Chapter 15

When Liu Yunxuan drove back home, it was already past nine o'clock. In the countryside, there weren't as many nightlife activities as in the city, and people generally went to bed early. Little Fangfang was sleeping soundly.

Liu Yunxuan was afraid that the little foxes might have parasites from living in the wild, so he caught them one by one to give them baths. The three foxes weren't afraid of water; the older one was particularly calm, allowing Liu Yunxuan to wash it without any fuss. The two younger ones, however, were more mischievous, playing with the water while being bathed. After a lot of effort, he finally managed to bathe the three little creatures, and his shirt was almost soaked through.

These two naughty little guys. Afraid they might catch a cold, he dried them with a towel and wrapped them up before placing them on the kang (a traditional heated bed).

There was no choice; it was too late to make a nest for them, so he put them on the kang, not knowing if they had the habit of wetting the bed.

Liu Yunxuan had been busy for a while and fell asleep.

In the morning, Liu Yunxuan was delighted to see that the two little foxes were sleeping next to Little Fangfang. He wondered how Fangfang managed to cuddle one of them. Afraid Fangfang would be scared when she woke up, Liu Yunxuan tried to take the little fox from her arms, but it woke Fangfang up instead.

Fangfang was sleeping soundly and opened her big eyes groggily, rubbing them. Seeing it was Dad, she didn't pay much attention.

At that moment, she felt a small thing moving in her arms. Remembering what she had seen on TV, she realized it was a little fox. All her sleepiness vanished. She wasn't afraid at all and lovingly stroked the little fox's smooth fur.

"Big Dad, are the little foxes for Fangfang?" Fangfang, seeing the cute little fox, immediately claimed ownership.

"They are for Fangfang to play with, but you have to take care of them. You need to bathe them every three days, or they might get parasites," Liu Yunxuan said.

"Okay, I'll bathe them with me," she said, then ran to Grandma's room to show off her new treasure.

The other little fox turned over and continued sleeping. The older fox just raised its head to look and then ignored them.

These three little creatures adapted quickly, treating the place as home after just one night. Liu Yunxuan thought to himself.

"Grandma, look, Big Dad caught little foxes for Fangfang," Fangfang said, holding up the little fox.

Liu's mother, seeing her granddaughter holding a fox, was afraid it might bite her and quickly told Fangfang to put it down.

"Grandma, don't worry. The little fox is very well-behaved. I even slept with Little Red last night," Fangfang said, naming the little fox. To prove that Little Red was very well-behaved, Fangfang scratched its chin like she did with Big Yellow. Little Red closed its eyes in response.

"Ha ha, Grandma, see, Little Red is really well-behaved," Fangfang laughed, showing her grandmother.

Liu's mother thought for a moment. Since it was her eldest son who gave them to Fangfang, they should be safe. She remembered how well Big Yellow and Chestnut were raised, obedient and friendly.

When everyone woke up, they were all curious about the three foxes. It was rare to see foxes in the wild now; they usually only saw them on TV.

"This is Red," Fangfang pointed to the older fox, then to the one in her arms, "This is Little Red," and finally to the slightly larger one, "This is Big Red."

The three little creatures could smell Liu Yunxuan's scent on the people surrounding them and weren't alarmed.

At breakfast, Liu Yunxuan prepared some meat sauce mixed with porridge and added some lettuce leaves. The three little foxes ate happily, not picky at all. Liu's mother laughed, "These little ones are easy to take care of."

In the afternoon, Zhao Yan came over for lunch and was surprised to see the little foxes. He had seen people keep cats and dogs as pets, but this was the first time he saw someone keep foxes. The pig farm had been renovated and everything was running smoothly.

Zhao Yan wasn't as busy now. He spent his mornings at home with his wife, came to Liu Yunxuan's place for lunch, and went to the pig farm in the afternoon to check if everything was fine.

Zhao Yan wanted to pet the little foxes, but they always dodged him. This made him quite angry. Especially when he noticed Big Yellow and Chestnut, who seemed to look at him with a hint of disdain.

"You ungrateful things, I won't bring you big bones next time," Zhao Yan muttered.

Hearing Zhao Yan's muttering, Big Yellow and Chestnut shook their heads and walked away, as if to say, "We don't need your bones." This made Zhao Yan even angrier. He grabbed Liu Yunxuan's arm and asked, "Are your dogs turning into spirits?"

"You don't know these two? They've been with us for a long time and understand human emotions. They can't understand your words clearly, but they can judge. They probably think you said something bad, so they ignored you," Liu Yunxuan said.

"I don't care. You have to find them some companions, and I want to keep them too," Zhao Yan said, still thinking about the offspring of Big Yellow and Chestnut.

The two brothers played for a while and then started discussing serious matters. This news came from Zhao's father. It turned out that Liu Yunxuan's achievements had spread throughout the county, attracting the attention of some people.

According to Zhao's father, the county chief's son, Wang Zhe, had been inquiring about Liu Yunxuan. This guy wasn't a good person, using his father's position to bully and exploit others. Zhao Yan was asked to warn Liu Yunxuan to be careful.

There's a saying, "Bad things don't need to be repeated." In the afternoon, Liu Yunxuan met the county chief's son, just as Zhao Yan had warned.

Village Chief Liu Tianlai led four young men, with Wang Zhe at the head. The other three had colorful hair and tattoos on their bare arms, clearly not peaceful types.

Liu Tianlai was helpless. He was just a small village official, and the county chief's son was far above him. He had to lead them to Liu Yunxuan, even though he felt apologetic.

If he had known that the frequent visitor to Liu Yunxuan's home, Wang Zhen, was the son of the provincial party secretary, he would have had different thoughts.

"Are you Liu Yunxuan? Good, I came here to discuss a business deal. I heard your company is doing well. I plan to invest 20,000 yuan for half the shares," Wang Zhe said calmly.

Hearing Wang Zhe's words, Liu Yunxuan felt disgusted. What a joke, 20,000 yuan for half the shares. When the company was founded, his brother had invested 100,000 yuan for just 10% of the shares.

"Sorry, Mr. Wang, our company doesn't lack funds. We have enough money. You can consider other ways to make money," Liu Yunxuan politely refused.

"Don't rush to refuse. You can check my reputation in the county. I won't just take shares; I'll help you sell all your products. With my connections, there's no worry about sales," Wang Zhe said, unfazed by Liu Yunxuan's refusal.

He had been rejected before when trying to invest in others' businesses, but they eventually begged him to invest.

"Exactly, just focus on farming, and you'll get paid without doing anything else."

"Mr. Wang is helping you, showing you respect, and giving you a chance to make money. You should seize this opportunity," the other three young men chimed in.

Liu Tianlai, hearing this, realized something was wrong but couldn't do anything about it, only feeling anxious.

"Really sorry, Mr. Wang, but our company has no plans to expand," Liu Yunxuan said again.

Hearing the commotion, Liu's parents came out of their room to see what was happening.

"Hey, old man, persuade your son. He's missing a golden opportunity," a young man with red hair said to Liu's father.

"You'd better shut your dirty mouth," Liu Yunxuan said, staring at the red-haired young man.

Liu Yunxuan had been polite to avoid trouble, but he didn't expect this guy to be so disrespectful to his father.

"Wow, today I learned something new. I never thought my mouth was dirty," the red-haired young man said disdainfully.

"Mr. Wang, I'll say it again, control your people, and our company has no plans to expand," Liu Yunxuan said, looking at Wang Zhe.

"You'd better think it over. If something unpleasant happens in the future, it won't be good," Wang Zhe said before leaving.

"Yunxuan, I'm really sorry. I didn't expect them to come for this," Liu Tianlai said, embarrassed.

"Uncle Tianlai, don't worry. It's fine. We'll handle it as usual. Don't take it to heart," Liu Yunxuan comforted him.

Liu Yunxuan also comforted his parents to avoid worrying them. He knew this wasn't over.