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墨書 Inktalez
“Stinky Fox, what are you?” Xing Ruyi rushed forward and reached out to grab the fox's ear, but the fox nimbly dodged.
“Look at you, fierce woman. I really want to open the door and let everyone see.”
“What did you say?” Xing Ruyi cracked her knuckles, her teeth clattering: “You Stinky Fox, eating my food and living in my place, yet you dare to provoke me. Who's the fierce woman? Who do you think you are?”
“Calm down.” White Fox covered its ears with a paw: “The person who marries you in the future must have bad luck in their ancestry.”
“Crack!” Xing Ruyi's joints popped as White Fox leaped lightly onto the windowsill.
“Stinky Fox, come back here!” Xing Ruyi pointed at White Fox.
White Fox smiled charmingly, its beautiful fox eyes crescent-shaped: “I’ll go find you some Musk!”
“Hmph!” Xing Ruyi angrily put her hands on her hips: “Stinky Fox, you dead fox, do I need your concern about who I will marry in the future? I definitely won’t marry a scoundrel like you!”
Outside the window, White Fox helplessly scratched its ear with a paw and sighed: “Even if you want to marry, I still have to consider whether I want to marry you.”
“Dead fox, what did you say?” Xing Ruyi leaned over to the window.
White Fox nimbly jumped onto the roof across the street and then disappeared into the white expanse of snow.
On the second day of February, the dragon raises its head.
In the north, February 2 is also known as Dragon Raising Day, or the Spring Dragon Festival. In the south, it is called Treading on the Green Festival, also known as Taoqing Festival. In Chinese folklore, dragons are considered auspicious creatures that govern clouds and rain, and February 2 is believed to be the day when the dragon wishes to rise. According to the solar terms, early February in the Lunar Calendar falls between "Rain Water," "Awakening of Insects," and "Vernal Equinox," and many places have already begun to enter the rainy season. This is a natural phenomenon, but many people attribute it to the dragon's influence, hence the significance of February 2 as the day when the dragon raises its head.
As a day of good fortune and celebration, traditional foods on February 2 are often named after dragons. For example, eating dumplings is referred to as "eating dragon ears," eating rice is called "eating dragon children," eating wontons is known as "eating dragon eyes," and eating noodles is termed "stroking dragon whiskers." Xing Ruyi was busy in the kitchen steaming cakes, and to bring good luck, she shaped the dough into dragon scales, calling it Dragon Scale Cake.
Just as she placed the cakes in the steamer, she heard a series of firecracker sounds coming from several streets away. Looking out the window, she saw a mass of black smoke swirling above a courtyard like a coiled dragon. It suddenly dawned on Xing Ruyi that today was Yu Niang's day of being taken as a concubine.
In common folk weddings, while not as elaborate as those of officials, considerations such as Feng Shui and matching birth dates are still important for marrying a primary wife. However, for taking a concubine, it usually suffices to choose an auspicious day and bring her in through the back door. If the host cares about you, they will select the date carefully and observe some rituals; if not, they will simply go along with whatever pleases them.
After some idle thoughts, Xing Ruyi's cakes were ready, so she knocked on the window and called out for her fox to come eat. One person and one fox didn't feel too lonely.
Another seven days passed; what had been clear weather turned gloomy again. The clouds gathered heavily overhead as if they could squeeze out rain with just a little more effort. In such weather, Xing Ruyi had no mood to welcome guests and lazily leaned on the counter dozing off.
After a loud clap of thunder, several individuals dressed in Yamen official attire appeared on the street, posting something along the way. When they reached Ruyi Workshop, Xing Ruyi forced herself to perk up and smiled at the officials: "You all must be working hard; even in this weather, you still have to come out for work. Why not come in for a break and have some tea and snacks?"
"Ruyi is too kind; today is not suitable," one of them replied while smiling at the Fox Demon.
"What major case has arisen that even Brother Chang has been summoned?" Upon recognizing their faces, Xing Ruyi smiled and stepped out from behind the counter.
"A murder case; it's not particularly serious. It's just that since the Empress has recently moved her capital to Rouge Shop, committing a crime at this juncture is bound to anger her," Chang Tai said as he handed a notice to Xing Ruyi. "Look here; you know this perpetrator well; they frequently buy rouge and face powder from you."
Xing Ruyi glanced at it and her expression darkened: "What are you implying with Brother Chang's words? As if I were very familiar with this murderer; am I supposed to be their mastermind?"
"Ruyi laughs; this case has already been clarified; it has nothing to do with you at all," Chang Tai explained somewhat awkwardly.
"What do you mean that it has been confirmed to have nothing to do with me? Brother Chang really treated me as a suspect during the investigation. Well, I certainly won't dare to invite Brother Chang into Ruyi Workshop again; if that becomes a point of criticism, it wouldn't be good for the Government Office's Yamen to be associated with a suspect."
"Look at Ruyi's mouth; she's making Brother Chang anxious," the Constables nearby joked. "Ruyi, don't go on about it. We're just Constables; when a criminal commits a crime, all the details and connections must be investigated. Since we didn't question the young lady directly, naturally, there's no connection with her. Why does she have to keep pursuing Brother Chang?"
"Exactly! Ruyi knows that Brother Chang is top-notch at catching criminals and solving cases, but when it comes to talking to a lady, he can't even get his words out smoothly. The way she's not letting it go, could it be that she's taken a liking to Brother Chang?" another chimed in, only to receive a punch from Chang Tai.
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