Married the Second Generation Fox Demon with a Baby in a Flash Marriage - Chapter 4

“Xinyu, be careful!” Aunt Lan replied, her voice laced with worry.

Ye Xinyu nodded, stepped out of the business van, and carried the longsword with her. Her movements were swift and purposeful as she sprinted toward a small nearby park.

Inside the park, the ground was submerged in ankle-deep rainwater. A figure in a bright yellow poncho was pinned to the ground by another person, who was hunched over, occupied with something gruesome. A pool of blood was already spreading through the surrounding water.

Ye Xinyu closed the distance rapidly. Seeing the pair, she thrust her sword forward without a second’s hesitation.

The attacker was struck and rolled to the side. As it looked up, its face was covered in patches of yellow fur, its fanged mouth dripping with blood and bits of shredded meat.

“Damned demon hunter!” the creature growled, a low, beastly hiss. It bared its fangs and lunged at Ye Xinyu.

Ye Xinyu leaned back, showing astonishing flexibility as she dodged the pounce. Springing back like a coil, she struck again with her longsword.

In just two rounds, the creature was struck down. It collapsed into the blood-stained water and didn’t rise again. As the stench of rot filled the humid air, the man-sized body began to shrink rapidly, eventually transforming into a yellow-furred rat the size of a common cat.

Ye Xinyu breathed slightly harder than usual. She placed the rat into a bag, her brow furrowed deeper than before.

“Xinyu, did you get it?” Aunt Lan asked when Ye Xinyu returned to the van. She carefully checked for any injuries on the girl before looking at the bag.

“No. This one was too weak. It’s likely just a descendant. I hope the main one hasn’t had time to demonize more of its offspring yet,” Ye Xinyu said wearily.

“You’ve done enough for today. Get some rest. This commission is too troublesome—Taolin County feels thick with demonic energy,” Aunt Lan said with a sigh.

Ye Xinyu closed her eyes to rest as the van drove away.

Hu Mengmeng huffed and puffed her way upstairs to her apartment. Su Mingli had already finished her nighttime routine and gone to bed, but she sat up briefly when she heard her daughter come in.

Seeing Hu Mengmeng tiptoeing toward the bathroom to wash up, Su Mingli shook her head and let her be, merely checking that the door was locked before heading back to sleep.

Outside, the wind and rain raged on. Su Mingli lay in bed, haunted by scenes of the past that kept her tossing and turning. On the other side of the wall, Hu Mengmeng lay down, felt sad for exactly three seconds, and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

At three in the morning, Su Mingli—who hadn’t managed to sleep at all—got up. She glanced at Hu Mengmeng’s bedroom door but decided against waking the girl from her peaceful slumber. She washed, dressed, and headed to the snack shop to prepare for the 6:00 AM breakfast rush.

Mengmeng’s Snack Shop specialized in breakfast: steamed buns (baozi), mantou, soy milk, congealed porridge, and egg pancakes. Most of the prep work happened in the pre-dawn hours. The storefront was tiny—only five or six square meters—so there was no seating; it was strictly for takeout.

Su Mingli had a talent for cooking. After years of running the stall, she had built a solid reputation. Every morning, a long queue formed despite her having hired a local auntie to help. The owners of the nearby shop selling fried dough sticks and spicy soup watched her with envy, as their foot traffic was barely half of hers.

“Brother Tao, I’ve got your breakfast ready!” Su Mingli called out, waving to a middle-aged man in the crowd.

This was Tao Zhengcheng, Tao Tao’s father. He was a police officer—tall, burly, and ruggedly handsome with an air of righteous authority. Since the two girls were best friends, the families were close. Su Mingli looked after Tao Tao, and in return, Tao Zhengcheng helped her with everything from fixing broken appliances to handling store disputes and moving heavy items.

Tao Zhengcheng had a monthly payment arrangement with Su Mingli so he didn’t feel like a freeloader.

“Mingli, a word,” Tao Zhengcheng said as he took his breakfast. He signaled her to step aside. “Things aren’t safe lately. There were two murders last night. Don’t let Mengmeng go out to deliver food for the time being.”

“Brother Tao, you just got off shift, didn’t you? Sigh, I understand. What a tragedy. Go home and get some rest, and take Tao Tao’s breakfast with you,” Su Mingli replied, nodding solemnly.

Since graduating high school, Hu Mengmeng had used her mother’s ID to register as a delivery rider to earn a little extra cash. Su Mingli had installed a GPS tracker on her phone and only allowed her to take local orders. Hearing the warning, Su Mingli knew she couldn’t let her daughter take any more risks.

When Hu Mengmeng woke up, it was already 7:00 AM. She scrambled to wash up and rushed to the shop. Su Mingli, wearing an apron and mask, was busy packing orders. Hu Mengmeng skillfully donned her own gear and jumped in to help.

By 10:00 AM, the rush subsided.

“Mom, I’m heading out to deliver. Where are the scooter keys?” Hu Mengmeng asked.

“You’re not going. Your Uncle Tao said things aren’t safe. Two people were attacked nearby last night. Don’t go looking for trouble. Go home and watch TV with Tao Tao,” Su Mingli said.

“But Mom, I have no pocket money!” Hu Mengmeng pouted.

“We have plenty of food at home, what do you need money for? I still haven’t settled the score with you for wasting all that money yesterday! Go home and play,” Su Mingli snapped.

Hu Mengmeng grumbled but took off her apron and headed home. She found Tao Tao and started venting.

“It’s better not to go out in this heat anyway,” Tao Tao comforted her. “I ordered a cheesecake, two chicken cutlets, and forty meat skewers. Come eat with me!”

“I said I was losing weight,” Hu Mengmeng hesitated.

“More for me then,” Tao Tao said, opening the bags.

Hu Mengmeng’s eyes practically turned green with hunger. She couldn’t hold out. She grabbed a skewer and started munching. “Tao Tao, you are the stumbling block on my path to beauty!” she grumbled through a mouthful of chicken.

Tao Tao only ate a tiny fraction; the rest disappeared into Hu Mengmeng’s stomach.

“Hey, can I borrow your scooter to deliver?” Hu Mengmeng suddenly had an epiphany. “I’m miserable without money. We can swap phones—you take mine, I’ll take yours. That way, if my mom checks the GPS, she’ll think I’m at your place.”

Tao Tao was surprised by the sudden cleverness. “But what if Auntie finds out? She’ll blame me. My dad said it’s dangerous.”

“It’s fine! I’ll only go during the day and be back before she finishes work. Tao Tao, please, help me out.”

Tao Tao eventually relented but insisted she take a small stun baton from her house for self-defense.

For two days, the plan worked perfectly. But on the noon of the third day, as Hu Mengmeng parked her scooter at an office building to deliver a bag of food, she was blocked by someone. The person wore the same delivery uniform as her, but their face was completely hidden behind a dark helmet.

“Little fat girl… you look delicious,” the person said in a low, raspy voice.

Hu Mengmeng’s eyes widened. Delicious? She realized she was being harassed!

“A bit greasy, but I don’t mind!” the figure said, moving toward her with a sickening, cackling sound of excitement.

“Help! Someone’s trying to assault me!” Hu Mengmeng screamed, her hand fumbling for the stun baton. She knew she couldn’t outrun this person.

As the figure lunged to pin her down, a muffled grunt cut through the air. A sharp sword tip erupted from the attacker’s chest, spraying blood across Hu Mengmeng’s clothes.