Chapter 13

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Hu Yuanfei was startled by the sudden voice and instinctively nodded.
“Yes.”
When it comes to catching mice, he was undoubtedly number one in the world; no demon dare claim second place.
The elderly lady expressed doubt, “What do you use to catch mice? Poison or glue traps? Our mice here have all become cunning. Just saying ‘catching mice’ doesn’t work no matter what method you use. They even come back at night to take revenge. Last time, Old Li next door poured hot water on a mouse, and a few days later, that mouse dragged a live electric wire and threw it at him. He was shocked awake and got a burn on his face that still hasn’t healed.”
Another elderly lady chimed in, “Exactly. It’s terrifying. I threw away everything I could, sealed every crack and crevice, but the mice still got in. My clothes have holes chewed through, and the table legs are gnawed rotten. I’m too scared to hit them. At our age, we can’t move; looks like we’ll just have to coexist with the mice until we die.”
The first lady smiled, “Then I think the mice won’t outlast you.”
“I don’t want neighbors like that. I’ll contact a professional pest control company to handle it soon.”
“But those companies are expensive. One visit can cost over a thousand, and the bigger the area, the more expensive. Cleaning everything can cost four or five thousand!”
“Exactly. We have to pay or else our property values will keep dropping because of the mice.”
The two ladies continued chatting, and Hu Yuanfei couldn’t help but listen intently. His eyes lit up as he asked, “You can make money catching mice?”
“Sure. Nowadays you can make money doing anything. Not just mice, I’ve heard there are even people who catch ants, and that’s even more expensive.”
Hu Yuanfei looked at the lady nearby with shining eyes. “Don’t hire a company, hire me. I can catch them all. I… cough… I have a secret method that’s faster than those companies.”
The lady was skeptical. “How much do you charge? Do you require a deposit? What if you don’t catch them all? Where do you live? Do you provide follow-up service?”
These terms were somewhat unfamiliar to Hu Yuanfei, but since he had some exposure to humans, he managed to understand.
“No deposit needed. Pay after the job is done. I only charge five hundred per visit. I guarantee to finish within two visits. If mice appear again later, it’s free until they’re all gone. By the way, we live in Happiness Community, not far from here.”
Hu Yuanfei pointed in a direction, reassuring the lady. They lived in Golden Years Community, just across the street—very close.
“All right, can you come tomorrow? I’ll give you the address. What’s your phone number so I can save it?”
The lady took out her old-fashioned phone, and Hu Yuanfei awkwardly scratched his head—they didn’t have a phone.
Fortunately, Lang Xiao nearby thought of a solution. “You give us your number, and we’ll call you when we arrive.”
The lady wasn’t good at adding numbers and gave up. She couldn’t even remember her own number, so the other lady recited her number, and the two demons memorized it.
“Okay, we’ll come tomorrow.”
Lang Xiao took the lead on this—she wouldn’t miss an opportunity to make money.
They didn’t linger long and left the police station entrance, heading straight for the mall.
Hu Yuanfei was puzzled. “This isn’t the way home. Where are we going?”
“To get a bank card and then buy a phone.”
Hu Yuanfei was shocked. “Really? Truly?”
Lang Xiao was efficient, but to get a bank card, they needed a phone number, so they had to go to the phone store first.
When buying the phone, Lang Xiao still hesitated to buy two, finally choosing one around a thousand yuan for a smartphone.

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Hu Yuanfei fondled the phone, pressing buttons left and right, smiling like a wild man just released from the Stone Age as he listened to the sounds from the phone pressed to his ear.
Lang Xiao snatched the phone and had the clerk demonstrate how to use it. She downloaded common apps and asked how to add contacts. Where do phone numbers come from? Do they get one automatically when buying a phone?
The clerk was shocked at their lack of knowledge but explained patiently.
“You need to go to the service center to get a SIM card. Insert it here, and then the phone will have signal.”
“Oh, that’s how it works.”
Near noon, they went to get a SIM card. The clerk recommended a card with broadband service, which they accepted.
Lang Xiao winced at the monthly fee of seventy-eight yuan.
Humans have so many expenses: buying a phone costs money, and the SIM card has monthly fees!
She slowly understood why humans always seem so rushed—if money constantly drives you, even immortals would become busy.
After lamenting, they still had to pay an activation fee for the bank card. Lang Xiao shook her head—this was human life.
They bought one phone but got two bank cards. Hu Yuanfei suggested sharing one card, but Lang Xiao shook her head.
“We’ll need both in the future.”
Once everything was ready, the two demons returned home under the blazing noonday sun.
Qing Yao was already hungry, whining and nearly crying in Hu Yuanfei’s arms. He tried to soothe her but noticed she wasn’t as easily calmed as before. Anxiously, he instinctively licked her head.
He completely forgot he was in human form and comforted the cub in the way of a fox.
Focused on licking, he didn’t notice people coming out of the hallway. Seeing him like that, several frowned and moved away in disgust.
“Ugh, what is that person doing? So gross.”
“Is he some kind of pervert? Whose kid is that?”
“Don’t know, let’s go quickly. He looked at us.”
Hu Yuanfei froze, sensing something was wrong. He looked for Lang Xiao and saw her hurrying into the elevator, about eight meters away, with an expression as if to say she didn’t know him.
Hu Yuanfei rushed into the elevator. “Why didn’t you warn me just now?”
Lang Xiao turned her head. “You were so focused licking, I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Hu Yuanfei: “...You did it on purpose!”
He tossed the child into Lang Xiao’s arms and sulked alone.
Qing Yao stopped crying, stunned by the whole scene, staring wide-eyed at Hu Yuanfei from Lang Xiao’s arms.
Hu Yuanfei wanted to disappear from Earth at that moment. Luckily, the elevator opened quickly, and he rushed inside, turning back into a fox, refusing to show his expression again.
That afternoon, the three stayed home. Lang Xiao fiddled with the new phone—there was so much inside, each app felt like a world, opening doors to new realms and knowledge. Without leaving home, she could see the whole world.
She was eager to understand human society and was utterly captivated, even though she couldn’t read all the words yet.

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Hu Yuanfei called her a few times but got no response. He slumped to the floor, watching the lively Qing Yao explore.
That night, Lang Xiao nearly forgot to prepare milk for the cub and almost forgot to sleep. Only when the phone finally died and shut off did she come to her senses, noticing it was already completely dark outside.
She looked nervously at the phone—how terrifying human things were to captivate the mind so thoroughly!
Lang Xiao resolved to reduce her phone time. She didn’t want to admit she had been so easily conquered by humans.
That night she was noticeably moody, gazing at the moon all night. The next morning she was still a bit down. Hu Yuanfei reminded her of their appointment and urged her to call the elderly lady.
After making the appointment, the two demons, carrying Qing Yao, set out.
The elderly lady was puzzled seeing them arrive like visitors holding a child.
“Where are your tools?” She looked around but saw nothing. “You came empty-handed? And with a child? Are you just here to look around?”
Lang Xiao realized they didn’t look like they could catch mice at all.
She calmly nodded, “Yes, we’re here to survey the environment first, then decide what tools to bring.”
The lady was a bit intimidated by her demeanor but was eased by the adorable child in her arms.
“Then come in.”
The lady’s home was a standard old three-bedroom apartment, about as aged as their own place. The lady wasn’t tidy, and the house was cluttered. The unused bedroom was a storage room, dim even with the light on. The balcony and under the bed were also piled with stuff. Shortly after entering, the two demons’ ears caught the faint yet lively sounds of disturbed mice.
There were noises under the bed, in the cabinet, the cupboards, and even the pipes.
Every corner of every room rustled and scuttled.
Hu Yuanfei’s ears were overwhelmed; his hands itched, eager to rush in and catch the mice right away.
“There are a lot of mice in your home.”
The lady nodded quickly. “Yes, many. I saw one this morning when I opened the door, and at night they’re relentless, keeping me awake. One almost jumped on my face. I have no choice but to leave food in the living room at night so they’re full and won’t bite me.”
The two demons were stunned, unsure what to say. The mice here ate better than the two of them. Hu Yuanfei even felt a twinge of jealousy. No wonder the mice sounded so fat, their bellies rubbing against the walls as they ran.
They looked around, identifying the main activity areas of the mice.
Hu Yuanfei said, “Do you have somewhere to stay tonight? We can’t catch mice during the day. We’ll operate at night. You can’t stay here tonight.”
Mice are indeed more active at night. The lady thought for a moment and nodded. “I can sleep at my old friend’s place. Are you sure you can finish in one night?”
“We can catch them all in your house.”
“All right, I’ll trust you this once. There’s nothing valuable here, do as you please. But keep the noise down; I don’t want complaints.”
That night, with Qing Yao sound asleep, Lang Xiao set up protective barriers around the bed. The two demons vanished into the house, beginning their first money-making venture.