Chapter 57

Qing Mengzhu was pondering what to do, a group of otters, fighting amongst themselves, squeezed out of their burrow.

The fighting otters split into two groups, with the otter who was on good terms with Qing Mengzhu being brutally beaten by the other three otters.

The otter looked extremely angry and fierce. Although it was completely at a disadvantage, it showed no signs of weakness in the fight.

They were fighting when the red fox rushed over to help.

Then, it turned into a fight between an otter, a fox, and three otters.

Two of the three otters opposite were particularly fat and strong, giving them a slight advantage in a three-on-two fight.

Seeing how fierce the three otters from elsewhere were, Qing Mengzhu wanted to help, but hesitated because they were all Class II protected animals in China.

After standing there anxiously for a few seconds, Qing Mengzhu saw that the otter and the red fox had been beaten until their fur was all gone, so she quickly called the Dharma Protectors and Guards to come and help.

Upon hearing the noise, the two dogs rushed over, barking as they went to join in.

Although the Dharma Protector and Guard are female dogs, they are not timid at all, look particularly fierce, and have exceptional fighting power.

After they charged forward, they quickly and overwhelmingly defeated the three otters.

The three otters didn't linger and quickly ran away, disappearing from Qing Mengzhu's sight.

The Dharma Protector and Guards wanted to chase after them, but Qing Mengzhu quickly grabbed their necks to stop them. The two dogs barked loudly, cursing the foreign otters.

After the fight, the otters stood there dejected.

The red fox walked over and licked the otter's head. Only then did Qing Mengzhu realize that the otter was injured; a piece of skin on its forehead had been bitten off, and blood was oozing from it.

Qing Mengzhu took the otter and the red fox home to treat their injuries and rewarded them with dried meat for their bravery in battle.

When Ming Chunxi returned, she saw a yard full of small animals and asked in surprise, "Were they fighting?"

Qing Mengzhu recounted the whole story, then speculated, "I wonder if the abundance of food here has attracted the otters that are breeding?"

While the animals were fighting, Qing Mengzhu observed that among the three otters on the other side, there were two males and one female.

Otters usually live alone and only come together when they are breeding. He guessed that the three otters not only came looking for food but also took over the burrow of their good friend, the otter, in order to reproduce.

Ming Chunxi: "Possibly. Now we need to find a way to get rid of those three otters."

Qing Mengzhu: "Even with such a fierce fight today, they didn't gain any advantage; they've probably already left."

Qing Mengzhu patted the Guard's head. "If they don't leave, and a fight breaks out later, I'll send the Dharma Protector and Guards to help. Four against three, we can't let our good friends, the otters, be bullied."

Whether the otter understood or not, it called out to Qing Mengzhu with its head, which had a patch of skin missing, "Eek!"

Ming Chunxi's eyes lit up with a smile, "I'll call the forestry police and see if they can take those three otters away."

Qing Mengzhu: "I don't think that will work. Otters fight over territory, and they don't care about that. I'll feed the Dharma Protector more good food these days and let them chase after the otters themselves."

Chapter 57

Qing Mengzhu's two dogs are in their growth period and usually eat well.

Now Qing Mengzhu plans to supplement their diet, feeding them chicken, duck, fish, pork, beef, and sheep in rotation, along with various large bones, internal organs, and multivitamins.

There are also various dried meats, dried fish, and dried vegetables from the Interstellar Mall. Qing Mengzhu will buy them as long as they are available, sparing no expense.

Qing Mengzhu couldn't feed the otters and red foxes the dog food he made at home, but after buying jerky and snacks from the Interstellar Mall, he would bring some back for them.

When they fight, Qing Mengzhu will also send two dogs out to fight alongside them.

Although in most cases, the three otters would run away as soon as they saw the Dharma Protector and Guards were there, and would never engage in direct combat.

That morning, Qing Mengzhu and the others were picking vegetables in the field.

A deep, muffled growl came from the nearby pond, "Awooo," "Awooo," sounding very fierce, indicating that small animals were fighting over there.

At first, they would go to check when they heard the sound, but after several days, they got used to it.

Feng Ningxiang tossed the chili peppers in her hand into the small bucket. "Those three otter cats actually come to fight your otter cat every day. Are otter cats really that vengeful?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Is that so?"

It wasn't just the three outside otters who held grudges; Qing Mengzhu's good friends, the otters, were also vengeful. Every day, they would team up with the red fox to ambush the pond, and as soon as they saw the other three otters arrive, they would rush out to fight.

Every time they were attacked, their fur fell out like dandelions. From otters to red foxes, and even their two dogs, their skin was broken and covered in scars of all sizes.

Miao Lan chimed in, "Maybe your shrimp are better; those three otter cats just won't give up."

Feng Ningxiang: "I also think your shrimp look really beautiful, plump and clean, and fierce. I wonder what they taste like?"

Qing Mengzhu: "I don't know, they can't bear to eat such tiny shrimp."

Feng Ningxiang: "It's a waste to eat them. I wonder how big your shrimp can grow? Can they grow as long as the palm of your hand?"

Qing Mengzhu was equally unsure. "We'll have to wait a few months until they've grown into adult shrimp to see how big they get."

As they were talking, Di Caiyong came over to collect the vegetables and overheard them saying, "These shrimp are getting bigger, shouldn't we sell them to Chef Zhou's restaurant?"

Qing Mengzhu looked up and greeted Di Caiyong, revealing a row of neat teeth. "I don't know, it depends on whether they can afford the price and whether any other restaurants are willing to bid?"

Di Caiyong: "If the shrimp is delicious, there will definitely be some."

As he spoke, Di Caiyong craned his neck to watch the small animals squabbling together. "Those three otter cats are also holding back their anger. I see them catching fish and shrimp in the river every day, and when they can't finish eating them, they line up a row on the bank."

Qing Yuqin: "That's why they're called otters. They're like cats, they like to eat fish and shrimp, and they're fierce and cunning."

Otters are indeed quite intelligent; once they set their sights on the shrimp belonging to Qing Mengzhu, they refused to leave.

Since Qing Mengzhu couldn't take direct action, she trained otters to act as proxies, and together with Red Fox and two dogs, they kept watch by the pond every day to snipe at the three otters.

Good friend Otter has already taken back the den, and during this time his fighting spirit is high. Every day after a fight, he comes to Qing Mengzhu to ask for jerky, and he comes over with his head held high and his chest puffed out.

With his good friends Otter and Fox around, Qing Mengzhu's shrimp didn't suffer any further losses, so he didn't bother calling the police.

On Friday, Zhao Hexi arrived with his fishing rod and bait.

Upon arriving at Qing Mengzhu's courtyard, he didn't even go inside before saying he wanted to go fishing.

Qing Mengzhu asked in bewilderment, "I've never seen you so addicted to fishing before. Have you become so fond of it now?"

Zhao Hexi rubbed his hands together. "I've been watching videos these past few days, and someone caught a really big mandarin fish here. This bucket of bait, which costs eighty yuan a bucket, is for mandarin fish."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then bring a few bags of nuts to eat while fishing, and you can come back for dinner around seven o'clock."

"No problem. I'll call you if I can't get back." Zhao Hexi took the nuts, glanced at them, and grinned mischievously, "Wow, all of them are premium nuts?"

Qing Mengzhu glanced at him sideways. "You should know when to quit while you're ahead."

Zhao Hexi excitedly ran off to go fishing. Qing Mengzhu thought he wouldn't be back until after dark, but he returned earlier than her, arriving home around six o'clock.

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Qing Mengzhu asked curiously, "What happened? Why that expression?"

Zhao Hexi: "Damn it, fishing was so unlucky today. Every time I cast my line, it broke in no time. I brought several hooks and several spools of line, but I lost everything in half an hour."

Qing Mengzhu: "Did the line break because of a mandarin fish? Mandarin fish seem particularly fierce."

Zhao Hexi: "That's possible, but I won't be able to catch anything this evening, so I'll just come back early."