Fox Demon Crossing

"Let's go. It's rare for you two to come. I'll make an exception and have a couple of drinks with Jin Boy tonight."

Jin Renfeng raised the corner of his mouth and asked, "Brother Chen, are you starting to quit drinking?"

"Well, those bastard monsters may come to raid at any time. Drinking can easily cause trouble." Chen Ming shook his head. Even so, he felt uneasy, especially when he saw Jin Renfeng's suspicious look. He laughed dryly and urged, "Come on, let me take you to a high-end restaurant. I'll treat you today."

Jin Renfeng did not refute.

Drinking makes things worse?

As a cultivator, even if he drinks too much, he can always use his spiritual power to dispel the drunkenness.

Unless, he wanted to drown his sorrows in alcohol...

Of course, specially brewed spirit wine is an exception.

Located in a high-end restaurant in Beishan City.

"Come on, come on, eat as much as you can, you two are welcome."

In the private room on the second floor.

Looking down at the several exquisite dishes on the table, the only meat dish was a small plate of beef. Jin Renfeng became even more confused. He felt that Chen Ming had changed.

Things are becoming a little... well, tight.

Or is there a food shortage in Beishan City?

its not right.

This place is not a remote area in the west. Although there are occasional monsters invading here, even the last time Jin Renfeng encountered them, those monsters were unable to set foot into Beishan City.

Along the way, all kinds of vegetables and fruits are grown in the courtyards of every household, and with the large amount of food shipped from the inland on a regular basis, even if there is a shortage of food in the inland, there will never be a shortage at the border.

Chen Ming specially went to the kitchen to order the dishes.

All signs indicate that he is short of money.

Jin Renfeng calmly picked up some vegetables for Dongfang Huaizhu, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Brother Chen, if you have any difficulties, you can tell me. With our relationship, I will definitely help you if I can."

Chen Ming was startled, then laughed and said, "Boy, everyone knows that you are obsessed with money. The money that goes into your pocket is like going into a black hole, and you never see it coming out."

"Cough cough cough..." Jin Renfeng was choked.

Dongfang Huaizhu came to his rescue, "Uncle Chen, Senior Brother has other uses for his money."

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. It's a rare visit from you guys, and I'm a little tight on money lately. I can only add two more dishes..."

"..."

Jin Renfeng was helpless, this was not a problem of the food.

He did not expose her, but went straight to the point and told her the purpose of this visit. Chen Ming's face changed immediately, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent. "How can this be absurd? I have been living in the open air at the border to stop the monsters just to protect the citizens, but there are traitors colluding with both inside and outside to do such a traitorous thing!"

"Brother Chen, I remember there are surveillance towers at regular intervals along the border, right?"

Chen Ming replied with some pride: "Yes, even in the dark, it is difficult to cross the border without being discovered."

Jin Renfeng thought: "That is to say, if there is no cooperation from the inside, it should be difficult for them to send people across the border quietly, right?"

"You mean, there is a traitor in the guard army?" Chen Ming's face suddenly turned ugly.

Jin Renfeng shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. Wait a minute. Those people will arrive in Beishan City tomorrow. I have someone keeping an eye on them."

After meal.

Chen Ming was about to pay the bill, and Jin Renfeng and Dongfang Huaizhu also stood up and followed him out.

Chen Ming asked: "…Why are you following me?"

Jin Renfeng said as a matter of course: "Of course I have to come out after I finish eating."

"..." Chen Ming went downstairs and found the shop owner. He carefully took out a small cloth bag and took out a few pieces of silver. Just as he was about to pay the bill, he heard the shop owner say, "Mayor Chen, a customer has already paid for you."

Chen Ming raised his head abruptly and looked directly at the shop owner, seemingly not surprised: "Do you know who it is?"

"Old Liu, didn't I specifically tell you not to accept any payment from anyone who helps me pay?!"

"Mayor, but..." The shop owner looked at Jin Renfeng next to Chen Ming, pointed at him, and said with a wronged look on his face: "The money was given by this young man. I saw that he came with the mayor, so..."

Chen Ming turned his gaze to Jin Renfeng, and seemed to understand something. He said helplessly, "Okay, forget it this time."

After leaving the restaurant, the three returned to their residence.

On the way, Jin Renfeng hesitated and said, "Brother Chen, this is not like your style. Are you facing a problem?"

"It's not a problem at all." Chen Ming looked distressed. "As you know, I have been the mayor of Beishan City for several years. I have some prestige in the city. Now when I go out to buy things, people rush to pay the bill. Sometimes the vendors don't even charge."

Jin Renfeng was surprised: "So popular?"

"Over the years, we have had constant conflicts of varying sizes with the Beishan demon tribe. There are always casualties in war, and this is unavoidable. As for the families of those who died, I promise to take care of them..."

"After a while, the news spread..."

"So, by quitting drinking you're actually giving most of your money to the victims' families who need help?"

Jin Renfeng and Dongfang Huaizhu looked at each other and suddenly realized why Chen Ming seemed so short of money.

"Senior Brother, how about we help too?" Dongfang Huaizhu seemed moved and reached out to touch the string of wooden beads on his wrist.

This string of wooden beads was given to her by Senior Brother Jin a few days ago.

It is said to be a magical instrument.

It consists of eight wooden beads, one of which has a storage function, and the other seven are defensive and can resist damage.

Dongfang Huaizhu looked at him expectantly.

Jin Renfeng thought for a moment and said, "Brother Chen, what compensation will the Dao League provide to the families of those who died?"

"Compensation?" Chen Ming stopped, thought for a moment, and said, "I remember that for those who sacrificed their lives to protect the border, the Dao League would give the families of them a lump sum of money. The amount is not small, but it is all the responsibility of the Dao League Inspector."

"Any questions?"

Chen Ming looked at Jin Renfeng.

"I see..." His eyes lit up, and he said thoughtfully: "Brother Chen, I want to meet the families of the victims and go see them."

"can."

So Chen Ming took the two of them, crossed more than a dozen streets, and came to a street near the edge of the city.

Looking at the rows of dilapidated houses, Chen Ming couldn't help but sigh: "They all praised me as a good mayor, but I can only try my best to keep them alive."

His salary was indeed considerable, but with so many families of the victims, there was not much left after dividing his monthly salary.

"Auntie, I'm here to see you."

Chen Ming shouted at the gate of the yard, and soon, an old woman with white hair came out with a cane, and it seemed that it was not convenient for her to walk...

"Mr. Chen, why did you come here in person?"

"Auntie, how are you these days?" Chen Ming asked, carrying the meat he bought from the supermarket. "Is Xiaofang not at home?"

"Brother Chen..."

At this moment, a child's head popped out of the house.

"Mr. Chen, please come in, please come in, I'm still strong." After the old woman finished speaking, she glanced at the meat in Chen Ming's hand, paused, and whispered: "Mr. Chen, please take these back. You have helped us a lot, and we can't let you spend money anymore."

Chen Ming smiled and said, "Auntie, please accept it. I can't finish it myself, and these are leftovers."

"Mr. Chen, I'm not confused yet."

"You've helped us enough. How can I have the nerve to ask for more from you?" The old woman said with a determined look on her face that she didn't want anything at all and even blocked the door, not letting them in.

At this time, Dongfang Huaizhu stepped forward and said, "Grandma, please accept Uncle Chen's kindness, and you should also accept the kindness from me and my senior brother."

She handed over the shopping bag in her hand, which also contained some meat products. This amount of money was indeed not much for Dongfang Huaizhu and Jin Renfeng.

“Who are you?”

"We are from the Chamber of Commerce, and this time we are here to visit you on behalf of the president."

"Chamber of Commerce, President?!" The old woman was shocked when she heard that. She stopped trying to stop them and quickly invited the three people into the house.

"Xiaofang, go get some hot water and a bowl."

“Okay, coming right up!”

Dongfang Huaizhu was about to refuse, but Jin Renfeng shook his head at her, signaling her not to speak.

Jin Renfeng said slowly: "Old man, we came here for two purposes. One is to see you, and the other is to find out whether the money the Chamber of Commerce gave to you, the families of the martyrs, is enough, and whether the Inspector has paid it in full."

"this……"

The old woman was speechless for a moment and didn't know how to respond.

Jin Renfeng frowned, somewhat confused by her reaction.

"Indeed, we have received it. For us, we don't have to worry about money in the next few years." The old woman answered after careful consideration.

"Well, then..."

He asked a few more questions. Before leaving, Jin Renfeng left 100,000 yuan, which was enough for them to live for a year, and if they saved a little, it would not be a problem to use it for two years. As for why they didn't give more, it was mainly because they calculated that the money in Dongfang Huaizhu's account would only be this much if it was divided equally among the martyrs' families. It's not that the money is small, but that there are too many martyrs' families in the city.

Chen Ming usually provides financial assistance to the elderly and patients who have lost their ability to work.

After leaving, Dongfang Huaizhu said, "Brother, the old woman doesn't seem to be in good health. The child is only seven years old and only has the grandmother to take care of her. They are so pitiful."

"Brother, you said that if there had been no war, their families might not have died."

Jin Renfeng was silent.

They visited several families of martyrs, and Jin Renfeng's face became increasingly gloomy.

Chen Ming noticed this and asked, "Jin boy, did you find anything?"

"No, that's not quite right."

Jin Renfeng stopped and said, "I just felt strange. Every time I asked the inspectors whether they had distributed the money truthfully, their reactions were a little strange."

"Is there?" Chen Ming touched his head, wondering why he didn't notice it.

Close your eyes and recall those people's reactions.

Jin Renfeng realized the problem.

He said in a deep voice: "Uncle Chen, I understand. The money distributed by the Chamber of Commerce may not have reached them at all. I guess at least not all of it was given to them."

"You mean this?" Chen Ming thought it was a big deal and replied, "Indeed, Supervisor Li Xian takes out a portion of the food every year to buy food at low prices in inland cities, and then distributes it to these families..."

"etc!"

"Uncle Chen, what did you just say?" Jin Renfeng looked at him suddenly.

"it's not a big deal."

Chen Ming said nonchalantly: "I calculated that based on the grain prices in Beishan City, with the same amount of money, you can only buy half the amount here."

"So that's how it is." Jin Renfeng suddenly realized, and a sentence immediately popped up in his mind.

Irresponsible people deceive their superiors and hide the truth from their subordinates.

“Is there something wrong?”

Jin Renfeng shook his head and smiled, "I feel that there is something wrong with that inspector, but I'm not sure yet. It would be great if I could meet him."

“It’s easy!”

Chen Ming immediately replied, "That Li Xian came a few days ago and said he wanted to pay compensation to the families of the soldiers who died last month. He is in the city now. I will take you to see him now."

“No hurry, no hurry.”

"I want to visit a few more families of martyrs." Jin Renfeng was not in a hurry. Instead, he decided to visit some more families, perhaps making new discoveries.