Xia Li smiled and comforted her, “Mother, you’ve seen how well I can earn money. In the future, we’ll buy farmland and shops, even hire servants so you can live comfortably…”
Hearing Xia Li’s bold declaration, Mrs. Xia cheered up again. She had noticed her daughter becoming increasingly capable, and believed she could earn enough to buy some farmland. But purchasing shops and hiring servants seemed beyond belief. Still, she said, “Alright, I’ll look forward to that day.”
Dangdang wolfed down the meatball and finished all the rice in the small bowl. Xia Li wiped its mouth with a damp cloth and rinsed its mouth. Dangdang then placed its front paws on Xia Li’s knees, sticking out its tongue and looking at her as if smiling.
Seeing how carefully Xia Li cared for Dangdang, and how the dog looked at her like family, Mrs. Xia understood why Xia Li couldn’t bear to part with it. She sighed emotionally – though they had spent less than half a day together, the girl and dog seemed to have known each other for years.
Noticing Mrs. Xia’s puzzlement, Xia Li explained, “Mother, I once read that dogs are family members lost in previous lives, found again in this one, so we should treat them well…”
Before she could finish, the courtyard gate sounded – Xia Erhu had arrived.
He entered loudly proclaiming, “I wanted to come earlier, but San Bao stubbornly followed me. I had to hide in the outhouse for a long time, then slipped out the back door when he wasn’t looking. Da Huang couldn’t come either…”
Xia Erhu jumped in surprise upon seeing the wolf-like dog indoors. “Sister Li, when did your family get a dog?”
Xia Li replied, “Dangdang came to us early last month. At first we didn’t understand its habits, so we kept it tied in the backyard… Hey, when you came to watch me practice archery the other day, it was tied by the wall. Didn’t you see it?”
Xia Erhu blinked – he really hadn’t noticed.
Xia Li pulled him to sit at the table, putting half a meatball and two slices of fatty pork in his bowl. She continued, “At the end of last month, Dangdang came scratching at our door. Seeing it starving and skinny, I fed it, and it decided to stay. I happened to want a dog anyway, so I kept it… I thought someone as clever as you would have noticed it sooner.”
When adults repeatedly present falsehoods as truth to young children like Erhu, they tend to accept it as reality, becoming more convinced with each retelling.
She had no choice but to deceive the young boy – she needed a witness.
Since Xiawa Village wasn’t far from the county town, news of the thousand-tael silver reward for a missing dog might spread. Moreover, that young nobleman clearly came from an influential family she couldn’t afford to offend.
Since last month, Da Huang had often come begging for food, and neighbors would have heard barking from their courtyard. With this young witness, everyone would believe Dangdang had arrived in late March.
She was creating the false impression that their family had kept the dog since late March.
For now, she couldn’t let Dangdang go outside or meet others. After enough time passed, she could take it out. If someone still recognized it, she could always deny it – many dogs looked similar.
Sure enough, Xia Erhu accepted it as truth, vividly recalling the image of a large dog sitting in the corner. He declared with certainty, “Yes, I did see a dog that day.”Xia Li was overjoyed and said, “I always said Erhu was a clever boy. Let me tell you a secret—Da Huang often sneaks over to our house because he wants to play with Dangdang.” She then took twenty coins from her sachet and handed them to him. “Here, buy some candy when the peddler comes.”
Xia Erhu grinned from ear to ear, his eyes crinkling, and tucked the money into his own sachet. He was deeply moved—why was Sister Li so incredibly kind?
Mrs. Xia, overhearing their conversation, shook her head with a smile. Her daughter had already explained to her that they must insist the dog had been raised since the end of March…
While Mrs. Xia went to the kitchen to wash dishes, Xia Li had Dangdang perform tricks: standing up, lying down, rolling left, and rolling right. She added, “I’ve been teaching him these moves lately. Isn’t he smart?”
Xia Erhu jumped for joy, utterly delighted.
Suddenly, scratching sounds were heard at the door—it was Da Huang arriving. Spotting the beautiful Dangdang, he wagged his tail and rushed over to play wildly with him.
Dangdang, however, looked down on the dirty and unattractive Da Huang and ignored him.
Xia Li whispered a command, “Build a good relationship with him—he can cover for you.” She then made a gesture symbolizing peaceful coexistence.
Seeing this, Dangdang reluctantly accepted the friendship.
Xia Li secretly felt relieved that Da Huang was a female dog. If it had been a male seeking romance, the already irritable Dangdang would have surely bitten it to death.
In his previous life, Xiao Shuai had not only possessed a keen sense of smell but was also exceptionally fierce and skilled in fighting.
After Xia Erhu left with Da Huang, Xia Li instructed Dangdang to hide in the house or backyard whenever visitors came, except for Erhu, and to avoid being seen. She also reminded him to relieve himself only in the backyard vegetable patch. Then she gave him a bath, dried him with a cloth, and led him to her bedroom.
She sat on the bed, and Dangdang jumped up too; the girl and the dog frolicked together.
Mrs. Xia frowned deeply upon hearing that Xia Li intended to let the dog sleep on the bed and firmly objected. This time, she was resolute—her daughter simply could not sleep with a dog.
Seeing her mother flushed with anxiety, Xia Li had no choice but to compromise, agreeing that it would only be for one night and promising to clean up the southern room in the east wing for Dangdang to stay in starting the next day.
Meanwhile, as soon as Xia Erhu returned to the Xia family compound, he announced that Auntie’s family had a big dog named Dangdang.
Old Mrs. Xia wondered, “How come I’ve never seen it? Was it just raised today?”
Xia Erhu boasted proudly, “It’s been raised for a long time! Sister Li always kept him tied up in the backyard and only let me and Da Huang see him.” He continued exaggerating, “Dangdang looks fierce, but he doesn’t bite and is very well-behaved. Whenever I go to Auntie’s house, I play with him. Da Huang sneaks over there just to play with Dangdang too…”
He went on and on, bragging about how clever Dangdang was and how well he and Da Huang had been playing with him these past days.
Xia Sanbao was filled with envy and resentment, grumbling, “I’ve been to Auntie’s house and never saw it.”
Xia Erhu thought to himself, Sister Li doesn’t like you, of course she wouldn’t let you see Dangdang. But wisely, he kept that to himself, merely shooting Sanbao a sidelong glance.
The meaning in his eyes was clear to everyone.
Little Mrs. Yang scolded Sanbao, “You’re so naive! Why don’t you learn some of Erhu’s smooth-talking skills?”
Early the next morning, as soon as Xia Li opened her eyes, she saw Dangdang squatting by her bedside, quietly watching her, his long tongue hanging out as if smiling at her.
She was momentarily confused, pausing briefly before reaching out to rub its head with a smile. “Xiao Shuai, we’ve both come here and reunited. From now on, you’re not just my dog, but also my family, my little sister.”