Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 182 - 151 Teacher Feng_1

Chapter 182: Chapter 151 Teacher Feng_1

Having finally had a good night’s sleep, Mo Xiaoguang was overjoyed. He slept straight through to noon the next day, and after a sufficient amount of sleep, his entire state of mind was completely different.

When he chatted with Bai Lu, he mentioned this to Bai Lu, who said, "It must be because of the koi fish at Brother Yi’s place!"

In Bai Lu’s mind, all achievements were attributed to the koi fish, pushing aside any dream interpretation experts.

Yesterday, when he went home, he showed his dad the video he took of the plump koi fish on his phone, and his dad said that not just anyone could raise koi fish to such a size.

However, the first thing that came to everyone’s mind when they saw such plump koi fish was: The feed these fish are being given must contain some weird hormones.

Bai Lu didn’t care what others thought, he firmly believed it was all thanks to the good feng shui at Feng Yi’s home! The nourishment of feng shui was what made the fish so robust!

Mo Xiaoguang didn’t care about whether it was feng shui or not; he simply hoped that his sleep would continue to improve.

And just as he wished, over the next two or three days, Mo Xiaoguang’s nightly sleep greatly improved.

Some people analyzed it for him, saying it might be the subtle sounds of the rhythm of the fish moving in the aquarium, which had a hypnotic effect.

Mo Xiaoguang found this explanation more convincing. The koi at Feng Yi’s place were indeed quite lively. If the fish ever became less active, he could only... send the two fish back for a while.

No matter what, being able to solve his sleep issue made Mo Xiaoguang happy. He made a special appointment with Feng Yi and Bai Lu to eat out at Bai Lu’s restaurant.

The popularity of Bai Lu’s restaurant was through the roof. Several of the new dishes had become internet sensations—you’d have to wait for a table no matter when you went, and private dining rooms had to be booked days in advance.

But with Bai Lu around, things were much more convenient.

With just the three of them, eating, drinking, and chatting were much more relaxed.

Mo Xiaoguang boasted to Feng Yi about his past fishing achievements and proposed that they go sea fishing together some time to experience the allure of deep-sea fishing.

Bai Lu paid attention to the frequency with which Feng Yi picked up food with his chopsticks, knowing that Feng Yi was very satisfied with his family’s dishes. He asked, "Brother Yi, are you going to spend New Year in Yang City?"

Mo Xiaoguang also remembered that Feng Yi hadn’t been in Yang City for the past few years, only arriving after the Mid-Autumn Festival this year.

He had a good impression of Feng Yi. With an expert like him around, he didn’t have to worry about venomous snakes or giant pythons, and his feeling of safety had increased several levels. He even wanted to invite Feng Yi to go sea fishing before the New Year. How could he make plans if Feng Yi wasn’t in Yang City? So he also looked towards Feng Yi.

Feng Yi paused with his chopsticks in mid-air, "New Year? Maybe, it depends on whether I have other things to do at that time."

In the years he spent in Rong City, he almost always spent New Year’s working or moonlighting. This year was somewhat special, and there were also some new faces in his family; he wasn’t sure if they had other plans for the New Year, so he planned to give them time off.

He would ask them when he got back.

Bai Lu said, "If you’re in Yang City for New Year’s, you can book the New Year’s Eve dinner at our restaurant. Even if you don’t want to come to the restaurant, you can order the dishes in advance and we’ll have someone deliver them to your home at the appointed time."

Feng Yi was surprised, "It’s just early December now, New Year’s Eve is at the end of January; there is so much time in between. Is your family restaurant already taking bookings for New Year’s Eve dinner?"

Bai Lu said with a hint of pride, "Yes, we’ve already got many bookings! Many people in Yang City have their New Year’s Eve dinner with their families in restaurants. Actually, it’s the same for our family; we almost always spend it at our own restaurant. On New Year’s Eve, my dad and my brother are very busy, so we prepare our family’s New Year’s Eve dinner in the restaurant too. The only difference is which restaurant it is."

Feng Yi nodded, "Okay, I’ll see how things are when the time comes."

Bai Lu responded cheerfully, "Then, Brother Yi, just let me know once you’ve decided, and I’ll handle it."

Feng Yi drove himself to the dinner and didn’t drink, so he didn’t ask Jia to come pick him up.

When dining out, Feng Yi was very cautious about drinking; he was afraid that if he got drunk, he might do something shocking.

After the meal, Mo Xiaoguang and Bai Lu went off to frolic with their friends, inviting Feng Yi along, but he declined.

After leaving the restaurant, Feng Yi didn’t rush back home; instead, he drove around the city.

He didn’t have much time to think about things like New Year’s Eve dinners and felt only a brief hint of melancholy before he began to ponder how to make more money. The pressure of providing for the family left him no time for melancholic thoughts.

What he was anxious about now was setting up the basic infrastructure of the lab and equipping it with some instruments as soon as possible, to recruit doctors quickly.

After parking his car at the riverside park’s lot, Feng Yi strolled along the river walkway, contemplating deeply as he enjoyed the breeze.

The ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts. Looking at the caller ID, it was an unfamiliar number, but it didn’t seem like a marketing call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, may I speak with Teacher Feng, Feng Yi?" A very young female’s voice came from the other end of the line.

Feng Yi: "..."

Teacher? Me?

However, he quickly realized that it was just a polite form of address.

"I am Feng Yi."

"Hello, Teacher Feng, I am from the expert committee office of the Union Preservation Bureau..."

As soon as the person on the other end mentioned "Union Preservation Bureau," Feng Yi perked up. Facing the river, he listened to the person talking and absentmindedly flicked a kicked soccer ball back to its owner.

Not far off, an old man was kicking a ball with his four or five-year-old grandson by the riverside. The old man hadn’t expected his grandson’s kick to send the ball flying. Watching the ball head towards the river and noticing a young man standing with his back to them, the old man was about to call out a warning. However, he quickly saw the ball veer off course due to the wind, flying just past the passerby and towards the river.

It was somewhat disappointing that once the ball flew off, it would be irretrievable, but at least it hadn’t hit anyone.

Before he could even let out a sigh of relief, he saw the person facing away from them, without even turning his head, casually flick the ball back in his direction. The force wasn’t too strong, and it flew straight back to them.

The old man was stunned for a moment, then caught the ball that was returned to him.

He opened his mouth to say something but didn’t know what to say. He wanted to go thank the man, but seeing that he was busy talking on the phone, he didn’t want to disturb him. So he simply raised his voice a bit to say thanks and left with his grandson.

Feng Yi didn’t pay much attention to the grandfather and grandson behind him.

"Yes, the two pythons at the resort were caught by me... Florida python hunting? Oh, okay... Yeah, I’ll take a look later."

After hanging up the phone, Feng Yi opened his email and found a blank application form from the expert committee office of the Union Preservation Bureau, inviting him to participate in January’s Florida python hunting event.

Was this the "good thing with both fame and fortune" that Wei Hongxun had mentioned to him?

The python hunting was to take place in a subtropical coastal marsh abroad, a place he had heard Steve complain about. At home, these pythons were a protected species, but there they were invasive, throwing the local ecology into chaos and posing a threat to residents.

Feng Yi browsed through the electronic application form he had just received. It contained a brief description of the event.

This python hunt wasn’t about slaughtering. Many tools were strictly prohibited, including bait traps, chemical agents, and power tools, among others.

Most of the time, the capture had to be done by hand, and Feng Yi’s specialty was capturing without using any tools. It was no wonder the Union Preservation Bureau had invited him.

The pythons caught during the event couldn’t be taken out of Florida. They were to be purchased afterward by local departments, the Union Preservation Bureau, and cooperating organizations.

Feng Yi thought for a moment, then messaged Steve, who was free and up for a voice call.

Knowing Feng Yi had received an invitation too, Steve was particularly excited, "I’m familiar with python hunting! I’ll take you with me!"

Feng Yi wanted to understand more about the event, so Steve explained, "Before the climate anomaly, it was direct hunting, and we could even eat snake meat, but that’s not allowed anymore..."

Feng Yi was puzzled, "I remember you saying that most pythons there were wiped out during the climate anomaly."

Steve explained, "Yes, they were almost wiped out during the climate anomaly, but not completely. Some survived, and there are new hybrid and mutant breeds that made it through the climate anomaly. These are now the dominant forces in the marsh, and their numbers are clearly on the rise. This python hunt is targeting them.

"If we let them carry on like this, the entire marsh ecosystem will be doomed. Once they start thriving, the populations of mammals in the marsh would diminish by over 99%, even crocodiles are starving. It’s a dire situation. However, these pythons are not easy to catch; not many can be captured in a month..."

When it came to serious ecological issues, Steve no longer referred to the pythons as "little cuties" or "big cuties."

"Small pythons are cheap, around 1000 yuan for one that’s two meters, maybe even less than 1000 yuan, depending on whether it’s male or female. For large pythons, like the two you caught—those made the news—if they are that size, many people would compete to buy them, and the price would be high, possibly in the five or six-figure range, depending on the specifics of the python."

"That expensive?" Feng Yi was surprised.

Steve explained, "Large pythons are useful for their research. They’ve discovered several genetic mutation sites and different research teams want to understand why these pythons from Florida became stronger and more adaptable to the environment after the climate anomaly."

Small pythons didn’t provide enough data, but the big ones were too hard to catch.

"You have to catch them alive. Dead snakes fetch a lower price, and if they’re dead, you might be investigated for any illegal hunting methods used. That can be quite troublesome. The strict limitations on tools are due to concerns about potential negative impacts on the local ecology and to curb those who might use overly harsh methods. The animal protection law is still in place, and the Union Preservation Bureau is watching. This year’s python hunt is significant, with twice as many participants as previous years. For you, this is an opportunity—you can earn money, get points, and even register with the Union Preservation Bureau."

Feng Yi thought to himself: Isn’t this a stroke of luck? A giant python could be exchanged for tens of thousands of yuan!

Then, considering the prices of the equipment listed in the product catalog, Feng Yi pondered: How many pythons should he catch to strike the right balance between not appearing too eager and alleviating financial pressure?

As he mulled this over, he heard Steve add, "But you have to consider, you won’t be able to spend New Year’s at home."

Upon hearing that, and seeing the dates and duration of the event on the application form, Feng Yi realized he indeed wouldn’t be able to spend New Year’s at home.

There’s no need to fret about New Year’s Eve dinner!

Steve asked, "So, are you going to participate?"

"I am!"