Chapter 130 I'm Asking for My Friend
The chubby orange cat hummed in agreement: "Go ahead and ask."
Have you ever seen a rat-man?
The orange cat owner's expression instantly turned serious. He sat up straight and said with certainty, "You've seen the rat man."
"Do you need my help to drive them away? One hundred copper coins to drive one away."
She asked, "You really hate rat people?"
The orange cat owner was taken aback; he hadn't expected the decorator to ask such a basic question.
"Ninety percent of the residents of Donglan County hate them. Those rat people hide in the shadows and like to steal things whenever they have the chance. My house has been robbed before."
"They are also very good at picking locks. The locks in Donglan County have been upgraded many times to keep them out."
The orange cat owner shook his head as he said this: "The rat people are very cunning, and you have to be careful when dealing with them."
Skilled at picking locks? Especially cunning?
Why does she think this rumor is unbelievable?
At least the three rat-men she encountered weren't very good at picking locks...
—Wait, are they really incapable of picking locks?
Pei Hening recalled the behavior of the three rat-men and felt that something was not right, which made her uneasy.
Are they putting on an act?
She asked, "Why do you charge so much?"
Orange Cat Boss: "Because I'm responsible for driving away the rat people, which is a high-risk activity, I'm not responsible for compensating for the damage caused during the drive."
Pei Hening's unease grew stronger, and her intuition told her that she had to go back immediately!
She added the orange cat owner's contact information and left in a hurry.
Seeing how anxious she was, the orange cat owner muttered, "Running so fast, people might think she's been robbed by the rat people."
Didn't they just raid our house?
Pei Hening stood not far from the two-story building, looking at the wide-open window, feeling utterly dejected.
I was fooled by the three rat-men's performance after all!
Don't judge a book by its cover!
Just as she was devising a solution, she saw a dozen black-haired rat-like creatures carrying tools needed for the renovation climb in through the window.
Wait a minute, something doesn't seem right.
She watched from a distance as Hei Xiaozheng and Hei Xiaoman directed the group of rats and 20,000 people to work.
"Pay attention to details, details! Don't let that unscrupulous contractor find an excuse to make us redo the renovations!"
"Be careful when laying tiles, don't lay them crookedly!"
"Don't pick the wrong color when getting tile grout installed!"
Hei Xiaoman asked, "Master Xiaozheng, can we really gain her trust like this?"
Hei Xiaozheng puffed out his chest, looking proud and smug: "Of course, this is a script I've been thinking about for a long time. With the brains of these stupid decorators, she definitely won't guess that we're lying to her."
"Besides, this decorator is the one with the highest wealth value according to the clan chief's divination. If she fails to complete the task, we can get 90% of the assets that were deducted from her."
Hei Xiaoman: "Lord Xiaozheng, why did you still ask me to bring Xiao Que here?"
Hei Xiaozheng said confidently, "It would be a bit fake for the two of us to play idiots, but it would be more realistic if we actually acted like we were stupid."
Blackie suddenly realized what was going on and looked at Blackie Zheng with dissatisfaction: "Lord Zheng, are you lying to me?"
"This is a tactic, Xiao Que."
"Xiao Que, you can get back to work."
Hei Xiaozheng looked away, not wanting to meet its gaze.
Hei Xiaoque looked at them, stubbornly demanding an answer: "Isn't what we're doing a bit inappropriate?"
"What's wrong with that? It's just taking a little money from her, not her life."
"But she treated us to braised pork. It was the first time I had ever tasted such fresh and delicious braised pork."
Hei Xiaoman gave him a sharp rap on the head: "You idiot! After gaining her trust, you're worried about not getting to eat braised pork? Besides, it's not like we won't do any work for her!"
"All we need to do is steal everything from the house on the last day."
"Why not steal it now?"
"Foolish! Don't you see her carrying things back from outside every day? If you're going to do something, do something big!"
Pei He listened quietly to their plot, feeling a sense of displeasure at being fooled.
The rat-man was indeed cunning, actually playing the game of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!
However, they were incredibly unlucky; she overheard their entire plan.
Pei Hening hid in the shadows and observed them.
The rat-man was cunning; while working, he meticulously measured the room's data and recorded what could be moved.
This was clearly preparation for giving her a severe beating later.
Hei Xiaozheng said, "It's about time, you should go back."
One of the rat-men stepped forward: "Lord Xiaozheng, could you let me stay? And let Hei Xiaoman go? He and I are from the same litter, and we look very alike."
Hei Xiaoman immediately became displeased: "Hei Xiaoyuan, what do you mean? You're actually thinking of replacing me!"
"I can smell it. You had braised pork for lunch. I want some too."
Hei Xiaoman was furious: "Don't even think about it, just get out of here!"
"Besides, that unscrupulous decorator already knows what I look like. If you come to replace me, she'll easily recognize you. If something goes wrong, can you take responsibility?"
Hei Xiaoyuan turned her gaze to Hei Xiaoque: "Xiaoque, tell me, do I look exactly like Xiaoman? Can't you tell the difference either?"
Hei Xiaoque looked at the two of them carefully and nodded: "They do look very alike."
Hei Xiaozheng put on a stern face: "Stop making a scene here. It's just a piece of braised pork. Is it really necessary to be so pathetic?"
"Hei Xiaoyuan, you go back first!"
Hei Xiaoyuan reluctantly climbed out the window and left, glaring at Hei Xiaoman before she did.
Pei Hening breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the group of rat-men gradually leave without stealing anything.
She contacted the owner of the orange cat shop.
[Happy Mimi Home · Xiao Di]: Boss, can we discuss the price again?
[Meow Meow Decorates and Builds a Beautiful Home]: How many are there?
[Happy Mimi's Home - Little Drop]: I just counted them, more than a dozen.
[Meow Meow Decorates and Builds a Beautiful Home]: Whose Success?
[Meow Meow Decorating and Building a Beautiful Home]: You're not kidding me, are you?
[Happy Mimi Home · Little Drop]: No.
[Meow Meow Decorates and Builds a Beautiful Home]: Is King Pear Blossom's house a rat's nest? Why are there so many of them?
[Meow Meow Decorating and Building a Beautiful Home]: I definitely can't solve this by myself. You should contact Queen Pear Blossom and ask her to lend a hand.
Pei Hening felt a little guilty when she saw the words "rat's nest," so she replied with an "okay."
She called the Pear Blossom King.
King Pear Blossom answered the phone: "What is it?"
"I'm asking on behalf of my friend: what should you do if a bunch of rats appear in a homeowner's house?"
King Pear Blossom was silent for a moment: "Are there rats in my house? How many?"
Pei Hening chose to be honest and accept the leniency: "A dozen or so."
King Pear Blossom was shocked: "They've turned my house into a rat's nest?!"
"You wait, I'll get some people over here right now to deal with them!"
Pei Hening added, "Now there are only three left."
King Pear Blossom: "What have you done?"
"I only caught three at first, I didn't expect them to bring so many rat people."
Pei Hening was in a bind; at this point, all she could do was try to salvage the situation.
"I've contacted the manager of Miaomiao Decoration Shop, and he can help get rid of the rats."
King Pear Blossom sneered, "Does my home need that fat orange cat to tell me what to do?"
"They're just a few rat-men. I'm not so useless as to call in outside help."
Pei Hening: "When are you planning to come and deal with them? Or should we wait a couple of days?"
The Pear Blossom King asked in confusion, "Why?"
"The hard decoration is almost complete, and the soft decoration will begin tomorrow afternoon."
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, so long that Pei Hening thought she had hung up, when she said, "Why so fast? Have you enslaved the rat people?"
"How can you call it slavery when it comes to the renovation workers? It was clearly a friendly negotiation."
King Pear Blossom was taken aback by her unexpected act and said with a headache, "Fine, contact me when you're done."
Pei Hening was relieved after receiving confirmation.
She composed herself, turned around, and went to get four simple meals before leaving the small building.
When Hei Xiaoque saw her come in, his eyes lit up and his gaze was fixed on the light meal she was carrying.
Pei Hening paused, realizing she was indeed thinking about food.
Hei Xiaoman was also thinking about the braised pork and secretly glanced at her several times.
Hei Xiaoque couldn't wait to greet her: "You're finally back! What did you bring us to eat?"
Pei Hening smiled and said, "Let me check your progress this afternoon first."
Hei Xiaozheng said smugly, "Do we even need to check our progress? We've definitely completed the task you assigned us perfectly."
Pei Hening carried the light meal and looked around. The group of rat-men were indeed very efficient at their work.
The walls have been painted, the tiles have been laid, the ceiling has been installed, and the grout has been sealed...
All that's missing is the interior decoration; the two small buildings will be finished soon.
"How is it? Not bad, right?"
Hei Xiao was following behind her, glancing at the food she was carrying every now and then.
It could already smell the rich aroma of the food.
I want to eat it.
"You guys are pretty efficient. Do you have any friends or relatives who need work? Ask them if they need any help."
Hei Xiaozheng looked completely innocent: "Isn't it enough that the three of us are working for you?"
Hei Xiaoque: "Why are you so greedy?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Hening turned to look at it: "You didn't have dinner."
Hei Xiaoque's eyes widened, and he broke down in a shout: "Why don't you give me dinner? I did the work!"
Hei Xiaoman quickly covered Hei Xiaoque's mouth and said with a forced smile, "Please don't take this fool's words to heart."
Seeing that Hei Xiaoman was adept at covering its mouth, Pei Hening smiled and suddenly understood why it always covered Hei Xiaoque's mouth.
They're afraid that Hei Xiaoque will reveal their plan and ruin their good deed!
If she wasn't mistaken, what Hei Xiaoque wanted to say was—"Why didn't you give me dinner? I did the work! It's the other two who didn't do any work!"
Pei Hening pointed at Hei Xiaoman and said gently, "I don't like what you're saying, and you haven't had dinner either."
Hei Xiaoman's face turned green after she understood what he meant.
That unscrupulous contractor is really wicked!
Just because you don't like it, you're going to cut it from your dinner!
Blackie's big black eyes darted around. The stupid construction worker definitely couldn't finish the three simple meals, so he would definitely give it a share.
It can have two servings of braised pork tonight; just thinking about it makes me incredibly happy.
Pei Hening checked many details and, seeing that they were handled well, tested the drainage system and electrical circuits. Finding no problems, she took a bag of grass seeds from the plastic bag and handed it to Hei Xiaozheng.
"Master Zheng, your two friends haven't had dinner yet, so you must feel bad about eating too. These are grass seeds that need to be planted in the yard outside. Thank you for your hard work."
In the past, Pei Hening would never have dared to let the rat people go outside to plant grass seeds, but she overheard their plot and naturally squeezed out their remaining value in the shortest possible time.
Hei Xiaozheng: "Are you serious? Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"
Pei Hening pointed at Hei Xiaoque and Hei Xiaoman, and said righteously, "If you run away, I will immediately catch them and give them to the homeowner as housewarming gifts."
Hei Xiaozheng fell silent, feeling as if he had shot himself in the foot.
"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and plant some grass seeds."
Hei Xiaoque stepped forward, took the grass seeds back from Hei Xiaozheng's hand, and said innocently, "Master Xiaozheng doesn't know how to plant grass seeds, so let me do it."
"You're such a useless piece of trash, and you still want dinner? You can go hungry tonight."
Blackie was devastated; it had never done this kind of work since it was born.
Pei Hening could tell that it really didn't understand, so she pulled up a video on her phone about planting grass seeds and showed it to it.
"You should be able to understand it after watching it once, right? You can't be that stupid, can you?"
Hei Xiaozheng angrily snatched the grass seeds from Hei Xiaoque's hand and ran outside to start planting them.
Pei Hening watched its retreating figure, and her displeasure at being tricked subsided considerably.
She opened the renovation workers' forum to see if there were any new messages.
[Happy Mimi Home · Xiao Mo]: Contact me if you need a renovation team. Time is of the essence, so please contact me as soon as possible.
[Happy Mimi Home · Xiao Zuo]: Who on earth is so inconsiderate? They stole my dinner that I just bought! Aren't they worried about stuffing themselves to death?!
[Happy Mimi Home · Myself]: Breaking news, the orange cat owner's shop has sold out of renovation materials and he has closed down.
[Happy Mimi Home · Xiaoman]: The creature in the picture that Xiaocheng posted before should be a rat-man. I encountered it today.
Xiaoman's post received many comments.
[Xiao Zuo]: Really? There are actually creatures like rat people?
[Xiao Cheng]: Did you take any photos?
[Xiaoman] replied to [Xiaocheng]: I didn't have time to take a picture, they moved very quickly and were gone in a flash.
[Hour]: Could it be that those dark creatures I encountered today were rat people? [Image]
[Xiaoman] replied to [Xiaoshi]: That's what I saw too.
[Xiao Cheng] replied to [Xiao Shi]: The picture you took is so dark, how can anyone tell what it is?
[Xiao Mo] replied to [Xiao Shi]: Are those tools they're holding used during renovation?
[Xiaozuo] replied to [Xiaomo]: Yes, I worked in the renovation industry for a long time, and the tools these rats are holding are indeed renovation tools.
Pei Hening then commented below.
[Little Drop]: The things you lost might have been taken by the rat people.
After sending the message, she closed the renovation forum. When she looked up, she saw Hei Xiaoque staring at her expectantly.
Pei Hening asked irritably, "Why are you staring at me?"
Hei Xiaoque swallowed hard, recalling the lunch he had at noon today, and his mouth watered: "Dinner? Am I really not going to have dinner?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Hening slowly unpacked the simple meal. Her portion contained braised pork, sweet and sour spare ribs, boiled corn, stir-fried bok choy, and glistening, distinct grains of rice.
"Gulp~"