Chapter 97

Returning to the city, Feng Yi still felt a bit out of place. His sleep wasn't good, and he always felt that the several-thousand-dollar mattress wasn't as comfortable as the overgrown grass in the backyard.

Moreover, even though the indoor temperature was suitable, the humidity always seemed less than ideal.

Of course, Feng Yi knew he was a special case and couldn't be compared to ordinary people.

He just needed to get used to it. Anyway, in the Yuxiu neighborhood, things wouldn't calm down until the swans left. There were too many people watching that area, and any small change could be noticed. For now, he could only stay in the city.

Of course, Feng Yi couldn't just idle around. Apart from the few hours he spent swimming each day, he no longer needed to spend a lot of time foraging, so he had to find something to do and earn some living expenses.

Catching mice or appraising leather, people had actually approached him before, but he either rejected them because he was on a scientific expedition or because he was staying at home due to his evolution.

In total, he had only taken on the appraisal tasks from Lu Yue's company and the one Lu Yue introduced to him for the erhu. Now that he was back in the city, it was more convenient to take on tasks.

After breakfast in the morning, Feng Yi went to Wu Ji's shop to have tea.

He needed to earn a living, but there was no rush. It was rare to be back in the city, so he needed to get used to it first.

There weren't many people in Wu Ji's shop in the morning. Seeing Feng Yi come in, Wu Ji called him over, brought out a plate, and poured a pot of tea.

"Over ten flavors of mooncakes, some of which are custom-made and need to be rushed. These are the ones just made. I've cut them for you to try. Let me know which flavors you like, and I'll note them down."

Yesterday, Feng Yi learned from Wu Ji that a few small business owners in the neighborhood had ordered mooncake gift boxes from his shop to give to their employees.

Qian Feiyang also ordered a set for his studio's employees.

Feng Yi's studio had long been dissolved, and now he was on his own. The butler didn't contact him, so he didn't need to give mooncakes to anyone. His piano teacher was busy performing out of town.

So, the mooncakes Feng Yi bought were for himself, and he needed to pick the flavors he liked.

On the porcelain plate, the different colors and flavors of the mooncakes were clearly visible, and the smell was acceptable. Feng Yi really didn't know how to choose. He thought they all tasted good and wasn't picky.

Wu Ji remembered that when the shop first hired a new tea point chef to make new tea points, he had given Feng Yi some to try. Feng Yi indeed wasn't picky and could eat a lot, whether it was sweet or savory, light or strong, he ate a lot without showing any preference.

"I'll pick a bit of each flavor for you," Wu Ji said.

"Okay."

"Are you spending the Mid-Autumn Festival here, or going back to your villa?" Wu Ji asked.

"Depends. If something comes up, I might go out," Feng Yi said.

"True, I'll prepare them in advance so that if you take on a job and leave Rongcheng, you won't miss the mooncakes."

Wu Ji thought, with over ten flavors, he would pick a couple of each to make a lucky number.

Just as they were talking, Feng Yi received a message from Lu Yue, saying that a friend's sister had some items to appraise and had sent the contact information directly. Feng Yi should confirm the new friend request when it came.

Soon, Feng Yi received a new friend request and added the person, then moved them to the "Client" group.

These people who could afford to pay a high price for his appraisal were all well-off and had the potential for future cooperation.

The new client, surnamed Yu, had a collecting hobby and had recently acquired a batch of popular luxury brand items, including some snake skin series.

This year, the Medusa seventh-generation leather was very popular, so many brands released snake skin series, some of which were indeed classics and worth collecting.

These items were for her personal collection, but they were currently stored in one of her shops for cleaning and maintenance.

[They are now in the display cabinet, but only about thirty need to be appraised.]

The other party sent a photo.

The display cabinet contained leather goods, clothes, and some small accessories like keychains.

But only the thirty items marked in the photo needed to be appraised.

Among these thirty items, nearly half were keychains and other small accessories, which were different in terms of collectibility from the erhu he had appraised before.

After some thought, Feng Yi typed:

[200,000.]

[OK]

Feng Yi raised an eyebrow.

The items this client collected had varying market prices, some expensive and some cheaper. For example, the leather keychains could sell for a few thousand each, which was definitely less than the clothes and bags that could cost tens of thousands.

However, the client was willing to pay so much for the appraisal without haggling, indicating they were well-off.

The other party sent another message:

[Can you come for the appraisal at noon?]

Feng Yi was about to reply "Sure" when his phone rang.

The caller ID showed "Yuxiu Property."

Feng Yi's eyelids twitched.

Was there something wrong in the neighborhood?

He hadn't noticed anything unusual when he checked the surveillance this morning.

Feng Yi replied to the client with "Wait a moment" and answered the call.

"Mr. Feng, hello. I'm Xiao Wang from Yuxiu Property. Is it convenient to talk now?" the property staff asked.

Feng Yi sensed that the matter might be serious and that there was a lot to say.

"I'm not at home right now, go ahead."

"It's about the swans. Five more swans just flew over, but someone secretly used a drone to follow them. The new swans, perhaps frightened, flew over the river and into our neighborhood.

"Coincidentally, an owner was walking their dog nearby and saw the swans and started barking. It's possible the swans were scared by the dog's barking, and two of them 'crashed' and fell into your backyard."

Feng Yi: "… Which part of the yard did they fall into, the front or the back?"

"Backyard."

Feng Yi: "…"

He rubbed his forehead and asked, "Can't the swans fly out? They can fly, right?"

"Well, swans need a running start to take off, and your backyard doesn't have enough space for that."

Feng Yi understood.

Just like how an airplane needs a runway to take off, a short distance might not be enough.

The property staff explained further, "Moreover, the swans might be exhausted from long-distance flight and might be injured from the shock. The community manager and rescuers are here. Can you come back now?"

Feng Yi: "I'm on my way."

He couldn't let anyone enter his yard without his presence, no matter what.

He knew what his backyard looked like. To sleep well, he let the grass grow wild, but it was dense and comfortable for him. However, it might not be easy for the swans to take off from it, especially after a long migration.

Feng Yi checked the surveillance.

Sure enough, two swans were lying in the backyard grass.

What if they defecated in his backyard?

Thinking of this, Feng Yi didn't waste any time.

He told Wu Ji, stopped tasting the mooncakes, and got ready to leave.

"What's going on?" Wu Ji asked.

"Swans in the backyard, I need to go rescue them."

Wu Ji: ???

"Swans? The ones in the news?"

"Yes, two just fell in. The property said the community manager and rescuers are waiting. I'm heading back now."

Wu Ji was envious.

If he could leave the shop, he would have gone to see it too! It was such a rare opportunity to take close-up photos with two swans!

"Take lots of photos, Feng Yi! Better with a photo together! Or some clear videos! I want to see them!"

"Sure!"

Feng Yi wasn't interested in taking photos with the swans, but he could help take some videos for them, which was easy.

He replied to the client that he couldn't make it at noon but could come in the afternoon.

The client sent him the shop address and said the manager would be waiting for him.

After confirming the time with the client, Feng Yi drove back to the Yuxiu neighborhood.

He knew how popular these swans were, attracting a lot of attention. Now that two had fallen into his yard, many people were watching. Fortunately, he had already tidied up his house a bit.

As he drove back, people were waiting at the neighborhood entrance and immediately notified others upon seeing his license plate.

Around his house, over ten people were waiting, and some were guarding the area to keep others away.

This was just what he could see; many more were watching from outside the neighborhood.

The scene showed how much importance was placed on these swans!

Feng Yi's backyard had no gate, and he often slept there, so the walls and fences blocked the view from outside.

Feng Yi opened the door and led the community manager and rescuers inside.

The backyard was separate from the front yard and required going through the house. The people who followed him didn't look around, even if they noticed some peeling paint or uneven ground. They didn't comment, as it was the owner's business. Their main concern was the two swans in the backyard.

But when they saw the grass in Feng Yi's backyard, they were surprised.

The backyard grass was unique.

While others planted flowers, trees, and ornamental plants, Feng Yi's backyard was a mix of various grasses, and the entire lawn looked like a large, pressed grass mat.

The community manager couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Feng, is this a deliberate design?"

"Um, yes."

Feng Yi couldn't tell them that he had rolled around in the grass during his weight gain period, which had flattened it.

The community manager squatted down, touched the grass, and pressed it.

"The texture is quite good."

But soon, the community manager's attention turned to the two swans, and the rescuers rushed to them.

"They're not injured, just exhausted and frightened," the rescuer said.

"That's good." The community manager looked at Feng Yi apologetically, "Thank you for your trouble."

"No problem."

Feng Yi recalled the news about the swans deviating from their route and asked, "Will more swans fall into my yard?"

"That's unlikely. Wild swans usually don't fly into residential areas; they only stay nearby. After today's incident, the community has strengthened drone control, so the next batch of swans won't be frightened again."

Hearing this, Feng Yi was relieved. He didn't want to run back and forth from the city to rescue swans every day.

The rescuers took the two swans to the riverbank.

Soon, the swans flapped their wings and swam back to their family group, calling out, but not as loudly as adult swans.

"They seem fine!" The rescuer watched the swans swim and smiled.

Feng Yi stood on his balcony, watching the swans in the river.

The swan family on the opposite bank seemed to be arguing, shaking their necks and calling out loudly.

The family closer to him seemed to have found some food and gathered to peck at it with their long necks.

Feng Yi adjusted his phone to capture the swans feeding.

He saw the swans not only dip their necks into the water but also do a backflip.

Their white butts were directly in the camera lens.

One swan, with its back to Feng Yi, flipped its body, stretched its neck out of the water, shook its tail feathers, and dove back in, its body inverted. A black webbed foot paddled the water, and the raised butt drifted to one side.

This was the first time Feng Yi had seen swans feeding.

Such elegant bodies, yet they looked a bit clumsy when eating.

"Pretty cute."

Feng Yi was intrigued. There were many elegant bodies in the world, but this kind of elegant clumsiness was rare.

As he was filming, he heard the sound of flapping wings in the sky.

Three more swans landed in his backyard, drawing an elegant curve in the air.

Feng Yi: "…"

The rescuers and community managers, who were just happy to see more swans: "…"

The little kid on the balcony of the neighboring building: "Yoooooooo~u fell in!"

Feng Yi, expressionless, pulled out the property's phone number and called, "I'm applying for renovation again!"