Chapter 390 - 324: Local Magnate—Zhao Jun
"For me?" Zhao Jun glanced at Du Chunjiang. Seeing the grin plastered on the man’s face, Zhao Jun turned his gaze back to the four dogs.
Four dogs—two yellow, two brindle. They were covered in old scars, their eyes fierce. One glance was all it took to see they were seasoned bay dogs.
"Technician Zhao." Seeing Zhao Jun staring at the large yellow dog, Du Chunjiang scurried over and pointed at it. "This big yellow one is the lead dog," he said. "It knows what to do with wild boars and Black Bears."
Zhao Jun didn’t say anything. Du Chunjiang quickly continued his introduction, "This dog weighs nearly one hundred and twenty pounds. His name is Big Fatty."
Pointing to the smaller yellow dog, he added, "This one’s called San Pang. He’s from the same litter as Big Fatty. There used to be a Second Fatty, but he was gored to death by a wild boar the other day."
Zhao Jun nodded at Du Chunjiang’s explanation, then turned and pointed to the two brindle dogs. "And these two?" he asked.
The two brindle dogs looked like they were from the same litter, too. They were about the same size, around ninety pounds each, and in excellent shape—full of energy and constantly leaping about.
Du Chunjiang said, "These two with the pointy ears are German Shepherd mixes."
At this, Du Chunjiang pointed one of them out for Zhao Jun. "Technician Zhao, see that one? Its left front paw is white. I heard it loved catching mice ever since it was a pup, so its old owner called it Flower Cat."
"That’s an interesting name," Zhao Jun said with a chuckle.
Du Chunjiang pointed to the other one. "That one’s called Hua Lang. They’re also from the same litter. I don’t really get it myself, but I hear they’re both what hunters call ’hard support’."
In hunting, "support" refers to a support dog. "Hard support" means the dog has a tough, unyielding temperament and doesn’t slack off.
He hadn’t taken them into the mountains to see them in action yet, but judging by their scars and condition, Zhao Jun knew these dogs were the real deal.
"So, Du Leader," Zhao Jun said, looking at Du Chunjiang, "how much did you pay for these dogs?"
"It wasn’t much," Du Chunjiang said with a smile. "I heard you were looking to buy some dogs, and I happened to see some that seemed right, so I bought them for you."
"Then I have to pay you," Zhao Jun said, his tone serious. "Du Leader, you went to the trouble of getting the dogs for me and even fronted the cash. That’s a favor in itself. I can’t let you pay for the dogs, too."
The way Zhao Jun put it, who "helps" someone buy dogs like this?
"Of course you can," Du Chunjiang said, waving his hand dismissively. "Technician Zhao, you’ve taken good care of us these past two months. And I, Elder Du, made a little money this winter. What’s the big deal about giving you a few dogs?"
Everything he’d said up to that point was fine. But then, Du Chunjiang added, "Besides, it’s not like it was a huge expense. The four dogs only cost around two hundred yuan."
Zhao Jun understood immediately. Du Chunjiang didn’t want the money; he wanted to show off his contribution. He wanted Zhao Jun to know that he had spent a significant amount on these dogs.
After all, back then, two hundred yuan was a lot of money. For his work these past two months, Zhao Jun’s monthly salary was only forty-six yuan and thirty-one fen.
If what Du Chunjiang said was true, and Zhao Jun accepted these four dogs, he would be deeply in the man’s debt.
Zhao Jun smiled faintly, glanced at Du Chunjiang, and chuckled. "Du Leader, listen to you. You left your family behind to come up the mountain for the Bao Leng Field, toiling all winter. Every bit of that is hard-earned money. How could I take it from you?"
Du Chunjiang started, "No, Technician..."
Before Du Chunjiang could finish, Zhao Jun cut him off. "Don’t just look at my small salary. I hunt in my spare time. Just the other day, I helped our Village Chief take down over seventy wild boars. They sold for around three thousand yuan."
Du Chunjiang was speechless.
It didn’t matter what the news was; if Li Ruhai was spreading it, it would be all over Yong’an Village in half a day.
And once the whole village knew, the news traveled fast.
Du Chunjiang had heard about it even way out in the mountains. In fact, when he was buying the dogs a few days ago, he’d learned that because of the seventy-plus boars Zhao Jun had killed, the price of hunting dogs in all of Lingnan had shot up.
Otherwise, if he’d bought these four dogs a month earlier, they wouldn’t have even cost two hundred yuan.
But what concerned Du Chunjiang more was that Zhao Jun’s words had greatly diminished the effect of his "grand gift."
The logic was simple. If he gave a pack of cigarettes to one of his Gui Ling workers, the man would be deeply grateful. But if he tried to give that same pack to Xu Baoshan, the head of the inspection team, he’d be lucky to even get a "thank you."
’Zhao Jun had just laid his cards on the table: *I’m loaded. I’m a local big shot.* So how big of a favor could a few dogs bought for two hundred-some yuan really be?’
Just then, Zhao Jun continued, "Du Leader, I’ll take the dogs. I like them. Just tell me how much you paid. I’ll take them with me today and bring you the money first thing tomorrow morning."
"No, no," Du Chunjiang said, quickly refusing. "Technician Zhao, if you talk like that, you’re just slapping me in the face. I told you, these four dogs are a gift. How could I possibly take your money?"
’He said the words, but his heart was aching! He’d spent over two hundred and sixty yuan, and the guy didn’t even seem to appreciate it. What a disaster!’
But now Du Chunjiang was caught between a rock and a hard place. Ever since Zhao Jun had given him that little hint, he had actually done some asking around. It turned out someone on the inspection team really was out to get him.
He’d heard that one of the inspectors had a relative who wanted a Bao Leng Field, but all the Logging Camps at the Yong’an Forest Farm already had permanent Leaders. That’s why they had set their sights on Du Chunjiang.
There was nothing to be done. Who could he blame but himself for having no connections and a knack for offending people?
After thinking it over, Du Chunjiang had decided his only way out was through Zhao Jun. That was why he’d had someone buy these four dogs.
But now, it seemed the results weren’t quite what he’d hoped for.
At that moment, however, Du Chunjiang realized something: if he was going to give a gift to Zhao Jun, it wouldn’t work unless he spent some serious money.
With that thought, Du Chunjiang gritted his teeth and said to Zhao Jun, "I had someone pick out these four dogs, but I, Elder Du, don’t hunt, so I have no idea if they’re any good. How about this: Technician Zhao, you take the dogs home for now. Take them into the mountains for a few hunts and see how they do. If they work out, you keep them. We can talk about the money later."
"Ah..." Zhao Jun shook his head. "Du Leader, you’ve never hunted, so you wouldn’t know. When dogs get to a new home, they need ten days or so to get used to me before I can take them into the mountains."
"That’s no problem," Du Chunjiang said with a smile. "Just feed them for now. If the dogs turn out to be useless, the most you’ll have lost is a little cornmeal."
Seizing the opportunity, Du Chunjiang quickly added, "Technician Zhao, if you don’t have any cornmeal at home, I can have someone send a few bags over."
Zhao Jun laughed to himself. He knew exactly what Du Chunjiang was up to, but he had no intention of letting the man off so easily. He immediately shook his head. "That won’t be necessary. We’re not short on anything at my house right now."
Du Chunjiang was rendered speechless. ’It made sense, he supposed. The man kills over seventy wild boars in a single hunt and sells them for a damn three thousand yuan. Would he really be short on a little cornmeal?’
At this thought, Du Chunjiang gritted his teeth and made a decision.