The village beauty and me!

The big fox Lao Bai's originally ingratiating gaze immediately turned into a hint of wariness and dissatisfaction.

Then I adjusted the angle, pointed my nose towards the stream below the mountain, and called out twice.

It seemed to be telling Chen Huan that this golden pill wasn't given to him for nothing; it was used to watch over the river for him all the time.

Chen Huan coughed twice. "From now on, I'll give you two golden pills every day. That's like a raise."

"If wages go up, shouldn't job responsibilities also increase accordingly?"

"Whether you have one sheep or two, you can still graze them."

"You're only in charge of this grove of trees outside Peach Blossom Village. You don't need to worry about anything else. If anyone dares to come here to cut down trees or cause damage, just scare them, okay?"

For the sake of the Golden Core, Old Bai nodded, which was considered an agreement.

"Good old Bai, I'll be counting on you from now on." Chen Huanle chuckled and handed over another golden pill.

Old Bai stuck out his pink tongue and rolled the golden pill into his mouth, squinting his eyes and looking like he was enjoying it.

"Alright, it's getting late, I won't keep you from cultivating any longer."

"Remember what you promised me. As long as you do things well, you'll get your Golden Core."

"There will be a bonus at the end of the year," Chen Huan said, rubbing Lao Bai's head and promising him a rosy picture.

Old Bai's eyes were clear as he whimpered and nodded repeatedly, showing no doubt about Chen Huan's words.

Chen Huan couldn't help but sigh, "We're both working for me, but Lao Bai, you're much more sensible than that girl Zhao Jingjing."

"I won't lose my temper easily, yell at my boss, or physically assault anyone."

"They'll do their job dutifully if they're given even a small reward."

"It's a pity you're just a fox cultivating, not a real human..."

After a moment of reflection, Chen Huan got up, said goodbye to Lao Bai, and headed down the mountain.

He didn't notice that Old Bai, who was squatting there, suddenly had a kind of human-like emotion in his originally clear eyes.

When he got home, it was already completely dark. Li Chunlan and Zhao Liping had prepared dinner and were waiting for him.

  

Upon learning that Chen Huan had returned from the woods, Li Chunlan couldn't help but advise, "You should try to avoid going into the woods in the future."

"Putting aside the fact that the poisonous insects and wild beasts inside are too dangerous, I also heard that the forest outside our village has been contracted out and turned into private property."

"You've collected so many medicinal herbs from there, what if the contractor finds out and calls the police?"

Chen Huan grinned and pulled out the contract from his pocket. "What a coincidence, I'm the one who contracted it."

"What?"

"You've contracted out all the forests in our village?"

"First the river, then the forest. At this rate, it won't be long before Peach Blossom Village is all under the Chen family's control," Zhao Liping exclaimed enthusiastically as she took the contract.

They were even more astonished to find out that the contract amount was 300,000.

"It's nothing, just a small investment," Chen Huan replied calmly.

Li Chunlan suddenly frowned, looking worried.

"What's wrong, Chunlan? Your Chen Huan is so capable, why are you unhappy?" Zhao Liping asked curiously.

Li Chunlan clicked her tongue. "He's successful, so of course I, as his sister-in-law, should be happy."

"However, there is an old saying that a tall tree catches the wind."

"Chen Huan is now famous in the village, and even several neighboring villages are talking about him. Isn't that too high-profile?"

"I'm afraid that some ill-intentioned person might try to sabotage things."

Chen Huan smiled and comforted her, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. I'm capable now. I can not only make money, but also protect our Chen family."

"If anyone dares to try and cause trouble, I have ways to deal with them."

Li Chunlan said with a smile, "I know you are capable, but it's better to be more low-key in your conduct and actions."

Chen Huan agreed, and the three of them happily ate their meal.

After finishing his meal, Chen Huan took another look at the few wild fruits by the corner of the wall.

It grew even faster than he had expected; the jujube tree was already more than half a meter tall.

The wild strawberry vines have already stretched for more than a meter.

Judging from this, wild fruits may grow in just one or two days.

"I wonder what the fruit will taste like." Chen Huan soaked the golden pill in water again and watered the plants before returning to the house.

He continued practicing until the dead of night.

Chen Huan suddenly felt that something was missing.

Last night at this time, Zhao Liping had already quietly sneaked over to cultivate with him.

But for some reason, there has been no movement today.

Thinking that the other person was probably tired and had already gone to sleep, Chen Huan could only sigh and continue cultivating.

The next morning, seeing Zhao Liping yawning constantly, Chen Huan became curious and asked, "You didn't sleep all night, why didn't you come to see me?"

Zhao Liping blushed, "I was just worried you were too tired."

"Mainly, I need to brush up on my knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine. I'm thinking of taking the TCM practitioner qualification exam recently."

"During the day, I have to help my sister-in-law with chores and see patients, so I don't have time to study the documents."

Chen Huan raised an eyebrow. "You've already opened a clinic, what kind of certification do you need?"

Zhao Liping immediately reached out her fair, delicate hand and covered his mouth, saying, "Keep your voice down."

"I used to run my clinic secretly; if you really investigated, it would be operating without a license."

"Now that I've learned real skills from you, even if I don't open a clinic in the future, I'll inevitably end up treating more people."

"Without a qualification certificate, you'll be in trouble sooner or later."

Chen Huan said "Oh," and casually put his arm around her. "Then I wish you success."

"Stop fooling around, it's not good if your sister-in-law sees you." Zhao Liping blushed and moved to the side.

Then, in a very serious tone, he said, "Chen Huan, how about we take the exam together?"

"With your abilities and knowledge, getting a Chinese medicine practitioner's license would be a piece of cake."

"It's just a matter of spending some time and paying a registration fee."

"So that if someone reports you for operating without a license, you won't be caught red-handed."

Chen Huan scratched his head. "Is this really necessary?"

"Of course you should. Listen to Zhao Liping. If you can pass the exam, it's better to take it so I don't have to worry about you being reported." Li Chunlan came out of the inner room and advised her repeatedly.

Zhao Liping blushed immediately, and Chen Huan was also slightly embarrassed.

Clearly, Li Chunlan, the sister-in-law, was inside the house and overheard the entire conversation, including the very first two sentences.

The atmosphere immediately became a little ambiguous.

Chen Huan dared not refuse any longer and quickly agreed, "Okay, let me know in advance when you're going to take the test, and I'll drive you there."

After giving a few perfunctory replies, Chen Huan quickly ran off to check on the growth of the wild fruits in the corner.

The wild grapes and wild strawberries have already produced unripe fruit.

Although it is still a few steps away from being fully grown, you can smell its unique fragrance as soon as you get close.

Chen Huan was in high spirits when suddenly he heard hurried footsteps outside.

Next came knocking on the door, and someone called out, "Is Boss Chen home?"

"I'm the worker who looks after the river for you. Um, you'd better come with me right away."

Something terrible has happened by the river.