"Xiaolan, lend a hand..."
"Grab a towel from their beds..."
On the first official day of the new semester at Xinxing Agricultural Science College, three out of the four roommates were already lying down, as if predicting what would happen. When Ah Qing emerged from the bathroom, she wasn't surprised to see people sprawled on the floor.
Instead, she proactively stepped forward, lifted Lingren above her head, and tossed her onto a bed, before dragging Momo and Tang You towards the bathroom.
The new semester beginning, aside from freshman year, which is as youthful and lively as described in young adult literature, sophomore and junior year starts are basically like livestock plowing fields.
Where are the College of Agriculture students who work in offices? Even professors wear rain boots and go to fields to plant rice. Surely you're not weaker than the elderly, right?
Momo and Tang You lift steel bars and move red bricks, even carrying cement bags, while Lingren goes to shovel dung. The Spirit Beast manure is big and heavy, weighing tens of tons, accumulated over two months in Chang'an, all for them to clean.
Ah Qing cut weeds from two acres of land and, after cutting, the agronomy students still needed to cover the land with weeds to form a mulch for insulation and moisture retention.
After clearing the weeds and wasteland, they need to turn over about thirty centimeters of soil to dry out, killing off weed seeds, root systems, and possible insect eggs.
As Ah Qing cleared the wasteland, and before Momo and Tang You completed the experimental field setup, Lingren and the students majoring in plant nutrition needed to complete fertilizer mixing and dung fermentation processes, burying the fertilizer in the soil to increase soil fertility for planting.
They needed to complete this task within thirteen days; otherwise, their National Day holiday could be shortened.
For a worry-free National Day holiday, the College of Agriculture students worked as hard as they could.
"Alright, Xiaolan, let's go eat!"
"However, Fox Kingdom Hotel might have to wait till evening."
Ah Qing helped Tang You onto a bed, checked the time on her phone, and smiled at Xiaolan beside her.
It was only eleven-thirty, and afternoon classes began at three-thirty, leaving five hours to rest.
"Plan the time yourself! Just one class, and the dorm is down for the count."
The little fox on Ah Qing's shoulder opened its mouth to complain helplessly.
The agriculture students seemed to have a lot of equipment.
But when it came to farming, to ensure students don't forget traditional skills, they still relied primarily on manual labor.
Not all research institutions are as wealthy as the agricultural college, with several large laboratories constantly producing results and commercializing them.
No one wants to graduate and be unable to farm without handy smart equipment.
The real impact on the college's financial funding is the reputation of students among various research institutions.
Learning smart, intelligent agriculture is necessary.
But traditional methods can't be forgotten.
So, go chop down a tree, bend it into a plow, then head into the mountains to tame a wild ox for fieldwork.
[......Carrying bricks is too tiresome. I really don't understand why cement weighs a hundred pounds per bag. Which girl can handle that? Afternoon egg appointment canceled.]
[Tonight, tonight we'll late-night egg it!]
Peering at Ah Qiang outside the dorm door, Ansheng glanced down.
But perhaps due to the hot weather, the tabby cat Ah Qiang wasn't hanging at the dorm entrance; instead, it had returned inside, with an added note on the door sign.
".....These cat baskets are quite tenacious."
Seeing the A4 paper update, Ansheng chuckled.
Walking alongside Ah Qing in the quiet school, there wasn't a soul in front of the canteen.
Except for such Herculean figures like Ah Qing, most normal students consider making it through class a victory. Eating can wait. For now, resting takes priority!
Ah Qing scooped a mountain of rice into her bowl, with the dishes stacked like the Great Wall of China.
The little fox's bowl contained mostly chicken and braised pork, with only two greens.
However, mischievous Ah Qing had rinsed the mushroom chicken stir-fry and braised pork to reduce the salty taste.
"When it comes to eating, Ah Qing is the boss..."
Sitting on the chair, Ansheng raised his head and, watching Ah Qing devour her meal, found his appetite rising too. He picked up a piece of meat from his bowl and gobbled it up, spitting the bones onto the table.
After satiating their hunger, Ah Qing packed food for her roommates, contentedly returning to the dorm for rest.
"Xiaolan, want to nap?"
Lying in bed, Ah Qing lifted the covers, asking the little fox watching short videos beside her.
"I won't sleep. I have a date later," Ansheng replied, looking at Ah Qing.
"Oh... Then I'll sleep first. Good afternoon," Ah Qing nodded gently, assuming Xiaolan had a date with friends for shopping, not minding, and lay down to sleep.
She didn't set an alarm before sleeping.
There's a peculiar phenomenon in the school dormitories: one's own alarm never wakes them up.
But a roommate's alarm is incredibly effective.
Especially the ones labeled with 'Fruit' and 'V' sound, stopping hearts the moment they're heard.
With the dorm quiet again, Ansheng lowered the video volume completely.
Checking the time, it was almost time for his meeting with Lin Bingyun for selecting locations.
Ansheng rolled off the bed, leapt out onto the window sill, and found himself outside the girls' dorm with a strange Cullinan parked nearby.
"Master Fox."
Housekeeper Lin stood with a parasol, dignified beside the Cullinan, and upon seeing Master Fox, she immediately smiled, squatted down, and cradled Master Fox.
With the current intense heat, the temperature on campus roads might hit fifty to sixty degrees.
With some risk, Lin Bingyun braved the sun to fetch Master Fox by car from campus.
Moving the parasol forward, Lin Bingyun was exposed to the sun, shielding Master Fox with it.
"Is the video team all set? We're heading to the conservation base to pick up the fat cat," Ansheng inquired.
"All arranged, they'll appear in a 'wild' manner before you, and as students and 'Fox' enthusiasts, they'll recommend themselves to Miss Yu."
"They will blend in seamlessly..."
Lin Bingyun smiled as she explained the plan, then brought up another matter: "Also, half an hour ago, Miss Wang Qiqi called you."
"She mentioned needing to discuss something, and from her tone, it sounded urgent."
"Want me to call her back for you?"
Settling Master Fox in the front passenger seat, Lin Bingyun got into the driver's seat, blocking out all sound before consulting Master Fox.
"Call her back! Oh, where's the Ba Mountain Mosquito?"
"It's staking out with its mosquito swarm, hiding in the community flower bed to startle people."
"......Startle? Probably plans to eat people, right?"
Ansheng, speechless, took the phone, turned on the speaker, and placed it on the armrest box.
The call quickly connects, and Wang Qiqi's slightly muffled voice comes through: "Hello?"
"It's me. Housekeeper Lin mentioned you needed to discuss something with me. Is it about Spiritual Particle Metal?"
Ansheng asked Wang Qiqi.
"I asked Li Xiao, who said he'll call the institute later. What I wanted to discuss isn't about Spiritual Particle Metal. This morning, in a meeting, Li Xiao and I received notice of a business trip."
"But Chang'an can't be leaderless even for a day. So I recommended you to the Security Bureau as chief engineer."
"???"
Ansheng slowly typed out a question mark.