Feng Jinyao looked down and saw a small, fiery red fox lying in her arms, glaring warily at Feng Jinlin. It looked as if it were saying, "Stay away from me, you scoundrel!"
"A fox?"
"That's right. I found it in the back mountains of the academy. It's all men there, and they can't raise this sort of thing, so I brought it to you."
Feng Jinyao's small face scrunched up like a bun. In her two lifetimes, she had never even raised a cat, dog, bird, or fish, let alone a fox.
She tended to avoid anything fluffy.
"I've never raised one before, Second Brother. Why don't you give it to someone else? What if it starves to death if it stays with me?"
Feng Jinlin rolled his eyes and snorted deeply through his nose.
"Ayao, this creature is very intelligent. Ordinary people have never even seen one, yet you want to give it away. Don't you see this little fox is snuggling into your arms? This is your destiny together, understand?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the arm-length fiery fox seemed to understand, whimpering and tucking its head into her embrace, as if begging, "I'm well-behaved and easy to care for, please don't give me away."
With a sigh, she stroked its soft fur, and Feng Jinyao's heart softened.
She couldn't bring herself to be harsh with such a soft, cuddly creature. As if sensing her emotions, the fiery fox even raised its body, nuzzling its forehead against her chin, a smile appearing on its face.
Xiùqiú stared in astonishment and mumbled, "Has this thing become a spirit?"
With a swish, the fox turned its head and bared its tiny, newly emerged teeth at her, as if its tail had been stepped on, and began to bark.
This made Feng Jinyao and her brother burst into laughter.
It seemed it was indeed an intelligent creature.
"Alright, alright, it can stay," she said, stroking the fiery fox's head. Instantly, the little creature returned to its soft and obedient demeanor, bringing joy to those who saw it.
It was also a shapeshifter. After thinking for a moment, she blurted out, "With its fiery red coat, let's call it Chìlíng from now on."
Chìlíng, Chìlíng. The little fox savored the name for a moment and found it very pleasing. It then happily scampered around Feng Jinyao.
Holding Chìlíng in her arms, Yunxù and the others finished their preparations quickly. In just a moment, they were all tidied up.
At the same time, breakfast was ready.
A plate of fresh lotus root, a plate of shredded chicken spring rolls, two bowls of winter bamboo shoot wontons, and three small dishes of condiments.
Feng Jinlin was not polite and began to eat as soon as he sat down.
Watching him eat with gusto, Feng Jinyao's brow remained furrowed.
"Second Brother, don't say I didn't warn you. I saw Father in Mother's courtyard yesterday. If you want to have a comfortable New Year, you should return to the academy as soon as possible."
His heart tightened. "No way, this unlucky?"
He looked at Feng Jinyao with a hint of suspicion. Was this girl trying to trick him into returning to the academy again?
Unfortunately, all he saw was a clear conscience.
"Alright, alright, I know. I'll leave after I eat."
"That's more like it."
Feng Jinlin looked up to the heavens, speechless. He had dealt with a stern and impartial elder brother and now had a nagging younger sister. Heaven truly treated him well.
Watching his crestfallen expression, Feng Jinyao felt both amused and helpless.
"Second Brother, it's not that your sister is trying to scare you. The spring imperial examinations are just around the corner. If you fail, think about Elder Brother, Father, and Maternal Grandfather. You'll have a hard time dealing with just those three. You know, except for our fourth uncle who didn't participate in the imperial examinations, everyone else in the Feng and Bai families passed on their first try."
Feng Jinlin swallowed, and the wontons in his hand suddenly lost their appeal.
He looked at his sister, who was more nagging than their mother, with tears he could not shed. "Ayao, if you were married, your husband would surely be advised by you to ascend to the highest ranks!"
"Are you itching for a beating?"
Why was she talking about marriage and weddings? Such words had ruined her good mood early in the morning.
"I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore. I'll leave after I finish eating."
He devoured the wontons in large gulps, and soon the bowls were empty.
He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and looked at Feng Jinyao with satisfaction. "I thought the snow was falling heavily, and the lake in the backyard would be frozen over. I was planning to go ice skating in a few days, but it seems that won't happen."
"What's wrong?" Feng Jinyao asked, looking at him with confusion.
"The ice is too brittle. It probably won't hold."
"Hurry up and leave, you. You only think about eating, drinking, and having fun all day. Why don't Father just marry you to a princess or a county princess? Forget about your future, forget about the imperial examinations, would that be alright?"
Feng Jinyao said the opposite of what she meant, which managed to provoke his rebellious spirit.
"No, I hate being a subordinate to women the most in my life. Just you wait, I'll definitely pass the imperial examinations this time and show you my capabilities, Second Brother!"
With that, he didn't delay any further and strode out. Yunxù, seeing that his cloak was still inside, hurried after him.
"Ah, what a difficult person to serve," Feng Jinyao couldn't help but sigh.
Unexpectedly, before the two of them could leave the courtyard, a maid from the second gate arrived with a post from the Wei family.
"Greetings to Second Master."
"What are you holding?"
"The Wei family just sent a post, inviting Miss to a banquet."
"A banquet?"
Feng Jinlin's face was full of curiosity. Although he was at the academy, he was well aware of court affairs.
The Wei family sending a post at this time was likely to reveal their good news in advance. He shuddered at the thought of the proud Miss Wei.
Rules were paramount, and the thought of it was utterly boring.
"Never mind, hurry and deliver it."
With that, he turned and left Ning'an Courtyard, his steps faster than when he arrived, as if afraid of running into someone he shouldn't, which would bring him bad luck.
The maid brought the Wei family's post inside. Xiùqiú took it and handed it directly to Feng Jinyao.
"Did Second Brother see it?"
"Yes, he just ran into Second Master in the courtyard."
"What did he say?"
"He didn't express any opinion. Second Master left directly."
"That's good."
He preferred to attend such banquets as little as possible. Showing off was for others.
Thinking this, she leisurely opened the post.
She already knew about the banquet from the Bai family.
This was a great opportunity. Whether she could help Sister Xu escape this troublesome engagement depended entirely on the Wei family's snow-viewing banquet.
With this thought, she immediately called Yunxù over and whispered a few instructions in her ear.
Yunxù nodded and then withdrew.
Feng Jinyao picked up the post, her slender fingers like scallion segments brushing over the neat handwriting. A calculating smile appeared on her lips.
At this moment, in the west wing courtyard of the Bai family, maids were coming and going, carrying clothes and jewelry.
Bai Sihan's small courtyard was bustling with activity.