The Fantastic Little Farmer

Chapter 236: Chapter 236: I Am Your God of Wealth

When Teacher Cao swung the cleaver just a moment ago, he was driven by immense fury and a desire for revenge. Even after his wrist was caught, that pent-up rage hadn’t subsided. He released his grip on the handle, attempting to throw the blade directly at his target.

But as he watched the kitchen knife hurtling toward Zhang Yun’s head, he froze completely, as if struck by lightning.

”Even if this student was the one who gave him the roasted peanuts, so what?” he realized. ”Peanuts are the most ordinary of foods. Could offering a child peanuts really be a premeditated, malicious plot?

”It was meant as a kind gesture. Even if he didn’t understand the dangers of allergies and failed to act in time, it still doesn’t equate to murder.

”If I hack him to death now, will my son come back to life? It will only plunge another family into endless grief! I’d become a murderer, a monster—and an intentional one at that, which is even worse!”

As these realizations flashed through Teacher Cao’s mind, he was astonished to see that the blade hadn’t struck its target! In the split second before the cleaver reached his head, Zhang Yun let go of the teacher’s wrist and snatched the blade right out of the air.

”You...”

Teacher Cao let out a long breath, realizing he had almost done something irreversible. From his initial outburst to the desperate swing of the cleaver, the sudden explosion of action had completely vented the resentment and grief he had harbored for years. It had also drained every ounce of his strength, and he collapsed into a crouch.

Zhang Yun placed the kitchen knife on the coffee table. Seeing the older man looking so dejected and sighing with regret, he figured it was safe to assume Teacher Cao wouldn’t reach for a weapon again.

”Back then, there were rats in the dormitories. I brought some rat poison from the countryside, dissolved it in water, and soaked some steamed buns in it to act as bait. I handed them out to a lot of the dorm rooms,” Zhang Yun explained. ”That guy told me that your son was very young at the time, didn’t know any better, and had poor hygiene. He claimed that while playing in the first-floor dorms, your son picked up a piece of the poisoned bun from the floor and ate it...”

”Absolute nonsense!” Teacher Cao couldn’t help but protest. This was outright slander against his son! ”My son might not have been a prodigy, but we raised him well! He was taught proper hygiene and would never pick up something from the floor to eat. Nor would he ever need to scavenge for scraps of steamed buns!”

Zhang Yun sighed helplessly. ”He said the forensic report concluded it was food poisoning, but a full inspection of the cafeteria found no issues. According to him, the school covered it up because they were afraid of bad publicity. That’s the ’truth’ he told me. He claimed I was indirectly responsible for manslaughter and tried to extort hundreds of thousands of yuan from me.”

”My child was allergic to peanuts. If we had been there, we absolutely would have forbidden him from eating them,” Teacher Cao clarified sternly, having regained a shred of composure. ”And precisely because we were so strict about it, seeing other kids eating them would naturally make him crave a taste. But he would absolutely never eat a dirty scrap of a steamed bun off the floor! For this person to use my son to fabricate a story for extortion isn’t just shameless—it’s a crime!”

Having recounted Yang Bo’s ”truth,” Zhang Yun finally felt a sense of release. The heavy knot that had weighed on his conscience was gone. However, he was at a loss for how to comfort Teacher Cao.

”I’m sorry, Teacher Cao. Coming here to verify this today ended up bringing up painful memories for you.”

”I’m the one who should be apologizing. I almost hurt you just now, maybe even...” Teacher Cao patted him on the shoulder and sighed, shaking his head. ”In fact, I need to thank you! Swinging that cleaver was a massive shock to my own system, and it finally broke through the mental block I’ve been trapped in all these years.”

Zhang Yun didn’t know what to say. Looking at Teacher Cao—who appeared at least a decade older than his actual age—and glancing around the empty, lonely house, he could only imagine the misery the man had endured over the years.

”Thank you. I’ve finally realized that I can’t keep wallowing in self-pity,” the older man continued. ”Life has to go on. Sinking further into depression won’t change the past; it will only cause more pain to the family I have left.”

Teacher Cao offered a deep bow to Zhang Yun. In that moment, he truly felt as though this former student had been sent by the heavens to save him.

”Is there anything I can help you with?” Zhang Yun asked. Not being a father himself, he couldn’t fully empathize with the depth of the tragedy. He could only respect Teacher Cao’s feelings, but he was genuinely relieved to see the man finally stepping out of the shadows.

Teacher Cao offered a faint smile. ”There’s no need. I have to rebuild the life I threw away with my own two hands. Zhang Yun, was it? We may not have known each other before, but I’ll certainly remember you now!”

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, chatting briefly about how the middle school and the county town had changed over the years. Since they weren’t well-acquainted to begin with, the conversation naturally wound down, and Zhang Yun took his leave.

”Yang Bo, you bastard. You lied to me again...”

After leaving Teacher Cao’s home, Zhang Yun sent a message to Chen Hui, updating her on the outcome of his visit.

Seeing that it was still early, Zhang Yun decided to swing by the local Auto City to see if there were any suitable cars for sale. The ”Auto City” in this area was actually just a massive sales center owned by a single businessman. Rather than being an official dealership for a specific brand, they acted as a licensed vendor for multiple car manufacturers.

Just as he reached the entrance, he received a call from an unknown number. Seeing that the caller ID wasn’t flagged as spam or telemarketing, Zhang Yun answered it.

”Who is this?”

Zhang Yun was rendered speechless for a moment before shooting back, ”Who are *you*?”

”Who the hell is this? Are you messing with me?” the voice on the other end demanded aggressively.

Zhang Yun’s own fiery temper instantly flared. ”You fucking called *me*, asked who I am, and now you’re accusing me of messing with you? How the hell am I supposed to know who you are! Why should I tell you anything?”

”I’m fucking calling you because you rang my damn phone first thing this morning! Son of a bitch!”

Seemingly realizing it might have just been a wrong number, the caller cursed one last time and abruptly hung up.

”I called him first thing this morning?” Zhang Yun thought. He pondered for a second and suddenly remembered. He had called the young man selling the Divine Master Cards earlier. The guy must have been asleep and missed the call, and was only just returning it now.

”We’re both young men, but I guess there aren’t many who get up early to hustle like I do!” he mused.

Zhang Yun double-checked his call log. Sure enough, the number that just dialed him matched one he had dialed that morning. He just hadn’t saved the contact information, so the string of digits hadn’t jogged his memory. He immediately redialed the number.

”Screw you! Are you seriously screwing with me right now? Which village are you from? If you have the guts, come fight me in real life! I’ll beat you to a pulp!”

Feeling harassed, the young man on the other end immediately started spewing curses. Zhang Yun had only met him once, so he hadn’t recognized his voice. This explosive temper, however, was a perfect match.

”I remember who you are now,” Zhang Yun said. ”I’m calling to give you money!”

”Heh. Yeah, right!” the young man sneered. ”Even my own dad won’t just give me money. Who the hell do you think you are, the God of Wealth?”

Zhang Yun laughed. ”I’m Zhang Yun from Tianxin Village. Since I’m the only person willing to buy your goods, I suppose I *am* your God of Wealth.”

”...”

Zhang Yun!

The familiar name silenced the young man. After a few seconds, he let out another sneer.

”So it’s Boss Zhang! You’re a very busy man with big business to handle. I couldn’t even get a hold of you when I tried. And that guy... Zhang Youcai! Throwing his weight around with his money, treating me like some beggar he could just swat away! What’s the matter? Coming back to me now?”

Bad temper aside, he wasn’t stupid. If Zhang Yun didn’t want to buy his merchandise, why would he take the initiative to call him?

Zhang Yun chuckled lightly. ”I was out of town for the past few days. I just heard about your situation from Zhang Youcai this morning. Rumor has it you felt shortchanged and want me to make up the difference?”

”Damn right I do! My two Divine Master Cards are absolutely worth more than a measly ten thousand yuan. You ripped me off, and you owe me!” Confirming that Zhang Yun was genuinely calling to hand out cash, the young man instantly perked up.

”Then how much do you think I owe you?” Back when Zhang Yun was on the antique street and absorbed the Spiritual Qi from the Bronze Venerable, he had been perfectly willing to compensate the shop owner. Naturally, he was even more inclined to do the same for a fellow local.

Besides, the Energy contained within that pair of Divine Master Cards was far stronger than the Bronze Venerable’s, vastly exceeding his initial expectations. Considering he had given the old farmer ten thousand yuan for a copper bell and a Compass, making up the difference so each card fetched ten thousand yuan seemed entirely fair.

”You need to pay me an extra two... two thousand! Two thousand for each one!”