Chapter 530 A Few Dogs Fell into the Manure Pit

Chapter 530: A Few Dogs Fell into the Septic Tank

A Chang was pondering how to report to Jiao Zongyao when the latter hurried over with his men.

"Where is he?"

"Director, Section Chief He..."

Jiao Zongyao tensed up. "What about him?"

"He used a villager’s stove, whipped up some fish soup, and left."

Jiao Zongyao: "..."

A Chang, reading his face, felt a sense of mutual exasperation.

See? Exactly! I was speechless too.

"What did he make?"

"Fish soup."

Jiao Zongyao: "That’s *it*?"

A Chang nodded, his tone somewhat complicated. "That’s it."

A grown man came all this way just to cook his wife some fish soup, while they had twenty men on high alert. Talk about embarrassing.

Jiao Zongyao was fuming.

The day had just started, and he already felt like a fool.

"This is a ploy! He must be doing it on purpose! Don’t let him out of your sight—watch him closely!"

Jiao Zongyao spoke urgently, his tone nearly hysterical.

He refused to believe Jiang Yu and the others were really just here to fish!

Meanwhile, by the reservoir, Jiang Yu drank an entire large bowl of fish soup, satisfied, and let out a satisfied belch.

After finishing, she thrust the bowl and chopsticks back into He Tingyue’s hands.

"I’m stuffed."

"I’ll return the bowl. Do you want to keep fishing here or find somewhere to rest?"

Jiang Yu thought the current spot was just fine.

"We’ll stay here. No fishing this afternoon—too boring."

Old Wang froze. He had just been about to ask her for fishing tips.

He was sure Jiang Yu was mocking him. Who did she think she was mocking?

Cai Xiaole muttered timidly, "I think it’s quite fun."

Zero effort—the fish practically jump on the hook.

Jiang Yu snorted. "Where’s your ambition? Let’s do something more challenging in the afternoon. Fishing’s lame—toss the line, reel it back, and the fish is caught."

Old Sir Wang: "..." Don't rub it in!

He coughed forcefully twice, cleared his throat, and walked over with a stern face.

"That Jiang Yu..."

Jiang Yu turned her head. "Old Sir Wang, how's your luck today?"

Old Sir Wang looked guilty and hid the bucket behind his back. Could he admit he hadn't caught a single fish?

But Cai Xiaole walked over and saw the empty bucket.

"Old man, you didn't catch even one? Hahaha, your luck is truly unmatched. Want me to spot you a couple?"

Old Sir Wang's mustache bristled. "I don't need handouts! I'll catch one for sure! There were no fish where I was fishing earlier. I've decided—I'm fishing right here with you!"

Jiang Yu motioned for Xiao Qi to make space for him.

"Fish here then. If you really can't catch any, I'll give you a couple."

Old Sir Wang snorted. "Just wait till I catch all the fish in this spot. Don't regret it later!"

Jiang Yu narrowed her eyes. "Talk when you've got one on the line."

While Old Sir Wang fished nearby, Cai Xiaole started getting the fish ready for grilling.

Before coming, she had brought seasonings in her bag.

With tools and fire, everything was set.

She roped Lai Liuzi into helping, picked a few fish of suitable size, cleaned them, and marinated them with spices.

Old Sir Wang saw this and chuckled.

"You folks really know how to enjoy yourselves."

Cai Xiaole grinned. "When we finally get time off—might as well relax. We'll let you try our cooking later, old man."

Old Sir Wang stared at the calm water and suddenly remembered the real purpose of this trip, getting a sudden headache.

The original plan was no longer viable—Jiang Yu and He Tingyue weren't up to anything suspicious.

He sighed silently. Might as well scrap the plan and just focus on fishing.

Meanwhile, after returning the bowl to Cui Lian, He Tingyue didn’t head straight back to the reservoir but took a roundabout route through the village instead.

Wherever he went, A Chang's crew followed closely.

No matter how they observed, they couldn’t figure out what He Tingyue was up to.

He just circled around without talking to anyone, looking for all the world like he was just out for a stroll.

Suddenly, in a flash, He Tingyue disappeared behind a door.

A Chang muttered a curse, gritted his teeth, and said, "After him!"

He no longer cared about being spotted—losing him wasn't an option.

They pushed the door open before they knew it, their momentum carrying them forward before they could pull back.

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

However, no one expected that behind this door lay a manure pit!

Two of A Chang's men had already gone in first, tumbling in with blood-curdling screams.

A Chang was halfway over the edge, barely caught hold of something to steady himself.

Before he could sigh in relief, a figure suddenly blocked his light.

Dread creeping over him, A Chang slowly looked up and met Section Chief He's handsome face, sporting a shit-eating grin.

"Will you jump in yourself, or should I give you a hand?"

A Chang gulped and nervously shuffled his feet.

"Section Chief He, I'd rather not."

He Tingyue curled his lips, but his coal-black eyes held no humor.

"Don't worry, Jiao Zongyao will join you soon."

With that, he decisively kicked A Chang down into the manure pit, where the stench continued to fester. The splash was disgusting.

He Tingyue thoughtfully shut the door behind them and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

He killed time outside for a bit longer before returning to Jiang Yu's side.

Jiang Yu had dozed off for a while and had perked up a little.

"Where did you go? You took so long."

He Tingyue said casually, "Some mutts fell into the manure pit. I watched for a while."

Cai Xiaole had never seen anything like that before. "Was it the manure pit at the village entrance?"

He Tingyue grunted in confirmation.

"That's strange. The door to that pit is always closed. How did the dogs get in?"

Originally, the pit didn't have a door, but after a child accidentally fell in and almost drowned, it was fenced off and a door was installed.

He Tingyue's expression remained indifferent. "No idea."

Old Wang surreptitiously eyed him, wondering if He Tingyue was really talking about dogs.

After some deliberation, he got antsy. He put down his fishing rod and went to find Jiao Zongyao.

From morning till now, He Tingyue had been running them ragged.

Every time he made a move, someone would immediately report back to Jiao Zongyao.

Now, seeing Old Wang approach, Jiao Zongyao was beyond caring.

He was dead on his feet.

"Director, where's A Chang?"

Jiao Zongyao glared at him icily. "Isn't he at the reservoir?" "I saw A Chang take his guys to follow Section Chief He. Section Chief He came back, but I didn't see A Chang, so I figured I'd check."

Jiao Zongyao immediately stood up. "A Chang must have found something. Move!"

Old Wang mumbled, "I might know where he is."

Jiao Zongyao halted and glared at him.

"Then quit dawdling and lead!"

Wang hesitated, but before he could speak, Jiao snapped again.

"Now!"

Wang wiped his nose nervously and had no choice but to plod forward.

They reached the cesspit, where the reeking stench mingled with desperate cries.

"Hey! Anybody out there? Open the damn door! Help us!"

Wang's heart jumped—it was A Chang's voice.

But behind that door lay the cesspit, and his gut wouldn't let him step closer.

"He's in there."

Jiao clamped a hand over his nose and barked at the others to open it.

Yet seeing the brown filth spraying from the gaps, hearing the chunky, wet sloshing inside, and choking on the putrid air, the men all backed away fast.

Jiao shot them a venomous look and lashed out with a kick.

"Goddamn cowards!"

When nobody obeyed, Jiao had to clamp down harder over his face and went over himself. Using a handkerchief, he wrenched open the cesspit door.