"Yes, yes, there's some cooled boiled water on the table in the main room," Zhang Hongyan said, then went to the kitchen to wash an enamel cup and poured a full cup of cooled boiled water for Song Ze.

Song Ze didn't stand on ceremony. He took the cup and finished it in one go. Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he noticed that Xia Qingqing was staring at him.

He felt annoyed that he hadn't paid attention to his image, and gave Xia Qingqing a shy smile: "Qingqing, was I too rude? Actually, I'm not usually like this, I was just too thirsty."

Xia Qingqing quickly cleared her mind of inappropriate thoughts. Could she say that Song Ze's drinking of water was too tempting? If there weren't other people around, she probably would have pounced on him.

After calming herself down, she looked at the shy Song Ze and asked, "It's okay, would you like to have another drink?"

"No need, I'm already full," Song Ze said, putting down his cup.

When Song Ze saw Xia Qingqing, he could only chat with her and had completely forgotten about bringing his dividends.

Seeing that he was delaying in mentioning the profit-sharing, Zhang Hongyan couldn't help but call out to him, "Xiao Song."

When Song Ze heard his name called, he turned to look at Zhang Hongyan and asked, "Auntie, what's wrong?"

"My mom probably wants to ask you about your dividends," Xia Qingqing said, unable to suppress a smile.

Song Ze awkwardly touched his nose; how could he have forgotten the important matter?

He quickly took out an account book and a stack of ten-yuan bills from his bag: "Uncle Xia, Auntie, let's talk about the profit sharing first."

Zhang Hongyan and Xia Heping perked up instantly, sitting up straight and nodding repeatedly to Song Ze: "Okay, okay."

Song Ze first opened the ledger and briefly went through the accounts for this period of time.

"This is the sales revenue of our chili sauce during this period. We still need to deduct the cost. The net profit is 2,140 yuan. Yuanxin and I each take 40%, which is 856 yuan each. Uncle Xia and Aunt Xia take 20%, which is 428 yuan."

As Song Ze spoke, he handed the large ten-yuan bill on the table to Zhang Hongyan: "Auntie, this is your and Uncle Xia's share of the profits. Please count it and see if it's correct."

Zhang Hongyan and Xia Heping were overjoyed to see the stack of ten-yuan bills in front of them. They had thought they would be lucky to get one or two hundred yuan, but they never expected to get more than 400 yuan.

"No need to count, your auntie is sure you won't make a mistake."

"Auntie, why don't you count it again? Although I'm sure I wouldn't lie to you, there's always a chance I might have miscounted. I'd feel more at ease if you counted it again," Song Ze advised with a smile.

Hearing him say that, Zhang Hongyan hesitated before taking the large ten-yuan note and said, "Alright, let's count it again."

She cut the stack of ten-yuan bills in half and handed one half to Xia Heping: "Heping, can you help count them too?"

"Yes," Xia Heping responded, taking the large bill and licking his thumb.

Xia Qingqing, who was watching from the side, was somewhat speechless. Her father had always had this habit, and she had reminded him twice before, but he hadn't changed it.

I wonder how many people have the habit of licking their fingers before counting money. No wonder I've heard people say that money is the dirtiest thing in the world. She'll definitely remember to wash her hands after touching money from now on.

The forty-odd ten-yuan bills were quickly counted. After confirming that the amount was correct, Zhang Hongyan smiled and said to Song Ze, "Little Song, your Uncle Xia and I have counted the money, and there is no mistake at all."

Song Ze replied with a smile, "Okay, I'm relieved now. The next dividend will be paid today next month. I'll bring it to you then."

Zhang Hongyan had no objections at all: "Yes, I'll listen to you. You and Xiaoyuan have worked hard too."

Actually, the hardest work was done by Zhang Hongyan and Xia Heping, as they were doing mostly physical labor.

But the things that the two of them did, Song Ze and Yuan Xin could do as well, and Song Ze and Yuan Xin had been doing them themselves before. However, the things that Song Ze and Yuan Xin did, Zhang Hongyan and Yuan Xin could not do.

"Auntie, you and Uncle Xia are the ones who have really worked hard," Song Ze said somewhat embarrassedly.

Xia Heping waved his hand: "What's so hard about it? How could it be as tiring as working in the fields? Not to mention we can earn so much money. Your aunt and I are already very satisfied."

To be honest, working in the fields for work points from the beginning to the end of the year wouldn't earn you more than 200 yuan. Now, you can earn in just over a month what you used to earn in two or three years.

After settling the matter of profit sharing, Zhang Hongyan tactfully pulled her husband and son away, giving the young couple some space alone.

Song Ze winked at Xia Qingqing and whispered, "Qingqing, shall we go to your room to chat?"

Although Zhang Hongyan and the other two left, Song Ze still didn't dare to openly do bad things to Xia Qingqing in the main room.

"Why are you going to my room? Aren't you afraid my parents will beat you up if you're all alone?" Xia Qingqing looked at Song Ze with a half-smile, her fingers lightly brushing against Song Ze's forearm.

Soft fingertips glided across his skin, sending a jolt of electricity through his body. Song Ze froze instantly, stammering, "I...I...then I won't go."

At this moment, his eyes were red-rimmed, and he looked at Xia Qingqing with a wronged expression, as if he had been bullied by someone.

Xia Qingqing's eyes flickered, and she pulled the person towards her room, not forgetting to lock the door behind her.

She pressed him down onto the bed, and with a mischievous smile, Xia Qingqing cupped Song Ze's cheeks and asked, "Hmm, was Aze trying to seduce me just now?"

"No, no," Song Ze looked at her innocently.

"Okay, then I misunderstood you," Xia Qingqing said, releasing Song Ze's face as if somewhat disappointed.

This reaction left Song Ze bewildered. It shouldn't be like this. Shouldn't Qingqing be doing something intimate with him right now? Why would she suddenly let go of him?

Song Ze tugged at Xia Qingqing's sleeve, his voice low and hoarse, and said, "Qingqing, don't go. You didn't misunderstand."

"Haha, Aze is so cute, I like him so much!" Xia Qingqing was amused by Song Ze's reaction, so she simply sat on his lap, cupped his face and kissed him twice.

The sudden kiss made Song Ze's eyes darken. He looked at Xia Qingqing deeply, then used one hand to hold the back of her head and the other to pull her closer to him.

Xia Qingqing loosely wrapped her arms around Song Ze's neck, letting their lips slowly press together. She could see that Song Ze's eyes were tightly closed, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, and the fine hairs on his fair face were clearly visible.

However, Xia Qingqing quickly lost interest in the details. Her breath was gradually stolen away, and she leaned weakly against Song Ze's chest, her face flushed.