Gou Dan hugged Xia Qingqing's arm, pouting and acting coquettishly: "Sis~ I want to raise a puppy, can you go and talk to Mom for me?"
"You want to get a dog? Why don't you go and tell Mom yourself?" Xia Qingqing looked at him suspiciously.
"I'm afraid Mom won't agree," Gou Dan said with a pained expression.
If they really want to get a dog, they will definitely take the puppy with them when they go to Beijing.
But in the countryside, dogs can go out and find food when they're hungry, while in the city they can only eat grain like everyone else.
Gou Dan thought his mom would most likely not agree to him keeping a dog, since food was so precious.
But my sister said it was different; her mother treated her very well, and she never objected to anything my sister wanted to do.
After hearing his words, Xia Qingqing couldn't help but find it a little funny: "You mean if I talk to Mom, she'll agree? Why would you think that?"
So what exactly gave Gou Dan that illusion? She herself wasn't even confident.
“Of course you can. Mom is the best to you. She never objects to what you want to do, unlike me, where Mom has to control everything I do and I get scolded all the time,” Gou Dan said, sounding aggrieved. He was the one with the lowest status in the family.
Xia Qingqing was taken aback by his thinking and paused for a moment before patiently explaining to him:
"That's because I'm an adult now. Adults can take responsibility for their actions. Children lack understanding and often act without considering the consequences, so they need to listen to adults' opinions more. When you grow up and want your mom to control you every day, she won't be happy."
Dog Egg blinked his clear eyes, paused, and said, "Is that so? Then when will I be considered grown up?"
"You'll be grown up when you turn 18 and can support yourself," Xia Qingqing said with a smile, patting his head.
Dog Egg did the math and realized he was still 7 years away from turning 18. He immediately deflated like a punctured balloon: "It'll be such a long time, but I want to get a puppy right now."
Seeing that he really wanted to get a dog, Xia Qingqing didn't object directly. Instead, she looked at him seriously and asked, "Are you sure you've thought this through? A puppy isn't like a wildflower or weed by the roadside that you can just throw away when you don't want it anymore. As its owner, you're responsible for taking care of its food, water, and toilet needs. A dog's lifespan is generally 10 to 15 years, which means you'll be responsible for it for the next ten years or so. You can't just abandon it."
"Don't rush to answer me, I'll give you time to think it over."
Gou Dan was a little confused by what he was told. He wanted to get a dog simply because he thought Da Niu's grandma's puppy was very cute, and since Da Niu also had one, he wanted to follow suit and get one too.
But Xia Qingqing's words reminded him that if he really wanted to keep a dog, he had to be responsible for the puppy.
Dog Egg frowned: "Sis, let me think about it myself first, and I'll tell you after dinner."
"Okay, think it over carefully. If you still insist on getting a dog after you've thought it through, I can put in a good word for you with your parents," Xia Qingqing said with a smile.
During dinner that evening, Xia Qingqing paid special attention to Gou Dan's condition and found that his expression was no different from usual, as if he had forgotten about raising a dog.
Just when Xia Qingqing thought he had given up, Gou Dan actually brought up the matter with Zhang Hongyan after dinner.
Zhang Hongyan looked surprised: "What? You said you want to get a dog?"
Dog Egg nodded: "Yeah, Grandma Da Niu's dog had puppies, and I want to bring one home to raise, is that okay?"
Zhang Hongyan's arm was being grabbed and shaken by her son, making it difficult for her to think: "Stop, stop, stop, you're going to make me dizzy."
"Then promise me, I'll definitely take good care of it," Gou Dan said, coaxing his mother while giving his sister a meaningful look, hoping she would put in a good word for him.
Zhang Hongyan refused with a stern face: "No, if we can't stay in our hometown, we'll have to go back to Beijing. What will we do then, you dog?"
Upon hearing this, Gou Dan's face showed an "I knew it" expression, and he looked at Xia Qingqing with pleading eyes.
Xia Qingqing winked at him and tentatively said, "Mom, the dog can come back to Beijing with us too, or how about we let Gou Dan raise one?"
“Going back to Beijing would be even more impossible. How can you keep a dog in the city? Are you going to let it poop and pee at home? I don’t agree,” Zhang Hongyan refused without even thinking.
It's more convenient to keep dogs in the countryside; you can feed them some food occasionally and let them roam freely the rest of the time.
In Beijing, you certainly can't let dogs poop on the streets, let alone at home, because it would make the whole place stink.
Furthermore, dogs are very alert and tend to bark at the slightest sound, which can easily disturb the neighbors' rest.
Of course, dog bites are also a potential problem. You can't keep a dog from going out, and it would be a real hassle if it accidentally bites someone.
For these reasons, Zhang Hongyan could not agree to her son keeping a dog.
Xia Qingqing glanced at Gou Dan with a helpless look, indicating that she really couldn't help.
In fact, she felt that Zhang Hongyan's concerns were not unreasonable. While owning a dog is a personal freedom, it should never interfere with other people's normal lives.
However, these problems can be solved. The problem of barking and howling can be corrected from a young age to prevent biting. Always keep your dog on a leash when taking it out.
Dog Egg didn't expect that even his sister's intervention wouldn't work. He clung to Zhang Hongyan's arm and continued to shake it, saying, "Mom, please! I'll teach it to use the toilet and promise it won't poop anywhere. If it does poop, I'll help clean up."
But no means no, Zhang Hongyan still disagreed with him keeping a dog.
"Stop thinking up any funny ideas. You've been playing all these past few days since you came back. Starting tomorrow, remember to do your summer homework. I'll check it myself every night," Zhang Hongyan said sternly.
Gou Dan pouted, tears welling up in his eyes, and looked at Xia Heping beside him: "I really want to get a dog, Dad, can you please ask Mom for me?"
Xia Heping felt a pang of sympathy seeing his son so heartbroken: "Wife, how about we let Gou Dan raise one?"
Zhang Hongyan rolled her eyes at him: "You think you're so great at being a good person? Raising a dog isn't that simple."
Seeing his mother's firm attitude, Gou Dan knew that getting a dog was probably not going to happen.
Just when he was feeling hopeless, he suddenly remembered something: before the exam, his mother had made a promise to him that if he could get into the top three in his class, she would grant him one wish.
Gou Dan happily told Zhang Hongyan about it: "Mom, you promised me this yourself, you can't lie to me."
Zhang Hongyan slapped her forehead in frustration. She had completely forgotten about this. She had made the agreement with the intention of motivating Gou Dan to study, but she never expected that getting a dog would come up.
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