"Granny!" Master Fuli greeted with a smile.
"Y-you... can talk now?" The hedgehog with golden edges stared at the fox in the Weixin video, momentarily stunned and with a face full of disbelief. "Is this how they raise beasts in Chang'an?"
"No such thing. There are a lot of Spirit Beasts here. Master is always whacking them like he's hunting moles..."
"Did you use them for hot pot?" The golden-edged hedgehog asked, horrified.
Master Fuli rolled his eyes and said, "I meant I'm exercising by whacking moles. Don't talk about such shocking things in broad daylight."
"Isn't the Mid-Autumn Festival coming soon? I need to go back to Jiule City tonight for some business. Please let A Bai or the Golden Lion know to fetch a couple of two-pound fresh East Star Groupers from the sea, and also find me about ten red crabs."
The golden-edged hedgehog turned to glance at the freshly delivered red crabs on the office wall.
Granny Hedgehog's forehead gradually lined with black lines as she looked at Master Fuli on the other side of the video.
"Anything else?"
"Nothing for now. Oh, right, get me a few pounds of Zhanggang clams. I've been feeling a bit irritable; I need to make some soup."
"Alright."
Granny Hedgehog replied and promptly disconnected the Weixin call with the bandit-like fox.
What kind of fox is this?! Robbing even the heads of duty-free businessmen.
If she hung up any slower, Granny Hedgehog really feared that Master Fuli would demand a few fresh local ribbonfish.
Local ribbonfish, as they're commonly known, refers to ribbonfish caught from nearby seas that are still fresh and wriggling.
Ribbonfish have the characteristic of dying as soon as they hit land and begin to rot after around three hours.
The treasure of local ribbonfish lies in their exceptional freshness, shimmering with a silvery sheen without any fishy smell, making them one of the favorite delicacies of coastal people.
Fuli probably likes it, but Granny Hedgehog has no way to get him a few local ribbonfish.
...
"Has the attitude become so bad now?" Ansheng muttered, looking at the disconnected Weixin video call.
It's only been half a month, and they hung up before even chatting. The feelings have faded.
"If I don't see those top-notch red crabs tonight, I'll think of a way to strengthen the bond with Granny."
Master Fuli complained, glancing at the Cauliflower Fer-de-lance basking in the sun:
"Put my phone back, and by the way, I need your help with one thing. It's not illegal; I just need you to help me investigate someone, Hong Ming from Rong City. I'm feeling something incredible about what he experienced."
"It affects fertility on a small scale and impacts Master Fuli's sexual maturity on a large scale."
"Affects sexual maturity? That's indeed a big deal. Once Ah Yao returns, I'll inform and urge the logistics team to quickly sort out a file." The Cauliflower Fer-de-lance nodded seriously with a full face.
Ansheng detailed Hong Ming's characteristics so they could investigate quickly and catch those two scammers.
...
In the museum, professors were busy slicing up students' summer homework for research.
Basking in the sun felt comfortable, but Ansheng was still more interested in air conditioning and mobile phones. Once things were finished, the little fox squeezed through the window gap into the inn, plopping into Tang You's lap, with both paws clawing at the table.
"You're playing CSGO again? Didn't you buy Sword Star before? I heard it's full of big butts. Hurry up and finish this match and play Sword Star. I want to see the live greasy sister's butt..."
The little fox whimpered, patting Tang You's thigh as it spoke.
"Wait a moment. Once I finish this match, I'll open the game library for you to pick a game." Tang You, seeing the little fox rubbing against her, understood despite Ah Qing not being present to translate.
Apart from watching adorable pet videos, Ah Qing's lucky fox also enjoyed watching people play games and occasionally mimicking some herself.
Faced with Lord Fox's request, Tang You could only express assent.
Games are meant for fun.
The existence of the little fox allowed Big Black Eggy Tang You to experience the joyful spirit of a European show-off.
Little fox ≈ sense of joy.
Enjoying what others don't have is bliss.
However, happy times were brief as Tang You reluctantly shut the laptop to prepare for the afternoon's classes.
Ansheng looked at the computer in front and then at Ah Qing, who just finished showering for her class.
After hesitating for a moment, Ansheng leapt onto Ah Qing's shoulder, putting on a confident expression:
"Ah Qing, don't worry! I know plant protection drones! Later, I'll teach you how to use the drone as a shuttle!"
'Ah Qing, Ah Qing! Whoo-hoo, Foxy, I can, Foxy can teach Ah Qing to fly whoo-hoo, crash the teacher's old waist!'
"Huh? Little An wants to assassinate the teacher?"
"?!"
The teacher turned towards Master Fuli, her face full of question marks and a tinge of bewilderment, raising her finger to point at her face.
Me?
Master Fuli wants to assassinate me? Really?
...
It's seven-thirty in the evening, after dinner.
"Ah Qing, I'm heading out to work. I'll bring you some supper and ice cream when I return tonight!"
Nestled in Ah Qing's embrace, Ansheng had just finished watching a few videos with her, and noticing the time, hopped down to the inn floor, heading towards the door.
Before leaving, Ansheng whimpered at Ah Qing.
"Stay safe, don't venture deep into the mountains, just make some friends nearby. Oh, by the way, there's some roasted chicken and duck on the mountain. Don't eat them; they're shooting adult videos there."
Ah Qing thought of something and advised the little fox.
In the mountain, the students and faculty of the School of Animal Science set up numerous food traps to lure small animals to steal food while hiding surveillance cameras in the nearby bushes to record the wildlife's every move.
These delicious traps often attracted many small animals, and once they were full, they naturally engaged in copulation there.
Animals in mating mode tend to be extremely aggressive.
Ah Qing was worried the little fox might get hit by the wild animals.
This wasn't Changxi Town or school; Ah Qing hadn't greeted any other small animals.
"Wow, a genuine wild war..."
Upon hearing this, Ansheng quipped with no emotional ripples in his heart and turned to walk outside the inn.
While outside, in front of the museum, a black business vehicle had been waiting for some time.
Ansheng sat in Lin Ying's spot in the back. Lin Bingyun, next to him, took out a bottle opener, opening a bottle of cane sugar cola and handing it to Master Fuli:
"Master Fuli, are we leaving now?"
"Yes, tonight's schedule is tight; a round trip is nearly five hours. I'll need to visit friends and roast tea. I want to return before five, so time is very tight." Master Fuli continued:
"By the way, I used the private jet. I'm unsure if there's enough fuel."
"Understood. To save time, in the itinerary, we haven't planned to use the private jet. We'll use rented airline planes, which will save refueling and routine inspection time," Lin Bingyun replied.
"Rent?" Ansheng paused, looking at Lin Bingyun.
"Yes, planes are rented by the hour, ranging from thousands to tens of thousands. They cover fuel costs, so travel costs aren't too high," Lin Bingyun explained to Master Fuli about airline rental services.
Private jets are very costly; unless there's a need for constant flying or meetings, buying one only shows off financial strength.
The fixed maintenance cost of twenty to thirty million a year is enough to rent a mid-sized business jet and fly hundreds of hours.
Moreover, renting yearly or monthly gets a thirty percent discount.
Some airlines even offer shared flights.
"Do plane rentals also offer shared meals?"
"You could say so."