Chapter 46
The otter and the red fox stared at him blankly, completely bewildered by what he was saying.
Qing Mengzhu asked again, but the otter and red fox still didn't react. He couldn't help but slap his forehead. "I've been so busy I'm dizzy."
Do you really think otters and red foxes are that smart?
Qing Mengzhu suspected that the flock of geese had escaped and might have swum upstream or downstream along the river.
Their geese seem quite bold; if they get tired of staying in the pond, they might run into the river.
Thinking of this, Qing Mengzhu couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
These were Fine Grade geese that he had spent a fortune and a lot of effort to select; losing them would be a huge loss.
With this in mind, Qing Mengzhu walked downstream along the riverbank.
Generally speaking, even small animals can be lazy; going with the current is easier than going against it, and geese are more likely to go downstream than upstream.
As Qing Mengzhu walked downstream along the river, she observed her surroundings and called out from time to time.
His geese are probably familiar with the sound of him feeding them; they'll most likely respond if they hear it.
Before he could even find the goose, someone stopped their motorcycle and shouted at him from a distance, "Mengzhu? What are you shouting for?"
The motorcycle headlights cast bright beams across the fields. Qing Mengzhu looked towards the beams of light and replied, "I'm looking for my family's goose. Have you seen it?"
The man pointed and said, "Didn't your goose get chased away by the dog? I saw it when I rode my motorcycle over there just now."
Individually, Qing Mengzhu could understand what he meant, but when put together, it sounded so strange, "Huh?"
The man said, "I mean, I saw your dog chasing the goose towards your house. Go home and check, is that true?"
Qing Mengzhu then realized what was happening. "Okay, thank you, Uncle."
The motorcyclist got back on his motorcycle, turned around, and drove away.
Qing Mengzhu also left the riverbank, walked to the main road, and hurried home.
Before she even got home, Qing Mengzhu saw the two dogs, the Dharma Protector and the Guard, herding the flock of geese home, one on each side.
The flock of geese seemed uncomfortable being herded by the two dogs; they walked slowly, and every now and then some geese even tried to turn back.
Whenever this happens, the Dharma Protector and Guard will bark loudly and rush in front of the goose trying to run away, blocking it back.
If you can't stop it, the dog will bite it; it won't tolerate the goose.
Qing Mengzhu felt relieved and quietly watched from behind without getting close.
The two dogs had a very clear train of thought, chasing the geese all the way to the goose pen.
When they arrived at the goose pen, the Dharma Protector ran ahead, stood up on his hind legs, and used his beak to pick up the latch on the pen door.
There was leftover food in the goose pen from the morning. To prevent other villagers' chickens, ducks, and geese from running in, Qing Mengzhu usually locked the geese after herding them out. He never expected that the Dharma Protector would have to do an extra step now.
The Dharma Protector opened the gate to the goose pen and stepped aside to prevent the geese from escaping in that direction.
The Guard, meanwhile, were driving the geese from another direction, trying to herd them into the goose pen.
The two dogs worked together, patiently waiting for the geese to react as they stopped.
After a while, the honking goslings finally realized that this was their familiar home, and then they slowly walked into the goose pen.
Qing Mengzhu counted them from afar: 172 geese, not one missing.
Once all the geese were inside the pen, the Dharma Protector closed the door again, picked up the latch, and locked it in place—it actually understood that locking the latch was necessary to prevent the geese from escaping!
Qing Mengzhu watched from behind, her heart filled with amazement.
His family's Dharma Protector and Guard are truly extraordinary.
Only after the two dogs finished cleaning the goose pen did Qing Mengzhu step forward and call out, "Dharma Protector! Guard!"
The two dogs were engrossed in tending to the geese when Qing Mengzhu suddenly appeared, startling them both.
With a sudden leap, the Dharma Protector's four paws spring up, jumping directly to the side. Upon recognizing Qing Mengzhu, it barked at him unhappily, "Woof woof woof!"
Qing Mengzhu quickly went over to comfort it, rubbing its neck. "Don't be angry, don't be angry, I didn't mean to."
Dharma Protector: "Woof woof!"
Qing Mengzhu squatted down and hugged it, rubbing its head, neck, and belly for a while before calming it down.
The Guard beside him sat obediently to the side. Qing Mengzhu released the Dharma Protector and rubbed Guard again, making them grin and bark, "Woof woof!"
Qing Mengzhu rubbed this one, then that one, praising them. "How are you two so amazing? You're incredible!"
Two dogs. "Woof!"
Qing Mengzhu, holding one goose in each arm, said, "I never expected you two would learn how to herd geese. You're doing this to help Daddy lighten his load, aren't you? So good, so thoughtful."
The two puppies wagged their tails eagerly after being praised, and their expressions became smug.
Qing Mengzhu bought new jerky from the Interstellar Mall for them. "Good dogs get jerky to eat, keep it up!"
Two dogs. "Woof woof!"
Qing Mengzhu: "Don't fight over it, there's enough for everyone. Eat slowly, I'll make you a big meal later."
Two dogs. "Woof!"
Qing Mengzhu: "It seems this dried meat is really useful. Let me see if there's anything else; I'll buy more."
The two dogs seemed to understand what he meant, and barked even louder. "Woof!"
With a big smile, Qing Mengzhu placed the order, "Okay, I bought ten packs, plus the free ones, that makes a total of twenty packs, enough for you to eat for a month."
Qing Mengzhu used to think the buy-one-get-one-free jerky was a bit expensive, but now he doesn't think it's expensive at all.
Such good jerky! It turned his two dogs into two laborers.
The Dharma Protector and Guard work so hard, what's wrong with them eating a little more jerky?
Unfortunately, he didn't have enough money in his account, otherwise he could have bought more.
The two dogs loved being held by Qing Mengzhu. When he tried to get up, they snuggled into his arms, nuzzling his chest and belly with their big heads, making whimpering noises.
This is a very happy expression.
Qing Mengzhu felt a warmth in her heart as she hugged the two dogs and rubbed their backs, not in a hurry to get them up.
After coaxing the two dogs, Qing Mengzhu exited the Interstellar Mall personal center and stood up to take them home.
As he stood up, supporting himself with his hands, his finger accidentally touched the discount section of the Interstellar Mall and clicked directly into it.
After he stood still, he tapped the upper right corner with one hand, intending to exit.
Because one-handed operation wasn't very responsive, he didn't exit the app. Instead, he scrolled through the Interstellar Mall page and scrolled up the products at the bottom.
Then, Qing Mengzhu saw a section of bamboo flash across the screen.
When he first saw bamboo, he quickly slid back after the merchandise had passed by.
This time he saw the product details.
It was a section of bamboo with roots, the roots were very short, like a person's stubble.
Even though the roots are so short, it still has roots; it wasn't propagated by cuttings.
This kind of bamboo with roots is a good thing. After being planted, it will quickly grow bamboo rhizomes and then propagate into a bamboo forest.
Qing Mengzhu had always wanted to plant bamboo, but she never had the time.
He had almost forgotten about it, but then he suddenly saw the bamboo; perhaps it was truly fate.
Thinking of this, he happily glanced at the price. Then, the bright red "9999" caught his eye.
This piece of bamboo is almost worth ten thousand Star Coins!
Chapter 46
Upon seeing the price tag, Qing Mengzhu's first thought was—is this golden bamboo or jade bamboo?
It's so expensive!
Qing Mengzhu, please continue reading.
The product details describe this discounted bamboo as "Cloud Realm Bamboo," classified as "Superior Grade."
Originally, its quality was "Superior Grade+", but because it had been stored for a long time and its activity was poor, it was downgraded by one level.