Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

  When Zhang Zian relayed the situation of insects and plagues to Grandma Gu, he tried to keep his voice down so that Deputy Director Yan would not hear it. He often sneaked a peek at her, fearing that she would jump up from her seat, come over, and oppose the idea.

  Alas, what he was afraid of had come. He’d merely mentioned the word “pesticide.” Deputy Director Yan was like a cat that had just had its tail stepped on.

  “Spray pesticides on the street? No! No! No! No!” She shook her head vigorously. Without reason, she rattled off her four nos.

  “It’s not spraying on the street, it’s spraying the trees next to the street……” Zhang Zian tried to explain.

  “No!” she said. “There are so many pregnant women, old people, and children on this street. Their physiques will not be as strong as those of young men. How can you spray pesticides? Are you trying to harm people and make a fortune off this?”


  With this point mentioned, Zhang Zian was left rather speechless, unable to give a rebuttal.

  However, why would the pesticides be so terrible? When they were applied, it was always in a diluted form. In addition, pesticides were strictly not meant for consumption…… Besides, the fruits and vegetables that people ate on a daily basis were already treated with pesticides. Did people not wash them off before eating them? How many people could afford to eat organic vegetables for three meals every day?

  The young civil servants in the office stared at their computer screens with a dull look, pretending not to hear the commotion.

  Only Grandma Gu tried the defuse the situation. “Oh, Little Yan, you are too easily riled up. At least listen to everything that he has to say……”


  “Big Sister Gu, it is not that I don’t want to give you some respect. However, as long as I stay in this office, I will never spray pesticides on the streets!” Deputy Director Yan’s face was like steel. After saying this, perhaps even she thought that it was rather dramatic. She followed up and added, “It won’t work for now, at least in the short term. In three months……you can discuss it again.”


  People in the office knew what she meant. Her daughter-in-law’s expected date of birth was within the next three months.

  Three months……

  Zhang Zian smiled bitterly.

  In the summer, there was rain for at least half the days of every month here in the coastal city. When rain fell, the insect outbreak may occur. How could they possibly wait for three months?

  “This…… Then the pesticides that are used on food—are they non-toxic versions as well?” Grandma Gu gave Zhang Zian a look as she said this.

  “No poison? A pesticide that is non-poisonous?” Deputy Director Yan said with a sneer. She turned around and said to a young civil servant, “Xiao Jing, you check online and see what information is there. Do such pesticides exist?”


  After assigning the task, she also deliberately smiled at Zhang Zian and said, “You young people like to check things online, so we shall do that too. Whether or not there is poison, let’s see what is said online.”


  Xiao Jing did not dare to work slowly, immediately searched for the cypermethrin Zhang Zian had mentioned, and read. “Heated over 220°C, this substance decomposes to form cyanide gas…… Moderately toxic, highly toxic to fish, highly poisonous to bees and silkworms……”


  “Cyanide!”


  Deputy Director Yan was now clearly agitated. Her eyeballs looked like they were about to pop out of her eye sockets. To her, cyanide was just like arsenic. What damage could it cause if it was rampantly sprayed on the streets?

  “No! No! No! Absolutely not! I don’t agree with this at all!”


  She slammed another table and kicked its leg. Her behavior absolutely did not allow others to speak or explain.

  Was cypermethrin toxic? Of course. If it weren’t, how could it poison caterpillars? The description also mentioned that it was highly poisonous to bees and silkworms, which was why this pesticide was the most effective for eliminating various caterpillars.

  Dosage aside, if they just talked about the toxicity, they were missing the point. Besides, how big were the caterpillars? The cypermethrin could be diluted with water to the extent that it could only poison caterpillars. At that level of concentration, it was arguably less toxic than smog in the sky. After all, people would at most inhale it, not drink it……

  Moreover, there were still many ways to reduce the impact on people. If they sprayed it in the middle of the night, it would hardly affect anyone. After a few hours, when the sun started rising, the residual pesticides would have already been blown away by the wind……

  Or they could pay attention to the local weather forecast. They could choose to spray it once before the rain came so that the rain could wash away the residual pesticide.

  As for cyanide, it was necessary to heat the cypermethrin to more than 220 degrees Celsius to decompose it into cyanide gas. Who would do that?

  As long as the mind did not engage in slippery-slope fallacy thinking, there were always more solutions than problems. However, if the director refused to hear them out and seriously consider the feasibility of spraying pesticides, then there was really no way to do so.

  Deputy Director Yan kept up her refusal and displayed an attitude that suggested she may be highly unreasonable. She claimed that her responsibility was to pregnant women, the elderly, and the children, but her actions suggested otherwise. Yet Zhang Zian could not say this to her.

  He and Grandma Gu reluctantly looked at each other. Since the director was a tough nut to crack, there was no need to talk further. After all, there was no requirement to stay longer and quarrel with this crazy woman.

  “Well……then, Grandma Gu, I shall make a move first.” He stood up to get ready. However, he had not given up completely. He planned to wait for the day when the strict director was absent and try again.

  “Well, Little Zhang Zian, you have many things to settle in your store. Please go ahead. After what you’ve told me, Grandma Gu will seriously consider your proposal.”


  Grandma Gu did not feel good about what Zhang Zian had experienced. She stood up to walk Zhang Zian out.

  “Huh? Wait.”


  Deputy Director Yan suddenly stopped Zhang Zian and looked at him suspiciously.

  He thought she’d changed her mind. Alas, it was not what he’d expected. She said, “You are the one who opened a pet shop on this street? Do you know that the parasites on cats and dogs are harmful to pregnant women as well? Someone reported that there were some stray dogs on the streets some days ago. Did they run away from your store?”


  Zhang Zian was quiet for a second.

  He’d come here for public welfare and asked for help from the street office. If they were unable to come to an agreement, he had no choice but to accept the decision. A disagreement was a disagreement. He could only wait and see what the outcome of the inaction would be…… However, he hadn’t expected that he himself would be persecuted as well.

  “No no. No dog from my shop ever got lost. The stray dogs are not the dogs in my shop. I have small and medium dogs in the store. There are no especially big dogs…… Besides, the dogs and cats in my shop are vaccinated. They are dewormed. They are usually kept in the store and do not come in contact with pregnant women……”


  He quickly defended himself, albeit rather incoherently. He did not think of arguing that the parasites on cats and dogs had no effect on pregnant women. Instead, he insisted that the cats and dogs in their stores had no parasites and would not be in contact with pregnant women.

  “Is that so?”


  Deputy Director Yan didn’t believe him. However, seeing that Zhang Zian and Big Sister Gu seemed familiar with one another, she did not pursue it further. After all, the pet shop was quite far from the Donghua Community. It probably wouldn’t have any impact on her area. She would take it as a show of respect to Big Sister Gu. Besides, she would rather save her energy for later to deal with the old man who was her neighbor.

  Zhang Zian hurriedly left. He felt like he was a squirrel trying to escape the Devil’s Sea. He did not take up Grandma Gu’s offer to see him out.

  When he left the small courtyard of the street office, he was finally able to calm down a little.

  Forget it—he’d tried to be kind and help the community. Yet people did not seem to care, so what else could he do? He should just honestly and kindly look after himself.

  He shook his head and turned around to walk back to the pet shop.