Chapter 108: Lord Fuli Eats and Drinks His Way Through Town

“Let me buy cosmetics for Mazu?”

Yu Xueqing looked puzzled, staring at the 5,000-yuan transfer on WeChat, and sent a question mark.

"Your dad is way too trendy," Yu Xueqing said when calling her father, not bothering to lower her voice—An Sheng and Mo Yiqing listened in the entire time.

Mo Yiqing couldn’t help but mutter a sarcastic comment.

“I’ve seen this before in my past life—there was a rich old guy who donated a huge sum to Mazu Temple this year, then bragged about it nonstop in their WeChat group.”

“Since the old guy can’t fight back, he just plays the filial piety card—moral blackmail!” An Sheng said with absolute certainty, gazing at Yu Xueqing with a soft whine.

The old guy’s seemingly absurd behavior was still within An Sheng’s understanding.

Because the competitive culture here is strong—they’ll stretch their budgets to the limit to show off anything visible.

How could you earn respect if you didn’t flaunt your wealth and virtue?

Without the backing of powerful patrons, how could you ever get rich?

Of course.

Locals never talked about these things in front of each other; in his past life, An Sheng was just an outsider, and some Xiadong friends who got along well with him would vent to him.

Fuck, I worked my ass off away from home, ate scraps all year, saved tens of thousands, and by Lunar New Year, I gave it all away in red envelopes.

Here, red envelopes must be odd numbers—even casual acquaintances get 300 yuan, closer relatives get around a thousand, and in some places, it’s even crazier.

An Sheng was stunned upon hearing this.

Plus, beyond daily expenses, Xiadong families spend roughly 30,000 yuan annually on incense and Buddhist offerings.

An Sheng knew Xiadong customs—he wasn’t surprised by Yu Zhenghong’s actions; even if the old guy started pole-dancing at a club one day, it wouldn’t be strange.

With such high household expenses, plus preparing a dowry for Yu Xueqing…

If the old guy didn’t compete and hustle, how could he brag to other old guys about his happy, harmonious family?

…………

Although Yu Xueqing had been tasked by her father to buy premium, authentic skincare products from a mall counter as an offering to Mazu as sunscreen,

it was still early, so she led the little fox and Mo Yiqing to an old shop whose exterior clearly bore the marks of time.

“Dengdeng—Dongjia Restaurant, my absolute top choice. My dad took my mom here for their first date, and that’s how I was conceived.”

Yu Xueqing smiled confidently as she introduced Dongjia Restaurant to Mo Yiqing:

“If their food were bad, I wouldn’t even exist today. Dongjia is perfect—except seafood is a bit expensive because most of it comes from cold-water seas, making it extra sweet and fresh.”

Hearing Yu Xueqing’s description, Mo Yiqing’s eyes lit up; she grabbed Yu Xueqing’s hand and rushed into the restaurant.

An expert’s touch reveals everything—cold currents usually have high salinity and low temperatures, producing seafood with exceptionally firm flesh.

Likewise, due to cold currents, seafood grows slowly, making their sweetness even more pronounced.

Hearing “cold-water seas,” Mo Yiqing immediately knew Yu Xueqing was a true sister—she’d brought her to this hidden gem of a restaurant.

Inside the restaurant, to the left stood a fish tank shaped like a giant ship; condensation fogged the glass from the temperature difference.

“Welcome! How many guests?” A hostess at the right-side counter smiled forward.

“Two. Bring chrysanthemum tea. Book us a quiet private room that allows pets.”

Mo Yiqing told the hostess, then happily grabbed a net and dashed toward the fish tank. The hostess froze, then rushed after her, grabbing her arm in alarm:

“Sorry, guest, you can’t! Those fish—the dragon grouper and the red snapper—are our bosses. They’re not for sale!”

“That dragon grouper and red snapper have lived here for sixteen years—they’re our boss’s pet fish.”

Mo Yiqing looked crestfallen: “Why put them right by the entrance then? Tease me into a frenzy, then tell me my period just started? Isn’t that forcing me to sprint toward a red-light district?”

The dragon grouper in the tank was enormous—nearly a meter long—but Mo Yiqing’s target wasn’t the fierce, black-skinned monster. It was the bright red fish beside it, resembling a golden snapper.

“I’m truly sorry for the trouble,” Mo Yiqing’s crude words made the hostess blush furiously. “I’ll apply for a discount for you right away.”

All seafood in the tanks had price tags—except the dragon grouper and the red snapper.

This guest didn’t even glance at the prices—she rolled up her sleeves and prepared to net the “feng shui fish manager.”

“Ah Qing… I think I now know who taught you those filthy jokes.” An Sheng sat on the counter, watching Yu Xueqing’s face, now streaked with black lines and embarrassment.

“When it comes to filth, Mo Yiqing is the real queen.”

The little fox kept whimpering, complaining about Mo Yiqing—its whimpers echoed directly into Yu Xueqing’s mind:

“Wow! Master, master, look! Auntie Mo, the scarred hunter on her belly, goes straight for the strongest fish! Auntie Mo fights the whole ocean alone!”

“She’s not just fighting the ocean—I looked at the prices and my wallet screamed,” Yu Xueqing said, wiping sweat from her brow as she watched Mo Yiqing order.

Four-li abalone: 98 yuan each.

Sashimi-grade oysters: 39 yuan each.

Giant Arctic clams: 69 yuan each.

Premium swimming crabs: 238 yuan each.

And for the sea cucumbers and fish sold by weight—Mo Yiqing ordered three portions of the per-piece items, then, after glancing at Yu Xueqing, ordered the weighed items by the jin.

After ordering, Mo Yiqing subtly opened her phone’s payment page just before entering the private room, slipped it into the hostess’s basket, and gave her a knowing look.

The hostess paused, then nodded, understanding.

“Wow.”

Yu Xueqing sat in her chair, enjoying the air-conditioning, unconsciously tugging at her collar, then looked at the little fox on the table and said:

“I nearly died of heat in the Tianhou Palace.”

As Yu Xueqing spoke, she pulled a wet wipe from her small bag, lifted her shirt, and wiped the sweat from her chest—the little fox was startled.

“I’ve finally found the little fox’s flaw—you can’t hold him when it’s hot, or you’ll get heat rash,” Yu Xueqing complained.

Entering the Tianhou Palace was smooth, but leaving was not—tourists kept asking Yu Xueqing if they could take photos with the fox.

Though she was delighted so many people loved her little fox,

in the sweltering summer without AC, holding a fur-covered fox for over ten minutes under a tree while posing with strangers, Yu Xueqing finally understood what “happy trouble” meant.

The fox is too cute—what can I do.jpg

“Little An… you’re too hot. Let Chen Zhiyu cut your fur later, okay?”

Yu Xueqing lowered her shirt, smiling sweetly at the little fox.

Facing Yu Xueqing’s deception,

An Sheng thought for a moment, sat up on the table, and turned to face Yu Xueqing, lifting his hind leg.

Yu Xueqing’s eyes widened in horror—she snatched a teacup and covered his vital point in one swift motion.

“Little An, dare you! I’ll snip your balls off!”

(End of Chapter)