Page 43

The eyes of the two animals glowed faintly. When the flashlight shone on them, they gave a couple of whimpers and fled in opposite directions.

He caught a hasty glimpse and saw that they were a red fox and an otter, with blood still on their paws and around their mouths.

Could those two have just fought the thieves, making them scream?

After making a circuit and getting a clear idea of the pond's condition, Qing Mengzhu called the police.

He wasn't counting on catching the thieves or anything; he just wanted to file a report.

When the police asked for details, Qing Mengzhu hesitated, then added, "The thieves might have been bitten or scratched by wild animals. They might go get vaccinated."

"What kind of animals? Can you say for sure?"

"They were probably a red fox and an otter."

After reporting it, Qing Mengzhu gathered up the broken lotus leaves and flowers, took them home, and sold them to the Interstellar Mall.

This time, the lotus leaves fetched 1.37 star coins per jin, while the flowers fetched 3.37 star coins per jin.

Qing Mengzhu guessed that the leaves might have grown for a while longer and accumulated more substances, which was why the price had risen so much. As for the flowers, their price was about the same as the lotus shoots', which seemed normal enough.

The Interstellar Mall seemed to have been fairly reasonable all along.

A theft in the village was a serious matter, and the village committee even organized patrols.

The police took it seriously too and caught the culprits the next day. They managed it so quickly thanks to the red fox and the otter.

Both thieves had indeed been scratched and bitten, and the police caught them by following up on rabies vaccination records.

Qing Mengzhu hadn't expected his two little neighbors to help him so much with this.

The two little creatures really were quite clever. To repay them, Qing Mengzhu went out of his way to place some small fish and shrimp he had scooped from the pond on lotus leaves near their dens.

Qing Mengzhu didn't know whether they would eat unfamiliar food, so after putting it down, he deliberately retreated a good distance to watch.

The two little creatures seemed fairly familiar with Qing Mengzhu and weren't particularly averse to him.

Once Qing Mengzhu had moved some distance away, both of them ate the fish and shrimp on the lotus leaves, and they seemed to enjoy themselves.

Qing Mengzhu waited until they finished before cleaning up, taking the scraps of lotus leaf away and tossing them into the compost bin.

The red fox and the otter poked their heads out and watched Qing Mengzhu. Whenever he looked their way, they warily ran off again, giving him no chance to interact with them.

After hearing what had happened, Qing Guozhi made a special trip back to the village to see Qing Mengzhu. "How are you? You weren't hurt, were you?"

Qing Mengzhu said, "I wasn't hurt. I didn't even come face-to-face with the thieves before the red fox and the otter dealt with them."

The old man clicked his tongue in wonder. "Those two little neighbors of yours are quite clever."

Qing Mengzhu said, "I think so too. They're completely different from what I imagined."

After they finished talking about the red fox and the otter, the old man remembered something and asked, "Who exactly came to steal your lotus flowers?"

Looking glum, Qing Mengzhu said, "A tea seller from the village behind us. He thought my lotus flowers were good, so he brought someone along to steal them and make tea."

When the old man heard that, he slapped his thigh. "So it was him!"

Seeing his reaction, Qing Mengzhu asked, "You know him?"

The old man said, "I was born and raised here, so of course I know him. Little Mouse from Lianpei Village. He's been pilfering things since he was a child, so the people in his village gave him the nickname Little Mouse."

The more the old man said, the more regretful he became. "A few days ago, someone mentioned buying some good lotus tea. I don't care for those fancy things, so I didn't ask for details. If I'd asked a few more questions, we might have caught the thief sooner. Your lotus flowers wouldn't have been stolen a second time either."

Qing Mengzhu said, "It's all right. The red fox and the otter drove them off before they stole much this time."

The old man said, "I reckon he'll be locked up for a few days. It's a shame we didn't get more evidence. Otherwise, we could have sent him to prison for another couple of years and kept that creature from preying on the locals."

Qing Mengzhu found it regrettable too, but the lotus flowers weren't worth enough to get the thief sentenced.

After learning that the flowers were Qing Mengzhu's, the old man brought him some lotus tea the next day. "This is the lotus tea an old friend of mine received earlier. It should be made from your flowers. Nobody else's lotus flowers are that fiery red."

Qing Mengzhu looked at the little lotus bud in the paper box, tied up with cotton thread.

The bud had been completely dried. It gave off the distinctive, delicate fragrance of lotus flowers and looked quite pretty.

Qing Mengzhu asked, "Are the tea leaves inside the bud?"

The old man said, "Yes. Some people stuff tea leaves into fresh lotus buds and then dry them together, hoping the tea will take on the lotus fragrance. Little Mouse's character isn't much, but he's pretty good at making tea. I brought it for you to try. If you like it, you can try making some yourself."

Qing Mengzhu really hadn't known lotus flowers could be made into tea. "Thank you."

The old man said, "No need to be polite. Let's brew it now. I brought water too, so you can see if you like the taste."

With that, the old man started to fetch the water from his car.

Qing Mengzhu hurriedly stopped him. "I couldn't let you do that. I'll get it!"

The old man cheerfully accepted. "This water was specially collected from a mountain spring for brewing tea. It makes wonderfully fragrant tea. I really wouldn't bother going to all this trouble for ordinary tea."

Qing Mengzhu carried in the sealed container of water. "Thanks for going to the trouble. I'm not very good at brewing tea. Would you do it?"

The old man said, "Sure. Move the table into the courtyard, and we'll brew it there."

Following his directions, Qing Mengzhu carried out the table, chairs, kettle, and other things, then brought out sweet and savory snacks to have with the tea.

The snacks at home had all been brought by Ming Chunxi when he visited. They tasted excellent and were just right to go with tea.

The old man drank tea often and worked quickly. Before long, the tea was ready.

The strained tea was a bright red like dark rouge, with a glossy sheen, and gave off the delicate fragrances of lotus and tea.

The two sat facing each other and drank. After tasting it, both let out a sigh of appreciation.

The old man said, "I told you Little Mouse made good tea, didn't I? Or maybe it's because your lotus flowers are good. It really is fragrant."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "It is." Even someone like him, who rarely drank tea, could appreciate its appeal.

The old man took another sip, then complained, "The tea leaves Little Mouse used still aren't good enough. He actually put pu'er inside the bud. Why use pu'er for lotus tea? He should have used Baihao Yinzhen. What a waste of such a good lotus flower."

Qing Mengzhu couldn't taste the difference between types of tea. He thought the lotus tea made with these leaves was already quite fragrant, but seeing the old man so indignant, he could only nod in agreement.

The old man continued, "If you make lotus tea, I have some good Baihao Yinzhen. I'll bring it to you later."

Qing Mengzhu waved his hand. "No, the tea leaves are too expensive. If I ruin them, it would be too much of a loss."

The old man said, "How much could you lose? Even brewing the lotus and tea leaves together would taste good. If you feel bad about it, give me some of the lotus tea once it's made. I'll provide the tea leaves, and you provide the buds."

Only then did Qing Mengzhu stop objecting. "All right, but there aren't many lotus flowers this year. I probably won't make much."

The old man said happily, "It's settled, then. Oh, and sell me some vegetables later. I've finished the ones I bought a couple of days ago. I need to buy extra today to send around to everyone."

Qing Mengzhu said, "One of the pumpkins in the field is ripe. I'll get it for you later."

The old man nodded repeatedly. "Good, good. I love pumpkin."

After talking about tea, the old man brought up a puppy to guard the house and asked Qing Mengzhu, "What kind of dog do you want? I'll ask around for you."

Qing Mengzhu asked, "Does anyone you know have a suitable puppy?"

The old man said, "Not at the moment, but I know so many people that I'm bound to find a suitable one. I don't have much to do at home anyway, so I can look for puppies for you while I'm at it. Come on, what kind do you want? A local yellow dog, a wolfdog, or one of those purebred dogs?"

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment. "A local yellow dog or a wolfdog would do. They're easier to raise. Specifically, I'd like two smart dogs that can guard the house."