Chapter 17

Lei Huxi was pleasantly surprised to find that his alcohol tolerance had really increased.

After drinking two large bowls of alcohol, he didn't feel anything at all.

Since he had Xiaopang, one strange thing after another had happened.

As Hong Ge and Dong Shanbei chatted, they eventually talked about jade, which caught Lei Huxi's attention.

Xiaopang needed the spiritual energy from jade the most.

Dong Shanbei's knowledge of jade far exceeded Lei Huxi's imagination. Lei Huxi didn't interrupt, quietly listening to Dong Shanbei's explanations.

His memory was very good, and he firmly remembered every word Dong Shanbei said.

Hong Ge simply liked jade, and it was said that before he met Dong Shanbei, he had bought a large pile of worthless jade, wasting a lot of money.

After listening for a long time, he slapped his thigh and said, "Old Dong, if I had met you earlier, it would have been great. Last year, I went to the Yun Dong antique market and bought a piece of jade for 30,000 yuan. When I had it appraised by an expert, it was worth at most 1,000 yuan. What a scam, what a scam. Now, if I go again, I'll have a better idea."

Lei Huxi's heart stirred, "Hong Ge, in the future, if you get any good jade, can you save some for me?"

This not only caught Hong Ge's attention but also Dong Shanbei's. "Huxi, last time you got a piece of rose quartz. Why do you need jade now?"

"I just like it," Lei Huxi said evasively.

Could he tell them that he had a dragon at home that needed the spiritual energy from jade? They would surely think he was crazy.

"Sure, in the future, if I get any, I'll keep an eye out for you," Hong Ge was a straightforward person.

It seemed that he needed to accelerate his efforts to make money. Lei Huxi had a different idea.

He only had 2,000 yuan left in his pocket, which wasn't enough to buy even a decent piece of jade.

They drank for about three hours, and Hong Ge, drunk, went back to the store to sleep.

Lei Huxi helped Dong Shanbei clean up the table. Just as he was about to leave, Dong Shanbei stopped him.

"Huxi, since you like jade, I'll give you this piece." Dong Shanbei pulled out his box from under the bed, which seemed to be a treasure chest, and took out a green jade pendant. "This is called Nanyang jade, also known as Dushan jade. Look at this jade, it's semi-transparent, with a glass-like luster. It's rare and has high collection value."

How could Lei Huxi accept his jade? He was about to refuse, but Dong Shanbei said, "Huxi, your Grandpa Dong is old and might not be able to get up one morning. I'm an old man with no children. I just hope that when I close my eyes, someone will be there to help me, so I can die in peace."

Dong Shanbei's words were filled with melancholy, and Lei Huxi felt a bit sad.

He forcefully put the jade in Lei Huxi's hand. Suddenly, Dong Shanbei remembered something, "You said you wanted to buy fish fry during dinner?"

"Yes, I really plan to raise fish."

"Then come with me." It seemed that Dong Shanbei also had a high alcohol tolerance, as he didn't seem affected by the alcohol.

He took Lei Huxi to a fish farm in the south of Zhunan Town. The boss there, Mr. Sun, was very familiar with him. As soon as he saw Old Dong, he offered him a cigarette:

"Old man, it's been 20 minutes, and you haven't come to see me for so long."

"I'm old and can't move much," Dong Shanbei said with a smile. "This is my grandson. I'm bringing him to buy some fish fry."

"Hey, when did you have a grandson?"

"He's my godson, what's it to you?" Dong Shanbei said cheerfully. "Hurry up, my grandson's pond isn't big, just get some fish fry for him to play with."

"Sure, Old Dong, you even have a godson. Young man, what kind of fish do you want to buy?"

To be honest, Lei Huxi wasn't very familiar with fish.

He honestly said so, and Mr. Sun was very enthusiastic, offering advice: "This is a mandarin fish, also known as a golden flower fish. It's easy to raise, grows quickly, and can usually grow to about 5 pounds. The largest can reportedly reach 100 pounds, but I've never seen one. I guess the water quality here isn't good enough... The meat is fresh and has no small bones. As the old saying goes?"

"There's a mandarin fish on the table, and even bear paws wouldn't be exchanged for it," Dong Shanbei said with a smile.

With Mr. Sun's help, Lei Huxi selected a batch of fish fry, including mandarin fish and freshwater bass...

When it came time to pay, Mr. Sun gave a big discount out of respect for Dong Shanbei, and since Lei Huxi didn't need much, he paid a total of over 300 yuan.

"I've never done such a small business," Mr. Sun said with a smile. "I'm going to Xiantao Village tomorrow, so I'll deliver the fish fry for you."

Lei Huxi expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

Indeed, knowing someone and not knowing someone made a big difference. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to do such a small business.

Back home, he fed Xiaopang, tilled the land, and planted the vegetable seeds he had bought. This time, he didn't let Xiaopang spit out the precious dragon saliva, as it wasn't an inexhaustible resource.

Early the next morning, Mr. Sun delivered the fish fry, along with some ornamental fish fry.

"These ornamental fish are hard to raise in your pond," Mr. Sun looked at the pond. "Just keep them for fun."

"Thanks, Mr. Sun."

"Don't mention it, I owe the old man a big favor... Lei Huxi, you're doing well, living in such a big villa by yourself?"

"I'm just watching the house for someone else," Lei Huxi found an excuse. "Mr. Sun, if I raise the fish, will you buy them back?"

"Of course," Mr. Sun laughed. "But to be honest, you should just keep the fish for yourself. You won't make much money selling them. Your pond is small, and the fish won't grow big. For example, the mandarin fish, I estimate they'll grow to about 2 pounds at most..."

Mr. Sun was being honest. Lei Huxi's pond, in terms of size and water quality, was only suitable for raising fish for fun.

For example, Lei Huxi originally wanted to raise eels, but Mr. Sun rejected the idea. Eels need to live in clean, unpolluted water, making them one of the purest aquatic animals in the world.

"Alright, I won't say more. I have other things to do, so I'll go now," Mr. Sun said, throwing away his cigarette butt.

The cigarette butt landed by the pond, and a gust of wind blew it into the water.

Mr. Sun didn't notice, but Lei Huxi did.

Although the fish in the pond didn't have as high water quality requirements as eels, the garbage still had an impact.

After seeing Mr. Sun off, Lei Huxi was about to scoop out the cigarette butt when the water surface suddenly started to spin.

The newly released fish fry scattered and then gathered together, looking timid and not daring to move.

The spinning of the water surface grew larger, forming a significant whirlpool. Moments later, a jet of water shot out, and the cigarette butt was ejected.

Then, Xiaopang appeared, looking disapproving, as if scolding someone for littering.

At first, Lei Huxi hadn't noticed, but he suddenly realized how clean the pond was.

Although he had cleaned it, there were still some debris and the water was somewhat murky. Now, the debris was gone, and the water was crystal clear.

Xiaopang saw the fish in the pond, and his small body wriggled as he passed by the fish fry, like a king inspecting his territory.

The fish fry gathered together and didn't scatter.

Xiaopang's originally fat and comical body now looked so proud.

Dragon!

This was the dragon's majesty.

Humans couldn't feel it, but the aquatic creatures could sense the dragon's authority.

The change in water quality was definitely due to Xiaopang. It seemed he, like eels, preferred clean, unpolluted water.

That's why he couldn't tolerate even a cigarette butt in the water.

"Xiaopang," Lei Huxi called out, "I'm planning to raise these fish to sell for money, so don't eat them."

Xiaopang clearly understood. He opened his mouth, took a sip of water, and then tilted his head, spraying it into the sky.

Surprisingly, such a small mouth could spray a large amount of water, which fell like a shower onto the fish fry.

Lei Huxi suspected his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the fish fry seemed to have grown a bit.

In the water, Xiaopang could accelerate the growth of aquatic creatures without using dragon saliva. Lei Huxi immediately understood.

With clean water, accelerated growth, and a dragon guarding the pond, Lei Huxi saw hope.

Mr. Sun said the largest mandarin fish could grow to 100 pounds. Maybe a miracle could happen here.

After Xiaopang finished inspecting his territory and displaying his authority, he seemed tired and quickly submerged back into the water.

The fish, as if relieved, swam freely again.

Thinking about his classmates coming over on the weekend, if they threw any debris into the water and angered Xiaopang, that wouldn't be good. He quickly found a wooden sign and wrote:

"Valuable fish in the water, each worth tens of thousands. No littering allowed. Violators will be charged."

Yes, he wasn't exaggerating. Just Xiaopang alone was priceless.