"Ying ying ying?"
"Little Fox, tell me, who was it that suggested we go to Foot Bath City yesterday?" Chen Peipei asked with a slightly irritated tone, questioning the just-awoken little fox through the phone.
Going to Foot Bath City for a foot massage wasn't a big deal for Chen Peipei. In business, where can you avoid some social engagements? If there were none, that would be the real issue.
After years of marital relationship, there was still some trust. Therefore, last night on WeChat, Chen Peipei also asked if Yu Zhenghong should leave the door open.
As a result, this morning, when Yu Zhenghong came back, Peipei saw that even though the bill said free of charge, they spent over four thousand at Hailinglong, and she couldn't help but complain that unless his feet were gold-plated and polished, they couldn't be worth that price.
However, Yu Zhenghong was stubborn, saying that Master Fox wanted to get a foot massage, and the price was not enough to show sincerity.
In the past, they'd give Mazu five thousand, and now, two people and one fox only spent over four thousand, which was already very economical.
Yu Zhenghong didn't believe that yesterday's foot massage was actually a foot massage.
In the old Deng's perception, it was inviting a god, and could Master Fox's matter be called a foot massage? Vulgar!
"Who suggested it? I guess it was me? I saw old Chen working hard to sun-dry the tea and his back was sore, so I suggested he relax with a foot massage, and old Chen happened to have a VIP card for Hailinglong."
The little fox thought, and replied with a whine on the phone, "Don't worry! I'll keep an eye on old Deng for you, no chance for him to cheat, and I even managed to get the free-of-charge privilege. Next time you go to Hailinglong for a foot massage, just mention my name..."
As soon as the little fox finished whining, related translations appeared in Yu Xueqing's mind.
'It was Fox Fox! It was Fox Fox yesterday, Fox Fox saw the village chief helping our family sun-dry the tea, straining his back, and wanted to give him a massage! Wow – yesterday, in the dark room, it was so scary, lots of sisters came to touch me!'
'After they touched Fox Fox's tummy, they wanted Fox Fox to exchange their meat, Fox Fox tried super hard to chase them away, and they didn't steal from Fox Fox!'
"...Mom, I asked about it," Yu Xueqing said with a strange expression, "Last night, the little fox saw the village chief struggling with the tea. He said he was going to give him a back massage and then went for a foot massage."
After the little fox explained, he also complained about the technicians touching his belly and cheeks afterward, and then inquired about making the payment, which shocked the little fox.
Ansheng was madly complaining about Hailinglong's technicians and the Reversed Celestial Spirits.
"Is that so? Then it's fine, I'll get you a basin of water for your dad to wash his feet, got to hang up for now." Having received the answer, Chen Peipei ended the call.
"Dad and mom's relationship is so good." Yu Xueqing looked at the fox pacing around on the bed complaining about the technicians, then turned to the now-blank phone screen, full of admiration and envy.
They were like an old married couple, supporting each other, growing together, achieving career success, and raising children.
She wondered if she might find such a respectful partner in her future.
While Yu Xueqing was contemplating, she could not predict that nearing noon, Chen Peipei would post a photo and message on her WeChat Moments.
In the picture, Chen Peipei squats in front of the toilet, holding a steel wool pad, washing Yu Zhenghong's feet.
In the basin, Yu Zhenghong's feet are arched, obviously straining his muscles to resist the steel wool scrubbing.
Chen Peipei's Moments caption read: [Washing feet is not a problem, but going out and not answering the phone and coming home acting righteous, this comrade's mindset is problematic.]
Yu Xueqing's mouth twitched slightly as she saw the Moments.
Her toes instinctively curled up, as if experiencing a phantom pain, bringing a sense of déjà vu.
It was like... back in middle school, going to a friend's house to play on the computer without notifying her mom, the next morning being served flavorless noodle paste, difficult to swallow.
And if she didn't eat fast enough, the paste just kept multiplying.
.........
Ansheng, after fertilizing the tea trees he planted in the flower bed at home, looked with slight approval at the tea trees now standing at sixty centimeters tall.
"Looks like the skills haven't deteriorated, the tea trees grown by old Deng on the mountain must have been burned! The tea trees I grow at home with just some urine in the flower bed are better than his."
The little fox showed an expression of pride, lifted his head, and with a leap over the courtyard wall, came to the roadside.
Ansheng headed towards the ancestral hall, ready to check on the state of the withering tea leaves held in the temperature-controlled room.
On the way, Ansheng encountered the moral development teacher Bai Tao, who was waiting in front of his house trying to bump into him.
Ansheng glanced at her and immediately sped up his pace, quickly passing by Su Qiyuan and Bai Tao's house.
Bai Tao was shocked and hurriedly chased after him.
"Little Fox, don't run! I've prepared high-end snacks for Master Fox at home, won't you come and visit my house...?"
"Ying ying ying!"
Snacks? I won't go, you want to trick me into studying for a graduate exam! Ansheng grumbled to himself and rushed into the ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall was off-limits, Bai Tao couldn't get in. She could only watch the little fox wag his big tail and disappear.
Ansheng entered the temperature-controlled room, observing the tea leaves laid on the bamboo trays. He chose not the traditional one bud and two leaves, but one bud and four leaves from the tree.
One bud and two leaves contain plenty of tea polyphenols and catechins, making them taste crisp and fresh upon entering the mouth.
Unfortunately, old Deng's tea trees were too tender, and the pure young shoots were just heavily watered with no tea polyphenols whatsoever.
To maintain the aroma and taste of the tea and deal with the cup-infusion stage during the contest, Ansheng chose slightly older one bud with four leaves for tea making. The more leaves on the stems, the lower the tea polyphenol content, which also means cheaper.
But when it comes to tea making, it all depends on adapting to local conditions, and the choice of raw material and tea making process is based on the situation.
One bud with four leaves has high water content, and if not handled properly, tea tasters will likely experience something like granny pinpricks on the tip of their tongues.
However, Ansheng liked these tea leaves. If asked, he'd say it's because of their low purchase price and high profit post-production.
"Start shaking—"
After inspecting all the tea leaves and confirming that the moisture in the leaf parts had started drying, the little fox stood upright, took out the trays from the temperature-controlled room, and began shaking the tea leaves.
The purpose of shaking is to rejuvenate the tea leaves.
In academic terms, it's an enzymatic oxidation reaction. To put it plainly, it's drawing water out of the tea leaves, allowing the moisture stored in the tea stems to return to the leaves, reducing their astringency.
Due to using one bud with four leaves, the shaking process might need to be repeated four to five times.
With a tray in hand, the little fox began shaking, and inside the tray, the tea leaves bounced and rotated clockwise, colliding with each other, starting the enzymatic reaction making the soft tea leaves firm up again.
The tea leaves started to bounce on the tray, and from afar, one could see them being rolled into a ball shape by Ansheng.
Tray after tray was shaken, and although Ansheng knew there was a shaking machine nearby, the one in the ancestral hall had a bamboo whip drum model, making it inconvenient to observe the tea leaves.
Ansheng preferred to work a bit harder than to redo the process.
.........
In the following days, the notorious street prowler of Changxi Town, Master Fox, apart from spending nights at the hospital's white wall copying some last words of the deceased and sending them back to their families with stamps, and responding to Lin Ying's messages on the phone every night, devoted most of his time to tea making.
Making tea wasn't difficult for him; the tough part was passing the craft to old Chen, who would then teach Ah Qing.
They needed to ensure that the tea for the contest and the market didn't end up being two entirely different teas.
If they messed that up, the official agriculture bureau and the farmer support organization would certainly hand out fines without hesitation. Moreover, afterward, they would ban the tea farmer from competing for five years.
Ansheng had received fines in his previous life, and although it didn't drive him to financial ruin, he almost took to filming avi videos.
The little fox stayed busy with tea making and earning Wish Power.
Ah Qing was also working on some plans, trying to generate some buzz for the tea competition through live streaming.
Ah Qing and Mo Yiqing brainstormed together, and Ah Qing even called Chen Zhiyu and Qiu Lingling, wanting to organize a pet-centric event to attract some young fans.
They needed to build up Tea Mountain's reputation and secure their live streaming channels.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhenghong learned from old Chen about the collapse of Gao Feng Consulting Company and was overjoyed.
"Good riddance! It's great that they went bankrupt! That guy did so many unjust things, finally got his comeuppance, and went underwater! Serves them right for selling fake goods and going bust!"