Xia Li felt deeply grateful to Dangdang’s previous owner while silently apologizing to the cousin brothers in her heart. She removed the dog chain and carefully detached all the golden lilacs from it – thirty-six pieces in total. Then she threw the chain into the stove, where it would be “destroyed without a trace” during cooking. As for those golden lilacs, she truly couldn’t bring herself to destroy them.
Just then, there was a knock at the door and Mrs. Xia’s voice called, “Li Li, open the door. It’s me.”
Xia Li got up to open the door, quickly closing it again after her mother entered.
Mrs. Xia was carrying three pork ribs and a small strip of pork belly. When she suddenly spotted the large wolf-like dog in the courtyard baring its teeth and wagging its long tongue at her, she screamed in fright.
Xia Li quickly reassured her, “Don’t be afraid, Mother. This dog was scratching at our door earlier, seeming terribly hungry, so I let it in and gave it some food. Who would have thought it wouldn’t want to leave after eating. Mother, I’d like to keep it. With it accompanying me wherever I go, no one would dare bully me.”
Mrs. Xia wasn’t entirely convinced and advised, “Dogs should be raised from puppyhood to become properly domesticated. This one is already grown and looks quite fierce…”
Xia Li explained, “This is a large breed – it looks big but might not actually be old. It’s very gentle and won’t bite people.”
Yuan Shi – no, now to be called Dangdang – upon hearing Xia Li’s words, appropriately lay down on the ground, let out a few soft whimpers, and looked at Mrs. Xia with large, watery eyes.
Its gaze was gentle, pure, and harmless, its brown eyes seeming as if soaked in water. Mrs. Xia’s heart softened under its gaze and she smiled, “It really is a clever dog, and does look gentle. Alright, if no one comes looking for it, we can keep it.”
Mrs. Xia put the ribs and meat in the kitchen, then mother and daughter entered the main room, with Dangdang following them inside.
Xia Li conscientiously handed over the pouch containing one hundred ten taels of silver and the sachet rewarded by the Yang family siblings to Mrs. Xia. But Mrs. Xia didn’t accept them, saying, “Li Li, you’ve grown up. This is money you earned, so you should keep it properly as dowry silver to take to your future husband’s household. Remember, don’t let anyone sweet-talk you out of it easily, not even your future husband.” After pausing briefly, she added, “I’m not telling you to keep secrets from your future husband, but you must never completely trust what men say. Always keep your wits about you… Anyway, you must remember your mother’s words.”
Without waiting for Xia Li to respond, she hurried off to the kitchen.
Xia Li sensed a world-weary bitterness in Mrs. Xia’s eyes when she spoke those last two sentences. She thought perhaps this body’s father had deeply hurt Mrs. Xia before his death, which was why when her in-laws drove her out, she resolutely brought her daughter back to her maternal home thousands of miles away.
Although the two men Xia Li had been closest to in her previous life were both exceptionally good men who maintained their integrity, her work had exposed her to enough of the world’s ugliness to naturally understand that many men in this world couldn’t be trusted.
She didn’t pretend to refuse – she would keep the silver, whether to use as startup capital later or save up to buy land. In any case, it all belonged to her and her mother.
She opened the wardrobe and took out a padded jacket from her childhood, wrapping the silver ingot pouch in it. Then she put the golden lilacs into a sachet and stuffed that into the small padded jacket too, placing the jacket deep inside the wardrobe. She then removed the lock from her chest and used it to lock the wardrobe.
She didn’t dare tell Mrs. Xia about the golden lilacs for now, afraid it might frighten her.Xia Li opened the chest again and took out the small box where she kept her private savings. Inside was a small Silver Coin and over a hundred copper coins—all her personal savings. She then placed the Sachet containing the Silver Bullets inside as well.
After hiding her private money, she smiled at Dangdang and said, “Remember, this cabinet holds our family’s savings. If any bad guys try to open it and steal our silver, bite them.”
Dangdang let out two serious barks, as if declaring that he would bite any thief daring enough to rob his home.
Xia Li felt that the little creature seemed even smarter than in her previous life.
She patted him and laughed, “Come on, I’ll make your favorite food.”
In her past life, Yuanshuai had loved three types of food: raw meat bones, minced cabbage mixed with minced meat and a pinch of salt, shaped into large balls and steamed, and mashed potatoes. However, potatoes didn’t exist in this world.
Xia Li cheerfully ran to the backyard vegetable patch and picked a head of cabbage and two cucumbers.
Dangdang followed closely at her heels, either tugging at her pants or hugging her leg, making Xia Li giggle uncontrollably.
Mrs. Xia was also delighted. She hadn’t expected this dog to be so intelligent, bonding so well with Li Li right from the start. Li Li’s laughter seemed the most carefree and joyful she had heard in twelve years.
After washing the meat and bones, Mrs. Xia sat on a small stool to start the fire when she noticed a black linen chain in the stove and pulled it out. As Xia Li entered the kitchen, she asked, “Li Li, what’s this? It’s such a fine item—what a waste to burn it.”
Xia Li tossed the chain back into the stove and said, “It was tied around Dangdang’s neck.”
Mrs. Xia had already noticed that the dog had glossy fur and exceptional intelligence—clearly not a stray. Seeing such a fine chain around its neck, she concluded it must have belonged to a wealthy family.
She disapprovingly remarked, “Li Li, if Dangdang’s previous owner comes looking, we should…” Noticing Xia Li’s reluctance to give him back, she changed her words, “…offer to buy him with more silver.”
Xia Li replied, “What if they refuse to sell? Dangdang isn’t an object—he has feelings. You’ve seen how he took to me instantly, Mother. He’s willing to stay with me—it’s fate. In this world, no one could treat him better than I do.”
Mrs. Xia sighed and said nothing more, thinking to herself that if the dog’s owner showed up, she would offer ten taels of silver to buy Dangdang. The thought of spending so much on a dog made her heart ache.
Xia Li took a whole rib, placed it in a small bowl, and set it on the floor for Dangdang to enjoy heartily. She then began making the large meatballs with cabbage, adding only a pinch of salt and no other seasonings.
Mrs. Xia asked, “Will the meatballs taste good with just salt? Don’t waste the ingredients.”
Xia Li smiled and said, “I suddenly felt like trying it this way. Maybe it’ll turn out tasty.”
She couldn’t explain that Dangdang couldn’t eat spiced food, so she left it at that.
Mrs. Xia didn’t press further.
Dinner was lavish: steamed meatballs, stir-fried garlic sprouts with twice-cooked pork, rib and cabbage soup, mixed cucumbers, and a pot of fine rice.
Though the dishes were laid out on the table, they didn’t start eating immediately. While buying meat, Mrs. Xia had asked Xia Zhu to summon Xia Erhu.
Xia Li scooped a small half-bowl of rice, mixed it with the rib and cabbage soup, added two large meatballs, and took it under the table to feed Dangdang.
Mrs. Xia frowned and said, “Li Li, feeding the dog so well will spoil his appetite. We can’t afford to keep him like that.”
Xia Li smiled and said, “It’s his first day in our home, so he won’t be like this in the future. He’ll eat whatever we eat.”
Mrs. Xia’s brows furrowed even tighter. If he were to eat as well as humans, and with such a big appetite, wouldn’t it be like raising two extra people in the family?