Ch 31: Those who wronged me are now begging me for mercy

Dad, Quickly Take Back the Frozen Belt Fish

The department head was completely stunned and didn’t understand what Rong Ziyin was talking about. Wasn’t this a discussion about participating in a TV program? How did it suddenly turn into a conversation about geese?

Hearing no response from the department head for a while, Rong Ziyin sighed and said, “If the school finds it inconvenient, I can take care of it myself. It’s fine if I can set up a goose pen next to the veterinary department’s self-cultivated land.”

The department head was silent for a moment before replying, “That… that should be possible. Is there anything else?”

Rong Ziyin asked, “What about my work at the livestock station?”

The department head replied, “We’ll assign another intern to cover for you in the meantime.”

After thinking it over, Rong Ziyin agreed, “Alright, I’ll make sure the handover is properly done.”

The department head sighed in relief, “Is there anything you’d like to know about the competition? The department can help you with any preparations.”

Rong Ziyin asked, “Oh, is there a big prize?”

The department head hesitated, “…Yes, it’s substantial.”

Satisfied, Rong Ziyin responded, “Great, I’ll head back this afternoon.”

After hanging up the phone, Rong Ziyin followed the department head’s instructions and added him on WeChat. Then, he started preparing to pack his things.

Meanwhile, out of curiosity, the department head opened Rong Ziyin’s WeChat profile to see what this peculiar top student in their department was usually up to.

He was immediately hit with a face full of micro-business vibes.

Rong Ziyin’s latest WeChat post had switched to promoting a group purchase of dried fish.

Crispy, deep-fried strips of dried fish sprinkled with chili powder were neatly placed on a small plate, next to a bowl of soft, fragrant white porridge.

Above it, in bold letters, were the words: “Craving fish again?”

And that wasn’t all—beside the porridge was a simple cartoon of a dried fish, with dead fish eyes, holding its face with two fins, accompanied by the caption: “You have no idea how cute dried fish can be.”

Department Head: …What the heck is all this!

Speechless Value +1000

Receiving the system notification, Rong Ziyin was a bit puzzled: Didn’t he have a lot to say just now?

The system responded in a sorrowful tone: Yes, that’s why he’s speechless after talking to you!

But clearly, the system’s explanation was too subtle, and Rong Ziyin didn’t quite catch the meaning.

And since the department head didn’t yield much in terms of “wool,” especially compared to the little lambs who were more emotionally invested, Rong Ziyin decided to let him off the hook.

Noticing that the morning was almost over and the plan had been set, Rong Ziyin realized he needed to talk to the village head to explain the situation.

At the village committee office, the village head listened and expressed some regret but didn’t try to stop him. After all, when Rong Ziyin had previously approached him about the salted duck eggs, the village head had already anticipated that Rong Ziyin wouldn’t stay in the village for long. This was just a bit earlier than expected.

Patting Rong Ziyin on the shoulder, the village head couldn’t help but laugh, “When are you leaving at noon? I’ll gather the villagers to see you off!”

Rong Ziyin shook his head, “No need, I’ll be coming back from time to time anyway.”

“That’s true!” The village head nodded, “Well then, on behalf of the villagers, I wish you great success in the competition!”

“Thank you,” Rong Ziyin bid farewell to the village head and went back to the livestock station to pack his things.

Rong Ziyin knew that once he returned to Beijing, it would be difficult to come back frequently.

Aside from the two or three months of competition, once the competition was over, his thesis should also be completed. If all went well, winning the competition and publishing a core journal article would be enough to open the next door in his career.

So, this was truly goodbye.

Standing at the entrance of the livestock station, Rong Ziyin let out a long sigh.

The system quietly asked him, “Aren’t you afraid, considering you’ll be heading back to an uncertain future in Beijing?”

Rong Ziyin was silent for a moment before replying, “No, it couldn’t be worse than when I first came here, right?”

The system responded, “Certainly not.”

Rong Ziyin continued, “Exactly, so what’s there to be afraid of?”

“Life will only get better,” he said, recalling what his mother used to say when she held him as a child. Now that he was grown, this saying had become the source of his determination and courage to keep moving forward, never losing hope.

Pushing open the door to the livestock station, Rong Ziyin went inside to pack his things, preparing to return to the city.

When he arrived, he didn’t bring much—just some books and materials. Now, he was leaving with a basket of goose eggs that were about to hatch.

But there was a serious problem: the incubator needed electricity. Even if he brought it with him, he wouldn’t be able to maintain the temperature during the journey. It was the 28th day, a critical time for the goslings to hatch, so what should he do?

Rong Ziyin pondered whether he should make a simple incubator. Then, he suddenly remembered the Muscovy duck that Wang Dazhuang had used to frame him. After Rong Ziyin had treated it, the duck had stayed with him ever since. Now that it had been eating for free for so long, it was time to contribute.

After confirming with the village head that he could take the duck with him, Rong Ziyin grabbed it by the neck and shoved it into the makeshift incubator.

Muscovy Duck: I’m a proper, pure male!

Busy with his tasks, Rong Ziyin didn’t have time to argue with the duck, so he silently pulled out the long-lost frozen belt fish from his storage box.

Muscovy Duck: Dad, please take it back, Dad! I’ll hatch the eggs; there’s no need for weapons!

After that, the journey back to the city went smoothly. The village head had someone drive Rong Ziyin to the town on a tractor and then helped him find a car to continue the trip.

Fortunately, Rong Ziyin didn’t have much to carry, and he was soon on a bus.

Most people traveling from the village to the city carried large bags, but there were few like Rong Ziyin who brought a live duck.

The passenger sitting next to him kept glancing over, and finally, with some caution, he asked, “Hey, buddy, that duck of yours doesn’t bite, does it?”

Before Rong Ziyin could answer, the Muscovy duck noticed someone looking at it and stretched its neck, letting out a loud “quack.” The caption above its head read, “I’m the king of the world.”

Rong Ziyin gave it a calm look, and the Muscovy duck immediately tucked its head under its wing, with the caption changing to, “I was wrong, I was wrong, my dad is the king of the world!”

Seeing the duck’s reaction, the passenger finally breathed a sigh of relief but couldn’t resist complimenting Rong Ziyin, “How did you train this duck? It’s so well-behaved, and it looks good too!”

Rong Ziyin thought for a moment and replied, “Just a few hits with a frozen belt fish, and it’ll straighten out.”

Passenger Stunned Value +999

Passenger: …You’re quite the comedian, aren’t you?

And so, the bus journey to the city continued. Feeling drowsy, Rong Ziyin leaned back and started to doze off, while the passenger next to him, growing bored, began playing Honor of Kings.

He didn’t have earphones, so he turned the volume down. Rong Ziyin, half-asleep, could hear the game’s dialogue.

Then, the game issued a prompt, “Please enable voice chat.”

A few seconds later, the passenger turned on the voice chat.

Suddenly, a string of curses erupted from the phone: “What the heck are you doing in the jungle, picking mushrooms? You said you wouldn’t get caught this time, but with your 0/10 record, I’m about to explode!”

“Damn!” The outburst was loud enough that everyone around turned to look at him, and the passenger quickly fumbled to mute the chat but only became more flustered.

Rong Ziyin, now fully awake, calmly reached over and turned off the voice chat for him.

“Thanks, thanks a lot!” The passenger wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly expressed his gratitude.

Rong Ziyin nodded, leaned against the window, and closed his eyes to continue napping. After that incident, the passenger lost interest in playing the game.

It was indeed boring on the bus, and the guy next to Rong Ziyin couldn’t sit still. Finally, he shifted his attention to Rong Ziyin.

Rong Ziyin’s bag was full of books, with the outermost one being Veterinary Pathology. The well-worn appearance suggested it had been read many times. Seeing Rong Ziyin holding a duck, the man figured he must also be a veterinary student.

The guy started feeling a bit itchy. The commotion earlier had embarrassed him, and he wanted to redeem himself. If it were anyone else sitting beside him, he would have let it go, but since they seemed to be in the same field, he couldn’t resist.

Veterinary medicine might seem like a niche field, and some people think treating animals isn’t very prestigious. But not him. He had worked hard in school and landed a decent job after graduation, which he proudly showed off to his relatives and friends.

Now, he couldn’t help but boast a little to Rong Ziyin, hoping to make up for the earlier embarrassment. But since Rong Ziyin was asleep, it wasn’t the right time to strike up a conversation, so he had to hold back until Rong Ziyin woke up.

An hour later, the bus finally entered Beijing, and Rong Ziyin groggily opened his eyes. The Muscovy duck in his arms was the first to complain.

Muscovy Duck: Dad! The creep next to you has been staring at you for three hours.

Still a bit groggy, Rong Ziyin noticed the guy next to him handing over a bottle of water.

“What’s up?” Rong Ziyin asked.

“Just… just wanted to chat!” The guy was a chatterbox and had been holding it in for the entire ride. Finally seeing Rong Ziyin awake, he couldn’t wait to strike up a conversation.

“You’re studying veterinary medicine too?” He pointed to Rong Ziyin’s book.

“Yeah. You too?”

“Yep, yep! I specialize in preventive medicine. I recently got a job at customs! I have some relatives here, so I’m visiting to share the good news.” He couldn’t wait to show off, eager to recover from the embarrassment of his gaming mishap. “Where are you from? I saw you boarded from a village.”

“Agricultural University.”

“Oh, we’re practically family! I’m from the Agricultural and Forestry University!”

“Uh-huh,” Rong Ziyin nodded.

With that, the guy’s floodgates opened, talking about how the future of veterinary medicine looked bright, sharing amusing stories from his time working at customs, and finally lamenting, “In our line of work, becoming a top student means putting in the time. I spent all four years of college in the lab, didn’t even have time to date, and missed out on my youth. No wonder I’m so bad at video games!”

Rong Ziyin thought for a moment, “You are pretty bad at them. Ranked in Bronze?”

The guy: …

Stunned Value +800

That killed the conversation. The guy fell silent for a while, then couldn’t resist asking, “Hey, what year are you in?”

“Senior year.”

“Got a girlfriend?”

“Nope.”

“You’re so good-looking, and still no girlfriend!” The guy was genuinely surprised, staring at Rong Ziyin’s face, which was fit for a boy band, and sighed, “Then you must be good at video games!”

The system couldn’t help but spit out: Why does this guy talk so weird?

Rong Ziyin didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he motioned for the guy to move aside so he could stand up and grab his luggage from the overhead rack. They were almost at the station, and the bus was about to stop.

Realizing this, the guy quickly and clumsily gathered his belongings.

Five minutes later, the bus stopped. Rong Ziyin got off with his things, while the guy, lugging a large suitcase, called after him, “Hey, where are you working? Maybe we can hang out sometime.”

Rong Ziyin paused and said, “Sorry, I’m not that great at games.”

“Our line of work is like that—becoming a top student takes time. I spent all four years in the lab, didn’t date, didn’t enjoy my youth. So I’m not much fun.”

The guy felt an odd sense of familiarity with that line. Just then, he saw a few people, seemingly teachers, coming out of the Agricultural University’s gate to greet Rong Ziyin.

Rong Ziyin nodded at him and then walked off with the teachers, carrying his luggage inside.

The guy, still confused about not getting his contact information, couldn’t help but grab a nearby Agricultural University student and ask, “Hey, that guy who just went in—did he get into some trouble? Why were teachers escorting him?”

The student gave him an exasperated look, “Do you even know how to talk? What do you mean ‘trouble’? That’s our legit top student! You know that wild boar incident that was trending a while back? He’s the one who handled it.”

“That Rong…”

“Rong Ziyin! He was invited back by the school because a popular educational TV show wanted him on the show!”

“!!!” The guy was stunned. He knew the show, and it was known for featuring top-tier students. So Rong Ziyin was that impressive?

Recalling how he’d been showing off to Rong Ziyin on the bus, he immediately felt a wave of embarrassment.

Shame Level +2000

Rong Ziyin received the system notification and suddenly felt a bit of regret. If he’d known that this self-proclaimed ladies’ man was such a promising lamb, he would’ve kept his contact information.

Meanwhile, the department head had already started briefing Rong Ziyin on the competition.

At first, Rong Ziyin listened attentively, but as he listened, he noticed something off with the basket of goose eggs at his feet. There seemed to be some sound coming from under the Muscovy duck’s belly.

A soft, yet clear and melodious chirping.

The department head heard it too and instinctively stopped talking.

The Muscovy duck jumped out of the nest, letting them take a closer look. In the middle of the basket, the top of a goose egg had been pecked open, and a newly hatched gosling was struggling to break free from its shell.

After about ten minutes, the first gosling successfully hatched.

Shaking off the still-wet fluff, the little gosling opened its wide, innocent eyes and curiously looked around.

The moment its gaze fell on the department head’s face, it quickly turned its head away and stretched its neck to nuzzle Rong Ziyin’s outstretched hand. A caption appeared above its head: “That scared me to death! I knew my dad couldn’t possibly be this ugly!”

🍉🫐🍇🍒🥝