Seeing that she had stopped, Lu Ze looked at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yu Yao frowned slightly. "Lu Ze, it's that little dog that helped me before."

After she finished speaking, she walked over in two quick steps.

After seeing the puppy's pitiful state, I couldn't help but tear up.

The little dog, which had been lying in the ruins waiting to die, whimpered twice when it saw her and tried to walk towards her. Unfortunately, despite its efforts, it was unable to stand up due to its broken limbs.

Yu Yao quickly squatted down, gently stroked its head, and said in a tender voice, "Don't move, I'll find a way to save you. Be good!"

The puppy sensed her concern, whimpered, and rubbed its head, the only part of its body it could move, against her palm.

Last time He Chunyun was kidnapped, if it weren't for the puppy appearing in time to warn her, the man might have attacked her.

Including the first time she encountered the puppy, looking back now, it's clear that someone must have been following her in the woods at that time.

It's very likely that he's the same person as the man they met later.

It could be said that the puppy was her savior, and seeing it in such a state, Yu Yao couldn't just sit idly by.

But if she saves the dog, she will have to take care of it from now on. This is not just her responsibility; she also needs to consult Lu Ze.

"Lu Ze, can I keep it as a pet?"

Lu Ze nodded. "If you want to keep it, then keep it. If I go on a mission in the future, I'll feel more at ease having a dog at home."

Yu Yao was very happy and patted the puppy's head. "Lu Ze, you stay here and watch over it. I'm going to go find its owner."

When the people around saw that Yu Yao was going to rescue the puppy, they all helped to give directions: "Its owner's house is just ahead, the fifth house along this alley, the one with two rows of scallions planted in front of the door."

Yu Yao nodded to them, "Thank you."

Following the information given by the onlookers, Yu Yao followed the alley to the fifth house, saw the scallions at the door, and went up to knock on the door.

An impatient man's voice came from inside, "Mom, didn't you hear someone knocking on the door? Go open it."

Then a gentle voice came, "I heard you, I'll go right away."

The woman who opened the door was an elderly woman with gray hair. She glanced at Yu Yao's face, and after confirming that she didn't recognize her, she asked with a hint of doubt, "Miss, what can I do for you?"

Yu Yao smiled and said, "Auntie, I'd like to ask, is that black and white dog by the wall outside yours?"

Mentioning the black and white puppy, the old woman's eyes softened a little, but then, as if remembering something, they turned cold again: "That puppy was mine, but we don't want it anymore. We don't have the money to treat it."

As she was about to close the door, Yu Yao reached out to stop her. "Wait, Grandma, it's like this. If you don't want it anymore, I'd like to adopt it."

The old woman sighed, "It's its good fortune that you're willing to adopt it. You can take it with you."

She had barely finished speaking when she was interrupted by a man, whose voice sounded like her mother-in-law's son.

The man made no attempt to hide his gaze as he looked Yu Yao up and down, and when he saw the Plum Blossom brand watch on her wrist, a greedy glint flashed in his eyes.

"You want to adopt that dog?"

Seeing his expression, Yu Yao frowned slightly, but still nodded, "Yes."

"This dog is one we specifically caught to guard our house. It has hunting dog blood and we've raised it for a long time. If you want to keep it, I'll sell it to you for one yuan."

A single "big unity" note costs ten yuan.

“Son, Little Black…” The mother-in-law wanted to say something, but was glared at by the man and dared not utter a word.

People around said the owner didn't want it anymore, but Yu Yao could have just taken it away without asking for a penny.

However, if the pet is properly cared for later and the owner comes to claim it, it will cause trouble, which is why Yu Yao plans to ask the owner.

She had originally planned to buy it with money to avoid future troubles, but she didn't expect the man to ask for such an exorbitant amount.

She's willing to spend money to buy it, but that doesn't mean she's willing to be ripped off.

The other party didn't know she knew the puppy, nor did they know she would definitely save it; this was her chance.

Yu Yao glanced at the man, her expression calm: "I could have ignored it, but it looked so pitiful that I wanted to try and save it. Since you want so much money, then forget it."

She turned and left without the slightest hesitation after she finished speaking.

The man panicked. The dog was doomed; it would just have to wait to die, and he wouldn't get a single penny.

"Lady, let's talk this out. Don't rush off. How much do you want for this dog?"

Yu Yao turned around and said, "Even if we can save this dog, we don't know how much it will cost. If the dog dies, you won't get a penny. We won't take advantage of you. It'll be two yuan. If you agree, I'll take it. If you don't agree, then forget it."

Two yuan and ten yuan are several times different.

But as Yu Yao said, if the dog dies, there will be no money left, even if it's just two yuan.

The man thought for a moment, then nodded, "Two yuan it is then."

Yu Yao asked the man to go with her to the wall, where they exchanged money and the dog, and asked the people around to be witnesses.

As they left, the man kept emphasizing that Yu Yao had gotten the better deal, saying, "I wasn't lying when I said it was a hunting dog's bloodline. If you can cure this dog, it will definitely be a great guard dog."

When they reached the base of the wall, Yu Yao told everyone what had happened and asked them to be witnesses as she bought the puppy.

The puppy looked at the man and shrank back.

Yu Yao looked at the man suspiciously: "You're the one who injured the dog."

The man quickly denied it: "It wasn't me. I only kicked it a few times, but it wasn't hurt. I'll take the money, and the dog is yours."

After saying that, he left in a hurry.

Lu Ze wrapped the puppy in a handkerchief and handed it to Yu Yao, saying, "Go to Uncle Chen's place. He used to be the brigade's veterinarian."

Yu Yao hummed in agreement and carefully held the puppy. "Don't be afraid, I'll take you to get your injuries treated."

The puppy seemed to understand her words, licked her hand, whimpered twice in her arms, and didn't move.

The Chen family.

Chen Lang examined the puppy. "The dog has a knife wound in its stomach, and its legs are probably broken. Fortunately, it hasn't been long, so there's still time. Lu Ze, go to my room and get the first-aid kit. I'll set its bones."

Upon hearing this, Yu Yao breathed a sigh of relief and comforted the puppy while helping Chen Lang hand him things.

The puppy was covered in dried blood mixed with dust, pebbles, and other dirt.

Uncle Chen shaved the puppy's fur, revealing the wound on its belly and the hand-sized wound that had already scabbed over.

"It's lucky it survived. If it had continued to bleed from such a long wound, it wouldn't have lived to see you bring it here."

Chen Lang carefully disinfected the area with alcohol before setting the bones.

After the bones were set, to prevent it from moving around and causing further injury, small branches were used to secure all four of its paws. After bandages were wrapped around them, only the puppy's head was visible.

"Alright." Chen Lang cut the bandage and said to Yu Yao, "This dog is indeed of hunting dog blood, and if I'm not mistaken, it should also have some wolf blood mixed in. Take good care of it, and when you go up the mountain with it, you won't be afraid even if you encounter wild boars."

The puppy barked twice, as if in response.

"I didn't expect you to be so amazing." Yu Yao gently tapped the puppy's nose, then turned to Lu Ze beside her and said with a smile, "Lu Ze, let's give it a name."