Chapter 307 - 309: Acquaintance
The train station was as bustling as ever, a noisy whirlwind of people coming and going.
A crying child got a swift, merciless kick to the backside from a grown-up. Judging by the form, it had to be their own mother.
A man on a bicycle, meeting his girlfriend in her checkered sundress, was too nervous to speak. The way his gaze kept darting toward her, then quickly away, screamed that this was their first time meeting like this.
An Ning was leaning against a rock. She had used a piece of wire to tie the "Dog Pickup" sign to a utility pole, high up where it was easy to see.
WHOO—WHOO—
As the train whistle blew, another crowd of people poured out of the station entrance.
The people waiting to pick someone up all craned their necks to look inside, waving their arms and shouting, "Over here! Over here!"
Every now and then, you could see someone dash toward a voice, the joy of their reunion spreading to those nearby.
"Hey, aren’t you going to go meet him?"
An Ning glanced at Jiang Xia, who was so calm he wasn’t even looking. She gestured toward the station entrance with her head.
Jiang Xia got up lazily. "That guy," he said knowingly, "he’s probably off talking to some girl."
"He might’ve even missed his stop."
As he said this, Jiang Xia’s thoughts shifted. "My friend is actually a pretty good guy, he’s just a bit of a womanizer. Loves to chase girls."
"Did you hear me?"
Jiang Xia checked with An Ning. She was looking around and gave a casual nod.
"I heard you. A total playboy. What’s that got to do with me?"
An Ning suddenly turned her head to look at Jiang Xia. Her eyes were so clear you could see right through them, which made him both happy and sad.
’So pure, there’s no room for someone like me in them.’
"Heh heh, nothing at all," Jiang Xia said.
Just a few minutes after Jiang Xia had spoken, a man emerged from the crowd, standing out immediately. He wore a floral shirt, black pants, a pair of worn-out leather shoes, and had his hair slicked back into a shiny pompadour.
He was tall, with a build that was neither fat nor overly thin. His skin was very fair, and he was quite handsome.
An Ning wasn’t a fan, though. He was too pale.
It wasn’t that she judged people by their looks, but Jiang Xia’s words had influenced her a little.
"Jiang Xia—!"
The man spread his arms wide. Just as he was about to embrace him, Jiang Xia deftly dodged behind him and planted a kick on his rear.
"Get lost!"
Jiang Xia was genuinely disgusted. He fanned a hand in front of his nose and said, "How much cologne did you spray on?"
"Ah? Hehehe, I accidentally spilled a bottle."
The man stood in the path of the breeze, and the scent of musk wafted from him relentlessly.
An Ning discreetly moved to a different spot. The smell was vaguely similar to that of uncastrated boar meat.
"Seriously, this is the authentic scent of a man!"
The man even spun around as he spoke, but was stopped by an even more disgusted Jiang Xia.
"Stop spinning. You’ll attract ghosts."
Jiang Xia turned to An Ning and made the introduction. "This is that playboy friend of mine, Hua Cheng."
"And this is my neighbor and good friend, An Ning."
Hua Cheng had been nonchalant at first, but after Jiang Xia said the words "good friend," he immediately reined in his casual attitude.
Anyone Jiang Xia introduced like that had to be a genuine good friend.
Hua Cheng wasn’t stupid. He knew Jiang Xia was warning him not to mess with An Ning.
"Hello, I’m Hua Cheng. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
Hua Cheng extended a hand, wanting to shake An Ning’s.
An Ning didn’t really want to, but thinking she should give Jiang Xia face, she started to reach out.
"Get outta here! What’s with the handshake? Let me tell you, you better knock that stuff off, or you’re gonna get your ass kicked in the village."
Jiang Xia pulled Hua Cheng’s hand back. ’Are you kidding me?’ he thought. ’I haven’t even properly held that hand once. What gives this guy the right?’
"Oh—okay, okay. I’ll behave, I’ll definitely behave."
The romantically experienced Hua Cheng gave Jiang Xia a meaningful look.
Jiang Xia ignored him, but he did give the bicycle to Hua Cheng and told him to ride it back himself.
Hua Cheng wanted to resist, but he wasn’t strong enough. In the end, he had to yield to Jiang Xia’s tyranny.
The three of them waited together for another ten-plus minutes until a green truck finally arrived.
The person in the truck spotted An Ning’s sign at a glance.
It couldn’t be helped; it was just too conspicuously red.
To make it even more eye-catching, An Ning had also tied a yellow silk scarf to it.
BEEP—
The truck stopped beside An Ning. She stood up from the rock and met the eyes of the person in the cab.
In an instant, An Ning’s gaze turned cold.
Hua Cheng hugged his bare arms and rubbed them. "It’s getting a little chilly."
Jiang Xia had no time for Hua Cheng. He had sensed the shift in An Ning’s mood.
"You know him?"
"Sort of."
At the same time, a man got out of the truck. He was tall and sturdy, but most importantly, he was dark-skinned.
So dark he resembled the Black-Faced Judge Bao, with only his teeth and eyes shining brightly.
"It’s you."
"It is. So what?"
An Ning looked up at the man, and she disliked the angle.
She hopped onto a rock on one foot, looking at the dark-faced man who had once demanded she strip to be searched at the train station.
’What a small world for enemies.’
An Ning knew the dark-faced man had just been doing his duty last time, but she still felt resentful.
That was the first time she had ever truly been overpowered.
The dark-faced man also hadn’t expected that while delivering his beloved dog to be fostered, he would run into the very girl who represented Wei Qi’s one and only mistake—a mistake that had been corrected.
"Hello, I’m Bao Zhengkai."
"An Ning."
The dark-faced man didn’t offer his hand, which conveniently saved An Ning the trouble of having to refuse a handshake.
Bao Zhengkai was also feeling a little uneasy, but Zhou Yicheng was a friend he’d go through hell and back for. If Zhou Yicheng dared to leave his own son here, then he would choose to trust him.
"I’m here to drop off Wei Qi and the other dogs. They’re all retired. I hope you’ll treat them well."
Now that they were talking business, the expression on An Ning’s face softened a little.
"I will. Follow me."
An Ning hopped off the rock and started her motorized tricycle. Jiang Xia expertly jumped in, while a bewildered Hua Cheng pedaled his bicycle to follow behind.
An army-green truck followed behind the tricycle as well.
It was a strange procession making its way through the streets of Sanhe Town, but the townspeople were used to seeing odd things.
Thanks to An Ning, there was quite a bit of traffic coming and going in Sanhe Town.
Just as Hua Cheng felt like his legs were about to pedal right off, they finally reached Shili Gou.
Hua Cheng got off the bicycle and sat on a rock by the entrance, panting heavily. The only thing missing was his tongue hanging out.
Da Huang ran out of the courtyard and stood in front of Hua Cheng, sniffing him intently. ’Not one of us,’ the dog seemed to think. ’Smells weird.’
At the same time, the back of the truck was opened.
Fourteen dogs had their collars unfastened and came down from the truck.
The last one was the black-and-white Border Collie that had accurately sniffed out An Ning at the train station.
"This is Wei Qi, my partner."
Bao Zhengkai walked over with Wei Qi on a leash, facing An Ning.
At some point, Da Huang had come to stand beside An Ning. He stood there majestically, protecting her, facing off against the Border Collie, Wei Qi.