"Don't ask about the size of the sack, just know that when it fits, the fortune raccoon's mouth will loosen..."
"To gather intelligence, I toiled hard taking on guardian-level spirit beasts in the hot and humid forest under the blazing 38-degree sun."
"My mouth is lopsided from the beating, so if you have any conscience, bring over some spirit particle potion tonight."
Ansheng, with a teasing look, vented his hardships to Wang Qiqi on the other end of the phone, turning to wave at the fat cat while making his way towards the pickup truck.
"Farewell, Fortune Raccoon Master!"
The fat cat smiled broadly as it saw him off, and then turned its attention to the antelope.
The fat cat pushed a cart, bringing the antelope back to the makeshift tent hospital.
"Moo——"
Shortly after entering the hospital, the antelope let out a piercing scream.
The fat cat, on all fours, fled quickly from the temporary medical tent with an innocent, honest expression.
It left only the wide-eyed, shrimp-curled antelope lying in the hospital ward, gasping with a bluish face.
...
"Fortune Raccoon Master..."
"Where did you get this phone?"
As Ansheng got in the car and hung up, Lin Shu asked, confused.
Ansheng was taken aback and realized the phone in his hand wasn't his.
His saddlebags and phone were still left at the dorm supervisor's place.
"I'm not sure, I just picked it up. It shouldn't be a big issue, the fat cat is coming tonight and I can return the phone then. It probably belongs to someone from the eco base."
Ansheng plugged the phone into the door panel, lazily stretching with a satisfied groan:
"Oh, I've arranged with Wang Qiqi for her to write a few prescriptions tonight. If you're not in a hurry, wait until tonight to collect the potion."
"The potion... might be a miss for now." Lin Ying regretfully replied: "I have a flight this evening to attend a business dinner and trade summit in Sui City..."
"No worries, once I get the potion, I'll have Housekeeper Lin rush it over to you."
Taking its time without urgency, the pickup truck leisurely drove for nearly an hour before reaching the shopping mall where Ansheng had said goodbye to Aqing in the morning.
Lin Ying rubbed her cheek against Fortune Raccoon Master's face, standing by the car door to see him off.
The little fox entered the mall, head held high, its nose twitching as it sniffed around for Aqing.
...
"You have no idea, when it hit, underground water shot up into the sky, turned green, and when the rain fell, there was an oily layer floating on the ground..."
Ansheng arrived at a milk tea shop where Aqing and Lingren sat by the window, and also present were Mo Yiqing and Tang You, who had left in the morning supposedly for class.
The originally cool-looking Mo Yiqing, her black leather varsity jacket was stained with some mud, and her pants, originally tucked into Martin boots, were now rolled up to her knees, bearing a layer of white sweat marks.
Mo Yiqing lounged on a spacious sofa, her hair casually tied into a bun at the back, grumbling about the day's events.
"Momo is handsome but a little messy." Ansheng shouldered open the milk tea shop door, paddling along on short fox legs, leaping into Lingren's lap then bumping into Aqing's arms: "Hee hee hee....."
"Little An, not behaving! We agreed on one hour, and now it's been over three."
Seeing the little fox lying on its back with a cheeky grin, Aqing poked his belly in mock scolding.
As she spoke, Aqing glanced into the little fox's thighs.
Hmm!
The bell was still there, hadn't been sold off in some doctor's buy-one-get-one-free deal.
But.
Where had the little fox gone, all dusty and gray? Aqing looked at him puzzled.
"Hee hee hee!"
"Fought with a little sheep?" Ansheng's answer surprised Aqing, making her pause:
"You won? Then... where's the sheep? How much did you pay?"
"I paid nothing! I made it sign an indenture contract!" Ansheng boasted proudly, cheerfully recounting his adventure of punching an antelope and flooring the pedal.
To Aqing, it sounded like the little fox had gone to the children's park to ride merry-go-rounds, whooping as it spun.
A fox racing a car?
Maybe in Ansheng's eyes, riding a bicycle required full-body protection.
But.
Aqing loved listening to the little fox's wild, fantastical stories.
The human world in the little fox's eyes was so fascinating.
...
Sitting in the milk tea shop until past four, Ansheng gobbled three plates of Orleans grilled wings, a cup of brown sugar bubble tea without the bubbles but with tea, and four big pistol legs.
As the sun started to set, Aqing left carrying the little fox sprawled across the menu board.
At checkout, Aqing's eyes widened seeing a four-figure bill.
"Sorry, our little shop usually permits pets, but for clarity, there's a $1,500 per hour fee when pets are brought in, which assumes venue booking and covers cleaning fees."
The clerk politely explained the $2,300 on the bill to Aqing.
The booking fee for one and a half hours meant they had kindly waived the tea charges.
"That's a thing?" Aqing was puzzled.
The cashier nodded towards Mo Yiqing, indicating they had been informed.
"Pay up, outings need to be proper."
Mo Yiqing shrugged, indicating she was aware and unfazed, extended her hand to tap the card machine with her smartwatch, then linked arms with Aqing and walked out.
"Let's go! Go home for a shower, then dinner!" Mo Yiqing suggested.
"........" Aqing looked exasperated, glancing at Momo acting on her own again: "You're wasting money!"
"Nah! It's contributing to the nation's GDP growth rate," Mo Yiqing declared: "Just like the less fabric in underwear, the pricier it is."
"Nonsense..." Aqing rolled her eyes.
"Hold my hand." Lingren hesitantly suggested to Mo Yiqing with some expectation.
"You... better not? I'm dirty, my clothes fit Aqing; yours, not so much. We'll just go home, not to the school..." Mo Yiqing politely smiled, declining Lingren's offer.
"Oh..." Lingren looked disappointed.
"What? A visit to Momo's house?" Ansheng poked his head out, looking at Mo Yiqing: "I remember your place being decorated like a dance studio, lots of big mirrors moved in. Should we bring cement dust?"
Ansheng teased Mo Yiqing.
Just then.
They had barely left in the car when Aqing's phone rang – it was a call from the instructor.
"Aqing, school starts tomorrow."