The Civil Servant's Job is to Raise The Furries!-Chapter 136: House Collapse

"They took the money and did a half-baked job, and still deceived me."

"This is a matter of life and death! How dare they do this."

"My sister even said those things, as if I’m not family."

Bao Sufen, the cafeteria lady, was tearfully complaining to Aunt Pan, who was in charge of hygiene. When she saw Xu Ying come in, she quickly wiped her tears with a tissue, got up from the chair, and warmly greeted Xu Ying.

Bao Sufen’s voice still had a hint of choking, leaving a sour feeling in one’s heart. "Yingying, you haven’t eaten at this hour yet! Let me heat up some food for you."

"Thank you, Aunt." Xu Ying put his backpack on the chair and carefully placed the airline box containing the Big-eared Hedgehog on the table. "Yeah, I just came back from a mission in Zone 026."

"Oh, don’t be polite with me, I should thank headquarters for giving me such a good job."

Bao Sufen waved her hand, put on a mask and gloves, and went into the kitchen.

Aunt Bao is in her fifties. Her son and daughter-in-law were desert workers, doing survey-related work. Three years ago, her son and daughter-in-law fell victim to a quicksand trap and lost their lives, leaving behind grandchildren who live with Aunt Bao.

Aunt Bao is an excellent cook. After learning about Aunt Bao’s situation, the headquarters arranged for her to work in the rescue station cafeteria, allowing her grandchildren to eat there for free, saving the family a significant amount on food expenses.

Xu Ying turned to Aunt Pan, the cleaner: "Aunt Pan, what were you talking about? Who got scammed? It sounds serious."

"Oh, it’s because our village has a lot of wooden houses, right?"

Aunt Pan sighed while wiping the dining table. "Wooden houses have many problems, but people don’t have the money for new ones, so they just patch them up and make do. When there’s a problem, they solve it simply."

"Lately, there’s been a white ant infestation. Some families are particularly severe. Three days ago, the kitchen beam of the old Ma family, my next-door neighbor, collapsed due to termite damage! It was terrifying; luckily, no one was in the kitchen at the time."

Recalling the collapse scene, Aunt Pan still felt scared. Even the stove was crushed, let alone if someone was inside.

The village where Aunt Bao and Aunt Pan live is called Da Huyang Village, located in a desert oasis primarily composed of Poplar Forest, about four or five kilometers from the rescue station headquarters.

Besides farming, many villagers of Da Huyang Village make a living by working for or delivering goods to the rescue station. The village houses are old ones made of local poplar wood.

"An experienced old village chief visited each resident. If we don’t address the termite infestation soon, everyone’s house will become uninhabitable."

Aunt Pan frowned, as her own home’s situation was also dire. "I’ve also heard that termites are not just bad for houses; they’re bad for people too."

Xu Ying nodded in agreement. Termites not only damage houses but also gnaw on household items. Their secretions and carcasses, along with mold in their nests, can cause asthma, rhinitis, and skin allergies.

"The white ant infestation in Bao Sufen’s house is also very severe. She has two children, and apart from her as the only elder, no one else is there to care for the kids. If something goes wrong with the infestation, she can’t afford it."

Thinking about Bao Sufen’s situation, Aunt Pan sighed. Sufen is truly unfortunate, losing her son and now facing difficulties alone at her age over fifty.

"Sufen is really worried and anxious about this white ant situation. She asked around everywhere and heard an introduction from the villagers about a professional bio-tech company dealing in termite removal called Tai Lin Biological, so she contacted them immediately."

"She ended up spending a thousand yuan on a solution, yet the termite problem in her house wasn’t solved. Tai Lin Biological then said the situation was too severe, that the medicine wasn’t enough, and recommended a 20,000-yuan professional service package."

"You know the situation in our county, it’s just tiny, and even finding termite control is difficult."

"To make matters worse, Tai Lin Biological was introduced to Aunt Bao by her cousin, whose daughter’s husband is a salesperson for Tai Lin Biological."

"Aunt Bao, thinking of the two kids at home, gritted her teeth and paid a ten-thousand-yuan deposit."

Hearing this, Xu Ying felt sorry, already guessing the outcome. This ten-thousand-yuan was certainly gone with no result, and the infestation still unresolved. Sometimes having acquaintances is helpful; sometimes, they backstab you. Especially in business, you’re easily exploited by acquaintances."

"You can probably guess what happened next; the money was spent with no effect."

"Aunt Bao started both seeking justice and warning the villagers not to trust Tai Lin Biological. She reported it to the police, but it wasn’t classified as pure fraud, and the police suggested Sue Tai Lin Biological."

Xu Ying furrowed his brows even tighter upon hearing this. Aunt Bao has it tough, having to take care of the grandkids and seek justice.

She thought the matter ended there, but wasn’t expecting Aunt Pan to become even angrier as she spoke.

"But here’s the infuriating part. Tai Lin Biological didn’t run away; instead, they aggressively promoted in the village, falsely accusing Sufen of refusing to pay the balance and defaming their company. They also claimed Sufen didn’t follow their instructions, which is why the termites weren’t eradicated."

"Now they’re causing a stir in the village, accusing Sufen of trying to blackmail the company into refunding the service fee, thus securing money for her grandchildren."

Aunt Pan sighed heavily: "This Tai Lin Biological is sneaky. The solution they’re now selling to other villagers is different from what they gave Sufen. The new solution works fast, killing the termites on contact, which seems impressive."

"Seeing the efficacy, people started doubting Sufen’s words. To make things worse, Sufen’s own cousin is defending her daughter’s husband, accusing Sufen of being unfair."

"Now, hardly anyone in the village believes Sufen, leaving her in an awkward position."

Aunt Pan gritted her teeth, scrubbing forcefully, causing the cloth in her hand to make a squeaking sound against the stainless steel table: "I even suspect Sufen’s cousin knows Sufen got a compensation payment for her son’s death and is deliberately trying to take advantage of her compensation."

Having grown up with Aunt Bao, knowing each other for fifty years, Aunt Pan unconditionally trusted her old friend’s character.

At that moment, Aunt Bao came out carrying a tray.

She overheard some noise in the kitchen, and coming out, seeing the two talking, she guessed Aunt Pan had told Xu Ying about being scammed by Tai Lin Biological.

She looked reproachfully at Aunt Pan: "That’s enough, why are you telling this to the kids?"

"Don’t upset them; they just got off work and must be tired."

Aunt Pan looked embarrassed: "I was just thinking young people are good with the internet, maybe they could help us connect with a reliable pest control company."