The Forestry and Grassland Bureau in every county and city had set up a collection point.

The staff members were also surprised. The operation had just begun, yet this harvest was already so bountiful—and it was the result of a proactive hunt. The group from Lei Family Gully had turned in a batch earlier, but it was only eight boars, five of which were piglets. In terms of total weight, they couldn’t even compare to Li Xiang’s team.

Furthermore, they had learned that the boars from Lei Family Gully had only been dealt with after they invaded a village, where the villagers wiped them out all at once.

Li Xiang’s team, on the other hand, had ventured deep into the old mountain forests to hunt them down. The two feats were on completely different levels.

The relevant staff helped take photos, weigh the boars, and record the numbers.

After everything was tallied, the dead boars weighed a total of 862 jin, and the live ones weighed 575 jin. Calculated at the buy-back prices of 10 yuan/jin and 20 yuan/jin respectively, Li Xiang’s team was eligible for a total reward of 20,120 yuan.

It was worth noting that this income was a government welfare subsidy and was tax-free; the full amount would be deposited. However, a staff member told them the payment wouldn’t be processed immediately. It would take about a month, so they would have to wait patiently.

This special boar control operation would last for about three months, with payments being issued uniformly on the 28th of each month.

Of course, the approved quota was ten thousand boars. If this target was reached ahead of schedule, the buy-back program would end.

Jiang Jianguo and Li Yucheng listened from the side, absolutely thrilled. They both began to secretly calculate how much money they would each receive. ’A single trip into the mountains, just one day’s work, and we each clear around 4,000 yuan. Where else could you find a job that pays this well? This kind of opportunity only comes from following Xiang Ya!’

The two resolved to do their best to support Xiang Ya from now on. As the "Sect Elders" of Li Family Village, and given their excellent relationship with the Li Family, they felt it was their duty.

A staff member logged into the website’s backend, found Li Xiang’s Hunting Team, "Xiaoli Yidao," and recorded the number and weight of the boars they had turned in. They also uploaded photo attachments, including a group picture of the team members with their spoils.

Then, Li Xiang and his team saw a leaderboard on the website’s homepage. "Xiaoli Yidao" was now ranked first.

The staff member explained that the leaderboard updated in real-time; as soon as new data was entered into the backend, the rankings would change. They could check it anytime on their phones via the website or the Forestry and Grassland Bureau’s official social media account. "It’s still early," he added. "Keep up the good work and make your hometown proud."

This "All-Out Boar Hunt" special control operation was also a competition between the counties and cities.

Then, the staff member informed them of a new announcement: if a team took first place in the entire province, they would receive an additional bonus. The grand prize was a full 10,000 yuan, also tax-free and deposited directly into their bank account.

The bank account Li Xiang’s team provided for payment was, naturally, Li Xiang’s own.

Officially, the authorities preferred to use social security cards for payment. Li Xiang had one from his time in a big city, but he had stopped making contributions, so he rarely used the associated bank account anymore. The account he provided was from a local card he had obtained after returning home.

This was because social security cards were often partnered with smaller, local banks that had very few branches elsewhere.

’The Apocalypse is coming in ten years,’ Li Xiang thought. ’Order will be rebuilt. What’s the point of paying into social security?’

’As for health insurance, I don’t need it either. I’m a Tier Two Extraordinary, and I’ll continue to break through in the future. It’s basically impossible for me to get sick. I’d only need it if I were injured—and it would have to be a severe external wound at that. The chances of that are pretty low.’

He only bought his grandmother a 400-yuan Urban and Rural Residents’ Health Insurance plan.

The premium increased every year, but it was still quite practical for the elderly, especially for hospital stays, where the reimbursement rate was excellent.

...

After leaving the Forestry and Grassland Bureau, Li Xiang took Jiang Jianguo and Li Yucheng to a well-known local noodle shop, a real time-honored establishment. In addition to their traditional beef noodles, they also offered various other types, such as eel, rabbit, and lamb.

Li Xiang ordered a large bowl of lamb noodles with two *guokui*. Jiang Jianguo chose beef noodles with a *guokui*, while Li Yucheng had eel noodles with a *guokui*.

The steaming hot, chewy alkaline noodles were served fresh from the pot, generously topped with a layer of freshly cooked and sliced meat. Sprinkled with scallions and cilantro, topped with a large spoonful of red chili oil, a few cloves of garlic, and a drizzle of vinegar, then paired with two large *guokui*—eating such a meal on a snowy day was pure bliss.

After they finished eating, the faces of Jiang Jianguo and Li Yucheng were flushed red and they felt warm all over. As for Li Xiang, his complexion was always as "rosy as a peach blossom." Even when using Bright Pearl Darkens, his complexion remained far healthier than an ordinary person’s. The only difference was that his Spiritual Power was restrained within his body, making it difficult for beasts to detect him.

They returned to Li Family Village around one in the afternoon. It was too late to go out again, so they decided to rest for the remainder of the day and regroup at Li Xiang’s house the next morning.

Li Xiang was operating his drone, patrolling the surrounding mountain forests and taking some pictures of the snowy landscape. Thankfully, no boars had encroached on their territory. Just as he was getting into it, Jiang Cai’Er arrived, homework in hand.

Her online classes didn’t run all day; she also had periods for self-study. But when you were doing self-study at home, you might as well get comfortable, right?

She found it more comfortable to do her homework at Brother Xiang’s house. Besides, there were a few problems she was stuck on, so she had also come over to ask for his help.

When she saw Li Xiang flying the drone, her interest was immediately piqued. She hurried over and said, "Brother Xiang, let me try!"

So Li Xiang taught her how.

Flying a drone wasn’t particularly difficult. Jiang Cai’Er was exceptionally bright, and after about ten minutes of practice, she had basically mastered the controls. Of course, she would need more practice to pull off the more advanced maneuvers.

"This is great! Next time we make a video, we can use the drone for some shots. It’ll make a lot of camera effects so much easier to pull off!" Jiang Cai’Er’s eyes sparkled, full of light. She was such a radiant girl.

"Yeah, I hadn’t thought of that." Li Xiang rubbed his forehead. He had only been thinking about that tactical camera helmet. The problem with the helmet, though, was that the person wearing it couldn’t be in the shot.

Afterward, Li Xiang brought out the table for brewing tea around a stove. He lit the charcoal fire, laid out an assortment of snacks, fruits, and tea, and set everything up in the same simple, transparent-film greenhouse they had used last time.

Jiang Cai’Er ate a few red dates and then started on her homework. When she came to a few difficult problems, she asked Li Xiang for help. They discussed them together, sparks of ingenuity flying, and soon the tricky problems were solved with ease.

They even came up with some other interesting approaches and solutions to the problems.

Jiang Cai’Er was sure that if she shared these uniquely creative lines of thought with her teacher, she would be praised for her cleverness.

After working through a few more problems, she took a break, sipping tea and eating snacks.

Li Xiang remembered she liked coffee. He still had a dozen or so bags of coffee beans and a coffee machine in his cellar, all gifts from He Zhixiang. He grabbed a few bags with different flavor profiles, cleaned the machine, and started brewing some coffee.

"I don’t really use it much," Li Xiang said. "Take it with you when you head home later." That way, Jiang Cai’Er could have hot coffee while attending her online classes at home.

Coffee would keep her alert and make her more efficient.

Jiang Cai’Er didn’t stand on ceremony with him and accepted with a smile.

"I can’t possibly drink all of this by myself! I’ll take some to school and share it with my classmates," Jiang Cai’Er said, her eyes curving into smiling crescents.

When he heard she planned to share with her classmates, Li Xiang went back to the cellar and grabbed a few more bags so she wouldn’t be embarrassed by not having enough.

Jiang Cai’Er’s smile bloomed like a flower. ’Brother Xiang is so good to me,’ she thought.

The black tea in the pot was finished. Just as Li Xiang was about to brew another pot, Jiang Cai’Er quickly said, "I’ll do it, I’ll do it!" So Li Xiang let her take over.

She emptied the used tea leaves from the pot, rinsed it clean, and set a fresh pot of water on the grill to boil.

Then she picked up a large orange that had been warmed on the grill and carefully sliced a line around its equator with a small knife.

Because the orange had been roasted until soft, the flesh inside had already separated from the peel. With her nimble hands, she gently lifted off one half of the peel, creating a small "orange-peel bowl."

She pulled the flesh from the other half of the orange, separated it into segments, and dropped them into the pot of water. Then, she took the two "bowls" of orange peel and used a toothpick to poke a dozen or so small holes in each.

"Are you making a little orange lantern?" That was Li Xiang’s first thought, and he couldn’t help but ask.

"Of course not." Jiang Cai’Er looked up at Li Xiang, her eyes full of mirth. "Just you wait. I’m going to make you something delicious!"

"Alright, I’ll be waiting in anticipation!" Li Xiang replied, his interest piqued.

Jiang Cai’Er gave him a charming smile, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and placed the two perforated orange-peel bowls onto the grill to toast.

Her slender, fair hands then took a pinch of tea leaves from the caddy and sprinkled some into each of the orange-peel bowls. Using a small wooden spoon, she gently toasted the leaves for a few moments, and soon, a rich tea aroma began to rise.

By this time, the orange-infused water in the pot had come to a boil, and the fresh scent of the fruit filled the air.

She placed the two orange peels, now filled with toasted tea leaves, over her and Li Xiang’s cups like small strainers. Then, with a graceful hand, she lifted the pot and poured the faintly fragrant orange water through the leaves.

The resulting tea was a translucent reddish-orange. The aromas of orange and tea blended perfectly, and the unique fragrance that wafted up was enough to instantly refresh Li Xiang’s senses.

"This is delicious! Absolutely delicious!" Li Xiang praised her profusely.

His grandmother and Third Granny were chatting in the kitchen by another brazier. Jiang Cai’Er made two more cups of the orange-peel tea and brought them over. The two old women lavished praise on her, saying how well-behaved and thoughtful she was, and that she would surely be a good wife and loving mother someday.