Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhang Zian had managed to convince Vladimir with much difficulty, telling it that the victory of an army depended entirely on the unity of the army and the people, so there was no such thing as a high-level hack like Gundam. He then took it downstairs and put it into the Wuling Hong Guang MPV.
“What’s this?” Vladimir asked, looking at the assault boat that took up the whole trunk of the car.
“Oh, this? That’s not Gundam either. It’s an assault boat for going out to sea,” Zhang Zian explained as he started the engine, scared that it would misunderstand again.
“Out to sea?”
“Right. If you have an interest, I’ll bring you the next time I go to the seaside––as long as you don’t get seasick.”
Zhang Zian told the shop employees they were leaving, then drove the car towards Electrician Wu’s house.
Vladimir did not sit still and jumped around in the car––it jumped on the passenger seat one moment, then to the other end of the car; it even jumped onto the dashboard. Zhang Zian had to warn it that it was dangerous that. If he suddenly hit the brakes, it might get hurt.
Not long after, they reached their destination.
The last time he came to the neighborhood, he happened to be met with the Palytoxin case. He had not come back after that. However, the old neighborhood did not change much; it only became greener. In the daytime, the main people that went in and out were retired, middle-aged, and old people from the factory. They went home to cook with the vegetables they bought from the vegetable market, or they walked leisurely with theirs dogs, or they took their grandchildren to enjoy the happiness of family relations.
The police officer at the gate still recognized Zhang Zian, and upon seeing him return, he instantly grew nervous. He thought that there was someone poisoning the neighborhood again, but Zhang Zian told the police officer not to be worried. He was only coming to visit customers.
After he got out of the car and locked it, he brought Vladimir into the unit that Electrician Wu lived in. After climbing a few levels, they reached Electrician Wu’s house.
After knocking the door, Electrician Wu hurriedly came to open the door a few seconds later. At the same time, Welder Zhao’s loud voice sounded. “Wu, why are you so worried for nothing? Store Manager Zhang is so busy, and you still made him make a trip down. Do you really not trust this old man so much?”
Electrician Wu could only smile bitterly at Zhang Zian. He was secretly asking Zhang Zian if he saw how unbelievable Welder Zhao was. Not only was he stingy, but he also cared about his reputation a lot. Who would suffer losses if he did not?
Zhang Zian smiled, following Electrician Wu into the house. He saw Welder Zhao’s large figure standing next to a fish tank. He was slightly thinner than one to two months before; it seemed like his time in the hospital was quite hard on him.
Besides the two old men, there were also three children there. They were the grandchildren of the two of them, and then a little girl he had never seen before. They were all surrounding the fish tank and staring at the fish with large eyes.
“Master Zhao, hello!” Zhang Zian took the initiative and greeted him.
“Ah, there’s a cat!” The three children saw Vladimir instantly and called out anxiously, “Be careful! Don’t let the cat eat the fish!”
“Don’t worry, this cat doesn’t like to eat fish,” Zhang Zian said, smiling.
“It doesn’t eat fish?” Welder Zhao’s clear and loud voice asked. “I’ve heard that there aren’t any cats that don’t steal fish… Is this cat an exception?”
“Zhao! What are you saying? You’re already so old. You keep saying improper things all day long…” Electrician Wu scolded, then smiled at Zhang Zian. “Store Manager Zhang, ignore him. This man doesn’t have a door to his mouth… Come, sit and rest for a while. What do you want to drink? Coke? Mineral water?”
Zhang Zian waved his hands and said, “There’s no need to trouble you. I won’t be here long. Plus, I drank some water before I came out, so I’m not thirsty.”
Welder Zhao warmly greeted him, “Mr. Zhang, it’s good that you came here. Look at these fish. Aren’t they especially worth buying? Let me tell you––this fish is 80 yuan, this one is 45 yuan, this one is 65 yuan…”
Zhang Zian had Vladimir play by itself before he walked to the side of the fish tank and looked through the glass.
He had to admit, this time around, Welder Zhao really did not make a wasted trip. He had bought quite a few good fish. Some of them were more expensive and relatively rare. They looked very attractive as they swam about in the tank.
At a quick glance, he saw the bright yellow tang, the metallic shrimp goby lying on the fine sand at the bottom of the tank, the southern platyfish––a fish whose head was difficult to distinguish––and the especially bright bluestripe snapper. They were all brightly colored fish species and especially pleasing to the eye.
“These are good fish. You got a great bargain,” Zhang Zian nodded and exclaimed. “These fish are much cheaper than the market price, but some of them are not suitable to be kept together. The water temperature they need is not the same… You better separate them as soon as possible.”
When Welder Zhao got the acknowledgment from Zhang Zian, his heart became even more complacent. He pointed at the small fish tanks next to them and said, “I know. I took the time to get some today because Wu is not spending enough effort on my fish. He squeezed them all into a single fish tank. How could I leave it like that? If he doesn’t make an effort, I’ll have to do it myself.”
Electrician Wu was still not reassured and asked, “Store Manager Zhang, look carefully. Are there any fish that are poisonous, or are there any dangerous fish?
“A dangerous fish…” Zhang Zian’s looked through the fish in the fish tank. Because there were quite a few fish swimming around, he could not see them very clearly in a short time.
At that moment, the anxious Welder Zhao started to move. He picked up the fish net and said, “No hurry, no hurry. When I divide the fish into tanks, they will be easy to see.”
After saying that he put the fish net into the fish tank.
The fish swam off in different directions, scared. He saw the chance and used the fish net to catch a fish.
After the fish left the water, it instinctively resisted with all its might, twisting its body with all its strength to leave the net and jump back into the water. It splashed water droplets onto people’s faces as it struggled.
Welder Zhao was scared that during its struggle, it would manage to jump out of the net and land on the ground. That would be very dangerous… The fishes were swimming RMB notes. If one died, he would be heartbroken for a long time.
He reached out his other hand––cooperating with the hand that held the fish net––curled up his palm, and put it on top of the fish net. Even if the fish jumped out of the net, it would be blocked by his palm and would not fall outside.
The action was very normal; people who kept fish would transfer fish like that all the time.
One by one he fished them out. Just as he was about to catch a blue fish, the fish swam quickly and it took a lot of effort for Welder Zhao to force it into a corner of the tank. He used the fish net suddenly and pulled it out of the water. His left hand looked like it was drawing a gourd as he tried to hold it with his palm to prevent it from jumping out.
Following his actions, Zhang Zian’s gaze landed on that blue fish, and instantly identified the species of that fish. He could not contain his shock as he hurriedly pressed on Welder Zhao’s hand. “Master Zhao––don’t move! There’s danger!”
