Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Fox in the Glass Cabinet

“Mom.” Wang Luo finally spoke up, interrupting the conversation. Cui Juan frowned and looked over at him.

Wang Luo hesitated for a moment but finally mustered his courage to say, “Wan Jun is pregnant. She needs more nutrition, so let her have the egg.”

Cui Juan exploded in fury when she heard this. “What are you talking about? You’re a man—how are you supposed to work without eating eggs every day?”

“So she’s suddenly delicate just because she’s pregnant? When I was carrying you, I was always the last to eat at every meal. I barely had a moment to rest before your grandmother and aunt ordered me around to do this and that. Did anything ever happen to me?”

Wang Luo didn’t dare say anything more. He simply lowered his head in silence.

Having been interrupted, Cui Juan lost her interest and waved Wan Jun off to cook. She herself sat on the doorstep, finishing the half-taro leftover from breakfast.

Everyone in the family was so hungry their stomachs were sticking to their backs. Because of her pregnancy and the fright from earlier, Chen Wan Jun’s whole body was trembling slightly.

Hearing Cui Juan’s words, she silently went to the kitchen to cook.

Just before entering the kitchen, she saw Cui Juan opening her bundle and going through its contents one by one.

By the time the meal was ready, Cui Juan had already picked out several things. She looked up at Chen Wan Jun. “Daughter-in-law, you’ve just joined the family, so you need to offer a few good things as gifts for your relatives. I’ve picked them out for you, and I’ll put in a good word for you in front of everyone.”

Chen Wan Jun said nothing, only nodded quietly.

Now that she had gotten her way, Cui Juan’s attitude improved a little, and she called everyone to eat.

At the table, Wang Luo brought up holding a wedding.

Cui Juan’s face changed; she put down her chopsticks. “A wedding is a hassle, and we still owe money to the Su family.”

“How about we wait until after the baby is born, and hold the wedding together with the baby’s one-month celebration?”

At these words, Chen Wan Jun, who had been silent, suddenly froze. She turned to look at Wang Luo, wanting to see his reaction.

For once, Wang Luo stood firm. “Mom, what are you saying? Holding the wedding together with the baby’s celebration—how does that look?”

“How do you expect others to see Wan Jun?”

Seeing her son unhappy, Cui Juan quickly smiled. “I was just making a suggestion. Why are you so anxious?”

“In that case, let’s set the date for next week.”

She had already asked around—on that day, the Su family would also be holding a wedding, so the villagers would already be at the Su house, well-fed. When they dropped by, they could just hand over the gift money.

The young couple were unaware of Cui Juan’s scheming. Hearing there would be a wedding, they were both delighted.

At last, the family atmosphere lightened.

Meanwhile, the old man had invited a chef to prepare the banquet and even hired a few extra hands to help.

With the feast taken care of, he began to worry about where Su Wan would live after the wedding.

Jiang Mochen’s courtyard wasn’t suitable—too empty, it felt unsettling.

The house was clean enough, but who knew if Su Wan would be comfortable living there?

If it weren’t for the neighbors’ gossip, he would have wanted to bring young Jiang over to live with them.

Just as he was fretting, Su Chen returned from school.

“I heard Jiang is preparing the new room. Go over and give him a hand.”

Su Chen had just gotten home and wanted to rest, but hearing this, his face fell.

But he didn’t dare disobey his grandfather, so he could only trudge resentfully toward Jiang Mochen’s house.

Damn it, things have turned upside down. When there were only three of them at home, he already ranked lowest. Now, with Jiang Mochen, his place was still at the bottom.

Had Jiang Mochen bewitched his grandfather or something?

“Hey, Chen, you’re here!” The old lady living next door to Jiang Mochen greeted him warmly as soon as she saw him.

Su Chen entered the courtyard. “Hello, Auntie.”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

The old lady smiled. “No need, it’s all been sorted. Just pull some weeds in the yard. Jiang said he won’t be living here in the future, so there’s no need to fuss over it.”

Su Chen walked over, picked up a hoe, and started pulling weeds. “Where is he?”

“He went into town to buy things,” the old lady said, wiping sweat from her brow.

“It’s too hot. Let’s go inside and have some water.”

She pulled Su Chen inside. They found some cups in the cabinet, and Su Chen went to fetch tea.

As he turned around, he heard the old lady give a startled cry. He looked back and saw her pulling out a glass case from the cabinet, inside of which was a fox.

The fox’s fur was a brilliant red—strikingly beautiful—but its paws and mouth were smeared with blood, and it was barely breathing, looking as if it wouldn’t last much longer.

When light struck the case, the fox struggled to stand, banging its head against the glass in an effort to escape.

Su Chen’s hand went limp, and an unfamiliar wave of terror swept over him.

What kind of person would lock a living creature away in a dark cabinet?

And aren’t foxes wild animals? Why would anyone keep one in a glass case?

While the two were still reeling in shock, the door suddenly opened. Jiang Mochen entered, backlit by the sun, his face shrouded in shadow, wearing his usual unreadable expression.

Startled, Su Chen turned and met Jiang Mochen’s deep, icy gaze.

A chill ran up his spine.

He stepped back and set his cup down. “Um, I have to go home and cook.”

The old lady next door, a little embarrassed, said, “Sorry, I just came in for a drink and saw it by accident.”

She carefully placed the fox on the ground and slipped past Jiang Mochen as she left.

Jiang Mochen’s hands clenched tightly as he strode over and grabbed the glass case.

The fox continued to scratch frantically, desperate to get out.

“Why? Why don’t you want to stay here? Do you hate me too?” Jiang Mochen’s furious outburst echoed from the room, and the old lady hurried her pace, running out the door.

She stepped over the threshold to find Su Chen waiting for her.

Both were still shaken. Su Chen asked, “What’s the story with that fox?”

The old lady leaned against the wall to catch her breath. “Jiang brought it back from West Mountain when he was cutting firewood.”

“It was plump when he first caught it. Jiang even fed it the only meat in the house, and the fox was very fond of him.”

“I was curious at the time!” the old lady said, patting her chest as if to calm herself. “But it’s a wild animal, after all, used to freedom. How could it bear being shut up in such a tiny space?”

After hearing this, Su Chen felt as if he’d plunged into an icy pool. There was definitely something wrong with Jiang Mochen.

He had to tell Su Wan and Grandpa at once.

He couldn’t let Su Wan marry him!

The image of the dying fox trapped in the glass case haunted him, as if it were Su Wan who was imprisoned there instead of the fox.

He broke into a run, stumbling several times in his haste.

When he finally returned home, he found the courtyard crowded—every relative of the Su family had arrived.

Aunts and great-aunts surrounded Su Wan, bombarding her with questions.

Even the great-aunt who used to belittle Su Wan had come.

Grandpa wore a beaming smile, delighted at Su Wan’s impending marriage.

Everything seemed so perfect.