Chapter 108: Thieves in the Orchard

“Darling, how many kiwi fruits have we sold from the 2nd until now?”

On the evening of the 21st, after seeing off the last group of customers who came to pick fruits, Cao Shujie and Cheng Xiaolin returned from the orchard on the mountain and began to tally their accounts.

Cheng Xiaolin opened the computer and entered today’s weight data and receivables into a spreadsheet for record-keeping. She said, “Up to today, we’ve sold a total of 15,360 jin , with total earnings of 430,000 yuan.”

From initial excitement to a calm state of mind, the highest single-day revenue Cheng Xiaolin handled was yesterday, a Saturday, with 59,864 yuan. After deducting discounts and freebies, they sold 2,138 jin.

Next week marks the end of the long summer holiday. Many parents are taking their children out for a walk, and some want to pick kiwi fruits for their kids to take to school, ensuring they have plenty of fruit to supplement their vitamin C.

Some customers, after multiple visits and tastings, found that the kiwi fruits grown by Cao Shujie were indeed delicious. Although a bit pricey, buying a small amount to satisfy cravings was well worth it.

“So, there aren’t many kiwi fruits left in the orchard,” Cao Shujie noted.

Almost every customer who came to pick fruits received a complimentary jin. It seemed insignificant per person, but with the number of visitors, the total amount given away wasn’t small.

Yet, Cao Shujie had no regrets.

Cheng Xiaolin nodded, “I estimate there are only a few thousand jin left.”

“Alright, we’ll sell for one more week at most and keep the rest for ourselves.” Calculating the numbers, Cao Shujie said, “I guess by the end of next week, there won’t be much left.”

“Don’t worry too much. We’ve made quite a bit of money already, enough to get by.”

“You’ve been working hard lately. Go wash up and rest early,” Cheng Xiaolin suggested.

Cao Shujie chuckled mischievously, “How about I wait for you, and we wash together?”

“Sure, wait a moment. I’ll grab some scissors to trim some yarn,” Cheng Xiaolin said with a playful smile, eyeing her husband.

Feeling a shiver run through him, Cao Shujie quickly retreated, not wanting to push his luck.

…

As a new day dawned, Cao Shujie got up early to take four dogs out for a walk.

This time, he didn’t head to the orchard on the mountain but took the dogs directly to the Yellow River Dam to the east.

Since early July, when the upstream water release began, nearly two months had passed. The water flow in this section of the Yellow River near their home had started to stabilize and slow down. Based on past experience, the water level would continue to drop in the coming period, not to the point of exposing the riverbed, but in two months, fishing would be possible again.

“Woof, woof…”

“Howl…”

Daha and Xiaohei howled almost simultaneously.

Although Daha was three months older than Xiaohei, it seemed to Cao Shujie that Xiaohei’s howl now had a hint of the mature tone of an adult dog.

Given time, it would surely be a great dog, and Cao Shujie looked forward to that day.

“Quiet.” After a while, Cao Shujie’s command silenced both dogs almost instantly.

Having risen early, there were hardly any people at the Yellow River Dam at this hour. Occasionally, a truck carrying sand or gravel passed by, heading across the floating bridge to the other side of the river.

Cao Shujie walked south along the Yellow River Dam with the four dogs, stopping to rest near the floating bridge entrance.

“Daha, Erha, sit!” Holding the leashes, he patted Daha and Erha on their heads. The dog brothers obediently sat down.

Sitting beside them, he looked at the two small German Shepherds quietly watching him. Cao Shujie waved them over, “Dahei, Erhei, come sit.”

Having had the two German Shepherds for over a month, they were smart and understood some of Cao Shujie’s simple commands.

They quietly sat in front of him, looking up with ears perked and eyes bright and full of spirit. From their gaze, Cao Shujie sensed joy and attachment.

Feeling pleased, he patted the German Shepherds’ heads, as if communicating through this gesture.

The atmosphere was particularly harmonious at that moment.

However, Daha and Erha were restless by nature, their energy boundless. After sitting for a while, they grew restless, howling to run around.

Seeing this, Cao Shujie said, “Daha, Erha, don’t get too excited. I’ll get you a cart to pull me up the mountain every day.”

Hearing this, the brothers were unimpressed. As long as they could run, they were content. Otherwise, they’d channel their energy into mischief.

Coming down from the Yellow River Dam took over an hour.

His father, Cao Jianguo, called, urging him to hurry home.

Thinking something had happened at home, Cao Shujie quickly headed back with the four dogs, even urging Daha and Erha to run faster.

With the dogs pulling him, he felt like he was flying. Each step propelled him forward, barely touching the ground before the next leg was pulled forward by the dogs’ strength.

Breathless upon reaching home, he didn’t pause to rest, rushing inside to find his father, Cao Jianguo, sitting there. “Dad, what’s happened?” he asked urgently.

“Shujie, there’s trouble,” Cao Jianguo replied.

Alarmed, Cao Shujie’s face turned pale. “Dad, are you feeling unwell? Let’s go to the hospital.”

Realizing his mistake, Cao Jianguo clarified, “It’s not me. It’s your orchard on the mountain.”

“What happened to the orchard?” Cao Shujie frowned. Everything had been fine recently.

“The wire mesh fence on the northwest side of the old orchard was cut open, big enough for a person to get through,” Cao Jianguo said, his face full of anger.

He gritted his teeth, wishing he could catch and punish the culprit.

“Is that really the case?” Cao Shujie’s mood instantly soured.

Cao Jianguo nodded. “This morning, I went to feed the cows. On my way back, I passed by Old Orchard and noticed that the wire fence on the west side had been cut. It must have happened last night.”

He continued, “I took a closer look. The area with the hole in the orchard had a lot of footprints, and there were also drag marks on the ground.”

“Dad, you’re quite the detective now, aren’t you?” Cao Shujie tried to lighten the mood with a bit of teasing.

Cao Jianguo’s face turned stern as he glared at his son. “Shujie, I’m talking about serious matters. Be serious.”

Cao Shujie understood the gravity of the situation. He considered that if the intruder only stole some kiwi fruit, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But if they had malicious intentions, like poisoning the orchard, it would be a major problem.

“Dad, let’s hurry over to take a look. I’ll contact Boss Chen to bring materials to repair the damage,” Cao Shujie said after a moment of contemplation. “We need to report this to the police and investigate.”

Cao Jianguo agreed with his son’s suggestion to call the police.

No matter who this person was, their actions were despicable.

However, Cao Jianguo had his concerns. “Shujie, with the efficiency of our local police station, will reporting it even help?”

“Dad, let’s check it out first.”

The father and son skipped breakfast and rode their electric tricycle up to the orchard.

Once there, they parked the vehicle, opened the gate to the wire mesh fence, and headed to the damaged section.

Upon arrival, they realized that the hole was not easily noticeable unless you looked closely.

Standing by the hole, Cao Shujie observed the chaotic footprints outside it, as well as the scattered leaves, branches, and scratches on the ground. He understood why his father had been able to deduce so much; the traces were quite obvious.

“This must be the work of an inexperienced thief,” Cao Shujie thought to himself.

He realized it was likely someone inexperienced.

Cao Jianguo, deep in thought as he examined the hole, suddenly asked, “Shujie, do you think they’ll come back?”

After surveying the large orchard, Cao Shujie replied, “They probably will.”

“Then maybe we shouldn’t alert anyone. We could gather a few people from the village and set a trap tonight to catch them. What do you think?” Cao Jianguo, who had been quite a tough character in his younger days, suggested.

His eyes were fierce, and he was determined to catch the thief and teach them a lesson.

“That’s not a bad idea, but the problem is, who is the thief? How do we know the people we call aren’t the culprits?” Cao Shujie pointed out.

Cao Jianguo was taken aback by his son’s reasoning.

As he pondered what to do next, he heard Cao Shujie say, “Dad, I’ll call Cao Zhen and the others. We’ll get some long sticks and bring Daha and Erha over tonight.”

“Are they reliable? They might mess things up,” Cao Jianguo was a bit worried about the two huskies they owned.

But Cao Shujie was confident. “They’ll be fine. They’re both taller than my knee and weigh 40 jin . Plus, we’ll be there to supervise.”

With his plan becoming more detailed, Cao Shujie was only worried that the intruder might not return that night.

He then suggested to his father, “Dad, discreetly spread the word in the village that a big client has bought out all the kiwi fruit in the orchard, so we’re not selling any today. The client will come tomorrow to pick and take everything.”

“Do you think this person is from our Cao Family Village?” Cao Jianguo frowned, feeling uneasy about the possibility.

Cao Shujie shook his head. “Not necessarily. It could be someone from another village.”

After discussing it, they left the hole as it was, locked the gate, and headed back down the mountain.

Back at home, when they told Wang Yuelan and Cheng Xiaolin, they were furious and gritted their teeth in anger.

Cao Shujie called his childhood friends, and when Cao Zhen heard about it, he even asked if they should gather more people.

Cao Tiemin was already there with some renovation workers, totaling about a dozen people.

Unless the thief was part of a gang, which seemed unlikely given the scene at the orchard.

Cao Shujie said, “Just you guys will be enough.”

“Bring some gear,” Cao Zhen said excitedly. “Shujie, should I get some real gear?”

“What?” Cao Shujie was puzzled until he heard Cao Zhen say, “Guns and knives!”

“Damn!” Cao Shujie was startled. “No need for that. Just bring some long sticks. I have my two dogs…”

By the morning, many people in Cao Family Village had heard that a big client had bought out all the kiwi fruit in Cao Shujie’s orchard, so they were no longer selling them individually. The client would come the next day to pick and transport everything.

The news didn’t cause much of a stir.

After all, many people had come to Cao Family Village recently to pick kiwi fruit, so they were used to it.

However, some were envious of the high price Cao Shujie’s kiwi fruit fetched.

In the morning, some people came by hoping to pick some fruit, but upon seeing the orchard closed, they called Cao Shujie, who turned them away.

To avoid disappointing them, he gave away the remaining stock at home for free.

Cao Shujie was genuinely worried that whoever stole his fruit might have done something else in the orchard, like poisoning it.

Until they had results tonight, or until the test results were out, he wouldn’t open the orchard to the public.

To get the test results, Cao Shujie went to the county town to buy some testing materials. Upon returning, he collected samples from over 20 different spots in the orchard for testing.

He was quite familiar with this task, though it was a bit tedious.

Fortunately, after all the effort, the simple test results showed no issues.

By evening, two vans arrived from Pingyuan County Town and parked at the foot of the mountain, in the courtyard that was still under renovation.

Cao Zhen, Cao Shuyang, Cao Shulun, and Cao Fei all came, along with Cao Tiemin and the others working on the renovations. Once gathered, Cao Shujie explained the situation to them.

Given the uncertainty of the situation, Cao Shujie didn’t want to force anyone.

Fortunately, his friends were supportive, and no one objected.

Under the moonlight, Cao Shujie led Daha and Erha into the orchard, settling down at a spot far from the hole.

Cao Shujie specifically instructed Daha and Erha, “Daha, Erha, if I don’t let you bark, then don’t make a sound. Otherwise, I’ll stew you both tomorrow. Got it?”

Whether Daha and Erha truly understood Cao Shujie’s words was uncertain. The two brothers shot Cao Shujie a disdainful look, then lazily lay down on the ground and closed their eyes to sleep.

Cao Shujie told Cao Zhen and the others, “Thanks for the trouble tonight, brothers. Whether we get results or not, tomorrow I’ll treat everyone to a feast in the county.”

“That’s nonsense. That bastard bullied you, which means he’s disrespecting us. If he dares to come again, we’ll make sure he gets what’s coming to him!” Cao Zhen cursed angrily.

This was the camaraderie they had forged through fighting side by side.

(End of Chapter)