BAOZI PET SHOP 48

Chapter 48: Big Dumpling and Little Dumpling

The consequence of Lin Xia’s softheartedness was this: the big white tiger followed him right into the bedroom, radiating an attitude that clearly said, “I’m not leaving, even if you try to kick me out.”

Lin Xia couldn’t do anything about it, so he had to let the big white tiger “enter the inner sanctum.” Having succeeded in his scheme, the big white tiger followed behind Lin Xia, tail wagging happily.

Suddenly, just as he was about to climb onto the bed, the big white tiger noticed something lying on the large mattress covered in blue cartoon sheets… a little tiger cub.

The cub was pure white and flawless, save for a cute pink nose. He was a tiny little ball of fluff, looking just like a small cloud floating in the sky.

Under the big white tiger’s unblinking gaze, the little tiger cub rolled over, exposing his belly and pink paw pads to the air. His little tummy rose and fell with his breathing, and the corners of his mouth were turned up slightly, as if he were having a sweet dream.

The big white tiger lay by the bedside, watching the cub intently without moving a muscle. He extended a claw, wanting to touch the cub, but feared hurting him. He wanted to roar out in joy, but worried he would wake the little one.

“Ao?” The excited big white tiger turned his head to look at Lin Xia, seemingly having a question to ask. Seeing the stars sparkling in the tiger’s eyes, Lin Xia knew exactly what he wanted to ask—

“Ao! Is this our cub?”

The big white tiger’s voice trembled into a wavy line, filled with both nervousness and anticipation.

Lin Xia nodded at him. The big white tiger’s eyes immediately widened in surprise, filled with the kind of ecstasy one feels after winning the lottery.

He looked at Lin Xia, then back at the little tiger cub. The softest part of his heart had been struck, melting into a puddle of water.

“It’s late, time to sleep.” Seeing the big white tiger behave this way, Lin Xia felt his heart swell with emotion. Suddenly, he realized that Tang Yinlang turning into an amnesiac white tiger wasn’t such a bad thing. It meant they didn’t have to worry about gains and losses, nor did they need to make excuses to explain the unhappy parts of their past. It neatly avoided any awkwardness. The family had gone in circles, only to finally recognize each other in such an unexpected situation.

“Goodnight.” Lin Xia kissed the big white tiger on the forehead. Without waiting to see the tiger’s reaction, he turned off the lights.

“Ao!” Goodnight! The big white tiger touched the spot where Lin Xia had kissed him with his paw, grinning so wide his mouth almost reached his ears.

…

“Awoo…”

In the morning, the first thing the white dumpling did upon waking was look for Papa.

He turned his head and saw Lin Xia, but to his surprise, he also saw a Big White Dumpling.

“Awoo?” Is this An An? The white dumpling climbed onto Lin Xia to observe this large-sized white dumpling.

Awoo! That’s An An’s fur, An An’s claws, An An’s whiskers, An An’s nose… What’s going on? Has An An grown up?

The white dumpling looked at his own paws, then looked at the Big Dumpling, unable to figure it out for a moment.

The light-sleeping big white tiger opened his eyes to find a little tiger cub wearing a confused expression, staring at him with intense focus.

“Ao!” Good morning! The big white tiger wanted to say “Good morning, Baby,” but he didn’t know the cub’s name. Would calling him “Baby” be too cheesy? Would it leave a bad impression on the cub?

“Awoo…” Scared the tiger to death…

The Big Dumpling suddenly “coming back to life” startled the white dumpling. He hid behind Lin Xia, cautiously poking his head out to observe the Big Dumpling separated from him by Lin Xia’s body.

The Big Dumpling’s eyes were blue too, just like An An’s. Mmh, Big Dumpling must be An An after he grows up!

Thinking that the Big Dumpling was just a grown-up version of himself, the white dumpling wasn’t afraid anymore. He sat up properly and greeted the Big Dumpling.

“Awoo!” Good morning, Big An An!

“Ao?” Who is Big An An? The Big Dumpling was confused.

“Good morning.” While the Big Dumpling and Little Dumpling were “Awoo-ing” back and forth, Lin Xia woke up. He pretended to still be asleep to watch their reaction, but when he heard the white dumpling say “Big An An,” he couldn’t help but want to laugh.

“Ao” / “Awoo!” Good morning (Papa)! Seeing Lin Xia awake, both dumplings immediately shifted their attention to him.

“Baby, Uncle Tang is back.” Lin Xia scooped the white dumpling onto his chest, smoothing the cub’s fur as he spoke.

“Awoo?” Where is Uncle Tang? The white dumpling looked left and right, trying to find Tang Yinlang.

“Right here.” Lin Xia pointed at the big white tiger. Sure enough, the white dumpling looked completely bewildered.

“Awoo?” Isn’t this Big An An? How did he become Uncle Tang?

“Uncle Tang is Baby’s Papa. Just like Baby, he is a white tiger of the Shifter race,” Lin Xia explained patiently.

“Awoo?” Uncle Tang is An An’s other Papa? The white dumpling knew he had another father, and he had previously prepared himself to accept Tang Yinlang as that father. But the white dumpling hadn’t expected Tang Yinlang to be his other father.

What to do? An An is so happy!

“Mmh-hmm.” Lin Xia nodded. A brilliant smile bloomed on the white dumpling’s face, and he excitedly climbed from Lin Xia onto the Big Dumpling.

“Awoo!” It’s a big tiger! A tiger that looks exactly like An An!

The white dumpling was overjoyed. Finally, a tiger just like him had appeared. In the white dumpling’s life, he only knew He Xiaobao as another Shifter, and He Xiaobao was a little wolf-dog, not a little tiger. Although Lin Xia and Chen Mingjie loved him very much, the white dumpling still felt lonely sometimes. It was the loneliness of being different, with no one around sharing his form.

With the white dumpling suddenly pouncing on him, the big white tiger didn’t dare move. He was afraid if he moved, the white dumpling would fall off. He tensed his body, stiff as a statue.

“Awoo…” Uncle Tang, An An is so happy… The white dumpling burrowed into the big white tiger’s warm embrace, rubbing his fuzzy head against the tiger’s chest.

Forgive the white dumpling for still calling him Uncle Tang; switching to “Papa” would probably take some time to get used to.

The big white tiger was charmed by the white dumpling’s actions. He lifted a paw and gently stroked the little cub.

Seeing the heartwarming scene of the Big Dumpling and Little Dumpling together, Lin Xia didn’t want to disturb them. He let them play while he went to make breakfast.

After Lin Xia went downstairs, the white dumpling led the big white tiger to see his treasures. The white dumpling’s treasures were kept in a special cabinet in the bedroom. It held his favorite toys and collections, things he usually couldn’t bear to take out.

“Ao?” What is this? The big white tiger discovered a thick photo album among the pile of items and was very intrigued.

“Awoo~” That is An An’s photo album. Seeing the tiger’s interest, the white dumpling pawed the album out.

When Lin Xia came out of the kitchen, he saw the big white tiger and the white dumpling sitting on the sofa, looking through something together. The big white tiger leaned against the sofa, and the white dumpling leaned against his chest. The two tigers flipped through the album, asking and answering questions.

“Ao?” When was this taken? the big white tiger asked.

“Awoo~” An An doesn’t know. The white dumpling looked at the photo of a tiny, curled-up, reddish thing with barely any fur and had no idea who it was.

“Awoo?” Papa, who is in this photo? the white dumpling asked Lin Xia as he approached.

Lin Xia walked over, looked at the photo, and said, “That is you when you were just born.”

“Awoo!” The white dumpling looked horrified. How could that be? He was clearly so good-looking. Look at his fur now—so thick, white, and soft. The little thing in the photo had pitifully sparse hair.

Ao! The white dumpling refused to admit that the ugly little thing in the photo was him.

“When you were first born, you were a little red ball. Your eyes weren’t open yet, and you just kept crying ‘mew mew’…” Lin Xia recalled the white dumpling’s newborn days, his eyes growing gentler. The big white tiger perked up his ears and listened intently, becoming more regretful the more he heard.

Ao! He wished so badly he could have personally participated in Lin Xia and the white dumpling’s past, rather than just listening to Lin Xia talk about it now.

Unaware of the big white tiger’s regret, Lin Xia sat down beside them and reviewed the white dumpling’s past through the photos.

Drinking milk, bathing, sleeping, playing… the first time climbing high, the first time eating ice cream, the first time playing Mahjong… This album recorded the white dumpling’s daily life and his countless “firsts.”

The big white tiger looked at the photos recording these moments and listened to the stories behind each one. His heart was moved, and his eyes grew slightly moist.

Ao! He really was a blissful big white tiger. He woke up to find he had a beloved wife and a cute tiger cub. He was truly so lucky!

The big white tiger wrapped his arms around Lin Xia and the tiger cub, as if trying to hide his most precious treasures away.

However, the hug didn’t last long before Lin Xia pushed him away. He needed to take the big white tiger and the white dumpling to brush their teeth, as the congee was almost ready.

Lin Xia helped brush the white dumpling’s teeth, while the big white tiger had to hold the toothbrush with two paws and brush his own. Feeling a bit depressed that he didn’t get the special treatment of having Lin Xia brush his teeth for him, he was a little sullen.

After brushing, Lin Xia served the congee and then went upstairs to wake the little hamster for breakfast.

When the little hamster woke up and saw a big white tiger that looked very much like the white dumpling, he thought he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes, realized it wasn’t an illusion, and looked at Lin Xia in confusion.

“This is An An’s Papa. He won’t hurt people.” Lin Xia didn’t intend to hide it from the little hamster, nor could he, since they lived together. Since that was the case, it was better to explain it directly.

“Hello…” The little hamster had no further questions after hearing Lin Xia. To him, whatever Lin Xia said was correct. He accepted the big white tiger’s existence and greeted him obediently.

“Ao!” Hello! The big white tiger replied politely. After replying, he secretly asked the white dumpling why there was someone else in the house.

The white dumpling told him the story of how Lin Xia took in the little hamster. Hearing this, the big white tiger looked proud. Ao! My partner is so kind. Truly beautiful and kindhearted…

At breakfast time, Lin Xia was at a loss with the big white tiger. How do you feed such a big tiger? He couldn’t just let the tiger eat off the floor, but if the tiger opened his mouth, he’d swallow a normal bowl whole…

“Ao!” Seeing Lin Xia’s dilemma, the big white tiger ran into the kitchen himself and carried out a basin in his mouth. It was a basin used for washing vegetables, but the tiger didn’t mind.

“I’ll go find a pot we don’t use for you.” Seeing the big white tiger with the basin in his mouth, wagging his tail and clearly waiting to be praised for his cleverness, Lin Xia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He took the basin away and went to the kitchen to find a spare pot to serve as the tiger’s bowl.

After breakfast, Chen Mingzong arrived on time to pick up the little hamster, and Lin Xia needed to take the white dumpling to the pet shop for work. But looking at the big white tiger circling around him, Lin Xia got a headache again.

What was he supposed to do with such a big one? He could take the little one out, but if he took the big one out, he’d get arrested, right?

Author’s Note:

Big White Tiger: “Ao! Is this our cub?” ╮(‵▽′)╭ Thanks to Qing Qing Qiu Chen for the landmine~ Mwah~

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