Chapter 518 - 518: Da Bai

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Chu Qingzhi arrived at the wasteland, having been too busy to visit the day before.

“Third brother, when you go to the county city later, please tell Xiao Chen to come and help us.”

Xiao Chen was the leader of the beggars, a young man around seventeen or eighteen years old. Chu Xuhua didn’t know what his abilities were, but all the beggars listened to him.

“Okay,” Chu Xuhua agreed, knowing that the family was no longer short of money, so there was no need for everyone to work so hard.

Chu Qingzhi squatted down and picked up a handful of soil, grinding it in her hand.

It was very dry, crumbling into sand easily upon squeezing. Indeed, the soil was barren with little nutrients. Before planting anything, it needed to be fertilized, and a trench had to be dug to bring water from a distant source.

Chu Qingzhi stood up and looked around, quickly determining a route for the trench. Once Xiao Chen and his group arrived, they could start digging.

As the sun rose higher, its rays bathing everything in light, Tang Jinghong, with a machete in hand, headed towards the village’s bamboo grove to gather materials for making a tiger’s den.

As he left the house, Da Bai, the white tiger, followed him. The majestic tiger’s presence and stride were so formidable that it immediately caused a stir in the village.

“Ahh!!! A tiger has entered the village!!!”

“Tiger, where is the tiger???”

“Fight the tiger, it’s coming to eat people!!!”

Da Bai, unaccustomed to such noise, growled fiercely, quieting the village instantly. However, the chaos soon resumed, and before long, the entire village had “vanished” behind closed doors.

Tang Jinghong looked back at Da Bai with a smile, “Seems like it’ll take some time for everyone to accept you.”

Da Bai didn’t care. It stuck out its pink tongue, raised its paw, and licked it leisurely.

Chu Qingzhi was also pulled back home by Li Qingyu. She hesitated to reveal that the tiger was brought by her, fearing a reprimand from her family.

Tang Jinghong stroked the round tiger head, especially fondling its ears, which were soft and surprisingly cute.

“The tiger won’t bite, don’t be afraid!”

Chu Qingzhi reassured her family, “It really won’t bite anyone. Otherwise, Jinghong would have been its first victim. Shall we go out?”

The family was skeptical and remained indoors.

Grandpa Chu was cautious, “Let’s wait and see. If it truly doesn’t bite, then we’ll go out.”

Chu Qingzhi didn’t mind, knowing that everyone would definitely accept Da Bai in the end.

The three wolves stood at the courtyard gate, fully alert. They considered the village their territory and saw Da Bai as a threat. Having never encountered a tiger, the wolves decided to confront it.

Tang Jinghong continued to lead Da Bai into the bamboo grove. He would call out to Da Bai once in a while. After the villagers saw through the crack in the door that Da Bai really didn’t seem to hurt anyone, they slowly began to let down their defenses…

Tang Jinghong’s route did not pass by Chu Qingzhi’s house. Seeing that the tiger was getting further and further away, the three wolves could not help but look at each other and chase after it.

Da Bai turned its head to look at the three small creatures cautiously following behind. Suddenly, it opened its mouth and let out a threatening growl.

The three wolves were paralyzed with fear. Their noses were breathing heavily, and their bodies were tense. They stared fixedly at Da Bai, treating it as a huge threat.

Da Bai’s threatening gesture made the three wolves realize that it was not a creature to be trifled with.

They decided to stick to their roles as obedient wolves and refrain from provoking it any further. After regaining some composure, the three wolves quickly ran away.

Witnessing this scene, Tang Jinghong couldn’t help but find the situation both amusing and lively.

After chopping the bamboo, Tang Jinghong quickly dragged it home. Otherwise, the villagers of the Chu Village would not dare to go out today.

Seeing that Da Bai had entered Tang Jinghong’s house and didn’t come out again, the villagers slowly started to emerge from their homes. They still had many chores to do and couldn’t stay hidden forever.

The village children, naive and curious, stretched their necks to peek into Tang Jinghong’s yard. Although they had heard about tigers in the mountains, very few had actually seen one, as most who encountered a tiger didn’t live to tell the tale.

As Tang Jinghong sat in his yard working on the bamboo, Da Bai lay lazily at the doorway, yawning occasionally, effortlessly combining laziness with majestic dignity.

When Chu Qingzhi opened the door, she saw Chu Junbao peeking at Da Bai from behind a tree, his expression written with a mix of fear and curiosity. “Don’t be afraid, Da Bai won’t hurt you,” she reassured him.

Chu Junbao ran over to Chu Qingzhi, hiding behind her while still trying to catch a glimpse of Da Bai. “Sister Qingzhi, why is there a tiger in our village?” he asked.

Chu Qingzhi glanced at Da Bai. “It probably likes your Brother Jinghong,” she replied.

Chu Junbao believed her without a doubt. “Oh-”

Shen Ruyue came out from the house. “Junbao, it’s time to go.”

Chu Junbao turned and crisply responded, “Coming!” He then ran towards Shen Ruyue. “My parents, uncle, aunt, and other relatives are all ready to help.”

Shen Ruyue planned to collect the grapes from Chu Junbao’s maternal grandparents’ house, and Chu Junbao’s family members were all called to assist.

“Alright, let’s head out now.”

Shuiyun County.

Chu Xujin went to the county city to find Xiao Chen and conveyed Chu Qingzhi’s request for help. Xiao Chen immediately led his people to Chu Village.

Chu Xujin and Ge Lihua then went to the county government office, only to find it in chaos.

“County Magistrate, you must do something for us. Each of us has received counterfeit banknotes, amounting to tens of thousands in total.”

“County Magistrate, it’s clear someone is producing fake money to scam people. You can’t ignore this.”

“The person behind this is audacious. Not only us, but many merchants have received fake money. Your lordship, this matter is extensive. If left unchecked, it could lead to worse chaos.”

The county magistrate was surrounded by over twenty shopkeepers, all clamoring about the counterfeit banknotes,

Chu Xujin stood at the door and listened. Coincidentally, when he went out, his brother had also told him about the fake banknotes. Chu Xuhua had been brooding over the 150 taels of fake money and asked him to think of a way to find the mastermind and get the real money back.

Chu Xujin took a step forward and cupped his fists. “Sir, with so many victims, ignoring the situation could indeed lead to chaos. And considering it’s time for your performance assessment, if this gets out of hand, it might negatively impact your reputation..”