Chapter 49

Cao Xing and the two kids started their wailing duet.

Feng Yi didn’t know what to do, but hearing their cries, which were quite forceful, he was at least reassured that they seemed to be in good health.

With no experience in dealing with such a situation, Feng Yi decided to ignore them for now. He took out his phone from his pocket, shook off the water, and found that it still worked. He then called the property management.

At this moment, in the property management office of Yuxiu Community.

There were still five people left here, all of whom had rushed over temporarily. They were not on duty today, but they had heard that some children had climbed over the wall while the control room was under maintenance, so they had come over.

The five of them were all on standby by the phone, in case any homeowner needed help or the search party outside needed assistance.

The oldest of the five was in his forties, broad-shouldered and stocky, with a gruff voice.

His surname was Wang, and he was a veteran of the property management office. Everyone called him Old Wang or Brother Wang.

At this moment, Brother Wang was angrily pounding the table, “I’ve been saying it all along, Cao Xing and those kids need to be watched closely! They need discipline! The windows should be replaced, so they can’t sneak out of the second-floor rooms at night! Is that how you use a rescue rope?!”

“And their parents, they’re only focused on making money. If they don’t discipline them, there will be trouble, and then they’ll regret it! Don’t blame us in the property management when that happens.”

Brother Wang got angrier as he spoke, “Last time when I scolded them, those old folks even blamed me for being too harsh and too stern!”

“Those kids, no matter what, they always resort to the same old tricks: crying, throwing tantrums, and being cute!”

A younger employee nearby looked distressed, “What can you do? The old folks just eat that stuff up. They even say it’s lively!”

Brother Wang let out a sigh, “Their own parents don’t care, do you think I want to? They’re not my kids, why should I bother? But it’s for the good of our community!”

“Back when the houses were sold, they were advertised as luxury health retreats. Now, it’s become a desolate, remote ghost town. No one wants that! But is it easy to make it lively?!”

“The property management can’t take the blame! If the fees are high, they complain. If they’re low, they complain about this and that, saying things need to be replaced! They don’t think about how we can maintain and upgrade without money!”

“How many wealthy people come here for health retreats? Even if they buy a house, they just use it as a quiet place to stay. Who wants to live here long-term? Before the Yuxi Green Dragon incident, how many lights were on at night? I say, the location was chosen poorly!”

There were many luxury communities near Yuxi Mountain, but Yuxiu was the most remote. Due to various reasons, it had fallen from the “luxury” category.

The property management staff thought the place would become a ghost town, but then the Yuxi Green Dragon incident happened, and people started coming back. Recently, there had been more requests for owner information changes, and some were even replacing equipment, repairing furniture and appliances, and doing partial renovations. The property management even got a commission for each job.

So, the property management staff were all energized!

The homeowners who lived there either found it convenient for pets, bought it for their elderly to live in or for rest. Some might buy a house but not live in it, just keeping it as a good investment. But with the population moving, the real estate market became active again, which was a good thing. The housing prices had even risen!

However, due to the location, there were uncontrollable factors affecting the residents' living experience. There was nothing they could do about it. To eliminate those factors would cost a lot of money, but the property management was poor. They had even reduced the fees to retain residents over the years.

“In our community, only those old folks can tolerate Cao Xing and his gang’s arrogance. The other young residents are all full of complaints, but they don’t say it to the old folks’ faces! We in the property management are caught in the middle, being blamed by everyone!”

Brother Wang shook his head and sighed, “I’ve seen through it all. No homeowner is innocent for indulging Cao Xing and his gang! Damn it! I’m done! From now on, no homeowner will get a good word from me!”

Just as he was speaking, the phone rang.

Brother Wang’s expression turned serious, “Hello, this is Brother Wang from Yuxiu Property Management...”

The others in the office: “...”

You talk so tough, why don’t you show some backbone!

Brother Wang didn’t seem to notice the contradiction. He listened carefully to the call, his expression growing more serious, “Yes, we’ve already gone out to look for them, we should find them soon... It’s good... How big is the fish... Three...”

Brother Wang almost choked on his own saliva, “Three meters?! Can you describe it? I’ll check if it’s a protected species!”

On the other end, Feng Yi was on the phone, one foot on the fish. The fish was slippery, but he was standing firmly.

He was worried that the fish might have scared the kids. Seeing the two of them still crying, it was clear they had been quite frightened.

However, hearing the property management mention “protected species,” Feng Yi remembered that some animals shouldn’t be harmed unless necessary.

“Protected species? I don’t think so.”

Feng Yi said this but still moved his foot, wiped off the footprints on the fish, and stroked its head, straightening out the slightly deformed whiskers.

When asked about the fish’s appearance, Feng Yi described it, “...I think it looks like a catfish, not a protected species, just those two long whiskers... Wait!”

Feng Yi noticed something was off, flipped the fish over, and saw more clearly, “Six whiskers! I didn’t see the other two shorter pairs earlier!”

On the other end, the property management staff heard about the six whiskers and the size...

“It might be a wels catfish, not a native species. Someone probably released it into the river, an invasive species... Hey! I just checked the latest bounty list. If it’s a wels catfish, there’s a reward for catching one! Is the one you caught definitely three meters long?”

Hearing it might be an invasive species, Feng Yi put his foot back on the fish, estimating its length, “Definitely over three meters!”

Brother Wang’s voice was excited, “If it’s really a three-meter wels catfish, the reward is 150,000!”

Hearing the reward was 150,000, Feng Yi moved his foot again, wiped off the footprints, and stroked the fish’s head.

Don’t deform it and affect the species identification!

The property management staff, including Brother Wang, were also excited. Although the reward wasn’t for them, it was still very exciting. If they had a chance to catch one, or a few, it would be great!

After a round of flattery, Brother Wang wanted to learn some tips, “May I ask how you managed to drag a three-meter fish onto the shore?”

Feng Yi: “...”

Looking at the three-meter fish with its blank fish eyes, Feng Yi finally realized.

Most people, probably, maybe, can’t easily drag a three-meter fish onto the shore, right?

Thinking about this, Feng Yi’s tone changed, “I had to use a lot of strength to drag it up! My arms almost dislocated, and my muscles might be strained!”