Chapter 49: Loyal Dog (Part 2)

Chen Jiu really did not want to take on any extra yin-yang commissions, nor did she want Su Xiaoyu to bear them. With her little junior sister’s personality, she was destined to be unable to cultivate the common path.

Compassion, when cultivated successfully, brings boundless merit. When cultivated unsuccessfully, it presses you down by this world, trapping you in endless moral dilemmas, unable to turn over.

“Xiaoyu, seeing each other again may not necessarily be a good thing for them.” Chen Jiu flicked the few silly hairs standing up on her junior sister’s head, helplessly saying: “Bingbing is just a puppy. It doesn’t need to know what parting in life and death is. Given enough time, it will no longer be fixated on why its owner isn’t coming back.”

Su Xiaoyu half understood, half didn’t, with a worried face. At this moment, the elevator door on this floor dinged open with a sound, and a man walked out. He looked up and saw them, his expression somewhat startled.

In a stretch of silence, Bingbing was the first to react. It gave up on entering through the main door, turned around and barked happily twice, and lunged straight toward the man. Clearly they knew each other too.

Chen Jiu now realized who this person was. Uncertainly, she raised her hand and greeted: “Hello sir, if I’m not mistaken, we just spoke on the phone?”

The man returned to an expressionless state, lowered his head to look at the happily bouncing Bingbing, cruelly not reaching out to pet it, only asking coldly: “What are you doing here? Just take the dog away directly.”

He hadn’t expected that Bingbing’s new owner would appear at this place.

Bingbing crouched in front of him, puzzled, looking up with its face, not understanding why the man didn’t pet and hug it like before.

Su Xiaoyu walked over, standing beside the golden retriever, and said: “Bingbing wanted to come home to see. We’re just looking from outside. We won’t go in.”

The man didn’t make a sound, turned his head to look at the fine raindrops outside the corridor for a while, stubbornly not lowering his head. He knew that once he made eye contact with the puppy, today he wouldn’t be able to get away easily.

But he couldn’t maintain coldness from beginning to end. He couldn’t truly just ignore Bingbing.

In the end, he sighed, looked at Chen Jiu: “Do you live nearby? Can I go take a look?”

This was to inspect the new environment where Bingbing would live in the future. What a person with a hard mouth but soft heart.

Chen Jiu got an idea, quickly putting on an enthusiastic expression: “Of course you can. We run a shop. All who come are guests. We welcome everyone. How should I address you?”

“My surname is Shao.” The man handed over a business card, exchanging with Chen Jiu.

Shao Quan, Senior Consulting Advisor at XX Agency.

…

A dozen or so minutes later, Wan Shi Zhai.

Shao Quan sat in the small reception room, speechless for a while. He hadn’t expected that the shop Chen Jiu ran was this type of shop. For over thirty years he had been a staunch materialist. Was it really okay to let Bingbing follow this type of new owner?

His gaze试探 swept over Chen Jiu, and when Chen Jiu made eye contact with him, he slowly moved it away, putting on airs as he sized up the shop’s decor.

“Mr. Shao, have some tea.” Chen Jiu pushed the water cup over.

Shao Quan politely took it, with no intention of drinking.

Chen Jiu asked: “May I ask what your relationship with Mr. Zheng was?”

“We were friends before.” Shao Quan slightly raised a hand, saying: “Let’s not talk about him. I won’t beat around the bush either. I’m not very at ease with Bingbing living long-term with you. For the near year I will make irregular return visits. I hope you won’t refuse.”

Chen Jiu nodded: “Of course that’s okay. I accept. But since you and Mr. Zheng no longer have a relationship, then in what capacity will you be visiting Bingbing in the future?”

“…I am Bingbing’s godfather.” After Shao Quan finished speaking, his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. Clearly in his heart he didn’t particularly recognize this identity of his.

He was silent for a while, then said: “It only knows me now. Accepting you will still need some time. I believe, my coming often will also be helpful in promoting the feelings between you.”

Chen Jiu thought this made sense, so she nodded again.

Immediately after, Shao Quan raised his phone, scanned the QR code pasted on the tabletop, and transferred a sum of money to Chen Jiu. The note said “Bingbing” in two characters.

He still maintained a cold tone: “This is a little token of my feelings as a godfather for Bingbing. The expenses of a large pet dog are not cheap. Just consider it me giving it New Year’s money in advance. Since you run a long-term business here, I believe you won’t use this money in places it shouldn’t be used.”

Chen Jiu confirmed the four zeros after the number, then looked at Bingbing sitting obediently on the small rug letting Su Xiaoyu brush its fur. She thought, this child’s fate is quite good. Its real father left, its godfather is managing things, and it didn’t suffer much. Running around outside for two days, the whole dog was still chubby and solid.

“Rest assured.” Chen Jiu felt respect and admiration, and very smoothly changed “you” to the respectful “you.” Today Shao Quan was Wan Shi Zhai’s biggest guest, a VVIP.

They chatted some more about Bingbing’s daily necessities, exhausting the conversation. Shao Quan felt he had no reason to sit any longer, got up preparing to take his leave.

The moment he made the motion of standing up, Bingbing nervously raised its head, looking toward him, seeming very afraid he would run off again.

Seeing Shao Quan in this state, Chen Jiu couldn’t help sighing, saying: “Mr. Shao, since you’ve decided to come often in the future, just hug it again. It won’t be a big deal.”

“No.” Shao Quan lowered his head slightly, then took a deep breath, saying: “Goodbye.”

He actually turned around without looking back and left with large strides.

Bingbing wanted to chase out, but was pulled back by Chen Jiu’s quick hands and sharp eyes. It crouched at the doorway, whimpering softly.

Su Xiaoyu brought Chen Xiaoxuan over, placing it beside it. Although Chen Xiaoxuan thought all these big dogs were quite stupid, since it had just brought wealth to its mother, comforting it was not without reason.

So it jumped beside Bingbing, curling into a warm ball, and together with Bingbing stared at the doorway. Bingbing whimpered for a while, knowing its godfather wouldn’t come back, dejectedly lay down, and pressed Chen Xiaoxuan under its belly.

Chen Xiaoxuan: “…”

It struggled to extricate itself, its tail flicking back and forth by Bingbing’s nose, expressing its dissatisfaction.

“Senior Sister, just now when Uncle Shao appeared, Uncle Zheng disappeared.” Su Xiaoyu said with a serious face, telling Chen Jiu her discovery: “He hasn’t followed over now either. Did he really leave?”

Chen Jiu rubbed her chin: “Maybe.”

She wasn’t clear what exactly happened between these two people. Mr. Zheng couldn’t get Shao Quan’s forgiveness even until death. But Shao Quan was still quite loyal and righteous. His brother died, his brother’s child, he had to look after it to some degree. And he was so generous in his spending. In terms of character, there was nothing to say.

Su Xiaoyu propped her chin and said: “Did Uncle Shao actually really want to take Bingbing back to raise? He just saw that I liked it very much, so he was too embarrassed to say.”

Chen Jiu looked at her in surprise. Her junior sister had opened her mind, her brain becoming so sharp.

“If he insisted on taking Bingbing away, I would actually be okay with it too.” Su Xiaoyu said, then became somewhat melancholic: “Bingbing is closer to him after all. Right now it’s just me liking Bingbing. Bingbing doesn’t like me.”

Chen Jiu pulled her to sit beside her, putting her arm around her shoulder: “You have already formally brought Bingbing home. You also promised to take good care of Bingbing in the future. Now you want to go back on your word? Impossible. What does it matter what Uncle Shao thinks? He’s an adult. If he wants to handle it, he’ll handle it himself. Why are you worrying so much on his behalf? Xiaoyu, don’t worry about every person you meet. You won’t be able to worry about them all. Do you understand?”

Su Xiaoyu half understood, half didn’t, grasping the general idea, slowly nodding once.

…

Shao Quan returned to his car and spaced out for a while, feeling his pocket. He didn’t find cigarettes, only then remembering he had quit smoking for some time already.

Probably because today his heart felt too awful, he wanted to light one to relieve his sorrow.

He stared at the rain curtain outside the window for a long while, suddenly thinking of something, pulling out from another pocket a slightly worn sticky note.

On it was written: “XX dog food,” “teething stick,” “deworming medicine,” “toy ball,” “red collar size L,” “XX body wash.”

And so on, all daily necessities for a pet dog.

He had already forgotten what he was thinking the moment he received the news of Zheng Siyuan’s death. By the time he came back to his senses later, he was already gripping the keys at the building where Zheng Siyuan rented.

He hadn’t come for a long time, but he still remembered the way.

From afar he saw quite a few people coming in and out of that door. Bingbing was tied to one side, anxiously watching a group of unfamiliar people walking back and forth. It didn’t dare to bark, because its owner wasn’t there. But strangely they seemed to carry a bit of its owner’s scent on them. It didn’t quite understand.

Shao Quan walked forward a few steps, then hesitated.

Someone should be taking care of it, right?

The water bowl and food bowl were both there. The thing Zheng Siyuan was most worried about in his life was his dog son. How could he have left without giving Bingbing any guarantee, hastily letting go of everything?

Shao Quan stood at the end of the corridor watching for a while. Bingbing didn’t discover its godfather had come. By the time it turned its head, Shao Quan had already turned around and entered the downward elevator to leave.

Returning home, he wasn’t as calm as he imagined, actually not sleeping the entire night. His mind was full of the image of Bingbing sitting alone at the edge of the crowd.

Shao Quan didn’t like dogs. Even Zheng Siyuan’s dog, he didn’t love the house and its crow. But now there was no more Zheng Siyuan. Wasn’t Bingbing the only living thing he left in this world?

He had long ago told him to get a girlfriend, get married, have children.

No matter which step he reached, he wouldn’t have died alone in a rented room like this, leaving behind only a dog son who understood nothing.

Shao Quan felt a bit irritable in his heart, but still couldn’t put down that big golden retriever. So he wrote with flying brushstrokes, searched many recommended terms for new pet owners, and wrote several pages of sticky notes full of pet supplies.

But now they were no longer needed.

Shao Quan came back to his senses, crumpling those few sticky notes one by one. He planned to organize all those deliveries properly when he got home, and next time he came to Wan Shi Zhai to see Bingbing, hand them all to the boss in one go.