CHAPTER 399: CHAPTER 397: MASTER HU, FOR HIRE

The black business car drove into the Chen Family Ancestral Hall square, bypassed the main gate area, and headed to the exhibition hall located at the back.

[I’m Chen Xiaojie, and I’ve let down my ancestors. I lost all my savings in business, squandered the nest egg my parents saved for me on stocks, and borrowed back and forth from 38 online lenders. After spending three quiet months at home philosophizing, I’ve realized that in my current situation, my only option is to seek guidance from the Sea Goddess! — A destitute Chen Xiaojie recently heard that his younger cousin was thriving in America and even donated eight million to renovate the village ancestral hall. After days of contemplation, Chen Xiaojie felt he had reached enlightenment.]

[Wish fulfilled: Academic high achiever turns his life around]

As the Fox Immortal’s car entourage passed the ancestral hall, a faint wisp of smoke could be seen rising. A scruffy young man knelt in front of the Chen Family Ancestral Hall door, lit an incense stick in a small burner next to the door, and stared blankly at the entrance.

The ancestral hall isn’t open round the clock. Having witnessed numerous incidents of other village ancestral halls catching fire, the hall shuts its doors at night, and fireworks are prohibited nearby.

Before departing, Chen Xiaojie couldn’t enter the ancestral hall and could only offer incense at the door, praying for ancestral protection.

In timely fashion, Chen Xiaojie’s wish made its way onto the Fox Immortal’s wish list.

"Academic high achiever turns his life around?"

Ansheng, upon seeing the wish fulfilled, was taken aback and instinctively asked Old Chen, "Old Chen, was that Chen Xiaojie kneeling in front of the ancestral hall? What’s he up to?"

"Chen Xiaojie?"

Old Chen was briefly stunned upon hearing this, then shook his head and said, "We can’t handle Xiaojie’s situation; best to leave it alone. In a few days, he should resign himself to seeking help from the Sea Goddess."

"He’s a top graduate from Jinling University of Technology. Later, he started a business in optical engineering and lost everything. Previously, debt collectors trapped him in the old house. If it weren’t for our numbers, ready to flip the collectors’ cars, who knows what could have happened?"

As Old Chen headed towards the tea-making room, he casually talked about Chen Xiaojie’s situation.

With Changxi Town’s inherent advantages and Chen Xiaojie’s parents being very scholarly—both are renowned provincial certified tea masters—the family’s income wasn’t below a million.

Chen Xiaojie, inheriting their genes, displayed exceptional academic and practical talents from a young age.

Perhaps due to things going too smoothly during his study years, he had a disagreement over subject choice with his family when selecting a college during his senior year in high school.

His parents, with extensive contacts in agriculture and the tea industry, hoped Chen Xiaojie would choose an agriculture-related major.

The former could lead to a civil service position, and given Xiaojie’s talents, it wouldn’t be hard for him to make a name for himself there. The latter, too, was seen as a family legacy; joining the industry meant entering the upstream supply chain.

But Chen Xiaojie chose Jinling University of Technology, wanting to explore high tech like "planes and artillery," big loud "gems."

Actually.

Choosing Jinling University of Technology wasn’t that bad; after all, it’s a path toward national defense, which comes with prestige.

Yet, Chen Xiaojie declined the aerospace science and industry invitation and opted to venture out on his own for business.

Almost drove his parents to illness, since the whole point of college was to widen his future paths.

But you want to start a business?

Did you go to college for nothing?

"Jinling University of Technology? Planes and artillery?" Ansheng, being held at home by Lin Bingyun, was stunned.

"Seems he studied something like metasurface optics or photoelectric detection and guidance," Old Chen speculated about high-tech areas, having heard about Chen Xiaojie’s affairs from village gossip.

"Metasurface optics and entrepreneurial directions can involve medical health and military engineering. If he indeed received an aerospace group’s invitation, it proves he’s a talent in many respects," Lin Bingyun remarked.

"Is he that impressive?"

In areas he doesn’t know well, Old Chen had little recognition of optical scholars, only knowing Chen Xiaojie’s university was outstanding and the school contributed to national defense construction.

"I can only say, America nurtures talents." Ansheng stepped down from Lin Bingyun’s lap, making a quip.

If he remembered correctly, there was an impressive female biology graduate before who smuggled herself over, seemingly aiming for quick money. And now, another talented person capable of planes and artillery was ready to seek guidance from the Sea Goddess.

Chen Xiaojie wasn’t enlightened.

He’s desperate and hungry.

After quipping, Ansheng didn’t overly concern himself with Chen Xiaojie’s affairs.

Chen Xiaojie clearly had Chen Nian’s phone number.

Nevertheless, thanks to their insights, Ansheng couldn’t help but think.

Or maybe.....

Let the Security Bureau send Chen Nian a political science teacher by express, and also pack those seeking quick money or whose mind isn’t on the right path, all to Chen Nian.

Ansheng felt that in doing so, he wouldn’t need to chase after dramas; he’d have a political thriller right on his heels, broadcasting directly to him.

"Talk about sending off a funeral without minding its scale; am I such a morally lacking fox?"

Reciting this in his mind, Ansheng went into the withering room to check the condition of the tea leaves.

The tea leaves’ picking, processing, and withering process were all done following the Fox Immortal’s data.

Ansheng inspected each one, frowning, then deftly started sorting the leaves.

"Old Chen, how many pounds of tea leaves do we have in total?"

"To make good tea from this batch, I reckon we might need to reach a six to one standard."

"Rest assured, Fox Immortal. Besides the autumn tea leaves reserved, we picked all we could for him. And if we go by the 6:1 standard, these leaves might yield thirty pounds."

Transforming fresh leaves into tea is a dehydration process; generally speaking, ordinary tea takes four pounds of fresh leaves for one pound of tea.

But that logic doesn’t apply to high-end tea or competition-grade tea. Making special tea means manually sorting the leaves again, resulting in a much higher loss rate.

If five pounds of fresh leaves yield one pound of tea, then considering the labor costs, the sale price would double.

But Ansheng didn’t care about the loss. Even if these were only several dozen bucks per pound leaves, or even one or two hundred per pound, the bad ones should still be discarded; the tea that establishes the tea garden’s reputation can’t be treated carelessly.

Under the guidance of the Fox Immortal, Old Chen and Lin Bingyun also joined in the tea-making process.

Their main task was selecting the tea leaves, but the frying process was something the Fox Immortal personally handled to give these leaves a special aroma.

Out of two hundred pounds of tea leaves, only thirty-three pounds of tea remained after the full process until the drying stage.

After completing the tea frying process, Ansheng found his paws coated in a layer of green juice. He let out a sigh, then plunked down on the steps of the ancestral hall.

Old Chen, however, had already collapsed limply on the ground.

"Fox Immortal, that boy Hong said he wants to hire you as a consultant, and also, henceforth, all tea you make will be calculated at 30%." Old Chen, recalling something, conveyed this to the Fox Immortal.

"A dual-track system of consulting and profit-sharing? Old Deng has a bit of a fierce edge when it comes to doing business!"

Hearing Old Chen relay Yu Zhenghong’s intentions, Ansheng couldn’t help but chuckle. Although Old Deng was somewhat superstitious, when making decisions, he really didn’t hesitate!

The consultant system simply required Ansheng to spend two or three days each year in the tea garden for guidance or to say a few words via remote video, which could bring in an annual salary between twenty and fifty thousand yuan.

The role of a consultant is to enhance the tea garden’s quality and set standards as an expert.

While not needing to do much, it relies on technical prowess.

As for the profit-sharing system, it’s easier to understand: Old Deng provides the tea leaves, he supervises throughout, and thirty percent of the sales are his.

Offering thirty percent is extremely generous, as giving fifteen percent of sales is a standard industry practice, unless it’s a national master or intangible cultural heritage-level master.

"Let him decide on the consultant fee himself. As for the profit-sharing, let’s skip it and have a flat rate—twenty thousand per batch as a buyout fee, so he doesn’t keep pestering me."

Taking thirty percent of the sales.

That’s a privilege for a national-level master or a tea industry guild-standard intangible cultural heritage master.

Since Old Deng considers me a national-level master, naturally, Ansheng won’t be modest and offers the market price for a national-level rock tea master’s buyout.

The money isn’t important; it’s about peace of mind without Old Deng constantly bothering me with cheap tea leaves.

"Sure, I’ll inform Hong," Old Chen nodded, not finding the price exorbitant.

The master’s fee is the price.

Now, with the Fox Immortal personally frying the tea and still charging you this price, it’s not at all unreasonable—it’s perfectly logical.