Chapter 74: They

“Bring forth the unworthy descendants: Chen Zhi, Chen Liang, and Chen Nianshao!”

As Old Chen bellowed, Yu Xueqing shoved a smartphone into An Sheng’s hands, her face apologetic, barely lifting her arms to show she truly had none free.

She held two phones—one in each hand—and simply couldn’t manage a third.

“Mmm.”

An Sheng sighed, took the fruit-branded phone from Yu Xueqing, then cheerfully activated its 4K 120fps video recording mode.

Heh. Your 4K HD 120fps black history—you’ll have plenty to brag about when you grow up!

Hurry up and say, “Thank you, Lord Fuli!”

The little fox emitted joyful mews, cradling the phone with its adjusted camera settings, facing the central courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, Chen Zhi, Chen Liang, and Chen Nianshao’s parents wore embarrassed expressions, leading their unruly children to the courtyard’s center, facing the Chen Ancestral Hall.

“Read!”

Old Chen softened his stern expression slightly and spoke to the three troublemakers.

“Yes, Village Chief.”

Under the murderous stares of their parents, Chen Zhi, Chen Liang, and Chen Nianshao lined up side by side, facing the Chen Ancestral Hall, and began reciting their Confession of Guilt.

“Unfilial descendants Chen Zhi, Chen Lang, Chen Nianshao.”

“We apologize to our Chen ancestors—we should never have stolen Grandpa’s ID number to bypass game time limits, and we should never have used Grandpa’s ID to curse profusely in Peace Elite, Honor of Kings, Dark Zone, and Minecraft.”

“Hm?” Old Chen’s brow twitched.

The three troublemakers startled and mumbled assurances to their ancestors:

“We’ve all let Grandpa down—our ranks in Honor of Kings are only Silver, in Peace Elite only Gold, in Dark Zone only Rookie. We spent money but still lost, bringing shame to Grandpa.”

“Hmph!” Old Chen’s expression eased slightly.

“I, Chen Zhi.”

“I, Chen Liang.”

“I, Chen Nianshao.”

“On July 23, 2024, before the Chen ancestors, we swear: I, Chen Zhi, he, Chen Liang, he, Chen Nianshao, will attend Tsinghua, Peking, and National Defense University—military, politics, and commerce, all three!”

“To honor our ancestors and wash away our shame,” Chen Zhi, Chen Liang, and Chen Nianshao said with gloomy faces:

“If we fail, we vow never again to eat at the ancestral hall feasts, to clean first when sanitation is needed, to climb ladders to clear spiderwebs from rafters, and to stand night watch!”

“We ask all elders, villagers, and companions here to witness our oath.”

As the three troublemakers finished, their faces betrayed deep misery, barely holding back tears.

They didn’t understand what Tsinghua, Peking, or National Defense University meant—but the oath named them plainly. If they failed to enter those schools,

they’d never again eat at the ancestral hall feasts, and would always be first in line for cleaning duty.

The troublemakers wore gloomy expressions as their parents led them back to their seats, preparing to join the feast.

“A Qing, do you know how to extract the audio from a video? I plan to play it daily in the village broadcast room this afternoon.”

After the troublemakers finished their confession, Old Chen studied the video Yu Xueqing had sent, frowning as he asked her.

“Video editing? Hmm, let me ask.” Yu Xueqing scratched her head and messaged Tang You, her roommate who claimed to be the Cyber Khan and was the best with computers.

Tang You: 【OK!】

Tang You: 【Send the link.】

Tang You: 【Send the video, twenty yuan, video delivered in three to twenty-four hours. Includes three rounds of editing and revisions.】

Yu Xueqing blinked, then forwarded the Taobao link to Village Chief Chen.

Old Chen glanced at the link and immediately felt a headache coming—he sent Yu Xueqing a 200-yuan red envelope:

“No no no, Uncle’s head hurts just looking at these. The internet’s too advanced now—even people miles away can make Uncle’s brain ache.”

“A Qing, thanks for your help. Next time, Uncle will treat you all to tea at the teahouse.”

Old Chen knew Taobao well—he’d spent hours jumping between pages, and the customer service never spoke human language.

He once tried to buy clothes for his grandson and asked how to pick the right size—only to get the same reply over and over.

Now, Old Chen got a headache just seeing links.

“This—”

Watching Yu Xueqing pocket the 200-yuan red envelope and Old Chen bolt away like his pants were on fire, she stared blankly, then turned to the little fox on the table:

“Xiao An… I think I just got fed? And not just once—I got two bowls of rice?”

“Mmmmm~”

An Sheng shrugged—he had no faith in Old Chen’s promise of future tea.

“Come on! Let’s eat the feast!”

After pocketing the red envelope, Yu Xueqing picked up her adorable fox and walked outside the ancestral hall, ready to eat.

Thanks to Old Chen’s recommendation, An Sheng was now considered one of Zhangxizhen’s own.

A seat had been reserved for him at the children’s table.

Yu Xueqing sat there too.

As the feast began, the kitchen staff served each guest a bowl of shark fin soup to open the appetite.

An Sheng sat beside Yu Xueqing, his table holding the same bowl of shark fin soup.

But due to his height, if he leaned over to eat, he might knock over the serving pot.

Jiule City, near the coast, served mostly local seafood at feasts, supplemented with lobster and imported abalone.

An Sheng, who could see the food but couldn’t reach it, sighed softly, then rested his head on Yu Xueqing’s right elbow.

Her arm suddenly sank under the weight—her spoon-hand movement was now restricted.

“Hm? Xiao An, why aren’t you eating?”

Yu Xueqing looked down at the little fox’s head pressed against her arm.

“Mmmmm~”

『Mmmmm~ Master, I can’t use chopsticks—I can’t reach the food. That fish? Zzzz—it flew right past us and got eaten.』

『Mmmmm—fish can fly. They’re bad.』

An Sheng’s weak, weary complaint—about how inconvenient it was to eat with his rear end sticking up in public—

after being translated by Yu Xueqing’s mental “machine,” instantly became a pitiful, adorable plea that nearly triggered her maternal instincts.

“Poor Xiao An.”

Yu Xueqing’s eyes filled with pity. She lifted the fox pressing against her arm into her lap, grabbed another set of chopsticks, and used serving chopsticks to transfer food into his bowl.

She pulled over a chair, placed the little fox on her lap, and let him feast under the shade canopy.

Today, due to the heat, though a canopy blocked the sun and ice and fans blew cool air into the venue,

Yu Xueqing’s appetite was poor—she ate only two pounds of meat, two bowls of rice, some desserts, and two bowls of soup.

Her current eating capacity was less than three-fifths of her peak.

An Sheng gnawed on a baked cheese lobster.

He slurped down a dozen fresh abalones, two pounds of shrimp, and, amid praise and amazement, extracted nearly half a pound of conch meat without using toothpicks.

The ancestral hall feast lasted until nearly 2 p.m., finally ending due to the sweltering heat.

“Hehehe.”

Yu Xueqing grinned, pinching the little fox’s round, full belly. “Kiss me!”

She lifted the fox high and kissed him twice before heading home with her parents.

On the way home, An Sheng poked his head out and glanced toward Lin Ying’s house.

In the parking lot sat two business vans—identical except for their license plates.

“So Lin Fujie just got back?”

“Wonder what happened after she knocked out those two crocodiles yesterday.”

(End of Chapter)