After autumn arrived, the scenery in the mountains gradually changed.
Tree leaves began to turn yellow.
Under the sunlight, layers upon layers of golden hues covered the mountain slopes.
Wild fruits ripened, hanging red and full on the branches, attracting birds and squirrels to peck at them eagerly.
Qin Yu entered the mountains more often.
She remembered her brother’s words and stopped bringing candy, switching instead to wild fruit.
She knew the mountain fruits well—which tree bore the sweetest ones, which bore the tart ones. She knew better than anyone.
Every time she entered the mountains, she would check that particular spot in the woods.
Sometimes she saw the white fox. Sometimes she did not.
When she did, she would crouch at a distance, place the wild fruit on the ground, and wait quietly.
Bai Heng would walk over, pick up the fruit in her mouth, but never eat it in front of her.
She would simply carry it away, turning into the bushes and vanishing deep among the branches and leaves.
Qin Yu never minded. The next day she would bring fresh ones.
One time, she brought a handful of fully ripe raspberries, carefully wrapped in leaves so they would not be crushed.
Bai Heng walked over, lowered her head to sniff the raspberries, but did not pick them up.
She lifted her head and looked at Qin Yu crouching not far away, tilting her head slightly.
Qin Yu whispered, “These are really sweet. I tasted them myself.”
Bai Heng watched her for a moment, then lowered her head and gently licked one raspberry. Then another.
Then another.
She ate slowly and gracefully, as if unwilling to waste even a single one.
Qin Yu’s eyes sparkled.
The corners of her mouth curved up, but she dared not laugh aloud for fear of startling her.
After Bai Heng finished the handful of raspberries, she lifted her head and glanced at Qin Yu once more.
Then she turned and walked into the bushes, just as usual.
But this time, after a few steps she stopped and looked back.
That glance seemed to carry a hint of gratitude.
Qin Yu remained crouched in place, watching the direction the white fox had disappeared.
A warm feeling filled her heart.
When she returned home, she told Qin Yun about it.
“Brother, the white fox ate the raspberries I brought!”
Qin Yun was chopping firewood in the courtyard. He looked up at her words.
“She ate them?”
Qin Yu nodded vigorously.
“Yes! She ate them one by one, so politely!”
Qin Yun set down the axe and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“She didn’t run?”
Qin Yu shook her head.
“No. She only left after she finished eating.”
Qin Yun fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
That evening, Qin Yun went into the mountains alone.
He carried no bow or arrows, just his empty hands, following the familiar trail deeper into the hills.
When he reached that spot in the woods, he slowed his steps and looked around.
Bai Heng was crouched on a rock, gazing at the deepening sunset in the distance.
She heard the footsteps, turned her head, and saw it was Qin Yun. She did not move.
Qin Yun stopped roughly three zhang away from her and did not approach.
He simply stood there, watching the white fox.
The sunset dyed her fur with a warm red glow. Her clear fox eyes shimmered with a faint luster in the twilight.
Qin Yun watched her for a long time before he finally spoke.
“What exactly are you?”
His voice was soft, as if speaking to himself, yet also as if asking the white fox.
Bai Heng did not respond.
She simply gazed at him quietly. Her eyes were calm and deep, revealing no emotion.
Qin Yun waited a while. When no answer came, he was not disappointed.
He smiled and shook his head.
“Never mind. Whatever you are, thank you for not scaring my little sister.”
With that, he turned and slowly walked down the mountain.
After a few steps, he suddenly heard a very soft sound behind him.
It was as if something had landed on the fallen leaves.
He turned his head.
The white fox remained crouched on the rock, watching him.
On the ground beneath the rock lay a single fully ripe wild fruit.
Qin Yun paused.
He looked at the fruit, then at the white fox.
The white fox did not move. She simply watched him quietly.
Qin Yun suddenly smiled.
He walked over, bent down, picked up the wild fruit, wiped it on his sleeve, and took a bite.
“Sweet.”
He said with a smile.
Bai Heng watched him and narrowed her eyes slightly.
After Qin Yun finished the fruit, he waved at her.
“Thanks.”
Then he turned and continued down the mountain.
This time, he did not look back.
Bai Heng remained on the rock, watching the youth’s figure grow smaller and smaller until it merged into the twilight.
The sunset gradually faded. Night quietly descended.
She stayed crouched there, unmoving for a long time.
Autumn grew deeper.
The leaves in the mountains turned yellow and fell, then turned yellow again.
The winds in the early mornings and late evenings carried a distinct chill, reminding all the creatures in the mountains that winter was approaching.
Qin Shi and Qin Yun began preparing for winter.
They chopped firewood, stored dried provisions, and repaired the house.
Father and son stayed busy from dawn to dusk, entering the mountains far less often.
Qin Yu, however, still slipped into the mountains from time to time.
She remembered her brother’s warning and no longer ventured too far alone.
She only wandered the slopes near the village.
Sometimes she picked wild fruit, sometimes gathered wild vegetables, and sometimes she simply sat on the hillside, staring blankly at the distant forest.
Bai Heng would occasionally encounter her on those slopes.
When the girl saw her, she neither chased nor called out.
She simply crouched quietly, took a wild fruit from her pocket, and gently placed it on the ground.
Bai Heng would walk over, pick up the fruit in her mouth, but not hurry away.
She would crouch not far from the girl, slowly eating the fruit and occasionally glancing up at her.
Qin Yu’s eyes would sparkle as she spoke in a soft voice.
“White fox, where will you go when winter comes?”
“Are there caves in the mountains? Will they be warm?”
“Are you hungry? Do you want me to bring you food?”
Bai Heng did not respond. She simply listened quietly.
Sometimes, after Qin Yu finished speaking, she would gently swish her tail, as if in reply.
Qin Yu would then smile until her eyes curved into crescents.
One day, while Qin Yu was talking, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.
She turned and saw Lin Lan.
Lin Lan carried a bamboo basket filled with wild vegetables she had clearly come to gather.
When she saw Qin Yu and the white fox crouched not far away, she paused slightly.
“Xiao Yu?”
Qin Yu waved her over and lowered her voice.
“Sister Lin Lan, be quiet. Don’t scare her.”
Lin Lan nodded, walked over with light steps, and crouched beside Qin Yu.
She looked at the snow-white fox with curiosity in her eyes.
“Is this the white fox you mentioned?”
Qin Yu nodded.
“Yes. She’s really well-behaved. She doesn’t bite.”
Lin Lan studied the white fox carefully.
The fox gazed back at her, her clear eyes showing no readable emotion.
The two humans and one fox simply looked at each other in silence.
After a moment, Bai Heng stood up, picked up the half-eaten wild fruit in her mouth, and turned into the bushes.
Qin Yu looked a little disappointed but did not follow.
Lin Lan stared in the direction the white fox had disappeared, lost in thought.
“She doesn’t seem afraid of people.”
Qin Yu nodded.
“Mhm. She knows me and my brother.”
Lin Lan was silent for a moment, then said softly, “That’s good.”
After returning home that day, Lin Lan mentioned it to Old Widow Wu.
“Granny, there’s a white fox in the mountains. Xiao Yu often goes to see her. The fox is very intelligent and doesn’t bite anyone.”
Old Widow Wu was sitting in the courtyard sunbathing.
Upon hearing this, a faint, almost imperceptible smile flashed in her turbid eyes.
She turned her head slightly to show she was listening.
Lin Lan nodded and continued.
“Xiao Yu really likes her. She brings her food every day.”
Granny Jiang, still pretending to be the mute Old Widow Wu, naturally said nothing.
She simply gave a slight nod.
Sunlight fell on her wrinkled face.
Her turbid eyes gazed toward the distant mountains and forests.
She knew the white fox was there.
She also knew the white fox was watching this place.
Autumn grew thicker.
Before long, winter was almost here.
Time passed unnoticed in the mountains, yet the changing seasons always reminded everyone of its steady flow.
Bai Heng had already lived here for quite a long time.
The spies continued coming and going in the village, going about their duties.
Granny Jiang still kept to herself, occasionally visiting the mountain god temple.
Qin Yun remained busy every day preparing for winter.
Qin Yu still slipped into the mountains from time to time to bring her wild fruit.
Everything seemed the same as always.
Yet Bai Heng knew some things were quietly changing.
Just like the leaves all over the mountains—they turned yellow day by day, fell day by day.
By the time one noticed, the branches were already bare.
She withdrew her gaze and slowly stood up.
Outside the cave entrance, the autumn wind blew strong.