Chapter 158
Guaizi, sulking in the corner with his back turned, refused to look back, only his tail twitched occasionally. Lu Gu’s smile never faded, his eyes crinkling as he coaxed in a childlike tone, “Why are you so angry?”
Beside him, Shen Xuanqing was also laughing. “Quite the temper on this one.”
Seeing Lu Gu set down the clay pot to boil water, Shen Xuanqing bent to add another piece of firewood to the clay stove. Xiaohuang yipped and bounced toward him, his little tail wagging cheerfully, completely oblivious to Guaizi’s sulking on the other side.
“Guaizi.” Lu Gu called again.
The usually clingy Guaizi still ignored him.
Still smiling, Lu Gu set down his needlework, walked to the corner, and crouched to gently pat Guaizi’s sturdy back. His voice was light with amusement. “Are you mad? Xiaohuang is much smaller than you, why did you snap at him earlier?”
“Woof.” Guaizi shifted slightly, sneaking a glance at Lu Gu with a crafty little look in his eyes.
Lu Gu stroked his back soothingly and, seeing that look, couldn’t help but laugh. Softly, he coaxed, “Our Guaizi is the best, the strongest. You’re bigger than Xiaohuang, you’re the elder brother, right?”
He wasn’t sure if Guaizi understood, but the words came naturally. A little petting and coaxing was better than letting him sulk alone in the corner.
“You’re Big Brother Guaizi now. You can’t be mean to the little ones, they’re both our family’s puppies.” Lu Gu ruffled his head and kept murmuring reassurances until, finally, Guaizi shifted his hindquarters and turned around, burying his head into Lu Gu’s chest with a whining nuzzle.
Shen Xuanqing sat by the fire, warming his hands and drying his snow-dampened clothes. Watching this, he chuckled. “Eats so much, yet ended up with such a delicate temper. We’ve spoiled him.”
“He’s only a year old,” Lu Gu said quietly, still rubbing Guaizi’s head. At that age, wasn’t he just like a child? And it wasn’t spoiling, in the dead of winter, if Guaizi didn’t stay plump and sturdy, he’d be shivering from the cold.
Gradually cheered by the attention, Guaizi jumped up, planting his front paws on Lu Gu’s legs. Lu Gu had no choice but to gather him into his arms, patting his back and continuing to soothe him. “Our Guaizi is the best, he eats well and hunts so skillfully.”
Crouching like this while holding a not-so-small dog soon grew tiring. Once Guaizi was properly comforted, Lu Gu set him down.
Wagging his tail, Guaizi followed Lu Gu to the fire and squeezed in beside Dahui to warm up. No longer a tiny pup, his solid frame nudged Dahui aside.
“You’re wet?” Lu Gu only now noticed the damp patches on Shen Xuanqing’s shoulders and clothes.
“Yeah, the snow’s heavy, who knows how long it’ll last.” Shen Xuanqing stretched his hands toward the fire, withdrawing them once warm to rub them together. Xiaohuang was at his feet, and when Guaizi noticed, he trotted over to nudge Shen Xuanqing’s leg with his head, ducking down as if asking for pets.
“This little rascal, even stealing affection.” Shen Xuanqing teased but didn’t hold back, ruffling the furry head a few times before playfully pinching Guaizi’s ears, just like Lu Gu did.
Round little Xiaohuang, still shorter than Guaizi’s legs, let out a few puppyish yips, wagging his tail in hopes of playing.
But Guaizi turned away, ignoring him entirely. As long as he wasn’t being aggressive, Lu Gu and Shen Xuanqing didn’t interfere, letting the two sort it out themselves.
Much later, after finishing an embroidered handkerchief, Lu Gu looked up to see Guaizi straightening his front legs and sticking his rear out before suddenly pouncing playfully. Xiaohuang yipped and wagged his tail, darting around Guaizi, they’d finally started playing together.
For some reason, Lu Gu felt an inexplicable warmth in his heart. Guaizi really had grown up. Then again, thinking back, aside from being a bit mischievous, Guaizi had always been well-behaved. He’d never bitten anyone, not even the chicks or ducklings he played with as a pup.
By now, Lu Gu had packed away his sewing basket, and Shen Xuanqing took down the straw raincoat and hat hanging on the wall. Once dressed, the two headed to the backyard to tend to the livestock without waiting for Wei Lanxiang and Shen Yaoqing.
Snowflakes drifted down, painting the world white. The water in the large clay pot had long boiled, and Shen Xuanqing carried bucket after bucket of hot water - first for the rabbits, chickens, and ducks, then for the calf and four goats.
While working, they heard barking from the front - Wei Lanxiang and Shen Yaoqing had arrived.
By the time they finished, the snowfall had lightened.
Lu Gu carried a basket of eggs into the main room. Removing his hat, he glanced at the two eggs inside and smiled faintly.
The chicken coop was lined with dry grass and straw. Earlier, while rummaging through it, he’d found these two eggs. In winter, hens laid fewer eggs due to the cold, but they kept many chickens, and the warm bedding helped. Some days, between the hens and ducks, they could collect four or five eggs.
He carefully placed the eggs in the storage basket. In winter, these eggs were precious. Nowadays, he ate one every two days. After saving up a few, he could fry a plate for Shen Xuanqing. The rest could either be sold to the brothel or, on clear days, hawked in town for a slightly higher price. Selling to the brothel fetched less but saved the trouble of walking around.
The snow had mostly stopped, but it was already afternoon, and the light was dim.
As usual, Shen Yaoqing and Wei Lanxiang left first. When it was nearly mealtime, Lu Gu finally got up, and he and Shen Xuanqing locked the courtyard gate.
Guaizi, seizing the moment before the gate fully closed, squeezed through the gap. Perhaps afraid Shen Xuanqing would leave him behind, he dashed ahead toward the village, stopping a short distance away to bark at them as if urging them to hurry.
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