Chapter 343 Raising a Dog
Everyone thought it was a good idea, so it was decided.
Huo Chenzhou and Huo Chunyan were both very busy, but they were genuinely worried about Huo Hua. Being able to keep Huo Hua under their watchful eyes was naturally a good thing.
When Shen Zhixia saw Huo Hua again, it was Huo's mother who brought him over. Compared to the last time, Huo Hua was much thinner and his eyes were lifeless, but when he looked at them, he still smiled and greeted them, as if nothing had happened.
Huo's mother kept scolding him: "I am your own mother. You can tell me whatever is on your mind. Don't keep everything bottled up inside. If you feel uncomfortable, tell us and we will help you solve it, understand?"
Howard simply smiled and said, "Okay."
Seeing him like this made Huo's mother angry, but she was even more heartbroken: "You can't think about dying. What will I do if you die? I'm already so old. You'll make me, an old woman, bury my young. How am I supposed to live? I won't even have anyone to take care of me in my old age."
Howard smiled and said, "Mom, do you think Chen Zhou and Chun Yan are dead? How could you not find someone to take care of you in your old age? Even if I die, it won't matter and won't affect you."
With a snap.
Huo's mother slapped Huo Hua on the head: "Stop it. Don't keep talking about whether you're dead or not. I don't want to hear that word anymore. Anyway, now that you're alright this time, you can't do anything stupid again. We've already rented a courtyard for you at the entrance of a nearby village. You can stay there for the time being. We'll take turns visiting you every day."
Howard remained silent.
Mother Huo said, "You can't go against it, it's decided now."
Howard finally relented: "Okay."
Only then was Mrs. Huo satisfied.
To ensure Howard's comfort, his mother arranged for him to have a yard where he could raise chickens and ducks. The rented yard also included several acres of land so he could continue farming, just like he did back in his hometown.
However, this place is much better than his hometown. No one knows what happened to him, so no one will talk about him. Here, it's a completely new beginning for him.
They often visit him, and the villagers here are very kind and honest; it's a nice place.
Life was going on uneventfully like that.
But Shen Zhixia always felt that something was wrong.
She said to Huo Chenzhou, "I always feel that there's something wrong with my older brother."
Huo Chenzhou went to see him today: "He seems to be doing well. He even cooked for me today, and he seemed very calm."
Shen Zhixia said, "When did he lose his composure? I think that's the problem. Think about it, he suffered such a huge blow. If he were a normal person, he would definitely vent it out, but he has been keeping it all inside. Even now, he hasn't completely released it."
She said, "I've heard of a condition called smiling depression, and he looks a lot like that."
"What is that?" Huo Chenzhou asked, puzzled.
Shen Zhixia said, "He is in great pain inside, but in order not to worry us, he puts on a mask and treats everyone with a friendly and gentle attitude. But he can't hold on any longer. He will probably do something bad as soon as he gets the chance."
Huo Chenzhou's expression changed immediately: "Then what should we do? I'll bring him over and have him live with us."
Shen Zhixia said, "He's unwilling, but there's nothing he can do about it."
Besides, if Howard can't figure it out, it won't matter who he lives with; he'll still feel lonely and desperate.
Shen Zhixia thought about it for a long time, and suddenly had an idea: "How about we let him keep a dog?"
"dog?"
Shen Zhixia nodded: "Your brother is in a bad mood. I heard that dogs can heal people's emotions. If he gets a dog, he will definitely feel much better."
These are some reports that Shen Zhixia had seen before she transmigrated into the book. Many people who have dogs are indeed healed by these little animals. Dogs are the cutest animals in the world.
She thought Howard could also have a pet dog.
Huo Chenzhou couldn't understand at all. He frowned and said, "We used to have a dog named Dahuang. We picked it up from the village entrance, mainly to guard the house. Later, the village started culling dogs, and that dog was beaten to death."
Shen Zhixia frowned and said, "Why beat the dog? That's too cruel."
However, she also noticed that when she went to Huo Chenzhou's hometown, she didn't see any dogs. Logically speaking, many rural areas like to have every household keep dogs, but their village was very quiet.
Huo Chenzhou said, "At that time, there were rumors in the village that if a dog had a disease, it could be transmitted to a person if it bit someone, so the village chief sent people to kill all the dogs."
They had raised that dog for two years, but when they came back, they couldn't find it anymore; the village chief had sent people to catch it.
Shen Zhixia paused for a moment and then said, "What about the dog that was beaten to death? Are we going to bury it somewhere?"
She felt that this was somewhat cruel, especially since the dogs were innocent, but she couldn't blame them. Among the dogs that were beaten, there must have been some with infectious diseases. Although their actions seemed extreme, they were only preventing the possibility of humans contracting diseases at the source.
The times are already quite backward, so we can only resort to such primitive methods.
Huo Chenzhou thought for a moment and said, "No, that's not true. Dog skins can be sold for money. They skinned all the dogs and sold the skins, and they also ate the dog meat."
“I once passed by the village chief’s house and his family was eating dog meat hot pot. It smelled so good.”
Shen Zhixia: "..."
She didn't know what to say.
Huo Chenzhou said with great interest, "Do you want to eat dog meat? I'll get you a dog for the New Year."
Shen Zhixia shook her head: "No, I don't eat these things."
She can accept pork, beef, chicken, and duck—all meats she's used to eating—but getting her to eat dog meat is still too difficult.
Shen Zhixia had owned dogs before. To her, dogs were pets, not food.
After she refused, Huo Chenzhou never brought it up again.
He still told Howard about getting a dog.
Upon hearing this, Howard declined, smiling and saying, "I live in a very safe place, and the villagers are all very kind. I don't need to keep a dog to guard my house."
Huo Chenzhou said, "I'm not asking you to keep a dog to guard the house, I'm asking you to keep a dog for company, so it can make you feel better."
Howard was taken aback: "Stay with me?"
Huo Chenzhou nodded seriously: "This was Zhixia's idea. She said that raising a dog would be good for you. Anyway, you don't want us to worry, so just get one. I think she's right, and I support her."
Howard: "..."
He felt that keeping a dog was completely unnecessary and he didn't want to keep one, but Huo Chenzhou insisted that he keep one, so he nodded and said, "Okay."
Huo Chenzhou said, "I'm on vacation tomorrow, let's go to the market together and pick out a dog."
Howard: "...Still need to choose?"
In his opinion, he could just ask someone in the village for a puppy, which would only cost a little money, or he could just pick up a puppy himself; there was no need to go through all that trouble.
Huo Chenzhou said seriously, "My wife said she wants to pick out a pet dog for you to help you get out of your trauma, so we can't just buy any dog. She wants to go herself."
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