"Master Fox, can you drink alcohol? It’s a bit late now... The late-night stall only has vegetarian and cooked drunken dishes."
Lin Ying instructed Lin Shu to buy some late-night snacks while she herself carefully put away the fish scales Master Fox brought back and took out wet wipes to clean the dust off Master Fox’s limbs.
Before coming back, the little fox had already bathed with Tu Song and A Bai, but the dogs’ version of a bath was just turning on the faucet to wash off the dirt and fishy smell, not a thorough scrub down.
Lin Ying was meticulously cleaning the little fox, and the fox whimpered softly as its paw pads were massaged comfortably.
But just then, Lin Shu, who had gone to the seafood street, sent several messages to Lin Ying.
During the peak of summer holidays, the seafood street eateries were bustling, and ingredients were quickly being used up. Now, only some expensive seafood was left unsold.
Due to the high prices, it was difficult to sell, so the store owners couldn’t let them go to waste. They would prepare some for raw marination and some for cooked drunken dishes, soaking them overnight to reach the optimal tasting time by noon the next day.
"I can eat the cooked drunken dishes, but maybe I shouldn’t. I’m afraid of going home smelling of alcohol and Ah Qing questioning me."
Ansheng wanted to agree, but after some thought, realized that he’d have to go to bed later, and coming home reeking of alcohol wasn’t ideal, so he shook his head in refusal.
Seeing Master Fox shake his head, Lin Ying picked up her phone and messaged Lin Shu to buy some fruits and some fresh seafood instead.
After messaging Lin Shu, Lin Ying then messaged the housemaids to prepare hot water and have the ingredients for cooking seafood ready, ensuring that as soon as she got home, the seafood could go straight into the pot.
Having arranged the late-night meal for Master Fox, Lin Ying handed her phone to Master Fox.
The little fox nestled on Lin Ying’s lap, leaned against the armrest, continued to browse salted fish for a "new energy fishing rod."
The battle with the weird fish.
Ansheng realized a weakness in himself; that fish’s resilience to punches was not as strong as the wild boars at Skinny Dog Creek or the crocodiles at Changping Mountain Pet Paradise, so it might not even be an Overlord Level Spirit Beast.
However, it had the advantage of the terrain, and if it weren’t for a high-powered speedboat coincidentally parked in front of him,
There was a real risk the weird fish would have escaped tonight.
Ansheng decided to always have a new energy fishing rod on hand, to prevent any such slippery weird fish from escaping because of his average swimming skills.
Ansheng privately messaged the seller, explaining that he wanted the new energy fishing rod for electrocuting blue whales, and asked how much a rod capable of making a blue whale dance would cost.
Having sent the message, Ansheng received no reply, as it was already 2:30 in the morning, and everyone who should be asleep was already sleeping.
......
Back in Changxi Town.
Lin Ying gave the ingredients to the maids, telling them to prepare and send them to the master bedroom. Inside, there was also a package of both raw marinated and cooked drunken shrimp and crab for everyone to enjoy.
Returning to her bedroom, Lin Ying sat on the chair, waiting for the ingredients to be brought up. She helped the little fox, removing all the meat from the crab shells and preparing the noble shrimp, before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.
The little fox stayed at Lin Ying’s house until nearly four in the morning, then sneaked back home, glancing up at the house where Su Qiyuan and Bai Tao lived.
Along the drip line of the third-floor eaves, some camera mounts had been installed at some point.
"It’s not good to install cameras in the village; it affects the harmony between neighbors..."
The little fox had a peculiar expression and jumped back outside to gather some small stones, placing them on Ah Qing’s house wall, planning to smash their glass when it woke up tomorrow.
He decided against it tonight, as it was too late and he didn’t want to disturb Ah Qing and Mo Yiqing’s sleep.
Ansheng, after washing up, gently opened the door to the bedroom, tiptoeing towards the bed.
Yu Xueqing was wrapped in a blanket, covering her belly, while Mo Yiqing rolled up in another blanket, sleeping on the inner side, entirely curled within, without poking his head out.
"Why are you sleeping in my place..."
"Ah Qing, call Old Deng tomorrow, tell him Master Fox despises a 1.8×2 meter bed, so he should quickly order a 2×2 or even a 2×2.2 big bed."
Ansheng yawned and settled in the middle between Yu Xueqing and Mo Yiqing, walking in circles to flatten the uneven bedding, eventually resting on Yu Xueqing’s pillow.
"Good night..."
Mo Yiqing poked his head out, removed the Bluetooth earphones from his ears, and as the quilt was lifted, the light from the phone hidden in the blanket lit up the room.
"Ah Qing wasn’t lying; a fox really does grow on the bed..."
"And it’s even clean."
Ansheng slept just like a human, with its two little paws tucked in front of its chest and its head slightly tilted as it slept. Mo Yiqing, using the screen’s light, could clearly see there wasn’t a speck of dust on the four little paws of the fox.
Mo Yiqing looked amazed and clicked his tongue in astonishment.
......
The next morning.
Yu Xueqing was already up, while Mo Yiqing and Ansheng were still sound asleep on the bed.
Mo Yiqing slept on his side, one hand laying on the fox’s belly while his fair, long legs clamped the blanket, pinning down the fox’s fluffy tail.
"Ying?"
The little fox’s ears twitched slightly, as if hearing something, and it sat up groggily on the bed, its bleary eyes looking towards the door outside.
"Why do I feel like... Ah Qing is calling me?" Ansheng glanced at Mo Yiqing’s phone screen, which showed it was only 8:53 a.m., still over an hour before he would naturally wake up.
"Ying..."
Ansheng slumped its head, drowsily opened the door, and walked into the hallway with the AC just turned on.
As soon as Ansheng walked out, he was a bit startled, noticing Su Qiyuan and Bai Tao at home.
Su Qiyuan, all smiles, carrying a big box, pushed it towards Yu Xueqing as he heartily said:
"Don’t be so modest. If it weren’t for your little fox speaking last night at midnight, I wouldn’t have realized I forgot to set the handbrake..."
"If there had been a crash, it’s fine, but if we hit someone, the situation would have become very troublesome. Really, these are just some local specialties from our hometown, please don’t hesitate to accept them."
"No, no, these wines are too expensive, really don’t need to stand on ceremony, Xiaolan being able to help you is my joy, gifts are truly unnecessary."
Yu Xueqing looked at the wine and smoked bacon in the box, steadfastly refusing to accept them.
"Last night... Wasn’t I out fooling around? I even planned to smash your glass, where would I find the time to remind you about setting the handbrake."
Ansheng, still groggy from sleep, was about to make a sarcastic comment but quickly realized something. What Su Qiyuan said about reminding him of the handbrake may not be true.
But after Ansheng gave him a metal component, even though he and Bai Tao were not in charge of those things, credit is credit, and not taken away by job position or rank.
Su Qiyuan and Bai Tao... came to repay a favor.
Yu Xueqing and Su Qiyuan continued to exchange pleasantries, still pushing and refusing the gifts.
While Bai Tao took advantage of Yu Xueqing’s presence, sneaking up to the newly woken Overlord Level White Fox.
She set down the paper box she was holding and took out a steaming roast chicken from inside.
Then, she brought out a copy of "Grimm’s Fairy Tales," smiling at the little fox, "Thank you, Master Fox, from before. Let’s go to the courtyard, and I’ll tell you a story while you eat roast chicken, okay?"
Bai Tao waved the book in front of the little fox, her tone carrying a bit of girlish playfulness, completely treating the fox not as a pet, but as a person.
Overlord Level Spirit Beasts do not lack intelligence, only differing from humans in knowledge.
"???"
Ansheng looked at the roast chicken, then at the book titled "Grimm’s Fairy Tales."
But when the book shook, the sharp-eyed Ansheng saw past the cover and noticed the main text pages had two familiar book titles written:
"Moral Cultivation and Legal Basics and the Outline of Modern History and Ma... Revised Collection Edition."
Ansheng slowly typed out a question mark, looking at the smiling Bai Tao, unable to hold back:
"Although foxes are canines..."
"But I think I should let you have a seat in the business of being a dog, you’re really not treating me like a fox! You’re giving me university lessons!"
"Bullying the fox for not knowing how to read?"
"Even if I can’t read, I can count! Grimm’s Fairy Tales is just four words, you count those main text page breaks, they’re several words long, why not put Capital in there too!"
Morning.
The little fox’s face turned red as it cursed vehemently.
Some memories related to a past life suddenly flashed before Ansheng’s mind, making the entire fox almost freeze.