Chapter 173: Don

"The scent of Fuli tea brewing feels like pure natural essence—truly the essence of a fox spirit."

"Will Qing not get a ticket?"

After registering with Old Chen, An Sheng walked back from the back of the ancestral hall to the front courtyard, pondering whether his finished tea leaves complied with food safety laws.

And why could the fragrance carried by his own body seep into the tea leaves during roasting?

After brief consideration, An Sheng concluded his tea leaves must comply with food regulations: the raw materials came with their own certification, he had thoroughly exterminated pests inside and out, and what pathogen could survive a searing iron wok?

After roasting, tea leaves cannot be served directly to customers—they must be placed in ceramic jars lined with wrapped quicklime to absorb any condensation formed from residual heat.

Of course, this step likely has little relevance to most teas.

As for the source of the fragrance:

An Sheng guessed it might be because he was too hygienic—he washed his hands before every roast, and some moisture lingered in his fur. When placed in the iron wok and subjected to high-heat roasting, the honey-like scent was baked right into the tea.

"Qing, I have terrible news: after Old Chen's tasting, you'll need to scan a code and pay before you can absorb An's fox yang energy. Old Chen says An's fox spirit is valuable!"

Back in the banquet hall, the little fox patted its paws and leapt onto Yu Xueqing's lap, beaming as it complained about its absurd ordeal.

"Xiao An, what do you need money for?" Seeing the little fox nuzzle against her leg, Yu Xueqing paused, then remembered: "Oh right! I forgot to pay you. Our livestream wages were deposited two days ago—I haven't even checked yet."

The past few days had been too busy: Yu Xueqing had to finish her summer homework, assist the tea master, maintain livestream engagement, and plan a customer appreciation event around the tea competition.

Wages were issued on August 1, but by the 3rd, Qing still hadn't checked them.

Though there were SMS alerts, spending four yuan a month on messages hurt her budget—her income came entirely from regular donations from her parents via WeChat; she never used a bank card.

Qing opened the Yinfu backend and checked her livestream earnings from last month.

An Sheng and Mo Yiqing also grew curious and leaned close to peek at the phone screen.

Qing's income consisted of several parts.

First: livestream tips, plus a "soundwave" bonus calculated from likes, comments, and overall popularity, plus commission from product sales.

After deducting the platform's 50% cut and taxes, what remained was her net salary.

Livestream tips: 1639.

Soundwave bonus: 324.

Product sales: 230.

Total income: 2193.

"Qing, I remember someone at the next table saying the minimum wage in Jiule City is 2195 yuan?" Mo Yiqing murmured after seeing the pay stub: "Need me to transfer you two yuan to free you from black slavery?"

"What black slavery!" Yu Xueqing rolled her eyes, smiling: "Making two thousand is already amazing for me!"

"The professor next door at the Animal Science Institute just shattered his entire desk." Mo Yiqing teased.

As a student at Nongke Academy, Qing was highly sought after by professors from the neighboring Animal Science Institute.

Other grad students and PhD candidates were treated like beasts of burden, yet the Animal Science Institute offered Qing a direct cash reward of 100, 00 yuan, plus a host of perks.

But Qing had already decided she'd return home to farm after graduation, so she declined all their enticements—she had no idea what she'd even do with an Animal Science degree.

The thought of becoming a vet with a scalpel made her nervous.

"Xiao An! We split the salary fifty-fifty!" Yu Xueqing declared confidently to the little fox.

The largest portion of livestream income came from the little fox's cute antics tricking viewers into tipping.

Paying Xiao An was a promise Qing had made long ago.

"I get a share of the salary?" An Sheng perked up: "One can of ice cola, please!"

"Of course you do—I'll deposit it in that big piggy bank we bought. Future mortgage, pension, and medical insurance for Xiao An will all come from there!" Yu Xueqing said.

The little fox, moments ago proudly lifting its head, immediately turned and leapt into Mo Yiqing's arms, covering its ears.

Master, stop! Stop! My last house—just renovated—wasn't even enjoyed for half a year before I ended up inheriting it to some distant relative.

I'm a fox now—why do I still need to buy a house?

Do you believe I could dig up a 300-square-meter dungeon-style mansion from under your foundation?

Foxes earning for foxes is only fair.

But Qing worried that with Xiao An's cleverness, he'd immediately head to the supermarket and buy a can of ice cola.

Saving it for snacks and treats is the right path.

…………

After the feast, the children returned home to await tomorrow's tea competition.

The adults remained in the ancestral hall, discussing the opening ceremony for tomorrow's tea contest.

Here in Xia Dong, this was one of the indispensable rituals in all communal events: 【The People and the Gods Celebrate Together】.

To celebrate with gods, the gods must be brought to the scene.

To bring the gods, people must carry them, with pre-planned routes and crowd control.

The village elders were deliberating.

"Qing, I'm going out to play!"

After waking from his midday nap, An Sheng greeted Qing as usual and prepared to go shopping.

But this time, Yu Xueqing grabbed the back of his neck and lifted him up.

"You can't go out today—firecrackers will be set off tonight and at midnight to ward off evil spirits. If you go out, you'll be scorched black all over."

"And you scared me half to death sneaking off to steal food today! You're rubbing my shoulders tonight—I've got a killer shoulder ache."

Yu Xueqing picked up the little fox, hugged it close, and carried it to the livestream area, telling it to behave.

With firecrackers going off all over town, who knew if the little fox would panic and bolt into the deep mountains?

Qing couldn't risk letting Xiao An go out.

"But—"

Seeing Qing's firm grip around his chest, An Sheng sighed:

"Fine, fine! I won't go out tonight—but can I at least go upstairs?"

"To play with Mo Mo upstairs? That's fine." Qing set him down.

An Sheng slipped upstairs to the storage room, found the phone Lin Ying had given him, and sent a message:

【…Qing asked me to film something tonight, so I can't go out. Our plans are canceled.】

Tonight, An Sheng had planned to visit Hailinglong to check if his weapon was finished.

He also wanted to show Lin Ying the hedgehog and speaker, to see if she could replicate them.

Tonight's plan would have to be postponed.

(End of Chapter)