Author Archives: Thandar

Currently, the stable vegetable output on the farm is mostly various types of leafy greens. Due to their short growth period, high yield, and the fact that a mutant variety with a large size was selected earlier, there was suddenly an excess of vegetables that the farm could not handle.

Workers on the farm suggested to Ji Cha to process these surplus vegetables into dried mustard greens.

Dried mustard greens are widely produced in rural areas in the Jiangnan region, and the preservation time of the finished product is greatly extended. There are also many delicious dishes that can be made with dried mustard greens, such as braised pork, baked cakes, and stir-fried bitter gourd. It can be used as the main ingredient or as an accessory in a dish. The processing method for dried mustard greens is relatively simple, basically utilizing sun-drying to remove moisture, adding salt, and repeatedly drying until it reaches a dehydrated, crispy state.

This task is actually quite simple, Ji Cha even remembers helping his grandmother sun-dry dried mustard greens when he was a child. Most of the people on the farm who have experience living in rural areas also understand it well. When the processing plan was proposed, they immediately invested in production.

Basically, all green vegetables can be processed into dried mustard greens. Ji Cha and the workers below determined the output of the leafy greens and the final output of dried mustard greens. Before they could get into the details, Wang Qiang came to find him.

Wang Qiang was talking about the cow’s milk production.

“There are now 15 cows producing milk, and they can produce more than 600 kilograms of milk per day.”

“How much?” Ji Cha was shocked.

Wang Qiang smiled, “Yes, it’s more than 600 kilograms. Each cow produces about 40 kilograms, all because of mutation. Before the mutation, the milk production was not that high. My cows are not of the best breed. If it were the best breed of cows, they could produce even higher milk production without mutation.”

Ji Cha didn’t know about this before. High milk production is a good thing, but he was still worried about whether the milk produced by cows that ate mutant crops would have any problems. Although Wang Qiang and his family passed the health check before entering the farm yesterday, cows are different.

“Someone from the military will come this afternoon to take some samples. Originally, they were only checking whether there were any toxins in the cows’ bodies, but now that you mentioned milk, let them take that as well.”

As for today’s milk production, he instructed the workers to pack it in sealed containers first. If there were no problems found after inspection, then they could consider its future use.

“Okay,” Wang Qiang nodded.

He himself didn’t think there was any problem with drinking the milk, as his family had been drinking it without any issues. However, he understood Ji Cha’s concerns and readily agreed.

While the farm was busy with its tasks, news of a major event was spreading throughout the high-end apartment building.

Cheng Feng had died.

Zhang Xing happened to be working over there, and upon seeing the commotion, he quickly rushed back home. Once he caught his breath, he told everyone about what had happened.

“What?! Is it true!?” Wang Qin Xue could hardly believe it. “How could something like this happen so suddenly?”

“It’s a relief,” Zhang Qinqin spoke bluntly without avoiding the topic.

Ji Cha turned his head but didn’t see Liang Jincheng around the house.

Zhang Xing took a sip of water, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “Don’t bother looking for him. He has already gone to Cheng Feng’s apartment.”

The news had yet to reach the ears of ordinary residents, but those with any sort of power were already making their way over. As the former and current highest-ranking military leader in the post-apocalyptic world, Cheng Feng’s death naturally meant that various forces would try to claim a piece of the pie.

However, among these forces, only a few could make a real impact, and Liang Jincheng’s reputation and strength were naturally at the forefront. Another person who could not be underestimated was the leader of the recently established small base of a thousand people, Li Lingyun. The resources he commanded within the base were already considered a large group, and he had some friendship with Cheng Feng before his death. He also managed to control the soldiers with abilities that Cheng Feng once had, making him a force to be reckoned with.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

However, from Liang Jincheng’s perspective, he had already taken the first step. How could someone like Li Lingyun stop him?

“Zombies appearing in the base, and causing such serious incidents of injuring people. We need to investigate this thoroughly and give the public an explanation.” Liang Jincheng sat on the sofa, looking completely different from the group of people standing guard.

Li Lingyun stood at the door and said after hearing this, “I arrived at the base latest and can be the most impartial third party to handle this matter.”

His tone was very firm, and he clearly didn’t care about Liang Jincheng or want to show any respect to him.

“Fair or unfair,” Liang Jincheng stood up and walked to him, looking at him with a smile that wasn’t a smile. “Do you have any idea?”

“What do you mean?” Li Lingyun frowned.

“It’s not your turn to deal with this matter.” Liang Jincheng turned his head and said to the second-in-command who used to be under Cheng Feng’s leadership, “Cremate the body and announce this news on the broadcast tomorrow. Don’t cover it up.”

“Yes sir!.”

Li Lingyun didn’t expect that the person who used to be trusted by Cheng Feng would immediately switch to Liang Jincheng’s side at this time, or maybe even before Cheng Feng died… Li Lingyun couldn’t think too much about it, as Liang Jincheng had already walked away.

Li Lingyun had a vague sense of crisis in his heart, but he never imagined that Liang Jincheng’s actions would be so quick and ruthless.

The next morning, the base’s broadcast announced the news of Cheng Feng’s accidental death and the progress of Liang Jincheng’s investigation, including the discovery of zombies and iron cages in Cheng Feng’s basement. There was no intention of leaving any face for Cheng Feng.

For a while, there was no one in the base who did not rejoice in the news that Cheng Feng had played himself to death, and there were many people who cursed him in secret.

Naturally, Li Lingyun was not willing to accept this. He began to arrange his influence in the remaining departments, trying to make some changes. But progress was slow and almost made him lose patience.

“Boss, should I have someone go and kill Liang Jincheng?” his subordinate suggested.

Li Lingyun lay on the sofa with his eyes closed. “That dog Liang Jincheng has not even grown his fur properly and he’s already trying to meddle in my affairs. I wouldn’t mind killing him, but this matter is not so easily solved.”

One of his subordinates said, “The death of Cheng Feng is suspicious. Do you think Liang Jincheng had a hand in it?”

“Cheng Feng’s death was certainly not an accident. Who knows if it was Liang Jincheng or not, but either way, he has done me a great favor. I’ve been wanting that Cheng Feng dead for a long time.”

There were some other scattered conversations, but Li Lingyun couldn’t quite remember them. Later on, he drank quite a bit with his subordinates and fell asleep in a daze. When he woke up, he found himself bound.

“What’s going on?” He panicked. At this point, he was in a moving military vehicle, swaying and not knowing where he was going.

Liang Jincheng sat nearby, holding a recording pen in his hand. He pressed a button and the sound came out.

“Cheng Feng’s death was certainly not an accident. I’ve been wanting that Cheng Feng dead for a long time, and that dog Liang Jincheng, who hasn’t even grown his fur properly, was already trying to meddle in my affairs. I wouldn’t mind killing him…”

It was Li Lingyun’s voice and his exact words that had been skillfully spliced together to create a perfect piece of evidence.

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Thandar: omg omg Jincheng is finally the base commander yayyyy

Tian Liang Wang Po

The arrival of Madam Zhao and the revealed relationship between Zhao Family and Zhenwei Escort Agency surprised everyone in the room, especially the registrar and Boss Wang. They were already sweating coldly.

If it was just the Hu Family and the Escort Agency, they might have had a chance to steer the situation in their favor. But they never expected that the two brothers from the Escort Agency would address Madam Zhao as ‘uncle’!

In Tongshan City, even the county magistrate would have to show deference to the Zhao Family. And in recent years, with the declining health of the head of the Zhao Family, who has been resting at home, it is Madam Zhao who now makes all major decisions within the family and assists his son in managing external affairs.

This is something that almost everyone in Tongshan City knows.

Now, this situation has brought Madam Zhao and his son here. The registrar’s heart sank immediately, knowing that today’s matter was probably irreparable. Boss Wang was also in a bad state, feeling like he had kicked an iron plate, feeling anxious in his heart.

After Madam Zhao greeted the brothers from the Escort Agency and learned about the situation, he patted the younger brother’s hand to comfort him, then glanced at his son, indicating for him to handle it.

Zhao Yu, Madam Zhao’s son, nodded and glanced at his cousin’s face. He walked up to the county magistrate and the registrar and said, “County Magistrate, Registrar, our family doesn’t lack the money for medical fees and medicine. We just want fairness.”

The county magistrate felt a twinge of unease. How did a small case of food poisoning end up involving people from the Zhao Family? He asked, “What does Young Master Zhao mean?”

Zhao Yu glanced at Boss Wang without hiding the coldness in his eyes and said in a deep voice, “Since we seek fairness, we naturally need to go to court to discuss it properly. County Magistrate, Registrar, what do you say?”

“No, I don’t want to go to the yamen. I don’t want to go to the yamen. Younger brother, tell him that we don’t want to go to the yamen, let’s settle it privately.” Previously scared by the registrar’s mention of being punished, Boss Wang huddled behind his wife, insisting on not going to the yamen.

The county magistrate glanced at the registrar. In this case where the victim does not wish to settle privately, they had no choice but to bring it back to the yamen for processing.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The registrar sighed and looked up at Zhao Yu. He said, “Young Master Zhao, the county magistrate is busy with official matters. It would be better to settle this privately if possible, considering the situation. You can discuss the compensation with the masters from the Hu Family and the two Master Yang. You can agree on any terms you want.” The two brothers from the Escort Agency had the surname Yang.

The man from the Escort Agency immediately stood on the same side as his cousin and said, “We don’t want to settle privately. We want to go to court. Whatever judgment the county magistrate gives, we won’t say a word.”

“That’s right.” The younger brother from the Hu Family also nodded and turned to the people from the Hu Family, asking, “Does the elder brother from the Hu Family also want to seek justice for himself?”

The people from the Hu Family also nodded in agreement to go to the yamen.

“We won’t go, we won’t go.” Boss Wang shouted.

Zhao Yu looked around and said, “Gentlemen, folks, we all came to this establishment with trust and the intention to enjoy good food. But now, the owner of this restaurant used poisonous white fungus without proper treatment to make and sell food, causing my cousin, who is about to get married, to be poisoned and have his face ruined like this. There are two other children affected as well. Look at this young boy, at such a young age, suffering like this. Shouldn’t we go to court to demand an explanation?”

Upon hearing this, the onlookers started discussing and echoing his words.

“And also,” Zhao Yu continued, “this owner, he doesn’t even know what he made himself. He can’t confirm whether the food is poisonous or safe before selling it. Now that such an incident has occurred, would you still dare to eat food made by such an establishment in the future?”

“Anyway, I will never eat here again.”

“Sigh, I’ve been eating noodles here all the time, maybe I should switch to another place. What if I get poisoned one day?”

“Yes, that’s right. There are several other noodle shops. Liu’s Noodle House is pretty good. They say the noodles they recently introduced are delicious.”

“Oh, Liu’s Noodle House? I’ve tried their fried noodles, and they really taste great.”

“…”

Boss Wang’s wife listened to Zhao Yu’s words and the comments from the crowd, becoming desperate and wanting to bang his head against the wall.

“You’re talking nonsense! There’s nothing wrong with our noodles. It was just a small incident with the white ear fungus soup. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill!” Boss Wang gritted his teeth in pain as he spoke.

Zhao Yu glanced at him and coldly said, “By the time you have a problem, it will be too late. Who knows what kind of poisoning it will be next time? Accidentally adding a bit of arsenic or Cinnabar?”

Boss Wang’s face turned red, and he pointed at Zhao Yu but couldn’t utter a word.

Seeing that it was taking too long to resolve the situation, Madam Zhao spoke with a stern face. “County Magistrate Lin, Registrar Wu, the evidence in this matter is conclusive and the facts are clear. The victims’ families are demanding justice in court. Is there any problem with that? Can we expect a resolution here? Are you disregarding the victims and instead trying to protect this unscrupulous owner?!”

Hearing this, the registrar and the county Magistrate were startled. Defending the wrongdoer in public like this, if news of it spread, their positions would be at stake.

“Registrar Wu,” Madam Zhao looked at the registrar and continued, “I heard that Boss Wang and Boss Wang’s wife are your relatives, right? Are you here to support them?”

The registrar trembled and hurriedly said, “Madam Zhao, you’re mistaken. I only heard that something happened here and came to take a look. I thought it was a fight, but I didn’t expect it to be like this.”

Madam Zhao nodded and didn’t say anything further to him.

The registrar dared not speak up for his brother and the others. The county Magistrate quickly waved his hand and said, “Take the Wang family of three back to the yamen. The victims, their families, and Dr. Li, please come along.”

Upon hearing this, the bailiffs stepped forward and grabbed the arms of the Wang family of three to take them away.

“No, I won’t go to the yamen! Little brother, please help me…” Boss Wang struggled and shouted.

But his younger brother didn’t dare to openly defend them. He could only shake his head with a sigh and watch as the bailiffs took them away.

The victims, their families, Dr. Li, and those who wanted to watch the excitement all went along. The bailiffs also took the pot of white fungus soup, which served as evidence.

Yu Qingze walked out of Wang and glanced back at the noodle shop before heading to his own shop.

“Boss Yu, please wait.”

Yu Qingze turned around and saw Madam Zhao. He asked in confusion, “Madam Zhao, aren’t you going to the county yamen to take a look?”

Madam Zhao shook his head and said, “I’ll go later. There’s no major issue over there.”

Yu Qingze nodded with a hint of regret and said, “I didn’t expect your nephew to be poisoned as well.”

“It’s a lesson for him. I told him not to eat there, but he still went. There’s nothing I can do.” Madam Zhao shook his head and added, “I heard that you and Dr. Li are going to try making white fungus soup tomorrow. Do you need any help from us?”

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “No need, you’ve already been troubled enough.”

“It’s no problem. If you need anything, just let us know. Don’t hesitate,” Madam Zhao replied.

“Okay. Thank you, Madam Zhao.”

Yu Qingze returned to his snack shop. Many customers had left in the middle of their meal to watch the commotion next door, so the shop was much quieter now.

Brother Le and the others knew that something had happened at the neighboring Wang, but they were all busy with their own matters, so they only glanced at the door without going to see. Now that they saw Yu Qingze coming back, they asked him how things went.

Yu Qingze told them that they went to the county yamen’s court.

The others sighed in sympathy.

In the afternoon, some customers who had gone to the county yamen to observe came to the snack shop to have some dim sum. They discussed the final outcome of the Wang white fungus soup incident.

According to them, even the Zhao family’s head went to the county yamen and was furious when he saw his beloved nephew’s disfigured face.

The county magistrate, considering the Zhao family’s influence, investigated the cause, clarified the facts, and ordered Wang to compensate for all the medical expenses of the three victims. Additionally, each victim was to receive fifty taels of silver as compensation.

Finally, due to Wang’s negligence in selling poisonous food without proper verification, each of the three individuals involved in Wang was also given thirty heavy beatings and ordered to close down for rectification. As for the matter of Wang’s broken bones that could have been compensated by the Yang family, it was left unresolved.

When the customer shared this story, Boss Liu happened to be in the snack shop. He snorted and said, “Evil begets evil. They deserve it!”

Yu Qingze was in a good mood. The fire that was originally aimed at him, with Wang being the first to release the white fungus soup, suddenly disappeared. It felt particularly refreshing!

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NOTE:

The phrase “天凉王破” (tiān liáng wáng pò) is a play on words that combines two separate idioms: “天凉了” (tiān liáng le) and “王破了” (wáng pò le).

1. “天凉了” (tiān liáng le) means “the weather has turned cold.” It is often used to indicate the arrival of autumn or cooler temperatures.

2. “王破了” (wáng pò le) literally means “the king is broken” or “the king has fallen.” It is a figurative expression used to describe the downfall or failure of someone or something that was previously powerful or dominant.

When combined, “天凉王破” (tiān liáng wáng pò) can be interpreted as a humorous wordplay suggesting that with the arrival of colder weather, the once powerful or prominent entity represented by “王” (Wang) has fallen or met their demise. It is a playful way of indicating that it’s time for Wang’s Noodle House to close down due to its misconduct.)

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Thandar: OK, I kinda feel bad for the Wang family. Is anyone else like me or I’m the only one? (⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝)

After eating the meat buns, Wang Qiang’s family had no more doubts about the S base. Moreover, Wang Qiang was so confident that they were willing to cooperate. There were still twenty cows left on the cattle farm, and the largest military trucks had enough capacity to transport ten cows per vehicle. The family set off on their journey to the base with hopes for the future and kept asking Wang Qiang questions.

“How do we eat there? Can we eat meat regularly?”

“Eating meat regularly will cost a bit more, but it’s not a problem to satisfy your cravings. Boss Ji said they haven’t stabilized pork production yet, but in another two months, they should be able to produce four or five pigs a month. In addition to that, there are also chickens, ducks, and rabbits, so I don’t think there will be a problem with eating meat.”

“It doesn’t matter if we don’t have meat,” said Wang Qiang’s sister, Wang Tian. “We’ve been eating only meat here, and I don’t even know what vegetables taste like. If we can, I can eat vegetables for a whole month.”

“Don’t worry,” Wang Qiang smiled. “I saw a large vegetable patch over there, and they were all growing well. The cafeteria also sells vegetables at a cheap price.”

“Ah! They have TV too!” Wang Tian became even more excited.

At least this indicated that the life in the base was indeed safe and stable. The family was so engrossed in their conversation that they had no intention of sleeping until they were halfway through their journey and eventually dozed off. It was still dawn when they arrived at the S base.

The expansion of the base is constantly underway, but no matter how fast it expands, many pre-apocalyptic buildings cannot be integrated all at once. For example, there is a brick and cement factory that is more than an hour away from S base, which is now only under the jurisdiction of the base. Every morning, the base shuttle bus takes workers there and picks them up in the evening. At other times, soldiers are stationed there to guard against other forces occupying the place.

There are many similar places that require a large number of personnel to station and operate.

These places are often ignored by those who speak and work inside the base. Most of the time, the workers follow the squad leader, and the troops stationed there do not care about them. Even if they become familiar with each other, they just idle around.

After the incident with Liang Jincheng and Ji Cha, many people regretted it and felt that the matter was handled poorly. But to their surprise, the two of them came back intact. What was the matter that the soldiers sent out before?

There are various rumors among ordinary people, but the most widely accepted one is that someone from the top wanted to kill Ji Cha and the others. Anyone who knows the internal situation of the base can see it.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

But the fact is the fact. When someone mentions it, it triggers Cheng Feng’s sensitive nerves. He can still control the speech within the military, but it is not easy to control those outside. At this time, the more he tries to control, the more suspicious it becomes, and the more people will talk behind his back.

Cheng Feng was so angry that he ordered the arrest of several people, but the backlash was even stronger.

“What are you arresting for if you’re not guilty?”

Cheng Feng had no choice but to release them in a hurry after arresting them for only half a day.

Outwardly, the base is still safe and sound, but everyone has their own thoughts in secret. Even under Cheng Feng’s command, there are people who have given him ideas and are now eager to take his place.

***

The car that came back from the cattle farm was stable, and it arrived at the base only at noon the next day. After being checked at the gate of the base, it was smoothly allowed in.

The base outpost immediately contacted Ji Cha with wireless equipment, asking him to prepare on the farm.

It was not an easy task to drive more than 20 cows into the fence. The farm workers and the Wang family members were busy for a while before everything was settled. After a rest, Ji Cha took them to the cafeteria on his electric tricycle.

As they rode in the car, everyone except Wang Qiang looked around at the scenery along the way. The buildings in the base were not yet densely packed, but they were planned neatly and people could be seen walking back and forth, proving that it was a very safe place. What the Wang family members liked most was the social nature of the base. There were various departments with different functions, almost like a town before the apocalypse.

Ji Cha introduced the facilities of the base to them as he drove.

“Here is the market. It opens every morning before work and every evening after work. It is the official market of the farm, but there are few things sold on the same day. Generally, you need to order one day in advance and come to pick up the goods the next day.

This place is generally used to broadcast some TV programs and important notices. The screening time is the same as the start time of the cafeteria dinner. There are four places like this in the base, east, south, west, and north. You can see which one is closer to where you live, and it’s quite lively.”

The Wang family listened attentively as Ji Cha spoke.

“Oh, by the way,” Ji Cha remembered something else, “Wang Qiang, I reported the issue of your family’s housing allocation yesterday.”

“Housing allocation?”

The Wang family contributed more than 20 cows to the base, which would be confiscated in the future. Ji Cha felt guilty about taking them for free, although the Wang family seemed to be content with having a safe place to stay.

“Well, the original idea was to compensate you with some points, which is the currency in the base. But I don’t think that’s worth it, so I reported asking if we could exchange it for a house. The reply came back this morning, saying that it’s possible to exchange it, but the base’s housing is currently very tight. The channel for buying houses has been cut off. The proposal is to give you one big and one small house, which is suitable for your two small families. If you pay the rent for one year, the two houses can be transferred to your name. The rent for the first year is also halved, which means you can buy the house by paying half a year’s rent. It’s up to you to choose whether to take the points or the house.”

Needless to say, the house is the better option. There won’t be another chance once they pass this village. Wang Qiang and his family agreed to divide the two houses, with one big one for Wang Qiang and a small one for his uncle and cousin.

Ji Cha had already anticipated this solution, and now he felt a bit relieved. After all, he was the one who brought them back to the base, and he didn’t want to leave them in an uncomfortable situation.

“Here’s your identity card, which already has half a day’s salary. After you finish eating, return to the farm. You’re most skilled at taking care of the cows, and I’ve hired some workers to help. They may be a bit inexperienced, so please teach them.”

Ji Cha handed them their identity cards and drove away on his electric tricycle.

It was a dark and oppressive night, and a thunderous clap suddenly exploded over the apartment, waking Cheng Feng from his sleep.

He turned over, his brow furrowed with annoyance.

“Damn it, I finally fell asleep and now I’m awake again.” He closed his eyes, but suddenly heard a creaking sound in his ear, as if the door had been pushed open from the outside. Cheng Feng thought he had misheard, but when he turned to look, he saw that the door had indeed opened a crack, and the darkness outside was impenetrable.

His heart thudded in his chest, and cold sweat broke out on his palms.

“Who’s there? Xiao Liu, Xiao Liu!”

He called out the name of the guard, but there was no response. Cheng Feng trembled as he tried to turn on the lamp, but the switch had been turned several times and the light wouldn’t come on. In the darkness, he could hear labored breathing, close yet far, clear in his ears.

Although the window was tightly closed, the curtains fluttered as if they were being tugged by an invisible hand.

Unable to bear the slow, torturous pain any longer, Cheng Feng jumped out of bed and hurriedly closed the door from the inside, locking it with a resounding click. The sinister feeling of fear was finally shut out.

Cheng Feng breathed a sigh of relief and turned around, but a sticky hand suddenly grabbed his ankle.

He looked down in horror and saw a zombie with a grin on its face, opening its mouth and biting down on his lower leg.

“Ah!”

The scream of terror on that rainy night had no penetrating power.

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Thandar: is it me or many characters have very similar names?

Settling Privately or Publicly

Upon seeing Boss Wang faint, Dr. Li, with a compassionate heart, quickly administered a shot to revive him.

As a result, Boss Wang slowly regained consciousness.

When he woke up and realized that the white fungus soup was toxic because he had used fresh white wood ear fungus, he felt a deep regret, his throat filled with a sweet and bloody taste, wishing he could faint again. However, seeing Dr. Li holding a needle and squatting next to him, he forced himself to endure and suppress the taste of blood.

Even if he fainted, he estimated that Dr. Li would revive him again.

His wife glanced at him and initially wanted to ask why he didn’t know that white wood ear fungus needed to be dried and soaked before consumption. But then he thought, since things had already turned out this way, what’s the point of asking?

Boss Wang looked at Yu Qingze and asked, “Boss Yu, how did you know that dried white wood ear fungus is safe to eat, while fresh ones are toxic?”

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their heads to look at Yu Qingze. Dr. Li was also curious about this question.

Yu Qingze glanced at Boss Wang and replied, “Hasn’t today’s incident already proved it? If you don’t believe it, we can try it out ourselves. We can soak dried wood ear fungus and make another batch of the same white fungus soup to see the results.”

Upon hearing this, Dr. Li said, “Okay, that’s a good method. When should we do it?”

Yu Qingze looked at Dr. Li and smiled, “Dr. Li, it may not be suitable to do it today since we still have matters to attend to here. How about you come to my small shop tomorrow, and we can do it in front of everyone? Honestly, white wood ear fungus has a great taste, especially when used in desserts. It’s incredibly delicious. I have tried it myself, as well as many others who enjoyed it without any issues. But if people don’t believe it, let’s confirm it. If we can prove that dried and soaked white wood ear fungus, when cooked, does not contain harmful substances to the human body, we can restore its reputation, and we’ll have another food item to enjoy. Who knows, it might even have medicinal properties?”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Dr. Li’s eyes lit up when he heard that it could be used as medicine. He nodded and said, “Okay! I’ll come to your shop tomorrow, and we’ll give it a try!”

Yu Qingze smiled and nodded, saying, “Alright.”

At this moment, someone nearby asked in confusion, “Dr. Li, Boss Yu, so many people had the White fungus soup in the morning. According to logic, if the White fungus soup was poisonous, then the others should have fallen ill as well. But it seems that only these three brothers came over. What’s going on?”

Dr. Li pondered for a while and shook his head, saying, “I haven’t figured it out yet. It might be related to individual constitution.”

Yu Qingze thought for a moment, casually found a plausible excuse, and took over the conversation, explaining the scientifically verified principles from his previous life to them.

He said, “Dr. Li, a similar incident happened in my hometown. Many people had it during a banquet. Some people had no problems, but some people, like these three brothers, developed swollen and red skin, with severe blisters and even ulcers. Based on our later observations, most of the poisoning occurred in children, the elderly, and some weak adults. It’s possible that these people had weaker bodies and lower resistance, making them more susceptible to poisoning. Moreover, among the poisoned individuals, those who had been exposed to the sun for a long time had more severe symptoms, while those who had less exposure had milder symptoms.”

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized the reason behind it.

The wife from the Hu family also said, “I played with Xiao Wu in the yard for a long time in the morning, under the sun for about an hour, and then my skin turned red.”

The young boy from the escort agency, upon learning that his face could be cured, stopped crying and replied with a sob, “I went out in the morning and enjoyed the flowers for a while, and I also stayed under the sun for a long time.”

Dr. Li nodded and said to the two gers, “Your bodies are indeed slightly weaker than others. Do you often feel dizzy and more sensitive to cold?”

The two gers nodded.

“That’s it. In the future, you should pay more attention to strengthening your body and replenishing your vitality.” After Dr. Li finished speaking to the two boys, he turned to Yu Qingze and said, “Boss Yu, when you have time, can you tell me more about this white wood ear mushroom?”

“Of course. Dr. Li, would you like to take a look at the injuries of these three boys and Boss Wang first?” Yu Qingze glanced at the three victims and Boss Wang and asked.

Dr. Li snapped out of his thoughts and said, “The three poisoned individuals have already applied ointment. They just need to continue applying it and taking medicine on time. As for this gentleman, his bone is fractured and needs to be set. It would be better to go to the pharmacy for treatment since we don’t have the tools here.”

Boss Wang immediately said, “Let’s go to the pharmacy. I’ll go now! Let go of me!”

The man from the escort agency immediately objected, saying, “No, you can’t leave. The matter hasn’t been resolved yet, so you’re not allowed to go! Why are you in such a hurry? Didn’t you say you would report to the officials? The officials haven’t arrived yet, and the compensation hasn’t been paid. How can you leave?!”

Yu Qingze watched from the side, raising an eyebrow. He had just heard outside that this man from the escort agency asked someone to find his cousin. It seemed they were not afraid of the “Registrar.”

He had a feeling that there would be a good show. Yu Qingze crossed his arms and watched the drama unfold.

Boss Wang felt dizzy, and upon hearing about reporting to the officials, he suddenly remembered that his wife had asked their son to find his younger brother. He vaguely felt that it might not be a good idea, but now he was in danger himself, and the pain made his mind less clear, so he didn’t stop it.

After a while, the officials arrived, and everyone made way for them.

The Registrar, the county magistrate, and about ten yamen runners entered the room.

The Registrar entered and saw Boss Wang and his older brother (Boss Wang’s wife), one spitting blood and lying weakly on the floor, and the other tied up and sitting on the ground. The room was crowded with people, and he even spotted Yu Qingze among the crowd.

He immediately frowned and asked his brother, “What’s going on?”

As soon as Boss Wang’s wife saw his younger brother, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly shouted, “Little brother, these people say our White fungus soup is poisonous. They broke your brother-in-law’s bones and tied me up. Take them back to the yamen and deal with them properly!”

The Registrar furrowed his brows, looked around, and said to the county magistrate beside him, “What’s happening?”

“Registrar, please don’t rush.” The county magistrate scanned the people in the room and finally asked, “What’s the matter? Let someone speak on behalf of the others.”

The man from the escort agency stepped forward, glanced at the Registrar, and then clasped his fists, saying to the county magistrate, “Please, sir, these White fungus soups sold at Wang’s Noodle House are poisonous. My younger brother, the madam from the Hu family, and this gentleman’s child all got poisoned after consuming them. Just look at their faces, necks, and arms. They are completely disfigured. The poisonous White fungus soup is right here on this table. Dr. Li has confirmed that this substance is indeed toxic. I implore you, sir, to make a fair judgment on behalf of us commoners.”

Upon hearing this, the Registrar glanced at the three individuals and then looked at the poisoned White fungus soup and the injured couple. He let out a sigh deep in his heart.

The evidence was conclusive.

The county magistrate also examined everything and questioned the three victims and Dr. Li one by one, getting a basic understanding of the situation.

He glanced at the Registrar, who said, “Let me ask first.”

The county magistrate nodded.

They asked Wang Ming to help Boss Wang up, and the Registrar untied the rope from Boss Wang’s wife and led him to the kitchen.

The man from the escort agency raised an eyebrow and said, “Sir, there are matters to be discussed here, and we have the right to know.”

The Registrar replied, “It won’t take much of your time.”

Saying that, they entered the kitchen, and he asked in a low voice, “How did you end up selling this thing?”

Boss Wang sighed and hummed.

Boss Wang’s wife answered quietly, “I heard from Madam Huang and A-Hua that Boss Yu made this dish at the Cai Mansion and thought it could make money, so we started selling it.” A-Hua is the Registrar’s wife.

The Registrar furrowed his brow again and asked, “But how come you didn’t figure out that the fresh one was poisonous before selling it?”

Boss Wang’s wife said, “They didn’t mention that it had to be made with dried ones. They just said it was made with white fungus, and Madam Huang didn’t say that white fungus was poisonous.” Boss Wang’s wife also felt unlucky. Madam Huang didn’t speak clearly, and he didn’t hear everything. Now he’s in big trouble.

The Registrar sighed and said, “I’ll talk to the county magistrate. Prepare some money and settle it privately. This time, I can’t help you.”

Boss Wang stared at him and said, “I didn’t ask A-Ming to call you here for this. The Hu family and the escort agency are not big wealthy families. Can’t you exert some pressure and resolve it?”

The Registrar angrily replied, “If you don’t want to pay, they’ll take it to the yamen. So many people have witnessed it. When it goes to court, do you think you’ll be in the right? You won’t get away with it. Not only will you have to compensate, but you’ll also be punished! Moreover, whether they’re willing to settle privately or not is another issue!”

Boss Wang’s wife was very dissatisfied, but Boss Wang waved his hand and said, “Let’s do it as my younger brother suggested.”

Seeing that Boss Wang agreed, Boss Wang’s wife pursed his lips and stopped talking.

They went out again.

The Registrar said a few words to the county magistrate’s ear, and the county magistrate nodded. He spoke to the people from the escort agency and the Hu family, saying, “I received a report stating that there was a provocation and disturbance here, so I came specially to take a look. It turns out to be a case of food poisoning. Considering that this silver fungus dish is indeed problematic, Boss Wang is willing to apologize and compensate for your losses, as well as bear the medical expenses of the three victims until they recover. Are the three victims willing to accept?”

The three victims didn’t speak, but their family members spoke up.

The man from the escort agency angrily said, “Bearing the medical expenses is only natural, isn’t it? What about the rest? Is my brother suffering in vain? If his condition doesn’t improve fully and he’s left with scars on his face, ruining his marriage prospects, who will take responsibility? It’s not like us two families cannot afford these medical expenses.”

The man from the Hu family added, “Exactly. My son is still young, and his condition is severe. If his face is ruined, his whole life will be ruined!”

The county magistrate was about to ask how much money they would accept to settle the matter, but Boss Wang’s wife exploded.

He cursed, “What about the tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks in my house? Do you also want compensation for those? You’ve beaten my husband like this, and I haven’t asked you for money yet. If my husband becomes disabled, will you compensate me for that?!”

As they spoke, the two sides started arguing again.

The county magistrate had a headache. He had originally come with his men to maintain public order upon hearing about a fight, but he didn’t expect it to be this kind of situation. And with one side being entrusted by his colleagues and the other side having undeniable evidence, he was stuck in the middle. He had initially wanted to mediate and settle the matter by having the restaurant compensate with some money, but then there was Boss Wang’s wife…

After arguing for a while, the county magistrate suddenly slammed the table and said, “That’s enough, everyone stop! If you don’t want a private settlement, then all of you come to the yamen with me, and I will handle it in court!”

The man from the escort agency said, “Going to the yamen is not a problem for us.”

Upon hearing the mention of going to the yamen, Boss Wang’s wife immediately became timid. He didn’t want to face punishment.

Reluctantly, he said, “We won’t go to the yamen, we won’t go to the yamen. Tell me, how much money do you want?”

At that moment, a voice came from behind.

“We have plenty of money. Let’s go to the yamen and sit down!”

Everyone turned to look and saw Madam Zhao leading a young man in his twenties walking in.

When the man from the escort agency and the younger brother saw the two, their eyes lit up, and they immediately went over and called out, “Uncle, cousin.”

Madam Zhao nodded in response, looking at the young man’s face, he frowned and said with concern, “How did you get such serious injuries?”

The young man immediately complained, “It was so itchy, but I didn’t dare scratch.”

Madam Zhao asked, “What did the doctor say? Can it be cured?”

The young man nodded and replied, “He said it would take at least half a month to heal.”

“Good if it can be cured. Behave yourself and don’t be greedy in the future! Don’t you remember what Uncle told you?”

“Uncle, I was wrong.”

On the other side, the registrar and the county magistrate were dumbfounded, and the rest of the people were a bit stunned as well.

When did the Zhao family have a ger who got married and moved away? They hadn’t heard of any marital relationship between the Zhenwei Escort Agency and the Zhao family for so many years.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: So many people in these two groups, I’m getting confused.

Liang Jincheng curled his fingertips, wiping the water droplets off his face with the back of his hand. He tilted his head towards him and spoke in a lower voice, but with a firm tone: “Kill him.”

“What?” Ji Cha was stunned. He knew that Liang Jincheng was not joking.

But during the last apocalypse, the leader of the S Base in his memory seemed to be surnamed Cheng, so there was a good chance it was Cheng Feng. If Cheng Feng could hold onto the leadership position for a solid ten years during the last apocalypse, how could such a sudden change occur within less than a year?

“He shouldn’t have targeted you,” Liang Jincheng said calmly, pushing Ji Cha into the bathroom to blow-dry his hair.

Liang Jincheng’s initial expectation was that Cheng Feng would only go after him temporarily. Who knew Cheng Feng had such a big appetite and included Ji Cha in his plans. Liang Jincheng could afford to be indifferent to his own life and death, but Ji Cha was his bottom line.

Although Liang Jincheng had made such a decision, it didn’t affect Ji Cha’s daily life on the surface.

The next day, he went to the recruitment office as usual to hire workers. Many of the employees on the farm had already stabilized, as changing workers every day was not conducive to taking care of the crops. After the same group of people gained experience in planting, the farm’s profits clearly increased.

This time, the farm was hiring for stable long-term positions, which attracted many applicants.

As soon as Ji Cha parked his electric scooter, he was immediately surrounded by onlookers.

“Boss Ji, are you really okay?”

“Yeah, Boss Ji, what’s been happening outside?”

Ji Cha’s face tightened, and he made a hesitant expression with a restrained anger, saying, “Some things are not easy to explain.”

He turned and walked towards the recruitment office.

Upon seeing his expression, everyone concluded that something fishy was going on, and the action of going out to search for the cattle was probably intentional. After giving it some thought, it was easy to guess that apart from the possibility of removing a major threat, there were rumors flying around that Cheng Feng had no conscience. One was the captain of an Ability team, responsible for maintaining the stability and peace of the base and always taking the lead in any situation. The other was the person in charge of the farm, where they obtained their food and clothing. No one was foolish enough not to notice the change in their meals, from eating mostly white rice in the canteen to having vegetables and meat every meal now. It wasn’t hard to figure out that it was all thanks to Ji Cha and his electric scooter.

Both of them were faultless, but Cheng Feng was different. There was also the incident where a military vehicle full of zombies entering the base, which he had not explained clearly. As a result, the support for Cheng Feng, which was already shaky, plummeted even further.

Ji Cha took a tour of the farm and ran into Wang Qiang, who had just woken up. He took Wang Qiang to the base’s canteen, “There’s food here from 6:30 to 8:30 every morning, but it’s best to come early, otherwise, there might only be leftovers by 8:30.”

Wang Qiang sat behind Ji Cha on the electric scooter, carefully noting the location of the canteen and marveling at its size.

“It has to be big,” Ji Cha said. “It has to support half the population of the base right now, and maybe even more in the future.”

When they arrived, it was still early, around 7:30, but there were already many people rushing to work in the morning, and the queue was long.

Everyone held their own bowls and chopsticks, most of them carrying food they had saved time to eat on the way. There were also plates in the canteen, and Ji Cha took Wang Qiang to pick one up and then queued up.

There was an electronic screen above the canteen window, displaying the food for sale today.

Today’s menu: white steamed buns, sweet steamed buns, vegetable buns, scallion steamed buns, white congee, bean curd pudding, pickled vegetables (three types), fermented bean curd, soy milk, and noodles.

Although the variety was somewhat limited compared to the canteen before the apocalypse, for Wang Qiang, who hadn’t had a proper meal in days, he could only stare in amazement and feel like he was dreaming.

“Brother Ji, everyone eats like this every day? Can they afford it?” Wang Qiang had been educated yesterday that everything here, including food, lodging, and transportation, was paid for with credit points, which they earned through work.

There are six people in their family, four boys and two girls. He’s a bit worried that they won’t earn enough money to eat later.

Ji Cha had to explain this problem to him again, as he had already explained it to Wang Qiang several times before. “Your family of six can easily rent a small house with a yard. By pooling together everyone’s salaries and splitting the rent, it’s actually better and cheaper than living in a dormitory. It’s also convenient for your family to live together and won’t affect others.”

“In addition, currently, the rent and food expenses account for about 80% of the base’s expenses, but that doesn’t mean there’s no extra money left. And the situation I’m talking about is based on good food. After a while, when the pigs are slaughtered, we may open another channel for ordinary residents to buy meat. If you want to give your family some extra money, there will still be plenty left.”

Wang Qiang couldn’t help but be excited. “Really? That’s great!”

He eagerly lined up with his plate, but when the canteen staff asked for his information card to deduct points, Wang Qiang froze. He didn’t have an information card or any points to buy food.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

In his embarrassment, Ji Cha handed over his own information card and said to Wang Qiang, “Order whatever you want.”

Wang Qiang felt a bit shy and only ordered the cheapest white porridge and a small side dish, along with a meat bun. Ji Cha refused to order anything more, saying that this was enough.

Ji Cha asked the staff with his plate, “Do you have any meat buns today?”

People like him and Liang Jincheng, who have some level of power, can enjoy some privileges when eating in the canteen, such as being able to eat more meat and getting discounts on meat buns. Although meat buns aren’t advertised on the electronic screen, most people know they exist. It’s just that few people are willing to spend money on breakfast like this.

“Yes, but there aren’t many left. They may have to limit it,” said the staff member.

“It’s okay, just give me two and a bowl of noodles,” said Ji Cha.

The staff member was quick and efficient, and within three minutes, the noodles were cooked and the buns were taken out.

Ji Cha found Wang Qiang, who had already sat down, and placed the buns and noodles in front of him. He said, “You eat first, I have something to do and need to go back.”

Yesterday evening, he noticed that Wang Qiang had a big appetite, so what he ordered just now might not be enough for him.

Wang Qiang blushed and felt embarrassed. Ji Cha spoke up before he could refuse, “I still have some things to do, so you need to eat faster and go back to the farm. Someone will accompany you to pick up your family later, and the journey will be quite tiring. You need to eat enough.”

After saying that, he turned around and left. Wang Qiang looked at the rich breakfast in front of him and remembered that his family hadn’t eaten such good food for a long time. He couldn’t help but feel motivated for the upcoming journey to pick them up.

Meanwhile, Wang Qiang’s family was anxious and even regretted letting him bring two cows with him.

“If they kill him halfway and take the two cows, we won’t know,” the five of them gathered together, worried and scared. The more they thought about it, the scarier and more anxious they became. It wasn’t until it got dark and another day passed that they hastily made some food and went to bed.

Soon after lying down, they heard a sound outside, and the cows in the yard became restless.

The men jumped up with their weapons and cautiously walked out. After taking two steps, they heard someone tinkering with the lock on the gate.

Their nerves were tense, and they dared not breathe loudly. They held their knives and stared at the gate with wide eyes, their hearts pounding.

As everyone held their breath, suddenly a voice could be heard from outside.

“Dad, Uncle, it’s me, Qiangzi!”

Upon hearing that it was Wang Qiang’s voice, the tense nerves of the group finally relaxed. Wang Qiang’s father took a quick step forward to open the door, and upon seeing that Wang Qiang was indeed unharmed, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The people inside the room, upon hearing that Wang Qiang had returned, all rushed out in a hurry and anxiously pulled him aside to ask in a low voice.

“How was it over there? Were you scammed?”

Wang Qiang grinned and pulled out a meat bun he hadn’t been willing to eat that morning from his pocket, broke it open into five pieces, and handed them to his family. “Eat this.”

Although it was already cold, the meat bun still had a strong meaty aroma, and paired with the decent quality flour, just the smell alone was enough to make one’s stomach growl.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

The Reason

Except for the young boy, the rest of the group were burly men, all strong and muscular. They were dressed in identical black shirts. As soon as they entered, they kicked the chairs and kicked the tables, cursing and looking even angrier than the previous group. They appeared to be intimidating and not easy to deal with.

The young boy behind them, probably around fifteen or sixteen years old, was already in tears. Like the previous two individuals, his face and neck were covered in red rashes. However, unlike them, his sleeves were rolled down, and his arms did not have any rashes.

His face, which should have been handsome, was now covered in clusters of red rashes, giving him a terrifying appearance.

“Someone else has been poisoned too? This doesn’t seem like a deliberate extortion for money anymore. It seems there is a real issue,” one customer remarked.

“This is a disaster! Could the other food we ate also be poisoned?” another customer worriedly expressed.

“It’s possible…”

The onlookers were all concerned about their own safety, while the group of men had already entered the room.

The leading man kicked over a table as soon as he entered, and upon seeing so many people in the room and two individuals in the same condition as his younger brother, he paused for a moment and then became even angrier.

“Who’s the boss? Come out!”

“Damn it, selling poisonous food! Is it you?!” the man angrily questioned, grabbing someone by the collar.

“N-No, it’s not me!” The person who was grabbed happened to be standing close to Boss Wang, mistakenly identified as the boss. He quickly waved his hands in denial.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Upon hearing that he wasn’t the boss, the man loosened his grip, stared angrily, and demanded, “Who? Who is the boss?!”

The person who was released quickly walked away, keeping a safe distance, afraid of being grabbed by the man again. It was truly terrifying.

“Oh, they are from the Zhenwei Escort Agency,” a customer recognized the men as members of the local Zhenwei Escort Agency. They were all a bit fearful because these men were skilled fighters. Judging by their muscular bodies, it seemed they could easily break someone’s hand with a flick.

Upon hearing this, everyone took a step back, keeping their distance from them. Who knew when they might become violent? It was better to stay away from them.

“It’s… it’s that fat guy!” the young boy behind them pointed at Boss Wang, crying.

Boss Wang, upon hearing this, instinctively recoiled and took a step back. His wife also moved back in fear.

How could there be someone else accusing them? Could it be that the white ear soup really had a problem? Doubts began to arise in the couple’s previously confident minds.

As the leading man heard his brother’s words, his eyes scanned the area and immediately locked onto Boss Wang.

Step by step, he approached, his anger boiling.

Boss Wang trembled in fear, his legs shaking uncontrollably, as he continued to back away and stammered, “Y-You, you, you, don’t do anything reckless! I-I will report you to the authorities!”

“Report to the authorities? Fine, go ahead and report!” The man grabbed the back of Boss Wang’s collar, pulled him forward, and with a forceful shove, Boss Wang stumbled and fell flat on his face.

Boss Wang’s wife was initially shocked and frozen with fear, but when he snapped out of it, Boss Wang was already thrown to the ground. He rushed forward to pull Boss Wang and shouted at the man, “What are you doing! Let me tell you, my brother-in-law is the county magistrate’s registrar! If you dare to touch us, he’ll have you dragged to the government office!”

The man burst into laughter. He stepped on Boss Wang’s back, pressing him down, and when Boss Wang managed to raise himself slightly, he was immediately pushed back down.

“Ouch!” Boss Wang let out a miserable cry as his chin hit the ground, his teeth biting his lip, causing blood to flow into his mouth.

“Ah! What are you doing?! Let go of your foot! Let go of him!” Upon seeing this, Boss Wang’s wife rushed forward and tried to move the man’s leg. When he couldn’t budge it, he resorted to using his hands to hit him and even picked up a nearby chair, intending to smash it.

The man caught the chair with one hand, forcefully yanked it, and grabbed it. He casually threw it aside and said to the people behind him, “Tie him up.”

Two people came forward from behind and took out a rope to bind Boss Wang’s wife.

The man, while stepping on Boss Wang, said, “Let me tell you, you damn thing, my brother is getting married in two months. If his face doesn’t improve by then, you can forget about having a good life for the rest of yours!”

Hearing this, everyone sighed and sympathetically looked at the young boy. He was going to get married in two months, but his face was in such a state. They didn’t know if it could be cured. Moreover, even if it healed, would there be scars? If the husband’s family despised him, then what about the wedding…

It was truly pitiful.

However, upon further thought, they worried that they might have been poisoned themselves. They became increasingly anxious.

Someone asked the young boy, “Young man, did you also become like this after eating the white ear soup here?”

The young boy nodded, crying, and said, “Yes, yes, it was after eating the white ear soup here!”

Some of the customers who hadn’t eaten the soup let out a sigh of relief, but those who had eaten it felt like going crazy.

“What should we do? Should we hurry and go see a doctor?”

“Yes, yes, let’s go see a doctor! Maybe we can vomit it out. Let the doctor detoxify us.”

As they spoke, seven or eight people hurriedly rushed towards the door.

“Make way, make way! Let us through! We’ve been poisoned and need to see a doctor…” Most of these people were young gers, and some of them were already crying out of worry. If they ended up like those three individuals, what would they do? Would it be possible to recover from such a condition and avoid disfigurement?

By now, due to the commotion caused by these two groups of people entering, the entrance of Wang’s Noodle Shop was crowded with onlookers. Upon hearing their words, everyone quickly made way, allowing them to leave and seek medical attention.

At this moment, Wang’s son, Wang Ming, returned from the market. Seeing so many people surrounding their noodle shop, he knew something had happened. He immediately pushed through the crowd and saw a man stepping on his father, blood flowing from his father’s mouth, and his mother sitting on the ground crying.

“Father, mother, what happened?” Wang Ming was dumbfounded.

Boss Wang’s wife, upon seeing his son, quickly cried out, “Ah Ming, quickly go find your uncle! There are troublemakers here!”

“Oh, okay,” Wang Ming nodded absentmindedly, turned around to leave, but was stopped by two men from the escort agency grabbing his arms.

“Let him go!” the man from the escort agency said to the other two men.

Hearing this, the two men stepped aside, and Wang Ming immediately squeezed through and ran towards the county office.

The man from the escort agency turned to one of his companions and said, “Fifth Junior Brother, go back and find my father, tell him to go find my cousin! Say that his youngest brother has been disfigured by someone!”

“Yes, Big Brother!” the man turned around and left as well.

After giving the instructions, the man from the escort agency stepped on Boss Wang with one foot, reached out and patted his face, making a slapping sound, and said, “So the little nephew is a registrar? Hmm? That’s quite impressive! I’m so scared, terrifying!”

As he spoke, the man exerted force with his foot, causing a cracking sound.

“Ah!” Boss Wang’s screams pierced the sky.

Everyone heard the sound of the crack and shuddered.

The owner’s ribs were broken.

The man didn’t even flinch. He turned his head and looked at the group of people who arrived before them. They seemed somewhat familiar to him. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “From the Hu family in the west of the city?”

The leader of the previous group of men nodded and answered, “Yes.”

The man from the escort agency lifted his chin and nodded towards the two victims, asking, “Your wife and son?”

The leader of the Hu family nodded.

“Do you want a kick too?” the man from the escort agency lifted his chin towards Boss Wang and asked.

The leader of the Hu family silently shook his head and said, “We have gone to fetch a doctor. We’ll wait until the officials arrive.”

Upon hearing this, the man from the escort agency took a step, stepped on Boss Wang’s forearm, exerted force, and with a cracking sound, broke it again.

The Hu family members were all stunned.

They were in the fabric business and mostly conducted themselves in a civilized manner, usually resorting to presenting facts and reasoning to handle issues. Previously, their most aggressive actions were slamming tables, kicking chairs, and getting into fights. But now, witnessing the man from the escort agency effortlessly breaking someone’s ribs with a single stomp, they felt both fearful and a sense of relief in their hearts.

“Well stomped!” The elder brother spat and said harshly.

The others wore expressions of satisfaction.

The onlookers were all dumbfounded and dared not speak.

“The doctor is here, make way, make way!” Not long after, the Hu family members returned with a doctor, Dr. Li from the well-known Jiren Hall in the city. They had sought medical treatment from Dr. Li before.

The leader of the Hu family had someone bring out a pot of white ear fungus soup from the kitchen and explained the situation to Dr. Li. They asked him to examine the faces of the three victims and verify if the white ear fungus soup was poisoned.

“Is it from this?” Dr. Li looked at it and asked.

All three victims nodded.

Upon hearing this, Dr. Li said, “This white wood ear fungus, there have been cases in the past where people ate it and ended up poisoned, just like these three. They came seeking treatment. How did this thing end up being sold?”

Upon hearing this, someone asked, “Dr. Li, is this thing really poisonous?”

Dr. Li nodded and said, “Yes, this is called white wood ear fungus. People in the city are not very familiar with it since it grows in many mountainous areas. Some villagers who are unaware of its toxicity would pick and consume it. In my over thirty years of practicing medicine, I have treated many patients who were poisoned after eating this.”

“Since Dr. Li says so, then it must be true.” People started discussing among themselves. Dr. Li was the most respected doctor in the city, and if he said it was poisonous, then it must be.

Boss Wang, enduring the pain throughout his body, looked at the silver needle and shook his head, saying, “It’s impossible. Ahem, we have been selling it for the past few days, and nothing like this happened! You all must have conspired to harm me!”

“That’s right! It’s you who harmed us!” Boss Wang’s wife shouted loudly.

Despite Dr. Li’s statement, this unscrupulous couple refused to admit their wrongdoing, further infuriating the Hu family and the members of the escort agency.

“The evidence is right before our eyes! How dare you try to argue!”

“You bastard! Your conscience has been eaten by dogs! You’ve harmed my brother!” The man flew up and kicked forcefully, causing Boss Wang to scream in pain.

The man didn’t let him go and grabbed his collar, saying, “You claim it’s not poisoned, right? Then you drink this pot of soup!”

Boss Wang refused vehemently, struggling with all his might, but with a broken bone and excruciating pain, he had no strength left.

Seeing that the man was about to force-feed Boss Wang the white ear fungus soup, Dr. Li quickly said to the man from the escort agency, “Stop it now, don’t cause a tragedy!”

Upon hearing this, the man from the escort agency kicked once more before stopping. Then he anxiously turned to Dr. Li and asked, “Doctor, is there an antidote for this poison? Can my brother’s face be cured? The previous doctor applied medicine to him, but couldn’t give a definite answer. My brother is about to get married soon. Look at his face, how can we handle this?”

Dr. Li examined the younger brother’s pulse and carefully inspected the injury, confirming that it exhibited the same symptoms as the previous two victims. He said, “Their condition resembles being affected by a toxic heat, similar to sunburn. As long as they don’t scratch the blisters and break the skin, it can be healed. They should drink some detoxifying herbal soup, avoid excessive sunlight for a while, drink plenty of water, and consume light meals. In about two weeks, they should recover.”

Upon hearing this, the men from the escort agency felt somewhat relieved, and the younger brother finally let out a sigh of relief.

Dr. Li then turned to the Hu family members and said, “The situation of this younger brother is a bit more severe and may take a bit longer. Be careful not to let him scratch the blisters; otherwise, scarring could occur, which would be problematic.”

The Hu family members nodded promptly upon hearing this.

After giving instructions, Dr. Li turned to the white ear fungus soup on the table, looked at it, and asked Wang, “This thing is known to be poisonous even in rural areas. Villagers wouldn’t bring it for consumption anymore. How did you manage to sell something toxic?”

Boss Wang, huddled on the floor and in pain, struggled to answer, “We didn’t have any problems selling it the past few days.”

Dr. Li was puzzled and asked, “Oh? No problems the past few days? Then why did it become a problem today? Wasn’t it the same product?”

Boss Wang shook his head and said, “It was all white wood ear fungus. How could there be any difference? Moreover, today’s batch was freshly picked, just harvested…”

As he said this, Boss Wang suddenly paused and muttered, “No, something’s not right. The previous batch was dried, and my son went to the village to fetch it. Today’s batch was fresh, just picked…”

Dr. Li, hearing this, looked at the white wood ear fungus with a pensive expression.

At that moment, a voice came from the crowd, saying, “Fresh white wood ear fungus contains toxins. After being exposed to direct sunlight and dried, it should be soaked in water for one to two hours. The toxins will dissolve in the water, and the longer it is soaked, the less toxic the white wood ear fungus will be. At this point, it can be safely consumed.”

Upon hearing this, the crowd turned their heads to see a person stepping forward from the crowd.

Surprisingly, it was Boss Yu, the owner of the neighboring Yu’s Delicious Delights!

Boss Wang, upon hearing the explanation, instantly regretted his actions. When he realized that the person speaking was Yu Qingze, he was so infuriated that he spat out a mouthful of blood and fell into unconsciousness.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: Serves him right. So dark hearted this guy hmmph!

Since getting on the car, the mutant cows had been very aggressive. If it weren’t for Qin Shuang’s mental suppression along the way, they would have caused a commotion long ago.

When reminded by Ji Cha, Wang Qiang quickly went to the back door to lead the cows out. Fortunately, after seeing him, the cows gradually calmed down and followed his and Ji Cha’s footsteps into the farm.

Although the farm had not had cows for a long time, the cow sheds and barns were already prepared. However, when they were built, they were designed for normal-sized cows. Now, these mutant cows seemed a bit cramped inside.

Wang Qiang led the cows into the enclosure, and the two cows mooed and rubbed against him. He turned his head somewhat embarrassedly and asked Ji Cha, “Um, is there any feed we can give them to eat? They should be hungry.”

There was no shortage of feed on the farm. Although the workers there had not yet digested the fact that Ji Cha had miraculously come back to life and had brought two cows with him, they quickly provided the feed. The feed in the base was different from what they had outside, where they were already running out of food and had to rely on mutant plants. The feed here had better taste and nutrition.

As the two cows became full, they gradually calmed down. Ji Cha noticed that they seemed to be able to sense a person’s kindness to some extent. At least, they did not mind when unfamiliar workers brought them feed.

For the past few days, Zhang Qinqin had been helping to manage the hiring of workers at the farm in Ji Cha’s absence. To avoid revealing any flaws in front of Cheng Feng, Grandma did not immediately explain that Ji Cha had not met with an accident outside. Zhang Qinqin and the others managed the farm in an orderly manner while enduring their grief, which was something Cheng Feng had not expected.

At this moment, Ji Cha had just returned to the base, and the news had not yet reached Cheng Feng. His subordinates were reporting the farm’s operations to him.

“We can only obtain external data, we have no idea how the internal system works or its operating conditions,” the subordinate said. “But now that both Liang Jincheng and Ji Cha are no longer around, taking back the farm will be a piece of cake.”

Cheng Feng nodded. “If there are any obstacles, take care of them so we don’t have any trouble.”

As they were speaking, a soldier hurriedly entered and gasped for breath, leaning against the door frame. “Report! Liang Jincheng and Boss Ji have returned.”

“What!?” Cheng Feng stood up in surprise, his eyes widening.

The soldier didn’t know the situation and didn’t understand why Cheng Feng looked angry and overly anxious, so he simply reported that Ji Cha and Liang Jincheng had returned with an outsider and even brought two cows.

“They are currently at the farm. Do you want me to bring them here to talk?”

Cheng Feng didn’t dare to have the people brought in front of him, as they were supposed to be dead. Liang Jincheng could easily break his neck with a squeeze.

“No need,” Cheng Feng quickly shook his head. “Let’s see what they are up to first. If anything happens, report to me immediately.”

Once the soldier left, Cheng Feng dismissed everyone and went back to his room, lifting up the carpet to reveal a small door leading to the basement. He carefully lit some candles and immediately illuminated the darkness of the basement.

As the darkness faded, several large iron cages appeared before his eyes, each containing at least two zombies. The zombies’ hands and feet were tightly bound, covered in knife and burn wounds, some with gouged out eyes, some with cut off noses, and some even missing limbs.

Cheng Feng took a machete from the side, casually opened one of the cages, and emotionlessly swung down the machete with force.

It can be seen from this that the scars on the zombies’ bodies came from somewhere.

***

Ji Cha made some arrangements on the farm and explained Wang Qiang’s position to the person in charge. He had them assign one of the dormitories on the farm to Wang Qiang, where he could stay for the night. Tomorrow morning, they would set out to bring the rest of his family and the remaining cattle back.

Then Ji Cha returned to the factory area.

Although Grandma appeared strong on the surface and trusted Liang Jincheng and his assurances, it was false to say that she wasn’t worried or afraid inside. When she finally heard that Ji Cha and the others had returned and saw her own grandson standing in front of her, the stone in her heart finally fell to the ground.

Ji Cha closed the door and called his family back. He briefly explained their experiences outside in a few words. Although brief, everyone could hear the evil intentions of Cheng Feng and were furious.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Now that we have escaped and returned successfully, if there is such a thing again in the future, we don’t need to say anything. If Cheng Feng wants to kill you, he will definitely take other measures. What do we do then?” Zhang Qinqin asked anxiously.

“Now that we have returned, the initiative is in our hands,” Liang Jincheng said.

Ji Cha also believed in Liang Jincheng and he also thought that Cheng Feng didn’t gain anything from this incident.

After explaining everything, he immediately went back to his room and turned on the computer. He used the farm’s name to post a job advertisement on the recruitment website.

“Looking for 5 workers with cattle farming experience, aged between 20-50, male or female. Salary will be paid daily. Posted by Ji Cha from the farm.”

For large recruitment platforms like farms, each time a message is posted, it will automatically be put on top, so this message quickly caught the attention of many workers.

In this short message, there were several astonishing points.

“Cattle farming experience? Posted by Ji Cha from the farm?”

Where did the cows come from in the base? Didn’t Ji Cha die? Wasn’t it because Ji Cha was trying to find cows for the base that he died?

The recruitment office exploded on the spot, and it became chaotic. Military force had to be deployed to maintain order. Later, everyone immediately heard the news from the farm: 1. Ji Cha didn’t really die. 2. Ji Cha did bring back cows from outside.

So now, there are countless doubts in the hearts of the people in the base.

First, since Boss Ji and Captain Liang were fine and unharmed, why did the soldiers who returned early say that they were dead with such certainty?

Second, why did they leave several living people outside the base and lie about it when they returned? If it wasn’t for the members of the ability user team demanding to see the bodies, would they not have come back?

Third, as the highest authority figure, Cheng Feng did not even offer condolences to Ji Cha and Liang Jincheng when they left the base because of him and have now returned?

When people think again about the traces of zombies that occurred in the base before Ji Cha and Liang Jincheng left, they feel that Cheng Feng’s management ability is incompetent.

***

Night fell.

Ji Cha took a comfortable hot bath, and Liang Jincheng was talking to someone outside. Ji Cha wiped his head and overheard him say, “He wants to drag it out, but we can’t. The sooner we handle the matter, the better. You go and take care of it.”

What matter was he talking about? Curious, Ji Cha asked when he came out, but the person Liang Jincheng was talking to had already disappeared.

“How do you want to deal with Cheng Feng?” he couldn’t help but ask.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Thandar: Please get rid of Trash Feng asap. Thank you ah!

Trouble Arises

The next morning, at the entrance of Wang’s Noodle Shop, Boss Wang rubbed his hands together and stretched his neck, looking towards the south.

“Father, hasn’t Tugen arrived yet? If we don’t start cooking soon, we won’t be able to open the shop,” said Boss Wang’s son, stepping out of the shop’s entrance.

Boss Wang replied irritably, “I’m waiting too, you know! Ah, this Tugen, always saying ‘early morning’ but still hasn’t come even when we’re about to open.”

The two of them continued to wait anxiously at the entrance. Their hearts were pounding with impatience. Finally, a figure carrying a large basket on their back and holding a bag in their hand appeared at the end of the road. Both of them brightened up instantly.

“Hey, he’s here! Father, he’s here!” exclaimed Boss Wang’s son excitedly.

“I saw him! Why are you shouting so loud?” Boss Wang replied in an annoyed tone.

As the figure approached, Boss Wang immediately said, “Ah, Tugen, why are you so late? We’re about to open the shop! Go to the weighing scale, Ah Ming will get it for you.”

“Okay!” Boss Wang’s son, Wang Ming, immediately went to the back room to fetch the weighing scale.

The man called Tugen wiped the sweat off his forehead and followed the two of them into the backyard. He unloaded the basket and opened the sack in his hand, saying, “I’m really sorry, Boss Wang. I went to pick some more this morning, so I arrived a bit late. The ones inside are sun-dried. I picked them yesterday afternoon and I was worried they might spoil, so I sun-dried them again. The ones in the basket are freshly picked this morning, still fresh.”

“Alright, it’s all good,” Boss Wang said. He used a hook to weigh the basket and the sack separately, then said, “The basket weighs sixteen catties, and the sack is five and a half catties!”

He poured the silver ears into two separate trays and said to his son, “Alright, Ah Ming, start cooking!”

“Father, should I use these semi-dried ones or the fresh ones?” Wang Ming asked.

“You’re silly, of course, use the fresh ones! Otherwise, how will we make it on time! We need to soak the semi-dry ones!”

“Oh, I see,” Wang Ming carried the bag of fresh white fungus sweets and entered the kitchen.

Tugen watched Wang Ming enter the kitchen and curiously asked, “Boss Wang, what are you going to do with these white fungus?”

Boss Wang chuckled and casually replied, “Nothing much, just making some money. Let’s weigh the baskets again.”

Afraid that Tugen would continue asking and knowing that the price of the white fungus sweet soup they made would increase once people knew it was popular, he quickly changed the subject and weighed the empty baskets and sacks again. He said, “The skins weigh four and a half catties. After removing the skins, the total weight of the white fungus sweets is seventeen catties. Look, right?”

“Yes,” Tugen nodded in agreement.

“Come on, Tugen, let’s do the math. In total, seventeen catties at six wen per catty, ten catties make sixty wen, and seven catties make forty-two wen. So, in total, it’s… hey, one hundred and two wen. Isn’t it right?”

Tugen scratched his head. He couldn’t calculate as fast as Boss Wang. After a while, he nodded and said, “Hehe, yes.”

“Here, Tugen, take this one hundred and two wen. Next time, make sure to come earlier. We almost missed an important event here.” Boss Wang counted out one hundred and two wen from his money bag and handed it to Tugen. He reminded him to come earlier in the future.

“Okay, I’ll bring some more in the day after tomorrow.”

Tugen took the money happily and left. He forgot to ask Boss Wang what they were going to do with the inedible white fungus sweets. He was in a hurry to buy some meat from the market to satisfy everyone’s craving. The family was exhausted from the autumn harvest, and they needed some meat to enjoy.

With the white fungus sweets ready, the Wang family was pleased. They quickly washed them and started making white fungus sweet soup in a rush. Finally, a while after opening the shop, they finished making the white fungus sweet soup.

“Waiter, two bowls of white fungus sweet soup!” a young man walked into Wang’s Noodle Shop with a five or six-year-old boy. They came to eat the white fungus sweet soup here. They heard their neighbor talking about how delicious and crispy the white fungus sweet soup here was, so they wanted to taste it too.

“Coming!” the waiter shouted loudly, serving two bowls of red date, white fungus sweet, and lotus seed soup. He smiled and said, “Freshly made white fungus sweet soup, enjoy your meal, sir.”

“Waiter, bring a bowl of cold noodles and another bowl of white fungus sweet soup over here!” another customer on the other side placed an order.

“Alright, alright, coming!”

…

“We barely made it in time,” Boss Wang stood at the kitchen doorway, wiping the sweat off his forehead and sighed with relief.

Wang Ming had finished his busy work and also breathed a sigh of relief. He said, “Father, why don’t we have Tugen sun-dry them and bring them over? It’s more cost-effective, just like the previous days. It’s the same price, but when they’re sun-dried, you can soak them in water and they’ll expand into a big pot. Look at today’s fresh ones, we had to weigh them again.”

Boss Wang gave him a disapproving look and said, “Do you think they haven’t thought of that? The previous days, they couldn’t send them over because they were busy with the autumn harvest, so they had no choice but to sun-dry them. Now that they have time, do you think they’ll sun-dry them and sell them to you at the same price? Are you dreaming?”

“Hehehe, I was just suggesting. Otherwise, we can adjust the price,” Wang Ming suggested again.

Boss Wang thought for a moment and said, “Adjusting the price is possible, but we don’t have any inventory, and that’s still a problem. In our hometown, it’s only in their village that they have white fungus. If they don’t send them over, where can we find them? Besides, this thing isn’t available every day. If it doesn’t grow in the woods, Tugen and the others can’t pick any.”

“Then, how about I go to the market and inquire about the villagers living near the mountains who have white fungus? They can pick them and bring them to us,” Wang Ming suggested again.

Boss Wang found it feasible and patted his son’s shoulder, saying, “You little rascal, you finally did something useful. Alright, do as you said. Go to the market and ask around. Oh, by the way, while you’re at it, go to the market in the west and buy some cold noodles. Also, ask that old guy again. If we offer more money, let’s see if he’ll sell us the recipe. That old guy must be unhappy with our low offer, but I don’t believe we can’t buy it. Persuade him nicely, and if we get the recipe, we’ll save a lot of money!”

“Okay, I’ll go right now.”

Just like the previous days, the white fungus sweet soup and cold noodles sold well, and the sales of other noodles also increased.

Boss Wang was very satisfied and calculated in his mind. Once he had the method for making cold noodles, he believed they could earn more money. The frustration he had felt these days due to the tricks played by his arch-rival and Yu’s Shop had finally dissipated to some extent.

As they were talking, Boss Wang’s wife arrived. He sighed and said to his husband, “Thank goodness you heard about this recipe; otherwise, we would have lost money this month.”

Boss Wang smiled and said, “It was just a coincidence. Yesterday, my brother-in-law asked me how I knew about this recipe.”

“Oh? How did you respond?” Boss Wang asked curiously.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Boss Wang’s wife replied, “I told them that I accidentally overheard someone from Yu’s talking about it. Madam Huang doesn’t particularly like me, so when I heard it, I came back immediately, afraid that he would find out and cause trouble for me.”

“Hmph, don’t mind him. He’s just jealous of you, my dear,” Boss Wang reassured his wife.

Boss Wang’s wife glanced at him and chuckled, “Hehe, are you praising yourself?”

Boss Wang, in a good mood, put his arm around his wife’s shoulder and said, “Isn’t it true? Look at me, with a wife like you, how could he not be jealous of you?”

“Get lost…”

With business picking up, the Wang couple were in the mood to talk and laugh again.

By noon, five out of the seventeen pounds of white fungus sweets they had bought in the morning had already been used.

Boss Wang sighed. Fresh ones didn’t last as long as the dried ones, but they were easier to cook and the customers said today’s white fungus sweet soup tasted better.

He began to struggle with whether it was better to use fresh ones or dried ones. Fresh ones had a better texture, but it was clear that drying them had lower costs. If he wanted to make money, he had to use the dried ones after all.

It would be great if Tugen could accept the same price for selling the dried ones, but that seemed difficult.

However, before he could come to a conclusion, several men, accompanied by a ger and a crying little boy, barged in.

“Where’s the boss? Get out here! What are you selling? My wife and son are in this state because of your food!” one burly man shouted, wielding a stick and smashing it onto an empty table nearby, shattering the bowls and chopsticks that were still on it.

Other customers in the noodle shop were startled by the scene, and they all stopped what they were doing, looking at this group of people.

As soon as the waiter saw this aggressive group, he thought they had come to cause trouble. He quickly rushed into the kitchen and yelled, “Boss, boss, a group of people is here causing trouble!”

Boss Wang and his wife also heard the commotion. They walked out and saw the smashed bowls and chopsticks on the table. Frowning, Boss Wang asked, “What are you doing, sir? Smashing my bowls and chopsticks and scaring my customers? You’ll have to compensate for that!”

The man became furious when he saw the boss come out and cursed, “You heartless boss, are you crazy about making money? The white fungus sweet soup you sell is poisonous! Look at what you’ve done to my wife and son!”

As he spoke, the man pulled out a boy around five or six years old and a younger man from behind him.

Upon seeing them, everyone gasped. Oh my, both of them had clusters of red and swollen skin on their faces, necks, and around their collarbones. Their arms were also covered in red, swollen bumps. The child even had many blisters, some of which had been scratched open, revealing tender flesh.

A thin layer of white ointment was applied to the swollen skin of both individuals, indicating that they had seen a doctor. However, their appearance was still appalling, as if they had been scalded by boiling water.

The child cried loudly, his eyes swollen from crying. He must have been incredibly itchy and couldn’t help but try to scratch, but an older boy next to him held his hand to prevent him from doing so. It was a pitiful sight.

“Oh, how terrible! It looks so itchy.”

“What… what happened?”

One of the customers who had also eaten the white fungus sweet soup became concerned and asked, “I heard it was because of eating the white fungus sweet soup. Oh dear, I just had a bowl! Sir, are you sure your wife and son ate the same thing?”

The man nodded and said, “Yes, they had the white fungus soup this morning! They were fine before eating it. After they went back home, my wife took our son to play in the yard and didn’t eat anything else. Within an hour, they started itching all over! Shortly after, their skin turned red and swollen like this! The doctor said they were poisoned!”

Several other customers who had also eaten the white fungus sweet soup panicked.

“Oh no, what do we do now?”

“I ate it too, even had two bowls! How could you sell poisonous white fungus sweet soup, boss?!”

“Yeah, what do we do? Oh, I feel itchy all over!” a customer said anxiously, rubbing his arms and scratching here and there.

“…”

Seeing this situation, Boss Wang, became furious and said, “Nonsense! I’ve been selling this white fungus sweet soup for several days. If it were poisonous, it would have caused harm a long time ago! You can ask the people around here. How many days have I been selling this white fungus sweet soup? Has anything happened before?! I want to ask you too, why is it that only your two family members have problems after eating it?!”

Wang’s wife chimed in, “Exactly! Are you intentionally trying to extort money from us?!”

Other customers around them thought it made sense and nodded in agreement.

One customer said, “That’s right! It has been sold for several days, and nothing happened. Why did only you two have issues?”

“True, there are plenty of people on Beida Street who intentionally fake illnesses to extort money. It’s not surprising at all.”

Feeling supported by some customers, the boss’s confidence grew, and he said, “If you’re short on money, I may not be wealthy, but I can donate a small amount to you. But the way you’re behaving is inappropriate. If you have any sense, leave now, and I won’t hold you responsible for the broken dishes and utensils. If you continue to cause trouble, then let the authorities handle it!”

Upon hearing this, the man and his group became infuriated and started cursing.

The young man among them couldn’t contain his anger and shouted, “You despicable scoundrel! It’s because we ate at your place that we ended up like this! You’re a terrible boss! You refuse to acknowledge it and even falsely accuse us! Look at me, my face was perfectly fine, and now it’s like this! My son is so young, yet he has to suffer like this. If he’s left with scars, what are we supposed to do?!”

The onlookers watched the two people with swollen faces and bodies, and they sighed in unison. If scars were left behind, they would become pockmarked.

They were also unfortunate.

“You heartless boss, selling toxic things and refusing to admit it! Do you think we’re easy targets? Big brother, don’t waste time talking. Let’s smash his shop and seek revenge for Xiao Wu and the others!”

“That’s right! Just because he has money doesn’t mean anything! Although our Hu family in Tongshan City may not be rich, are we inferior to a small noodle shop owner like him? Big brother, stop talking and give him a good beating!”

As they spoke, the group of people rushed forward, rolled up their sleeves, kicked tables and chairs, and were ready to physically confront them.

Wang’s wife, seeing the crowd approaching, screamed loudly, “Help! This is outrageous! They want to beat people for money!”

The onlookers, witnessing the impending fight, quickly scattered, afraid of getting involved.

The sight frightened the young child even more, and he cried louder and louder.

The leading man, noticing the situation, quickly stopped his two brothers. “Second brother, third brother, wait! Don’t act rashly! Third brother, go get the doctor! Second brother, go to their kitchen and make sure they don’t destroy any evidence!”

“Alright, big brother!” One man turned and left.

The other man rushed into the kitchen.

Boss Wang, snorted and said, “Calling the doctor suits me fine! It’ll expose your conspiracy! By then, hmph, you’ll have to compensate for all the losses in my shop—tables, chairs, bowls, and the business during this period!”

The man glared angrily; he had never encountered such shameless person before.

“Perfect! Once the doctor arrives, I want to see how you’ll compensate for the losses suffered by my wife and son!”

Neither of them was willing to back down.

Just then, another group of people entered with a young boy.

“Where’s the boss? Get out here, you despicable scoundrel! What kind of crap are you selling? You’ve ruined my brother’s face!”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: So, you can eat it, just don’t go out in the sun afterwards???

Actually, in such a small place, even the weapons used for defense are quite rudimentary, so it is very puzzling to Ji Cha and others how it can ensure safety after so long in the end of the world.

However, they soon understood in the subsequent communication what was the reason for this.

The cows in the ranch have all mutated. The word “all” is not an exaggeration at all. Among the few dozen cows left in the ranch, none of them have the same shape as the cows that everyone knew before the end of the world. These cows are obviously very aggressive towards strangers. When they saw Ji Cha and Liang Jincheng, they immediately lowered their heads and rushed over with their horns to launch an attack.

The young man who had already regained his consciousness from Qin Shuang’s mental control flashed a look, and did not stop the actions of the cattle herd.

The galloping cattle herd immediately rushed over, and the cow hooves splashed dust on the ground. At a critical moment, Liang Jincheng and other members of the ability team used their abilities to create a powerful invisible wall of air to block the movement of the cattle herd. For a moment, the cattle herd seemed to have hit something invisible and they all stepped back several steps.

Ji Cha also quickly raised the gun in his hand and put the muzzle on the temple of a young man, “Don’t play any tricks.”

Seeing that Liang Jincheng and others could easily control the restless cattle herd, the people in the ranch were completely dispirited.

They gritted their teeth and explained to Ji Cha and others the changes in the ranch after the end of the world.

The feed and food storage in the ranch are quite sufficient, and the location is far from crowded places and relatively remote, so there was no big trouble at the beginning. Many things used as feed before the end of the world, such as soybeans, can also be used as human food to fill the stomach. However, as time went on, the cows’ big appetite became very troublesome. Originally, the ranch was managed by a family, but they also had to kill some cows for survival and store their meat for consumption.

Later on, when the herd became hungry, they began to eat the mutated plants that were flipped over by the fence. As soon as they ate them, problems occurred. The cows’ bodies began to show some mutations, such as an increase in body size, becoming stronger, and the killing power of their horns also increased exponentially. However, fortunately, the herd still recognized their owners, and did not harm the humans who were familiar with them and took care of their food.

Also because of the nature of the cattle, in order to ensure their safety, the people in the cattle farm did not confine them in the original fence, but instead let them roam freely in the yard, which blocked several attempts by outsiders to attack.

The cowhide is naturally thick, and after evolution, it has become so tough that even bullets can’t penetrate it.

Ji Cha glanced at the heavy udders of the cows and hesitated, “Do these cows still produce milk?”

“Yes, they do,” said one of the young men named Wang Qiang. “We drink it every day and can’t even finish it. There have been no problems so far.”

Ji Cha was slightly reassured. There were dairy cows and beef cattle here. If some testing could be done on the beef cattle after returning to the base, maybe they could also be eaten.

“We are from the base in S City. The base can currently guarantee your safety, and you can also live a stable life in the base. If you want to go with us, you can follow us back. If you don’t want to, we can also trade food for your cows.

Of course, it would be best if you could go with us. After all, the cattle are familiar with you, and it would be more convenient to take care of them. In that case, you would have a job even before entering the base.”

Wang Qiang and the others looked hesitant, and after a while, Wang Qiang said, “Can you give us some time to think about it?”

“Sure.”

After about half an hour, Wang Qiang walked out of the house.

“Can you really guarantee our lives in your place?” he still had doubts. “How about this, I can take two cows with me to the base first. If everything is really as you say, we will come back to pick up my remaining family members.”

Wang Qiang and his companions had encountered many people who wanted to profit from the cattle farm. Most of them, like Liang Jincheng, exuded strength and killing intent. However, they had never seen someone like Ji Cha, who could tell from various details that he had not suffered much in the apocalypse without a stable environment.

“Okay,” Ji Cha nodded. If he could convince the other party with just a few words, it would not be realistic.

However, they still had to stay here for a few days. After all, the soldiers who went back to report their death had to bring back the news.

The soldiers who followed Ji Cha and left the base finally returned to the base the next day and informed everyone that Ji Cha, Liang Jincheng, and others had “unfortunately” died outside.

At that time, there were still many workers working in the factory, and they were particularly concerned after hearing the news.

Wang Qinxue angrily asked, “What happened? You went out together, but only Ji Cha and the others had an accident, while the rest of you who went out with the military came back safely?”

Zhao Tiankuo also felt embarrassed upon hearing this. He had doubts about this matter, but at this point, he could only grit his teeth and say, “Well, the incident has already happened. Grandma, please accept our condolences.”

Grandma stood behind Wang Qinxue, lowering her head and showing a sad expression.

Zhang Qinqin asked with red eyes, “Is there no chance of survival at all?”

“It is said that the possibility is very small…” Zhao Tiankuo felt more and more uncomfortable under the gaze of dozens of angry and grieving eyes, so he quickly found an excuse and left.

When he walked outside the factory, he took a long breath and looked back at the factory that he had visited countless times. He couldn’t help feeling a strong sense of loss.

The news of Ji Cha’s accident quickly spread throughout the base the next day. Countless workers who had worked on the farm for the past six months, as well as those in the factory, had worked under Ji Cha’s leadership at some point. The treatment here was excellent, and Ji Cha was very sincere in his dealings with people, so basically everyone who had worked for him had nothing but praise for him.

As the captain of the ability user team, Liang Jincheng’s prowess and great efforts in maintaining the base’s security were well known even among those who were not part of his team. When weighed against it, the other top official in the base, Cheng Feng, had a vague explanation for the zombie problem, causing rumors to spread throughout the base and giving Cheng Feng a headache. On the day the news broke, hundreds of base members even demanded that Cheng Feng send people out to search for the people, dead or alive.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

It was at this time that the members of the ability user team proposed to go out and search for Liang Jincheng and the others.

After confirming that Liang Jincheng, Ji Cha, and the others had been completely taken care of, Cheng Feng allowed the ability user team for a search. The members of the ability user team immediately drove a large car that was big enough to carry two cows and went to borrow manpower.

Although the other people in the base were not sure of Liang Jincheng and Ji Cha’s fate, the members of the ability user team were well aware of their capabilities. However, now that they were outside the base, their safety could not be guaranteed, so it was best to bring them back as soon as possible.

Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, Liang Jincheng and the team members who came to pick them up arrived.

When the people at the cattle farm saw the car coming, the stone in their hearts finally sank again. After all, at this time, it was not easy for anyone to have the ability to drive this kind of car.

Wang Qiang bid farewell to his family and set off on the road back to the base with Ji Cha and the others. They left before noon and arrived outside the base before the sun set, after taking some detours.

The base guards were surprised to see the car that had left in the early morning return so quickly. Without waiting for them to ask, they saw Liang Jincheng, who was sitting in the passenger seat and sticking his head out, causing them to be shocked and even dropping their jaws.

“Captain Liang!?”

How could the supposedly dead Liang Jincheng be alive now?

What’s even more unbelievable is that when they opened the carriage, two fierce-looking oxen were inside.

And the size of the base also shocked Wang Qiang.

When Ji Cha told him that this was a base of over 10,000 people, he imagined that they were all squeezed into a small space. He never expected such a grand scale.

This base could easily accommodate several times more people, he thought as the vehicle drove further in. He peered out of the window and saw ordinary brick buildings from before the apocalypse, which now seemed like a rare sight.

When they arrived at the farm and got off the vehicle to deal with the oxen, Wang Qiang was still in a daze.

“Hey, Wang Qiang, if you don’t get down, we won’t dare to move the oxen,” Ji Cha patted his shoulder.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Thandar: What would Cheng Feng’s next dirty move be since his plot failed? 🤔

Proud Old Wang Next Door

In the backyard of the snack shop, under the osmanthus tree, Madam Zhao and Old Madam Cai were sitting at a stone table, enjoying their snacks. Madam Zhao took a sip of porridge and casually mentioned, “I heard that there’s a new dessert called White Fungus Sweet Soup on Beida Street. I thought it was from Yu’s, so I wanted to invite you over to taste it together. But it turns out it’s not from your place.”

Yu Qingze helplessly replied, “I was actually planning to introduce it in a few days, but someone beat me to it.”

This move by Wang’s made Yu Qingze feel frustrated. He had already made plans to introduce it himself, but someone stole the thunder. It felt like he had eaten a fly, and to make matters worse, it was happening right next door. He could see it every day, which was really annoying.

Old Madam Cai frowned and said, “It’s my fault. I suspect it was the people at the flower appreciation event who spread the news. Sigh, I should have reminded them.”

Yu Qingze shook his head and comforted Old Madam, “Old Madam, you can’t blame yourself for this. Don’t overthink it. Everyone makes these kinds of things. And to be honest, I also wanted to take advantage of everyone being at the flower appreciation event to promote it a bit. It would have been easier when I released it later. Now, it’s just that someone else beat me to it, and it had some impact.”

“That impact is not insignificant. When you make it later, people will say you’re just following the trend and stealing customers,” Old Madam Cai frowned and said.

At that moment, Mi Ge’er came in with a bowl of White Fungus Sweet Soup. “Old Madam, I bought the White Fungus Sweet Soup from the neighboring Wang’s.”

Mi Ge’er placed the bowl of White Fungus Sweet Soup on the stone table, and everyone looked at it.

Red dates, lotus seeds, silver ear mushrooms, and a few goji berries.

As soon as they saw it, everyone understood.

Old Madam Cai held a spoon and scooped a spoonful of White fungus from the bowl. He looked at it and said to Yu Qingze, “Indeed, it’s the same as the ingredients at the flower appreciation gathering, just not as visually appealing. Look at this White fungus, in large pieces, unlike what you make. The taste must not be as good as yours.”

The White fungus soup made by Yu Qingze had the White fungus torn into small pieces, and it was cooked for a long time until the White fungus became soft, resulting in a thick and creamy soup, like a pudding. On the other hand, this dish from Wang’s had large pieces of White fungus that were still crispy. It seemed apparent that it was not cooked for a long time, so it could only be considered White fungus soup.

Madam Zhao pondered for a moment and said, “In that case, this Wang’s must have heard about this dessert from somewhere but didn’t know the exact details, so they made it like this?”

Yu Qingze understood after listening and said, “Madam Zhao is right. Cooking the White fungus until it becomes soft requires some techniques.”

Old Madam Cai put down the spoon and said, “I’ll have someone investigate and find out where it came from.”

Madam Zhao replied, “Old Madam, it might not be convenient for Cai’s Mansion to handle this matter. I think I should take care of it from my side.”

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you then.”

“No problem.”

Once everything was settled, Old Madam Cai said to Mi Ge’er, “Mi Ge’er, pour out this White fungus soup.”

Mi Ge’er was surprised and said, “Old Madam, you’re not drinking it?”

“It’s not made by Xiao Yu, so I’m not confident in it.” Old Madam Cai shook his head and then reminded Mi Ge’er, “And don’t you dare sneak a taste either.”

Mi Ge’er stuck out his tongue and replied, “Understood, Old Madam.” With that, he carried the bowl away to pour it out.

After Mi Ge’er left, Yu Qingze said, “Old Madam, Madam Zhao, thank you both.”

Old Madam Cai waved his hand and said, “No problem. In the first place, you were helping me, but it ended up causing you a loss. Since it originated from me, it’s only right that I give you an explanation.”

After Yu Qingze came back from the mansion, Brother Le asked Yu Qingze if they still planned to introduce the White fungus soup. They had originally planned to launch it in two days, but now Wang’s had unexpectedly taken the lead.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “Let’s see how things unfold first.”

Let’s wait for news from Madam Zhao before making a decision. If we decide to launch it later, we need to be prepared so that Wang’s doesn’t steal the recipe. We should be fully prepared.

In the afternoon, the village chief came to find Yu Qingze. They had finished their harvesting work and had some free time. They wanted to ask Yu Qingze what he planned to do next. They were curious if he could still make the baby carriages he mentioned before.

The previous rice beds had earned the village chief’s family a good amount of money. Now, they were hoping to make something new quickly to earn more money. They thought that after the New Year, they might even be able to build a new house.

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Sure. I will find time in the next two days to draw the blueprints for you. You and Dajian can come to see me the day after tomorrow in the afternoon, and I will explain everything to you. If you have any questions during the construction, come and find me.”

To get married as soon as possible, the sideline business also needed to develop quickly.

That evening, while teaching Brother Le and the others arithmetic, Yu Qingze started drawing the blueprints when they were doing their exercises.

In the span of two days, he not only drew blueprints for two types of baby carriages and two types of walking aids, but also for a handcart used at construction sites, both with single and double wheels. He also drew another type of hand-pulled cart, the kind commonly used for carrying groceries and goods. It may not have an extendable handle, but it was fixed and much more convenient and lightweight than carrying heavy loads by hand.

“For this baby carriage, make two versions. One is like this for urban dwellers, where the roads are flat. The other version should have larger wheels and a higher base, suitable for rural dirt roads,” Yu Qingze pointed to the blueprints of the baby carriage and explained to the village chief and Dajian.

The village chief looked at the blueprints and nodded, saying, “Okay, it doesn’t seem too difficult.”

“The most important thing for this handcart is balance. When it’s placed flat, the rear bucket should not tip backward; otherwise, the supporting poles won’t serve their purpose. You can start by making a smaller one as a trial.”

Dajian suggested, “Can’t we just move the bucket forward a bit?”

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “If you move it too far forward, it will be difficult to push. I roughly calculated the proportions. Try the position indicated on the blueprint when you make it. We can adjust it further when it’s time to build. In any case, follow the blueprint for now, and we’ll make specific adjustments during the construction.”

“Okay,” nodded the village chief.

Dajian then asked, “Brother Yu, what about the foot-operated threshing machine and the wind-driven winnowing machine? I’m particularly interested in those two.”

Yu Qingze replied, “Those two are more complicated. I need to think about them carefully. Once I have finished drawing them, I will have someone inform you.”

“Okay,” Dajian replied.

While drawing the blueprint for the handcart, Yu Qingze also thought of the flatbed cart. However, if the flatbed cart is intended to carry heavy loads, it would need to be made of iron instead of wood. He could collaborate with the local blacksmith for that. Many business owners in the city often need to move a lot of goods, and this type of handcart would be quite convenient.

With the idea in mind, after seeing off the village chief and Dajian, Yu Qingze put on another blueprint and headed to the blacksmith’s shop where he frequently ordered customized items to discuss the matter.

The owner of the blacksmith’s shop was also a clever person. Upon hearing Yu Qingze’s purpose, he specifically called him to the backyard, and the two of them had a lengthy discussion, eventually reaching a cooperation agreement.

The next morning, Boss Liu came to the snack shop. As he passed by Wang’s, he noticed Fatty Wang smirking at him with a smug expression. Boss Liu gave him a disdainful glance.

“Just look at his face. It annoys me just to see him,” Boss Liu angrily exclaimed, his eyes glaring, feeling quite frustrated.

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “Brother, getting angry won’t help. It’s already like this, we have to accept it.”

Boss Liu glared at him and said, “Don’t you think we should find a solution?”

Yu Qingze replied, “I’m waiting for news.”

“What kind of news?” Boss Liu asked, leaning closer.

Yu Qingze was about to answer when Steward Zhao approached them.

“Steward Zhao, any news?” Yu Qingze greeted him and immediately asked.

Steward Zhao nodded, glancing at Boss Liu.

“It’s Madam Huang from the eastern part of the city,” Steward Zhao said.

Yu Qingze looked puzzled and asked, “Madam Huang? Does Boss Wang know him?”

Steward Zhao shook his head and said, “No. This Madam Huang is close friends with the son of the county registrar. And you may not know this, but the registrar is Boss Wang’s brother-in-law.”

Upon hearing the connection to the registrar’s son, Yu Qingze and Boss Liu understood.

“So, that’s how it is,” Yu Qingze said suddenly realizing.

Steward Zhao nodded and continued, “It is said that when Madam Huang was casually chatting with the registrar’s son at their house, coincidentally, Boss Wang’s son overheard their conversation.”

Yu Qingze and Boss Liu: …

Although there was a certain level of connection, it was only a matter of time before Boss Wang found out. But it was too coincidental. If they had introduced the White fungus soup a few days later and he found out afterward, it wouldn’t have mattered.

Yu Qingze sighed helplessly and said, “Sigh, my luck couldn’t get any worse.”

Boss Liu comforted him, “It’s okay. Whatever he does, it won’t be as good as yours. You can still launch it, and when people compare, customers will naturally come back.”

“Let’s hope so,” Yu Qingze sighed and replied.

And so, two more days passed.

Yu Qingze was busy managing the snack shop and drawing blueprints, keeping himself occupied.

He decided to replace the White fungus soup he originally planned with stir-fried rice noodles—egg stir-fried rice noodles, pork stir-fried rice noodles, vegetable stir-fried rice noodles—and a few other varieties. They were all well received, especially during lunchtime when these filling dishes sold particularly well.

Moreover, stir-fried rice noodles could be prepared in large quantities at once and then sold, which was more convenient.

On the other side, Boss Wang had been in high spirits recently, smiling all the time.

Liangpi attracted a group of customers who used to go to Yu’s food stall. In addition, the White fungus soup introduced in the past few days was also popular, especially among the children.

Due to these two dishes, the noodle shop’s seating rate finally increased from 30% to 60%.

Seeing the noodle shop gradually improving, Boss Wang felt very pleased. Even when his arch-nemesis, Boss Liu, glared at him as he passed by, Boss Wang was in such a good mood that he didn’t bother to argue.

“Father, we’re running out of white fungus,” Boss Wang’s son said as he entered the kitchen.

“Do we have enough for today?” Boss Wang asked.

Boss Wang’s son looked at the soaking white fungus in the basin and nodded, “It’s barely enough.”

Upon hearing this, Boss Wang said, “No problem, Tugen will deliver it tomorrow morning, we’ll make it in time.”

“That’s good then.”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: I had a feeling that Huang guy was shady. Old Madam Cai, don’t invite him anymore for future events. He cannot be trusted. I spit on him and Wang guy.