Chapter 206 Missing

The baked eggs smelled delicious, completely different from the taste of regular scrambled or boiled eggs.

The peeled eggs were whole, but some parts were burnt brown, perhaps because the fire was too high.

We wrapped the two eggs, one for me and one for Mancang.

I was curious about the smell of the burnt parts, so I bit directly into the brownish-red egg white. It was chewy and even slightly crispy. It smelled so good and tasted so good.

"So this is what it tastes like! It's really delicious!"

Mancang savored the egg in his mouth, perhaps recalling the smell of his cousin's roasted egg earlier.

Seeing Mancang like this, I feel quite fortunate. Luckily, Mancang ate the things he had always been curious about during his childhood, so that he wouldn't feel heartbroken when he recalled them later in life.

I had roasted sweet potatoes, milk tea, and eggs, which made my stomach feel a bit full. I just ate a few potato chips and managed to get through lunch.

It was a bit windy outside, but fortunately the windows were well-sealed and didn't affect the temperature inside. All you could hear was the whooshing sound of the wind blowing outside.

The weather outside was rather dim, probably because sand and snow mixed with the ground had been blown into the air. For a moment, the indoor light was dim, giving me the feeling that it was about to get dark.

I lay on the warm kang (heated brick bed), slowly stroking the round iron egg.

Now Tiedan has fully displayed the characteristics of a fat orange cat: a big head, a round belly, and is a complete piglet.

I wonder if such a fat cat will be able to catch mice once the weather warms up.

If the burden of catching mice ultimately falls on Xiaogua's shoulders, it will be a real joke.

Looking down at the little melon on the ground, I saw that several dogs were fast asleep on their cotton mats.

Mancang seemed to have fallen asleep as well, and for a moment the only sound in the room was Tiedan snoring.

I'm naturally a heavy sleeper, and with this kind of environment, I simply couldn't control my eyes.

I slipped into the warm bed, but it was a bit too hot under the quilt, so I pulled over a blanket and covered myself with it, then closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Because I didn't eat a proper lunch, I was woken up from my nap by hunger.

I woke up with an empty stomach, and Mancang was already reading his comic book.

Dinner consisted of millet rice, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and radish soup.

Mancang is not picky about food; he eats with great relish even when there's not much meat.

Three more months passed slowly like this. One afternoon, I suddenly couldn't find Xiaogua.

Normally, Xiao Gua and the other three dogs are inseparable, but now only Xiao San, Xiao Si, and Xiao Di are in the house.

I searched every corner of the house but couldn't find it. I called Xiaogua's name loudly in the yard, but it didn't wag its tail and run over carefree as usual.

Xiao Di probably understood what was going on. Seeing that I was a little anxious, he joined me in anxiously searching for Xiao Gua.

After confirming that there was no Xiaogua at home, Mancang and I were fully armed, wearing thick clothes, and prepared to go up the mountain to look for him.

Was Xiaogua there when you went out to chop firewood this morning?

Mancang shook his head, his brows furrowed: "Xiaogua didn't go this morning. I thought it was being lazy and wanted to stay home and sleep."

I was so upset that my pet went missing this morning. I feel so guilty. As its owner, I didn't even notice that my pet had been missing for so long.

After locking the gate, I led the three dogs and Mancang towards the vegetable garden on the mountain.

As he walked, he shouted Xiaogua's name.

This guy is usually carefree, but he's also a pillar of the family. After all, when it comes to hunting and defending against enemies, Xiao Gua is always the first to step up.

Aside from being a bit greedy and mischievous, he doesn't have any major flaws.

We've lived together for so many years, and Xiaogua is like family to me. Now that Xiaogua is missing, I'm extremely panicked.

They shouted all over the mountains for an hour, but there was still no trace of Xiaogua.

The little earth wasn't idle; it sniffed around, perhaps looking for the scent of the little melon. But around noon, a light snow fell, probably masking the scent of the little melon.

There were no footprints left by Xiaogua on the mountain, indicating that Xiaogua had gone missing before the snowfall.

Could they have been caught in a hunter's trap?

Could he have died somewhere inexplicably?

My mind was filled with terrible speculations, and the more I thought about it, the more painful it became. I was afraid that Xiaogua would suffer great pain and then really die.

"What are we going to do?!"

I stood in the freezing wind, my eyes welling up with tears.

Mancang didn't know how to comfort me, and looked at me helplessly without saying a word.

It's so cold outside, I can't just stand here like an idiot. Every minute that my little dog stays outside increases the risk for him.

He pulled his hat up to clear his vision and began searching more intently.

Another half hour passed, and there was still no sign of Xiaogua.

I was about to venture further into the mountains when I saw Mancang's small figure and decided I didn't want him to come with me.

"Go home first, heat up the kang (heated brick bed) for Aunt Cheng, and reheat the leftovers. I'll be home late, so you can eat first."

When Mancang saw me telling him to go home, big tears immediately fell from his eyes: "No, Aunt Cheng, I'll go with you to find Xiaogua."

"Listen to me, it's too cold outside, you go first..."

"Woof woof!"

Before I could finish speaking, I heard Little Earth growl softly.

He quickly turned around and ran towards the small area, even stumbling in his haste.

Little Earth anxiously gazed into the bushes, making continuous whimpering sounds.

I hid beside the small plot of land and peered inside, and finally saw the little melon I had been looking for for so long.

But when I saw it, my heart sank.

For some reason, most of Xiaogua's body was buried in the snow, with only his head sticking out. His eyes were closed, and it was unclear whether he was still breathing.

The little melon was lying too deep; I couldn't reach it when I reached out.

"Little melon! Little melon!"

Little Gua twitched its eyebrows, slowly opened its eyes to look at me, then closed them again, and even burrowed its body deeper into the snowdrift.

To be alive is good.

Mancang ran over at this moment. I parted the branches of the low bushes and asked Mancang to hold me down. I crawled in with my hands on the ground.

After finally squeezing inside, I grabbed the little melon's paw and tried to pull it out.

For some reason, Xiaogua wasn't very cooperative, and shrank back with a sad expression.

Seeing it like this, I felt very sorry for it, but I was also angry. What's wrong with it? Why does it have to crawl in this freezing cold wilderness?

"You stupid dog! What are you doing lying here? Get out here!"

I used brute force to pull Xiaogua out, and had Mancang hold Xiaogua down while I struggled to stand up from the ground.

Ignoring the snow on my clothes, I hugged Xiao Gua tightly. Only when I truly felt this silly dog ​​in my arms and that it was still breathing did my tense and uneasy heart finally calm down.

"Let's go home."

As she walked quickly home, she tried her best to cover Xiaogua's body with her hands.