Chapter 129 Her Reputation
Pei Hening clicked on the last post and zoomed in on the photo—weren't these the two dim-witted and sneaky rat-men?
She asked, "Where did you come from last night?"
Hei Xiaoque kept working with his hands, muttering, "You're going to go to our hideout to catch illegal workers? How could you be so wicked!"
reputation!
Her reputation!
Forget it, what does the reputation of [Happy Mimi Home · Little Drop] have to do with Pei Hening?
Hei Xiaoman quickly pulled it back: "Shut up, can't you see this woman's face has turned black?"
Pei Hening looked at it: "You tell me."
Hei Xiaoman answered honestly, "We came out from those two buildings at the back."
"You've been secretly filmed, do you know that?"
Hei Xiaoman said confidently, "Impossible. Very few construction workers can catch us, especially those who are responsible for high-rise renovations. They sleep like logs at night."
They had long discovered that the construction workers responsible for decorating the high-rise buildings would fall into a deep sleep at night.
You won't even see them, let alone catch them.
If it weren't for saving Xiao Zheng, they would have already taken their full load of stuff back to their lair and waited peacefully for the construction workers to leave so they could resell their wares.
Pei Hening glanced at the post again; the comments section was already buzzing with excitement.
[Xiao Mei]: It looks so eerie in the dark.
[Little A]: What exactly is this thing?
[Xiao Mo]: Where did you find them? I'll go check them out; they might be helpful for finishing the renovation.
[Xiao Zuo]: Why does it look so much like a mouse?
"Take a look."
She clicked on the image to enlarge it and handed the phone to Hei Xiaoman.
Hei Xiaoman said in disbelief, "How is that possible? We were so careful."
Hei Xiaoque squeezed in: "Let me see."
"Oh no, are they planning to arrest us and force us to work illegally too?"
Just as the two rat-men were breaking down, someone rang the doorbell outside.
"Keep working and don't talk, someone's coming."
Pei Hening put away her phone, picked up a measuring tape, and went to open the door.
Standing outside the door was a boy who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old. He wore black-rimmed glasses and had short, neatly styled hair, making him look like a high school student.
She handed over the measuring tape and instructed, "Return it to me when you're done."
"good."
She closed the door as the other person turned to leave.
They tiptoed back, and as soon as they got back, they saw Hei Xiaoque holding a wire, intently trying to pry open Hei Xiaozheng's door.
Hei Xiaoman: "Lord Xiaozheng, wait a moment, we'll rescue you right away."
"I'm out now, let's leave quickly. We can't continue to work for these unscrupulous construction workers."
Hei Xiaoque: "Master Xiaozheng is right."
Pei Hening crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, watching the two of them try everything but couldn't open the door. She chuckled and asked, "Do you need my help?"
Hei Xiaoque: "You can drive here... no, that's not right."
Pei Hening raised her hand in a good mood, flicked her wrist slightly, and waved her fingertips in a small gesture: "Hello, why are you so surprised to see me?"
"Get to work! The walls need to be painted by noon today!"
The cement mortar she applied to the wall during her demonstration was already completely dry; it wouldn't take long at all.
Once the renovation is complete, the homeowner can move in.
Normal renovations will produce formaldehyde, and moving in immediately afterward may increase the risk of leukemia.
But the building materials in the orange cat's shop are of unknown material and do not contain formaldehyde.
"You two keep it up, I'm going out for a bit."
She walked to the door, turned around and said, "By the way, don't even think about stealing your little Zheng. The door is locked, and I have the key. When I came back and found you slacking off, I packed you up and sent you to the homeowner. I think she wouldn't mind taking some taurine supplements."
The two rat-men froze.
Is she really planning to give them to the cats?
Pei Hening came out of the two-story building. She was going to find the orange cat owner, ask him to buy some things on credit, and also pick up some food to take back with her.
It's too much to expect a horse to run without feeding it.
She walked along the roadside to a spot not far from the orange cat owner's shop, where she saw it pick up a construction worker and throw him out.
"I already told you I won't give you credit. Your homeowner, DouDou, he stole my dried fish and mint balls before! And he eats a lot, and the family doesn't have any money to pay off the debt!"
The orange cat owner looked displeased.
"DouDou's lack of credit has nothing to do with me. I'm a decorator assigned by the municipal department. If you want to collect debts, you should contact the municipal department."
The construction worker was on the verge of tears; all he wanted was some building materials, why was it so difficult?
"The place that was renovated for DouDou isn't anything good, so don't come in again."
The orange cat owner glared at the construction worker he had thrown on the ground, his face full of displeasure.
After it finished speaking, it turned around and went back into the shop.
Pei Hening walked over, past the construction worker who had gotten up from the ground, and headed into the store.
The orange cat owner, seeing someone come in, sullenly said, "You're here to buy things on credit again?"
Pei Hening could clearly sense his displeasure, and carefully said, "No, I came here specifically to see you, and also to ask you a question."
The orange cat owner's tone softened a bit: "What can I do for you?"
Pei Hening looked at him with genuine sincerity: "Your shop is decorated with such good taste, the decoration materials are so perfect, and the business is so good. It proves that you are a very ambitious, tasteful and detail-oriented boss. I would like to ask you what you think of the restaurants around here, and which one is good?"
This string of praise made the orange cat owner feel quite pleased. He suppressed the upturned corners of his mouth and suggested, "Go straight along this road. The stir-fry place at the first fork in the road is pretty good, and they even give you catnip with your order."
"Thank you, boss. I'll go buy some food."
Pei Hening walked outside, turned back and said, "Boss, your signboard is a little crooked."
The orange cat owner came out and found that the signboard on the ground was indeed knocked askew. He said, "I accidentally bumped into it when I threw the person out."
Following the orange cat owner's recommendation, Pei Hening found the stir-fry restaurant he had suggested.
I inquired about the orange cat owner's preferences at the shop and ordered a meal specifically for him.
I took four more light meals with me on my way back.
I passed by the shop owned by the orange cat owner and went in to strike up a conversation with him.
As Pei Hening was leaving, the orange cat owner reluctantly said, "If you don't have enough renovation materials, you can come back to me on credit, but you have to be quick, as I don't have much stock."
Pei Hening smiled and shamelessly bought another batch of materials on credit.
Orange Cat Owner:...They really are bandits.
A small stir-fry costing thirty copper coins could be exchanged for thirty thousand copper coins worth of renovation materials—even loan sharks aren't that greedy!
His mother was right, we shouldn't spend poor people's money!
When Pei Hening was doing the bookkeeping, the orange cat boss did it for her with a dark face.
She knew she couldn't move all the materials by herself, so she borrowed the orange cat owner's cart and pushed the materials back.
"Little Di? Where did you get so many building materials?"
She looked up at the sound and saw Xiao Mo, who had assembled a renovation team.
"Sister Xiao Mo, I got it on credit from the orange cat owner."
Xiao Mo couldn't believe it. She exclaimed in shock, "That miser, Boss Orange Cat, is actually willing to let you buy so many materials on credit!"
Pei Hening didn't expect the orange cat owner's bad reputation to spread so widely. She said, "Maybe he was in a good mood."
Do you need help?
"No need, thank you, Sister Xiao Mo."
Xiao Mo nodded: "Okay, remember to contact me if you need a renovation team."
Pei Hening pushed the materials back, opened the door with the key, and saw two rat-men diligently painting the wall.
"Twenty thousand, Hei Xiaosha, come help me move some things."
Hei Xiaoque fell silent for a moment upon hearing Pei Hening's address to it.
It's called Black Little Miss, not Two Thousand!
"What are you standing there for? Come here!"
Hei Xiaoque put down what he was holding and headed towards the door.
It hid behind the door, furtively looked around to make sure no one was there, and then quickly picked up its things and went into the house.
Hei Xiaoman also came over to help.
Pei Hening carried the food inside and first checked the door of the room where Hei Xiaozheng was locked, making sure the door was intact.
It seems that they were quite honest and didn't outwardly comply but inwardly defy each other.
After they brought all the renovation materials inside, Pei Hening locked the door and gave each of them a simple meal.
Blackie has a very sensitive nose; it smelled the sweet aroma just now and its saliva has been drooling for ages.
It thought that neither of them had a share.
It opens the simple meal package, and the aroma of hot oil, scallions, ginger, and garlic mixed with the smell of meat fills the nostrils. The braised pork is coated with a sweet and savory sauce and oil, while the crisp and tender aroma of stir-fried vegetables is mixed with the clean and refreshing spiciness of chili peppers, with a hint of sweetness.
Hei Xiaoque's stomach was rumbling.
"You're so kind! You even provided us with food and lodging!"
"I will never call you a heartless construction worker again!"
Hei Xiaoman was much more cunning than Liang Wan. He tore open the packaging of the simple meal and began to eat heartily!
Who knows if this unscrupulous decorator will suddenly change his mind and take their food back? It's only safe if the food is eaten.
"One insult costs 20,000."
Hei Xiaoque suddenly realized that the braised pork he had stuffed into his mouth no longer tasted good. Sure enough, a heartless decorator's heart is always black, no matter what!
Seeing the two of them wolfing down their food, Pei Hening took the key and opened the door to Guan Hei Xiaozheng's room.
Blackie also smelled the strong aroma of food. It struggled frantically inside the sack, shouting, "You're abusing prisoners!"
Pei Hening stepped forward, squatted down in front of the sack, and opened Hei Xiaozheng's simple meal. The rising steam carried the aroma of the food.
Blackie's stomach rumbled loudly, and it said, "I'm not hungry at all, it stinks!"
Pei Hening said regretfully, "Really? I bought it for you. If you don't want to eat it, I'll eat it myself. Wasting food is shameful."
"Who said I won't eat it? I will!"
She heard the other person swallow, and the smile in her eyes deepened: "If you eat, you have to work. I don't support people who just want to freeload."
Hei Xiaozheng hesitated for a long time, while his stomach kept rumbling.
"No way? You, a prisoner, think you can get something for nothing?"
Hei Xiaozheng gritted his teeth and finally agreed to Pei Hening's suggestion: "It's just work, right? It's not like I can't do it!"
Pei Hening's eyes curved into a smile after receiving a definite answer.
She opened the sack, and the black-haired rat-man scurried out.
The next second, the light meal in her hand disappeared.
"Is it necessary to hide so far away? I'm not going to take it back."
Hei Xiao was hiding in the corner of the room with a light meal in his hand, and stuffed a big bite into his mouth.
It said, "I don't believe you."
Pei Hening opened her portion of light meal and began to eat: "You're the one who doesn't keep your word."
"You promised to work for me, but you secretly called someone to rescue you."
"After I let you go, you still tried to sneak away."
Hei Xiaozheng's eyes widened, and he said with dissatisfaction, "That was a tactic. I'm going to go find someone to come and rescue them."
Pei Hening carried the light meal out: "Follow me."
Although Hei Xiaozheng was dissatisfied, he still followed: "What are you doing?"
"Let's see how much work they just did, so we can assign you some tasks."
Blackie wolfed down his simple meal, finishing it quickly. He thought, "You're such a cheapskate, you even haggle over a meal."
"Okay, I won't bring you any food later. I definitely won't mind if you work on an empty stomach."
Hei Xiaozheng: "No way! If you want me to work, you have to provide me with food and lodging!"
"Look, as long as you're not the one who suffers the loss, you have time to make sarcastic remarks. But when it comes to you, you get all worked up."
It asked, "I don't understand. Will I get some dinner?"
"have."
Pei Hening hadn't expected that Liang Wan and Hei Xiaoman would be so efficient; they had already completed half of the hard decoration.
Her eyes lit up as she looked at the two rat-men eating nearby.
The renovation work should be done by rats!
That's incredibly efficient!
Hei Xiaoque keenly sensed the danger and slowed down his chewing.
"Xiaoman, why do I feel a chill?"
Hei Xiaoman quietly pointed at Pei Hening and said silently, "It's her."
After finishing his meal, Pei Hening readjusted their work assignments.
She worked with them for a short while, during which she also rented a measuring tape twice.
"Keep up the good work, we'll give you extra food tonight. I'll return the cart first."
When Hei Xiaoque heard the words "extra meal," his eyes lit up instantly.
"Was it as delicious as lunch?"
Pei Hening: "Yes."
She returned the cart to the orange cat owner and discovered that some of the store's renovation materials were already out of stock.
"Thank you for the cart!"
The orange cat owner lazily opened his eyes and slowly said, "It's you, loan shark—no, customer. Just put the cart over there."
Pei Hening's expression was complicated. She looked at the orange cat owner with her eyes full of condemnation.
The orange cat owner is slandering her!
She has never had the habit of spending money in advance since she was a child, nor has she ever taken out a loan. How could it be a loan shark?
The orange cat owner met her accusing gaze and awkwardly turned his head away: "I didn't mean what you said."
"I'm heartbroken, boss. I liked you so much."
The orange cat owner instantly exploded, his tone serious: "You can't say things like that carelessly. If my goddess finds out, I'm doomed."
Seeing him get flustered, Pei Hening immediately made the connection: "Is your goddess the owner of that stir-fry shop?"
The stir-fry restaurant recommended to her by the orange cat owner was run by a beautiful calico cat.
Instead of answering the question directly, the orange cat owner changed the subject, saying, "The stroller has been delivered. Is there anything else?"
Pei Hening hummed in agreement; she wanted to find out what the residents of Donglan County thought of the rat people.
She had met Duoduo and felt that this instance was different from other instances; it was possible that after the player cleared the instance, the creatures inside would continue to live there.
"Indeed, there are still some questions I would like to ask our knowledgeable orange cat boss."