Chapter 28: The Little Fox in the Backpack

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Though called a passenger station, it was really just a small bungalow, not much larger than a newsstand. Since few people came and went in town daily, it only offered ticket sales. When Qiu Yiyao hurried over, the iron gate was locked, and spiderwebs hung at the window.

“How long has it been since this place opened?” she wondered, touching the glass in disbelief, only to have her fingers instantly coated in dust.

It seemed taking a bus home was impossible; leaving Yueli Town on her own was out of the question. She sat dejectedly on a nearby bench, like a lost child with no direction, unsure of her next move.

In the small square before the station, adults were teaching children to walk. A little child, bare-bottomed with snow-white skin, spread his arms and wobbled toward the adult. After a few steps, he faltered and bent forward to fall.

Qiu Yiyao’s heart jumped, and she instinctively rose to run over. Yet the child’s hands touched down just in time; what followed stunned her.

The child supported himself on hands and feet, crawling forward swiftly, far steadier than when he walked. The adult nearby seemed unbothered, clapping and encouraging him.

As the child circled the adult repeatedly, Qiu Yiyao suddenly sensed something amiss.

It felt as if someone was watching her from behind, an unsettling sensation that made her uneasy.

She spun around quickly, but all that met her eyes were trees—no one, not even an animal.

Still, the oppressive tension grew, and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.

“Miss Qiu?” a man’s voice called.

She looked up in confusion and saw Xiao Yi.

Seeing his sly, unpleasant face, Qiu Yiyao became wary, clutching her bag tightly as she prepared to leave.

“Rude, aren’t you? Someone greets you, and you don’t even respond?” Xiao Yi nagged, trailing behind her as if determined not to let her go.

Annoyed, Qiu Yiyao glanced back at the once lively square, which had suddenly fallen silent without a single shadow in sight.

“Stop looking. There’s no one else here,” Xiao Yi saw through her thoughts and strode up to block her path.

He sized Qiu Yiyao up and down. “I heard you’re not well. How about I take you to the hospital for a checkup?”

As he spoke, he reached out to touch her face. “You’re so thin; you should drink more chicken soup to nourish yourself.”

Mentioning chicken made Qiu Yiyao’s already troubled stomach churn, and she bent over, dry heaving.

“Tsk tsk, told you your health is bad. Come with me,” Xiao Yi’s face twisted into a cunning smile.

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Before his hand could touch her, someone forcefully pushed him away.

“Stay away from her.”

Bai Peiyu appeared suddenly, his expression stern and eyes sharp.

Qiu Yiyao touched her chest and, looking up at Bai Peiyu, felt inexplicably reassured.

“You’re here...” she began, but then fainted.

Bai Peiyu caught her immediately.

“Xiao Bai, don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. If you persist, you won’t have a good ending,” Xiao Yi snarled, unwilling to back down but afraid to approach.

Bai Peiyu snorted coldly. “How I live my life isn’t your concern. Get lost, and if I catch you scheming to get close to her again, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

“Humph! You wish,” Xiao Yi cursed as he stormed off.

Bai Peiyu sighed helplessly, holding Qiu Yiyao gently.

...

It wasn’t until dinner that Qiu Yiyao groggily opened her eyes.

Outside, dusk was falling, and the old fan creaked incessantly.

On the desk by the window, she could vaguely see her backpack.

Thinking of the ticket station covered in spiderwebs, she felt a wave of helplessness again.

Yet, the more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

Outside the door, Qiu Shengming knocked softly. “Yiyao, are you awake? Dinner’s ready.”

Qiu Yiyao responded and switched on the light, but suddenly a strange noise came from the desk.

She turned slowly and saw the backpack moving, something inside stirring.

She clearly remembered zipping it up; there was nothing living inside.

Afraid it was another hallucination, she hesitated but quickly got out of bed and rushed to the door, opening it to find Qiu Shengming still there.

“Dad, there’s something in my room.”

“Something? Where?”

Qiu Shengming, calm as ever, gestured for her to follow. He grabbed a broom by the wall and tiptoed inside.

“It’s in my backpack,” Qiu Yiyao said, pointing.

Qiu Shengming looked where she indicated and indeed saw something moving inside the bag.

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“Stay here. I’ll check it out.”

He approached the desk and swiftly unzipped the bag. A small furry head popped out.

Its fur was pure white, ears pointed—like a dog but not quite.

It was a little fox.

“A fox?”

Qiu Yiyao rushed to the desk, disbelief in her eyes, but recalling fox spirits from period dramas, she cautiously stepped back two paces. “Dad, why would there be something like this in my backpack?”

Qiu Shengming frowned, turning to her. “Yiyao, go eat dinner. I’ll handle this.”

“Oh.”

She remembered how he often spoke of rescuing a fox in the mountains when she was young, so she didn’t ask more and left the room.

Bai Peiyu happened to come in then. They exchanged a glance but said nothing, silently sitting down at the table.

Qiu Yiyao ate a few mouthfuls, feeling she should thank him. Setting down her chopsticks, she hesitated a moment before stammering, “This afternoon, thank you for arriving just in time...”

Bai Peiyu also put down his bowl and joked, “In such a hurry to thank me? Maybe it was all a hallucination.”

“Even if it was, thank you.”

Qiu Yiyao separated grievances from gratitude clearly—when thanks were due, she gave them.

“Actually, I was trying to buy a ticket to leave Yueli Town today, but who knew... How long have you been here? Have you thought about leaving?”

Suddenly curious, she looked at Bai Peiyu.

He picked up his chopsticks again. “When it’s time to leave, you naturally do. If you feel uncomfortable here, it’s not always your own fault. Often, it’s because you’re not ready to blend in.”

“Blend in?”

Qiu Yiyao was puzzled. She had learned this phrase long ago but couldn’t grasp its meaning in this place and moment.

“So, you’ve fully accepted Yueli Town and become one of its people? That’s why you haven’t left?”

Bai Peiyu glanced at her, then lowered his head in thought, saying no more.

Just then, the guest room door opened, and Qiu Shengming came out, carrying Qiu Yiyao’s backpack.

“I’m going to send it off. Don’t follow me.”

“Dad...”

Qiu Yiyao hurried to the door, but Qiu Shengming had already disappeared.

“Dad won’t be in trouble, right? I heard foxes bite.”

She looked back at Bai Peiyu, hoping he would say something to ease her anxiety.

Understanding, Bai Peiyu stood and said, “Foxes, like people, have good and bad. Hopefully, that’s a fox that won’t bite.”