Introduction to the novel "Xuanhu Coat"
During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, Chen Erzhu, an apprentice in the dyeing workshop of Baoding Prefecture, rescued a seriously injured Xuanhu from a mass grave in the cold winter. He saved food to feed the fox, took good care of it, and sent it back to the mountains after it recovered from its injuries. This act of kindness became a turning point in its fate.
Xuanhu understands human nature and knows how to repay kindness. After Chen Erzhu opened his dyeing workshop, Xuanhu always helped him when he encountered difficulties: he lacked the skills to dye red silk, so Xuanhu sent secret dye; when receiving a large order, he needed a dye vat, so Xuanhu bought a new vat late at night and prepared the dye; in Baoding, there was a severe drought and water shortage, so Xuanhu invited "Xuanhu Well" to solve his urgent need.
From apprentice to shopkeeper, from being alone to having a wife and children, Xuanhu has always been Chen Erzhu's "old friend" - he helped him save the children who fell into the cave on snowy nights, and brought life to him during the calamity. Even his wife and children formed a warm bond with Xuanhu. Chen Erzhu also passed down his goodwill from generation to generation: every year on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, he went to the mass graves to spread steamed buns, made the black fox coat a family heirloom, and taught his descendants to "be kind-hearted".
A hundred years later, Chen Ji Dyeing House has become a time-honored brand in Baoding Prefecture. The "Xuanhu Well" is still clear, and Xuanhu is still wandering in the mass graves on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. This kind of warmth that spans species hides a simple truth: kindness from the heart can turn into warmth that transcends time and lasts in the world for generations.
