Chapter 308 - 310: Settling Down
A low growl rumbled in Da Huang’s throat, and he was ready to pounce at any moment.
The Border Collie, however, was incredibly calm. He merely glanced at Da Huang, like a worldly elder unconcerned with a child’s provocations, even finding them a bit juvenile.
"It’s okay, Da Huang. You’re still my favorite, you know."
An Ning understood and stroked along Da Huang’s neck. Just as she expected, Da Huang relaxed a little, pressing against her pant leg and rubbing against it twice.
So many dogs had arrived all at once, making Da Huang a little insecure.
Seeing An Ning comfort Da Huang, Bao Zhengkai, who was standing opposite her, felt a little more at ease.
He began to introduce each dog to An Ning, his tone formal, as if he were introducing a line of decorated heroes.
Which was true. They were, in fact, heroes.
"Actually, many people wanted to adopt them, but for one reason or another, some were still left. Zhou Yicheng told us about the environment here and the kind of person you are. We all want to choose a good home for them."
"They’ve all sustained some injuries, to one degree or another. Are you sure you can accept that?"
An Ning didn’t need Bao Zhengkai to tell her; she had already noticed.
Every single dog had injuries.
Some had broken bones, some had internal injuries, and some limped.
The Border Collie with Bao Zhengkai was blind in one eye.
And yet, the last time she’d seen him, he’d been perfectly fine.
"Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of them."
An Ning didn’t make any grand promises, but her words were earnest and utterly convincing.
Bao Zhengkai and the others who had come to deliver the dogs followed An Ning with the fourteen dogs in tow. They went into Anning’s house, up the mountain, and even to the greenhouses.
This doggy army quickly became the talk of the village, and every villager soon knew about them.
A little asking around revealed that An Ning had brought in all these dogs to guard the mountain and the greenhouses.
An Ning acted quickly. She found the village carpenter and bricklayer and made preparations to build houses for the dogs.
Bao Zhengkai stayed by the Border Collie’s side, and along the way, he explained each dog’s personality to An Ning and told her how to best communicate with them.
An Ning committed it all to memory.
At sunset, the dogs ate their first meal.
Rice mixed with meat—it smelled delicious.
The food was also a major factor in the decision to send the dogs here.
Just as Bao Zhengkai had said, many people wanted to adopt them, but the adopters’ families didn’t always feel the same.
Those families might be stingy with food and water, and they wouldn’t treat the dogs with genuine care. They might even see them as mere guard dogs rather than companions, which was something none of the handlers wanted.
After half a day, Bao Zhengkai was thoroughly satisfied with the place. It was time for him to leave.
The young soldier who had come along to deliver the dogs was already crying uncontrollably. He had personally raised many of these dogs.
At the entrance to the An’s house, the young soldier hugged several of the dogs, burying his face in their fur and crying his heart out.
"Da Zhuang, you have to eat well."
"Xiao Mei, don’t always be so vain."
"Chengcheng, lay off the big bones. You’re getting fat."
"Xiao Pang, keep your wound out of the water."
The young soldier gave his final instructions to each dog, one by one, and incredibly, the dogs’ eyes began to glisten with tears.
Lin Cuihua turned away, wiping at her eyes. Who would have thought that just seeing someone off could be so heart-wrenching?
The members of the An family all felt a prickling in their noses.
It turns out that some emotions are simply universal.
Meanwhile, Bao Zhengkai was squatting on the ground, face to face with Wei Qi, the Border Collie who was the leader of the pack.
"Wei Qi, this is a great place. I’ll come see you when I have time, okay?"
"You’re the leader. You have to take care of the other dogs."
"And you have to listen to An Ning, understand?"
The Border Collie stubbornly turned his head away, refusing to nod.
The pain in Bao Zhengkai’s heart was no less than that of the whimpering young soldier beside him; he was just more reserved.
"Wei Qi, you’re the lead dog. You have to shoulder your responsibility. Have you forgotten?"
The Border Collie reluctantly turned his face back and, under Bao Zhengkai’s steady gaze, gave a single nod.
Bao Zhengkai patted Wei Qi’s head, then couldn’t resist pulling him into a hug.
"I believe in you, my partner."
Bao Zhengkai shot to his feet, yanked the young soldier up, and pulled him onto the truck, not daring to look back.
VRMMMM—
The truck’s engine roared to life.
On the truck, Bao Zhengkai pushed the young soldier down into his seat and barked an order.
"Don’t look back!"
"Yes, sir!"
The young soldier yelled, snot and tears streaming down his face. The truck began to move.
Two meters, five meters, ten meters.
After the truck had gone ten meters, Wei Qi suddenly bolted after it.
The other thirteen dogs fell in behind Wei Qi, running in formation.
"The dogs—"
"It’s okay. I’ll go."
An Ning had anticipated this. She took off after the dogs, with Da Huang running right beside her.
Inside the truck, the young soldier could see everything clearly in the rearview mirror—all the dogs were chasing them.
At the sight, he began to cry even harder.
"Captain—"
"Don’t look back!"
The same words as before. Don’t look back.
If they looked back, they would be giving the dogs false hope.
But this place was the best home for them now.
The young soldier understood this, but he couldn’t control his emotions.
He bit his lip until it bled, but no one turned around.
The truck gradually picked up speed, about to reach the main road to Sanhe Town. An Ning successfully caught up to the dogs, coming up alongside the Border Collie, Wei Qi.
"Wei Qi, you’re just making it harder for them."
Wei Qi slowed down.
An Ning’s heart ached as she stayed by Wei Qi’s side. ’What makes a dog have such a profound sense of the bigger picture? To ignore his own feelings just to do the right thing?’
The truck grew more distant, and Wei Qi’s pace grew slower.
The distance between them stretched, until the truck shrank to a dot and then vanished completely.
Wei Qi stopped.
In the truck, Bao Zhengkai finally tore his gaze away from the rearview mirror. His Adam’s apple bobbed.
’Goodbye, my partner.’
An Ning, who was right behind him, didn’t rush him or say a word. At that moment, she wasn’t even treating Wei Qi like a dog.
She simply sat down quietly beside Wei Qi, gently extending her spiritual power to soothe his sorrow.
Slowly, Wei Qi sat down and leaned against An Ning.
An Ning draped an arm over Wei Qi and said softly, "If you’re happy, he’ll be happy too."
Wei Qi lay there quietly. An Ning called over the other dogs, and they all gathered around. She patted each one, comforting them.
After ten minutes or so, and after scaring off a few groups of pedestrians, An Ning finally led the dogs back home.
As soon as she entered the village, she heard a frightening rumor.
Apparently, a pretty young girl had been surrounded and attacked by wild dogs, and was mauled beyond recognition.
Hearing this rumor, An Ning didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"’Rumors, rumors... by the time the story gets passed around, the person in it has vanished completely.’"