Business came knocking at the Farmhouse Courtyard!

The two crimson halos flowed over Clear Wind and Bright Moon for more than ten minutes before slowly sinking into their bodies.

The two kittens' shapes had not changed.

Their fur, however, had taken on the texture of the finest silk, shimmering softly in the moonlight.

They opened their eyes at the same time.

Chen Lin's heart gave a sudden lurch.

Those were no longer ordinary feline eyes.

Deep within their amber pupils, nebulae seemed to swirl, mysterious and fathomless. A single glance was enough to steal one's soul.

"Master!"

"Master!"

Two joyful voices burst into his mind at once.

"How do you feel?" Chen Lin replied mentally, suppressing his shock.

"I feel... so powerful!" Clear Wind's voice brimmed with irrepressible excitement. "Master, look into my eyes!"

The moment those words fell, an unusual mental pulse swept over Chen Lin.

The scene before him abruptly warped.

The little tabby in the corner vanished.

In its place stood an enormous crimson fox radiating an oppressive presence, nine great, fluffy tails unfurled behind it. A pair of beguiling fox eyes gazed quietly at him.

An illusion!

Chen Lin focused his mind and immediately began practicing the Taiyin Breathing Technique.

Power flowed through his limbs like a stream. Only then did the illusion before him peel away, piece by piece, like a shattered mirror.

Clear Wind was still the same little kitten, watching him expectantly.

"Master, did you see? I turned into a really huge fox!"

"I saw." Chen Lin's thoughts churned.

This ability was practically perfect for catching someone off guard.

"Master, I can do it too!" Bright Moon cried, unwilling to be outdone.

The next second, Chen Lin's entire world changed.

The courtyard vanished, replaced by a heavenly realm above the clouds, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers. Pavilions and towers stood amid circling cranes.

Bright Moon became a breathtaking young woman in a flowing white dress, as lovely as an immortal, smiling sweetly at him.

Well, damn.

One went for intimidation, the other for enchantment.

Chen Lin circulated his technique again to dispel the illusion. Watching the two little creatures compete for praise, he was overjoyed.

The Crimson Moon Fox's flesh truly was priceless!

The mental attack abilities Clear Wind and Bright Moon had awakened would be almost impossible to guard against. One day, they could certainly become a lethal trump card that took his enemies by surprise.

The next day, the quiet Chen Family Village suddenly came alive.

Seven or eight vans and a prop truck rolled in a convoy onto the open ground outside the village committee courtyard.

More than twenty men and women jumped out, carrying cameras, reflectors, and other equipment. They were clearly a film crew.

With its beautiful scenery and unspoiled environment, Chen Family Village attracted one or two small film crews every year. The villagers were long used to it.

Chen Lin took a glance, saw no celebrities he recognized, and paid them no further attention.

He had just finished directing his second uncle, Chen Guofu, to weigh and load today's two hundred jin of fish for the Peach Blossom Island truck to haul away when a slightly plump, middle-aged man in a baseball cap came to his door.

"Hello, are you the owner of this Farmhouse Courtyard?" The man pointed at the prominent sign at the village entrance, his manner quite polite.

"That's me. What can I do for you?" Chen Lin sized him up.

The man immediately broke into a broad smile and offered him a cigarette. "Hello, sir. My name's Wang Gang. I'm a director. Our crew will be filming in the village for the next week. Would you mind helping us out with meals for the crew?"

Business had come right to his door?

Chen Lin's eyes lit up, and his spirits rose.

He accepted the cigarette and said cheerfully, "No problem! My farmhouse restaurant just opened, and I've been worrying about having no customers! How many meals a day? How many people?"

Wang Gang was delighted. "Two meals a day, lunch and dinner! Twenty-three people in all. Nothing fancy-just home cooking, as long as there's enough to fill everyone up!"

"Sure, leave it to me!" Chen Lin agreed at once.

He immediately ran home and rounded up his second aunt, who was eating sunflower seeds, and his second uncle, who had just returned from sending off the fish.

"Uncle, Auntie, we've got work! That film crew in the village has hired us to handle all their meals for the next week!"

Chen Guofu even put down his pipe at the news. "Really? How many people?"

"Twenty-three! Auntie, you cook. I'll help. Uncle, go pick the freshest vegetables from the fields and slaughter a chicken!" Chen Lin briskly assigned the tasks.

The family immediately sprang into action.

Near noon, two large round tables were set up in the courtyard, and nine dishes and a soup were brought out in a steady stream.

Carp braised with scallions, fish head soup, dry-fried free-range chicken, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and the grand finale: fish in spicy broth.

Wang Gang arrived with the crew. The moment they stepped through the courtyard gate, everyone stopped as if their feet had been nailed to the ground.

"My god, what smells so good?"

"That aroma is unbelievable! It's going straight up my nose!"

A young production assistant sniffed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing as his mouth flooded with saliva.

When their eyes landed on the golden carp on the table, fragrant with scallions, everyone stared.

"Director Wang, let's eat already! I can't take it!"

Wang Gang's mouth was watering too, and he immediately called everyone over to sit.

The moment their chopsticks moved, the tables became a battlefield.

"Holy shit! How is this meat so tender? I've never had carp this good in my life!"

"This fish soup! I've never tasted fish soup this fresh!"

"Don't you fucking fight me for it! The spicy fish is mine!"

They devoured the food like a whirlwind, all trace of decorum gone. Only the frantic clatter of chopsticks against bowls and plates remained.

In less than twenty minutes, both tables had been stripped bare. They had even used rice to scrape up every last drop of sauce, leaving the plates clean enough to reflect their faces.

His belly round and bulging, Wang Gang leaned back in his chair and let out a satisfied belch, his face full of astonishment.

He had spent more than twenty years making films, traveling all over the country. What delicacies had he not tasted?

Yet this seemingly ordinary farmhouse meal had completely overturned his understanding of flavor.

When it was time to settle the bill, Chen Lin quoted his price.

"Ten dishes per table, one thousand yuan. Two thousand for both tables."

Without a word of protest, Wang Gang promptly scanned the payment code and paid.

Two thousand yuan?

They were practically giving it away!

That quality, that flavor-he had never eaten anything so delicious!

Coming to Chen Family Village to film had turned out to be the bargain of a lifetime!

After seeing off the thoroughly satisfied crew, Chen Lin looked at the two thousand yuan credited to his phone, his mood soaring.

He carefully butchered the Crimson Moon Fox's carcass and stored most of the meat in his Storage Ring, saving it as food for Clear Wind and Bright Moon.

Once that was done, he found Chen Guofu weaving a bamboo basket in the courtyard.

"Uncle, let me ask you something. Are there any skilled old carpenters around these parts?"

Chen Guofu continued working without looking up. "What do you need a carpenter for?"

"I got hold of some good wood. I'd like to have a set of furniture made."

At that, Chen Guofu's hands paused.

He looked up and thought carefully for a while, but eventually shook his head.

"The old fellows in the village all do pretty rough work. They can make tables and stools well enough, but if you want something finely crafted, they can't manage it. They'd just waste the wood."

Chen Lin felt a little helpless.

This was rosewood, the king of woods. Entrusting it to an ordinary carpenter would be a terrible waste.

It seemed he would have to find a real professional.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Song Qiuya's delicate face, with its hint of bashfulness, appeared clearly in his thoughts.

She worked in jewelry and luxury goods, dealing with high-end circles. She surely had plenty of connections.

Asking her would be the right move.

Besides... wasn't this the perfect excuse to see her again?

At that thought, Chen Lin could no longer sit still. He got into his Qin Plus and drove straight into the city.

He parked outside the Zhou Xiaofu jewelry store.

As soon as Chen Lin got out, he spotted a young man in a smart suit inside the store, holding a large bouquet of red roses and blocking Song Qiuya's counter.

Song Qiuya was once again wearing a crisp business skirt suit, her shirt meticulously buttoned all the way to the top. Her neat, short hair added to the cool, unapproachable air she radiated.

She was smiling, but it was a practiced, distant smile without a trace of warmth.

But then, out of the corner of her eye, she happened to notice Chen Lin walking in through the entrance.

Every rehearsed expression on her icy, lovely face instantly melted away.

A bright, heartfelt smile blossomed on her lips without warning.

The confident smile on the flower-bearing Zhou Chaoxian's face froze instantly, turning ugly.

Chen Lin walked over.

Song Qiuya's cheeks flushed despite herself. "What brings you here all of a sudden? You didn't even tell me you were coming!"

Chen Lin smiled. "I wanted to surprise you."

Watching the two behave so affectionately as though no one else existed, Zhou Chaoxian's expression grew thunderous.

Forcing down his anger, he asked, "Qiu Ya! Who is this?"

The smile instantly vanished from Song Qiuya's face, her voice turning cold and formal again. "Zhou Chaoxian, I've told you many times. Please address me by my full name or my title."

Zhou Chaoxian choked on his words, his expression turning even uglier. He simply redirected his hostility toward Chen Lin.

He puffed out his chest and adopted a condescending air. "Hello! I'm Zhou Chaoxian. My father is the general manager of the Zhou Xiaofu Yicheng Branch!"

Chen Lin did not even spare him a proper glance.

He spoke directly to Song Qiuya. "Qiu Ya, I need your help with something. I have a piece of rosewood here, and I'd like you to take a look."

As he spoke, he pulled a ball of crumpled toilet paper from his pocket.

Looking at that familiar wad of wrinkled toilet paper, Song Qiuya did not know whether to laugh or be annoyed.

This guy!

He had wrapped that priceless piece of imperial green jade the same way last time!

And now he had actually wrapped rosewood in toilet paper too!

Already seething at being ignored, Zhou Chaoxian found an outlet for his anger when he saw what Chen Lin had produced. He let out a sharply mocking laugh.

"Rosewood, sir? I don't know which trash can you picked that scrap of wood out of, but you actually have the nerve to call it rosewood..."

Before he could finish, his voice caught in his throat.

It was as though an invisible hand had clamped tightly around his neck.

Chen Lin had leisurely begun peeling away the toilet paper, layer by layer.

A deep, tranquil purple, almost black, with a delicate, jade-like luster, suddenly emerged beneath the jewelry store's brilliant lights!