On the other end of the line, the old village chief was rambling on, marveling at the spiritual nature of the "Huang Daxian."
"...Expert Yang, you should have seen it. That Huang Daxian is so clever."
"First, it blocked Old Fourth on the road at the village entrance, giving him a scare. Old Fourth recognized it as a protected animal, so he didn’t dare hit it. He just waved his hands, trying to shoo it away."
"But the Huang Daxian didn’t run. Instead, it took a few steps closer, then turned and ran toward the back of the village. It ran about ten meters, stopped, and turned its head back to SQUEAK SQUEAK at Old Fourth."
"Old Fourth got suspicious right then and there. He felt something was off. When the Huang Daxian saw he wasn’t moving, it ran back, squeaking at him nonstop. After a bit of that, it ran off again, stopped, and turned to look at Old Fourth."
"That’s when Old Fourth finally understood—the Huang Daxian was trying to lead him somewhere!"
"Curious, Old Fourth followed the Huang Daxian all the way to the old graveyard hill behind the village, where he heard a child crying from a pit."
"Old Fourth nearly jumped out of his skin! He thought he’d seen a ghost!"
"He nervously called out a few times. The child in the pit heard him and quickly called back, and that’s when he figured out what was happening."
"Expert Yang, tell me, if the Huang Daxian hadn’t led the way, who would’ve thought to look there? The old graveyard hill is so remote. If the Huang Daxian hadn’t raised the alarm, the child would have been in real danger by the time we found them!"
The old village chief’s voice was filled with lingering fear and gratitude.
"Expert Yang, the story has spread all over the village. Everyone says it’s incredible, that this Huang Daxian understands people and knows how to repay a debt! If you hadn’t saved it and let it go last time, why would it help our village like this?"
"The elders are all saying, ’One good turn deserves another,’ and ’Good deeds are rewarded!’"
Yang Qi was moved after hearing the story. He agreed, "You’re right, old village chief. All living things have a spirit. The fact that it was willing to repay the favor means it remembered the kindness. Please tell the other villagers that if they see it in the mountains, they don’t need to be afraid or bother it. Just let it be, and we’ll all be fine."
"Yes, yes, I’ll definitely tell them!" the old village chief quickly agreed.
After a few more pleasantries about the village’s recent happenings, the call ended.
Yang Qi held his phone, feeling a wave of emotion.
Everyone knows weasels hold grudges and seek revenge for the smallest slight. There are even strange folk legends about "Huang Daxian seeking titles" or "yellow-skinned weasels exchanging lives."
But few people mention that these spiritual creatures also remember kindness.
You show it a little kindness, and it might repay you tenfold.
The cause and effect in this world are sometimes much clearer than people imagine.
Just as he was lost in thought, his phone rang again.
This time, it was his grandmother.
Yang Qi quickly answered, "Grandma..."
"Xiaoqi!"
His grandmother’s panicked voice cut off his greeting. "Yang Bo has been arrested by the police!"
’Yang Bo was arrested?’
"Out of the blue? Why would the police arrest him?" Yang Qi asked. "What did he do?"
"I don’t know either."
His grandmother said frantically, "Just this evening, Yang Bo’s mother came to me in tears, saying Yang Bo was taken away by the police station this afternoon. She’s a complete wreck and doesn’t know who to turn to. She heard you know some police officers, so she came begging me for help."
A rustling sound came from the other end of the line, and then the voice was replaced by that of a middle-aged woman on the verge of tears.
"Xiaoqi, it’s your aunt... Please, please help us. Find out what’s happened to Yang Bo. He can have a sharp tongue, but he’s not a bad kid! Did the police make a mistake?"
Listening to Aunt Yang’s incoherent sobbing, Yang Qi understood.
’She probably doesn’t even have a clear idea of what her son has done.’
"Aunt, please don’t panic."
Yang Qi reassured her, "I’ll make a call and ask around right now."
"Okay, okay, thank you, Xiaoqi, thank you," Aunt Yang thanked him profusely.
After hanging up, Yang Qi thought for a moment, then scrolled through his contacts and found the number for Luo Kaifeng, a captain in the Ningshan County Forest Police Division.
The last time he had brought Ta Xue back to his hometown, Yang Bo had reported him for "illegally raising a protected animal," and it was Luo Kaifeng who had led the team to investigate.
In the end, Yang Qi had all the proper paperwork and explained the situation clearly, and through this incident, he had actually gotten to know the Forest Police captain.
Although Yang Bo’s case would most likely be handled by the local police station, Luo Kaifeng was well-connected within the county’s public security system. It shouldn’t be difficult for him to ask about it.
He dialed the number, and it was picked up after just two rings.
"Advisor Yang?"
Luo Kaifeng’s voice was tinged with amusement. "What made you think of calling me? Bringing another ’protected animal’ home?"
"Captain Luo, don’t tease me," Yang Qi chuckled. "This time, I actually need to ask you for a favor."
He briefly explained that Yang Bo had been taken away, finishing with, "He’s from my village, and his mother went to my grandmother for help. I don’t know the specifics, so I was hoping you could help me find out what he’s involved in and how serious it is."
"Yang Bo?"
Luo Kaifeng seemed to be trying to recall. "Is that the guy who runs the auto repair shop? Tall, skinny, with a big mouth?"
"Yes, that’s him."
"Alright, give me a few minutes. I’ll ask around," Luo Kaifeng readily agreed.
Hanging up, Yang Qi sat on the sofa to wait.
Xiaojiu hopped onto his lap and curled up.
Yang Qi stroked Xiaojiu’s smooth fur, his mind racing.
’Knowing Yang Bo’s personality—always looking to gain petty advantages and running his mouth—it still doesn’t seem like he’d commit a serious crime.’
A few minutes later, his phone vibrated.
"Advisor Yang, I’ve got the details."
Luo Kaifeng’s voice came through the phone. "Your fellow villager really was penny-wise and pound-foolish."
It turned out that three days ago, a driver from out of town brought a semi-old van to Yang Bo’s repair shop for maintenance.
Seeing that the customer was from out of town and didn’t know much about cars, Yang Bo got a crooked idea.
He secretly swapped the brand-new, genuine parts the customer had brought with old ones he had lying around the shop, pocketing the difference in value.
As a result, while the van was driving on a county road yesterday, the old brake pump he had installed suddenly failed, causing it to rear-end a three-wheeled farm vehicle.