Chapter 12

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Aside from the fact that the child could stay and continue to be cared for, there was more good news: their resettlement housing had been approved and they would be moving in soon.

“Where? Where? Can we move in now?” This time, Lang Xiao was genuinely excited.

Yan Kai nodded, “We can go over today. I drove here, so you can put your things in the car.”

Everything in the villa belonged to Qing Yao. She loved crawling on the floor, and since her old clothes were insufficient, Lang Xiao had bought a new set along with diapers. Now, after gathering everything, there was quite a collection: her water bottle, bowl, formula, bottles, diapers, blankets, and sleeping bag. Without a car, it would be impossible to carry all of it in one trip.

The resettlement housing was in a somewhat older residential complex, but the community was large, well-maintained, and had plenty of greenery. A narrow river ran through it, and overall, the environment was quite pleasant.

There were two buildings designated for resettlement housing. Their apartment was on the seventh floor. Though the interior was somewhat aged, it was clean and came with basic furniture, a refrigerator, washing machine, and air conditioning. There was also a large curved balcony that, at this moment, was bathed in bright sunlight, filling the entire balcony and living room with warm light.

The two spirits immediately took a liking to the place. Though it was a far cry from the villa’s luxury, Hu Yuanfei’s sharp eyes had already scanned the surroundings upon entry: there were mice near the trash bins on the first floor, and snakes hiding in the riverside bushes.

There was plenty of food here; they no longer needed to scurry around searching.

After settling them, Yan Kai warned cautiously, “There are many humans here. You must not reveal your spirit identities or harm humans. If discovered, we’ll have to call in Taoist priests immediately, and you won’t be allowed to care for the child anymore.”

This was a threat. In the past, Lang Xiao’s fiery temper would have flared back, but after more interactions with humans, she had come to understand that one must abide by human rules when in their world.

She nodded, “We understand.”

“On the weekend, the police station will hold a legal safety class. You should attend.” He pulled out two flyers. “It’s right outside our station. You’ve been there before; it’s not far from here.”

“Oh.”

“Your identification cards will be ready around then, so you can pick them up together. The housing contract will be signed once the IDs are issued.”

With things arranged, Yan Kai left in a hurry.

Finally having a stable home, Lang Xiao exhaled deeply.

They would be living here for a long time.

Hu Yuanfei gazed at the dazzling light streaming through the balcony, sighing, “Does this mean we’ve integrated into human society?”

Lang Xiao snapped out of her reverie, “Stop overthinking. Rent’s due in a couple of days—better think about how to make money.”

Integration meant worrying about money. Hu Yuanfei’s fleeting sentimentality vanished immediately.

“Humans are so troublesome; everything costs money. Back in the mountains, we were free—sleep wherever, eat whatever. No worries at all.”

“If you don’t want it, go back.”

Hu Yuanfei snorted, “Just complaining. Not really planning to go back. Oh, before coming up, I saw two fat mice. I’m going to catch them tonight!”

“Don’t get spotted by humans.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

They would be living here for quite some time. Lang Xiao took cleaning more seriously this time, carefully using her spirit power to blow every speck of dust out of the corners.

That very night, Hu Yuanfei caught four mice to celebrate, placing the two largest ones in front of Lang Xiao.

“These two are for you.”

Lang Xiao looked at him in surprise, “When did you get so generous?”

Hu Yuanfei swallowed a whole mouse in one bite, excitedly saying, “You don’t know how many mice there are here at night. I circled the community and found several mouse nests. This place is perfect for us.”

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Lang Xiao was silent for a moment. Humans seemed to dislike mice intensely; this neighborhood was probably quite uninhabitable for them.

Hu Yuanfei didn’t care what humans thought. He devoured two plump mice in a row, feeling utterly satisfied.

Lang Xiao didn’t eat immediately; she wasn’t keen on mice.

Though she didn’t move, a hand reached out and grabbed a mouse first.

Qing Yao, who had been crawling around exploring their new home, was drawn to the unfamiliar creature on the floor. After looking up for a moment, she decisively crawled toward the mouse, quickly grabbing its back. Finding its fur too short to grip, she instinctively seized its tail instead. Her chubby little hands were surprisingly strong, pulling the mouse into the air, swinging it back and forth.

Just then, Qing Yao saw the fox swallow a mouse whole. Imitating, she held the mouse in her hands, trying to shove it into her mouth.

Lang Xiao’s heart nearly stopped when she saw this and quickly swatted the mouse away before it could reach her lips.

“You can’t eat this!”

After swallowing air, Qing Yao was stunned, staring at Lang Xiao’s serious face. She pouted but didn’t cry, showing remarkable resilience as she crawled toward the second mouse.

Fearing she would try again, Lang Xiao quickly gathered the mice into the fox’s arms.

“Take these away quickly before she sees. Humans can’t eat these.”

Hu Yuanfei hugged the food. “They’re for you. Just eat them.”

“I won’t.”

“Really? They’re fat and taste good.”

“No.”

“Such a picky eater.” Hu Yuanfei muttered as he swallowed the remaining two mice.

This was probably the most satisfying meal he’d had since coming down from the mountain.

He burped and lay back, his belly noticeably bulging.

Qing Yao watched the mice disappear into his stomach, then crawled over, anxiously patting his belly while babbling in baby talk no one could understand.

“You bad fox!”

In the following days, Hu Yuanfei hunted in the community every night. Nearly all the mice under the two buildings were wiped out, and they all ended up in his belly. Lang Xiao didn’t eat a single one.

With no competition, Hu Yuanfei stopped bringing mice home, handling them immediately on site.

Once full, he’d jump straight onto the balcony through the window.

Lang Xiao practiced absorbing moonlight every night, and Hu Yuanfei lay beside her, practicing together.

Only after moving into the city did they realize that although the moon was close, the moonlight here was much weaker than on the mountain.

Both spirits were puzzled but attributed it to the city’s bright lights and large population blocking the moon’s glow.

Before long, the weekend arrived. The small family set out early but arrived at the police station before the event began.

Outside the station, a KT board and banner had been set up. On the table beneath the banner were trays of eggs, and rows of chairs were arranged nearby. A few early risers, mostly elderly, were chatting.

A female officer who had met them before beckoned them over and handed them a bag.

She carefully explained, “Inside are your IDs and household registration books. Your current address is registered at the resettlement housing. When you buy a house and move out, remember to transfer the registration. We also brought Liu Qing Yao’s birth certificate and vaccination records. Don’t forget her vaccinations; just go to the nearby community hospital—they’ll know what she needs. Keep these documents safe. Losing them will be troublesome to replace and risks misuse.”

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The two spirits listened in confusion, then nodded. They flipped their IDs back and forth, staring at their photos with a strange sense of wonder.

Hu Yuanfei awkwardly touched his face, “That’s me up there.”

Lang Xiao recalled that having an ID meant they could open a bank card. She asked, “How do we open a bank account?”

The female officer pointed to a nearby bank. “Go there and get a number. Bring these documents and some money, and you can open an account. The lobby manager will assist you.”

Lang Xiao nodded and thanked her.

Hu Yuanfei was curious, “Why doesn’t Qing Yao have an ID?”

“She’s too young. Though she doesn’t have a card, she already has an ID number. Her household registration book will be given to you once her parents’ death certificates are issued.”

Qing Yao, nestled in Lang Xiao’s arms and reaching for what she held, perked up at the mention of her parents. Though only six months old, she still remembered them and the person who always held her.

“Ma… ma…”

She uttered indistinct sounds, her eyes scanning around as if searching for someone. The female officer suddenly felt a pang of sadness. “You can wait here for a bit; the event will start soon.” With that, she hurried inside.

Qing Yao searched for familiar faces but quickly lost interest as other things caught her attention.

The legal education event lasted the entire morning. The two spirits listened, utterly exhausted by the endless human rules and boundaries—so many things forbidden or restricted. They also learned how many scams humans had, layered one on top of another. They were stunned; nothing was impossible for humans.

“Humans are so sly and dangerous! Who says we fox spirits are cunning? That’s just a rumor!” Hu Yuanfei muttered indignantly.

Lang Xiao was more composed, “We don’t have enough money to get scammed.”

“Just because we don’t now doesn’t mean we won’t later. I want to make money!”

Listening to the police’s examples of people losing tens or hundreds of thousands, it seemed so easy for humans to earn money. Having lived for centuries, Hu Yuanfei wouldn’t let humans outdo him.

“I want to earn a lot, buy tons of meat to eat. I’ve never had pork, beef, lamb, or venison. I heard donkey meat is delicious too.”

Lang Xiao looked at him speechlessly, “Is that all you heard?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

“...Enough. So, how do you plan to make money?”

Hu Yuanfei fell silent, then tried to imitate, “Do scams? They seem really profitable—easy money, hundreds of thousands, millions.”

Lang Xiao was speechless.

She thought the fox was foolish, not understanding that scamming would get him caught by the police.

“You don’t know how to use a phone, and you can’t afford one.”

His career plans ended at the first step; Hu Yuanfei gave up on this dangerous idea.

“What else can I do? I only know how to catch mice…”

Just then, an elderly woman nearby, overhearing, turned her sharp ears toward him.

“Young man, you know how to catch mice?!”