Having completed a project independently and established herself in the factory, Zhan Chunlan now had the time and inclination to go out and explore.

The May river breeze felt like a thin veil, gently covering her face, cool with moisture but not biting. She took off her work jacket and draped it over her arm, revealing a faded navy blue t-shirt underneath, the collar slightly rolled up, like a crumpled and unfolded trumpet flower.

The river surface shimmered with golden light. She squinted her eyes. She was very comfortable and content with her life on her own. Many times she wondered what kind of opportunity she needed to announce to the people around her that she and Wang Wenfeng had ended their relationship.

Turning past the old pump house, she heard a rushing sound of water being flushed. She looked in the direction of the sound—

At the bottom of the stone steps, a man in his forties squatted beside an enamel basin. He held a small mongrel dog, no bigger than his palm, with his left hand and scooped up a ladle of water with his right hand, pouring it over the dog's head.

The puppy's fur was as yellow as a freshly steamed cornbread, its four paws were pink and tender, but its tail was tucked tightly between its hind legs, like a flattened stalk of wheat. When water was poured on it, its fur immediately clung to its skin, and the whole dog curled up like a wet potato, shaking so hard that the enamel basin made a "clattering" sound.

Zhan Chunlan couldn't help but take half a step forward. She saw that the puppy's eyelashes were also light gold, stuck together in clumps by the water, and its two black eyes looked like oil-soaked black beans, turning timidly.

It should be about a month old. It doesn't bark, but only makes a soft, muffled "woo-woo" sound, like someone stuffing a whistle into cotton wool.

The dog was soaking wet. The man spread his fingers and scraped down the dog's back. With each scrape, the dog squeaked and gasped. The skin in the grooves of its spine was pulled up high. The calluses on the man's palms were so rough that each rub made a rustling sound. Wherever he went, the yellow fur immediately stuck to the skin, revealing the pinkish-white flesh underneath, with red marks appearing on it. Zhan Chunlan frowned as she watched.

Logically speaking, someone who still has the patience to bathe a puppy in this day and age should be a very loving person, but his bathing actions were very rough, completely disregarding the puppy's feelings.

Zhan Chunlan also saw him grab the puppy by the scruff of its neck, lift the whole dog up, and shove it into a basin of murky water with a "thump." He pressed it down heavily with one hand and scrubbed it vigorously with the other. This... didn't look like he was washing a dog.

"Old Yu, are you done washing? I've even sharpened the knife."

The sound crashed down from above. Zhan Chunlan looked up and saw a man wearing a blue apron standing at the top of the stone steps, holding a long, sharp knife. The setting sun danced on the back of the knife, and a blood-red spot of light fell right on the instep of her foot, like a scorching copper coin.

Old Yu didn't look up. He flipped the dog over, belly up. The puppy's belly button was only the size of a mung bean, and a few bits of grass clung to its pink skin, like a withered leaf fallen in the snow. Old Yu scooped up a ladle of water and poured it heavily onto the dog's belly, the water bursting and splashing everywhere.

"Soon," he said in a hoarse voice, "It pooped all over itself. If we don't clean it, when we scald its fur it will smell like poop, and the meat will taste bitter."

"Such fussy nonsense!" The person on the steps scratched the blade with his fingernail, making a "snap" sound. "Who washes the knife after slaughtering pigs or cows? They just scald it with boiling water after slaughtering. But you, you want to wash it again now. If you don't hurry up, people will come looking for your dog, and you'll have worked for nothing."

Old Yu didn't reply, but lifted the dog up, making it half-standing. As he poured the last ladle of water, the puppy suddenly sneezed, and a milky-white snot bubble popped out of his hand.

Old Yu was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, "Hey, the little guy is quite cute, no wonder that old man wanted to take care of you."

He then scooped the dog out of the water, holding it up in mid-air with one hand while wiping the water off its body with the other. The movements were so forceful that the little dog felt uncomfortable, kicking its four legs wildly in the air and whimpering in pain.

Zhan Chunlan felt extremely distressed, and knew that the man in front of her was not a "philanthropist" but a butcher who was preparing to kill the dog for meat.

I don't know where he got the courage, but he ordered her forward, his tone icy: "Hey, this dog is mine. Who told you to give it a bath?"

"Yours?" Old Yu pulled the dog into his arms, covered its head with his left hand, and scoffed, "You think it's yours just because you say so? Are you kidding me?"

As he spoke, he moved his left hand away, revealing the dog's wet head: "Why don't you call it and see if it answers?"

Zhan Chunlan didn't respond. Her gaze fell on the puppy's eyes, looking at those big, wet, innocent eyes: "This is the puppy my big dog gave birth to a month ago. It's the only one, and you snatched it away when it was just a month old. How dare you say that?"

Old Yu chuckled, switched the dog to his left arm, reached into his pocket with his right hand, pulled out a flattened pack of "Double Happiness" cigarettes, put one in his mouth, didn't light it, just rubbed the cigarette tip with his teeth. "Little girl," he mumbled, "this dog is mine now, it's mine, it can't become yours just by talking."

"What do you mean 'thing'? It's a living creature!" Zhan Chunlan raised her voice. "Look at it, shivering from the cold. You're a grown man, how can you snatch someone's puppy? How can you live with yourself?"

"Robbed?" Old Yu seemed to have heard a joke. He finally took the cigarette off his hand, held it between his fingers, and lit it on her. "Who told you to leave the door unlocked? It came to me on its own, I didn't try to steal it, you know that? Watch your mouth!"

"I put it in the yard to sunbathe, and it disappeared in the blink of an eye! You clearly climbed over the wall and took it away!"

"Catch the thief with the stolen goods, catch the adulterer in the act. Which eye of yours saw me climb over the wall?" Old Yu put his cigarette back in his mouth, squinting. "No matter how much you talk, I'm the one holding it right now. If you're so capable, go to the police station and report it, see if the police will do anything about it?"

"you!"

"Old Yu, what are you dawdling for?" The man who had just taken the knife poked his head out again to urge him on. Seeing the scene below, he was a little angry: "What did I tell you? I told you not to wash it, or the dog meat would be in the pot by now. Now look what happened, the people have come knocking on our door?"

"Shut up!" Old Yu got angry as soon as he heard this. He had clearly gained the upper hand, but this sudden move was just giving the other side an opening.

"Well, I guess we won't be able to eat today." With that, he ignored the arguing below, picked up the knife, and retreated.

“Look, even your accomplices are saying this isn’t your dog.” Zhan Chunlan immediately seized on the loophole.

"Did you hear something that wasn't about my dog? Can't I eat my own dog?"

Zhan Chunlan's chest heaved with anger. Knowing she couldn't reason with this person, she took a deep breath and tried a different approach: "Okay, let's say it got lost and you found it. I thank you. Now I'll take it back, okay? I... I'll give you two... no, three yuan, as a thank you for giving it a bath, alright?" This was a considerable sum at the time.

Upon hearing this, Lao Yu glanced at her sideways, a smirk playing on his lips. "Three yuan? Do I look like someone who's short of three yuan?" He gently stroked the puppy's still-dripping fur with his free hand. "Let me tell you, it eats my food, lives in my house, and has developed feelings for me. Give it to you? Why should I?"

"I raised it from a kitten, feeding it every drop of poop and pee! How could I possibly have developed feelings for it after just a few days?"

"You don't believe me?" Old Yu pushed the dog forward a little and said into its ear, "Sniff sniff sniff, little guy, do you want to go with her, or come back with me for some meat soup rice?"

The puppy naturally didn't answer, it just let out a pitiful "woof".

"Did you hear that?" Old Yu raised an eyebrow smugly. "It said to follow me."

"You...you're a scoundrel!"

"Say what you will." Old Yu hugged the dog and made to turn around and leave. "I'll go back if there's nothing else. In this weather, I need to dry it off quickly, or it will get sick."

"Stop!" Zhan Chunlan grabbed his sleeve urgently. "Give me back my dog!"

Old Yu's face darkened, and he shook off her hand: "What are you doing? Trying to touch me? Let me tell you, if you keep bothering me, I'll yell 'pervert'!" He deliberately raised his voice, attracting the attention of several passersby in the distance.

Zhan Chunlan recoiled as if burned, her face flushed red with anger and shame. She knew this man was unreasonable, that forcibly taking it wouldn't work, and that calling the police, as he said, would probably be useless. Seeing him about to leave, she quickly grabbed him: "You... what do you want from me to give it back?"

Old Yu paused, turned around and glanced at her sideways, holding up two fingers: "Ten yuan!"

"Four pieces," Zhan Chunlan gritted her teeth, "at most four pieces."

"Eight yuan," Old Yu bounced the dog closer to his chest, "Not a penny less."

Zhan Chunlan did not back down, her gaze firm: "Five yuan, I don't want any more."

Old Yu squinted at her for a moment, then snorted, "Fine, five yuan it is—cash on delivery."