Chapter 589: The Bully of Taoyuan County

A 12-seat official minibus continued forward on the highway.

Regardless of whether Lv Yizhi tells the truth or not.

In Lingtan Town, Taoyuan County, that Suzhou-style garden costing up to five hundred million—the Lü Mansion—stood there imposingly, immovable.

The garden was built against the mountain, drawing on a clear, lively spring from the rear hill.

The spring water flowed down the mountain slope, passing through the garden to feed the winding streams and ornamental ponds among the pavilions and towers; the ornamental pond housed dozens of valuable koi, which Lv Yizhi called feng shui fish.

But now the feng shui of the Lü Mansion has only wind, no water.

Today, at the start of spring, Taoyuan County's rainfall is not as abundant as in previous years, commonly called a spring drought. The ornamental pond that should have been shimmering with ripples has now dried up, and the silt at the bottom has cracked.

The dozens of originally colorful koi had long been dried into shriveled fish jerky, embedded like fossils in the cracked pond bottom.

The Suzhou-style garden built at great expense now looks lifeless due to lack of water.

This is all the butler's doing.

The butler of the Lü Mansion, Lü Shuyong, is Lv Yizhi's close nephew.

This year, Lv Yizhi and his daughter did not return to Taoyuan County for the Spring Festival, and Lü Shuyong also let himself go, failing to tend to this garden.

A few days ago, Lü Shuyong drove his Land Cruiser, taking a few girls on a self-drive trip along the G318. After that round of fun, he had a blast. When he returned to the mansion and looked, the koi had turned into fish jerky.

Someone has to take the blame for this.

After some scheming, Lü Shuyong set his sights on the village fish pond owner—Wang Yaosheng.

In Lü Shuyong's view, regardless of whether this year is a spring drought, the mountain springs definitely have water flowing down, enough to sustain the Lü Mansion's dozens of koi.

In short!

It's simply because Wang Yaosheng dammed the water, diverting the mountain spring to his own fish pond, causing the Lü Mansion's ornamental pond to dry up and all the koi to turn into fish jerky.

This blame, Wang Yaosheng must bear.

Now!

Lü Shuyong was leading a few burly 'gardeners' and blocking a small fish pond not far from the garden. Lü Shuyong is in his thirties, wearing a floral shirt, and turning a string of Tibetan beads he bought from the west in his hand. Unfortunately, he was not born a Buddha; no matter how he handles the beads, he remains a blatant, vulgar bully.

Fish pond owner Wang Yaosheng is already over fifty this year, with dark skin and a face full of worry.

"You fucking have the gall to dare cut off our Lü family's water source!" Lü Shuyong threatened Wang Yaosheng arrogantly: "Those dozens of valuable koi in my pond have all been killed by your thirst! According to my former explosive temper, you'd have to lie down today! Consider yourself lucky—I now follow Buddhism."

"……!!!"

Wang Yaosheng lowered his head, trembling, not daring to utter a sound.

A large crowd of onlooking villagers nearby also dared not interrupt. In Lingtan Town, no one had yet dared to oppose Lü Shuyong.

Lü Shuyong added: "Don't say I'm unreasonable; today I win people over with virtue. As long as you pay compensation, this matter is settled, and I won't make things difficult for you."

Wang Yaosheng muttered quietly: "The mountain spring water isn't yours; your fish died—what's that got to do with me…"

"What did you say?!"

Lü Shuyong glared with both eyes, frightening Wang Yaosheng into hastily swallowing his grievances.

Wang Yaosheng replied timidly: "I didn't say anything… How much do I have to pay? You name the amount."

"That's more like it—if you'd shown this attitude earlier, why make it so embarrassing?" Lü Shuyong, while turning the beads in his hand, quoted: "One koi is 100,000; 28 koi equal 2.8 million."

"What?!"

Wang Yaosheng suddenly lifted his head, startled to the point his skull almost exploded.

For a couple dozen fish, he had thought he'd at most owe a few hundred bucks, never expecting Lü Shuyong to open his mouth like a lion and demand 2.8 million.

Is this compensation? This is fucking robbery!

Wang Yaosheng could barely hide his despair: "Yongzi, we're all from the same village—don't bully me like this! If I had 2.8 million, I'd have bought a house in the city long ago; why would I still be raising fish in the village?"

"Your poverty is your own business—what's it to me?" Lü Shuyong stepped forward two steps, putting on a pretense of reason: "If someone tore down your house, would you let it slide just because they're penniless? In conduct and affairs, one must speak reason! My koi are worth this price; I haven't even calculated your damages for ruining my feng shui. If we included feng shui loss, it wouldn't be just 2.8 million—even 28 million wouldn't be enough."

As his words fell, some nearby were speechless, others chuckled.

Those who love to watch a spectacle are never afraid of big trouble.

Even some busybodies jeered: "Old Wang, do you think their feng shui koi are as cheap as the koi in your pond? You're just inexperienced—100,000 per fish really isn't expensive."

"……!!!"

In an instant, Wang Yaosheng's face flushed red with anger.

For villagers who face the loess soil with their backs to the sky, what does 2.8 million mean? Even if Wang Yaosheng raised fish his whole life, he could never earn that much.

Wang Yaosheng steeled himself, gritted his teeth, and replied: "I can only pay 2,800—not a cent more."

"Two thousand eight?"

Lü Shuyong, as if hearing a huge joke, stopped turning the beads in his hand and curled his mouth into a cold smile: "Wang, are you trying to send off a beggar? Even a single scale from any fish in my Lü family pond is worth more than that!"

Seeing Wang Yaosheng lower his head and stay silent,

Lü Shuyong then pulled Wang Yaosheng aside and whispered in his ear: "I know you have no money and don't want to make things hard for you. So, there's currently a rural support policy. Go to the rural credit union and apply for an aquaculture loan; I'll get someone to green-light it. Later you give me the money, and we'll be square. You also don't need to worry about not being able to repay the credit union—later you can just say the aquaculture failed, and they can't do anything to you."

"……!!!"

Wang Yaosheng still kept his head down, silent.

He doesn't understand what the rural support policy is.

Having lived over fifty years, he has never taken out a loan. He knows only one thing: borrowing money must be repaid, and windfall blessings never fall on honest people like him.

Wang Yaosheng replied bluntly: "I won't take a loan; at most I can pay you 2,800. Take it or leave it."

"Wang, you're giving face then taking it away, right?!" Lü Shuyong's expression shifted instantly, his face darkening terribly, his eyes blazing with fury.

Wang Yaosheng, having made up his mind, said: "The mountain water isn't yours. Offering to pay you 2,800 is already a huge loss for me. I don't want trouble—don't push me."

"Damn!!!"

Before Wang Yaosheng could finish speaking, Lü Shuyong kicked him in the abdomen.

Caught off guard, Wang Yaosheng staggered back a few steps from the kick, slipped, and flopped into the fish pond.

Lü Shuyong stood on the bank and shouted angrily: "You face‑giving, face‑taking dog, I'm trying to reason with you, but you force me to use my feet!"

Just as the words fell, Lü Shuyong again stomped hard several times.

Each kick landed precisely on Wang Yaosheng's head, forcibly pressing the Wang Yaosheng who tried to climb ashore back into the fish pond.