Chapter 7

Alright! Thank you, Master Xie!

What do you want to do? Stay away from me...

Oh? Please tell me more.

Lin Fangzhou asked him: "May I ask, how old are you this year?"

"Great-grandfather ... ..." Lin Fangzhou patted his belly and chuckled.

Xiao Yuanbao listened with his eyebrows twitching inside

Having received the promise from the elder, Lin Fangzhou was very pleased and ran off cheerfully with a pile of leftover food in hand

Dear Sir, I have reached a point of utter desperation, with not a single grain of rice at home. I wonder if you could possibly allow me to receive an advance on my reward for the flowers?

Lin Fangzhou said, "It is injured." After a moment of reflection, he thought to himself, such a rare opportunity should not be given to that wild cat

How are you doing

The county magistrate, being a clever person, upon hearing these words, suddenly experienced a moment of enlightenment, as if he had been doused with a refreshing brew. He stroked his chin and exclaimed, "Indeed, it is profound, truly profound"

Well

I am not sure either. Who came up with this idea

"Such a transcendent figure, how could you possibly encounter them?" The county magistrate expressed some dissatisfaction.

Ten years old

Xiao Yuanbao's mouth twitched, but in the end, he said nothing

Then Lin Fangzhou asked the county magistrate, "Sir, if we really catch the tiger, will the reward still count?"

It seems to be an owl

Leaving the county magistrate alone, he stood before the clean and bright dining table, muttering to himself: "It seems that I have made a wrong decision"

Isn't the owl capable of flying

The county magistrate summoned all the blacksmiths in the city to commission a batch of iron cages. These iron cages were somewhat different from ordinary cages: the door opened inward, there was a wooden beam horizontally inside, allowing a person standing inside to carry the cage while walking; there were hooks on the outside of the cage for convenient hanging of items

The county magistrate recalled the moment he was suppressed, and suddenly felt that this young man's smile appeared increasingly lewd.

She walked in carrying a birdcage, saying as she walked, "There is no shortage of food these days, so let's make do with it for now. Once it is fattened up, we can pluck its feathers and roast it to eat"

Thus, the county magistrate had the meal prepared, and the two took their seats, chatting while eating. Lin Fangzhou had not had a hearty meal for several days, and upon seeing the table full of food, he appeared as if a flower thief had encountered a beautiful maiden, disregarding his image. The county magistrate, being a scholar by background, looked at his manner of eating with disdain, rolling his eyes in disapproval.

The county magistrate's eyebrows twitched heavily. Ultimately, he found himself at a loss with such scoundrels and could only say: "Before you catch the tiger, you may come to the county office for a meal every day"

The blacksmiths managed to produce ten such iron cages in one day's time. The next morning, the twenty brave men recruited by the county magistrate had all gathered. In pairs, they carried the cages and brought along provisions and fire-starting materials, with fresh pork soaked in a narcotic hanging from the cages. Thus, they set out in grand fashion from the city into the mountains

At the end of the ceremony, the county magistrate rejected Lin Fangzhou's unreasonable request for a public-funded banquet, and Lin Fangzhou had no choice but to return home. Upon arriving home, she saw that Xiao Yuanbao was peering out of the window.

"Indeed, why isn't it flying?" Lin Fangzhou found it a bit strange. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the owl was crouching on the ground, its wings drooping, appearing somewhat weak. The tabby cat was slowly approaching step by step.

Lin Fangzhou returned with a pile of food, and today, the little Yuanbao finally had a hearty meal. Lin Fangzhou noticed that no matter how hungry he was, he always ate slowly, which surprisingly made him look somewhat appealing.

"Natural numbers, not a single word will be less for you."

"Sir, you have misunderstood. I did not say to use a cage to catch a tiger. What I mean is that this cage is precisely meant to protect people. If a tiger is locked inside the cage, it naturally cannot escape; conversely, if a person is locked inside the cage, the tiger cannot enter either"

Lin Fangzhou was also afraid that he would become suspicious, and had long prepared his response: "No."

Hehehe ... ... Grandfather ... ...

... ...

I have been physically weak since childhood

Lin Fangzhou, as one of the planners of this tiger-hunting operation, had the fortune to blend into the official farewell entourage, making a brief appearance. He was handsome and charming, and amidst a group of rough men, he seemed like a magnet, attracting the attention of young women and wives.

Lin Fangzhou set down the birdcage and recalled the interest and engagement that Xiao Yuanbao displayed while watching the cat and bird fight earlier... She asked him: "Are you feeling very bored? Do you particularly want to go out?"

Well then. By the time the tiger is caught, I fear I will have starved to the point of being nothing but a shadow puppet. Grandfather, please roast the tiger for me when the time comes! Do not miss me, I will come back to visit you during the holidays!

Having eaten his fill, Lin Fangzhou insisted on packing up all the leftovers from the table, which the county magistrate had never seen in such a destitute manner

At noon, Lin Fangzhou arrived at the county office

Grandfather, I haven't eaten yet

"Who is fighting?" Lin Fangzhou asked curiously, moving closer and roughly pulling Xiao Yuanbao aside in a very domineering manner. Then she leaned over to that spot, saying, "Let me take a look"

There is nothing much to see, but the child is bored... They are so idle that they are almost growing hair, and they cannot go out

The county magistrate sat upright and asked, "This time, you are not trying to cover up a big elephant, are you?"

Xiao Yuanbao asked Lin Fangzhou: "What kind of bird is that?"

Let's wait a little longer, I have thought of a good solution

Cage

Hehe, the county magistrate laughed dismissively, "Do you think that tiger is foolish enough to walk into the cage by itself? Even if it could work, the question remains, who will open the cage?"

The county magistrate despised her even more

Lin Fangzhou thought to himself, do you think I am willing to encounter you, Niang Xipi?

Let's talk about it in a few days, first wait for them to catch the tiger

Lin Fangzhou held a chicken leg in his left hand and a pig's trotter in his right hand, exclaiming: "Aroma, it is truly aromatic"

The wild cat was driven away, and Lin Fangzhou went over to pin down the owl and stuffed it into a broken birdcage. The owl had blood flowing from its wings, likely due to excessive blood loss causing it to be disoriented, and it surprisingly did not struggle.

The county magistrate is somewhat suspicious that Lin Fangzhou's true intention is merely to mooch a meal. ... However, for the sake of the common people ...! ... I will endure it!

Then she ran outside, picked up a small stone, and threw it at the tabby cat, saying: "Hey! You are a cat, it is also a cat, we are all brothers, how can you bully it? We are all of the same root, why the urgency to harm each other!"

Just a glance, Lin Fangzhou was so angry that her nose was crooked, "So it turns out it's just a cat and a bird fighting, what's so interesting about that?!"

Returning to the master, on my way back, I encountered an old man, dressed in a Daoist robe, with a white beard, and a large wine gourd hanging at his waist... It was he who taught me this

You wealthy individuals are simply being pretentious

What method?

The county magistrate suddenly shifted his gaze, looking at Lin Fangzhou with a face full of suspicion, and asked: "Is this method something you came up with yourself?"

No. Please rest assured, my method this time will definitely work

That's enough, for the sake of the common people, he should endure a little longer! The county magistrate then asked with a pleasant expression: "What is it, after all?"

... ...

This official thought you had some profound insights, but it turns out to be these clichéd remarks. I have heard of the soporific drug and am aware of its effects, so naturally, I have considered this method long ago. However, while it sounds easy to say, it is difficult to execute. The area on the mountain is too vast, making the search challenging. Not to mention whether we can actually incapacitate it; even if we can, how do we find it? The efficacy of the soporific drug is time-limited. If we manage to incapacitate it with great difficulty but cannot find it in time, and the tiger wakes up after the drug's effect wears off, wouldn't that be a futile effort? Moreover, if this happens, it will become more cunning and likely won't fall for the same trick again in the future, which is one concern. Secondly, setting bait and searching for the tiger requires a lot of manpower. If we send these people all over the mountain to search, what if they encounter the tiger? Wouldn't that risk human lives? Unless absolutely necessary, it is better not to take such risks.

Fighting

"Great-Grandfather, I never said to directly set the bait."

The county magistrate was somewhat taken aback. ... He posed a difficult problem to Lin Fangzhou, intending merely to teach him a lesson, never expecting that he would actually come up with a solution, let alone that he would think of a "brilliant plan" so quickly ...

It doesn't seem so. Chen Xiaosan next door is only eight and a half years old this year, and is about the same height as you

Xiao Yuanbao buried her head in eating, and did not argue against her mockery

Lin Fangzhou asked curiously: "What are you looking at?"

The county magistrate did not expect that there were truly such shameless people in the world, who, before anything had even begun, would reach out for money. He frowned and said, "This is not in accordance with the rules"

Lin Fangzhou said while eating: "Great-grandfather, have you heard of the drug that induces sleep? Just a small pinch can incapacitate a strong man. This drug works on dogs, cats, pigs, and wolves. I believe it should also be effective on that tiger"