NOVPUB
Chapter 637: Chapter 637: Found the Dog
Seeing Tong Yao awake, Gu Hongwei asked in confusion, "Did you hear it too?"
Tong Yao nodded, "It seems to be Dahuang’s bark."
Zheng Xiaoshuang also came out of the house, "Did Dahuang come back?"
Before she finished her sentence, Tong Yao and Gu Hongwei had already hurriedly left. The dog outside persisted in barking at the door, making Tong Yao even more certain that Dahuang had returned.
She felt a tinge of joy in her heart. The dog Dahuang is clever. If captured, it could escape given the opportunity, and as long as it was within the county, it could find its way back home.
Just as this thought occurred, Gu Hongwei unlatched the door. As soon as it opened, a yellow dog ran into the yard. The dog that had been barking furiously calmed down the moment it saw Tong Yao. It stuck to her leg and wagged its tail energetically, a gentle whimpering sound coming from its mouth. It seemed exceptionally aggrieved.
Seeing that it was indeed Dahuang who returned, Tong Yao’s sinking heart eased a bit. She stroked Dahuang’s head to soothe its emotions, "It’s okay now, you’ve escaped which is great. I am back this time to take you away."
While comforting it, Tong Yao noticed a smell of blood, and her hand felt warm. Her heart sank, "Dahuang, are you injured?"
Hearing this, Gu Hongwei, whose heart had just eased, felt a sudden heaviness. He quickly bent over to pick up the dog and carried it into the living room. Only then did they see, Dahuang’s back was slashed open, blood was pouring out, it looked horrifying.
There was still a collar on its neck, and a broken rope as thick as a child’s wrist hung from it. It seemed as if Dahuang had bitten off the rope and ran away. Someone had wanted to catch it but failed, then they slashed it.
Zheng Xiaoshuang, frightened, trembled all over. What happened?
Tong Yao, feeling heartbroken, hurriedly asked, "Xiaoshuang, do you have bandages?"
"Yes, yes, I have."
Zheng Xiaoshuang, who had snapped out of her shock, fetched the first-aid kit from her room. Gu Hongwei bandaged Dahuang. Dahuang obediently nestled at Tong Yao’s feet, letting out soft whimpering sounds, his eyes still reflecting fear. It was evident that it had been through a horrifying ordeal.
The return of Dahuang suggested that the other two dogs hadn’t had a chance to escape.
After Gu Hongwei did a simple bandage for Dahuang, it stood up from the ground and barked at Tong Yao. Although she couldn’t understand what it was trying to tell her, she roughly guessed Dahuang’s intention.
"You want to lead us to Xiaohua?"
Dahuang nodded its head, seeming to be in a hurry. It ran around the spot restlessly.
Tong Yao felt a surge of joy in her heart. If Dahuang could find the location, things would be much easier.
Gu Hongwei bent down to pick up Dahuang, "Let’s go. We’ll get in the car and leave now."
However, Tong Yao said, "Let’s go to the police station first and bring two officers with us."
The people who stole the dogs were probably influential. If they went directly to confront them, they could possibly get into trouble. Gu Hongwei agreed with Tong Yao’s judgment. As the two were preparing to head out, Zheng Xiaoshuang wanted to follow them but was stopped by Tong Yao.
"You are easily afraid. In case something happens and it scares you, it won’t be good. Besides, you’ll be living in Li City for a while, it’s best to not make unnecessary enemies."
Knowing Tong Yao was looking out for her, Zheng Xiaoshuang obediently nodded her agreement.
Gu Hongwei quickly drove to the police station. Hearing that a dog had returned on its own and was leading them to the others, they were more inclined to believe that the dog was unusually intelligent.
They climbed into Gu Hongwei’s car. At every turning point, Dahuang would bark in the correct direction. After going around for about ten minutes, they stopped in front of a clothing factory. By then, it was broad daylight.
Workers started to enter for their shift. Dahuang, filled with fear in its eyes, kept barking at the building. The moment they got out of the car, Dahuang attempted to rush inside. Just then a man came out from the factory and, seeing Dahuang, said to the person next to him in surprise,
"Hey, this dog is back again. Quickly find a rope and tie it up." He then considered it might not be safe enough, so he added, "Lock it up in the cage as well, it’s cunning. Previously it appeared to be the most obedient and hence was not caged, yet it dared to bite off the rope and escape."
As he was speaking, he saw two approaching police officers. Seeing them, he didn’t feel like tying up the dog anymore, but rather grew curious about why the police were here. He had no idea the police were here because of the three dogs.
He greeted the police and offered them a cigarette, clearly a seasoned operator.
"Officer, what brings you here? There were no reports from our area, were there?"
"No report from you, but the owner of the lost dogs did." The police officer didn’t take the cigarette and scrutinized the man seriously. It was unexpected that such a high-ranking person would stoop so low to steal a dog.
What’s wrong with being a reputable boss?
Yet, he turned into a dog thief.
Tong Yao and Gu Hongwei scrutinized the man as well. He appeared to be in his forties, average height, slightly overweight, especially his belly, which suggested he enjoyed drinking and eating.
"What?" The man only then noticed Tong Yao and Gu Hongwei, his gaze filled with contempt, clearly not taking them seriously.
He was about to argue, however, Dahuang had already run towards a cage in the yard and started to bark loudly. The dogs inside the cage barked back in response.
Tong Yao glared at the man and then told the police officers, "The two dogs inside the cage are the ones I lost."
The man tried to deny it, "Who says these are your dogs, they are mine, why would they be in my factory if they were yours?"
He couldn’t easily give up the dogs he had managed to get.
Tong Yao sneered, "You, a dog thief, are asking why the dogs are in your factory. Don’t you know?"
Hearing these words, the man’s face darkened. He glared at Tong Yao, "Young lady, you’re pregnant. I won’t argue with you. Don’t make unfounded statements. Would a boss like me steal your three dogs? Are you joking?"
"Just speak. Don’t point your finger around casually." Gu Hongwei stepped in front of Tong Yao.
The man snorted, clearly not taking Gu Hongwei seriously. He was about to spew harsh words, but the police officer spoke first, "These three dogs are known to a student and the residents nearby. You can’t talk your way out of this. Come with us for an investigation."
"What?" The man was dumbfounded, "It’s just three dogs, I didn’t do anything illegal. Officer, are you trying to scare me with all this? Besides, I brought the dogs back with the intention of raising them well."
If the news of him, a boss, stealing dogs got out, wouldn’t that be a great blow to his reputation?
The thought of ridicule was mortifying.
Tong Yao, keeping a cold face, stayed silent and patiently waited for the police and the man to finish their conversation. From their conversation, she learned why the man had stolen the dogs; he wanted to bring himself good luck after hearing about the dogs during a drinking session and had arranged for people to steal them.
