Ch 2: Those who wronged me are now begging me for mercy

Boss Lady, Do You Want Some Salted Duck Eggs?

Item Description: Salted duck eggs with a rich, oily yolk, perfect with millet porridge. Made using a secret family recipe passed down from the grandmother. Consuming them brings a profound sense of peace and love.

Note: The lowest tier in the system, classified as “N-level.”

According to the system’s rules, items obtained through the lottery are categorized by level. The lowest is gray “N,” followed by “R,” “SR,” and “SSR.” Normally, for a first-time ten-draw, the system would provide at least something above “N-level” to encourage the user. However, all ten of the items drawn were the lowest-tier salted duck eggs, neatly lined up before Rong Ziyin.

This scene was quite mocking, no matter how you looked at it.

However, Rong Ziyin’s focus was elsewhere. “Can you really feel peace and love after eating these?”

“Yes, the system’s descriptions are always accurate,” the system replied weakly, feeling that Rong Ziyin’s incredible bad luck was making it question its very existence.

Rong Ziyin didn’t try to console it but quickly ended the internal conversation. After all, there was still the matter of dealing with these ducks.

But the village chief acted even faster. Before Rong Ziyin could suggest keeping one duck for testing so the two women could apply for compensation, the chief had already ordered his men to round up the two flocks.

Seeing this, Rong Ziyin added, “Since avian tuberculosis doesn’t spread slowly, after culling these ducks, it would be best to test the other breeding ducks in the village to rule out any positive cases.”

“Positive?” The village chief didn’t quite understand what Rong Ziyin meant.

“Positive means the presence of the virus.”

“And if we find any positives?”

“Then there’s no point in saving them,” Rong Ziyin shook his head. “Avian tuberculosis has no effective treatment. If even one duck in a flock is infected, the entire flock must be culled and burned.”

Panic value +1000

The villagers who had been watching suddenly became very serious, and the two women were so overwhelmed that they couldn’t even cry out anymore.

The situation with the ducks was indeed serious, but no one had expected it to be this severe. They were all at a loss for how to react.

After a long silence, one of the women finally spoke, “But this disease didn’t start with our ducks! The first sick duck was brought over from my brother’s place.”

“The neighboring village?” Rong Ziyin quickly asked, “What kind of ducks does your brother mainly raise?”

“Muscovy ducks. But the one I brought back was just a regular duck.”

“Muscovy ducks, that explains it,” Rong Ziyin frowned. “Muscovy ducks are primarily raised in the south, and their breeding ducks are usually older than those raised in the north. Avian tuberculosis is a chronic disease, and since northern ducks have a shorter growth period, many are slaughtered before the disease can even be detected. It’s difficult for such a large-scale outbreak to occur.”

“So, it’s likely that the problem started with the Muscovy ducks they were raising, which then infected all the other ducks,” Rong Ziyin said, feeling concerned. Contaminated poultry is a serious health risk, so even though the disease originated in a neighboring village, it still needed to be addressed.

But the woman had already started cursing!

“Damn that sister-in-law of mine! I knew something was off when she so generously gave me a duck as I was leaving.”

“What do you mean? Tell me more,” Rong Ziyin quickly inquired.

The woman wiped her tears and began explaining from the beginning.

“The first duck that got sick was a breeding duck I brought from my parents’ home.” The woman’s family lived in the neighboring village, Xiaowang Village.

The aunt’s elderly parents were now living with her younger brother, and as they were getting older, she often visited them. Although she never went empty-handed, her brother would usually reciprocate with something as a gesture of goodwill.

Normally, exchanging gifts among relatives is a good thing, especially between siblings. However, her sister-in-law was a competitive person who always tried to get the upper hand. Seeing that the aunt visited her parents frequently, the sister-in-law felt like her family was being taken advantage of and couldn’t resist making snide remarks.

As a result, the relationship between them became strained. But one day, the sister-in-law suddenly changed her attitude. She heard that the aunt was raising ducks and generously gave her a drake as a breeding duck.

The aunt looked at the plump and healthy drake and was pleased, not because she wanted to take advantage of the gift, but because she thought it was better to keep the peace in the family. Since her sister-in-law was extending an olive branch, there was no need to hold a grudge.

So, she left money for the duck and happily brought it home. Little did she know, this would lead to such a disaster.

“Sigh, it’s all my fault! I ended up trusting that heartless sister-in-law of mine!” The aunt said, crying for real this time. Her genuine tears reflected her heartbreak, feeling that her goodwill had been betrayed.

Rong Ziyin watched as a “Sadness Value +400” floated above her head and could only shake his head silently. Meanwhile, the villagers around them couldn’t hold back their anger.

“This is just too much! What kind of family does this to their own relatives?”

“Forget about family! Now our entire village is going to suffer because of this! Didn’t you hear what Dr. Rong said? All the ducks in the village need to be tested! If there’s any positive case, we’re all doomed!”

“This won’t do, Village Chief! We can’t let this slide!”

“Exactly! We need to go to Xiaowang Village and demand an explanation! How can they get away with causing such harm?”

For the villagers, livestock and land are of equal importance. Hearing that their livestock might suffer losses immediately stirred up anger and a sense of urgency.

The village chief, still relatively calm, signaled for the villagers to quiet down before turning to Rong Ziyin, “Dr. Rong, are you sure this disease came from that duck?”

“I’m fairly certain. Now that both flocks are sick, even the ducklings are showing symptoms. If the disease had originated in our village, the entire village would be affected, not just these two flocks. Based on the incubation period of avian tuberculosis, it aligns with the timing of when this aunt brought back the breeding duck.”

“Is there a way to confirm this?”

“Yes, if we can take samples from the ducks in the neighboring village, we can verify it. Since the breeding duck got sick after arriving here, it was likely already infected. I suspect their ducks are in even worse condition. I’ll contact their livestock station.”

With that, Rong Ziyin pulled out his phone and dialed the number, putting it on speaker.

“Xiaowang Village Livestock Station, what’s up?” The vet on the other end was a middle-aged man who sounded half-asleep, even though it was already morning.

Rong Ziyin explained the situation, “I hope you take this seriously. Avian tuberculosis is a significant contagious disease.”

The vet on the other end scoffed and dismissed it outright, “Impossible! We conduct biannual health checks in our village.”

“Kid, you’re young, don’t go stirring up trouble.” The vet clearly didn’t take Rong Ziyin seriously.

The vets in the village livestock stations were usually assigned from the capital, so Rong Ziyin’s reputation from school had already spread through the system when he first arrived.

After all, a highly educated talent ending up in a small, remote livestock station clearly indicated that his situation wasn’t great.

Moreover, this vet had a personal grudge against Rong Ziyin, making him even less inclined to take him seriously. He had been scolded by his family for years for not being as capable as Rong Ziyin, who got into Agricultural University and became a local hero.

But now, the fallen phoenix was no better than a chicken, easy for anyone to trample on.

The vet was just waiting for Rong Ziyin to say something so he could put him in his place.

However, Rong Ziyin responded with a calm “Oh,” and hung up the phone.

Wang Dazhuang’s Frustration Value +888

Wang Dazhuang swung his fist at the air in frustration, but Rong Ziyin didn’t care at all.

Rong Ziyin: “It’s a lucky number; Dazhuang is quite particular.”

The system was at a loss for words at this assessment.

However, the village chief and villagers who overheard Wang Dazhuang’s response were furious.

Great, your village’s ducks caused this mess, and you’re just going to ignore it?

The village chief, who had been holding back his anger, finally exploded, “What kind of vet is this? The people in Xiaowang Village are bad enough, but their vet is no better than a quack!”

“Exactly! Chief, we can’t let them get away with this!”

“Every household in our village raises ducks, and they’re all free-range. This is a big deal. We have to get justice.”

“That’s right! Chief, you’re our leader; you have to stand up for us!” The two aunts started crying again.

The village chief, now equally enraged, grabbed a hoe and declared, “Let’s go! We’re going to demand an explanation from them.”

A ten-year-old boy in the crowd heard this, ran home to grab a gong, and started banging it as he ran along the dirt road, shouting.

“Xiaowang Village is committing murder for money!”

“The chief is leading us to get justice; everyone, grab your tools!”

“Murder? Call the police then!” someone in the fields responded.

The boy, quick-witted, explained the situation in just a few words.

As more people gathered and passed on the message, the accusation of “murder for money” spread quickly through the village.

What? It’s just ducks, not people, so it doesn’t count as murder?

That’s nonsense! Ducks are money! We need justice!

A group of village men, armed with tools, followed the village chief as they marched toward Xiaowang Village. Before they left, Rong Ziyin made sure they took the dissected duck along with its heart, liver, and lungs. He watched them leave with a calm demeanor.

With Rong Ziyin’s help, the village chief and the villagers felt more confident, which immediately earned Rong Ziyin over 3,000 excitement points—enough for three more draws.

Rong Ziyin: “Should I draw now?”

The system, trying to be strategic, suggested: “How about we wait for a ten-draw?”

Rong Ziyin checked the time: “It’ll be soon.”

The system didn’t catch the hidden meaning in Rong Ziyin’s words, but soon enough, it started receiving various emotion points.

Embarrassment points from the neighboring village’s chief: 890, Confusion points from villagers: 2333, Despair points from Xiaowang Village’s sick ducks: 250.

The biggest contributor, however, was the vet, Wang Dazhuang, who had mocked Rong Ziyin earlier. His frustration, resentment, and anger alone provided over 4,000 points.

Rong Ziyin: “See, I told you.”

Avian tuberculosis is a serious disease, and Rong Ziyin’s timely detection was a moral obligation. If he hadn’t reported it, the entire county could have been affected. If word got out, not only would one village suffer, but the surrounding villages would also face consequences. The buyers would cut off all ties, devastating the local economy that relied heavily on livestock.

As expected, back in Xiaowang Village, Wang Dazhuang was now surrounded by angry villagers from both sides. The dissected duck that Rong Ziyin had sent was shoved right in his face.

“Look at this! This is the duck from your village. Don’t you conduct biannual health checks?”

Wang Dazhuang couldn’t explain it. He had indeed been lax in poultry immunization over the past two years, but there were only a few households in Xiaowang Village that raised ducks. He had checked them just last month and hadn’t noticed anything wrong.

The worst part was that when they checked the ducks at the aunt’s brother’s place, they found the same disease.

There was no escaping it now—the source was confirmed.

The village chief of Xiaowang Village began to sweat profusely. “Quick! Check where these ducks have been sold! This is a disaster!”

His head was spinning with stress, while the village chief from Rong Ziyin’s village reassured him with a pat on the shoulder and praised their young vet.

“Don’t worry, we caught it early. Wherever there’s a problem, there’s a solution.”

“This is why knowledge is so important. It’s why the government always promotes science!”

“Yes, yes, we owe it all to Dr. Rong,” the Xiaowang Village chief agreed, nodding while shooting a deadly glare at Wang Dazhuang, as if to say, “I’ll deal with you later.”

Wang Dazhuang felt like he had swallowed ten pounds of bitterness. His jealousy had led him to provoke Rong Ziyin, but it ended up backfiring spectacularly, landing him in a huge mess.

As the village vet, it was his job to prevent such issues, yet another village had identified the problem first. If the situation got worse, he could even lose his job—a perfect example of harming others without benefiting himself.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Wang Dazhuang contributed another 1,000 regret points to Rong Ziyin.

Back at the veterinary station, Rong Ziyin and the system tallied up the points—they had accumulated 20,000 coins, just enough for a twenty-draw.

The system was thrilled, once again promising Rong Ziyin: “Go for it, host! This time, there’s definitely going to be a Dragon-Slaying Sword, trust me!”

Rong Ziyin was straightforward: “Alright, let’s do it.”

As soon as Rong Ziyin gave the word, the prize wheel spun rapidly. But as each draw ended, the same familiar item appeared before Rong Ziyin.

After ten draws without a single new item, the system stuttered, “No… no way…”

When the twenty-draw finally ended, there were twenty salted duck eggs neatly lined up in front of Rong Ziyin, adding to the ten he had before—enough to fill a basket.

Another crash and burn.

At that moment, Rong Ziyin’s phone buzzed with a message from the loan shark. This time, the loan shark had gone too far, sending a photoshopped obituary photo of Rong Ziyin—a clear curse.

The system was livid, hopping mad. “Damn it, these idiots are toxic! No, the system must be broken! How can the drop rate be this low? Are we really going to pay off the 200,000 yuan debt by selling salted duck eggs?”

Rong Ziyin, however, looked thoughtful. “Maybe that’s possible.”

The system fell into a silent despair, but Rong Ziyin’s next move left it even more dumbfounded. He picked up the basket of salted duck eggs and headed straight for the nearby diner.

This diner was the most popular spot in the village, but it wasn’t mealtime, and everyone had gone to the neighboring village to settle scores, so the place was empty.

“Is the owner here?” Rong Ziyin knocked on the door and called out.

“Yes, yes! Dr. Rong, what can I get you?” The owner greeted Rong Ziyin warmly.

Rong Ziyin placed the basket of salted duck eggs in front of her and asked earnestly, “Are you interested in buying some salted duck eggs?”

🍉🫐🍇🍒🥝