Chapter 500 - 409: Zhao Jun: I’m Going to Do Something Big

A chaotic chorus of barks erupted. Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu knew the newcomer was a stranger to their dogs.

"Zhao Jun! Zhao Jun!"

Immediately after, they heard someone shouting Zhao Jun’s name from outside the courtyard gate. Zhao Jun, who was sitting on the wall, heard the voice and exchanged a look with Li Baoyu.

’Why is he here?’ the two of them wondered.

But regardless of what they were thinking, both Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu jumped down from the wall and walked out from Zhao Jun’s family’s courtyard.

A man was standing at the courtyard gate. Zhao Jun greeted him, "Jinshan, have you eaten?"

Zhao Jinshan seemed not to have heard Zhao Jun’s pleasantry. He looked at him anxiously and said, "Brother Jun, my dad needs to see you about something."

"Oh!" Hearing this, Zhao Jun glanced at Li Ruhai before turning back to Zhao Jinshan and asking, "What’s wrong?"

Zhao Jinshan replied, "Tao Dasheng is dead!"

"What?" Zhao Jun’s expression changed instantly, finding it hard to believe Zhao Jinshan’s words. Because, right up until his rebirth in his past life, that Tao Dasheng had still been alive and well.

’How could he be dead?’

Li Baoyu was also startled by Zhao Jinshan’s words. He asked in shock, "What happened?"

"A Black Bear got him!" Zhao Jinshan first answered Li Baoyu’s question, then added, "It was the same one that killed Elder Jiang yesterday."

Hearing this, Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu fell silent. A bear killing two people in two days... in the words of the Northeast, that was truly ’rampant.’

Seeing Zhao Jun’s silence, Zhao Jinshan grew anxious and urged him, "Zhao Jun, you have to come with me! My dad’s waiting for you at the Village Office."

"What’s going on?" Just then, Zhao Youcai came out of the courtyard and asked Zhao Jinshan, "What’s wrong with your dad?"

"Uncle!" Zhao Jinshan nodded to Zhao Youcai and said without holding anything back, "The same Black Bear that killed Elder Jiang yesterday just mauled Tao Dasheng to death today!"

"Ah!" Zhao Youcai was also shocked to hear the news, but he was an old hand, after all. He quickly recovered and asked Zhao Jinshan, "Is your dad looking for me to come over and discuss hunting this Black Bear?"

"Well..." Hearing this, Zhao Jinshan just blinked, at a loss for words. Zhao Guofeng had sent him to get Zhao Jun, not Zhao Youcai.

But with Zhao Youcai asking directly, what could Zhao Jinshan say? Surely he couldn’t say, ’Uncle, don’t come. My dad isn’t looking for you, he’s looking for your son.’

Just as Zhao Jinshan was in a bind, Li Dayong came out of his courtyard. He had been inside and heard Li Ruhai shout that someone else had died, so he had been waiting for Li Ruhai to come in and tell him the details.

But Li Dayong waited for a long time, and when he looked out the window, he saw the courtyard was empty. That’s why he came out to see what was going on.

Seeing Zhao Youcai was also there, Li Dayong hurried over and asked him, "Big Brother, what’s happened?"

"Let’s go!" Zhao Youcai waved Li Dayong over. "To the Village Office, now! We’ll talk on the way!"

With that, Zhao Youcai strode away from his gate, heading straight for the Village Office. Li Dayong caught up to him in two steps, and the two men walked on, whispering to each other.

Zhao Jinshan watched Zhao Youcai’s receding back, then turned to Zhao Jun with a wry smile. "Zhao Jun, please, just come with me, will you?"

Hearing this, Zhao Jun didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked up at Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong walking side by side.

Then, Zhao Jun said to Li Baoyu, "Baoyu, you’re coming with me!"

"Okay!"

Hearing that Zhao Jun was willing to go to the Village Office, Zhao Jinshan’s face lit up with joy. Not caring who Zhao Jun brought along, he started leading the way.

Now only Li Ruhai was left standing in front of the gate. He took a couple of steps forward, wanting to follow them to the Village Office and listen in, but he hesitated and glanced back at his own courtyard.

Then, Li Ruhai turned his head again, watching the three of them leave. Finally, he spun around and dashed into his own courtyard, yelling as he ran, "Ma! Something terrible has happened! It’s bad!"

Inside the Village Office, three men were seated around a long conference table.

Zhao Guofeng sat at the far end, facing the door with his back to the gable wall. To his left was the village accountant, Tan Chaoyang.

Across from Tan Chaoyang sat Qin Qiang, his face pale and his eyes bloodshot.

All three of them were silent. Zhao Guofeng and Tan Chaoyang smoked quietly, while Qin Qiang kept his head down, his hands clasped between his knees.

Just then, someone walked into the Village Office. Zhao Guofeng’s eyes lit up, thinking it was Zhao Jun. He raised a hand and started to say, "Zhao—" but finished, "Youcai, you’re here."

Zhao Youcai entered the Village Office and gave Zhao Guofeng a deep look, wondering, ’Why is he using my full name?’

But while he was looking at Zhao Guofeng, Zhao Guofeng wasn’t looking at him. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the space behind Zhao Youcai.

But the person who followed Zhao Youcai in was Li Dayong. And behind Li Dayong, there was no one else.

This made Zhao Guofeng, who had half-risen from his seat, slump back down onto the bench. He looked at Zhao Youcai and asked, "Youcai, where’s Zhao Jun?"

Zhao Youcai had just walked over to Tan Chaoyang and taken a cigarette from his hand. Before he could even put it in his mouth, he heard Zhao Guofeng’s question. He sat down next to Tan Chaoyang and asked, "What? What do you want him for?"

Zhao Guofeng was taken aback. ’I clearly sent my son, Zhao Jinshan, to get Zhao Jun. How did Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong end up here instead?’

Li Dayong sat down next to Zhao Youcai as well. He glanced at Qin Qiang across the table and noticed his head was bowed even lower. The man was sitting perfectly still, not uttering a word.

At that moment, Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu entered the Village Office, led by Zhao Jinshan. Seeing Zhao Jun walk in, Zhao Guofeng’s face lit up with joy. He waved him over, saying, "Zhao Jun, come quickly."