Chapter 200 (continued)

The big wolfhounds barked, "Woof!"

Ming Chunxi came over and petted the dogs with him. "Han Lei and the others have grown a little bit more."

Qing Mengzhu looked at the big wolfhound. "Its fur is smooth and shiny now. Oh, wait, what happened to its nose? Did it get into a fight with another dog?"

Qing Mengzhu lifted the large wolfhound's head to examine it closely and saw a bloodstain on its nose.

The large wolfhound seemed a little guilty, its eyes looking down, revealing a sliver of white in its eyes.

Ming Chunxi said from the side, "The Huang Lang also has wounds."

Qing Mengzhu went over to take a look and found that the Huang Lang had injured its chin. "That's strange, I'll ask about it later."

Just as Qing Mengzhu and the others were examining the dog's wounds, a voice broke in. "There were no other dogs fighting with them; it was a cat that was fighting them."

Qing Mengzhu turned around and saw Ping Lin, the technician who had stayed behind, walking over. She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Cats, are the cats here so fierce?"

Ping Lin: "Yeah, they're all village cats. They sneak in to eat rye grass, in groups of them. They're not afraid of dogs, and they even dare to fight with lone dogs. They're really fierce."

This was the first time Qing Mengzhu had ever heard of a group of cats chasing a dog. "Don't we have a wire fence in our orchard? How did the cat sneak in?"

Ping Lin gestured as if he were climbing. "Just climb in along the barbed wire fence. With cats' agility, a mere barbed wire fence won't stop them at all!"

Qing Mengzhu thought about it and agreed, "That's why there are so many more cats in the orchard; these cats come specifically to eat rye grass."

Ping Lin petted another dog. "They came in to catch field mice before, but then they found our ryegrass was good, so they started eating it. Old Li even wrote it down in his work log."

Qing Mengzhu really didn't remember him. He turned to look at Ming Chunxi, Ming Chunxi usually looked at the work log with him. He wondered if she had noticed.

Ming Chunxi nodded. "I've seen it."

Qing Mengzhu: "Perhaps our rye grass is better; the cat can't resist the temptation."

Their ryegrass is "Superior Grade" ryegrass, planted in soil treated with Soil Fertility Restoration Agent, and the fertilizer used to bury it contains fermented fertilizer. They also use water from Spirit Pearl Dregs to water it, so it should be much better than ordinary cat grass.

It's not surprising that the village cats would specifically come over to eat cat grass; animals are naturally inclined to seek advantage and avoid harm.

The large dogs were not seriously injured; they only suffered some superficial wounds.

Ping Lin said that after the large wolfhounds were beaten up when they were alone, they no longer act alone and now maintain a delicate balance with the cats. Therefore, the scars are from before, and they haven't been injured much recently.

After confirming that the large dogs did not need to be re-medicated, Qing Mengzhu released them.

Qing Mengzhu and the others came from Vine City and were a little tired from the journey. They chatted with the people who stayed behind for a few minutes and then quickly went back to their rooms to sleep.

The next day, they were awakened by the chirping of birds outside.

The two got up, washed up, and then went to inspect the orchard.

After a period of maintenance, the orchard is now thriving. The durian and mangosteen trees have sprouted new leaves, and the rye grass is growing lush and green, which looks very pleasing to the eye. It is a world of difference from the pitted and uneven appearance it had before.

The fruit trees and grass in the orchard are growing so well that even the air seems fresher and more moist.

Qing Mengzhu took a deep breath of the cool air and felt her mind clear up considerably.

Qing Mengzhu was playing with Ming Chunxi's fingers when, just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard loud barking from ahead.

He stopped abruptly, and upon closer listening, he could hear the barking of dogs mixed with the howling of cats.

Because it was a threatening sound, the growl was "howling," and it didn't sound like a cat at all.

Qing Mengzhu turned to look at Ming Chunxi: "Han Lei and the others aren't going to start fighting with the cats right now, are they?"

Ming Chunxi: "Whether they fought or not, we'll know once we go and see."

The two hurried towards the source of the sound, and when they arrived, they saw cats and dogs fighting, their fur flying everywhere.

The large dogs had the upper hand due to their size, but they were not as agile as the cat and did not leave many wounds on it.

Qing Mengzhu breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn't be good if the fight got too bloody so early in the morning.

Qing Mengzhu: "Han Lei! Stop fighting! Separate now!"

Ming Chunxi pulled Qing Mengzhu back from stepping forward to mediate the fight. "Let me find a tree branch so we don't get hurt."

The orchard was very clean; there were no branches at all, only weeds.

Ming Chunxi broke off a blade of grass and used it to separate the cats and dogs. He was tall and agile, and the cats and dogs were afraid of him, so they separated in no time.

Several large tabby cats turned and ran, followed by black and orange cats, disappearing in a few moments, leaving the large wolfhounds behind, wagging their tails as they watched.

Qing Mengzhu reached out and touched the head of one of the large wolfhounds, then checked its body. Seeing that it had no wounds, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The large dogs were indeed evenly matched with the cats in their fight.

Qing Mengzhu bought the same kind of jerky that the Dharma Protector ate from the Interstellar Mall and fed it to the big wolfhounds, praising them for guarding the orchard.

Qing Mengzhu stroked the dog's head and muttered, "Next time the cat comes, don't chase it away. Cats don't eat much grass anyway."

Han Lei: "Woof!"

Qing Mengzhu: "It's a good thing that cats are active in the orchard. They catch field mice, so the roots of the fruit trees won't be gnawed."

The big dogs all barked in unison, "Woof!"

Ming Chunxi watched with a smile as Qing Mengzhu tried to persuade the big wolfhounds, without saying a word.

The large wolfhounds weren't as clever as the Guard and Dharma Protector; they didn't understand what they meant, and talking to them was pointless.

Over the next few days, whenever Qing Mengzhu saw the large wolfhounds fighting with the cats, she would separate them and then appease the wolfhounds with dried meat.

Gradually, the large dogs realized that Qing Mengzhu didn't dislike the cats, so they allowed the cats to roam the orchard.

Qing Mengzhu continued to praise the big wolfhounds for being sensible by giving them dried meat.

The cats didn't really want to fight the dogs; cats are too small, and dogs are a huge threat to them.

As long as the dogs don't attack them, they live peacefully with the large wolfhounds. At most, they'll turn and run away when they see them, and won't rush up to fight.

Qing Mengzhu really likes cats. Seeing that cats aren't so fierce, she even tries to pet them whenever she gets the chance.

The cat didn't resist; instead, it would rub its head against his trouser leg and lie down in front of him, exposing its belly.

Qing Mengzhu couldn't resist occasionally feeding the cats bits of jerky—he did it secretly, not daring to let the big wolfhounds see, otherwise they'd probably beat him so badly his fur would fly off.

Ming Chunxi returned to Vine City on Sunday night; he had to go to work and couldn't stay any longer.

Qing Mengzhu didn't return until Friday morning. When he went back to Vine City, he didn't bring anything else with him. He just went early in the morning to cut a bundle of fresh rye grass, put it in a shopping bag, and carried it home.

This is for the Dharma Protectors.

When Qing Mengzhu returned to Vine City, it was only a little past ten in the morning. Zhao Hexi came to pick him up. Seeing the large bundle of lush green grass in his shopping bag, she twitched her lips. "Do dogs eat grass?"

The big wolfhounds have already verified this, Qing Mengzhu nodded. "Yes, they quite like it when they find delicious grass, just like people eat sugarcane."

Hearing this, Zhao Hexi reached out and picked up a stalk of rye grass, chewed it, and said, "It's quite refreshing. Is it safe for people to eat?"

Qing Mengzhu glanced at Zhao Hexi: "It's generally not recommended to give it to people."

Zhao Hexi wanted to try another rye grass stalk, Qing Mengzhu put the shopping bag aside, preventing Zhao Hexi from smoking any more.

Zhao Hexi: "Stingy."

Qing Mengzhu: "These are for the Dharma Protector, are you going to take them from the little ones?"

Zhao Hexi: "They might not even like to eat it."

Qing Mengzhu said confidently, "They will definitely love to eat it."

When Qing Mengzhu returned home, his two dogs heard the noise and ran over to greet him, barking enthusiastically, "Woof woof woof!"

Qing Mengzhu stroked the dogs' heads and necks, playing with them for a while before taking out rye grass from the shopping bag to feed them. "This is a gift I brought for you. See if you like it?"