"Oh, right, right, that piggy bank from before, we left it at the ancestral home and forgot to bring it out for you, Xiaolan. This is the piggy bank we bought for you, Xiaolan, while shopping at noon."
After some fuss, Ah Qing, seemingly reminded of something, took out a piggy bank shaped like a terracotta warrior and set it in front of Ansheng.
"...Can we talk about piggy banks after I finish using the restroom?"
Ansheng, pushing his little flower pot, went into the bathroom to fertilize it, and Ah Qing knocked on the door, urging Ansheng to come out quickly to see the new piggy bank.
Ansheng, with a look of helplessness, shook himself off, opened the door, and saw a terracotta warrior about sixty centimeters tall standing at the door.
"This is your dowry fund."
Ah Qing squatted on the balcony, took out the money from the storage cabinet that hadn't been deposited in an ATM, and stuffed a thick wad of hundred-yuan bills into the piggy bank.
"I put it all into saving, so don't accuse me of skimping on the little fox's food money!"
"It's all saved up to help you get a wife."
As Ah Qing spoke, she held the little fox, picked up the piggy bank, and returned to the dorm to play for Xiaolan the payroll video that was uploaded to Yinqu just yesterday.
In the non-backstage interface, although they couldn't see the video views, nearly three hundred thousand likes and over forty thousand comments shocked Ansheng considerably.
The top-liked comment: [There's a grain called despair. Xiaolan is so miserable! Check out the sacks, I have them in all colors.]
The second top-liked comment came with a lawyer's license attached, saying: [Contact me if needed.]
Ansheng: "..."
Call you?
If I do, you'd better actually pick up.
I'm not like other dogs; I really have a phone number to call you.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Three in the afternoon.
About to go out to buy ingredients for the evening banquet, Lin Ying and Lin Bingyun went down to the basement and suddenly noticed that something rather odd seemed to have appeared on the pickup truck.
"Why is there a door panel in the truck bed?"
In addition to a large sledgehammer and some small tools like chainsaws, two black iron door panels engraved with strange patterns had inexplicably appeared in the Raptor's cargo area.
Seeing the door panels pressed under the giant hammer, Lin Ying looked at Lin Bingyun with a bit of confusion and asked.
"Master Fox packed these before he left, along with a weapon box thrown in the passenger seat." Lin Bingyun explained to Lin Ying about the origin of the door panels.
But only Master Fox might know the story behind these door panels.
"A weapon box?"
Lin Ying walked to the passenger seat and glanced at the dark green iron box.
"It's probably not firearms inside, maybe just something Master Fox used to store junk. It rattles when moved," Lin Bingyun explained to Lin Ying.
Seeing this, Lin Ying gently nodded and didn't open Master Fox's box.
After being surprised by Master Fox's packaging of relics from the ruins, Lin Ying got into the car driven by Lin Shu and, together with Lin Bingyun, went shopping for supplies.
Although Lin Bingyun is very meticulous and must have figured out Master Fox's dietary and lifestyle preferences during their time together, Lin Ying felt that hosting the celebration banquet for Master Fox required her personal preparation to make it truly memorable.
During the grocery shopping trip, Ansheng's phone, which Lin Ying was temporarily holding, suddenly vibrated, signaling an incoming call.
[Chief Chen calling.]
Seeing the caller ID, Lin Ying, who originally didn't intend to answer, was taken aback and picked up the call.
"Old Master! The tea leaves you roasted earlier are completely sold out. Now that the city-level tea competition signup stage is here, I'm out of tea!"
Old Chen's voice, filled with frustration, came pouring through the phone.
Regarding 'Qing'an Tea' production, when Ansheng left Changxi Town, he had already provided Old Chen with the blending ratios and production environment data, asking him to oversee Old Deng's engagement with the tea factory or start one himself.
Mass production of the tea posed no problem, but there were no competition-grade teas available.
Mass-market Qing'an Tea, due to pricing, is considered a decent staple tea, but it's not enough to stand out in village-level tea competitions.
Before leaving, Master Fox mentioned he'd work something out regarding the competition tea.
But after leaving, Master Fox vanished as if into thin air, leaving Old Chen worried as the registration deadline loomed.
The Tie Guan Yin from Changxi Town is famous, but the reputation of oolong tea is relatively unknown, mainly having a market in Jiule City.
Having witnessed Master Fox's absurd antics, Old Chen was now counting on him to gain recognition for the village.
"Master Fox is... studying at school." Lin Ying explained to Old Chen, "He'll be back tonight, and I'll pass on the message to him. By the way, Master Fox asked me to apply for a patent for irradiation tea-making, which might require the village chief to help retrieve two of his family tea trees."
"Lin... Lin Ying?"
Upon hearing the female voice over the phone, Old Chen paused for a moment and then, surprised, remarked:
"Wait... irradiated tea? Is this drinkable? Is Master Fox planning to poison the judging panel?"
"I'll have Master Fox explain it when he returns tonight, okay? I'm not familiar with the principles involved, but irradiated tea products have passed food safety inspections and have obtained certification."
Lin Ying conveyed what she knew and any related arrangements Master Fox might make to Old Chen.
"Alright! You must inform him; otherwise, I'm afraid we'll miss the registration deadline." Old Chen, after some thought, added a reminder.
After hanging up, Old Chen mumbled to himself, "Isn't Master Fox in Chang'an? How did Lin Ying end up over there when I saw her coming home from work just yesterday evening..."
"Did Master Fox go to the tea competition?" Lin Ying, contemplating the just-ended call, thought of Yu Zhenghong winning the village-level category championship and seemed to realize what had happened.
"Butler, go check with Master Fox's family to see if there's any tea roasted by him and collect some back."
Ansheng previously considered gifting Lin Ying tea leaves, but eventually decided against it.
As a rich lady, she drank tea from the core production areas, with the least of these priced at over six thousand in urban markets.
Although the initial Qing'an Tea tasted pretty good, claiming it could compete with tea from renowned regions was absurd.
There's no point in gifting it, and there's a chance Lin Ying might end up disliking the taste but would feel awkward throwing it away because it's a gift from me.
Ansheng planned to wait until the tea trees matured and until the tea-making process was refined to produce excellent tea that met his standards before sharing it with friends to taste.
Ansheng's idea was straightforward.
But for Lin Ying, Master Fox's first entry into a tea competition and winning was particularly symbolic.
It's like a child getting a certificate at school; even if they know sticking it to the wall might leave marks and damage the expensively painted walls, many still do it.
It's both a commemoration of growth and a source of motivation, and seeing a child's achievements makes parents happy.
From a commercial perspective, the first teas made by Master Fox may not compare to premium teas, but emotionally, no premium tea could compare in Lin Ying's heart to Master Fox's first roasted tea.
Lin Ying could almost imagine Master Fox awkwardly reaching into a wok to roast tea, getting burned, and glaring angrily while grumbling like a mad little fox.
Thinking of the stories behind the tea leaves, Lin Ying couldn't help but smile softly, feeling quite cheerful.
At night.
Ansheng, leisurely left the school and hopped into the business van parked outside the school gate.
"Lin Ying, I have a surprise for you later." Upon seeing Lin Ying, Ansheng joyfully announced.
"Oh? Really? Perfect timing, I also have a small gift I'd like to give to Master Fox," Lin Ying replied with a grin.