Chapter 964: Just Consider It Helping Me Out, Will You?

Speaking to this point, he could go no further; no matter how one looked at it, the fault lay with them. Pulling an envelope from his breast pocket, he said, "Brother Changsheng, this is what we agreed upon before: three yuan per month. I've applied for four months' worth. The extra ten yuan is compensation for Zhui Feng's rations. We are truly sorry."

What he lacked the face to admit was that on the very night after Zhui Feng went missing, the grain station had been visited by thieves, who made off with several sacks of grain.

Only the commune police station and insiders at the grain station knew this news; to this day, the grain thieves had not been caught.

Xiao Fu looked at the envelope handed to him, unsure whether he should accept it.

Liu Chuxue simply reached out and took it for him: "Zhui Feng is raised by me. Since it was originally agreed to be a paid loan, there is no shame in accepting it. As for compensation, my Zhui Feng deserves it even more; I don't even know how it managed to survive day after day."

Hearing Liu Chuxue's words, the man replied, "Yes, yes, yes! The girl speaks rightly; indeed, we failed to honor our original promise, so this compensation ought to be taken."

Seeing that Zhui Feng had recovered considerably in just these few days, he rubbed his hands together and said, "Brother Changsheng, little girl, may I be so bold as to discuss a matter with you?"

Liu Chuxue cast him a cold glance, said nothing, and prepared to take Zhui Feng back into the courtyard.

Seeing that they were about to take the dog away, the man called out, "Little girl, wait! I truly have something to discuss with you."

Liu Chuxue turned around: "If you still want to borrow Zhui Feng to guard your warehouse, save your breath; no matter what you say this time, I will not agree."

Zhui Feng seemed to understand something; it rubbed against Liu Chuxue's trouser legs, barked "Woof, woof, woof!" several times at the few people standing outside the gate, and then lifted its head to seek credit from Liu Chuxue.

This actually amused Liu Chuxue.

At this moment, Qiu Shaofeng, having settled everything, walked out: "Father, if you have anything to say, please come inside and sit down."

The man from the grain station, already knowing he was in the wrong, waved his hand: "No need, no need; it's just a few words. We must hurry back shortly, so we won't go in."

Xiao Fu, still angry, heard their words and thus did not invite them inside: "That dog is indeed raised by my daughter. The only reason I agreed last time was because we had just entered the city and couldn't bring the dog over directly; you were also so eager to borrow a dog, and since we are acquaintances, I found it hard to refuse, so I agreed. But look at what state you left the dog in; you know it in your heart."

"Now that my daughter is here, even if I were willing—which I am not—I cannot make decisions for her. You just heard what my second daughter said; she does not agree."

The man's expression froze for a moment; after taking a deep breath, he said, "Brother Changsheng, we truly had no choice. The dog previously raised at the grain station died suddenly from an acute illness. Later, we raised another one, but it is still too young to be of any use..."

Knowing that saying these things would likely not soften their hearts, he simply pulled Xiao Fu out of the courtyard, walked a few steps forward, and then spoke: "Brother Changsheng, let me tell you the truth. The day after Zhui Feng went missing, grain was stolen from the granary. Although not a huge amount, it exceeded a thousand jin."

"We suspect that the sudden illness and death of the previous dog was likely related to those people; this is also the conclusion of the Public Security Bureau's investigation over the past few days. Therefore, I beg Brother Changsheng to be accommodating and help us speak earnestly to your daughter."

"Rest assured, this time we will personally care for Zhui Feng, and we will pay five yuan per month. By next month, when the authorities transport away a large portion of the grain, the young dog we are raising will be old enough to hear noises and make some sound. Just consider it helping me out, won't you?"