Chapter 441 - 170: Prefectural School
Chapter 441: Chapter 170: Prefectural School
They didn’t think much of it. But as they were strolling through the courtyard that evening, they unexpectedly found themselves in the two uncleaned rear courtyards.
There in the courtyard’s weeds, they saw a tiny puppy, yelping softly.
The little puppy was covered in dirt, with two dried leaves perched comically on its head. It looked timidly at Chen Wanqing and Zhao Jing, taking two fearful steps back.
But perhaps it was too hungry, or perhaps it was because Chen Wanqing didn’t give off the air of a bad person, because it tentatively took a step forward. When the two of them didn’t react, it took two more.
It didn’t stop until its shrunken belly was pressing against Chen Wanqing’s shoe and its front paws were clutching her dress.
"Woof~"
"Jing... Jing, isn’t this the little puppy we saw at the dog market? It looks so familiar..."
Even as she said it, Chen Wanqing couldn’t help but shake her head. "How could that be? The dog market is so far from our home, a good half-hour’s journey... Maybe all puppies this age just look alike?"
"It’s that same little pup."
Zhao Jing shattered her self-deception, then squatted down and picked the puppy up.
The puppy squealed and yelped, trying its best to look fierce, but at only two months old, how could it possibly be a match for a grown man?
In the end, all it managed was a flurry of "puppy punches," which only made the lady of the house laugh.
Chen Wanqing laughed, her heart softening. She reached out and stroked the puppy’s belly. "It must be hungry. Speaking of which, where is that big wolfhound? I don’t see... Ah!"
Before the words were even out of her mouth, Chen Wanqing sensed a black whirlwind sweeping toward them from a short distance away.
With a ferocious "WOOF!", the large wolfhound appeared before them in the blink of an eye, a rabbit dangling from its mouth.
Blood trickled from its eye sockets, its body was spattered with more, and a gory rabbit was still clamped in its jaws. The sight terrified Chen Wanqing, making her go limp and cry out in shock.
...
A short while later, Xiang’er and De’an were squatting on the ground, watching the puppy eat from a safe distance.
The puppy, as if sensing a threat, quickly turned its back to them. It worked hard at chewing its food, keeping its chubby rear pointed at the onlookers to prevent them from stealing its meal.
But who would dare?
The large wolfhound was lying next to it, looking casual and carefree on the surface, but in reality, it was poised to strike.
If they made the slightest wrong move, the mother dog would undoubtedly snap their necks in an instant.
’Terrifying, absolutely terrifying!’
"Sister, they’re done eating. Why aren’t they leaving? Don’t tell me they plan to claim this place as their own?"
"Brother De’an, and you call yourself a scholar? Is that really the right way to use that idiom?"
"What else, then? Would ’pulling a fast one’ be more fitting?"
Xiang’er: "..."
"Forget it. No one’s using these two rear courtyards for now anyway. Let’s just let the mother and her pup stay here. We’ll just act like none of this happened. Come on, it’s getting late. Everyone, go get some rest."
Since Chen Wanqing had spoken, the matter was settled.
From that day on, the mother dog and her pup made the rear courtyard their home.
The mother dog was extremely vigilant. If anyone dared to approach her territory, she would bare her sharp fangs, a show of force to make them retreat.
The puppy, however, was charmingly naive and had no concept of being shy around strangers.
Perhaps because it felt a connection with Chen Wanqing, or maybe just due to its naturally playful spirit, it would always take the opportunity to sneak into the front courtyard whenever its mother was out hunting for food.
Its sense of smell was remarkably sharp; it could always find Chen Wanqing with pinpoint accuracy.
How could anyone resist such a tiny creature? Its yelps were soft and squeaky, its movements comically adorable. It knew how to act cute, and when it got sleepy, it would try to climb up your dress, wanting you to hold it while it slept. Who could possibly dislike it? And who would have the heart to shoo it away?
Before Chen Wanqing could even succumb, Mrs. Zhao and Xiang’er had already completely fallen for the puppy’s chubby charms.
"Let’s keep it."
"It doesn’t even eat that much. I can spare a couple of bites from my own meals every day, and that’ll be enough for it."
"Weren’t we planning to buy a dog anyway? This one showed up on our doorstep for free. For it to find us like this, it must be fate. Let’s just adopt it."
Chen Wanqing looked at the two pairs of pleading eyes across from her, their expressions identical, and couldn’t help but smile.
"Mother, Xiang’er, it’s not that I disagree, but this puppy has a mother. Whether it stays or goes is for the mother dog to decide."
"Oh, that’s simple enough," Mrs. Zhao said. "These animals are very clever. We’ll treat them well with good food and drink, and let’s see if the mother still tries to take her pup away. If we can win over the puppy, the mother might decide to stay as well. Then we’ll really have hit the jackpot!"
Chen Wanqing nodded. "That makes sense."