"A fridge for 200,000, and you're saying it's not much money?"
There were so many things that the Dean also grew flustered. "Little Maozi, what's going on? Did you rob a bank?" he asked.
Trust the Dean to think of that.
Chu Hao said, "I just made some money and bought some things for the orphanage."
Ju Desheng, Zhang Qin'ai, and the others were all dumbfounded. They had seen the invoices for the goods; the cheapest toy alone cost five hundred.
"Ah?" Zhang Qin'ai shrieked, pointing at one of the trucks. "There's something moving inside!" she cried, her voice filled with panic.
Chu Hao opened the truck's cargo area. Five dairy cows were revealed, black and white and adorably cute—genuine dairy cows, mooing away.
"These... These are dairy cows?" Ju Desheng's jaw practically hit the floor.
Chu Hao nodded. "I figured the little brothers and sisters need to grow up strong, and powdered milk just won't do, so I got a few dairy cows."
The old Dean panicked. "How... How do we take care of them?"
Chu Hao laughed. "There's special feed for them, which will be delivered regularly." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel⸺fire.net
Everyone was astonished. Liu Zhenqiang, standing to the side, couldn't believe it either. Looking at the one million on his card, he suddenly felt it was nothing in Chu Hao's eyes.
Liu Zhenqiang felt a pang of regret. If I'd known, I should have fleeced him slowly. This man clearly has money. Although I have a million, given my gambling habits, I'll surely spend it all one day.
Everyone began moving the items. The people at the orphanage were incredibly excited, especially the children, who were over the moon.
Finally, after bustling about for a while, they managed to get everything into the orphanage. The orphanage's storeroom was packed to the brim.
The Dean was in a complete daze. Only after the four big trucks left did he finally ask, "Little Maozi, what's going on? Where did you get all this money?"
Chu Hao chuckled. "I started a company with a friend and made quite a bit of money."
Zhang Qin'ai rolled her eyes. "You didn't buy all this stuff last year. What kind of company did you start?"
"A ghost-catching company," Chu Hao replied.
Upon hearing this, everyone rolled their eyes. A ghost-catching company? Isn't that just a scam?
The Dean and Grandma Ji, holding the land deed contracts, were overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down their faces.
The most shocked person was Ju Desheng. He finally understood why Chu Hao had been with that beautiful woman at the barbecue stand yesterday. It turned out he wasn't bluffing; he was genuinely capable.
Ju Desheng said excitedly, "Mouse, you... you have to help Brother Gou."
He had already offended Bai Jingyu and Bai Jiangming and was nearly at a dead end. Now, the only person who could help him was Chu Hao.
Chu Hao patted his shoulder. "Brother Gou, if you had left earlier, I reckon I would've looked down on you for life. But you didn't leave. You genuinely cared about the orphanage, so you have my respect."
Zhang Qin'ai nodded. "We might be poor, but we can't be without dignity. It was clear that woman was just playing around; if anything, she was the one holding you back."
Ju Desheng was deeply moved. "You're right," he said.
The orphanage was bustling with activity. Finally, it was time for dinner. After everyone ate, they celebrated Grandma Ji's birthday.
A cake was, of course, essential. Chu Hao had specially bought an extra-large fruitcake. The children couldn't have been happier; they hadn't even started cutting it, yet their hands were already reaching for it.
The orphanage was as lively as if it were New Year's.
Chu Hao took out a card and gave it to the Dean. "Grandpa Dean, this card has ten million on it, which should be enough to cover expenses for our little brothers and sisters. Also... I'm planning to have a construction team turn the wasteland next to the orphanage into a large courtyard. Do you think that's possible?"
Upon hearing Chu Hao's words, everyone's eyes widened.
The old Dean's hands began to tremble. "Little Maozi, this... this is too much money."
"I'm willing to spend any amount on this big family, as long as you're all happy," Chu Hao said with a smile.
Grandma Ji cried, "The children have all grown up."
Ten million—it was an unimaginable amount of money, truly too much.
Zhang Qin'ai was dumbstruck. "Little Maozi, can ghost-catching really earn this much money?"
Chu Hao waved his hand. "There's no shortage of rich people, and they care even more about their own lives. Sister Qin Ai, you shouldn't have to sell clothes for others anymore. I'm planning to open a branch office soon. Come and help me."
Zhang Qin'ai asked excitedly, "Can... can I really do it?"
"If my sister can't do it, who can?" Chu Hao said with a laugh.
Zhang Qin'ai smiled. "Alright, it looks sister is going to join your crew."
Ju Desheng whispered, "Little Maozi, is Brother Gou up for it?"
Chu Hao laughed. "You'll need to tone down that ruffian act of yours, or people will think we're common thugs."
Ju Desheng quickly replied, "This ruffian act of mine is mostly out of necessity. Who actually *wants* to live a disorderly life on the streets?"
For the people at the orphanage, Chu Hao would lend a hand whenever he could. Besides, they were all genuine folks, not outsiders.
At this moment, the old Dean asked, "Little Maozi, you said Liu Zhenqiang's brow was dark, that his life could be in danger. Is that true?"
Chu Hao didn't hide anything. "Yes, I reckon he's going to run into trouble tonight."
The old Dean grew anxious. "Then you have to help him! Our orphanage has benefited greatly from Little Zhen's father's care over the years. We're all from the same town. Knowing he might be in trouble and doing nothing about it... this old man's heart just couldn't bear it."
Grandma Ji, standing nearby, shot him a sidelong glance. "You want Little Maozi to help him? Then what about our Little Maozi?"
The old Dean was troubled by this too.
Chu Hao smiled. "Saving his life is possible. It's likely to rain heavily tonight. Everyone should stay inside and go to bed early. The orphanage grounds are very safe; we have the old willow tree protecting us."
No sooner had Chu Hao spoken than it began to rain outside. The rain grew heavier and heavier, as though a hole had been punched in the sky. The wind howled, roaring like an angry dragon. It had already reached typhoon levels.
Everyone cried out in surprise; it really had started raining.
Ju Desheng swallowed hard. "This rain... it wouldn't be because those Water Zombies are about to come ashore, would it?"
Chu Hao nodded. "Tonight's the night."
Zhang Qin'ai asked worriedly, "You're going out?"
Chu Hao laughed. "It's just a few Water Zombies. I'll go eliminate them so they don't cause trouble in town."
Hearing Chu Hao's words, everyone found it incredible.
Chu Hao had completely changed since his return this time. He was even going to eliminate Water Zombies. He used to be quite timid; that's why everyone called him Little Maozi.
Zhang Qin'ai said, "I'm going with you."
"The wind outside is too strong. I'm worried about you out there. I'll be fine by myself."
Grandma Ji told all the children to go to sleep. Unexpectedly, the rain grew heavier, and the wind picked up even more. To call it a torrential downpour would be an understatement; it was a tempest.
The old Dean gazed out the window at the raging storm. "This rain is so heavy," he exclaimed. "It rained once before, forty years ago. Back then, half the town was flooded. When the waters receded, many corpses appeared along the banks of the Yellow River. I was called to help bury them."
The few people in the room listened to the old Dean recount the events of that year, their eyes wide with astonishment.
Ju Desheng said, "Grandpa Dean, is that a true story? I always thought you were just bragging."