NOVPUB
Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Eating Together
Seeing the Si siblings return to the store, Tong Yao sat on a stool and waved at the small black dog in the distance, "Hey! You three over there, come and eat these meat buns." 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
Just scared by Si Boyi’s stick, the three stray dogs dared not approach Tong Yao. However, having starved for a day, they couldn’t resist the allure of the words "meat buns".
They had visited the breakfast shop in the past few days, hoping kindhearted people would offer them some food. Alas, people kicked them away as if they were the plague. They salivated at the smell of the meat buns but couldn’t get a bite, receiving several kicks instead.
The little black dog was the first to run over. Seeing this, the big yellow dog and Xiaoflower followed suit. The three dogs pitifully stared at the meat bun in Tong Yao’s hand, their saliva flooding down like a broken dam.
Starving for a day, even if it were a pile of poop, they would fight to devour it, let alone a meat bun.
"You three line up to get the buns. Do not bite my hand." Tong Yao, with a bun in her hand, signaled the stray dogs to bite and take it. But the dogs just stared at the meat bun, unmoving.
The little black dog, Xiaohei, barked at Tong Yao: "Put it on the ground, we’ll eat it ourselves."
They, being stray dogs since birth, were used to foraging for food on the ground and in trash cans. They weren’t accustomed to taking food directly from human hands.
Tong Yao was a bit impatient, her face twisted in frustration. "The ground is muddy. Hurry up and take the meat bun. Later I’ll buy you bowls."
Will she buy them bowls later?
Does that mean she intends to feed them in the future?
The three dogs wagged their tails excitedly. Even though they were drooling all over the place, they slowly took the meat buns from Tong Yao’s hand, careful not to touch her fingers.
The three meat buns were quickly devoured. Tong Yao then shared the remaining fried dough sticks with them, and asked, "Do you still want to be strays? If someone adopts you, provides you with food and shelter, would you agree?"
Xiaoflower and the big yellow dog’s eyes lit up at her words, while Xiaohei sank into contemplation and after a while barked,
"We agree if you’re the one adopting us, but not if it’s someone else."
As strays, they faced discrimination everywhere. What if they were adopted only to be butchered for a dog meat soup during winter?
Xiaohui and Xiaobai were killed, and their bodies were never found. Maybe they were cooked in a stew, they had to be cautious.
"You’re quite clever." Tong Yao chuckled, patting her chest, "I am the one who will adopt you. From now on, you’ll go home with my brother and sister every day. They will feed you. Of course, I’m not adopting you for free. Every morning you fetch me from the residential compound, and in the evening you escort me back. If outsiders bully me, you protect me. If anyone bullies you, I’ll protect you."
Having said that, Tong Yao stared at the three dogs and asked casually, "So, do you want me to adopt you?"
Upon hearing Tong Yao’s words, the three dogs were drooling uncontrollably, their mouths gaping and tongues hanging out. Xiaohei was craftier, seeming to be their leader. Even though the big yellow dog and Xiaoflower were clearly tempted, they turned their gazes towards it.
Xiaohei really wanted to agree, but was also a bit worried, "Your sister is fierce. She really dislikes us. She wouldn’t let us live in her house."
"I’m giving her twenty yuan a month, she can’t wait for you to move in. Don’t worry." Tong Yao said. Money can do wonders, and it’s true that ninety percent of human worries stem from lack of money. As long as she can earn money, she would be ninety percent happier than others. Hence, Tong Yao’s goal was to earn money.
Shift all focus to money, shift all focus to profiteering.
"Alright, from now on, you are our boss."
Xiaohei finally made up his mind, and both the big yellow dog and Xiaoflower joined in calling Tong Yao "boss". Tong Yao was very satisfied with their titles for her, and said, "From now on, keep a certain distance from other humans and don’t bite people randomly, okay?"
Although Tong Yao didn’t mind that they were stray dogs, others might. For their safety, it was better to maintain some distance from humans.
"Boss, rest assured, we never actively approach humans."
Animals are very sensitive, they can detect benevolence and malice from humans.
"Alright, find a cool place and rest for a while! I’m going to buy groceries for a special lunch." Tong Yao rose and carried her stool back into the shop, "I’m going to the market to buy groceries, Xiaohui, want to come with?"
"Groceries?" Si Xiaohui’s eyes lit up; she abandoned her broom and said, "Sister-in-law, I’ll go and help you carry things."
In fact, Si Xiaohui rarely bought anything when she went out with Tong Yao. She just loved window shopping, loved watching the bustling city scenes. She felt like by visiting the bustling mall, she was part of its elegance.
"Let’s go!"
Tong Yao walked ahead.
The three stray dogs, hearing Tong Yao was going to buy lunch, excitedly spun around in circles. Each of them had eaten two fried dough sticks and one meat bun earlier, but they were far from satisfied. Their demands were not high, as long as they had something to eat and didn’t starve, it was enough. Even leftover food from washing dishes was fine.
It’s hard enough for humans to survive, let alone expecting humans to provide generously for them. It was already fortunate that they hadn’t been put in a cooking pot.
"We are no longer wild dogs. Other dogs can’t bully us just because they have owners." Xiaoflower excitedly twirled around, constantly whimpering and yelping.
"We must obey the boss, and protect her well, and not cause her trouble."
Xiaohei, a wild dog since birth, never thought that he would get adopted one day. The thought of no longer living a stray life made Xiaohei uncomfortable, but it was mainly touched.
As animals, they are naturally loyal. Now that they had accepted Tong Yao as their owner, they would listen to her and protect her. Sharing fortune and misfortune together.
"Yes, we won’t cause her any trouble," the big yellow dog echoed Xiaohei’s words, showing his simple honesty.
Among the three dogs, he was the biggest and the most naïve, always following Xiaohei around obediently. He was the puppy of a domesticated dog, who gave birth to eight to nine puppies at once. The owner gave away three, and just threw the remaining ones away when he couldn’t find homes for them.
It happened to be a rainy night, and all the other puppies froze to death, with only the big yellow dog surviving. Later, he met Xiaohei, who was looking for food. He began to follow Xiaohei and, though Xiaohei wasn’t as big as him and younger by several months, Xiaohei was smarter and always found food, which was what allowed the big yellow dog to survive.
Because Xiaohei didn’t let them sneak into the school that day, he and Xiaoflower escaped a disaster. Unfortunately, Xiaobai and Xiaohui didn’t listen and insisted on going inside, resulting in their deaths.
