Chapter 48: Loyal Dog (Part 1)

Bingbing wagged its tail and finished the sausage, only then realizing its leash had fallen into the hands of a strange two-legged beast.

It immediately became as if facing a great enemy, nervously tucking its tail between its legs.

Chen Jiu had Su Xiaoyu hold it, went to the shop to pay for the sausage, and then went to the grocery store next door to buy two umbrellas.

“Now what do we do?” Chen Jiu handed one umbrella to Su Xiaoyu, deliberately making a distressed expression: “Our shop can’t afford to feed another mouth. Xiaoxuan will be angry.”

Chen Xiaoxuan crouched on its mother’s shoulder licking its paw, expressing agreement.

Su Xiaoyu touched Bingbing’s fluffy big head. The owner had raised this golden retriever very well. When sitting, the top of its head was almost level with Su Xiaoyu’s shoulders, which meant with her personal strength, it was completely impossible to carry or drag this stubborn big dog away.

“Can I raise it?” Su Xiaoyu asked with a worried face, thinking for a long time: “Senior Sister, I’ll give half my monthly salary to it. Can it live in the shop?”

Chen Jiu was surprised by her generosity, scratched her face, but still expressed refusal: “How could that work? Only five hundred a month. That’s not even enough to feed such a big dog.”

“Then is eight hundred okay?” Su Xiaoyu asked, pained.

Chen Jiu still shook her head.

“A thousand, all for you.” Su Xiaoyu’s mouth flattened.

Chen Jiu laughed: “You want to raise it that badly?”

Su Xiaoyu nodded forcefully, her eyes clear and pure, all emotions laid bare within them.

Chen Jiu: “But Xiaoyu, if you want to save every dog you encounter, our Wan Shi Zhai will soon become a rescue station.”

Su Xiaoyu’s eyes quickly became covered with a layer of mist, heartbroken beyond measure. She turned and touched Bingbing’s head again. The big golden retriever, after eating the sausage, had not rejected Su Xiaoyu’s approach again, and gradually relaxed its posture. Knowing this little girl meant no harm, it behaved quite cooperatively.

“We have to first find its owner’s family members, confirm that no one wants it, before we can formally adopt it. Do you understand?” Chen Jiu said.

Hearing this, Su Xiaoyu’s mood immediately brightened. She quickly wiped away her tears, giggled foolishly twice, and opened her arms to hug Chen Jiu: “Senior Sister, you’re the best!”

Chen Jiu: “The umbrella!”

The umbrella was squeezed into a wrinkled mess, barely usable.

Su Xiaoyu tried hard to open her eyes wide to look at the energy body following beside the golden retriever. After Bingbing was led up, the man had already kowtowed in gratitude countless times, but Su Xiaoyu couldn’t hear a single sound he made.

She could only see that the other party was trying hard to explain something to her, but she completely couldn’t understand.

After several minutes of negotiation, Su Xiaoyu still gave up, awkwardly telling Chen Jiu: “I seem to not be able to hear that uncle speaking, Senior Sister, otherwise…”

“If no one comes to commission us, I don’t casually take orders.” Chen Jiu waved her hand: “Humans walk the human path, ghosts walk the ghost path. It’s not like we don’t have mortal world methods we can use. Come with me.”

A lightbulb lit up above Su Xiaoyu’s head. She thought, oh right, since being taken in as a disciple by Master, she seemed to have become too dependent on these supernatural methods. She couldn’t be so forgetful of her roots!

She led Bingbing forward to follow. Bingbing initially remained rooted in place for a moment, then later discovered that the direction these two two-legged beasts were going seemed to be the direction home. So it compromised, not particularly happily, and followed.

Chen Jiu’s method was also very simple and crude, nothing more than two words: ask around.

She bought a bottle of water and went up to chat with a sanitation worker by the roadside.

The sanitation worker took the water, replied with a smile: “This golden retriever? I know it. Its owner is a man, over thirty. What work he does I can’t really say, but he looks quite fresh and clean. He brings it out to play every day. The name is two characters, the same two characters. For a moment I can’t quite recall.”

“Oh, then do you know where its home is, whether anyone is still taking care of it now?” Chen Jiu asked.

The sanitation worker looked at the golden retriever, recalled for a moment, shook his head and said: “Then I’m not too clear. It should be some residential complex nearby. I see it’s raised quite meticulously. The family probably wouldn’t be willing to neglect it?”

Filtering effective information. Next.

Chen Jiu did the same thing again, and asked a community auntie nearby.

“Oh my, Bingbing! I know it, this dog is called Bingbing. Its owner is from our residential complex. Such a pity, so young, gone just like that, only in his thirties.” The auntie said, coming over to touch Bingbing’s head.

Good luck, the second time they found the correct location.

Bingbing did not resist. It seemed the auntie spoke the truth. They indeed knew each other.

Chen Jiu said: “Oh, it’s like this. Bingbing suddenly ran out on its own today. My sister thought no one was raising it, felt it was pitiful, and wanted to bring it home. We came here to ask whether anyone is taking care of it now?”

The auntie sighed: “That young man seemed to live alone. A few days ago some people came from his hometown, handled the aftermath, and left. No one said anything about taking the dog with them. I estimate, Bingbing was just left here, no one to care for it. If your sister likes it, just take it back directly. Then go see how to handle the dog license and such.”

She said this, smiling somewhat comfortedly, crouching down to look at Su Xiaoyu, then at Bingbing: “Wonderful, a new home, isn’t it, Bingbing?”

Bingbing let out a low whimper, unclear whether it was affirmation or resistance.

The man stood in the shadows, watching this scene from not far and not near, his energy fluctuations very gentle. Su Xiaoyu had not specifically studied this aspect, but she inexplicably could sense that the man’s mood was very calm at this moment.

This meant at least the owner agreed. Now it depended on Bingbing’s own willingness.

“Do you know any other information about Bingbing’s owner?” Chen Jiu asked: “I think it’s more proper to still inform his family members or friends.”

“Oh, let me help you look.” The auntie said, sitting at the table, flipping through an old red-covered booklet, putting on glasses, searching carefully for a while, then said: “This young man surnamed Zheng. Below there’s an emergency contact number, but I don’t know who it is. Do you want to see?”

Chen Jiu noted the number with her phone, left some fruit, thanked the auntie, and the big and small ones left noisily with the cat and dog.

The auntie watched the two departing figures, sighing with emotion: “The whole family has kind hearts.”

“What a pity. If Bingbing could see uncle, it would know what’s going on.” Su Xiaoyu held the wrinkled umbrella and sighed.

Dogs don’t understand death. Dogs can only understand that their owner didn’t come to see them yesterday, and didn’t come today either, not knowing whether tomorrow will still be the same.

Bingbing realized the direction they were taking it was getting farther and farther from home. So it sat in place and refused to move again.

“Bingbing…” Su Xiaoyu looked at its wet fur, feeling a bit guilty. If it were the uncle, he would probably give the puppy a special raincoat, not letting it get rained on, right?

She tilted the umbrella over, covering the puppy’s head.

Chen Jiu saw they weren’t moving, so she simply stood in place and dialed that number.

“Hello?” A cold male voice came from the other end, sounding like a young man as well.

Chen Jiu: “Hello, may I ask if you are Mr. Zheng’s friend?”

Silence for a long while.

“You have the wrong number.” The man dropped this sentence and hung up directly.

Chen Jiu: “…”

Emergency contact?

Chen Jiu thought it over again and again, edited a text message and sent it, attaching a recent photo of Bingbing.

Hello, after Mr. Zheng passed away, his family members seem to have no intention of continuing to care for Bingbing, and have returned to their hometown. Today Bingbing ran out on its own. We want to adopt it. We saw that Mr. Zheng’s emergency contact column has your number, so we wanted to inform you. We are not scammers.

After a long time again, the other side replied with two words: “Okay.”

Su Xiaoyu looked up at Chen Jiu. Chen Jiu hissed and said: “The other party agreed.”

“Yay!!” Su Xiaoyu happily bounced twice, splashing another pant leg full of water on Chen Jiu.

Chen Jiu: “Su Xiaoyu!”

“Senior Sister, sorry…” Su Xiaoyu covered her face, fake crying, peeking at her through the gaps between her fingers.

“…” Chen Jiu said: “From now on, the daily task of walking Bingbing is handed to you. Even if it’s hard work I won’t help you. Do you understand? Bingbing was brought back by you. You have to take responsibility.”

Su Xiaoyu nodded seriously.

All matters settled, the only problem they had left to consider was how to cleanly and refreshingly get Bingbing back.

The man was still following not far away, quietly observing them.

Su Xiaoyu asked in a small voice: “Senior Sister, why is uncle still staying here? Is he still not reassured about Bingbing?”

“I don’t know.” Chen Jiu looked at the two words displayed on her phone screen, shrugged: “Maybe what he’s not reassured about isn’t just Bingbing alone. Let’s first think about how to get Bingbing back.”

But Bingbing still sat firmly in place, motionless.

Chen Jiu thought for a moment and said: “Otherwise, let’s take it home to see.”

Su Xiaoyu thought this made sense. She turned around. Bingbing was stunned for a moment, indeed no longer rooted in place, and followed. As it walked, it even walked ahead of Su Xiaoyu, soon quickening its pace.

“Bingbing, slow down!” she shouted.

Chen Jiu laughed despite herself. Good, they even saved the trouble of asking for directions.

Bingbing was clearly a very smart puppy. It remembered every corner, and remembered the floor. Soon it led the two of them to the door of its own and its owner’s little home.

But now the door was tightly shut. No one would open it to welcome it, to embrace it again.

Bingbing excitedly pressed against the door, wagging its tail.

The man still couldn’t hold back, followed over, crouched down, and tightly hugged Bingbing’s body. The energy body continuously passed through the physical form. Bingbing had no perception, still expectantly staring at the door.

This was the place it was most familiar with. It had the most familiar scent.

This was also the most heartbreaking ending. All the ways of not being able to say goodbye.

Su Xiaoyu’s nose felt sour. She asked: “Senior Sister, is there really no way to let Bingbing see uncle one more time?”

“Mm…” Chen Jiu restrained her conflicted feelings, vaguely said: “Not encouraged.”