CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44: THE MEDICINE WAS REPLACED, BUT IT STILL FEELS LIKE IT’S INFECTED WITH FUNGUS.

"Let’s go, let’s go! My treat!"

Having made a big profit, Yu Zhenghong was feeling very generous. He invited the whole family and the neighboring tea house owners to a meal, to thank them for helping out at his shop in the morning.

The three members of the Yu Xueqing family, the two tea house owners, and their wives set off together in a group of seven.

They arrived at Qiangji Diner.

Yu Zhenghong wore a solemn expression as he handed the menu to Ansheng with both hands.

Ansheng looked puzzled and pointed at the garlic crab on the menu.

Yu Zhenghong continued to push the menu forward, making Ansheng smile and point to the picture of the rich shrimp on the menu.

Yu Zhenghong’s expression changed dramatically, forcing a sheepish grin as he took the menu back to himself, "Master Fox... you can’t blame Ah Hong for not being pious, I really can’t afford it!"

"How about you perform some rituals tonight when we get home, bless my tea house to prosper, and in the future, when Ah Hong’s wallet is bulging, I will be truly pious."

The garlic crab wasn’t too bad, a serving for seven people would be around four to six hundred.

The rich shrimp, excluding processing fees, was seven hundred per pound.

Everyone having one rich shrimp, whether they would become wealthy was another matter, but the bill would definitely be several thousand.

Yu Zhenghong wasn’t being stingy, but he needed to know if their Master Fox was truly effective!

Today might be just a fluke.

If it proved effective again, he would certainly grit his teeth and make a grand purchase without hesitation!

Seeing Yu Zhenghong’s miserly behavior and his highly flexible piety, Ansheng rolled his eyes.

The Xia Dong people had sincere beliefs in not just Mazu, but also several historical ancestral deities.

But the dedication towards other deities wasn’t entirely absent; however, as a wild god of the mountains, if you want offerings, you must first prove your efficacy to me.

Otherwise, I would be in a tough spot too!

High-grade sandalwood isn’t cheap, and if you have no ability, wouldn’t I have wasted burning incense?

"Ah Qing, you just go ahead and take risks in the future. At most, consider it as accumulating experience when you enter society! Ansheng will have your back!"

"Of course, don’t touch loans and betting everything, as I am just a fox after all, with limited ability to repay..."

The fox, enjoying a roast chicken on its own, confidently assured Yu Xueqing with a soft whimper, patting its chest.

Since he and she were sleeping together, Ah Qing need not worry about her calls not getting through.

Though Ansheng felt capable of backing her up, he hoped Ah Qing wouldn’t leverage too much, otherwise, even a Master Fox would be overwhelmed.

"Whimper whimper~ Master, come eat! The meat here is very delicious, and in the future, I will strive to hunt daily to bring you delicious food..."

Ansheng’s guarantee, after being translated by the machine in Yu Xueqing’s head, wasn’t flawless in eloquence but reasonably understandable.

Yu Xueqing was deeply moved, seeing Xiaolan eating delicious food and still not forgetting her.

Truly, there’s no such thing as eating dog food for nothing.

...

After dining at the diner, Yu Xueqing didn’t return to the tea house.

She originally planned to ask her dad for advice on live-streaming sales in the tea house in the morning, then take Xiaolan to climb and enjoy nature in the park in the afternoon.

But she was so busy until nearly two in the afternoon, leaving Yu Xueqing too exhausted for mountain climbing.

She could only slightly disappoint Xiaolan, promising to definitely wake up early tomorrow to take Xiaolan mountain climbing and for tea.

Yu Xueqing drove back to Changxi Town.

However, when she reached the front of the house, Ansheng keenly sensed something was amiss in front of Lin Ying’s home.

Several black business vans were parked in front of Lin Ying’s place, with the villa doors wide open.

"Sister Lin Fu hasn’t gotten herself into trouble, has she?"

"I don’t think so, right? Didn’t she say she’s been increasing her medication recently?"

Ansheng muttered to himself before signaling Yu Xueqing and heading towards Lin Ying’s house.

Hiding by the doorpost, Ansheng peeked into Lin Ying’s villa garden.

Once sure no one was at the front door, Ansheng discreetly moved along the wall towards the villa, then scratched the stone slabs to climb onto the terrace by Lin Ying’s bedroom balcony.

"Whimper?"

Peering into the room, Ansheng saw Lin Ying in casual home wear, leaning against the headboard, surrounded by female medical personnel busying themselves, alongside an array of strange monitoring equipment.

The whimper from Ansheng’s mouth seemed to wake Lin Ying, who was resting with eyes closed, as she glanced towards the balcony.

Human and fox briefly locked eyes.

Lin Ying beckoned Ansheng to come over.

The medical personnel, upon seeing a fox, were startled.

The nurse closest to the balcony door quickly locked the glass door, fearing Ansheng would come inside.

"Whimper..."

Ansheng watched the medical staff with annoyance, then looked toward Lin Ying on the bed and whimpered.

"You can open the door and head back now." Lin Ying, after days of medication, had her hormonal levels somewhat regulated, her mental state not as fatigued as when Ansheng saw her before.

In fact, Lin Ying’s mental exhaustion and insomnia weren’t heavily tied to her psychological issues.

She had progressed beyond the most dangerous stage, developing into severe depression, completely losing desire for everything.

In such a state, surrounded by a nanny and medical team, Lin Ying was relatively safe.

As for Lin Ying’s previous insomnia and mental exhaustion, the primary reason was her constant contemplation over whether herself, the world, or the fox had gone mad.

Was it her long-term untreated hallucinations?

Or had the fox consumed nuclear waste and mutated?

Or was it the world that went crazy, thus birthing an intelligent fox capable of smashing tempered glass with a punch and rescuing her?

Since that day, Lin Ying had been quietly taking medication, and the fox would appear post-medication too.

She suspected foreign medication had illicit ingredients and discarded them, switching to domestic alternatives.

Yet the fox remained, and dragged her to the dining hall every evening by the elevator.

Lin Ying believed domestic medication might have hallucinogenic elements, and discarded those too.

After going through medication regimens of four different countries aimed at treating depression, Lin Ying became certain.

She wasn’t insane, and neither was the fox.

It was her world that had gone mad. Only in a world that intoxicated and raving mad could produce such an extraordinary witty fox spirit.

"Come here," Lin Ying said calmly, looking at the fox already inside the room after all the medical staff had left.

"Nothing unexpected happened, it’s just that during medication changes, necessary evaluations are required."

"But what about you, why have you come so early?"

"Whimper whimper?"

Suspiciously, Ansheng looked at Lin Ying.

No incidents occurred?

Yet your expressionless face doesn’t seem unaffected.

I’m not overly worried, only that in a mood swing, you might attempt skydiving.

Ansheng hadn’t earned any Wish Points from Lin Ying, but she had truly gone through rough patches; Ansheng sincerely feared for her well-being.

Lin Ying’s experiences were ones even a K-drama finale might not dare portray, as such narratives might provoke the scriptwriter into confrontation by audiences armed with knives.