A small plot of land in a mountain village

Xiao Dong, being a soldier, naturally had to try it out when he saw it. A docile crocodile is a rare find, and he was afraid he would regret it if he didn't take the opportunity to get close to it later.

Fatty still didn't dare to approach the thugs. Last time he said he wanted to make crocodile skin shoes, he completely offended the guy. Later, Fatty bought a lot of bones and pork for the guy to eat.

Who knew that after this guy had eaten his fill, he would continue to ignore you, which made the fat guy very depressed. These days, animals are smarter than humans.

Big Red in the air is always causing him trouble, and on land there's this crocodile; he's really offended quite a few guys. Now he's taken a liking to Little Black. When he first picked it up, it was already a meter tall, with black fur all over its body, which made Fatty always buy meat to reward it.

"Old Zhang, this resort is really relaxing. I've only been here for a short time, but I already want to stay here for a while."

Chairman Zhang didn't expect Old Zhu to say, "When you have time in the future, you can come for a day trip or a two-day trip. I guarantee you'll have a great time."

I took Lao Zhu to the orchard to taste the peaches, plums, and bayberries.

The fat man picked a peach and tossed a small piece of fruit to Xiao Dong. The two of them started chatting, and the fat man expressed his envy of military life, but said it was too hard.

The more interested Old Zhu became in this place, the more he encountered three blue wolves and a little black dog in the orchard.

"Is that the blue wolf you kept?"

Zhang Niu gently stroked the wolf's head and turned to say, "I found this in the mountains. It was starving back then. I kindly brought it back to raise it, but who knew it would grow up and not want to leave."

"Good deeds are rewarded. Wolf is a very vengeful guy." Old Zhu recounted many of his past experiences with Wolf.

Zhang Niu was just bragging; in front of outsiders, he basically said he found it himself.

When Xiao Dong first saw the three wolves, he realized they were different from the ones he had seen elsewhere. These three wolves were clearly more intelligent than others, and they formed an encirclement around each other wherever they landed.

If he were surrounded by these three wolves, Xiao Dong, a skilled soldier, knew he was no match for them and would eventually be bitten to death. But now, in front of Zhang Niu, he was as docile as a dog.

There was also a large black mongrel, so big that it didn't look like a domestic dog at all. Zhang Niu stroked it gently for a while.

The big wolves, along with Little Black, continued their wandering.

Xiao Dong was puzzled as to why the blue wolf was left like this, so he asked, "Do you usually leave your blue wolf like this?"

Before Zhang Niu could speak, the fat man interjected, "Yeah, those three blue wolves spend all day wandering around the orchard, or going into the mountains to hunt wild animals. They probably stay here at Happy Lodge at night, acting as security guards!"

With Qinglang acting as a gatekeeper at night, this Happy Abode is truly safe; petty theft is definitely out of the question.

. . . . . .

As night fell, the streetlights at Happy Little House were turned on, instantly turning it as bright as day.

"Ah, that feels so good!"

The fat man, with his big mouth, lay on the rocking chair, groaning contentedly.

Old Zhu didn't go home that night. Although the events of the morning had disrupted his mood quite a bit, he was in a very happy mood that afternoon. Not only did he see the aroma of wine turning into mist, but he also saw the docile crocodile. All of these things made Old Zhu beam with joy.

Sure enough, as soon as evening fell, Old Zhu had Chairman Zhang pull him over. They soaked their feet together. The water in the pond was clear, and through the dim light, you could see groups of small fish nibbling at their toes.

This has become a nightly ritual, much like eating every day.

"Old Zhu, how is it? It tastes alright, doesn't it? Although it's not as good as the authentic one in the provincial capital, it's not bad either." He held up a steaming cup of fragrant tea.

"Yes, I've heard that in the provincial capital, all the fish are imported from abroad. It's not as convenient as this kind of pure, authentic Sichuan fish," he said with a smile, seemingly quite satisfied.

"You don't know this, there are also black carp weighing over ten pounds in the pond," the fat man started bragging again.

Black carp? I've heard of it before; it tastes great, but this weight is incredibly heavy.

"Next time you catch a snakehead, please come and have a taste. After we caught one last time, it disappeared without a trace," the fat man said with dissatisfaction.

Xiao Dong was curious, "How can snakehead fish be so hard to catch?" "No way," Xiao Dong replied, "I heard from a friend that snakehead fish love to take the bait and are easy to catch, but it's not like what you're saying."

"You have to believe me, the snakehead fish in this pond are incredibly cunning. It's been almost a week since I last fished for snakehead, and I haven't caught a single one."

The snakehead fish was incredibly nimble; this was the first time Xiao Dong had ever heard of such a thing. But he hadn't caught a snakehead fish in a week. If it wasn't due to his lack of skill, then it must be a problem with the snakehead fish itself. Was it really as nimble as the fat man had described?

Xiao Dong smiled and said, "What you said makes me a little itchy to fish. Let's have a good fishing trip another day. It's really as difficult as you said."

This elicited a burst of laughter from the group.

The cheerful little house at dusk is just like daytime; wild boars chase each other on the cement road, and little rabbits hop around—it's all so heartwarming.

Because Old Zhu had to rush back for a meeting early the next morning, after they finished soaking their feet, they took the two to the bamboo house and chose a room by the window for them to stay in.

"Sleep here tonight! The sheets and blankets have been changed," Zhang Niu said as he opened the door.

City people love cleanliness. While they were still by the pond, Zhang Niu was already busy in the room, changing the sheets and blankets, and putting out hot water.

Close the door and get out.

On the small stone road, I saw Chairman Zhang standing next to the iron tree, wondering what was going on.

"You've been waiting for me! Is something the matter?" I asked as I walked over.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to come out for a while. Is everything all set up inside?" she said softly.

Chairman Zhang asked this question, and Zhang Niu nodded, "Yes, everything's done. You weren't going to wait here for me, were you?"

"Let's talk over at the bamboo pavilion!"

"Alright then."

The two walked to the bamboo pavilion.

"Do you know what Old Zhu does?"

Chairman Zhang's seemingly random remark left Zhang Niu momentarily bewildered, and he could only reply, "To become an official!"

"You can at least say something, but do you even know what it means?"

Zhang Niu knew it was an official, but he didn't know what kind of official it was. However, judging from the imposing manner, the official must be quite high-ranking. He shook his head and said ignorantly, "I'm just a rough fellow. It's good that I know it's an official, but it's hard to guess what kind of official it is."

Chairman Zhang knew Zhang Niu would answer like this: he always says he hasn't seen much lately, but he earns more money than the average person, and all sorts of strange things happen to him.

"The provincial official" said softly.

"Ah, a high-ranking provincial official!" Zhang Niu couldn't help but exclaim.

"Quiet down, that's enough, why do you have to shout so loudly?" Chairman Zhang quickly said.

Chairman Zhang originally didn't intend to say it, but then he thought that he should tell Zhang Niu first, before telling others, so that he would know who had helped him in the past.

Zhang Niu never expected that Old Zhu was actually a high-ranking provincial official. In his eyes, even a county magistrate was a very important official, so this high-ranking provincial official was the biggest boss among the small bosses.

Even a nobody like myself could see that he had served drinks to a high-ranking provincial official at noon, his face beaming with excitement.

"Last time you got beaten up at the police station, they were able to catch you so quickly thanks to Old Zhu's help. Without me, how could we have gotten you out?" Zhang Niu blurted out excitedly.

This was even more surprising than what had just been said. Zhang Niu had always thought that it was because Chairman Zhang had extensive connections that he had been pulled into this situation, but who knew that it was actually a high-ranking provincial official who had helped him.

"So, was it also Old Zhu's help with what happened yesterday?"

Chairman Zhang nodded.

They saved me twice; how can I ever repay that kindness? Last time, if it weren't for their help, and since I don't know anyone here, I don't know how I would have gotten out.

"Now you know why I was waiting for you by the roadside. And I'm telling you this now!"

I need to repay this favor, but what can I offer in return? I have nothing but this orchard. This afternoon, I'll get the certificate, and Old Zhu will resolve this matter with just a few words.

In a moment of desperation, I suddenly remembered the plum wine from the afternoon. Its aroma turned into mist, which must be a good thing, and it's especially good for your health.

It turns out that Chairman Zhang wanted to send some gifts up himself.

I glanced at it and was surprised by how thoughtful everything was. "Thank you, I know what to do now."

Zhang Niu, that kid, is pretty quick-witted. "Good to know, but don't say things like that. Just keep it to yourself."

"Yes, I understand."

"I'm going back to sleep now. You should get some rest too!"

In the lonely darkness, only Zhang Niu stood by the bamboo pavilion, lost in thought.

The next morning, the chirping of birds outside heralded the arrival of the day.

I feel very comfortable and energetic, which must be the effect of drinking yesterday, and I don't seem drunk at all.

"How was it? Did you sleep well last night?" Chairman Zhang asked while using the exercise equipment.

"I didn't expect you to still be up so early, just like before. This sleep is even more comfortable than at home. I used to sleep so soundly at night," he replied with a smile.

"As people get older, they still need to exercise. The air is fresh in the morning, so come out and breathe it in; it'll help you live a long and healthy life," Chairman Zhang explained with a smile.

The two chatted and laughed as they practiced Tai Chi together.

Xiao Dong gets up so early every day. There's a horizontal bar over there in the parking lot, and he starts doing it there early in the morning. He hasn't done it in a long time, and he can't keep up like before. He wipes the sweat from his brow.

"Time to eat!"

Liangshan makes breakfast really early, every day. It seems that anyone who has worked as a chef is used to being busy every day. If they have nothing to do on a particular day, they really feel uncomfortable.

In the morning, all we had was boiled noodles. The noodles were homemade and evenly rolled out, which Old Zhu, who was used to eating steamed buns for breakfast, found quite delicious.

Noodles only taste good when there are many people around.

Liangshan also boiled a lot of eggs, as a way to calm the nerves of the two fat men from yesterday.

The fat man finished off the two eggs in his bowl in three bites, still complaining that it wasn't enough for him. This glutton even thought that there weren't enough eggs. Zhang Niu was already quite full with just two eggs.

Just as Lao Zhu was about to get into the car, Zhang Niu ran out, carrying a bag in his hand.

"etc--"

After eating, Zhang Niu ran back to the yard to fill the plum wine container.

"What's the matter? People still have to go to work," the fat man shouted.

He handed the bag to Xiao Dong and said, "I noticed you really liked this kind of wine yesterday, so I packed some for you this morning. It's not much, just a small token of my appreciation."

Old Zhu accepted it with satisfaction. This was good wine, and since it was homemade, there was nothing to worry about.

Seeing Xiao Dong's bewildered expression, she said, "It's a token of their appreciation, so just accept it!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Dong quickly accepted the gift. The secretary rarely accepted gifts; could this be from the Fog Bar from yesterday?

Good heavens, this bag must contain at least a few bottles. I could still smell the lingering aroma of alcohol when I went to the kitchen this morning.

PS: Third update complete. (To be continued. For more chapters and to support the author, please log in and read the official version!)