Chapter 11: The Yellow Dog with White Face and Golden Lion Cub
Yuan Niang clicked her tongue in amazement, hugging her piggy bank filled with candies as she walked slowly beside her master, nibbling on sugar-coated fruits along the way.
Seeing how tiny she was, Su Shi felt such affection for her that he feared she might get jostled in the crowd. He carefully reached out and gathered her into his arms.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Ge’er had disappeared. Yan Qiu spoke up to remind them, “Erlang is behind Official Cui’s character analysis stall.”
Carrying Yuan Niang, Su Shi went searching and found Chen Ge’er squatting before a stall selling dogs, looking around curiously. The stall owner was a short, stout middle-aged man with a red, bulbous drinker’s nose, whose smile appeared somewhat simple and honest.
However, most of the dogs at his stall were half-grown, with only one litter of puppies. Their quality was barely acceptable, and they were extremely timid. When picked up, their cries were so pitiful they were hard to bear hearing.
The stall owner explained, “These are household-raised pups, not accustomed to the world. If the young master takes one home and cares for it well for a few days, it will become familiar with you and settle down. Besides, my prices are fair. If you go to the shops behind the Great Buddha Temple, you wouldn’t get one even if you paid half a string of coins more.”
Hearing this, Chen Ge’er nodded and asked sincerely, “Then why don’t you consign them to a shop to sell?”
The seemingly honest but actually shrewd stall owner was left speechless, unable to utter a word for a long while.
Just then, Yuan Niang and the others arrived, catching the tail end of the conversation. Anxious, Yuan Niang waved her hands and said, “Second Brother, don’t buy a dog that’s too timid. If the dog goes wild, we can run and jump away, but Shu Ji wouldn’t be able to avoid it.”
Noticing they were not far from the Great Buddha Temple, Su Shi suggested, “Let’s go take a look at the shops behind the Great Buddha Temple.”
As the group turned to leave, the stall owner thought this was a bargaining tactic and called out unhurriedly, “I can lower the price by three hundred coins, but no more.”
Before his words had fully faded, the group had disappeared into the crowd, leaving the stall owner bewildered and alone.
Official Cui, who analyzed characters, turned his head and said with a mocking smile, “Do you know who that man was?”
“Who? The Emperor of Heaven himself?” The stall owner, having lost a sale for nothing, was in a sour mood and replied irritably.
“Not exactly, but his reputation is probably known even to the Emperor of Heaven,” Official Cui continued. “That was Su Shi, Vice Prefect of our Hangzhou City, and a distinguished disciple of Chancellor Ouyang.”
“Ah! You sly Taoist, why didn’t you say so earlier? I wouldn’t just take one string of coins—I’d have given him a puppy for free! It would have been the pup’s fortune to be touched by the literary aura of the Su residence.” The stall owner was filled with regret, gnashing his teeth and stamping his feet in frustration.
Meanwhile, Su Shi, carrying Yuan Niang and accompanied by Chen Ge’er, arrived at a shop specializing in dogs. The shop was quite interesting: instead of the character for “dog” on the colorful flag at the entrance, two embroidered dogs—one standing and one lying down—formed the character together. The display case at the door was filled with various treats like malt sugar bran and dried meat, all neatly arranged and very clean.
The shop owner was a woman of quiet temperament. Seeing Su Shi enter, she quickly set down the small blanket she was weaving and stood up to greet him, saying, “Please come in, esteemed customer. Are you here to buy treats or leashes and cages?”
Su Shi asked, “Do you have any puppies that have just left the litter?”
“Yes, they’re being kept in the backyard. Please follow me,” the shop owner replied with a gentle smile.
Chen Ge’er’s eyes widened into perfect circles. Having lived this many years, it was his first time seeing so many puppies, and he was utterly dazzled by the choices. There were ordinary guard dogs, sleek hunting hounds built for running, and even a Kangzhou lapdog—the kind pampered by noble young ladies—curled up in its cage. Tiny and snow-white from head to tail, the shopkeeper had clearly cared for it well, its long fur groomed to silky smoothness that shimmered faintly in the candlelight. It was quite a rare sight, though the pup itself seemed rather aloof, disinclined to engage with anyone. Hearing newcomers enter, it simply turned its back to nap.
Su Shi pointed at the Kangzhou lapdog and asked Yuan Niang, “What about this one?”
Yuan Niang shook her head. “Not quite to my liking.” The dog’s face inexplicably reminded her of the vicious puffballs that used to dart around her neighborhood in her past life—those yappy little monsters that had chased and barked at her more than once. She’d never much cared for these perpetually pint-sized pups.
Hearing this, Su Shi set her down, taking her candy and celadon jar before saying, “Go on, then. Pick one you like.”
“Okay!” Freed from her burdens, Yuan Niang let Chen Ge’er pull her along as they wandered and browsed.
Before long, the two of them stood together before a yellow dog with a white face. After studying it for a moment, they spoke in unison: “We want this one!”
The puppy looked to be just three months old, yet its frame was already substantial, with front legs a full three fingers wide. It had a tiger-like head and cat-like ears, its body coated in pale yellow fur as if dusted with gold powder. Its face was half white and half yellow, adorned with two white bean-shaped brows—a rather imposing little creature. Most importantly, it was remarkably composed. After barking at strangers and being scolded by its owner, it quietly crouched at the front of its cage to observe, ears perking alertly at the slightest stir. It didn’t wag its tail indiscriminately to curry favor, making it suited for both hunting and guarding.
Seeing the two children unanimously choose this dog, the shopkeeper lifted it out. The pup didn’t tremble or tuck its tail—bold and plump, it tumbled about on the ground like a golden furball.
Yan Qiu stepped forward to inquire about the price. Without beating around the bush, the shopkeeper said, “Young master, you’ve got a fine eye. This is the renowned ‘Yellow Dog with a White Face’ from the Classic of Dog Appraisal. As the saying goes, ‘A yellow dog with a white face is worth more than gold.’ Since you and the young lady like it so much, I’ll have to part with it reluctantly. The price is exactly five strings of coins.”
Su Shi never haggled when shopping, so his attendants weren’t in the habit of bargaining either. One made to untie his purse and fetch the silver.
Yuan Niang facepalmed inwardly but braced herself to step in. She halved the price outright: “Sister, dear sister, how about two strings of coins? The doggy is so adorable, and we’ll often come back to your shop for treats, beds, leashes, and such. We’ll be regular customers—could you give us a discount?”
The shopkeeper was utterly disarmed by this tiny girl with round eyes, a round nose, and a round face bargaining so earnestly. She laughed and said, “How about two and a half strings then? I’ll throw in a dog bed, a cage, and a set of leashes. What do you say?”
Yuan Niang held up three fingers and added, “Plus three packs of dried meat treats.”
“Alright, alright, it’s a deal, just as you say, little miss,” the shopkeeper replied. “You’re so young and already haggling like this—what will you be capable of when you’re older?”
Yuan Niang showered her with sweet talk as if it cost nothing: “It’s only because you, shopkeeper lady, are so gentle, beautiful, and kind-hearted.”
The shopkeeper shook his head and sighed, “I’m truly won over by that little mouth of yours—did you coat it in honey?!” As he spoke, he added two more packets of malt sugar candies.
Yan Qiu paid, then stuffed all the trinkets and odds and ends the shopkeeper had given them into the dog cage.
Su Shi patted Yuan Niang’s head and laughed, “You’re something else!” With that, he handed Yuan Niang the leftover silver from buying the dog.
Yuan Niang was filled with regret. If she had known earlier that the leftover money would all go to her, she would have tried harder to haggle down the price further. Ah, what a miscalculation!
Yan Qiu carried the dog cage, Chen Ge’er held the puppy, Su Shi carried Yuan Niang, and Yuan Niang clutched the silver—everyone returned fully laden.
Once they were in the carriage, Chen Ge’er affectionately stroked the puppy and said, “Yuan Niang, shall we give this little dog a name?”
Yuan Niang nodded, “How about Ah Huang?”
“Too common,” Chen Ge’er shook his head in refusal.
“Then what about Lai Cai?” Yuan Niang suggested again.
“Not majestic or imposing enough, and utterly vulgar,” Chen Ge’er rejected it once more.
Yuan Niang, exasperated, asked, “Then what do you think we should name it?”
Chen Ge’er furrowed his brow, racking his limited literary knowledge as he fell into deep thought.
Yuan Niang added, “Legend says that Suanni, the fifth son of the dragon, enjoys tranquility, excels at running, resembles a lion, and preys on tigers and leopards—that’s majestic and imposing enough. But I don’t like the sound of the character ‘Suan.’ How about we call it Ah Ni instead?”Chen Ge’er’s eyes lit up, ‘The shopkeeper did say earlier that a yellow dog with a white face is priceless, and you like the meaning of wealth.'” Why not call it Jin Ni!”
Su Shi, listening calmly to the two children chattering for so long, interjected, “That name is too grand. How about adding the character ‘Nu’ and calling it Jin Ni Nu?”
The two little ones nodded earnestly, both feeling the name couldn’t be more perfect.
Chen Ge’er tugged at the puppy’s ear and murmured, “Jin Ni Nu, Jin Ni Nu, from now on, that’s your name. Do you like it? Tell me, tell me!”
It’s true that an eight-year-old boy is disliked by both cats and dogs. The puppy, unable to bear the annoyance, flipped over and nestled into Yuan Niang’s arms to find some peace.
Chen Ge’er was greatly disappointed and reached over Yuan Niang’s arm to continue petting the dog. Jin Ni Nu was feeling drowsy and, with a stern expression, buried its little head between its paws, leaving only a fluffy rear end facing him, which made Yuan Niang burst into laughter.
When it was time to sleep at night, Jin Ni Nu absolutely refused to follow Chen Ge’er. Yuan Niang had no choice but to carry it back to her own courtyard. While this temporarily pacified Chen Ge’er, Jin Ni Nu whimpered and whined incessantly in the outer room, waking Yuan Niang from her sleep. She had heard that placing a piece of the new owner’s everyday clothing in the dog’s bed might help. Yuan Niang tried it, and it worked for a moment, but soon the whining started again.
Unable to bear it, Yuan Niang took Jin Ni Nu out of its bed and tucked it into her own. Jin Ni Nu was a clever sleeper—it lay beside the celadon piggy bank, its round eyes wide open, waiting for Yuan Niang.
As soon as Yuan Niang got into bed, it happily snuggled into her arms, circling around to find a comfortable spot to lie down. But as it circled, it began scratching at the bed.
Yuan Niang was alarmed and whispered a warning, “Little ancestor, behave yourself!”
Before long, Jin Ni Nu flipped its little paws and dug out a few copper coins from under the mattress. It made as if to swallow them, startling Yuan Niang. That would be pure foolishness! She quickly picked up the coins—she had no idea when she had saved them—and tossed them into the celadon piggy bank.
Ding! Yuan Niang’s mind suddenly jolted awake! The screen slowly lit up with a line of bold text: Exchange function activated.
“Huh?” The drowsy Yuan Niang instantly snapped to attention, energetically tapping the screen to see what she could exchange. But… after poking at it for a long time, the screen only impatiently flashed a line of text: Insufficient savings balance. No items available for exchange. Display unavailable!
Yuan Niang laughed in exasperation: Hey! Are you that lazy? You won’t even give me a glimpse of the possibilities?!
Still, at least this function had been unlocked—having it was better than nothing!
A while later, the screen lit up again, trembling slightly as it displayed a copy of Primary School Poetry Anthology for Yuan Niang, with an exchange price of two hundred wen.
Yuan Niang was taken aback. She stuffed all the money she usually earned into the celadon piggy bank, but no matter how much she saved, only the Primary School Poetry Anthology was available for exchange. Completely speechless, she petulantly pushed the celadon piggy bank aside, hugged her dog, and went to sleep!