PCJ – Chapter 331 Different Beautiful Sceneries

“Brother Luo, Jiaohua is still young. Is it a bit risky for the county to place such a big responsibility on him?” Zhang Youping asked worriedly.

Luo Changjun glanced at Zhang Jiaohua. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it either. But it was Jiaohua who made the bamboo tube black tea, and last year his Meishan Maojian tea won a gold medal at the agricultural expo. This time, it’s being sent to the World Agricultural Expo to compete. I estimate it will win again. Even if it doesn’t get a gold medal, it will definitely get silver or bronze. Jiaohua may just be a child, but he’s not an ordinary one.”

Luo Changjun was very confident in Zhang Jiaohua. In fact, he had a small worry in his heart: ever since Jiaohua got off the car, he hadn’t spoken a word to him. He feared that there was a rift between them. Some actions from the county last time had hurt this child. And now, since he was representing the county again, it was clear the child wasn’t pleased.

“Youping, I might need to stay in Meizi’ao for a while, which could be a bit of a bother for you all,” Luo Changjun said, planning to stay in Meizi’ao. Without Zhang Jiaohua’s help, the tea development plan for Xintian County couldn’t move forward. Expanding the tea plantations alone wouldn’t be difficult. With the current market for tea being so favorable, farmers were unlikely to resist the government’s call. But if it were that simple, why promote Luo Changjun to Deputy County Head? The goal was to make Xintian County not just a major tea-producing county but a strong one, and the key breakthrough was Meizi’ao.

“Brother Luo, don’t be so polite! If you’re willing to stay in our poor village, that’s an honor for us. As long as you’re comfortable, that’s all that matters,” Zhang Youping said with a smile.

Zhang Jiaohua remained silent.

“Jiaohua, you know the Meishan Mountains well. Could you take me up to the highest peak? I want to see the view from there and what’s different about it,” Luo Changjun asked.

But Zhang Jiaohua acted as if he hadn’t heard.

“Hey, rascal, Uncle Luo is talking to you. Why aren’t you saying anything? Did your teacher scold you at school?” Liu Qiaoye asked curiously.

“Oh, no. Last year, some people from the county did things that upset Jiaohua, and now I’m here on behalf of the county. He might misunderstand me. It’s fine; he’ll understand me later,” Luo Changjun hurried to reassure Zhang Youping and his wife, fearing that scolding Jiaohua would only deepen the misunderstanding.

Zhang Youping could tell that Jiaohua was being cold toward Luo Changjun, likely because of last year’s events.

“Jiaohua, no rush. We can go in a couple of days,” Luo Changjun said patiently.

After dinner, Zhang Youping asked Jiaohua to accompany Luo Changjun to the garden for a walk.

Although Jiaohua went to the garden with Luo Changjun, he kept his distance. Luo Changjun kept smiling.

“Whizz!”

A lump of mud flew from afar, heading straight for Luo Changjun.

Luo Changjun dodged quickly and looked to see a small macaque darting off toward the forest, glancing back occasionally.

“You little rascal! If I catch you, I’ll spank your butt!” Zhang Jiaohua shouted at the monkey, who wasn’t afraid at all and even made a face at him.

Jiaohua knew he couldn’t do much to the monkey. It loved coming to the garden to cause trouble, but only by throwing mud at people. Even the leopard cat and the fat cat couldn’t handle it.

Seeing Jiaohua scold the monkey, the leopard cat immediately gave chase. The little monkey saw the leopard coming and took off, running into the woods and climbing up a tree. Once up there, it started making mocking gestures at the leopard cat. The leopard cat couldn’t be bothered by the monkey’s childish antics and turned back toward Jiaohua.

The little monkey, feeling ignored, jumped down from the tree, picked up a rock, and threw it at the leopard cat.

Suddenly, a black figure leaped out of the forest and pinned the monkey to the ground.

“Meow, meow!” The fat cat called out triumphantly to the leopard.

The leopard glanced back at the fat cat and ignored it. The little monkey, pinned to the ground, squeaked incessantly. Even though the monkey tribe and the fat cat’s black cat family now shared a master, they still didn’t get along. The little monkey, undeterred by the fat cat, struggled to break free and retaliate, but the fat cat’s weight and strength far surpassed the monkey’s.

Roar!

A large group of macaques, hearing the little monkey’s distress call, rushed over. At the same time, the black cats noticed the movement and hurried to the garden as well. The monkey and black cat groups soon faced off.

Luo Changjun watched in astonishment, not expecting to see such a large group of monkeys and black cats. As a city dweller, he couldn’t tell the difference between house cats and wild cats.

Jiaohua, knowing they were about to cause a ruckus, quickly ran over. “Get out of here! Or you’ll regret it!” he shouted.

“Jiaohua, be careful!” Luo Changjun had no idea that these animals belonged to Jiaohua and feared for his safety.

Hearing Jiaohua’s command, the fat cat reluctantly released the monkey. The monkey scrambled to its feet and ran to the leader, pointing at the fat cat and complaining non-stop.

The monkey leader angrily roared at the fat cat, but the fat cat was unimpressed and shook its chubby body, its fat jiggling.

“Fat Cat! Come here!” Jiaohua called out.

Hearing his call, the fat cat slouched over to him.

The monkey leader squeaked a few times, and the macaque group quickly retreated. The little monkey, still unwilling to leave, was picked up by the leader and carried away, complaining loudly all the while.

Luo Changjun stood in front of Jiaohua, warily eyeing the approaching fat cat.

“Jiaohua, be careful. That cat is huge; it’s not to be trifled with,” Luo Changjun said anxiously.

“It’s fine, Uncle Luo. I raised this cat,” Jiaohua replied.

Hearing this, Luo Changjun relaxed.

“Are those monkeys familiar with you too?” he asked, realizing what was going on.

“Yes,” Jiaohua nodded.

“You’ve also raised some wild boars, right?” Luo Changjun asked.

Jiaohua nodded again.

“Do you have some special way of taming these wild animals?” Luo Changjun asked curiously.

“I’m a Meishan Waters Master. We are the best hunters in Meishan. If I couldn’t tame these animals, what kind of Waters Master would I be?” Jiaohua said disdainfully.

“That’s true,” Luo Changjun scratched his head.

Without realizing it, Jiaohua gradually became less distant from Luo Changjun. After all, he hadn’t forgotten Luo’s past kindness. He was just unhappy that Luo was now a spokesperson for the county, which felt like a betrayal.