"Look, look, the tongue is making waves....."
The little Arctic Fox sleeping on its side on the bed, due to its unusually long tongue, would have the tip of its tongue exposed outside its mouth in a completely relaxed state.
The natural habit of foxes, in the eyes of humans, definitely counts as adorable antics.
Previously when staying at Ah Qing's house, Mo Yiqing had seen the little fox's sleeping posture many times, but she felt that Lingren and Tang You probably hadn't, so she quietly called them over.
Under the gaze of the three, the tip of the little fox's tongue resting naturally outside as it dreamed moved quickly up and down, as if sucking on something, letting out a soft sound from its mouth.
The little fox's unconscious actions immediately made Mo Yiqing let out a surprised gasp, feeling her heart melt.
Ah Qing, who just finished washing up, heard the gasp from the room and poked her head in to see what was happening on the bed.
Seeing the three discussing, Ah Qing displayed an expression of sudden realization and said:
"I thought something happened. Xiaolan is just over 10 months old, he should still be underage. From what I've read on QianDu, his kind usually matures fully only after one year."
"Hmm... Unconsciously performing milk-drinking and needing behaviors is quite normal."
Ah Qing, who studied agriculture, had always gotten along well with animals but learned about foxes through QianDu.
Red foxes' lifespans range from 12 to 15 years, typically reaching maturity around 10 months, with full growth after about 12 months.
Arctic Foxes have relatively shorter lifespans and mature a bit earlier.
"Did Xiaolan dream of drinking milk? Was it real?" Mo Yiqing had a doubtful expression.
"Maybe dreaming of cold cola? Anyway, I wouldn't recommend poking at Xiaolan's mouth because..." Ah Qing said as she rubbed the facial cleanser on her face and prepared to return to the bathroom to clean her cheeks.
As she walked, she reminded them, advising against meddling with the little fox's tongue.
"Because of what?"
Mo Yiqing, unable to contain her curiosity while Ah Qing was speaking, extended her arm. The little fox, feeling something approaching, groggily reached out with its paws to hug it and bit lightly.
But after a couple of chews, the little fox froze, waking up from its slumber, and opened its eyes.
It saw the fair arm it was holding and the face of Mo Yiqing close by.
"Ptooey ptooey ptooey—ah ptooey, bleh bleh bleh—" Ansheng completely bounced up, opened its mouth, and furiously spat out its tongue.
"Because Xiaolan seems to have a cleanliness obsession. I once poked at his mouth while he was sleeping; after waking up, he sprayed my face with spit."
"Looks like only when Xiaolan is particularly excited and very happy does he give the bitten hand gesture." Ah Qing's unhurried voice finally reached.
"......"
The newly awakened little fox and the three squatters at the bedside stared wide-eyed at each other.
"Ah Qing! Next time with important things like this, make sure to tell us sooner!"
Mo Yiqing, sprayed full of spit, turned back to tell Ah Qing before looking at the bewildered little fox, with lines across her face, giving a thumbs up:
"Fox knight, such a fine spit fox, quite evenly...."
Mo Yiqing quipped, wiping her face, sweeping off the spit from her cheeks.
"...... What a horrible pun, you guys nearly scared Ansheng to death. I thought maybe a double-ponytail elf from Guangdong was crawling into my mouth." Ansheng spoke up with lines across his face in protest of Mo Yiqing's actions.
Based on Ansheng's human experiences, if during sleep, feeling a foreign object in the mouth or ear, nine times out of ten it's a cockroach; rarely there might be a spider or fly.
While on business trips in the Guangdong, Guangxi, and Zhejiang regions, Ansheng unknowingly developed a good habit.
If feeling something foreign while sleeping, spit it out immediately, never swallow it down.
With double ponytails or jumping spiders, even if swallowed, it's just a bit disgusting at most, but if swallowing pests like stink bugs or rove beetles, life would be over right there.
"Eek eek eek!"
"Ah Qing, what did the little fox say?"
"He was cursing someone as bad."
"Not gonna lie... he's quite the grudge-holder." Lingren said.
........
The three, having completed washing up, had to redo it as their fox splashed them with its spraying attack, leaving them no choice but to wash their faces again.
Ah Qing said: "Xiaolan, come over when you wake up."
"Eek..." Ansheng yawned and jumped atop the washbasin, sitting on the towel Ah Qing laid out.
"Ah~" Ah Qing opened her mouth wide.
"Eek~" Ansheng opened his mouth wide.
Ah Qing took out a disposable toothbrush, dipped it in water, and poked it into the little fox's mouth, brushing his teeth, and then laid him down, taking scissors to trim the fur between his limbs.
After completing the daily care, Ah Qing left the bathroom and closed the door behind.
"Taking care of little pets is quite a chore, huh!" Tang You remarked after seeing what Ah Qing did.
"Before, I didn't need to brush his teeth, but ever since Xiaolan liked cola, if I didn't brush his teeth, I always felt that not brushing would sooner or later rot his teeth away."
Ah Qing glanced at the closed bathroom door and the vague humming coming from within, showing a helpless expression.
"I also wonder how Xiaolan came to be obsessed with sugary drinks."
......
By the time Ansheng emerged from the bathroom, he was met with the amazed gazes of Tang You and Lingren, who were looking toward the bathroom, at the toilet tank refilling.
"What are you guys looking at, don't you flush when using the toilet?"
Ansheng rubbed his two front paws on the carpet, wiping off the water from just washing his hands.
After drying his paw pads, Ansheng hopped onto Ah Qing's shoulder, grinning widely as he spoke:
"Let's set off!"
"While you guys were asleep last night, An immediately fought through the nearby streets' bosses, clearing any obstacles you might encounter while playing."
"Just mention my name, and you'll pass through unimpeded."
"Oh? Has Xiaolan made new friends?" Ah Qing, listening to the little fox's words, couldn't help but recall the pitiful look of Xiaolan not being able to get in after going out last night.
Hotel doors require card swipes to enter.
The little fox opened the door himself to stroll around last night, but on returning, couldn't get in, furiously patting the door.
When Ah Qing went to open the door, she saw the little fox squatting at the entrance, pawing at the door non-stop, clearly shaken by the collapse of the ancient tomb last night.
"If you insist on saying I made new friends, there certainly were...."
"It's just that the friends I made last night weren't very happy, each as if they had experienced the entire tragedy of a broken home."
Ansheng nodded seriously.
"Indeed, there was a collapse last night; your fox friends' homes might have been heavily affected? Maybe their burrows collapsed."
Ah Qing agreed with a nod, saying: "Since Xiaolan cares so much about his new friends, let's skip breakfast and go check the situation over there first."
"Though, I'm not sure if we can enter, given it's an ancient tomb over there!"