Chapter 16

"In the car on the way back, Hongmao grumbled, 'This damn hick is just a hick, giving him face and he doesn’t know how to appreciate it.'"

"Don’t rush, just give him a little trouble, and he’ll end up begging Master Wang to invest," another young man flattered.

"It’s not about rushing, I just can’t stand that hick’s arrogant attitude. Damn, he even dared to say my mouth stinks. If it weren’t for Master Wang having important business, I would have really wanted to take him down," Hongmao said angrily.

"Monkey, if you’re upset, just give this little boss some trouble when you have the chance. When the time comes, I’ll treat him to a big meal," Master Wang said with a sinister tone.

"Alright, you just watch," Huaming, also known as Hongmao, replied cheerfully. After all, who wouldn’t give Master Wang some face after hanging around him all the time? He never expected to be humiliated by a hick.

As for Liu Yunxuan’s background, Wang Zhe had already investigated it thoroughly. A former top student in the college entrance exam, he couldn’t make it outside and now returned home to farm. By sheer luck, he made a small fortune growing watermelons.

His parents were simple farmers with no connections. For such a commoner, Master Wang had plenty of ways to deal with him. With Monkey giving him a taste of trouble, he would be tamed, and there would be no need for Master Wang to waste more effort. He might as well find a couple of girls to have some fun.

After giving his instructions, Master Wang didn’t waste any more thought on it.

Liu Yunxuan, at home, thought it over and decided to prepare in advance. It’s not the thief you fear, but the one who keeps thinking about it. If someone really did something to the pig farm and chicken farm, the loss would be significant.

"Yunhai, go to town and buy a few phones. Then recruit some young guys. Have them patrol the pig farm and chicken farm every night. I’m afraid someone might cause trouble," Liu Yunxuan called Liu Yunhai.

"Alright, we have quite a few veterans in the village these days," Liu Yunhai replied.

Many people from the countryside serve in the military. It’s a two-year term, and with no connections or money, few can stay in the army as non-commissioned officers. After returning, they have no way to find jobs and end up farming again. Liu Yunhai quickly arranged for 12 strong young men, 4 for the pig farm, and 8 for the larger chicken farm, to patrol every night. He also provided 6 phones, two for each pair.

Liu Yunxuan was right, but Hongmao didn’t plan to sabotage the pig farm or chicken farm. He already considered them Master Wang’s property. His target was Liu Yunxuan. He had his eyes on Liu Yunxuan’s two dogs, planning to catch them for meat. He would cut off their heads and throw them into Liu Yunxuan’s yard as a warning.

Hongmao prepared everything and finally waited for a cloudy night to act.

Reality is harsh. To avoid alarming the villagers, Hongmao waited until the late hours of the night, getting bitten by mosquitoes.

Feeling his way in the dark to Liu Yunxuan’s yard, he threw the prepared braised meat over the wall. What he didn’t know was that Liu Yunxuan woke up the moment the meat hit the ground.

His perception range was now very wide, and even the slightest noise in the quiet night would wake him up. Not to mention, Liu Yunxuan had been mentally prepared for this. What Hongmao didn’t know was that the two dogs, Dahuang and Banli, wouldn’t eat anything but what the family fed them, not even what Zhao Yan gave them.

Liu Yunxuan got dressed and walked into the yard. Dahuang and Banli stared warily at the flying piece of braised meat.

Liu Yunxuan signaled Dahuang and Banli to lie down and pretend to be dead, and he himself hid by the wall.

After waiting outside the yard for a while, Hongmao heard nothing and assumed the dogs were drugged. He was experienced in catching dogs and had done it many times before. He climbed over the wall and found the two dogs lying on the ground. He imagined the dog meat hotpot he would have the next day.

"Dahuang, catch him," Liu Yunxuan ordered without hesitation as Hongmao approached. He found such dog thieves particularly infuriating.

Dahuang leaped up and went for Hongmao’s throat, while Banli bit his calf from the ground.

Hongmao was terrified when Dahuang leaped. People who do bad things are most afraid of sudden situations. He had no time to react and was bitten by Dahuang on the throat.

Fortunately, Liu Yunxuan had trained Dahuang well. Dahuang didn’t bite down, just held him with his teeth. If he had bitten down, Hongmao would have been dead.

Only then did Hongmao feel the pain in his leg and started screaming. The neighbors, hearing the noise, turned on their lights and came to check.

"Nothing to worry about, just a dog thief. Everyone go back to sleep," Liu Yunxuan reassured the concerned neighbors.

By then, Dahuang and Banli had let go, and Hongmao was rolling on the ground in pain. Liu Yunxuan’s father recognized Hongmao as the one who came a few days ago and wanted to say something. There was no way to miss Hongmao’s distinctive appearance.

"Dad, you and Mom go back to sleep. I’ll take him to the county police station with Yunhai. He’s just a fool, nothing to worry about," Liu Yunxuan said, though his father was concerned.

Liu Yunxuan took photos of the scene with his phone, tied Hongmao up with a rope, threw him into the back of the pickup truck, and drove to the county police station with Liu Yunhai.

The officer on duty was a young policeman. The case was simple, and the evidence was clear. Liu Yunxuan’s photos were very clear. After handing Hongmao over to the officer and leaving his contact information, he and Liu Yunhai went home.

Liu Yunxuan didn’t care what punishment Hongmao would receive.

Unexpectedly, the next morning, after breakfast, he received a call from the county police station. They said the case from yesterday wasn’t over and needed Liu Yunxuan to come to the station for further investigation.

Liu Yunxuan didn’t think much of it and went directly to the station. The same young officer who took the call the previous night greeted him, looking exhausted with bloodshot eyes.

"Brother, be careful. Hongmao has people backing him and is trying to turn the tables on you," the young officer warned.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. I’m prepared to deal with them," Liu Yunxuan sincerely thanked the young officer.

The young officer sighed in relief, "That’s good." Liu Yunxuan noticed his name tag, Cao Weidong.

In the interrogation room, Liu Yunxuan didn’t expect to be interrogated rather than just assisting with the investigation.

The tall officer in charge said that Hongmao was accusing him of inciting the dogs to attack.

"Officer, are you really going to get involved in this and twist the facts?" Liu Yunxuan asked, looking straight at the officer.

"What attitude is this? Someone is accusing you of inciting dogs to attack, and you don’t explain yourself but instead argue here," the tall officer said angrily.

"Oh, so Hongmao is turning the tables. That’s simple. Didn’t I leave the photos from yesterday? If you lost them, it’s fine, I still have them at home," Liu Yunxuan said with a smile, looking at the tall officer.

The tall officer’s heart sank. It seemed Master Wang’s task wasn’t easy. He thought the photos were all at the police station, but this guy was smart and had a backup.

"How did you handle this? Such important evidence, and you didn’t tell me in advance? You deal with the rest," the tall officer said to Cao Weidong and left.

Cao Weidong thought, "Did I not show you? You deleted them yourself, didn’t you?"

"Xiao Cao, I didn’t expect you to be involved in this," Liu Yunxuan had a good impression of the young officer.

"Sorry, I took the call yesterday. I didn’t expect the deputy captain to intervene this morning."

"I heard Hongmao is one of Wang Zhe’s people. Be careful, they’ve done a lot of bad things," Cao Weidong said.

"Don’t worry, they can’t do much to me. But you, you’ve lost points with your superiors. You’ll have a tough time ahead."

"Whatever, it’s tough anyway. It can’t get much worse," Cao Weidong laughed bitterly.

Liu Yunxuan didn’t say much more, thanked him, and left.