Onlookers glanced at each other, all fearful of the yellow fox's retaliation, and no one dared to step forward to help. Old Li, concerned for his wife, took a step forward and grasped the wine jar with both hands, exerting force to successfully wrest it away.

Li put down his heart, yet anger arose within him. He thought to himself that even if there was something urgent, one should at least say goodbye. To leave without a word was too dismissive of oneself. With his brows furrowed, he waited for Lin Laoshi to come in and say a few words. However, when the door opened, Lin Laoshi appeared covered in blood, holding a mangled object in his hand. He couldn't help but be startled and quickly asked, "Laoshi, what happened?"