Chapter 36 - 36 36 Half an Hour for 30000 Yuan

Words : 2148 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

36: Chapter 36 Half an Hour for 30,000 Yuan 36: Chapter 36 Half an Hour for 30,000 Yuan Miao Ruolan got startled... “5000 isn’t enough?” Sister Song bounced up immediately: “5000 isn’t enough? With 5000 you can buy a dog!” “Don’t say that, Sister! I can’t agree with you!” Lin Xiaosu said: “Are you looking for just any dog? That’s your baby! At a glance, Sister screams wealth and grandeur, is your baby only worth 5000 yuan?” This was a taste of her own medicine! Miao Ruolan felt a twinge of sourness in her teeth... Sister Song was choked up: “Then how much do you want?” “30,000!” “30,000?” Sister Song nearly jumped up. Lin Xiaosu sat down in front of her: “What’s the matter? Is Sister feeling a bit tight on money? Or... do you think your baby isn’t worth these 30,000 yuan?” Miao Ruolan’s eyes stealthily swiveled, and if there were a smile on her face, it was probably a sneer. This little devil was too mischievous, how could she corner people like that, how could you expect them to answer? Sister Song’s face was as dark as water, and after a long hesitation, she gritted her teeth: “Alright! But I have a condition too!” “Let’s hear it!” Lin Xiaosu said. “Within two hours, I want to see my baby. If seen, the remaining payment will be settled! If not, the down payment will be double refunded!” Now it was Miao Ruolan’s turn to be in a difficult position. Two hours? Setting a time limit for finding stuff, this... Sister Song also had a smug smile on her face: “What? Are you lacking in ability? Or is it courage?” Lin Xiaosu raised her hand: “Deal!” The contract was signed. A down payment of 5000 was made, and by 12 noon on May 17th, if the dog is found, a remainder of 25,000 yuan is to be paid; if not found, the party A will return double the down payment to party B, which is 10,000 yuan. The rest of the terms were standard, only the last one was handwritten. Miao Ruolan hesitated a little, but Lin Xiaosu nodded, and she still signed her name. It was exactly ten o’clock at that time. Lin Xiaosu checked the dog photos on Sister Song’s phone, a small Teddy with various poses in the phone: on the bed, eating, wearing flowers. But these weren’t the key points, the background behind the doghouse was what mattered, with pianos, villas, luxury cars, and elegant tea times. Showing off dog photos was actually not about the dog; it was about showcasing a refined life, showcasing the layers of life. Lin Xiaosu glanced over and said, “Let’s go.” She followed Sister Song out the door and got into the luxury car that had appeared several times in the photos. The car stopped at the small park outside the Fengcheng Building, where Sister Song and a few friends would take their dogs for a walk, chatting happily, and when they looked back, the dog was gone. Lin Xiaosu let out a silent, long sigh in the park, lamenting that her Heavenly Tao Wisdom Eye had really fallen, now being used to find dogs! Then she looked down, using Reverse Time to track. He left the park and entered a nearby alley leading to a noisy market, the Fengcheng Vegetable Market, where the morning market had just ended, and the ground was scattered with rotten vegetable leaves, fish heads, and animal innards. Sister Song frowned deeply: “My baby doesn’t even walk on dirt roads, how could it come to such a dirty place?” Lin Xiaosu ignored her and passed through a small gate in the vegetable market, spotting a riverbed outside littered with domestic garbage, with several small dogs running around, incredibly cheerful. Lin Xiaosu smiled and gently raised a hand, pointing to one of the small dogs, “Baby changed clothes, can you recognize it, Sister?” Sister Song stared at the little lump of coal covered in mud, its color indiscernible, rubbing her eyes: “Baby, is that you?” The little coal tumbled and scrambled over, jumped up, revealing a collar around its neck, and Sister Song’s eyes brightened: “It’s really you, how did you get like this...” The dog licked her face with its tongue, and Sister Song, caught off guard, got a full lick, changing her expression, “Pah! Why do you stink so much? What did you eat?” Miao Ruolan made a face of tooth-aching expressions... What did the dog eat? Did that need asking? Lin Xiaosu raised her phone, extending it to Sister Song: “Sister, the time now is 10:29. The task has been completed successfully, please proceed with the final payment!” Sister Song put the dog down, fastened the collar, and led it by hand, slowing raising her head: “Just for half an hour of time, you really want to charge 30,000?” “It’s written black on white in the contract, can we not charge?” Lin Xiaosu said: “Besides, Sister Song, you are a wealthy lady in Fengcheng, 30,000 yuan isn’t something you can’t afford, and if you go back on your word and don’t pay, what will people think of you if the word gets out? So, I have no choice but to take it.” Sister Song grimly took out her phone and scanned Miao Ruolan’s payment code. Leaving with her dog in tow to give it a bath, not once looking back. Miao Ruolan and Lin Xiaosu walked side by side back to the Detective Agency, passing through the vegetable market, crossing the pedestrian street, having a half cup of tea back at the Detective Agency, she finally let out a light breath: “Little Su, is our pricing a bit too steep? Thirty thousand for half an hour; it’s really hard to imagine.” Lin Xiaosu laughed: “That’s the specificity of the detective industry, we must set a threshold.” “Threshold?” “Yes, if I charged her a hundred or two hundred, then our work would be endless and with an extremely low cost-performance ratio. We’d be keeping busy just to scrape together a meager salary, and that’s not what I want.” “But if you set the threshold so high, will anyone dare to come to us in the future? Wouldn’t we just be a one-hit-wonder?” “Don’t worry, people have their vices. Sometimes, the more outrageous the price, the more people line up at your door. If Sister Song airs her grievances on social media, then we’ll be famous among Fengcheng’s wealthy ladies. Maybe, flaunting their wealth won’t be about having afternoon tea anymore, but being able to afford the Fengcheng Detective Agency’s astronomical investigation fees.” Miao Ruolan blinked: “Will Sister Song really post about it?” In her mind, Sister Song was the epitome of frustration plus constipation, treating the entire affair like a loss she couldn’t speak of. Would she really brag about it? Lin Xiaosu smiled lightly: “She will! Those women who have a bit of money and are incredibly superficial, you can’t imagine their logic... Don’t believe me? Just watch her social media feed.” Miao Ruolan did. She’d just looked at a few posts when a new one popped up. It was a fresh update from Sister Song... Hugging her dog at the entrance of her villa, her caption read: “Baby got lost today, went to Fengcheng Detective Agency for help, spent 30,000 to find him. Baby, oh baby, your romp cost you a month’s worth of food, mommy’s grounding you for three days!” Miao Ruolan was astounded: “She didn’t criticize us for high fees, just simply flaunting her wealth... She’s emphasizing that 30,000 is just her dog’s monthly food budget.” “That’s the logic of the wealthy for you! Money can be lost, but not the chance to show off!” “It’s quite ironic. These ladies pride themselves on being out of touch, even branding themselves on it. Yet, their pets are so down to earth, seizing any chance to frolic in the wild...” “That’s why sometimes, humans really are no better than dogs! At least dogs live authentically...” Lin Xiaosu stood up: “I’m heading to the library to read some books, call me if you need anything.” The library was just across the street, just a short walk away. Around the corner, a black sedan with two people inside waited, the driver a young man, and next to him, in the passenger seat, sat a middle-aged man wearing gold wire-rimmed glasses, exuding a scholarly air. “Boss, he didn’t take the opportunity to strike when he was with Miao Ruolan,” the young man said. “No opportunities, we wait for one!” replied the boss with a light exhale. “He’s a danger to us with him around.” “Yes, Huang San’s deal fell through, we only lost a batch of goods, but once he got involved, seven people in the network got nabbed. I also found out that he was responsible for solving the child abduction case at the Martial Arts Hall that day, and even unearthed the secret murder at Lingyin Temple. Just now, that Song Li’s dog, he found it in half an hour; this guy seems to have a special ability to trace connections. Such a person can’t take root in Fengcheng!” “He knows this business is dangerous, that’s why he’s taken on Miao Ruolan as a partner!” the boss adjusted his glasses lightly. “Is Miao Ruolan really that strong? She seems so gentle and quiet...” “Ancient Martial Inheritor, not to be underestimated, remember, as long as she’s with him, absolutely do not make a move. If Miao Ruolan is ever away from him, don’t miss the chance; the money’s already been transferred to your account, and your fake identity is prepared. Once you succeed, flee far away immediately!” “Rest assured!” the young man licked his lips, a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes. The black sedan started and merged into the flow of people... By noon, Miao Ruolan was at the library, and when she saw Lin Xiaosu, he was lying back on a sofa, watching a screen in front of him that spun, displaying a geographic map – another way to read at the library: electronic reading. Electronic reading links to a database with everything from astronomy to geography covered. As long as you’re interested, you could search and read all available public information through an electronic display. “What are you reading?” Miao Ruolan placed a lunch box in front of him. “Geography.” “Are you interested in geography?” “Of course, in the detective business, I might as well get used to traveling north and south... Hm? Beef rice bowl?” Lin Xiaosu opened the lunch box, its aroma inviting. Miao Ruolan smiled slightly: “It’s a lucky day for business, you just earned 30,000 in one go, shouldn’t we upgrade your meal?” “It’s ‘we’! We earned 30,000!” Lin Xiaosu’s chopsticks lightly flicked across Miao Ruolan’s nose. Miao Ruolan seemed to relish this affection, smiling warmly: “You eat here, I’ll go borrow a book.” When Lin Xiaosu left the library and returned to the shop, he immediately noticed the book in Miao Ruolan’s hand: “Exploration Science”... “You’re really starting to study?” Lin Xiaosu said. Miao Ruolan replied: “With your talent and hard work, what reason do I have not to put in the effort?” “Good to be diligent. Can you understand it?” Miao Ruolan scratched her head: “It definitely goes in, but whether it sticks is a big question. My brain seems like a sieve; the knowledge goes in one end and out the other...” All afternoon, she read studiously. All evening, she continued her reading. Come morning, she felt as though the vast knowledge of investigation had just begun to seep into her brain, or maybe not, as her mind buzzed with various terms... “It’s raining!” Lin Xiaosu came out of the neighboring room. “Hope we don’t get any cases in this weather. Exploration Science says rain can erase traces and dilute scents.” Lin Xiaosu laughed: “Don’t tell me you’ve been reading the whole night.” Indeed, she had. Miao Ruolan offered a tender smile, went downstairs, and opened the shop’s door... She went out to buy breakfast, clutching soy milk and fried dough sticks when she returned. At that moment, a car sped up to the Detective Agency, and a middle-aged woman hurriedly got out, running frantically towards them. Through the night’s worth of Exploration Science she had read, Miao Ruolan judged that this woman... was in urgent need.

Chapter 36 - 36 36 Half an Hour for 30000 Yuan

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