Qin Lin entered the tax office. At this time of day, it was empty, so he didn't have to wait in line. Besides, most people handled their taxes online these days—all they needed was a phone.
The people who still came to the local tax office to pay at the counter were either first-timers or those who were used to paying in person and felt a psychological distrust or aversion toward doing it online. Most of them were older sole proprietors.
"Sir, please show me your ID card information. I'll look up your records and print your tax receipt for you." The clerk at the window was a young woman. The nameplate on the counter read Li Jiahui.
Qin Lin provided his ID card information. He had already filed his taxes online, so the clerk could see his tax records as soon as she scanned his ID.
Chen Hao appeared inside just then.
He pretended he was there to pick up some documents. Really, he wanted to see how much tax Zhao Moqing's husband had to pay.
It was a strange sort of impulse, perhaps because he had suddenly lost his sense of superiority and couldn't quite accept it.
When Li Jiahui took Qin Lin's ID card and pulled up his tax records, she let out an audible gasp. "Huh..."
Her surprise was understandable. The information on the screen was unbelievable.
He was only twenty-three—hadn't he just graduated from college a year ago? He earned over 100,000 yuan a month and owed more than 20,000 yuan in taxes.
In a place like Youcheng, earning 100,000 yuan a year at such a young age was already impressive. You could probably count the people earning 100,000 yuan a month on one hand.
What a catch he'd be for a single woman.
She even found herself looking up at Qin Lin, her gaze taking on a new glow.
"Sir, I've found your tax records. You can scan the code to pay, and then I'll print your tax receipt." Li Jiahui's voice grew gentler, as if she were trying to present herself in the best possible light.
Qin Lin took out his phone and scanned the payment code to pay his taxes.
A moment later, the automated voice rang out: "Tax payment received: 24,378 yuan!"
Chen Hao, standing nearby, heard the announcement and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. A stampede of wild thoughts thundered through his mind.
That much tax—did it mean Qin Lin made 100,000 yuan a month?
Damn, someone who made 100,000 yuan a month rode a little electric scooter?
Well, riding one because you had no money meant you were poor. Riding one when you had money meant you were low-key.
Chen Hao's feelings were suddenly a tangled mess.
By now, Li Jiahui had printed the receipt and handed it to Qin Lin. Smiling warmly, she said, "Mr. Qin, our tax office offers value-added services. I'm Li Jiahui. We could add each other on WeChat, and you can ask me anytime if you have any tax questions."
Damn... Chen Hao inwardly cursed as he heard her.
Since when did they have any damn value-added services?
"Qin Lin, what are you doing here?" A clear voice rang out just then.
Zhao Moqing spotted Qin Lin and hurried over to the counter, delighted.
"Moqing!" Qin Lin was so happy to see his wife that he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, but he thought better of it in a place like this.
Li Jiahui seemed to sense a threat. Curious, she asked, "Moqing, do you know Mr. Qin?"
"That's her husband," Chen Hao casually chimed in from the side.
"What?" Li Jiahui was stunned, then immediately regretted it.
A catch like that really didn't stay available for long. Someone had already snapped him up at such a young age.
No wonder Zhao Moqing brushed off a suitor like Chen Hao.
She glanced at Chen Hao. Compared with this guy, who relied on his parents and sister to buy him a car, he really fell several leagues short.
"..." Chen Hao seemed to notice the disdain in Li Jiahui's eyes.
What was that supposed to mean?
Qin Lin smiled at Zhao Moqing. "Moqing, I came to file my taxes and pay them while I was here."
"Pay taxes?" Zhao Moqing was clearly surprised. She knew how things were going at Qin Lin's shop. Before, he hadn't even qualified to pay taxes. Was he already making enough to owe them now?
He'd told her he'd started a wholesale business. It seemed his income had gone up quite a bit.
She was happy for him. Taking the tax receipt from his hand, she looked to see how much tax he'd paid.
"24,378?" Zhao Moqing was shocked when she saw the amount. If he'd paid that much tax, Qin Lin must have earned 100,000 yuan this month.
She checked again to make sure she hadn't read it wrong, then pulled Qin Lin outside. Once they were out of the tax office, she couldn't help asking, "Qin Lin, is this real? Is wholesale really that profitable?"
Qin Lin smiled and slipped an arm around her waist. "Of course it is. And for my wife, I've got to work hard. I want to bring you home as soon as I can."
Women were sentimental. Zhao Moqing was touched by his words and couldn't help planting a hard kiss on his cheek. She was willing to live through hard times with Qin Lin, and she had even secretly gotten their marriage certificate without telling her family. Still, what woman didn't want her husband to make something of himself?
"I have to work late tonight. Come pick me up after work." Zhao Moqing gazed at Qin Lin with a radiant smile, then shyly reminded him, "My parents went back to their hometown today. I don't have to go home tonight."
"I'll book us a hotel room right now!" Qin Lin blurted out instinctively, earning a pinch to the waist from Zhao Moqing.
Zhao Moqing gave a coy little huff. "I'm going back to work."
Qin Lin watched Zhao Moqing go back into the tax office, then returned to the lobby and applied for the online tax payment service at Li Jiahui's window.
This time, Li Jiahui was rather cool toward him, nothing like her earlier warmth. She acted so differently that you'd think some relative had come to visit and put her in a bad mood.
When Qin Lin left the tax office, he was happier than he'd ever been. He even rode his little electric scooter to a pharmacy, went inside, and bought a box of the most expensive condoms.
He had no choice. Until he could bring Moqing home openly, an unexpected pregnancy would be a disaster. Her parents would blow their tops.
When Qin Lin got back to Market Street and entered the shop, he was surprised to see a new event unfold in the game screen in his mind.
In addition to the usual planting, animal husbandry, and construction, this Story of Seasons game also had various events woven into it. Some involved interacting with the residents of Mineral Town, like when Zack gave him a fishing rod and bait.
Of course, events could also be triggered by animals, or even by some strange creatures.
Like the little fellow on the screen right now.
It was a little dwarf from deep in the forest. The game's setting seemed to be that there were seven dwarves in Mineral Town, and you could even invite them to work on your farm.
"You're the owner of the farm? I'm Ani, a dwarf from deep in the forest. I have seven companions who settled outside Mineral Town. I've been helping them build houses these past few days."
"I love fishing. I've seen you fishing by the river these past few days. How about a fishing contest?"
"If you win, I'll give you a gift!"
Seeing the dwarf challenge him to a fishing contest, Qin Lin made his game character accept. The character then followed the dwarf to the river automatically.
When they got there, the game screen changed. After going black, it became a fishing minigame.
The contest was simple: whoever caught more fish in one minute won.
Fishing in this minigame was different from how it had worked before. It tested your reflexes. You had to cast your line the instant a fish swam by and hook it to catch it.
If Qin Lin had to play with his hands, he'd be a real klutz. He'd probably be terrible at this game. But he was controlling it with his thoughts on the mental screen, so he wasn't worried at all.
So once the contest started, Qin Lin took an indisputable lead and won.
The game screen returned to normal. The dwarf Ani praised him without holding back. "Your fishing skills are incredible! I lost. Here, take this as your prize. I just caught it out in the wild."
The dwarf gave the game character a special container. Inside was a beautiful fish, white and brown, swimming around.
[You obtained a valuable special wild ornamental fish: Albino Yellow Tiger]
Before you continue