In the far southeast, there is a rolling mountain range inhabited by numerous wolf packs. They forage in the mountains in groups, sometimes hunting large animals, sometimes gnawing on sheep, deer, rabbits, and even devouring rats, bugs, and fruits. However, these wolves rarely hurt people, and the local population has become accustomed to their presence and is not afraid of their presence. Even if they encounter them occasionally, people are able to keep a certain distance from them and get along with them safely.
In this place, there is a carpenter named Jia Cai. He made a living by making furniture, doors and windows and other carpentry for other people. As he often travels to remote areas for work, he often passes through mountain roads, and encounters with wild wolves have become commonplace. When the wolves saw him, they would let out a few howls at most, but they never harmed him. Therefore, Jia Cai is not hostile to these wolves, and even feels that encountering them in the mountains every day adds to the fun.
Early one morning, Jia Cai went out to work as usual. As he walked into the mountains, he heard a strange sound, and when he listened closely, he saw that it was the wailing of a small animal, which seemed to be suffering greatly. He followed the sound and found a wolf's den, and a wolf cub was wailing at the mouth of the cave. Jia Cai is well versed in wolf nature, and knows that under normal circumstances, the big wolf will not let the little wolf risk out of the hole, because it is too dangerous. Under normal circumstances, the wolf will give the wolf cub food in time, but at the moment the wolf cub leaves the hole, which means that the situation is abnormal. It is likely that the big wolf has been killed, and the little wolf is so hungry that he is forced to crawl out of the hole. Jia realized that if he didn't help, the little wolf would either starve to death or be devoured by other beasts. Therefore, he resolutely put down the tool in his hand, took the little wolf home, cut off the tail for it, raised it like a dog, and gave it the name "Ruyi".
Two years have passed, and the wolf cub has grown up and is taller than the biggest dog in the village. Jia Cai's family often reproaches Ruyi, and although it may feel fearful, it is not afraid of other villagers, often showing them its teeth and glaring fiercely. Gradually, the villagers were afraid to approach Jia Cai's home. After all, it is known that this is not an ordinary dog, but a wolf, and now it has become extremely aggressive, getting closer and closer to humans, and once bitten it can be life-threatening. One day, the neighbor's child threw a piece of meat to Ruyi, and after Ruyi finished eating, he stared at the child **, as if he was going to pounce on him, intending to devour him.
On the night when the moon was scarce, Jia saw the broken tail of this wild wolf, and immediately realized that this was the Ruyi he had raised. He hurriedly shouted: "Ruyi, Ruyi, come and save me!" Hearing the call, Ruyi dispersed the other wolves, and after a few long howls, finally drove them away. Jia Cai was worried that he would be attacked by wild wolves on the way home, so he begged again: "Ruyi, Ruyi, send me home." Ruyi followed Jia Cai's instructions, walked in front, and opened the way for him. Soon, Jia Cai returned home safely, breathed a sigh of relief, and said to Ruyi: "If it weren't for your appearance, I might have been eaten by a wild wolf today." He fed Ruyi again and let it go back into the mountains.
Since then, Ruyi has been waiting for Jia Cai on the side of the road every night and has become his guardian. Jia Cai is also because of Ruyi's protection, and is no longer threatened by other wild wolves. As time passed, the other wolves seemed to know Jia Cai as well, and even if Ruyi was not present, they would no longer follow or surround Jia Cai. After Jia Cai discovered the importance of Ruyi, he told the villagers about this experience. Therefore, when the villagers go out or come home after dark, as long as they see a wolf with a broken tail in the wild wolf pack, they will shout "Ruyi", and Ruyi will also protect them from being harmed by the wild wolves. Gradually, the wolves and the villagers became familiar with each other, and even when they encountered humans, they stopped attacking, even when Ruyi was not present.
One night, Jia Cai heard someone knocking on the door outside, and he was so anxious that he got up to open the door, but saw Ruyi. Ruyi was soaking wet, looking like sweat after running, and it lay on the ground gasping for breath, and there was a bag next to it, which contained two hundred taels of silver. Ruyi probably understood the needs of human beings for these things, so he deliberately brought them to Jia Cai. After Jia Cai got the silver, his fortune was greatly opened. Later, Jia heard the villagers talking, and only then did he know that someone was robbing at night, and was bitten to death by a wild wolf led by Ruyi. When the local ** went to the mountains, he found **'s clothes, as well as a wounded wild wolf, and speculated that ** was eaten after being bitten to death by a wild wolf. After that, Ruyi would often bring prey such as rabbits and fawns at night as a reward. Later, Ruyi would even come during the day, sometimes with small animals. Sometimes it will lie in front of Jia Cai's house, and sometimes it will choose to rest on the roadside in the village. The villagers are no longer afraid of it and often give it leftovers. Jia Cai later fell ill and died and was buried outside the village. Locals often see Ruyi lying in front of his grave and becoming a guardian, and some people even see Ruyi crying. After more than a year, Ruyi was gone, and no one saw it again. Some people speculate that Ruyi may have died and gone to heaven to protect Jia Cai.