Chapter 1344
Chapter 1344: The Two Armies Confront Each Other
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Some of these stray dogs had been driven away from the dog market by the stray cats. Some had been born and raised in landfills. How long had it been since they had tasted a delicious and juicy chicken drumstick?
It was not a spoiled chicken leg but a fragrant, hot, honey-roasted chicken drumstick. The skin was an attractive caramel color. The tender and baked chicken was completely marinated. The rich and sticky honey ran along the skin, and it slowly but surely slid down the entire chicken leg…
In an instant, almost all the stray dogs rushed forward together. There was nothing else in their eyes but the chicken. Even the orders given out by Little White could not be heard.
Zhang Zian thought, “My magic weapon has now instead become a weapon against me!” He hadn’t expected the temptation of roast chicken drumsticks to have such effects on stray dogs. He’d specially waited for the stray dogs to fill their stomachs with dog food before taking them out. He hadn’t expected to continue seeing such ravenous ghosts.
At that moment, Vladimir rolled down the window and jumped to the top of the car. He shook his paws and shouted, “Comrades! Rush forward!”
There were a lot of stray cats around, and many of them were familiar with Zhang Zian. He was not certain when they’d come, but while the stray dogs’ attention was concentrated on the dog food and Zhang Zian, they’d sneaked into the vicinity, waiting for Vladimir to give an order.
The stray dogs had won before, but the shadow of being bullied by stray cats had not completely dissipated from their minds. Now, with their enemies directly in front of them, they no longer cared about chicken drumsticks. Instead, they all got into an attack position.
Stray dogs and stray cats stood on each side. They may engage in a scuffle in this wilderness at any time.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Little White disciplined the few dogs that had led the disturbance and disorder amongst the dogs. Only then was the situation somewhat stabilized.
In contrast, the stray cats had been orderly since the beginning of the fight.
To highlight the difference, the stray cats may be headed by Vladimir, but the core of their unity was the Meow Meow Doctrine that they shared. The stray dogs purely relied on Little White, a single individual.
Comparing the two sides, perhaps the cats may come out slightly on top for now.
Though it was somewhat premature for such a comparison. After all, the stray dogs were still struggling to solve the problem of food and clothing, while the stray cats in the city never lacked food.
Vladimir had prevailed in this invisible contest.
However, this flat and unobstructed terrain was not good for stray cats, and there was no overwhelming advantage in quantity. Once a conflict occurred, the stray cats would likely suffer.
“Everyone, calm down!”
The two armies confronted each other. Zhang Zian, who was standing in the middle holding a chicken drumstick, felt like he was under a lot of pressure.
He was very grateful to Vladimir. Had he not set this up, he might already be in trouble. However, it was not necessary to try to mediate as much as possible.
The stray dogs had calmed down. He mouthed a few words to Little White and followed with a glance. He handed the chicken drumstick to him and allowed him to place it into one of the food bowls. Then it would be enjoyed first by the stray dogs with the most bottles.
They ate the chicken hurriedly. After three big mouthfuls, the chicken was gone. They also continued to chew on the bones.
Dogs with fewer bottles were drooling, some of them indignant with the situation. Why did those dogs have chicken drumsticks to eat?
Little White used his front legs to push down on the dogs’ heads and made them take a closer look at the bottles they had picked up, and then look at the bottles of the highest bottle collectors. This was to let them know, perhaps, that empty bottles equaled a chicken drumstick.
This was exactly what Zhang Zian hoped to promote—to make the stray dogs enthusiastic about picking up bottles through rewards.
Scavenging was a technical activity, part of a larger industrial supply chain.
The garbage mountain, in the eyes of ordinary people, was just a garbage place. However, it was a treasure mountain in the eyes of professional scavengers.
There was a place in China called Lengshui Village where there were hundreds of villagers, each of whom was a professional scavenger. The average person could earn $3,000 to $5,000 a month by scavenging. Even if there was a slight discount for stray dogs every month, with an income of a few hundred to a thousand, it was more than enough for them to support themselves.
Three to five thousand dollars, in the eyes of white-collar workers in big cities, may not be worth mentioning aloud. However, looking at the whole of China, a monthly income of $3,000-5,000 actually exceeded the median wage. However, it must be said that the price for that wage was hard work and health.
The scrap collection station Zhang Zian had contacted was actually just a middleman. The district-level acquisition of waste was sold to the municipal level, and then the municipal level was resold to the regional level. Finally, at the regional level, it was sold to the provincial level. At every level, someone earned something. Those scavengers, who were unwilling to be exploited and ambitious, may choose to start their own businesses. They would become waste purchasers, smelt the purchased cans into valuable aluminum ingots, and then sell them directly to the factory. This was the equivalent of the production of raw materials.
Although Zhang Zian did not have the ambition to do this and it was tough to entirely change one’s profession, he could try to find a nearby smelting factory and talk directly to the factory about the price. Then he could send the cans over. The price would definitely be much higher than the purchase price now. The difference earned could then be put back into his own pocket.
As long as the amount of bottles collected was large enough, he would have bargaining power. However, this was something to consider in the future.
Everything he did was to make sure the stray dogs in the suburbs would live and work in peace and contentment instead of rushing into the city to make trouble. This was for the good of all.
In fact, what was so good about the city? Traffic congestion, poor air quality, expensive housing prices… Even when going out, one had to keep a lookout for dangers everywhere…
The peasant woman, the mountain spring, some paddy fields—this should be man’s ultimate dream!
In the blink of an eye, the few boxes of chicken drumsticks he had brought with him had been eaten. Even the bones were gone.
The dogs who’d eaten the chicken drumsticks stared at him with their tongues out. The fierceness in their eyes had dissipated more than half, and some of them wagged their tails like good dogs raised at home.
The dogs who hadn’t eaten the chicken legs were twitching on the spot. Their saliva, tempted by the scent, was oozing out. They couldn’t eat the chicken drumsticks, so they tried to snatch the remaining chicken bones and lick the foam insulator for the chicken juice. However, these insulators would be used often in the future, so they couldn’t be made dirty by their tongues.
Even ordinary dog food was much better than the rancid food they usually ate.
Zhang Zian believed that at this time, as soon as Little White gave the order, the dogs would definitely rush to the garbage dump and scavenge all the cans and empty beverage bottles that they could find…
Even the stray cats that Vladimir had brought to help were sorely tempted.
Zhang Zian picked up the empty dog food bag, shook it, and turned the empty foam box over. This was to let the dogs know that all the food had been eaten, and there was nothing left.
Stray dogs were hard to disappoint, and their spirits perked up by a lot. Now that they were fed, they would soon be thirsty and want to drink water. They looked back at the artificial woods and rubbed their thirsty lips with their tongues.
Little White did not order them to drink water. It was not to deliberately abuse them, but it was in a dilemma.