Chapter 36
Please help me name it.
The midday sun was quite strong. She wandered aimlessly for a while until she could no longer hear any noise from the square. She found a shady spot under a tree and sat down on a bench.
The bench faces a small pond, its banks overgrown with short grass. A gentle breeze stirs, rippling the calm surface of the water.
Zhan Xinyue had always thought that her emotions had become increasingly calmer lately, and that she was gradually thinking less about her past life and Xu Shen, which should be a sign that she was nearing recovery. Perhaps given some more time, she could completely forget the pain brought by that failed relationship.
But it turned out that wasn't the case. Emotions never develop linearly; they don't simply dissipate with time as she wished. The pain buried deep in her heart, even if it sinks to the bottom, only needs a trigger to launch a fierce counterattack.
My good mood for the trip was completely ruined by what just happened.
Zhan Xinyue's fingers twirled the weeds growing beside the chair. A leaf broke off in her hand, and after glancing at it, she tossed the tiny leaf into the pond in front of her.
The once calm water suddenly splashed, a fish leaped up a few feet, twisted in mid-air, and plunged back into the water, creating ripples on the surface.
Zhan Xinyue was startled. Just then, someone walked by and, hearing the commotion, also looked towards the water.
The fish was probably attracted by the blade of grass she threw away, took the blade into its mouth, and disappeared in an instant.
The water returned to calm, but the person beside her hadn't left. She could feel a gaze fall on her, and looking up in confusion, she saw it was Shi Ziqian.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him. She hadn't seen many people sitting there, so the concert over there must still be going on.
"Take a walk by yourself. What about you? Why are you sitting here all alone?"
"The scenery here is quite nice, I'll sit here and rest for a while." Zhan Xinyue remembered the lunchbox in her backpack, unzipped it, took one out and handed it to him, "Oh, right, this is for you."
"Thank you." Shi Ziqian walked over and took it, glancing around.
Zhan Xinyue guessed that he wanted to find a place to sit, as there weren't many places to sit in the garden along the way. So she moved to the side: "There's a place to sit here."
After he sat down beside him, the two remained silent for a while.
Because of the silence, the awkward memories from the car ride immediately resurfaced in her mind. She quickly shook her head, took out her rice ball from her bag, and started eating, trying to ease the embarrassment with the act of chewing.
Seeing her action, Shi Ziqian also lowered his head and opened his lunchbox.
The two of them ate rice balls together in front of the pond. Shi Ziqian ate very well, not too slowly, but almost without making a sound.
After finishing the rice ball, her pervasive embarrassment finally subsided considerably. Remembering that she hadn't shared any of the cookies in her bag, Zhan Xinyue opened her bag again: "Oh right, I still have some cookies here, I'll share some with you. There are many different kinds, you can choose whichever you like."
A bento box lay on top of the cookie bag. Zhan Xinyue reached out, took it out, and put it aside: "This was originally meant for Xie Wanzhi, but she didn't come. If I run into Lu Mengxin and Wen Hua later, I'll ask them if they want it."
Shi Ziqian thought for a moment and asked her, "Auntie's rice balls are delicious, can I have this one too?"
Zhan Xinyue immediately smiled and said, "Of course! My mom would be so happy if she knew that someone likes her food so much."
Pang Yun made the rice balls for them as snacks; the portions weren't large, and the boys probably wouldn't be full if they only ate these. She took out another portion and handed it to him, then took a few bags of cookies and placed them next to him, swinging her legs as she looked at the greenery in front of her.
The cicadas chirped incessantly, the leaves rustled in the gentle breeze, and the tall trees behind her provided a cool respite. Everything was perfectly beautiful, reminding her of the tranquil comfort she felt every time she visited her grandfather's old courtyard as a child. At this moment, she suddenly felt the reality of an autumn outing.
Today is a rare day for her to go out and relax. She can completely let go of her worries, not have to think about the sad past, not have to think about the uncertain future, and not have to think about the endless exams and the daunting science problems. She can simply enjoy a peaceful and quiet place in this corner of the world.
It's late summer and early autumn, a beautiful time of year, so why should she create trouble for herself?
The two sat there for a while, and only after Zhan Xinyue had completely calmed down did she pack her things: "It's not good to be away from the team for too long, I'm going back."
Shi Ziqian stood up and said, "Let's go, together."
The two walked back along the path together. Many different kinds of unnamed wildflowers were planted along the way, intermingling and blooming profusely even in early autumn.
Unlike the bustling city, the park is quiet and serene, where even time seems to flow slowly.
A faint sweet fragrance filled the air. Zhan Xinyue's gaze fell on the small flowers. Suddenly, she heard Shi Ziqian beside her speak: "Did you leave suddenly just now because of Xu Shen?"
She paused slightly. She could tolerate the others in the class, but she never expected Shi Ziqian to be so gossipy.
"Yes," Zhan Xinyue said frankly.
"Why, you two..." he hesitated, "did something special happen?"
Zhan Xinyue replied: "Does 'I especially dislike him' count?"
She thought Shi Ziqian would ask why she disliked him, and she pondered how to answer, but he didn't say anything more.
Zhan Xinyue looked up at him. Sunlight shone through the gaps in the trees onto his face, and she saw again the very faint mole on the bridge of his nose.
Zhan Xinyue was momentarily blinded by the sunlight and said softly, "The weather is quite nice today."
“Yes, it’s a good time to travel,” Shi Ziqian said.
After walking for a while, the noise ahead gradually grew louder, and a few figures in school uniforms could be seen wandering around the campus. It seemed that they had already dispersed and were now free to do as they pleased.
Zhan Xinyue saw several girls from other classes run outside the park, squatting by the green belt by the roadside and peering into a certain direction, looking both curious and timid.
She stopped curiously and asked them through the fence, "What are you looking at?"
The girls didn't even bother to look up, pointing into the bushes: "There looks like a dead dog here."
There was a small door on one side. Upon hearing this, Zhan Xinyue went out and walked over, standing behind them and looking into the grass. Lying in the grass was a dirty thing. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a dog. It was so dirty that its original color could not be distinguished. Flies were flying all around it, and dark black dried bloodstains had matted its fur into clumps.
One of them broke off a branch and, mustering her courage, gently poked it. The dog's leg suddenly twitched, startling the woman into shouting, "It's not dead yet!"
"But I don't think it will live much longer. Look at all the flies on its body."
"It must have been hit by a car. It's covered in blood. It's so pitiful."
Upon hearing the words "hit by a car," Zhan Xinyue's eyes flickered. She bent down and patted the shoulder of one of the girls: "Can I take a look?"
"Look, it's not going to survive. It looks like it's barely clinging to life." The girl moved aside to make room for Zhan Xinyue.
Zhan Xinyue crouched down and examined it closely. She then reached out and touched the puppy's belly. Its fur was covered with congealed blood scabs, which felt almost prickly to the touch. Fortunately, she could feel that its body was still warm. It was on the verge of death, but when she touched it, it struggled to open its eyes and glanced at her, but its eyelids quickly and slowly closed again.
"Is it crying?" the short-haired girl suddenly exclaimed. Several people looked over and saw that it had tears welling up in the corners of its eyes.
Zhan Xinyue didn't know if animals could cry, but she guessed that it must really want to live.
Looking at it, Zhan Xinyue's mind kept flashing back to the day of her car accident, and a feeling of shared misfortune welled up in her heart. She turned around and saw that Shi Ziqian had also followed her, so she said to him, "Could you help me get the cup from my bag?"
Shi Ziqian immediately found her cup and handed it to him. She took it and slowly poured some water onto its mouth. The warm water seeped in, and after a moment, it actually stuck out its tongue and weakly licked it.
“It should still be salvageable.” Zhan Xinyue put the water glass aside and said confidently, “I’ll take it to the hospital.”
She reached out to hug it, but a hand reached out from behind and blocked her movement.
"Let me do it," Shi Ziqian's voice rang out from above.
Zhan Xinyue pushed his hand away and picked up the dog directly: "Don't touch it, be careful of your injured hand. Just help me flag down a car."
Taxis were scarce in the suburbs, so the two stood by the roadside waiting. The dying puppy lay in her arms, staining her school uniform. Zhan Xinyue looked down at it; the tiny bundle nestled in her arms looked utterly lifeless.
She had just been certain it would survive, but now she was uncertain. The taxi still hadn't arrived, and she grew impatient. Finally, she whispered, "Do you think it will die?"
Shi Ziqian had been staring at the end of the road, and finally saw an orange taxi approaching in the distance. He reached out to flag it down and said confidently, "No, it won't happen."
Because of his confident words, Zhan Xinyue felt a little more at ease.
The girls behind them were still standing there, looking at the two of them curiously: "Wow, I just realized that the boy looks like Shi Ziqian, but who is that girl?"
"I didn't know them. I didn't expect them to be so kind."
The taxi stopped in front of them. Shi Ziqian opened the back door, and Zhan Xinyue immediately got in, carrying the little stray dog. She said to him, "I'm leaving now. When you get back, please ask my teacher for leave for me." Shi Ziqian's hands were still on the handlebars. He didn't reply, but just turned around to look behind him.
The girls were still whispering and looking over curiously when he suddenly looked over. Thinking he had heard them because they were talking too loudly, they quickly shut up. But then they heard him say, "Excuse me, could you please tell the teacher in Class 10 that Zhan Xinyue and Shi Ziqian had to leave early?"
"Okay, sure," the other person replied.
Shi Ziqian said "thank you," then closed the car door for her, opened the front door, and got in. "I'll go with you."
It took a full forty minutes to get to the nearest veterinary hospital. Zhan Xinyue kept her hand on the dog's back, relying on the still-feeling body temperature to repeatedly confirm that it was still alive.
After finally arriving at the hospital, the doctor took the dog from her arms, examined it, and shook his head: "The situation isn't good. Let's do some tests first."
The doctor led it into the examination room, and the two followed, peering inside through the glass. Zhan Xinyue's expression turned serious after the doctor remarked that the condition wasn't good.
Looking at her expression, Shi Ziqian thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, let the doctor examine you first. Go and wash up."
Zhan Xinyue then looked down at her dirty hands and school uniform, and nodded.
After she left, Shi Ziqian went straight into the examination room and stood in front of the doctor. The doctor was palpating the animal, and he didn't approach, but looked at it from a distance.
"What, are you afraid of dogs?" the doctor asked.
Shi Ziqian shook his head: "How is it?"
"It looks like it was hit by a car, and the injuries probably occurred a couple of days ago, meaning it's missed the optimal time for treatment." The initial assessment is a comminuted fracture of the pelvis, and the ribs are likely fractured as well. I just saw its mouth was full of blood, so internal organs may also be damaged. Further X-rays are needed. The external injuries are also quite severe, with significant blood loss."
"Can he be saved?"
"It needs immediate surgery to save it," the doctor said. "It's so dirty, you must have found it, right?"
Shi Ziqian nodded.
The doctor glanced at his school uniform: "The surgery is quite difficult in this case, and there's a high chance of complications afterward. The cost will be very high, and there's no guarantee he'll survive. Since you're both students, and we're not some shady clinic, we don't want to rip you off, so let me be frank with you. In this situation, I suggest you give up."
Shi Ziqian glanced back at the empty corridor outside the clinic and asked, "If we don't consider the cost and focus all our efforts on treatment, what is the survival rate?"
The doctor paused for a moment: "At most 60%, but the surgery fee plus a series of post-operative expenses will easily exceed five figures, and may even reach six figures."
Shi Ziqian nodded: "Then I'll trouble you."
When Zhan Xinyue returned, Shi Ziqian was sitting on a bench outside the clinic.
He always had a proper posture, and his back was always straight when he sat, except for one time... Perhaps because they were both in the hospital, she suddenly remembered the dream she had before. In the dream, Shi Ziqian was also sitting on a hospital bench, but he was dispirited and slumped back, looking nothing like him.
She didn't approach him. Instead, she walked to the glass window and looked into the examination room. Several doctors were shaving a dog around the reception desk. She stared at the fallen hair for a long time but couldn't make out its original color.
Shi Ziqian stood up and stood beside her, watching the doctor's movements with her: "I just asked the doctor, and it's fine. Although it suffered some minor injuries and a broken leg, its life is not in danger. It needs to stay in the hospital for a while, and we can pick it up in a few days."
"Really?" Zhan Xinyue turned her head, a little surprised. "Didn't the doctor just say it didn't look good? I was already prepared that it might not be salvageable."
"It will survive, but it will take some time to recover."
"That's great." Zhan Xinyue breathed a sigh of relief, her tone much lighter. "If it can survive, we'll have done a good deed."
Shi Ziqian nodded: "Mm."
"But to be honest, I haven't even seen what it looks like yet," Zhan Xinyue said with a hint of regret.
"You'll see it when Kangfu comes to pick it up," Shi Ziqian said. "Give it a name, and you can take it home and raise it then."
Zhan Xinyue gently shook her head: "Never mind, my mother has a mild case of asthma, and all I can do for it is take it to the hospital. As for the name..." She looked into the glass window, "You know, naming is the beginning of a contract between a person and an animal, meaning that a bond has been formed between you. If we name it but can't keep it, it would be too cruel for both me and it."
Shi Ziqian looked down at her, his gaze lingering on her long, drooping eyelashes for a few seconds before he suddenly said, "I could actually keep it there."
Zhan Xinyue was a little surprised: "Is that okay?"
"Well, it's perfect since I live alone, I can keep it in my dorm."
Zhan Xinyue thought for a moment and then said thoughtfully, "Don't force yourself. After it's discharged from the hospital, I'll try to find it a home."
This stray dog is truly pitiful. It's filthy and looks like it's never had a good life, and it even had a car accident. It would be wonderful if Shi Ziqian were willing to adopt it. However, raising a dog is undoubtedly very time-consuming. Feeding and cleaning it aside, you also have to take it for walks every day. Everyone here is still a student and doesn't have that much free time.
"No pressure, I really like dogs," Shi Ziqian said. "But I'm not very good at naming things, could you help me choose one?"
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