Chapter 63: Feeding Time
“Brother Lin, are you kidding me?!” Xiao Pang’s volume suddenly shot up, his face full of disbelief.
Asking him to lose weight? Wasn’t that practically killing him?!
“No joke. I’m serious. Only if you lose weight with Ergou will he be motivated,” Lin Xia said earnestly.
Xiao Pang slumped onto the sofa like a deflated balloon, his face bitter and his heart even more miserable.
He wasn’t the type who could lose weight. He didn’t even want to move; he just wanted to nest in the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, eating and drinking to his heart’s content. Moving was out of the question, let alone dieting.
“Just try it, for Ergou’s sake.” Lin Xia used Ergou as leverage, confident Xiao Pang wouldn’t refuse.
Xiao Pang was torn. On one side was Ergou, who was like family; on the other was his reluctance to diet. After thinking it over, Xiao Pang decided Ergou was more important. For Ergou, he would go all out. “Alright…”
After finishing the kibble his little master had given him, Ergou had sprawled out and fallen asleep, conserving energy for the coming resistance.
As he slept, chicken legs appeared in his dreams, pouncing toward him. So fragrant! Ergou tried to take a bite but missed, and instead got slapped awake.
“Ergou! You actually dared to bite me!” Xiao Pang’s hand had almost been chomped by Ergou. Fortunately, he reacted in time and pulled his hand away just before the jaws snapped shut.
“Woof?” Ergou woke up and looked at his little master blankly, wondering why the chicken leg had turned into Xiao Pang.
“So stupid!” Xiao Pang disdainfully helped the drooling Ergou up and made the dog follow him.
Ergou still listened to his little master. When Xiao Pang told him to follow, he followed, right into the pet exercise area.
“Woof?” Seeing the treadmill, Ergou had a bad premonition and tried to bolt. But because he was too fat, he was yanked back by Xiao Pang before he could take more than a few steps.
“Woof!” Ergou felt betrayed by his little master. How could his little master treat him like this! Ergou gave up resisting and flopped onto the ground in despair.
After pulling Ergou back, Xiao Pang ignored him. Instead, he took out the yoga mat Lin Xia had prepared for him, spread it out, and lay down on it.
Because he was so overweight, running would damage his knees, and he would have to run for at least half an hour before burning any fat, which was too difficult for him. Therefore, Lin Xia had downloaded some relatively simple fat-burning videos for him to follow, hoping for better results.
Under Ergou’s incredulous gaze, Xiao Pang started the video and began to move slowly along with it.
“Woof!” Little pooper scooper, have you gone crazy?! Ergou barked wildly, thinking Xiao Pang was possessed.
“Exercise makes me happy, la la la la la… I want to lose weight, la la la la la…” Xiao Pang moved with difficulty, but tried to look like he was happily exercising.
“Woof…” Ergou was deeply shaken. He couldn’t believe his eyes. How could his little pooper scooper do something so bizarre? He knew his little master’s temperament inside out—normally, if the mistress asked him to buy a bottle of soy sauce, he wouldn’t go, let alone exercise. Therefore, this exercising fatty in front of him definitely wasn’t his little pooper scooper!
However, ten minutes passed, and Xiao Pang was still going. When he really couldn’t move anymore, he would lie down and rest for a moment, then start moving again.
It had only been ten minutes, but to Xiao Pang, it felt as long as a century. The thought of giving up had crossed his mind, but thinking of Ergou, he gritted his teeth and persisted, daring not to show a hint of reluctance.
“Woof…” Ergou slowly shuffled over to the treadmill and barked for his little pooper scooper to turn it on.
Since his little master was trying so hard, how could he just watch from the sidelines? He wanted to join him!
Seeing Ergou voluntarily get on the treadmill, Xiao Pang was overjoyed. He happily turned it on for Ergou. Brother Lin was right—once he exercised, Ergou would follow suit.
Lin Xia set the treadmill to the slowest speed, similar to a slow walk, to let Ergou adapt first. Even so, it was a bit strenuous for Ergou.
“Go, Ergou!” Seeing Ergou almost slide off the treadmill, a panting Xiao Pang quickly cheered him on.
His little master’s encouragement gave Ergou motivation. Just as he was about to slide off, he scrambled back up, matched the treadmill’s pace, and even gave Xiao Pang a proud look, as if to say, I’m amazing!
Hiding in the back, Lin Xia watched the owner and pet cheering each other on with a gratified expression. He shared the good news with Big Sister Sui. She was delighted; she hadn’t expected that sending Ergou to lose weight would get Xiao Pang to lose weight too. Overjoyed, Big Sister Sui insisted on sending them big prawns for dinner.
Lin Xia declined the offer and instead instructed Big Sister Sui to control Xiao Pang and Ergou’s diet once they got home, ensuring they didn’t overeat or consume high-calorie foods. He also sent her a diet plan for both of them. Big Sister Sui was very proactive and immediately decided to cook according to Lin Xia’s recipes.
“What if Xiao Pang throws a tantrum?” Big Sister Sui asked worriedly. Xiao Pang was used to rich meals of fish and meat. Switching suddenly to plain food might make him act out, and once he cried, neither she nor her husband knew what to do.
“If you truly want what’s best for Xiao Pang, be a little ruthless. Otherwise, everything we’ve done will be in vain.” Lin Xia knew Big Sister Sui had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Although she often scolded Xiao Pang, she spoiled him terribly, as evidenced by his constant spicy strip consumption. They all knew eating too many spicy strips was bad, but they still tacitly allowed it.
Lin Xia’s words silenced Big Sister Sui on the other end of the line. Lin Xia wasn’t wrong; they hadn’t been tough enough on Xiao Pang. By indulging him in harmful habits, they hadn’t truly considered his well-being. Knowing things were bad for him, they hadn’t stopped them.
“If you’re worried about Xiao Pang throwing a tantrum, set a punishment: however much he overeats, Ergou has to eat the same amount,” Lin Xia continued. Exercise alone wasn’t enough for weight loss; diet control was essential. To prevent Xiao Pang from refusing to control his diet, Lin Xia came up with a seemingly unreasonable punishment.
If Xiao Pang ate too much, Ergou would be fed the same portion. This was a ruthless tactic. Xiao Pang might harm Ergou just to satisfy his own appetite, so he would have to think twice before choosing. But Lin Xia believed Xiao Pang would choose Ergou’s health.
Big Sister Sui made up her mind to supervise Xiao Pang and Ergou’s weight loss strictly and stop being soft-hearted.
With Xiao Pang and Ergou’s matter settled, a cheerful Lin Xia watched cartoons with the White Dumpling while waiting for Tang Yinlang.
Tang Yinlang finished his meal under his grandmother’s urging, grabbed the small cakes, and left. After a thirty-minute drive, he arrived at the pet shop.
“Aowu!” Papi! Hearing footsteps outside, the White Dumpling looked up and saw Tang Yinlang walk in. He leaped up suddenly, jumping into Tang Yinlang’s arms as he approached. Fortunately, Tang Yinlang reacted quickly and caught the unexpected projectile dumpling.
“Good boy!” Tang Yinlang stroked the White Dumpling’s fuzzy head as he walked, happy with the enthusiastic welcome but also a bit worried. “But you need to be careful next time. What if Papi doesn’t react in time and can’t catch you?”
“Aowu!” Sorry, An An forgot! The White Dumpling felt embarrassed. He and his Daddy did this often; as soon as he prepared to jump, Lin Xia knew to catch him. But Tang Yinlang didn’t know, and the White Dumpling had jumped without thinking.
“It’s okay. Just don’t let yourself get hurt, An An, otherwise we’ll be worried.” The White Dumpling’s obedient nature always made people soft-hearted.
“Aowu!” An An understands! The White Dumpling’s fluffy tail swept back and forth across Tang Yinlang’s hand, trying to appease him.
“Let’s eat the small cakes.” Tang Yinlang placed the White Dumpling and a large bag on the counter. Opening the bag, the aroma of cake instantly filled the air.
It was the scent of cake and nuts.
“Aowu!” So fragrant! The White Dumpling sniffed vigorously, feeling his mouth flood with saliva.
Seeing the White Dumpling practically drooling with desire, Tang Yinlang opened the bag, took out the box containing the cakes, and then opened the box to reveal them.
The small cakes were cup-shaped, encased in paper wrappers that needed to be peeled off before eating.
“Aowu!” Thank you, Papi! The White Dumpling thanked Tang Yinlang, then devoured a cake in two or three bites, licking the corners of his mouth afterward. Tang Yinlang fed him one after another without stopping. The White Dumpling ate over a dozen in one go, stopping only when he was thoroughly satisfied.
“Aowu?” How did An An eat so many? Seeing the pile of paper wrappers in the bag, the White Dumpling realized just how much he had eaten.
“Drink some water.” Lin Xia handed him a cup of water. After eating so many cakes, the White Dumpling must be thirsty.
“Aowu…” Lin Xia’s water came just in time. The White Dumpling bit the straw and drained the cup in one breath.
“Here.” While the White Dumpling was drinking, Tang Yinlang peeled another small cake. This one was for Lin Xia. He held it up to Lin Xia’s lips.
“Thank you.” Lin Xia opened his mouth and took a bite.
It felt a bit embarrassing to do this in front of the child, but Tang Yinlang was holding the cake right to his mouth—refusing would be awkward. As Lin Xia thought this, his ears quietly turned red.
A small cake could be finished in two or three bites. Lin Xia took two bites, leaving just a little bit for the last one. Luckily, there was a layer of paper between the cake and Tang Yinlang’s hand; otherwise, he might have bitten Tang Yinlang’s fingers.
“Delicious!” Lin Xia savored the taste, the idea of learning to bake from Tang Yinlang’s grandmother sprouting in his mind. Although he could bake, compared to Grandma’s cakes, the difference was like an online shopping expectation versus reality. If given the chance, Lin Xia wanted to learn from the expert.
“Want more?” Tang Yinlang was also savoring the moment, but he was savoring the feeling of feeding Lin Xia. When Lin Xia leaned in, he could see the whorl of his hair. When Lin Xia took the last bite, Tang Yinlang could feel the soft, agile sweep of his tongue through the thin paper, sending an electric current through his body that left him tingling all over.
“No more for now.” Actually, Lin Xia wanted more, but he didn’t want Tang Yinlang to feed him, hoping his red ears hadn’t been noticed.
“Okay.” Tang Yinlang felt a bit regretful but quickly cheered up. It didn’t matter; the days ahead were long, and there would be plenty of opportunities to feed him in the future…
Author’s Note: The story of Xiao Pang and Ergou comes to a pause for now. The next chapter unlocks a new map! By the way, did anyone go on a shopping spree today… Wishing everyone a good night~
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