PCJ – Chapter 294 Not Over Yet

Ye Jianhu and Jin Xingjiang were left quite stunned. It seemed that they had been tricked by someone without their knowledge, and it was quite possible that they could have been played so badly they wouldn’t even know what hit them.

“You two must have been taught a lesson by Master Mei. He gave you a warning. If you two try to seek revenge, next time, it won’t just be about being temporarily crippled. Do you really think that slapping you will cure you?” Tang Zhangyun, who had been sent to the countryside years ago, knew a bit about Master Mei’s methods. The way these two were dealt with today was very similar to the stories he had heard about Master Mei’s methods in the past.

Ye Jianhu and Jin Xingjiang hung their heads in shame.

Tang Zhangyun didn’t let up, “I know about the mess you two made at the grain station. Let the past be the past. I don’t want to pursue it, but you two better behave from now on. I don’t care who you had come into the grain station; if you don’t follow the rules here, don’t blame me for being unkind!”

Ye Jianhu and Jin Xingjiang didn’t dare to speak. Being caught in the act today was equivalent to having a hold on them. Even if Tang Zhangyun couldn’t fire them, making their lives difficult would be easy.

At a dumpling stall on the street, Zhang Jiaohua and the others were seated around a table. Zhang Yuanbao anxiously waited for the dumplings to arrive. Only Zhang Manyin was with the three kids. Zhang Youlian and his wife had left to buy something, unwilling to spend money on two bowls of dumplings. Zhang Manyin understood their reluctance and wanted them to sit down too, but they stubbornly refused.

They felt it was already a bit much to have Zhang Manyin buy two bowls of dumplings, and they shouldn’t be further imposing on him. Now that Zhang Manyin insisted on paying, Zhang Youlian and his wife naturally felt embarrassed to stay.

Since there weren’t many people eating dumplings, the four bowls were quickly served.

“Give it to me first, give it to me first,” Zhang Yuanbao immediately insisted.

“Jiaohua eats first. Jiaohua is the youngest. Yuanbao, be a good boy,” Zhang Manyin quickly said.

“I…” Zhang Yuanbao was initially going to be stubborn, but thought better of it, deciding to show the demeanor of an older brother. “If Jiaohua eats first, then let him.”

“That’s right. Yuanbao is a good older brother,” Zhang Manyin said with satisfaction.

The four bowls of dumplings were soon served. Zhang Manyin, unwilling to eat, served some dumplings from his bowl to Zhang Jiaohua and the others.

“Grandpa, why aren’t you eating?” Zhang Yuanbao asked curiously.

“Grandpa’s stomach isn’t feeling well today. You’re all growing, so eat more,” Zhang Manyin said, not showing favoritism. He served each child a bit and left only the soup in his bowl. Zhang Manyin savored the soup with delight.

Zhang Yuanbao quickly finished his bowl of dumplings, even drinking the soup. He patted his stomach and said, “The dumplings are really delicious; you can’t get enough of them.”

Zhang Jiaohua also finished his meal. He was growing and had a big appetite. Even Zhang Runtian ate a lot.

After the three kids finished eating, they looked habitually at Zhang Manyin’s bowl. Zhang Manyin paid for the four bowls of dumplings, costing thirty cents per bowl, totaling just over a yuan. Zhang Manyin felt a bit of a pinch.

When the three kids finished their dumplings, Zhang Youlian and his wife returned with their purchases.

“Have you all finished eating?” Zhang Youlian asked.

“Yes, we’re done,” Zhang Jiaohua said excitedly.

“Then let’s go home,” Zhang Youlian said. Having bought the items, they were planning to catch a ride back with Liu Qianwang’s tractor, as previously arranged. They took the family to the agreed location to wait for the tractor.

Meanwhile, Wu Tong’an and Tu Chunlin were sent to the town government. They slept through most of the morning before slowly waking up.

“You two really went through a lot. How could you dare come back from Meizi’ao in the middle of the night? Were you drunk?” Li Maoyuan asked.

“We didn’t drink much at Zhang Dechun’s place. Just one bowl of rice wine each; how could we be drunk? We came back early, but somehow, Tu Chunlin’s bicycle had a flat tire. Seeing that it was getting late, we left his bicycle by the roadside and rode mine back. Unexpectedly, because the brakes were faulty, we ended up crashing into a ditch not far from there. Then a pack of wolves chased us, and Tu Chunlin and I kept running,” Wu Tong’an said, hanging his head.

“That’s not right. The bicycles sent from Meizi’ao were in good condition,” Li Maoyuan quickly interrupted.

“Impossible!” Wu Tong’an and Tu Chunlin said in unison.

“How could it be impossible? Go see for yourselves. The bicycles are right in the courtyard,” Li Maoyuan shook his head.

Everyone followed Wu Tong’an and Tu Chunlin to the courtyard of the town government, where they saw the two bicycles. There was no need for identification; both recognized their bicycles immediately.

“Take a closer look at whether the bicycles have any issues,” Li Maoyuan pointed to the two bicycles.

“It’s mine. I can tell it at a glance,” Tu Chunlin quickly checked the bicycle’s tires, which had been punctured by nails yesterday but now showed no signs of damage.

Wu Tong’an also checked his bicycle, which had lost its brakes and crashed into a pond. It turned out it wasn’t a pond but a cattle yard. He was shocked to find that the brakes were intact and functioning well. The bicycle was well-maintained, with no rust and the brakes recently replaced. There was even mud on the brakes, showing no signs of tampering. Wu Tong’an was stunned. Despite having firmly applied the brakes yesterday, they had failed.

Wu Tong’an and Tu Chunlin’s expressions grew grim.

“As long as you’re okay, it’s a blessing. Thankfully, the people from Meizi’ao sent you to the town government; otherwise, no one would know what happened to you two. We thought you were still in Meizi’ao collecting grain. It seems the locals found you while delivering grain, indicating you did your job well,” Li Maoyuan quickly said, trying to comfort Wu Tong’an and Tu Chunlin, though it had little effect.

The two seemed mentally disturbed, which others attributed to their exhaustion after a night of running around.

“Get some rest and don’t overthink things. You’ve completed the grain collection, so I’m giving you a few days off. Write a leave request and hand it to me. Go home and rest for a few days, and come back when you’re feeling better.”

When Zhang Jiaohua got home, he immediately went to the pig farm. Fat Cat was lazily lying on the pig pen, having been tied up here overnight before. It seemed to have taken a liking to this place. Of course, the granary was now under the control of the mountain leopard and a pack of mountain dogs. The mountain leopard had no regard for Fat Cat, so the pig farm was its domain. There were also a bunch of wild boars that Fat Cat couldn’t handle. These boars were not very smart and preferred to charge headlong when provoked.

“Fat Cat! Get down here!” Zhang Jiaohua called to Fat Cat, which was lounging on the rafters.

Fat Cat lazily climbed down, its plump body showing no significant impact on its climbing ability.

Approaching Zhang Jiaohua, Fat Cat lazily flicked its tail, greeting its little master with a reluctant demeanor.

“What did you do last night?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

Fat Cat nuzzled against Zhang Jiaohua, communicating telepathically, “I helped punish two bad people.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to cause trouble? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Zhang Jiaohua scolded Fat Cat sternly.

Fat Cat felt a bit wronged, “Those two were secretly plotting against the garden. I did you a great favor, but I’m still getting scolded. If it weren’t for me, they’d probably be plotting against you by now.”

Through their telepathic communication, Zhang Jiaohua finally understood why Fat Cat had targeted those two village officials. He hadn’t expected them to be scheming behind his back. Zhang Jiaohua was quite upset.

“This time, you did well. I agree you can bring your black cats over. But you must never harm people again. Everything must be approved by me; you can’t act on your own. What happened yesterday should have been reported to me first,” Zhang Jiaohua said, still feeling somewhat unsatisfied with the situation involving Wu Tong’an and Tu Chunlin.

Zhang Jiaohua suddenly had a premonition that this incident might not be over yet. He wasn’t sure whether it was the two from the town’s grain station or the two from the town government who might come looking for trouble. After all, his actions at Meizi’ao were known beyond just Meizi’ao throughout the whole area. Whether it was the snake or wolf disaster, he had made moves. The two officials from the town government had suffered a significant loss, and a little inquiry might lead them to suspect him.

“Jiaohua, what are you doing alone at the pig farm?” Zhang Wenrong and the others entered the pig farm carrying pig feed.

“Nothing,” Zhang Jiaohua shook his head.

Upon hearing Zhang Wenrong’s voice, the wild boars in the pig farm began to squeal loudly, recognizing the sound of their feeders.

The lazy Fat Cat also got up and started moving around the rafters.

After a few months of feeding, the wild boar piglets had grown to seven. Their growth rate was somewhat beyond Zhang Jiaohua’s expectations.

“These wild boars eat everything. They eat a lot but grow slowly. If they were regular pigs, they’d have reached over a hundred jin by now,” Zhang Wenrong threw the pig feed directly into the pig pen. The wild boars immediately fought over the feed.