Chapter 71: Bunny An An
After White Dumpling ran off to find Meng Zheng, the notification sound on Lin Xia’s phone rang incessantly. Opening it, he saw it was the selfies of White Dumpling that Meng Zheng had sent over.
Lin Xia smiled helplessly and saved the photos one by one; White Dumpling liked to flip through his “peerless beauty” when he had nothing to do.
Finished with the accounts, Lin Xia put the ledger away, wanting to check on White Dumpling.
The glass door creaked open, scraping a beautiful arc across the floor.
“Welcome!” Lin Xia stood up to welcome the guest entering the door.
“Hello.” The person who entered was a young man, looking about the same age as Lin Xia, perhaps a little older. He had a very thin build, wasn’t very tall, and had a habitual stoop.
His features were of the delicate sort, but his smile was bright and refreshing, and his demeanor was generous, forming a strong contrast with his physical appearance. He gave off a seasoned vibe; he looked young, but had likely entered society early.
“Hello, I am the owner of the pet shop, Lin Xia. How may I address you?” Lin Xia smiled; his smile was like a spring breeze.
“My surname is Chen,” the man answered.
“Hello Mr. Chen, what do you need?” Lin Xia said with a smile. Everyone who comes is a guest, and Lin Xia treats customers with one hundred percent enthusiasm.
“I want to adopt a dog.” The man rubbed the back of his hand, smiling embarrassedly.
For a man, adopting a dog without spending money often brought a slight sense of embarrassment.
“What breed of dog would you like to adopt?” Lin Xia’s voice was gentle, clear and pleasant like ice water just melted in the mountains, allowing people to relax quickly.
The man’s slightly furrowed brows relaxed at Lin Xia’s gentle voice, and he interacted with Lin Xia more naturally.
“I don’t care about the dog’s breed. Tugou (Rural dogs) or mixed breeds are fine,” the man said with a relaxed expression. He genuinely didn’t care about the breed; on the contrary, being from a rural background, he felt a closer affinity to rural dogs and mixed breeds.
“What a coincidence, we have many rural dogs and mixed breeds in the shop.” Lin Xia smiled, his favorability toward this customer increasing.
Every time someone came to adopt, Lin Xia always asked what breed they wanted. Some people wanted to adopt expensive pets like Huskies, Golden Retrievers, or Persian cats, but Lin Xia didn’t have those in his shop, so he had to clarify.
Urban people nowadays increasingly prefer raising famous breeds like Goldens and Huskies, rarely showing interest in the native Chinese Rural Dog (Zhonghua Tianyuan Quan). In fact, Chinese Rural Dogs are no worse than other breeds. They have gentle temperaments, are easy to raise, have high loyalty, and can both guard the house and hunt. From ancient times to the present, the Chinese Rural Dog has always been a good helper to the Chinese people. In the rural past, no one could sleep soundly without a Tugou guarding the house.
Lin Xia took Mr. Chen to see the dogs. It wasn’t “recess” time right now, so the dogs were obediently staying in their activity areas, occasionally sizing up the customer entering the shop.
Mr. Chen saw Weifeng (Majesty); Weifeng was foolishly panting. He gave a look of disdain, really unable to understand why rich people liked raising these dogs—they weren’t as clever as rural dogs.
Mr. Chen quickly took a fancy to a three-month-old Xiao Cang Field Dog named Ah Huang (Yellow). The Xiao Cang Field Dog is commonly known as the “Big Yellow Dog,” and their coats are mostly yellow. Ah Huang was previously a stray dog that Lin Xia had picked up.
“Ah Huang, are you willing to go home with this gentleman?” Lin Xia patted Ah Huang’s head and asked.
” Woof!” Ah Huang was actually quite happy to see someone wanting to adopt him. Although he stayed very well at the pet shop, he wanted an owner. Lin Xia belonged to all the cats and dogs in the shop, not just him alone; he wanted his own master.
“It seems Ah Huang is very happy.” Seeing Ah Huang barking cheerfully, Lin Xia knew he wanted to be adopted. After confirming once more, Lin Xia guided Mr. Chen to sit on the sofa to discuss the adoption details.
The rules were the same as always: check ID, register, and understand the situation. Lin Xia asked Mr. Chen to take out his ID, but the man hadn’t brought it.
“Then let’s register first. We can talk about the ID when you bring it over.” Lin Xia took out the registration form and first recorded Mr. Chen’s basic information.
“Okay.” Mr. Chen nodded cooperatively.
“May I ask your full name?” Lin Xia asked item by item according to the form.
“My name is Chen Zhong.”
The man’s answer made Lin Xia’s hand pause. A complex look flashed through his eyes, but it vanished quickly.
“How old are you this year?” Lin Xia kept his head down writing, asking as if nothing had happened. But where Chen Zhong couldn’t see, the corner of his mouth hooked into a bitter smile.
Chen Zhong, Chen Yi (Righteousness)… Loyalty (Zhong) and Righteousness (Yi) complete… Chen Zhong was very likely the little hamster’s older brother. No wonder he looked familiar; the three brothers all shared the same type of appearance.
…
“May I ask why you want to adopt a dog?” After filling out the form, Lin Xia began asking other questions.
“I like dogs. My family raised dogs when I was little. Now that I have a home of my own, I want to raise one too. I always feel a home isn’t complete without a dog.” Chen Zhong thought of something, his eyes softening uncontrollably, a smile on his lips.
A beautiful picture appeared in his mind: Ah Huang’s arrival filling their lives with vitality. What he didn’t tell Lin Xia was that his family wasn’t yet complete; two men couldn’t have their own children, so he wanted to raise a dog as their baby.
“Mn-hm.” Lin Xia nodded, reading his current emotions from Chen Zhong’s gaze—a very beautiful feeling.
“If I may ask, who do you currently live with?” Lin Xia asked this to understand the living situation; cohabitants were an important issue to note.
“I currently live with my partner. He likes dogs just as much as I do, but he’s working overtime today, so I had to come alone.” Thinking of his partner, the corners of Chen Zhong’s mouth rose involuntarily.
Chen Zhong and his partner had agreed to come adopt a dog together, but his partner suddenly received a notice to work overtime, so Chen Zhong had to come by himself.
“Okay.”
…
Next, Lin Xia asked a few more questions and only ended the conversation when he understood enough. Throughout the process, Chen Zhong showed no impatience, listening intently to Lin Xia.
Before leaving, Chen Zhong played with Ah Huang for a while. Seeing his reluctance to part, Lin Xia knew he really liked Ah Huang. It probably wouldn’t be long before Ah Huang went home with him.
After Chen Zhong left, Lin Xia called Chen Mingzong, telling him that the suspected older brother of the little hamster, Chen Zhong, had appeared, warning him to be careful and not to bring the little hamster to the pet shop for the time being. Although the little hamster hadn’t been to the shop for a while—he now had a proper job as Chen Mingzong’s personal assistant, receiving a salary from him.
Chen Mingzong hung up the phone with a solemn face, looked up at the little hamster lying on the table writing seriously, and felt a knot of conflict in his heart…
After calling Chen Mingzong, Lin Xia calculated the time and called Chen Yaoguang to tell him about the matter.
Lin Yaoguang had started school and was attending classes, so Lin Xia waited until school was out to call.
“Hello, Brother Lin?” Chen Yaoguang answered quickly. It was noisy on his end, presumably the cafeteria.
“Yaoguang, do you have a photo of your eldest brother?” Lin Xia wanted to confirm if the Chen Zhong he met was indeed their brother.
“I do, but it’s from several years ago. I’ll send it to you if you want.” Chen Yaoguang thought it was strange, but since Lin Xia didn’t explain, he didn’t ask.
“Okay.” After receiving the picture of Chen Zhong, Lin Xia immediately confirmed that the Chen Zhong he met today was the little hamster’s big brother. Lin Xia calmed himself down before calling Chen Yaoguang again to tell him the news.
“What? Big Brother is back?” Chen Yaoguang was shocked. He thought his big brother would never return in this lifetime. Ever since his big brother found out their second brother had gone missing, he hadn’t been back. He never called either, only sending money home every year.
Their only connection was the money Chen Zhong deposited into the bank account annually. One deposited it from a thousand miles away, and the other withdrew it from a thousand miles away.
“What are your plans?” Lin Xia asked Chen Yaoguang. Chen Zhong was the little hamster’s brother; should they tell him the hamster’s whereabouts?
“…I don’t know…” Chen Yaoguang fell silent for a long time, unsure of what to do. He wasn’t close to his big brother. Chen Zhong had left to work very early on and was rarely home, so their relationship wasn’t intimate. Furthermore, they hadn’t been in contact for a long time; people change, and he didn’t know how the other party was doing now.
Chen Yaoguang still remembered that when Big Brother found out Second Brother was missing, he punched the door so hard his fist was a bloody mess. But he didn’t even frown, showing just how angry and disappointed he was at the time. Like him, Big Brother had given up on that family.
Chen Yaoguang looked at his big brother’s bloody fist back then and thought: If I didn’t exist, Second Brother would have been the most favored boy in the family, and so many things wouldn’t have happened…
“How do you think your big brother treated your second brother?” Lin Xia asked. If Chen Zhong loved the little hamster, there was no harm in telling him. If their relationship wasn’t good, there was no need. Of course, the decision ultimately lay with the little hamster. Although the little hamster had mental issues, he could make his own decisions. But before he decided, Lin Xia and the others would investigate the situation for him.
“Big Brother treated Second Brother very well; he doted on him. When he found out Second Brother was in the hospital, he bought a ticket back immediately. If Mom and Dad hadn’t stopped him back then, Big Brother would have taken Second Brother to the city where he worked for treatment…” Chen Yaoguang stared blankly, his eyes losing focus. Falling into memories, his nose couldn’t help but sting with emotion.
“I understand.” From Chen Yaoguang’s description, Lin Xia seemed to see scenes of Chen Zhong and the little hamster together; Chen Zhong was a good brother.
Hanging up the phone, Lin Xia fell into deep thought. After thinking for a long time, he called Chen Mingzong again and shared his views.
“…To be safe, I’ll ask Jingran to check it out for me. We’ll talk after we get the results.” Chen Mingzong was more “cautious” and directly “exploited” his brother-in-law, asking him to investigate Chen Zhong.
“Okay.” On the other end, Lin Xia couldn’t help but give Chen Mingzong a thumbs up; ginger really does get spicier with age.
Putting Chen Zhong’s matter aside for now, the takeout Lin Xia ordered arrived. White Dumpling hopped over, smelling the aroma of food.
“Why are you hopping like a rabbit?” Lin Xia laughed seeing White Dumpling moving like a bunny.
” Aowu!” An An is a little rabbit now, cute-da! White Dumpling twitched his ears, trying to flop them like a rabbit.
White Dumpling had used a rabbit filter for selfies and felt Rabbit An An was too cute, so on a whim, he started pretending to be a rabbit. Unfortunately, there were no rabbit ears in the shop, so White Dumpling had to mimic rabbit movements instead.
“Mn, a very cute rabbit. Then Rabbit An An must eat his carrots properly later.” Lin Xia rubbed Rabbit An An’s head, smiling slyly.
” Aowu!” No no no! An An is a tiger, An An doesn’t eat carrots! Hearing about the dreaded carrots, White Dumpling immediately transformed from a little rabbit back into a little tiger. He grabbed Lin Xia’s pant leg with all four paws, hoping he would change his mind.
“You, ah!” Lin Xia picked up White Dumpling and tapped his nose, looking helpless.
However… turning back into a little tiger was useless; the carrots still had to be eaten!
Author’s Note: Shop’s cats and dogs: “Lin Xia is ours!” Tang Yinlang: “You are wrong, Lin Xia can only be mine alone!” White Dumpling: ” Aowu?” Goodnight everyone O(∩_∩)O~~
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