"Ying ying ying..."
After polishing off four baskets of shrimp dumplings, gnawing on three pieces of boneless black pepper beef ribs, and devouring seven or eight phoenix claws, the little fox clambered out of the children's chair and leaped onto Ah's leg, settling in to make a nest.
The little fox lay sprawled on Ah's leg, its back against Ah's round belly, letting out a contented whimper.
"You said I eat too much; now look at whose little tummy is about to burst."
Seeing the little fox rolling back like it was returning home, getting comfy and choosing a position that felt just right, Ah chuckled, raised her hands, and started pinching the fox's little tummy.
"Hey! Let me just say, Ah, Ansheng's tummy is full of taro paste and iced Coke. If you keep teasing me like this, I'm going to nestle into your collar and start throwing up..."
Ansheng rolled his eyes, lifted his hind foot to push Ah's mischievous hands away, not letting her rub his belly.
He didn't overeat, just about halfway full.
Lugging hammers every day and doing manual work, it's no wonder he has a hearty appetite.
Delivery workers haul tons in a day; he's tossed an orca or two that weigh ten tons.
"Pinch pinch..."
Ah sneakily reached out and pinched the little fox's round belly again.
"Ying!"
The little fox turned, sat on Ah's lap, put on a serious face, extended both paws, and pinched together the little flesh on Ah's belly, exclaiming loudly:
"Ah's little tummy, triple fold!"
"Whoa!" Ah's eyes widened, not expecting the little fox to pull this trick, catching her totally off-guard.
"No way! This is unacceptable!" Ah bear-hugged the little fox, covered his mouth:
"Shh! We can't talk about this; I'll treat you to a 300ml Coke later!"
The playful banter between Ah and the little fox caught Yu Zhenghong's attention, who sat nearby, his eyelids twitching and letting out a gasp as he watched them.
Especially when Ah lifted the little fox high, shaking him left and right while the little fox wiggled his bottom in the opposite direction; Yu Zhenghong swallowed hard.
My precious daughter!
That's the lord you're holding, a revered being who belongs on a shrine, not a toy to be played with like this.
Play if you must, but don't drop him.
Even though Ah's actions seemed like the Reversed Celestial Spirits, the little fox lord hadn't objected, so Yu Zhenghong could only conform obediently.
"Dad, Mom, I'm heading home first, but I should be back before evening."
After a bit more playtime with the little fox, Ah packed her bag, said goodbye to her parents and elders, and got ready to head home to get the car and deliver some pastries to Qiu Lingling.
"Okay, be careful, don't cause trouble, and if you encounter any bad people, don't slap them in the face." Chen Peipei reminded Ah as she was about to head out.
"Mom! Don't worry! I never cause trouble." Ah exclaimed confidently.
While packing, Ah called a cab using WeChat, picked up the little fox and headed out.
They left the Jiu Le Restaurant and took the cab back home.
Standing in front of the utility cabinet in the storeroom, Ah sent her dad a photo and asked him which tea leaves she could use as gifts.
They needed to visit Qiu Lingling's house, Zhiyu's place, and also Aunt Lin's — a lot of deliveries to make.
"Why are you even asking that old man? In Changxi Town, the top choices for gifts are Tieguanyin and Wuyi rock tea!" Ansheng glanced at the tea collection in the cabinet, raised a paw, and pointed out some famous teas from Changxi Town to Ah.
There was the traditional roasted Tieguanyin, the currently popular light fragrance Tieguanyin, and a few types of Wuyi rock tea.
"Are these teas okay?" Ah trusted Ansheng's knowledge of tea immensely, so she asked as he guided her in choosing the tea leaves.
"Ying ying!" Ansheng nodded with great confidence.
"Alright then!" Ah nodded, took out the tea leaves sealed in glass jars from the cabinet, packaged them in their own gift boxes, grabbed the obligatory gift pastries from Xia Dong and the car keys, and got ready to set off.
Earlier, she had asked on WeChat if Qiu Lingling would be home, and she said she wasn't making deliveries and was instead installing security nets at the seafood wholesale market.
However.
When Ah arrived at the wholesale market, the scene before her took her by surprise.
Qiu Lingling stood in front of the stall, looking up at the second floor.
There, in the security net, was a dog's head. Tu Song's A Bai was full of grievances, paws resting on the net and whimpering, occasionally yawning.
"What happened to A Bai?" Ah greeted Lingling's family and joined Qiu Lingling, looking up at the second floor with her, amazed.
Qiu Lingling glanced sideways, exasperation written all over her face as she rubbed her forehead: "A Bai loves lying on the second-floor balcony, watching all the excitement. Before, didn't I tell you it fell from the second floor and got all covered in glue?"
"So I installed the security net to prevent the silly dog from falling again, but it's timid yet strong and managed to wedge its head into the net..."
"The security net guy won't be in until at least nine-thirty; now we're stuck in this awkward situation."
Normally, Qiu Lingling would have already been on her delivery route, taking seafood from their wholesale stall to various restaurants around the city.
But because of A Bai's accident, Qiu Lingling had to ask a truck driver for delivery assistance, staying back to soothe the agitated A Bai, fearing it might hurt itself.
"So... should we dismantle the security net?" Ah queried, slightly puzzled about the solution.
"Probably not, better to cut through it and get a whole new net; otherwise, A Bai might just get stuck again." Qiu Lingling said, looking speechless.
The security net was so small compared to the large dog head, she couldn't fathom how A Bai achieved this feat.
She honestly wished she could see A Bai perform this trick right in front of her.
"Howl——"
Upon seeing Ansheng, A Bai lifted its head slightly and happily greeted Brother Fox.
Everything was proceeding as planned, and tonight, Boss A Bai would make a grand reappearance.
"Ying!"
The little fox lord sneaked a thumbs-up at A Bai while Ah and Lingling were not watching.
The fox and dog exchanged a glance and shared a knowing smile, canine friends of sorts with perfect understanding.
"Is the security net five millimeters in diameter?" Ah thought for a moment and asked.
"Yes!" Lingling answered, a bit puzzled by Ah's question but answered nonetheless.
Stainless steel security nets come with either a hollow one-centimeter or solid 0.3 or 0.5 diameter.
A five-millimeter solid security net is pretty much the top choice for home use; burglars without a grinder would find it a tough nut to crack, even with bolt cutters.
"If it's five-millimeter stainless steel, I can handle it," Ah said to Qiu Lingling.
"Uh?" Lingling looked at Ah doubtfully.
"During a school fire drill, I managed to bend a five-millimeter security net." Ah declared with conviction.
"........" Qiu Lingling's mouth twitched.
Alright! Now they've got someone even stronger.