I felt her keep pulling on my sleeve, bringing me close to the phone screen.
She pointed at the screen with her tiny finger and said, “I only recognize the characters for want and can. What does it mean? Is this person saying they want to learn from Grandpa?”
I looked at the screen.
Someone had sent me a private message, and the content was: “I want to meet and learn about Arthur’s ancient shoe–making techniques.”
Although it only mentioned “learn about,” it still showed some intention.
I immediately engaged in a conversation with the person and agreed on a time and place to meet.
The person could only come the day after tomorrow.
Hearing that someone was interested in learning about his shoemaking craft, Dad felt delighted. He specificall
polished his tools until they sparkled and even applied some lubricant.
Not only that, but he also rearranged the shelves in the front row.
I could see Dad’s eagerness to pass down this craft, and I secretly vowed to do everything in my power to convince the person to stay and become his apprentice.
The next day, Dad took me and Karina around the nearby area.
Karina was curious about everything in the small town, especially when she saw a clear little stream by the town’s edge. Without hesitation, she jumped righ in.
No child could resist the temptation of a clear river; she played in the water happily.
At times splashing water around, at times running in the water, and at times holding her breath with her little face submerged.
Her clothes were completely soaked, but she didn’t seem to mind.
Karina rarely had the chance to play in the water, and this was natural spring water, colder than
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other water.
Her health wasn’t particularly robust.
Worried that she might catch a cold, I had to entrust her to Dad and go back to get a change of
clothes for her.
As I approached the doorstep, I saw a tall figure standing there.
The person was wearing a well–tailored white suit, not perfectly fitted but still very pleasing to the
eye.
I tied my hair into a bundle below the crown of my head, and the semi–long bangs parted on both
sides, giving me a touch of antique charm.
As if sensing the movement behind him, the man turned around.
Our eyes met, and he was taken aback.
“Anya?” He was the first to call out.
I also exclaimed, “Mr. Ripley?”
The man standing before me was none other than William, one of Calix’s friends.
“How did you end up here?” I was extremely surprised.
This was just a small town, and the Ripley family’s business wouldn’t extend this far.
William raised an eyebrow, but his gaze fell on the string of keys in my hand. “You live here?”
He pointed at the door in front of us.
I didn’t know his intentions and remained silent for a long time.
William’s gaze became more profound, and his pupils seemed to clear suddenly, as if he had figured something out. “So, you’re… the Thousand Faces Fox?”
I looked at William in surprise.
Even if I lived here, it didn’t necessarily mean I was the Thousand–Faced Fox.
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How did he figure it out?
William seemed to sense my thoughts and explained, “Your voice is exactly the same as the Thousand Faces Fox, and both of you have children.”
I responded softly, “I am indeed the Thousand–Faced Fox.” I had never deliberately hidden this fact and decided to admit it openly.
“I knew it.” William smiled with a mysterious air.
He had already suspected that the Thousand–Faced Fox was me, but no one believed him.
“So, does that mean Calix lost a great treasure?” I didn’t want to talk much about Calix.
“Mr. Ripley, what brings you here?” I asked.
William raised his phone. “I’m the one who sent you the private message yesterday.”
“It was you?” I was surprised once again. “Wasn’t it agreed that you would come tomorrow?”
“If I came tomorrow, I probably wouldn’t have known that you are the Thousand Faces Fox, a well–kept secret,” he half–jokingly replied.
I slightly lowered my head and tucked the fallen hair behind my ear without responding.
Indeed, I hadn’t planned to reveal myself as the Thousand–Faced Fox. People who livestream preferred not to disclose their real–world identities to avoid unnecessary trouble.
“So, Mr. Ripley, do you really intend to learn my father’s shoemaking craft?” I found it hard to believe.
William smiled but didn’t answer directly.
To be honest, even though he had suspected it before, he was still greatly surprised to confirm that I was indeed the Thousand–Faced Fox.
“You’re so talented. If you hadn’t married Calix, you would have done well on your own. Why did you choose him?” His gaze was direct.
I chuckled softly.
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In truth, I knew that even someone like William assumed I had married Calix for his money.
“Why?” I repeated softly.
When I was fifteen, I accidentally learned that my mother had died during childbirth, which saddened me deeply.
Reluctant to go home and confide in my father, I sneaked off to the town’s hospital by myself.
It was said that my mother had passed away in that hospital.
Growing up, I never knew where my mother was buried. Whenever I missed her mother, I would come to the hospital.
One day, as I sat behind a flower bed in the hospital, feeling miserable and guilty, I didn’t have the courage to go home and face my father.
Suddenly, I heard the howls of a boy.
Despair, helplessness, anger, and even self–abandonment engulfed me!
I was startled, thinking I had encountered a madman.
Ready to escape, I realized that it was a boy who was not much older than me.
The boy was thin and pale, but his exceptional beauty couldn’t be concealed.
How do I describe it?
A clean and prince–like boy, screaming in despair.
The pain emanating from his throat infected even me.
Living in a small town, I had never seen such a handsome boy before and had never felt the desperation and helplessness in a boy like him.
He was acting like a madman, knocking and flailing, tearing apart everything in his way, as if he wanted to destroy the world!
Finally, he ran towards me, frightening me.
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I thought he would surely attack me, but instead, he crashed into a sharp–edged door right in front of me, injuring his hands and feet, which were now bleeding.
He lay on the ground, grasping the stones beneath him tightly, as if trying to seize his own destiny!
I was so scared that I didn’t dare move for quite some time. It took a while before I realized that he
couldn’t see.
Seeing him in that state, I forgot about my own sorrow and cautiously reached out to touch him, helping him to stand up.
The boy wouldn’t let me touch him and yelled at me to leave!
I had never been treated this way before and hurriedly ran away.
But as I reached the door, I turned back. I couldn’t bear to leave him in such despair.
When I went back, I held my breath, not even daring to breathe.
It wasn’t until the nurse came to take care of him and led him away that I finally relaxed.
From that day on, the image of the sorrowful and desperate boy was imprinted in my mind, and I started going to the hospital every day.
Later, I found an opportunity to strike up a conversation with him, and we began chatting together.
I learned about his tragic fate, and I shared my own life, feeling like a sinner.
The two half–grown children silently formed a deep bond of empathy, comforting each other in their shared struggles.
And then…
I didn’t want to dwell on the past any longer or answer William’s question. I simply said, “By the way, thank you. If it weren’t for you back then, Karina and I would have been in danger.”
My gratitude for saving our lives twice weighed heavily on my heart.
William lowered his head, his expression seemingly smiling but not quite. He pressed a finger against his nose and said, “What if I use my lifesaving favor to ask you for a favor?”
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Chapter 55
