```Turning past the large stone screen carved with "Fox Home," Suming now understood why this place was called "Fox Home" as he arrived at the fenced hillside.
In front of him were dozens of wooden houses, about half a person tall, lined up much like a human residential area. However, each house was a standalone "villa" with its own courtyard, appearing like a group of villas standing tall among the mountains from a distance.
The owners of these miniature houses were foxes.
The villas had no doors and were semi-open, allowing one to easily see inside; each villa housed foxes, some with just one or two and others with five or six. Suming had allocated these homes to the little guys based on family units. Those with more family members had larger villas, while those with fewer had smaller ones. The bachelors actually had the best deal because they had the most space per capita...
At a glance, these foxes were different from those seen in zoos. Their bodies were much smaller, but their ears were big and long, like two giant fans perched on either side of their heads, as if they had stepped out of a cartoon.
These foxes seemed not to be afraid of humans at all. In the face of a large group of tourists, the Broad-eared Foxes showed no signs of alarm. They neither bared their teeth in a defensive posture nor scattered in fear. On the contrary, it was as if they didn’t notice the tourists at all, continuing to do whatever they were doing, whether sleeping or playing in their villas...
Looking around, there were at least a hundred foxes with long, large ears that looked quite cute, and they formed a tiny village, grouped by family.
"Eh? What’s that on these foxes?" A girl suddenly pointed at a villa not far from her, as if she had discovered something very interesting.
Following the direction of her finger, one could see four Broad-eared Foxes in a villa near the edge; two of them were larger and the other two were young, their fur not yet fully grown, covered in a dense layer of fine fluff, a family of four.
The two larger Broad-eared Foxes were actually wearing small clothes. The designs were very simple: one in an ancient men’s robe and the other in a short cheongsam. The two adult Broad-eared Foxes, dressed in these clothes, looked like a couple from the Republic of China era. If the one in the men’s attire had put on a pair of glasses, they would have looked even more lifelike.
The two young foxes, the older one wore a simple jacket that looked, upon closer inspection, to be a school uniform, and the youngest Broad-eared Fox wore nothing but a red belly band...
The belly band even had a big "Fu" character on it.
"Over there too..."
"This family is dressed up as well..."
Surprised exclamations continued to rise, as they realized that all the Broad-eared Foxes living in Fox Home were dressed in human clothes. To prevent discomfort for the little animals, the clothes were made very simply, often just a single piece of cloth, but it was still apparent that there were different styles.
Most commonly seen were outfits resembling those of farmers; the villas’ thatch-covered roofs, under the eaves at the entrance, hung rows of small, dried salted meats, little corn cobs, and small red chili peppers. The courtyards even thoughtfully contained several mini-sized hoes...
It wouldn’t be surprising if they kept chickens in the yard, but if they did, the chickens probably wouldn’t survive. Imagine a fox farmer raising a flock of chicks, only to have them disappear the next day, and then they raise another flock, which again disappears on the third day... What a cold joke...
There were also a few ’fox’ families dressed as scholars, with small bookshelves carved into the walls of their villas, which were filled with carved books...
This place was truly a small village. There was an ancient well at the village entrance with water so that any Broad-eared Fox could come and drink when thirsty; at the eastern end of the village, there were two houses that looked rather shabby, inhabited by only a single bachelor fox. The house opposite had its yard gate tightly locked as if fearful of someone breaking in, as it housed a fox widow...
Behind the village was a small Land Temple, and at the village’s main entrance stood a house half a meter tall, uninhabited by foxes, and adorned with a pair of small plaques: Fox Ancient Town, Agricultural Books Passed Down Through Generations... it turned out to be Lake Village’s ancestral hall.
If it weren’t for the fact the inhabitants were foxes, this place would completely look like a secluded small village tucked away from the world.
It was the Broad-eared Foxes’ ’reminder’ to Suming, for Broad-eared Foxes live in tropical areas, mostly deserts, and are quite susceptible to cold. Even when they later lived in ancient tombs, they huddled together in airtight underground chambers, maintaining a constant temperature.
However, the zoo’s back mountain was very cool, especially at night. Even during the hottest days of July and August, the breeze at night in the mountains was chilling to the point where Mr. Lin would have to use a blanket while on watch. The Broad-eared Foxes couldn’t bear it, so Suming simply found a tailor to make them some warm clothes.
Later, an idea struck him, and he decided to turn this place into a hidden haven called Taoyuan.
```
The Fox Home has barely been developed, at less than one-tenth of its planned size. It’s merely in its infancy, resembling a small village. Suming intends to clear some terraced fields on the surrounding hillsides in the future, plant flowers and trees, introduce a stream, and turn this place into a true Shangri-La.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please be careful not to step on the foxes, or damage any structures in the Fox Home..." Mr. Lin shouted through the megaphone.
Visitors chuckled and cooed as they watched the foxes from beyond the fence of the ’small village.’ Before long, some of them crossed the short fence and walked on the paths inside Fox Home, squatting at the doorstep of the small villas to play with the Broad-eared Foxes who lived inside.
Broad-eared Foxes are not aggressive and are fed well daily, so they don’t have any issues being close to humans. But the entire village was built on a true-to-life reduced scale, so what were spacious roads and large rooms for the foxes appeared to the humans like oversized toys. Lin and Xiao Lin’s responsibility was to keep an eye out so that the tourists didn’t inadvertently damage any public property.
Less than half a day after Fox Home opened, batches of visitors arrived one after another. Many heard about it through social media and friends, and purposely took advantage of their lunch breaks to visit. The scene was bustling, yet orderly. Without Mr. Lin and Xiao Lin having to remind them, the tourists tread lightly for fear of harming these cute little creatures or ruining their ’homes.’
However, in the afternoon, Mr. Lin noticed that a few tourists were acting strangely.
It’s always what you’re afraid of that happens. Explore more at empire
Foxes, due to their graceful figures and cunning looks, have maintained a unique position in Huaxia’s folklore for thousands of years. Names like deceptive fox, Huli Jing, and immortal have been ingrained in people’s hearts. The sight of foxes always brings to mind thoughts of the mysterious and the mystical, especially among the older generation.
And these Broad-eared Foxes were particularly clever. Not only were they adorable, but they also seemed spirited. Unlike other animals, which have various instinctive reactions like fleeing or displaying aggression when they see humans, these foxes seemed utterly indifferent. Their composure alone was not something ordinary animals possessed. Furthermore, dressed in anthropomorphic clothing with lively eyes, they appeared almost capable of communicating with humans, giving off an impression of being ’spiritually awakened.’
Like Mr. Lin and Xiao Lin in the beginning, the vast majority of people didn’t believe in the existence of demons or immortals, but when they saw the Broad-eared Foxes, some of the more superstitious visitors couldn’t help but think of the Fox Immortal.
"
A man adorned with a large gold watch, clearly a nouveau riche, squatted in front of the small Land Temple at the entrance to the village, muttering, "Fox Immortal, please bless me with a fortune this year and make Zhang Daya across the street lose until he’s down to his last pants..."
An elderly lady with a face full of wrinkles was squatting in front of a small house, praying with her hands clasped, whispering, "Fox Immortal, bless me to win more money in mahjong and keep my rheumatism at bay..."
As luck would have it, some of the foxes in Fox Home, bored of staying indoors, were wandering around the village. Two just happened to pass by and, seeing the old lady with clasped hands, imitated the gesture perfectly. Their front paws pressed together, they bowed to the humans facing them...
That attracted a crowd immediately. The old lady was dumbstruck, incessantly muttering, "The immortal has shown a sign, the immortal has shown a sign..."
While repeating this, she kept bowing relentlessly toward the little foxes.
Her exclamations drew a crowd, each person gawking at the group of foxes exchanging bows with humans.
Most of the people present didn’t believe in Buddhism or Taoism. If anything, nowadays more people believe in astrology than religion. To them, it seemed likely that the zoo trained these foxes using some special method.
Even so, it was a rare spectacle. The number of spectators grew, and among them, a few superstitious folks started bowing to the foxes as well. Really, they were just seeking peace of mind; they didn’t truly believe these foxes had any ’magical powers.’
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The earlier rich man boldly stuffed a hundred yuan into the Land Temple’s donation box, saying, "Don’t just bow, give some donation. How else will the Fox Immortal bless you!"
"Right, right, right..." The old lady fumbled for her purse.
Seeing this, Mr. Lin felt he couldn’t stay seated any longer. He had to step forward and clarify the situation. Suming was indeed prescient; Fox Home could have ended up fostering feudal superstition. While Mr. Lin was somewhat superstitious himself, having run a rescue station for so long, he understood the gravity of the situation. It would be a different story for anyone to keep a few pet foxes and worship them at home, but a zoo is a public institution. If people started worshiping the Fox Immortal and offering money in a zoo, it would be a completely different issue.
It was time to step in and take charge.