Chapter 17

The monkey felt extremely frustrated. He hated Liu Yunxuan to death. He had only intended to give Liu Yunxuan a small lesson, but he never expected to be outsmarted by him and bitten fiercely by that despicable dog. His calf was almost torn open.

"Master, you must avenge me," the monkey, lying on the hospital bed, pleaded to Wang Zhe.

"You're really stupid. Didn't you check if the dog was really dead before you took the poison?" Wang Zhe was somewhat exasperated.

"I did check, who would have thought those two dogs were just pretending to be dead?" the monkey weakly replied.

"Alright, if you were careless, just admit it." Wang Zhe said irritably, dismissing the monkey's excuse. Yes, it was just an excuse. He remembered those two dogs; they were just ordinary village dogs, though they looked a bit stronger. Village dogs were just village dogs; they couldn't pretend to be dead. Do you think you're making a movie?

The monkey was also helpless. He knew what he said was true, but his friends didn't believe him. They all mocked him, saying he had eaten too much dog meat and was now scared to death by dogs. The monkey felt like dying.

If the monkey knew how to curse, Liu Yunxuan would have died many times by now.

Liu Yunxuan was now truly at leisure. All the matters were handled by Zhao Yan and his younger brother Liu Yunhai. The patrol team was established, and security measures were in place. Now, he just took Fangfang for leisurely walks.

In front of him, Da Huang and Banli led the way. On his left, Fangfang walked with Da Hong and Xiao Hong, playing games. On his right, Hong Hong ran back and forth.

At first, he thought Hong Hong was the mother of Da Hong and Xiao Hong, but later he found out that Hong Hong was also a young fox, not fully grown yet. Were they siblings? Liu Yunxuan shook his head, unable to figure it out.

As he walked, he greeted the villagers, stopping to chat with them. Most of them asked Liu Yunxuan if he had any other ways to make money. The villagers had gotten used to this group.

At first, they were very curious about the foxes, but later they found that the three little foxes were like domestic pets, very obedient and didn't cause any trouble. Occasionally, they even let people pet them. If someone had roasted peanuts, they would feed the foxes.

The little foxes were also very considerate. When given food, they would first look at Liu Yunxuan. If he nodded, they would take it and eat it. Afterward, they would even bow.

"Yunxuan, you're walking the foxes again? Here, I have some small fish and shrimp. They're not worth much, but you can take them to feed the foxes," said Old Ge, who lived at the east end of the village, handing over a bag of mixed fish and shrimp.

"Thank you so much, Old Ge. How are the fish and shrimp this year?" About 30 kilometers from the village, there was a tributary of the Ling River, where Old Ge often fished to supplement his income.

"It's still okay, but it's getting worse each year. A few years ago, I wouldn't even take carp smaller than a palm, but now it's hard to find even those," Old Ge sighed.

"People nowadays prefer wild things, saying they're more nutritious. There are too many people fishing; I guess in a few years, all the fish in the Ling River will be gone," Old Ge sat down, watching the little foxes eat the fish while chatting.

"Old Ge, I heard you used to be very good at raising fish and shrimp?" Liu Yunxuan asked.

"Don't mention it, don't mention it. No matter how good I was, I lost everything on two ponds of shrimp," Old Ge had been quite wealthy for a while by raising fish and shrimp, but once, just as the shrimp were about to be sold, they all died. Old Ge lost everything.

"Old Ge, do you have any plans to get back into it?" Liu Yunxuan asked.

"I'm too old, and I need to save money for my son's wedding. I don't have the courage to do it again," Old Ge shook his head and said.

"Old Ge, I plan to dig a fish pond. I wonder if you'd be interested in helping me manage it?" Liu Yunxuan revealed his purpose.

"Really? Not just talking?" Old Ge knew that working for Liu Yunxuan paid well.

"Of course, I wouldn't joke about this. I plan to dig the pond near the Ling River tributary. It will have a constant flow of water."

"That's great, the flowing water is good. The fish will be firm and tasty."

"Alright, I'll check with the town to see if I can lease the land." He wiped the mouths of the three little foxes and took Fangfang home.

"Big brother, the phone is ringing, answer it, big brother, the phone is ringing, answer it." This was Liu Yunxuan's ringtone.

Fangfang had recorded it. She was very proud of it, saying that big brother would always be with her wherever he went.

"Fatso, what's so urgent that you have to call? Can't you wait until lunchtime to talk about it?" Liu Yunxuan saw it was Zhao Yan calling and said casually.

"My ancestor, I can't wait. Those bastards said they were checking the lines and cut off our power. At first, I thought it was real, but after I went out, I didn't see a single person checking the lines," Zhao Yan hurriedly said before Liu Yunxuan could finish.

This was a big deal. Without power, they couldn't pump water. It was crucial for the pig farm and the chicken farm, especially the pig farm, which needed electricity for mixing feed and cleaning the pig pens.

"Alright, I understand. If the feed runs out, we'll mix it by hand. For the water, we'll get it from the village. I'll find someone to solve this issue," Liu Yunxuan knew that Wang Zhe's trouble had come. He didn't expect the kid to be so ruthless, cutting off the power directly.

Back home, Liu Yunxuan drove his pickup truck to town to discuss the matter with Wang Mingyuan.

"Yunxuan, you're a rare visitor," Wang Mingyuan was surprised by Liu Yunxuan's arrival. The old man would rather play with foxes and dogs than come to town to see him.

"Someone is causing trouble. Wang Zhe had the water and power cut off." Wang Mingyuan knew about the previous conflicts and had planned to help mediate. Liu Yunxuan said it wasn't necessary, but now he was stuck because of the power issue.

"Don't worry about it. Just because his father is the county magistrate, he thinks he can do whatever he wants? Does he really think he's a local emperor?" Wang Mingyuan was also very angry. As the son of a provincial party secretary, he had to be cautious here, but he didn't expect the son of a county magistrate to be so arrogant.

First, they went to the county agricultural and power bureau.

"Director Zhang, I won't say much. Can you tell me when the power will be restored to the pig farm and chicken farm in Kaoshan Village? I need to prepare," Wang Mingyuan, who often met with him at meetings, got straight to the point.

"Ha ha, Director Wang, they are repairing the lines. The power will be restored once the repairs are done. Don't worry, don't worry," Director Zhang, sitting in his large chair, leaned back and said slowly.

"Director Zhang, this isn't funny," Wang Mingyuan said.

"Really, there's nothing I can do. The lines are faulty, and no one could have predicted it. I need to find the problem before I can fix it, right?" Director Zhang looked at Liu Yunxuan meaningfully.

"Alright, Director Zhang, you're impressive," Wang Mingyuan was very angry at Director Zhang's evasiveness.

"Director Wang, please mind your manners. You can leave now. I have a meeting in the city soon. Xiao Li, show him out," Director Zhang started to shoo them away.

"Hmph, do you really think I'm afraid of you just because I'm from the province? I thought you were here to gain experience, but you've been here for more than three years and haven't made a single move. This isn't gaining experience; this is being sidelined," Director Zhang thought to himself.

After leaving the agricultural and power bureau, Wang Mingyuan was truly angry. He had only heard about such things before, but today he had seen it firsthand. No wonder people say that a corrupt county magistrate can ruin a family, and a corrupt prefectural magistrate can destroy a clan. A small county agricultural bureau director could use his power to make life difficult for a commoner.

If he weren't here, would they have to agree to Wang Zhe's terms and let him invest 20,000 yuan? And now, his demands would probably be even greater, wanting a larger share.