Chapter 104 The Big Yellow Silly Dog, The Final Gift, Farewell

By dawn the next day, the soybeans in the pot, which had turned into a paste, had completely cooled down.

Lai washed his hands and divided the ten pounds of soybean paste in the pot into four roughly equal portions, shaping them into four rectangular soybean blocks.

Once the soybean blocks are formed, place them in a well-ventilated area to ferment naturally. After about a month of fermentation, they can be made into traditional soybean paste.

With his sauce-making work temporarily put on hold, Lai resumed his life of exploring the forest and hunting.

Dahuang's two puppies grew stronger day by day, but Dahuang himself became thinner and thinner.

Every day when Ray and Neil come home, they are greeted with a warm welcome from the two puppies.

The little guys wagged their tails almost like propellers, affectionately rubbing against people's feet. They were chubby and plump, especially affectionate and adorable.

The days went by in a steady, routine way, which felt both fulfilling and reassuring.

But as if there were some kind of omen, for some reason, Lai had been feeling uneasy these past few days, as if something was about to happen.

Finally, it really happened; it was a sunset with fiery clouds filling the sky.

As usual, Ray prepared dinner in the house, while Neil took the food bucket to feed the red tardigrades, mules, and hen.

They fed them one by one, filling the barnacles with rice husks and adding alfalfa and water to the mules, until finally it was the turn of the mother and baby yellow dog.

The puppy is a month old and it's time to wean it. It can now eat some simple solid food.

When Dahuang eats, it always lets the two puppies eat first. Only after the two puppies have finished eating and started chasing and playing will it slowly step forward to finish them off and start eating on its own.

Neil tapped the food bucket to call Big Yellow out for a meal. Soon, there was a sparse commotion in the doghouse, and two puppies stumbled out.

"Woof woof!"

Why didn't your mother come out?

"Woof woof!"

"Woof woof!"

The two puppies had already smelled the food; their tails were wagging happily as they pawed at the food bucket, wanting to eat what was inside.

"Rhubarb? Rhubarb!"

Neil barked several times, but there was still no response from the doghouse.

Normally, as soon as he calls, Big Yellow will immediately run out. It's been so long, and only the little one has come out, which is really strange.

Neil realized something was wrong, so he went straight to the doghouse, squatted down at the door, and peered inside in the afternoon sunlight.

Big Yellow was curled up inside, lying motionless, as if it were asleep.

"rhubarb!"

Neil didn't see Big Yellow make any movement, so he gently nudged its hind leg, but Big Yellow still didn't react.

Something's not right.

Neil frowned, his heart began to race, and he felt a growing unease.

He dared not think too deeply, but what he saw before him seemed to confirm his worst suspicion.

"rhubarb?"

Neil's voice began to tremble slightly.

No, something's not right. Big Yellow's body is still warm. But why isn't its chest rising and falling...?

Tears instantly filled Neil's eyes.

Lai was cooking. The vegetables in the pan were changing color and losing moisture, emitting a pleasant aroma. It was time to plate them.

He casually picked up the plate that was placed next to him, preparing to plate it, when a pair of not-so-strong arms suddenly wrapped around his back.

If he hadn't been holding a shovel and a plate, Ray would have almost thrown Neil, who suddenly leaned in, out the door with an over-the-shoulder throw.

"What's wrong?"

Ray felt Neil's shoulders trembling and his soft sobs.

"Brother...brother, Da...Dahuang is dead, sob sob..."

Ray released Neil's hand, turned around, and half-squatted down to give him a hug.

Ray knew what rhubarb meant to Neil; it had been with Neil for almost all of his childhood.

Since the original owner died and his soul transmigrated into this body, Big Yellow is probably Neil's closest companion.

Now that Big Yellow is dead, it means that all the important people and friends who have been with Neil as he grew up have also disappeared.

At this moment, words are meaningless, and comfort is pointless. Only those experiencing true sadness and sorrow know the true extent of their grief.

Ray didn't say anything, but hugged Neil and gently patted his back, comforting the child who was too sensible and kept all his worries to himself, never complaining.

This was the first time he had seen Neil so emotionally affected, so helpless, like a little bird unable to return home in a downpour.

Tata watched Neil crying across the table, and Lai comforting him. His tail wasn't held high as usual; he seemed somewhat sad.

He remembered that morning when he was leaning on the windowsill watching the silly dog ​​wagging its tail incessantly at Lei.

He couldn't understand why the silly dog ​​was so happy every day. Even when it was tied up and lost its freedom, it was still cheerful and he never saw it sad.

He finally couldn't help but ask her the question in animal language.

He remembered the silly dog ​​saying to him in broken, unfluent animal language, "Because I'm a dog."

What else was there? Oh, right.

She also said,

"I am too old to accompany my young master as he grows up. I am about to die."

I still remember the first day my owner brought him home. He was so small then, he didn't even have the strength to cry. Later, he grew up, and I grew old, gradually losing my strength.

I know I'm going to die soon; I've lived too long for a dog. All I can do is leave my last puppies behind, so they can watch over my little master as he grows up…”

Not long after, Tata saw the puppies being born and saw Dahuang gradually becoming weaker.

It cherished and made the most of the last moments of its life, passing on everything it knew to its two innocent and young cubs.

The birth of the cubs consumed its life force; if it hadn't chosen to give birth, it could have lived for at least another year.

See? I told you it was a stupid dog.

Tata couldn't understand what kind of emotion made Dahuang make such a disadvantageous choice.

Neil cried for a full half hour before his emotions gradually calmed down. His eyelids were red, and his eyes were swollen like two walnuts.

Seeing that Lei's clothes were soaked with tears, he apologized sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, brother, I got your clothes dirty."

“It’s okay, Neil, you don’t need to apologize to your brother. You’re just a little kid now, you don’t need to be so sensible. Your brother hopes you can be happy every day. Go wash your face, you’re all covered in tears.”

"Uh-huh."

Neil washed his face with cold water, while Lai brought the now-cold food to the table and went back to his room to change his clothes.

When he returned, Neil had calmed down and was sitting in a chair with swollen eyes.

"Brother, what will happen to Big Yellow after this?"

"Let's eat first, then we'll talk. I need to think about it."

"good."

The two of them ate their dinner without any appetite. Neil only ate a little bit before saying he was full, and his eyes never left Lai.

"well."

Lai put down his chopsticks and sighed deeply.

"Don't worry, I will take care of Dahuang's funeral arrangements and let it rest in peace in a beautiful environment where it can run freely."

"Thank you, brother."

Neil didn't ask any more questions; he trusted Ray completely.

"I'm going out for a bit. After I leave, please put the puppies in the living room. They're too small; if they stay outside, they'll easily be snatched away by weasels."

"good."

After giving Neil his instructions, Ray left and went straight to Hagrid's house to call someone to come back with him.

Hagrid's family had just finished dinner when they heard about the incident, and Hagrid and Lamb went to Rye's house together.

Lai harnessed the mule and led the two men and Big Yellow's corpse out of the village, heading towards the other side of the mountain.

"Lay, what are your plans? Tell me in detail."

Hagrid asked Rye.

"I originally thought of digging a hole and burying Dahuang directly, but there are many wild animals here, and I was afraid that after burying him, the wild animals would dig him up and eat him. I think it's better to cremate him directly, collect the ashes and then find a better place to bury him."

"That's good, after all, it's an old dog that's been raised for over ten years. There are very few dogs in the village that live that long."

You're thoughtful enough to find it a decent place to rest. If it were in someone else's house, they might just eat it.

Hagrid lit his pipe again.

"I heard from Lamb that it gave birth to two puppies recently?"

"That's true. At the beginning of the year, it bit through its leash and ran away. A few months later, it gave birth to two male puppies."

"Everything has a spirit. It probably knew its time was running out and wanted to leave you with something to remember it by. It was a good dog."

Hagrid gently combed the fur of the somewhat stiff yellow dog.

After hearing Hagrid's words, Ray felt a mix of emotions.

The three of them found an open space, gathered enough dry grass and branches, and after stroking the fur of the big yellow dog one last time, they said their final goodbye and sent it on its final journey.

The bonfire supporting the corpse of Dahuang burned fiercely, and soon thick smoke rose into the air.

Hagrid sat half-sitting on the back of the truck, his feet on the ground, puffing on his pipe.

Lai and Neil watched the fire, preventing the flames from spreading, and occasionally added firewood to make it burn brighter.

And so, Dahuang's last connection with this world vanished.

It seems like it came, yet it also seems like it never came.

Lai used the cloth that had originally covered Big Yellow's body to cover its partially burned bones and ashes. Finally, he found a good spot nearby, dug a pit, and buried it.

"Let's go back."

Hagrid lit his third pipe.

"Okay, let's go."

It's very late. The night sky is beautiful. The two crescent moons together look like a single entity, illuminating the entire night sky.

The stars twinkled in the dark blue night sky, and so did the sparks in Hagrid's pipe.

The wheels crunched on the fallen branches, making a pattering sound, just like the sound from the campfire earlier.

The three of them remained silent throughout the journey, a sense of melancholy washing over them as they bid farewell to an old friend who was traveling far away, knowing that he would never return.

A shooting star streaked across the night sky, breaking the silence of the scene. It was so fast that no one had time to utter the first letter of their wish.

No one saw how it was born, nor did anyone see how it disappeared; the starry sky quickly returned to calm.

The only sounds on the dirt road were the tire tracks and the chirping of insects in the roadside weeds.

No matter the kind of parting, it always carries a touch of melancholy...