Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 408 Tangerines and Houttuynia cordata

Lin Ge listened to the entire meeting, but he was still somewhat confused.

What does this case have to do with him?

Or, in this kind of theft case involving collusion between insiders and outsiders, what role could a cat possibly play?
The suspect inside is dead, and there's no trace of the outsider. It's possible the main theft was orchestrated by the person who committed suicide. In this situation, what can a cat do? Sniff out the money? And then find where it's hidden?
What a joke!
Lu Dingping went on to say a lot more, and Kong Zhongpei also repeatedly emphasized the urgency of the matter.

Spring planting in Sichuan Province starts earlier than in Hubei Province, and the time when farmers need to spend money is fast approaching. If this money cannot be recovered in time, the county will have no choice but to ask the city for help. Although the city will then provide additional funds, the leaders and cadres of Jixi County will have completely lost face.

Fang Yun has worked hard for more than two years in this poor and remote area. If all her efforts are in vain because of this, it would be a great pity for both her and Jixi County.

After the meeting, Fang Yun invited the group to her place for a while. Although solving the case was urgent, there was no rush. It was already dark; they should at least make sure their two guests had their lodgings arranged first.

"You live in a place like this?"

When Li Siyu arrived at Fang Yun's residence, she was taken aback.

She never imagined that a county magistrate would live in such an old, dilapidated apartment building. The layout of the one-bedroom apartment was similar to that of the old staff dormitories.

There wasn't even a private bathroom in the house; washing and other necessities were all at the sink at the end of the corridor. The public toilet was at the other end of the corridor, making it extremely inconvenient to use the toilet or take a shower, especially in the dead of winter.

"It's nice here, quiet, and the view from the window is good too."

Fang Yun smiled faintly, told Zheng Jiacheng not to wander off, and then led the three people and the cat into the house. As soon as you enter, you can see a set of old-fashioned wooden furniture. Clothes are scattered on the sofa, and various documents are piled up on the coffee table. It really looks like a dormitory for someone living alone.

"You!"

Shaking his head, Zheng Mingxing had no interest in talking to Fang Yun about their long-awaited reunion. He sighed and took the initiative to help her tidy up her messy room.

Fang Yun just leaned against the cabinet and watched with a smile, without going forward to help.

Seeing that Li Siyu was a little reserved, and Li Yiduo was frowning in thought the whole way, she smiled and said, "Let's take a break. I'll get you some fruit. Oh, by the way, would you like some 'Baba' tangerines? It's a hybrid tangerine variety originally from Japan. It has a very high sugar content and tastes very sweet. It was only introduced to China by the National Citrus Research Institute a few years ago. I came across it by chance once and felt that this tangerine might have a very good market value. In addition, Jixi County has many hills and mountains, which is most suitable for planting orchards, so I decided to bring it here."

Fang Yun sighed a little at this point, shook her head, and continued, "To be honest, I was always worried at first, afraid that my actions would make the fruit farmers' two years of hard work go to waste. But luckily, this year is the first year that the grafted seedlings have successfully borne fruit, and the fruit that has grown is perfect! I estimate that this will become a star project in Jixi County in the future, and the people will rely on it to get out of poverty and become rich!"

Fang Yun kept talking, becoming happier and happier as she spoke. She seemed to rarely encounter someone she could have a normal conversation with, so even though she wasn't familiar with Li Siyu, she still acted very close to her.

But being a county magistrate after all, his words were still about work.

"Now that we're home, let's not talk about work. Besides, you've been mentioning tangerines for so long, haven't you even offered to give them a few to try?"

Zheng Mingxing tidied up the coffee table and sofa, threw all the clutter into the inner bedroom, and then came out to criticize Fang Yun. It's clear that the two have a good relationship; being separated hasn't diminished their feelings.

"I'm waiting for you to get it for me."

Fang Yun remained unmoved, or rather, ever since she met Zheng Mingxing, she had become that ordinary little woman who needed to rely on someone.

Zheng Mingxing shook his head helplessly, but still took out a bright orange tangerine from the refrigerator next door, which was wrapped in a plastic bag. The tangerine looked wrinkled and soft, and just looking at it, Zheng Mingxing couldn't help but worry about his wife's choice.

But after peeling it and taking a bite, Zheng Mingxing's eyes lit up. Just as his wife had said, it was incredibly sweet and delicious, and easy to peel! If it could be successfully introduced, it truly had the potential and power to transform the wealth of an entire county.

"Right?"

Fang Yun smiled playfully, and the confidence on her face made Zheng Mingxing smile as well.

What he liked most was his wife's confident demeanor. Whether it was advocating for the introduction of a citrus variety that was almost unheard of in China, or building the roads in Jixi County before seeing any benefits, these were all extremely risky things for an ordinary leader.

Because these two projects have been entirely supported by the county's finances so far, if they fail, Jixi County will go bankrupt!
Not to mention bankruptcy, two years of hard work by ordinary people would be wasted. Uprooting the orange trees and starting something else would require a lot of energy and money, all of which could easily bankrupt an ordinary farming family.

A single sentence from a county leader can determine a farmer's life or death and future; one can imagine the risks and pressure involved.

Even so, Fang Yun persevered. She even endured the pain of being separated from her husband and son for a long time, and as a young female county head who faced much criticism, she created a bright future for Jixi County that was clearly visible to the naked eye.

"This woman is born to be an official!"

Lin Ge squatted to the side, sighing with relief that Fang Yun was finally showing her some respect. As for the so-called Chun Jian mandarin oranges, he definitely wouldn't eat them. They were too high in sugar, not a good thing for cats.

"Is this the cat you always told me about?"

Fang Yun finally turned her attention to Lin Ge. Seeing that the cat wasn't afraid at all and calmly stared at her, Fang Yun leaned closer and said, "It does look quite special; those eyes are like they can talk. Hey Zheng Mingxing, I feel like this guy is praising me, do you believe me?"

Seeing Lin Ge avoid her touch, Fang Yun wasn't angry. She just turned to Zheng Mingxing and said, "Look, even a cat thinks I'm doing a good job. Why do you always want me to quit my job, abandon the people of Jixi County, and go back to live a quiet life with you?"

"As you wish."

In front of outsiders, Zheng Mingxing didn't argue with Fang Yun. Besides, this topic had been discussed many times before, and since they couldn't reach an agreement each time, there was no need to bring it up again.

Seeing the two who had just been all lovey-dovey and sweet suddenly turn into a battle of wits, Li Yiduo and Li Siyu were both quite uneasy. Even Lin Ge was speechless, squinting at this odd couple.

"It's getting late, so we'll take our leave now. We still need to find a place to stay, so we won't linger here and keep you two company. Also, Instructor Zheng, would you like me to sleep with Zheng Jiacheng tonight?"

Li Yiduo found an excuse to leave, and in his heart he thought his excuse was pretty good.

What's there for you two to argue about? Hurry up and say some sweet nothings and get into bed, you bastards! I'll even take the third wheel away for you, so hurry up, you two.

"..."

Zheng Mingxing, Fang Yun, and even Li Siyu all gave Li Yiduo a speechless look.

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

On the way out, Li Siyu looked helplessly at her boyfriend. She always thought his naivety was already outrageous, but she never expected him to pull off something so unexpected. Could this guy have been any more obvious? Taking Zheng Jiacheng away…

"Arguments in bed are resolved before they even get out of bed; I think my thinking is right!"

Li Yiduo didn't think he had done anything wrong. After all, he couldn't let the couple keep arguing or even having a cold war, could he?

Seeing that Li Siyu was about to explode, he quickly changed the subject, saying, "Siyu, do you have any thoughts on today's case? I feel like something's not quite right, especially that the county finance bureau doesn't even have many security cameras. That's outrageous. This is a place that manages finances, you know. Surely they have some security measures in place? Just a security door and a safe, why do they think that's enough to keep all thieves out?"

Is there anything strange about this?

Li Siyu looked at Li Yiduo with suspicion, bounced Lin Ge in her arms, and continued, "The Finance Bureau isn't a bank, why would it need so many surveillance cameras? Besides, although this kind of department manages money, they don't usually keep much cash on hand! Didn't you hear what they said at the previous meeting? It's only in the last two years since County Chief Fang came that they've managed to secure these subsidies for farmers. The previous county chief couldn't have gotten this much money. And to add to that, some companies in big cities have millions in safes, plus gold, jewelry, bonds, and stuff, but they don't install cameras right next to those safes!"

“That’s true, but the Finance Bureau is a government department. How can we be less vigilant? Look, now that trouble has arisen.”

Li Yiduo shook his head, still feeling that the Finance Bureau was largely at fault in this matter. Of course, there was no point in discussing this now; from the moment the person died, the Finance Bureau was destined to bear responsibility.

"Actually, I think those people in the county seem to be hiding something from us."

Li Siyu was more perceptive than Li Yiduo; she sensed that everyone in the county seemed to be hiding something. Even Fang Yun was helping to cover it up, which led to Zheng Mingxing persuading her to resign and leave.

"You mean, Instructor Zheng figured it out?"

Li Yiduo was stunned. How come he hadn't noticed anything?
"Mimi noticed too, right?"

Li Siyu looked down at the cat in her arms.

"Ow~"

Lin Ge yawned lazily, without making a sound, but simply moved his head to lie more comfortably on Li Siyu's chest.

Of course he had already discovered it long ago.

However, unlike Li Siyu's approach, Lin Ge only used his sense of smell to discover that many people had been in Fang Yun's room not long ago.

Or rather, at least five people were discussing matters in this room before their arrival in Jixi County. Fang Yun, the hostess, had even entertained them.

Besides the tangerine peel cakes that Zheng Mingxing and the other two had just eaten, there was a strange, cool, fishy smell in the room. At first, Lin Ge thought something was wrong, but when Fang Yun opened the refrigerator, she saw a bowl of leftover food called houttuynia cordata.

Of course, this thing is called "zhe'ergen" in Sichuan Province, and it's a wild vegetable that many people in Sichuan like to eat, but outsiders find disgusting. Lin Ge smelled it in the conference room earlier, and Kong Zhongpei and Lu Dingping both had some on them.

From this perspective, it seems that at least the county head, county officials, and the head of the county public security bureau of Jixi County had discussed something together.

Isn't that interesting?

Something happened in the county, and three people from the county government contacted each other privately?
Lin Ge suspected that this case might be more complicated than he had imagined. It wasn't that he suspected Fang Yun and the other two of violating regulations, but rather that there was definitely something deeper involved, perhaps even more interesting than the theft case.

"Hmm... never mind, let Zheng Mingxing think about this himself, I won't interfere! It is indeed more difficult for impoverished counties to develop if they follow the rules."

Lin Ge yawned and slowly closed his eyes.

In the dormitory, Zheng Mingxing and Fang Yun looked at each other, but for a moment they couldn't find anything to talk about.

Although they are husband and wife and have a ten-year-old child, they have spent too little time together in the past two years. They have both noticed some changes in each other, but they can't quite say whether these changes are good or bad.

After a moment of silence, Zheng Mingxing went to the refrigerator, opened it, and took out the plate of houttuynia cordata.

He put the plate on the coffee table, picked up a piece with his hand, and put it in his mouth to chew.

The strange smell made Zheng Mingxing frown slightly, but he still forced himself to swallow it before looking up at Fang Yun, who had a calm expression, and said, "When did you start liking to eat houttuynia cordata? I remember you used to love sweets and hated weird-tasting things. When we first got married, the place we went on dates to most often was the cake shop. Have your tastes changed that much in the years we've been apart?"

"There's no way around it! It's not easy to get a piece of cake in Jixi County. When Zheng Jiacheng came to visit during the Spring Festival, I wanted to buy him some snacks, but I had to go all the way to the city to find the ones your son likes. So gradually, after trying these local foods again and again, I've been able to eat them. In fact, after eating them a lot, I find them quite interesting. They're pretty good as a side dish or a snack during a rare break."

As Fang Yun spoke, she lowered her head, picked up a piece of houttuynia cordata, casually tossed it into her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and swallowed it.

Looking at his wife, who had changed so much, Zheng Mingxing felt somewhat helpless.

He knew that his relationship with Fang Yun wasn't a normal marriage, but what could he do when both of them had their own careers? Besides, aside from career issues, they actually had no conflicts. Don't be fooled by how fiery his wife's words were right now; if he just softened his tone a little, she would immediately revert to her usual gentle and considerate wife.

Yes! Now she's in "female county head mode," her mind isn't on her husband, but on the food, clothing, housing, education, and elderly care of the 180,000 people in Jixi County.

"So, you really can't tell me?"

Zheng Mingxing was very worried about Fang Yun. He knew that this woman was doing something extremely foolish. Although he didn't know the specifics, he knew that once this woman acted recklessly, she was capable of anything.

Just like two years ago, she ignored her own and her family's advice and insisted on coming to Jixi County to become the so-called youngest female county head.

Are you asking me this as a police officer or as my husband?

Fang Yun chewed on the fishy-smelling wild grass that made Zheng Mingxing frown, while crossing her arms and smiling at the man in front of her.

The child was asleep, and now she could finally have a good fight with this guy without restraint. Humph! It's been two years since he last visited her, and he hasn't come to see her even a few times. Does visiting and comforting his wife mean absolutely nothing to him?

"..."

Zheng Mingxing didn't know what to say; he found it difficult to abandon his principles.

"Hehe... I'm just teasing you. I knew what kind of person you were in my past life, how could I possibly do anything to make things difficult for you?"

Fang Yun suddenly laughed, walked lightly to Zheng Mingxing, and then sat on his lap. Resting her head on Zheng Mingxing's shoulder, Fang Yun wrapped her arms around his waist: "Don't worry, nothing will happen. I haven't done anything illegal or against the rules, nor will I disgrace the Fang family or my position as county magistrate. Something really has happened in the county, and someone has indeed taken something they shouldn't have. Just help me catch him, but you must delay it for a few days..."

"What do you mean?"

Zheng Mingxing instinctively put his arm around his wife's waist, but was stunned when he heard the last sentence. His mind raced, then his eyes widened in disbelief: "You're planning to apply for the agricultural subsidy from the city again? Even if the three million is recovered, you don't plan to return it? You... so even though you haven't broken any rules, you're still eyeing the stolen three million in agricultural subsidies? What are you going to do with it? The development of Jixi County can't be changed by three million, can it?"

'Ugh!'

Seeing Zheng Mingxing's astonished expression, Fang Yun couldn't help but kiss this scoundrel on the lips. The fishy smell from his mouth made Zheng Mingxing roll his eyes.

Zheng Mingxing wanted to push away the woman who needed to brush her teeth, but Fang Yun clung to him tightly.

Her face was flushed, whether from the smell of houttuynia cordata or genuine shyness, it was hard to tell. "Anyway, you have to help me! Jixi County needs this money, urgently! I recently contacted a big star from Hong Kong who's thinking of donating several Hope Primary Schools in mainland China. Hehe... Jixi County is slowly getting better, but it still doesn't have a single school! That's not right! So I need this big star to put one of the schools in my Jixi County! Then this three million yuan can be used to hire teachers, buy desks, chairs, textbooks, and even nutritious lunches for the children, making the school professional instead of just teaching literacy, so that the children of Jixi County can escape the regret of superficial compulsory education..."

"Why don't we just apply to the Municipal Education Bureau for this kind of thing?"

Zheng Mingxing remained puzzled.

He understood what his wife meant. She hoped that Jixi County could have a good school so that the children would not have to drop out of school after junior high school, but could learn enough knowledge to get into a good high school and a good university.

Only this kind of education can cultivate talent, rather than simply completing the compulsory education task and leaving children to continue being farmers, toiling in the soil with no hope of survival, just like their parents and grandparents.

It must be said that Fang Yun's thinking was indeed very far ahead.

Although Zheng Mingxing understood his wife's plan, he still didn't understand why she was so impulsive and why she was in such a hurry.

(End of this chapter)