Shortly after Xia Li left the city gate, Zeng Qingqing and her brother Zeng Lizhang hurriedly arrived at Liu Changzhao’s side.
Liu Changzhao had proudly brought Huzi to Tongning County today to show off, all at the strong insistence of the siblings. His cousin had instructed him to take Huzi directly to Hancheng Prefecture in the provincial capital to help their uncle, Lord Zeng, solve a major case. Not only had he disobeyed and brought Huzi to Tongning County, but he had also flaunted it all along the way.
Zeng Qingqing felt deeply apologetic and said, “Cousin Liu, let’s quickly go find Magistrate He and post missing dog notices. We’ll search openly and discreetly—Huzi is sure to be found…”
Liu Changzhao replied, “I’ve already sent someone to inform Lord He.” Then, remembering something, he added, “I’ll go find Garrison Commander Jiang right now and ask him to send men to assist in the search.” With that, he mounted his horse and galloped off, startling pedestrians who scrambled to get out of his way.
Zeng Lizhang pouted, saying, “I was so excited to see Huzi that I couldn’t even sleep well. And now he’s lost.” He added, puzzled, “Cousin Ye and Cousin Liu praised Huzi so highly, saying he’s as clever as a ten-year-old child. Doesn’t that mean he’s smarter than me? If he’s smarter than me, how could he possibly get lost?”
Zeng Qingqing glared at him and said, “Even teenagers get abducted, let alone ten-year-olds. It’s all your fault for insisting that Cousin Liu bring Huzi here to play for a day first. Now Cousin Liu has made a huge blunder. Huzi was painstakingly trained by Cousin Ye, who treasures him dearly. If we can’t find him, I don’t know how Cousin Ye will deal with Cousin Liu. And Father will definitely punish us too.”
Zeng Lizhang retorted defiantly, “It’s just a dog. How could it be more important than a person? Cousin Ye made that dog sound so miraculous, and Father actually believed him. How could a dog possibly solve a case? Ridiculous!” He rubbed his chubby little bottom, pouting even more, and added, “Father will only ground you and make you copy the Admonitions for Women, but he’ll spank my bottom raw…”
About a quarter of an hour later, the soldiers guarding the four city gates received orders to strictly inspect for a yellow-and-white Yanshan Wolfdog. The townspeople entering and exiting lined up for inspection, with carts, baskets, and backpacks all thoroughly checked. Afterward, several teams of constables and soldiers began combing through the streets and alleys, focusing on the houses near the alley where Huzi had gone missing…
When the donkey cart arrived at the entrance of Xiaowa Village, Mrs. Xia and her daughter got off, paid the driver fifty wen, and hurried home.
As soon as Xia Li entered the courtyard gate, she said to Mrs. Xia, “Mother, I want to eat meat, preferably with some bones.” Afraid of alarming Mrs. Xia, she needed to send her away first before letting Marshal out.
Having earned so much money, Mrs. Xia had originally planned to buy more food and supplies in the county town, but she rushed home because her daughter wasn’t feeling well. Now, hearing her daughter say she wanted meat, she had no reason to refuse and nodded, “Alright, I’ll go buy some for you right away.”
Mrs. Xia first bolted the door, put down her backpack, then untied the bundle from her body and handed it to Xia Li, instructing, “Bolt the door and hide the silver well.”
Once Mrs. Xia left, Xia Li quickly bolted the door. As soon as she put down her backpack, Xiao Shuai eagerly jumped out and rushed toward Xia Li.
He leaped high into the air—only her Xiao Shuai could jump in such a beautiful arc.
Xia Li was knocked over by his pounce and sat down on the ground. She hugged Xiao Shuai’s neck as he excitedly licked her face, tears of joy streaming from his eyes.
Xia Li was also crying and laughing, murmuring, “Oh, Xiao Shuai, Xiao Shuai, I’ve finally found you. We’re together again at last… I never imagined you’d come here too and even knew how to find me like that. Heaven has eyes, letting us recognize and reunite. It’s truly wonderful… Xiao Shuai, thank you, thank you…”
After a while of affectionate interaction, Xiao Shuai suddenly broke free from Xia Li’s embrace, raised his front paws, puffed out his belly, let out two mournful whimpers, and then lay on top of Xia Li, sobbing.
Xia Li didn’t understand and asked, “What’s wrong, my dear? What do you mean?”
Hearing this, Xiao Shuai raised his front paws again, exposing his belly, and whimpered with tears in his eyes.
Xia Li finally understood—the handsome male dog from her previous life had crossed over into the body of a beautiful female dog.
This was quite tragic. Imagining herself crossing into a man’s body, how heartbreaking it would be—she’d surely feel like dying.
Seeing that her owner understood, Xiao Shuai rested his little head on Xia Li’s shoulder and sobbed even harder, whimpering softly…
Xia Li felt immense sympathy but didn’t want to add to his psychological burden. Gently stroking his little head, she comforted him, “Don’t be sad, Xiao Shuai. In this lifetime, you’ve been both a male and a female—a true warrior woman. Not everyone has such fortune… Whether you’re male or female, I love you all the same…”
Under Xia Li’s soothing, Xiao Shuai gradually calmed down a bit. Xia Li then opened his mouth to check—his teeth were all grown in, white and shiny, though his incisors weren’t yet sharp.
Xia Li smiled and said, “This body is at most a year old. You’re still young and have many years ahead of you. That’s truly something to be happy about.”
In her previous life, she had taken him in when he was two years old. After seven years together, Xiao Shuai had already entered old age, suffering from many age-related ailments. She had truly feared that one day Xiao Shuai would suddenly leave her too. Little did she expect that both of them would cross over here because of that car accident.
In this life, they would be able to spend even more time together.
Xiao Shuai seemed to understand his owner’s meaning, wagging his tongue excitedly.
Xia Li lowered her voice and murmured, “This world is strictly hierarchical. You can’t be called Xiao Shuai anymore. Let’s call you Xunfeng… Your sense of smell is so keen—no matter the scent, even if scattered by the wind, you have the ability to trace it. And as for Ye Feng, even if there’s no trace of him in this world, both you and I must remember him…”
After a moment’s thought, she added, “Forget it. Let’s bury everything from the past in our hearts. From now on, I’m a peasant girl, and you’re an ordinary guard dog. We’ll live happily and peacefully in the countryside. No more lofty names—let’s just call you… Dangdang.”
She held his little head facing hers and said solemnly, “From now on, you are Dangdang, Dangdang… Remember, no matter who calls you Huzi again, you must not react at all. Otherwise, I won’t be able to protect you…”
Xia Li then thoroughly inspected Dangdang from head to toe—clean, sturdy, clearly well cared for by his previous owner, with no signs of hardship. The dog chain around his neck was woven from fine silk and hemp, adorned with many small golden cloves. Considering the young master’s attire and how afraid he was of his cousin, it was clear that his cousin must also be wealthy or noble.