119 Secretary Yang is truly an intriguing character.

"For the time being, I think I'll wait a few days. I've been running around lately and I'm quite tired, so I'd rather stay home and rest for a while."

Du Ruo glanced at Ya Ya, who was still gnawing on some sea fish. He hadn't decided to set off immediately; he needed to spend a few more days at home with his family.

"That's up to you. I'm planning on heading back now, though."

Hearing that Du Ruo wanted to spend time at home, Li Qiyao smiled and didn't try to persuade him otherwise. They were both getting older and had their own lives; she understood his priorities.

"Huh? Qiqi, you're leaving? What about me? What am I supposed to do?"

Xiang Yuanyuan was dumbfounded, looking at Li Qiyao with a sense of confusion.

"You can't rely on me to supervise your sobriety forever. You've been at it for a while now, and the rest is up to you. Besides, I checked with the doctor—you have liver damage, so you need to stay off alcohol for at least another half a month."

Ignoring Xiang Yuanyuan's pitiful expression, Li Qiyao peeled a shrimp and placed it in Ya Ya’s bowl. It wasn't just Du Ruo who wanted to spend time with family; she did too. This trip had been quite long, and she had her own career to attend to.

"Hmm..."

Xiang Yuanyuan looked unhappy, swirling the two shrimp in her bowl with her chopsticks, her brow furrowed in thought. Du Ruo remained silent, head down as he ate his crab.

"Boss Du, we're just about finished, so we’ll head off now. I'll ask Grandpa if he can handle this 'dragon-coiled thread' condition of yours later."

Li Qiyao scraped the food scraps from the table into her bowl and patted Ya Ya on the head. "Ya Ya, Auntie is heading off now. If you want to come play with me later, just bring Mao Mao upstairs, okay?"

"Mm-hmm."

Ya Ya hadn't been paying attention to what the three were saying, but feeling the touch on her hair, she looked up just in time to catch the last bit. Hearing that she could go play upstairs, she nodded happily.

Upstairs = dried fish snacks.

"Hey! Qiqi, wait for me! Du Ruo, take your time eating, I'm heading out. Qiqi, are there any mountains to climb where you live?"

Xiang Yuanyuan stopped worrying, waved goodbye to Du Ruo, and chased after Li Qiyao.

"Ya Ya, go get that bottle of medicinal liquor from your uncle's room."

Watching Xiang Yuanyuan leave, Du Ruo realized he wouldn't be driving anywhere that afternoon. He immediately asked Ya Ya to get the medicinal liquor. Given his current rate of calorie consumption, eating just seafood wouldn't be enough to satisfy him—it was quite different from eating Wagyu beef. Of course, if one didn't mind the texture and chewed the shells right along with the meat, filling up wouldn't be a problem at all.

...

That afternoon, Yang Chenguang arrived at the town police station carrying a silk banner inscribed with the words "Upholding Justice for the People." Accompanied by Little Yang and another young villager, the two men carried a massive water buffalo head.

"Sir, where is Deputy Chief Zhang's office?"

Yang Chenguang led the others to the police station's guard post. He didn't enter the building, leaving the men outside while he stood at the window and shouted, making sure to emphasize "Chief Zhang" particularly loudly.

"Oh, Chief Zhang? His office is on the second floor, that room right there."

The guard, for once, heard him clearly and pointed toward the opposite office building.

"Got it, thanks!"

Without even looking in the direction indicated, Yang Chenguang thanked the guard and headed toward a different building.

"Hello, do you know where Chief Zhang’s office is?"

...

"Yes, I'm here to present him with a banner."

"I'm here to give Chief Zhang a banner, I’m not sure which office is his."

"I’m looking for Chief Zhang's office. You don't need to show me the way, go ahead and get back to your work; I'll just ask around."

...

"Heh, you really embarrassed yourself there. I think you should go to the municipal bureau more often and practice your marksmanship."

In the station office, the Chief teased Zhang after hearing his report.

"Cough, cough. It’s just that things have been busy. I’ll make sure to hit the range at the municipal bureau next time."

Chief Zhang blushed. There was no hiding it, as the whole thing had been recorded. He hadn't intended to hide it anyway; to him, it was just something his superiors might laugh about—nothing major.

"Well, I still have to criticize you. You're a veteran officer; how could you forget something like that? Using a handgun on a buffalo that size... I don't know what you were thinking. Do you still think you're fresh out of the police academy?"

The Chief lectured him, though he knew that as long as nothing went wrong, no one would pursue it.

"I was just thinking that the area was close to a tourist attraction and I was worried about it charging onto the road."

Chief Zhang offered a weak explanation.

"Regardless, just be careful. I’m about to be transferred, and I’ve already put in a request for you to take my position. As long as they don't send someone else down, there shouldn't be any problems."

The Chief handed a cigarette to Zhang. They had finished the official business, so they could now speak more candidly behind closed doors.

"And what about that homestay owner, Du Ruo?"

Chief Zhang asked. Even if he already had his own ideas, he had to ask—he couldn't just bypass the chain of command.

"The footage isn't very clear, but are you sure about what you saw? And are you certain that he is listed as a 'Specially Tagged Talent'?"

The Chief asked a series of follow-up questions.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Chief Zhang nodded. This wasn't something to joke about; he had checked the system himself, though the files hadn't specified exactly what kind of talent Du Ruo was.

"Then take this opportunity to report it to the municipal bureau. Since they are the ones who tagged him, this is the perfect chance to solidify your position."

The Chief waved his hand. He was already confirmed to be leaving, and the Deputy Chief needed this opportunity. Regardless of who Du Ruo was, this contact would make the municipal bureau more likely to consider the Deputy Chief later.

"Ding~"

Both of their phones received a message at the same time. The Deputy Chief and the Chief exchanged a look and opened the window.

The sound of Yang Chenguang’s voice drifted up from below, the words "Chief Zhang" and "banner" ringing out clearly.

"Heh, alright. Go ahead and get to work."

The Chief waved him off and crushed out his cigarette. Deputy Chief Zhang walked toward his office, his face stern.

"Chief Zhang, downstairs... should we go down?" a young officer asked.

"No. Actually, go to the forensics department and ask if testing for mad cow disease is complicated, and whether we can do it here. If not, get ready to head to the municipal bureau."

Zhang waved the young officer away. Once he was alone in his office, he finally let out a smile.

"This Secretary Yang is truly a character."

Chief Zhang quickly changed out of his uniform, which smelled of smoke, straightened his hair, and tidied his office. He sat down and picked up a file to read, though his mind was entirely elsewhere.

Yang Chenguang circled the building twice before finally finding the office, acting like a fisherman who had just landed a hundred-pound catch. Even the cafeteria staff knew that someone had come to present a banner to the Deputy Chief, complete with an absurdly large buffalo head. If Little Yang and the other young man hadn't been on the verge of collapsing from the weight, Yang Chenguang might have made a third lap.

Naturally, the rest of the visit involved expressions of gratitude, handshakes, and photos. By the time it was all over, the forensics department had provided their results. Testing for mad cow disease wasn't as complicated as it seemed; they simply checked the state of the head and used test strips.

In the end, Yang Chenguang left the station, feeling satisfied, while the exhausted Little Yang and the villager were escorted out by the Deputy Chief.

...

Du Ruo knew nothing of this, but that evening, Yang Chenguang invited him over for dinner, claiming he had gotten his hands on some "good stuff" to help build up their strength.

From a 1,600-pound bull, the portion of specific organs was quite significant. Yang Chenguang was eating and drinking, his face flushed red. Du Ruo ate plenty as well; Yang Chenguang’s cooking skills were top-notch, especially when it came to these kinds of dishes.

...

The next morning, Du Ruo went up the mountain to check on the clouded leopard. The leopard showed no less enthusiasm than usual, even though Du Ruo hadn't brought any beef.

The leopard picked up its two cubs and deposited them into Du Ruo’s lap, then disappeared into the jungle. For over half an hour, the cubs—whether waking up from needing to pee or simply hungry—kept wailing in Du Ruo’s lap, refusing to be soothed. Finally, the clouded leopard reappeared, carrying a rabbit.

"I'm not eating it, you eat it. And hurry up and take these cubs back; they’ve been crying non-stop and crawling all over me."

Seeing the leopard place the rabbit beside him, Du Ruo quickly put the cubs back in their den, letting the mother soothe them.

"Meow-woo!"

The leopard nudged the wild rabbit toward Du Ruo with its paw. When he didn't eat it, the leopard moved toward the grass, lying down to nurse and lick the cubs. It looked at Du Ruo occasionally, its tail flicking back and forth—it was clearly in a good mood.

The leopard eventually ate the rabbit, but Du Ruo was surprised to see the peregrine falcon he had met on the cliff circling in the sky, watching him and the leopard family. Only after the leopard had finished eating did the falcon swoop down, picking through the remaining rabbit fur and tearing at the scraps of meat left on the bones.

"Alright, I'm heading off. Next time, I'll bring you along to climb the mountain."

Having spent enough time on the mountain, Du Ruo patted the leopard on the head and began his descent.

Not long after he reached the bottom, Li Qiyao and Xiang Yuanyuan arrived, carrying backpacks and pushing luggage, with Ya Ya in tow. Li Qiyao had decided to leave that day, and Xiang Yuanyuan had tagged along for the fun of it, having nothing better to do.

They had booked a ride-hailing service that was waiting at the entrance of the village. Du Ruo saw them off and then returned to the courtyard with Ya Ya. He let Ya Ya play with Mao Mao while he began to stew and braise some beef.

"Uncle, the police officer is here to see you!" Ya Ya shouted.