The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 531 Professional counterpart
Qin Huai logically believed Gong Liang's judgment, but that was all it was—logic. No matter which incarnation a spirit or monster has, they all possess some unusual qualities compared to ordinary people. However, judging solely from this aspect, many of them are actually not human.

For example, Ouyang.

Qin Huai firmly believed that he wouldn't be surprised if the game system gave him a mission to fulfill Ouyang's wish, but it never happened.

This guy seems to actually be human.

Although he is much less human than An Youyou.

According to Gong Liang's analysis, Zhou Hu doesn't seem like a human being, but what if he is? What if he's just a funeral industry worker who loves fortune telling and also enjoys committing fraud to make some illegal money?

As a well-rounded male protagonist in a system novel, Qin Huai felt he shouldn't worry about things that hadn't happened yet. If Zhou Hu really was a spirit, then winning him over should be something that happened after unlocking Zhou Hu's encyclopedia entry and discovering his side quests.

Qin Huai is currently in a period of downtime after completing all his tasks; he has several tasks waiting for him to finish.

His skill in dough preparation is just waiting to be honed.

“That’s possible.” Qin Huai first agreed with Gong Liang’s discovery. “Although I have Zhou Hu’s WeChat, I haven’t had much contact with him. And given my current status, unless I need a funeral planning proposal, it’s difficult to have close contact with Zhou Hu. We might need to trouble someone more about Zhou Hu…”

Before Qin Huai could finish speaking, Gong Liang smiled slightly, looking as if victory was assured.

Gong Liang rarely showed this expression before. Gong Liang was relatively outgoing. Qin Huai thought that it was because Gong Liang had been in too much contact with Chen Gong recently and had been corrupted by Chen Gong.

I must say, that expression is pretty convincing.

"I've already found out."

Hearing Gong Liang's words and seeing his expression, Luo Jun was immediately annoyed. He already disliked Chen Gong, and now that Gong Liang was acting like a mini-Chen Gong, Luo Jun's annoyance escalated to the point where he wanted to stuff two more mooncakes into Gong Liang's mouth.

"You've found out? How did you find out? Did you add Zhou Hu on WeChat? You're in contact with Zhou Hu every day, and Zhou Hu comes to your house every day to introduce you to new opera troupes?" Luo Jun said sarcastically. "What do you mean 'you found out'? If anyone should be finding out, it should be me!"

Qin Huai: ...Bi Fang, let's not argue about who asked the question at this point.

Qin Huai discovered that Luo Jun's competitive spirit was sometimes infuriatingly strong.

"Of course I didn't ask Zhou Hu himself, and I don't have his contact information either," Gong Liang said with a smile. "I chatted with Xu Tuqiang over a few snacks these past few days."

"Uncle Xu?" Qin Huai realized what Gong Liang meant. "After I told everyone about what happened at the entrance of the community that night, Mr. Gong, you noticed it and that's why you specifically asked Uncle Xu about Zhou Hu and came to your current conclusion, right?"

Gong Liang nodded, a hint of smugness lurking beneath his composure.

Hearing Qin Huai say this, Luo Jun was a little unhappy but didn't say anything. He was inferior in skill, and Gong Liang discovered and acted first, so he had nothing to say.

"So what's the deal with Xiao Zhou? Are their fortune-telling methods accurate? How good are their skills? If they're good, I'd like to have my fortune told by Xiao Zhou so I can see if my Huihui can get into a top junior high school." Chen Huihong suddenly became interested.

After she and Zhao Cheng'an realized that Gong Liang was really talking about serious business, they quickly finished their durian and ran out of the kitchen, showing their support.

Qin Huai: ...Sister Hong, instead of consulting Zhou Hu about fortune-telling, why not hire more tutors for Huihui? I recommend Gong Liang; the tutors he knows are of very high quality and have excellent reputations.

Zhao Cheng'an had been lost in thought for a while when Chen Huihong's loud voice suddenly brought him back to reality. He was momentarily confused and asked, "A top-tier junior high school? What top-tier junior high school? Who wants to go to a top-tier junior high school?"

Shi Dadan very considerately handed Zhao Cheng'an a banana, indicating that Zhao Cheng'an should just eat it and not talk. At times like this, background NPCs should just remain silent.

Ignoring the two troublemakers, Gong Liang continued, "Based on my judgment, Zhou Hu should be the last incarnation of a spirit. If he really is a fox, his profession in this life is too consistent with his spirit attributes. I even suspect that his profession or family background is the last straw that God gave him."

"Zhou Hu is a local of Shanshi. His family has been practicing feng shui for generations. His grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather were all famous feng shui masters in the area. It is said that his great-great-grandfather had done feng shui for many high-ranking officials and nobles. The most famous thing he did was to choose a burial site for the deceased wife of a wealthy young man surnamed Luo, for which he received a reward of 30 gold bars."

Everyone:!
Luo Jun: ...

"Luo Jun, what a coincidence! It turns out you and Xiao Zhou have a connection. His great-grandfather chose a burial site for your wife, and now Xiao Zhou is planning your funeral. What a coincidence!" Chen Huihong exclaimed.

Luo Jun: ...

Luo Jun glared at Chen Huihong fiercely and said through gritted teeth, "Chen Huihong, if you don't want to hear this, you can get out."

Chen Huihong completely ignored Luo Jun and asked Gong Liang with great interest, "And then? Gong Liang, you continue."

"This matter is very famous among Zhou Hu's clients because the Zhou family made their fortune from it. Zhou Hu's great-grandfather bought a large tract of land with those 30 gold bars and became a landlord. Later, due to policy reasons, the Zhou family's wealth did not last long before it declined due to the combined influence of being a landlord and a feng shui master."

"By the time of Zhou Hu's grandfather's generation, the Zhou family could only secretly pick up their old profession of fortune telling and feng shui to make a little money."

"After Zhou Hu's father was born, the Zhou family became wealthy again. Considering that his grandfather was already a well-known feng shui master in the area at that time, the Zhou family's wealth did not arouse suspicion from others. Zhou Hu's grandfather suddenly passed away when he was over fifty years old, and his father officially took over as a well-known feng shui master in the area. However, due to his father's extravagance, he quickly squandered all the wealth accumulated by the family. Therefore, Zhou Hu's family situation was not good when he was a child."

"When Zhou Hu was a teenager, his father suddenly became very ambitious. He not only practiced feng shui locally but also frequently traveled to other places on business, earning a lot of money. Because Zhou Hu had good grades, he studied funeral-related majors in college. It is said that his family hoped that he would pass the exam to get a job at a funeral home and have a secure future."

"So what's the real story?" Luo Jun asked. "His grandfather died suddenly without a reason. His father was a playboy who squandered the family fortune in the early stages, but later he suddenly became hardworking and built up the family business. He didn't let his son inherit the family's traditional skills, but instead made his son take the civil service exam to have a stable job. And writing novels?"

"A death wish of someone over 35 who has failed the civil service exam for 10 consecutive years?"

Gong Liang flattered him at the opportune moment: "Mr. Luo is indeed clever; he immediately noticed something was amiss."

"Zhou Hu is 29 years old this year. Seven years ago, in the same year he graduated from university and took the civil service exam, his father was sentenced to life imprisonment for tomb raiding, his property was confiscated, and he is still in prison."

"Zhou Hu also started his current funeral planning company because he was unable to take the civil service exam due to his father's imprisonment. He is both the planner and the boss of the company, and he is personally responsible for most of the big orders. He also works part-time as a feng shui fortune teller."

"His grandfather didn't die in an accident; he died in a tomb-raiding hole while out robbing graves. Because of his grandfather's death, his father didn't dare to go into tombs for many years. Later, he picked up his craft again. According to his father, it was to buy a school district house for Zhou Hu, but those who know his father well say that this is just an excuse. His father was actually because he had sold everything he could and owed a large amount of high-interest loans that he couldn't repay."

"Under pressure from gangsters demanding debts, he returned to his craft of tomb raiding in order to save his life."

“Originally, Zhou Hu was not popular in the fortune-telling market because of his youth, and his father only began to have a good reputation after the age of 40. However, because his father went to prison, and his family has a long-standing tradition of feng shui and tomb raiding, some people think that Zhou Hu’s fortune-telling is just another form of swindling money. But people like Xu Tuqiang, who know his family situation well, have great trust in his skills.”

"However, Zhou Hu's fortune telling is only a part-time job. He only goes to people's homes to look at feng shui in his spare time, and he only accepts regular customers or customers introduced by acquaintances. In addition, the fees are not expensive, so no one has reported him for fraud or anything."

Everyone was stunned.

Zhao Cheng'an, who had been lost in thought, listened intently and exclaimed, "We're all spirits, so why is his family background so amazing and impressive? My parents don't have such a remarkable past!" Qin Huai: ?
You want your dad to go in too?

Qin Huai could only describe Zhou Hu's family background in one word.

punishment.

While most families have three generations of businessmen, three generations of politicians, and three generations of farmers, it's rare to see a family like Zhou Hu's with three generations of tomb raiders.

It's quite rare.

Qin Huai is now 80% convinced of Gong Liang's deduction. Such a coincidental skill, such a bizarre background—if this guy really is a spirit in his last life, his family background is most likely his lifeline.

Such a perfect match between one's major and profession in every sense is truly rare.

Everyone was shocked by Zhou Hu's remarkable past, but Chen Huihong looked at Luo Jun and exclaimed, "Luo Jun, you had a good eye for choosing a feng shui master back then. Your level of feng shui for cemetery sites is far superior to that of ordinary feng shui masters and tomb raiders."

Luo Jun: ...

"So what do we do now? Should we wait for Xiao Qin to get close to Zhou Hu, find out the mission, and determine if he is a spirit, or should we take the initiative?"

“I have Xiao Zhou’s WeChat, and I chat with Xiao Zhou a lot on WeChat. I can invite Xiao Zhou to my house to look at the feng shui, and also see if my Huihui can get into a key junior high school.”

"Sister Hong, you just want to see a fortune teller, right?" Qin Huai couldn't help but complain.

"Master Qin, what are your plans now?" Chen Gong suddenly asked.

"I'm planning to get my dough-making skills to Master level right now," Qin Huai said honestly, while Zhao Cheng'an looked on with a shocked expression that seemed to say, "Brother, after hearing such a wonderful story, your first reaction is still to roll up the thread. Are you trying to kill me?" He continued, "Although Zhou Hu sounds like a spirit, it's not certain yet."

"Of course, I trust Mr. Gong's observations and judgments. But I still have many tasks to complete. I want to finish the tasks at hand first, and then focus my energy on Zhou Hu when I have more free time."

"I don't really have any plans at this stage. I'll just let things take their course."

"Hey, Xiao Qin, how many entries have you unlocked in your encyclopedia? I remember you only have 12 slots in your encyclopedia, right?" Chen Huihong asked casually.

Chen Huihong asked casually, and Qin Huai answered without hesitation, "Ten have already been unlocked."

“Oh, then if Zhou Hu is one too, then we're only one short.” Chen Huihong nodded, then after a dozen seconds, as if suddenly realizing something, she asked, “How can there be 10? Aren't there only 9 of us in total?”

Qin Huai was startled by Chen Huihong's words and broke out in a cold sweat. The masterful lie kept him calm, but he paused and slowly said, "Oh, I also accidentally unlocked one when I went back to my hometown. It's from our village."

"However, his situation is the same as Lao Shi's. He has already woken up, and there are no related tasks or rewards. Moreover, unlike Lao Shi, he did not directly notice that something was wrong with me and was honest with me, so I did not interfere or disturb his life."

Shi Dadan was taken aback: "Huh? Same situation as me?"

"That's...quite a coincidence."

Qin Huai managed to gloss over the matter of the illustrated guide.

After finishing their business, everyone gathered together for some fruit and inquired about the progress of Luo Jun's funeral planning. They learned that there was still no progress; the demanding and generous client, Luo Jun, was simply rejecting proposals and increasing the budget, silently playing the role of a true sugar daddy.

The tea party ended early; everyone left around 7 p.m.

Qin Huai wanted to go back to sleep; his mind was completely focused on improving his dough-making skills. Staying up late meant waking up late, which meant making fewer breakfasts in the morning. As a breakfast chef who never forgot his original passion, Qin Huai might not be improving his skills quickly, but his enthusiasm was the highest.

Passion is the secret to maintaining high-intensity work performance.

Thus, Gong Liang's brilliant discovery seemed to be just a small episode in Qin Huai's intense life of grinding for skill points. Qin Huai did not focus his energy on Zhou Hu, nor did he specifically chat with Zhou Hu on WeChat to ask for a custom funeral plan or anything like that. He just silently liked the advertisements posted by Zhou Hu while browsing his Moments.

Chef Qin is still working at a high intensity, making pastries and potato dumplings.

Wang Gensheng ate so much that he almost turned into a potato dumpling.

The dedicated Wang Gensheng always felt unworthy of his position because he was not good at writing food reviews, was clumsy with words and only liked to speak the truth, yet he was able to surpass everyone else and become a super-connected person in the kitchen.

If Qin Huai were to visit Wang Gensheng for no reason, Wang Gensheng would be both rebuking himself and happily eating and drinking.

Now, Qin Huai really needs to find Wang Gensheng for something, and only Wang Gensheng can be asked to taste the potato dumplings, because this is Wang Gensheng's side quest. So, Grandpa Wang has switched to dedicated work mode.

Just how dedicated are they?
Qin Huai makes so many breakfasts and snacks every day from morning to afternoon. Sometimes she even challenges herself to make some difficult pastries to change her mood. She also often makes crab shell pastries, which are Wang Gensheng's favorite.

Wang Gensheng refused to eat any of it.

He only eats potato dumplings.

He ate three meals a day, every single one, with only potato dumplings, some vegetables, and fruits to balance his nutrition. He ate carbs one after another every day; it made Wang Gensheng's face look huge.

Such spirit and perseverance amazed Ouyang.

Ouyang could make a terrible mess of his pastries in Qinhuai, producing something so awful it was almost unbearable, yet he resolutely stepped forward to be a taste tester for his best friend. But Ouyang couldn't just be a taste tester.

Wang Gensheng may not have the biggest appetite among all the taste testers in Qinhuai, but he is definitely the most dedicated.

With such dedication to food tasting, Wang Gensheng's reputation among the elderly has changed.

Previously, everyone criticized him for being unworthy of his position, saying that Wang Laogen was nothing but a cook who was ahead of everyone else in the kitchen.

People still criticize him for being unworthy of his position, saying that Wang Laogen is nothing but a pioneer in eating his way into the kitchen, but his spirit of tasting food is indeed commendable.

In such ordinary days, Qin Huai's dough-making skills have reached a master level.

(End of this chapter)