Chapter 44

Hu Yuanfei never expected that the number of clients he served would change from one to three.

But since everyone was happy now, bathing together was livelier anyway.

He brought out the large basin that Qingyao used for bathing. At home, they had bought several basins of various sizes—some for her baths, others for washing her face, feet, or bottom.

This level of detail was taught to Lang Xiao by a staff member at the maternal and infant store. It was her first time raising a child; initially, she thought it was similar to raising a wolf pup. But human babies were far too fragile, requiring meticulous care. After adding the store clerk as a friend, she kept consulting her repeatedly, and the number of baby supplies at home gradually increased.

Lang Xiao’s original form was quite large. Even the biggest basin felt cramped for her, so she had to curl up to fit inside, her tail still dangling outside the basin.

Hu Yuanfei was filling the basin with water, but Lang Xiao took up most of the space, causing the water to overflow quickly.

He scratched his head with his damp fingers. “Why don’t you get out first? I’ll finish filling the water and add shampoo later!”

Lang Xiao looked at him silently, lifted a string of water droplets as she stood up, then shook herself vigorously, sending the droplets flying everywhere like a sudden downpour. Even Qingyao, who was just entering and steadying herself on the wall, got splashed in the face.

She wiped the water from her face, let out two excited chirps, and hurried into the bathroom, quickly leaping to the edge of the filled basin.

Lang Xiao promptly reached out a paw to hook the back of her collar, lifting her up.

Qingyao flailed her arms, trying to jump in, tugging at her clothes, probably thinking the water was for her bath since she had bathed in that basin before.

Hu Yuanfei said to her, “No bath for you today, so you can’t get in.”

When she realized the water wasn’t for herself, the smile on Qingyao’s face vanished in an instant, her mouth puckering like a little duck.

“Be good. Tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll give you a proper bath, okay?”

“Ah!” Qingyao protested, pressing her hands into the water and splashing around.

“No protests allowed. This is for Mom. You’re just not on time today.”

Hu Yuanfei then glanced at the cat perched on the toilet lid and the dog sitting by the wall. “You two wait a bit. I’ll wash Lang Xiao first, then it’ll be your turn.”

Neither of them had expected to get their turn, but now they obediently agreed.

The basin was soon half full. The water wasn’t too hot.

Hu Yuanfei poured in some pink liquid and stirred it around. Bubbles quickly gathered on the surface and soon overflowed the basin’s edge. Qingyao immediately forgot about bathing and reached out to catch the bubbles.

“All done. You can get in now. Smell that? Doesn’t it smell nice? I think it smells like the moon.”

Lang Xiao twitched her nose, sensing the scent was too sweet and cloying, like a flower blooming deep in the night—perhaps the moon was indeed hanging overhead then.

She hummed softly and slowly sat down. Despite her gentle movements, her large body still caused the water to spill over the basin’s edge. Qingyao, crouched nearby, was instantly soaked through.

Lang Xiao felt that even if she wasn’t going to bathe today, she had to now; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to sleep directly like this.

Hu Yuanfei found a glove and put it on. The glove’s surface resembled a cushioned comb with long teeth. Squatting beside her, he poured a palmful of body wash onto the glove, worked it into lather, and then gently scrubbed Lang Xiao’s body, combing through her fur as he washed.

The gray wolf was soon buried under thick foam. Hu Yuanfei vigorously massaged down her back. When he reached her tail, that large tail suddenly flicked upward, splashing bubbles and water all over him.

“No need to wash the tail.”

For animals, the tail was a kind of taboo—it shouldn’t be touched casually.

Hu Yuanfei knew this and quickly changed position to continue washing her. He was almost soaked through himself, with bits of foam sticking to his hair, making his usually serious face look particularly charming.

Lang Xiao rested her chin on her paw, her gaze fixed on Hu Yuanfei.

Before, she had no interest in how he looked; beauty or ugliness didn’t concern her. But now, for some reason, this fox looked unusually pleasing to her eyes. Perhaps it was just familiarity from spending so much time together.

Hu Yuanfei moved to her head and gently massaged it.

“Press harder,” Lang Xiao closed her eyes, feeling the comfort. “Not bad.”

Receiving praise, Hu Yuanfei worked even harder.

Sweating and soaked, he finished massaging Lang Xiao, letting her soak a while longer. Then he fetched two more basins, filled them with water, and helped the cat and dog sit inside. He washed them one by one; they weren’t as dirty as Lang Xiao, so it was less effort.

Qingyao, bored of the bubbles, looked up and saw all three of them in the basins while she was still outside, feeling unhappy. This time, she tiptoed quietly and, when Hu Yuanfei wasn’t paying attention, flipped herself into Lang Xiao’s basin.

The bubbles were still piled high. Qingyao pounced on Lang Xiao like diving into a snowdrift.

Hu Yuanfei looked up and shouted, “Why didn’t you stop her?”

Lang Xiao lazily lifted her eyelids and said, “I didn’t notice.”

Nobody believed her. What could they do? The little one was already in and soaked through. In this situation, a bath was unavoidable.

So Hu Yuanfei spent the entire evening washing four clients. By the time he finished grooming, drying, and blowing them dry, it was already past eleven at night. Qingyao had long fallen asleep in his arms, her eyes closing even as he dried her hair.

The room was filled with lingering fragrance, amid the mess that hadn’t been cleaned up in the bathroom.

Hu Yuanfei squatted in the bathroom, still in wet clothes, tidying up and washing himself briefly. He tested the shampoo he’d bought, then lazily flicked his fur dry with his magic, since he was too exhausted to blow-dry himself.

He was utterly tired, so drained he didn’t want to move. After finishing everything, he collapsed on the floor to rest, wishing he could sleep a full day and night.

And all this hard work was entirely self-imposed.

Hu Yuanfei didn’t even know he could be this diligent.

Next time—definitely no more of this.

Of course, if Lang Xiao requested it herself, that would be an exception.

Perhaps seeing how hard he’d worked, the next day Hu Yuanfei noticed his treatment from Lang Xiao seemed a little better.

Since he was too tired and woke up late, breakfast was prepared by Lang Xiao.

During the meal, he noticed his plate held more meat than usual, piled high and nearly overflowing, with plenty of vegetables. A can of food had also been opened. The chewing biscuits he had brought back yesterday were placed respectfully in a dish in the center of the table.

Hu Yuanfei quietly observed and realized that Qingli and Qinglai didn’t have any canned food, only he did. Their portions of meat were much smaller than his, although they usually got less anyway. But today was different.

Lang Xiao appeared as calm as usual, quietly eating her share. Occasionally, she would pause, pinch a chewing biscuit, chew slowly, then drink some water before resuming her meal leisurely.

Biscuits were considered a snack. Before, she would never eat snacks during meals. Even her favorite cat treats were only given between meals when she was hungry or craving something—not before or after eating.

Lang Xiao’s reasoning was that eating too much might affect the appetite for the main meal, which wasn’t good. It might give the pups the wrong idea.

But Hu Yuanfei knew the pups didn’t like cat treats. The first time Qingyao tried them, she curiously nipped a bit and spat it out immediately. Since then, Qingyao never tried to eat cat treats again. Besides, pups always ate heartily and weren’t picky; they never chose snacks over meals.

Hu Yuanfei thought it was because Lang Xiao liked the chewing biscuits he gave her so much that she couldn’t resist tasting them even during meals.

A strange joy welled up inside him. His eyes curved like crescent moons, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted into a grin.

Lang Xiao liked the things he gave her.

He was happy.

Lang Xiao glanced at his smiling face and pretended not to notice, pinching another biscuit and casually saying, “The biscuits are pretty tasty.”

The fox had worked hard yesterday and deserved some recognition.

Hu Yuanfei’s smile grew wider, ears perking up proudly. “Right? I heard others say they were good, so I bought them. Next time, I’ll get some other flavors.”

“By the way, did you report to the police yesterday?”

Hu Yuanfei’s ears drooped. “I did. I sent them the video. They said they’d investigate properly. They can’t just barge in because of one video. Maybe we’ll have results in a few days.”

Lang Xiao swallowed a biscuit. “Mm. I checked today. If you want to have a bath and massage, some reputable places offer soaking, massages, gaming, movies, and meals. When we have time, our whole family can try it.”

Hu Yuanfei blinked, and his fluffy tail suddenly shot out from behind him. It spun wildly, turning into a whirlwind, the wind ruffling Qingli and Qinglai, who were still eating, causing them to glance over.

Despite his tail spinning like a whirlwind, Hu Yuanfei’s expression was even calmer than before. He restrained himself from leaping up and nodded calmly.

“Sorry, it was my fault for not investigating well enough yesterday. I was too impulsive.”

“No problem, just be careful next time.”

The meal was peaceful yet undercurrents of emotion ran deep. Only Qingyao clung to her plate, eating voraciously until her face and hair were covered in food.

After the eighth day of the lunar new year passed, Hu Yuanfei fulfilled his earlier promise and immediately began looking for a new place to rent.

He wasn’t buying a house, just renting. The current place was too small, cramped, and uncomfortable. He had wanted to move for a long time, and now that he had some extra money, he could find a more comfortable home.

This time, neither Lang Xiao nor Qingli went along; Qinglai accompanied Hu Yuanfei. Qinglai knew the city’s neighborhoods like the back of his hand and had many underlings outside who knew which properties had bad management, which tenants were difficult, and which houses looked shiny but were uncomfortable inside.

After searching for several days, Hu Yuanfei finally found a suitable place.

It was in a residential complex in the East District, an older community with average surroundings but a great location—right next to the subway entrance, near a bustling shopping mall, and a river nearby. Across the river was a park.

The building was a mid-rise with eleven floors. The apartment was a three-bedroom on the top floor, with an attic and a large terrace. The terrace was divided left and right; their unit faced the right, west side. Along the wall in the middle, the previous owner had planted various plants. Vines climbed the walls and trellis, making the summer greenery lush, evoking the feeling of being in a forest.

The complex had no buildings taller than eleven floors, and since this one was in the last row, the river and forest were visible behind it. Lang Xiao could remain in her original form on the terrace without being noticed.