Chapter 657 - 657: Leaving Home Again

"Don't be sad," Zhao Yuan said, ruffling Zhao Ling's hair. "When you were going to school in the county town, you only came back every few weeks anyway. Even though you'll be in Rongcheng City, I'll just have Bai Mei drive you home whenever you get homesick."

"Really?" Zhao Ling asked, looking up at him.

Zhao Yuan chuckled. "Duh. When have I ever lied to you?"

Zhao Shiquan and Shen Lijun held onto Zhao Ling worriedly. "Once you're in Rongcheng City," they instructed, "you have to listen to your brother and not cause him any trouble, understand?"

Zhao Ling nodded vigorously. "I know! I'll study hard and try to be as amazing as my brother!"

"I'm sure you'll be even better than me," Zhao Yuan said with an encouraging smile.

Shen Lijun turned and went back inside, busying herself with packing for Zhao Ling. Zhao Yuan didn't rush her, instead taking the opportunity to visit Elder Ren's house to see how the training of the twenty-plus wolves was coming along.

I have to say, between Elder Ren's expertise and the pack's obedience, the training was progressing very quickly.

In just two or three short days, the wolf pack could already understand several commands. Seeing Zhao Yuan come for an 'inspection,' Elder Ren even had the pack put on a little performance for him.

"So, what do you think? These kids did alright, didn't they?"

After the demonstration, Elder Ren asked with a broad smile.

With his proud expression, he looked exactly like a parent showing off their child to others.

"They're fantastic!" Zhao Yuan gave a thumbs-up, not holding back his praise.

Elder Ren smiled happily. It was clear that he genuinely liked this pack of wolves and was truly proud of their performance.

"At their current pace, these kids will only need about another week of training before they can leave my place and start their patrol work at the medicinal herb plantation."

"Thank you for your hard work, Grandpa Ren," Zhao Yuan said politely.

Elder Ren waved his hand dismissively. "It's no trouble at all. These kids are smart and obedient. To be honest, I've been training dogs for decades—all kinds of breeds—but not a single one can compare to these wolves!"

Zhao Yuan just smiled and didn't say anything.

'These wolves were all tamed by the White Cat. With their high level of obedience and strong discipline, how could any ordinary dog possibly compare?'

Since Zhao Yuan would be gone for a long time after leaving the mountain this time, he was bringing the White Cat with him. The two Dang Kangs and the Little Red Fox were left at the medicinal herb plantation. With Xiaoyang secretly watching over and protecting them, plus the care of the villagers, there shouldn't be any problems.

Just then, while Zhao Yuan and Elder Ren were talking, the White Cat took the opportunity to walk up to the wolf pack.

The pack immediately prostrated themselves, their faces filled with awe.

The White Cat circled in front of them, then let out two meows, as if warning them: 'I'm leaving the mountain, but you all better stay obedient. If I find out you've started misbehaving after I'm gone, don't blame me for storming back here and giving you all a serious beatdown!'

Hearing this, the pack leader quickly whimpered a few times, and the wolves under its command also scrambled to let out low whines.

They didn't dare to howl, afraid of angering the White Cat. They could only whimper softly, as if to say: 'Don't worry, Master. Whether you're here or not, we will be obedient. We will absolutely not disappoint you, and we wouldn't dare make you angry.'

A satisfied smile appeared on the White Cat's face. It lifted a small paw and patted the pack leader's head twice, as if to say: 'Not bad. Keep up the good work. I have high hopes for you.'

The pack leader immediately took on a flattered expression, grinning like a goofy husky. You couldn't tell at all that it had once been a savage, vicious wolf!

By the time the White Cat finished its lecture, Zhao Yuan had also more or less wrapped up his chat with Elder Ren.

After the White Cat hopped back onto his shoulder, Zhao Yuan prepared to leave. "Grandpa Ren, I have to go now. It'll probably be a long while before I'm back. From now on, I'll be leaving this wolf pack in your care."

"Don't you worry, I'll take good care of them," Elder Ren said with a smile. "Honestly, you don't need to worry about them at all. These kids are very smart and well-behaved. They definitely won't cause you any trouble."

Zhao Yuan glanced at the wolves, who had puffed out their chests as if waiting for praise, and chuckled. "Yes, I believe that!"

After saying goodbye to Elder Ren, Zhao Yuan went to the construction site.

The houses there were mostly built. All that was left was installing the wiring and plumbing, as well as the interior decorations. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the villagers could move out of their dilapidated mud-brick houses and into beautiful new buildings.

Zhao Yuan found Cai De at the site and reminded him to guarantee both quality and quantity, even if it meant the progress was a little slower. After all, these houses were for his fellow villagers, and Zhao Yuan didn't want there to be any quality issues.

Cai De naturally agreed at once, saying with a smile, "Boss Zhao, you can rest assured about the quality. You have no idea—your old village chief comes to our site every single day to supervise our work. With him watching over us, how could we dare not be diligent? How could we dare do a bad job?"

Zhao Yuan chuckled. He knew from personal experience just how strict and picky the old village chief could be.

Leaving the construction site, Zhao Yuan took another tour around the medicinal herb plantation before heading home.

By this time, Zhao Ling's luggage was all packed. Zhao Yuan helped her carry it and they left the house.

Shen Lijun had originally planned to pack things like blankets and comforters for Zhao Ling, but Zhao Yuan talked her out of it. They could just buy all that in the city; it would be too much trouble to bring it all with them.

Shen Lijun and Zhao Shiquan walked them all the way to the village entrance and saw them off into the car.

The two Little Dang Kangs and the Little Red Fox also came along to see them off, clearly reluctant to say goodbye.

"Alright, alright, enough with the long faces. I'll definitely be back often in the future."

Zhao Yuan's words dispelled some of the sorrowful atmosphere of their parting, and Shen Lijun started laughing. "You said it yourself. Don't be like before, only coming back once every few months."

"Don't worry, Mom. I absolutely won't!" Zhao Yuan promised.

Lin Xue chimed in, "Auntie, I'll help you keep an eye on him."

Zhao Yuan looked surprised. "No way. Since when did you and my mom form a united front?"

"Scared, are you?" Lin Xue laughed. "If you dare to bully me in the future, I'll tell Auntie and have her stick up for me and teach you a lesson."

"Xiaoxue is right. If you dare bully her, I'll spank you," Shen Lijun added in agreement.

Zhao Yuan gave a wry smile. "Mom, I'm your son, remember? Is there no justice in this world?"

After laughing and joking for a while, they all hugged and said their goodbyes.

Once the three of them and the White Cat were all in the car, the Bone Woman started the engine and drove away from Jinhua Village, heading for Rongcheng City.

On the road, Zhao Yuan received a phone call.