Chapter 189: Pickles
Early in the morning, an encrypted message popped up on Zhao Chen's tablet.
"Boss Chen, the North City Chemical Plant has been cleared. Four individuals have been identified by the 'Golden Ring Snake' team. Gu Changhai has fled overseas."
Zhao Chen glanced at it, his fingertips flicking across it, and the message vanished. His expression remained calm as he transferred the perfectly fried soft-boiled egg onto Yu Ling's plate.
"The guild cafeteria has just received a batch of organic eggs. Try some." He spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he was chatting about the weather.
Yu Ling was scrolling through her phone when a headline popped up:
"Breaking! Former Gu Group Chairman Gu Changhai has fled overseas! The Gu Empire has completely collapsed!"
Her hand trembled, and the fork nearly stabbed Wangcai's nose as he leaned in. Wangcai whined in dissatisfaction and ran away with his pure gold Shiba Inu food bowl in his mouth.
"He..." Yu Ling looked at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen picked up the napkin with the yawning Shiba Inu printed on it and slowly wiped a speck of mayonnaise from the corner of her mouth. "Yeah, I see. Things change so fast." He raised his eyes, his gaze calm behind his gold-rimmed glasses. "From now on, no one can disturb Mom and Dad from planting flowers anymore."
Villa No. 666, Area B, Wutongyuan, has become a paradise for retired teachers.
Li Xiulan directed the Shiba Inu housekeeping team of "Wangwang Property" to fill every corner of the top-grade refrigerator with the jars of pickles and bean paste they brought.
The housekeeper, wearing a uniform with a Shiba Inu badge, was wiping the door of a refrigerator worth a million dollars while cheerfully praising, "Sister Li, your sauce is so delicious! It's so authentic!"
Yu Jianbang is even more amazing.
He wore a brand new dark blue security uniform of "Wangwang Property" with a shining Shiba Inu badge on his chest. He stood straight and held a high-intensity flashlight (with electric shock function) given by Zhao Chen and printed with the "Wangcai Special Service" logo, and began his career as an "honorary security consultant".
"Wangcai No. 3! Be careful to be discreet during patrol routes!" Consultant Yu stood beside the rose bushes in his garden with his hands behind his back, giving a serious lecture to a fat and strong Rottweiler.
Wangcai No. 3 tilted his big head, looking confused as if asking, "What are you talking about?"
The bald, muscular man standing guard nearby stifled a laugh: "Advisor Yu, it's called Iron Hammer! Wangcai No. 3 is its code name!"
"Oh, Comrade Tiechui!" Yu Jianbang immediately changed his tone, becoming more serious. "Be vigilant! Especially that patch of holly trees on the east side of the garden. It's a good place to hide... uh, wild cats!"
Iron Hammer (Wangcai No. 3): "Woof!" (Got it! I promise to bite the wild cat to death!)
The master bedroom of the villa.
Yu Ling was lying in the jacuzzi, with a flat board floating on the surface of the water filled with Shiba Inu bubbles.
"Lidya Su! You'll never imagine how powerful my dad is now!" She complained to her best friend in the video, "He commands a group of bodyguards with special forces backgrounds to patrol the garden! And he even complains that my dog's name isn't elegant enough!"
Lidya Su rolled on the other side of the screen, laughing: "Hahahaha! Uncle Yu is so awesome! Lingzi, you are such a great wife to the Vice President. Your parents have also been blessed with great fortunes! Hey, let's get down to business!" She suddenly lowered her voice, a gossipy look on her face, "Is the Gu family really finished? Then Gu Qianqian..."
"It's the intensive care unit of the mental hospital. Two 'nurses' are watching at the door." Yu Ling swished some water. "He can't turn over."
"Great!" Su Xiao slapped his thigh. "By the way, is your president Zhao's 'Shiba Inu Guild' still hiring? That blockhead Lin Feng is always mysteriously following Zhao Chen around. I'd like to apply for the position of 'Special Assistant to the President's Wife and Best Friend', specifically responsible for... eating candy and shopping!"
Yu Ling rolled her eyes: "Then you have to ask Wangcai whether he approves the budget."
As he was speaking, the bathroom door was pushed open.
Zhao Chen walked in wearing the same Shiba Inu bathrobe as him, holding a glass of red wine in one hand, and in the other hand... holding a glittering golden coin, slightly larger than a one-yuan coin, and heavy...coin?
The obverse of the coin features a relief portrait of a Shiba Inu with a cold, stern gaze. The reverse features a complex anti-counterfeiting pattern and a line of small characters: "Doomsday Ark - Shiba Inu Coin SDOGE 001."
"Soaking in the tub?" Zhao Chen naturally sat down on the edge of the tub and stuffed the gold coin into Yu Ling's bubble-soaked hand. "Have fun with it."
Yu Ling weighed it, feeling it was quite heavy. "What is this? A guild commemorative coin?"
"Well, forget it." Zhao Chen took a sip of his wine. "Old Wang and his friends tinkered with this little gadget for internal circulation. It's just been molded, and the first one will be used as a bookmark for you."
"Gold?" Yu Ling asked suspiciously.
"Gilded. Mainly for the sake of appearance." Zhao Chen remained calm.
Su Xiao, who was sharp-eyed on the other end of the video, screamed, "Lingzi! Quick! Turn the camera! That coin! That dog head! I think I saw it on the top auction preview on the dark web! The starting price has so many zeros after it!"
Yu Ling's hand shook and the gold coin almost slipped into the bathtub to feed the Shiba Inu bubbles!
Zhao Chen quickly grabbed it and put it back into her hand, saying to the tablet screen calmly, "You're seeing it wrong. It's a copy."
Lidya Su: “…” I don’t believe you!
A few days later, at the Yu family villa in Wutongyuan.
"Old Yu! What do I do with this 'smart vegetable garden' Xiao Zhao gave me?" Li Xiulan fretted over the row of planter boxes on the balcony, their metallic gleams etched on their sides with tiny Shiba Inu paw prints.
Yu Jianbang studied the instructions through his reading glasses: "It's said to be fully automatic... integrated watering and fertilizing... connected to a mobile phone app... What the hell is going on?"
"Auntie, uncle, I'm here!" a booming voice echoed from the doorway. A bald, muscular man (codenamed "Iron Fist," the leader of the Wangcai Squad) walked in with a simple smile, carrying two bags of fresh vegetable seedlings.
"Iron Fist! Come quickly!" Li Xiulan was like she had seen a savior. "This high-tech stuff still needs you young people!"
Tiequan deftly adjusted the equipment, his movements as professional as if he were defusing a bomb. The planter box lit up with a soft blue light and automatically sprayed out a fine mist of water.
"Okay! Auntie, whatever you want to plant in the future, just click on your mobile phone! It will automatically alarm if there is a lack of fertilizer or water, and our logistics department... uh, 'Woof Wang Fresh Food' will be delivered to your door immediately!" Tiequan patted his chest, and the Shiba Inu badge sparkled.
Li Xiulan smiled from ear to ear and turned around to take out a jar of her most proud pickled vegetables from the refrigerator: "Tie Quan, thank you for your hard work! Here, Auntie pickled them myself, try some! Don't be disgusted!"
Tie Quan looked at the plain jar of pickles, then at Li Xiulan's eager face, his eyes welling up. He took the jar and said in a booming voice, "Thank you, Auntie! These are much more delicious than the imported pickles from the Guild Canteen!" He turned and shouted, "Brothers! Auntie Li is giving out treats! Come and try some!"
A few strong men rushed in from outside the door, surrounded the jar of pickles, each holding a pair of disposable chopsticks, picking up the pickles quickly and eating with great praise.
"Smells good! It goes really well with rice!"
"Auntie! From now on, I'll be relying on you to make sure my mouth doesn't taste good while patrolling!"
Li Xiulan was surrounded by a group of "Wangcai Special Service" soldiers and praised them, her smile showing from ear to ear. Yu Jianbang stood with his hands behind his back, a look of satisfaction on his face, saying, "My soldiers really have good taste."
Shiba Inu Security has completely fallen for the retired teacher's pickle diplomacy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
