Chapter 1425
A few days had passed.
Early that morning, Zhang Zian assigned the store’s cleaning work to the shop assistants before routinely driving the Wuling Hong Guang MPV with Vladimir to the landfill.
The weather was getting hotter and hotter, especially in the summer afternoon. It was particularly prone to heavy rain. The sky was clear and cloudy one moment, but dark clouds appeared in the blink of an eye. Then there were thunderstorms and lightning. He had many other things to do, so after discussion, he told the people at the acquisition center to collect the empty bottles in the morning. If he had enough free time, it would be once a day. Otherwise, it was once every two days.
The people at the Scrap Acquisition Center may have learned a lesson. Since that day, their eyes had changed when they met Little White in front of the artificial woods. They no longer deliberately undercount the number of bottles.
Under the dark and with hazy drunk eyes, they weren’t even sure if Little White was the same dog from that night. Since they were nevertheless guilty and highly superstitious, so they chose to act more honestly.
They repeatedly asked Zhang Zian whether Little White was his dog, to which he denied. Even if they suspected him, they could not find evidence because Little White had never been to his pet store since that day.
When Zhang Zian drove in front of the artificial woods, the people at the waste collection station had not arrived yet, but the stray dogs already remembered him and his car. If it wasn’t for Little White and his handyman holding them back, they would have definitely flocked over and surrounded the MPV.
Their original intention was not to attack him, but nobody could stand being surrounded by so many stray dogs of large and medium-size! Although they planned to go to the beach to take a bath before eating, it was impossible for even dogs from pet shops to completely wash off the smell. Thus, it must’ve smelled awful with hundreds of them.
It was okay since it was warm right now, but it would’ve been a problem to bathe in the sea when it became colder in the future. After going to the beach to bathe, it would’ve been difficult to dry their fur before they froze to death. Perhaps he needed to install a few automatic dog bath washers?
But this was something to consider at least three months later since it was still too early to consider.
“Will they be here soon?” Little White asked.
Zhang Zian looked at the time and said, “They should be.”
“Then I will get my dogs to hide on the other side of the woods.” Several of Little White’s commanders ordered the stray dogs to leave so they wouldn’t scare the workers.
The stray dogs were reluctant, but they were very easy to train. They could be conditioned to perform certain reflexes. They knew that if they didn’t leave, Zhang Zian wouldn’t carry dog food and chicken legs outside the car, and empty bottles piled up like a mountain wouldn’t magically disappear, Thus, they obediently lined up and left.
Only Zhang Zian, Vladimir, Little White, and a few stray dog leaders remained there.
The leaders were the few stray dog warlords who scrambled in the landfill before Little White appeared. They appeared sturdy and feisty, with their bodies full of scars. At first glance, they were the masters who cannot be provoked.
It was estimated that the workers at the waste collection station also noticed that these dogs were responsible for guarding the empty bottles so they wouldn’t be picked up by others.
With them around, no one dared to even go forward and try anything funny.
A while had now passed.
“Why haven’t they arrived yet?” Little White asked.
Zhang Zian was also confused. Looking at the time, it was about 20 minutes past the agreed time. Usually, they wouldn’t have been so late even if they said so.
Fortunately, the sunlight during the morning wasn’t that strong yet. If it were noon, he wouldn’t have been able to tolerate it.
“I’ll call them and ask. Maybe there is a traffic jam on the road,” He picked up his cell phone and was about to make a call when he saw the smoke and dust rising on the highway in the distance. Seeing the vehicle model, they seemed to have been the trucks used to haul the empty bottles.
Since it was here, he didn’t need to have to pay any unnecessary phone call fees.
He put down his phone and planned to discuss the importance of punctuality with them in a while.
The truck got closer and closer. He was right; it was the usual truck.
The car stopped slowly by the side of the road. Someone poked his head out of the window and asked, “Hey, are you going to recycle the empty bottles?”
Zhang Zian hesitated and answered without thinking, “Yes, I am.”
“That’s good. I haven’t been here before. I almost didn’t find it… get off the car! We’re here!” The man took a long breath, jumped out of the car, and ushered everyone else out.
Zhang Zian took a closer look. He didn’t recognize this driver or any of the other people who came along.
“Oh! So many bottles …” The man who drove the truck grinned bitterly, “That’s quite a few! Brothers, everyone is responsible for a pile of bottles, remember to count correctly!”
The people under him responded, picking up several empty bottles and counting them.
The driver also wanted to move forward and pass him but was stopped by Zhang Zian.
“Ah! That… If you don’t mind me asking, how about those people who worked before? Why was it changed to be you today? Did they ask you to take over because they were busy?”
Zhang Zian brought his hand to his pocket. In this case, it should’ve been better to pass the man a cigarette, but he didn’t smoke or have a cigarette on him. The only thing in his pocket was the cooling oil; it was an amazing tool and couldn’t be casually shared with others. Thus, he had to pretend to not know how to behave. He intended to make up for it tomorrow.
The driver gnawed his teeth and said vaguely, “This… it’s… something did happen.”
Huh?
Zhang Zian looked at him. He seemed to have a secret. Bored without much to do, he thickened his skin and asked further, “It’s not easy for everyone to work when it’s hot. I’ll go to the nearby store to grab some ice Beer to quench your thirst. ”
The driver seemed to be an alcoholic, but he had to drive and wasn’t allowed to drink. He was also unwilling to take advantage of getting a free drink, so he quickly pulled Zhang Zian aside and whispered, “Forget about beer … if I drink I can’t drive! Get me Sprite instead!”
“Okay, got it!” Zhang Zian nodded intently before asking, “What happened to those people before… why did they leave?”
The driver had received a small favor from Zhang Zian and no longer concealed the matter. Besides, he would be responsible for handling the bottles with Zhang Zian in the future. It was beneficial for everyone to be on good terms with one another.
“I’ll tell you, but please don’t tell anyone else,” The driver lowered his voice even more. No one was around and everyone was working. Only a cat and a dog were listening attentively.
“Okay, my lips are sealed.” Zhang Zian patted his chest and promised. The mysteriousness of this matter made him very curious.
Though, he wasn’t bragging. He kept his mouth tightly closed. Even if he knew the secret, he wouldn’t reveal it.
The driver looked frightened as he whispered, “For the past two days, some of them suddenly got strange diseases and were taken away by the CDC ambulance!”