25
Zhong Yan did not expect that Wu Yuan's condition would deteriorate so much in just one day.
When I first met Wuyuan, it was so lively.
His slightly damp nose rested on her knee, his head was warm and smelled of a puppy, and his breathing was loud, like a tractor rumbling in the fields.
Although she has never owned a pet, Zhong Yan knows that many people treat their pets as family members, and it's easy to imagine how sad they would be if a family member got sick.
As it approached four o'clock, many pet owners and their animals had already arrived at Happy Lawn.
There was no sorrow on their faces as Zhong Yan had imagined. They greeted each other, petted each other's cats and dogs, and did the same things they would do during a walk.
The little seagull stepped on Zhong Yan's leg and shouted loudly.
However, since there are no other creatures of its kind nearby, it has a kind of lonely, highbrow nature.
Several parrots appeared, their feathers resembling an overturned palette of paints, displaying a riot of colors.
Compared to other birds, the little petrel's grayish-black appearance makes it look like a clown among birds.
Despite their unremarkable appearance, the clown bird is quite popular with its owners because of its unique looks. They come up to each other and introduce their children, mentioning their age, names, and favorite foods.
Zhong Yan broke out in a cold sweat and gave a dry, rambling account of the little seagull's origins.
"How wonderful! Little petrel met you; her life has been saved." They praised Zhong Yan for her kindness.
Zhong Yan felt extremely ashamed and wanted to take the opportunity to find someone who knew how to raise birds for Xiao Haiyan, but after hearing her suggestion, they could only refuse.
The reasons are also quite valid.
Firstly, the little pet bird is not a pet bird, and secondly, the little pet bird is already familiar with her, so suddenly having contact with another person might have a negative impact.
"You can't say these things in front of the little petrel; it will understand and be sad."
Zhong Yan looked down into the little seagull's black bean eyes, unsure if it understood, but it was clear that it treated her differently from others.
It's as if you know that messing with her is like messing with a ball of cotton.
Chen Baoran and Coco arrived, carrying five yuan in their stroller.
Yesterday morning, Wu Yuan could still stick his head out, but today he can only curl up in the car, with only his eyes and tongue moving.
A picnic blanket was laid out on the lawn, and Wu Yuan was carefully placed on it, next to its favorite toys and a few large bones for chewing.
A small Pomeranian came up and sniffed Wu Yuan first. Wu Yuan wagged its tail a few times and greeted it listlessly.
The Pomeranian's owner was a young man. He sat sideways on the picnic blanket, gently stroking Wu Yuan's head, and then bent down to kiss its nose.
Then the old lady was holding a calico cat. The golden retriever stuck out its tongue and licked the calico cat. The cat tilted its body and rubbed its head against the golden retriever's body, as if it wanted to call it up to play together.
However, Wu Yuan was powerless to do so and could only greet them with his tail.
The old woman couldn't hold back her tears. "Wuyuan was such a good child. When your father was drunk and beat you, it was Wuyuan who risked its life to protect you. It protected the weak and treated its friends kindly. How could it..."
Chen Baoran's eyes also reddened, and he reached out to stroke Wu Yuan's head.
COCO helped the old lady up, "Grandma Li, we promised we'd all smile and not cry."
Grandma Li patted Chen Baoran's arm again and comforted him, "When living is torture, this is actually a good thing."
Zhong Yan also heard from the people around her that Wu Yuan's illness had been tormenting it for a long time.
Dogs are more tolerant of pain than humans, and when they finally can't bear it anymore, it must be excruciating.
Chen Baoran nodded, and as tears fell, COCO reached out to wipe them away for her.
"Don't cry in front of Wu Yuan, it will make her sad."
Chen Baoran lowered his head, hiding his face in the fluffy fur of the five-yuan dog.
"Woof!" Wu Yuan managed to squeeze out a bark, which earned him a gentle pat from his owner.
"Five Yuan, you are a wonderful little dog."
"Thank you, Wu Yuan, for helping Little Cotton defeat the vicious dog. Little Cotton says you are his best friend."
"Five yuan..."
Everyone came up to talk to Wu Yuan, some even bringing her favorite snacks or toys.
Wu Yuan was listless, but still tried to respond.
Her mouth was always wide open, like a smiling face, and her fluffy tail swayed idly, with three little kittens rolling around on it.
Aren't you going up?
Zhong Yan looked up at the sound and saw that Ji Feng had already sat down beside her.
"I... I haven't thought of what to say yet," Zhong Yan said dejectedly. "Everyone likes Wuyuan, but why is it that it's the one that's sick?"
Ji Feng was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply, "Yes, why?"
"Is life ultimately fair or unfair?" Zhong Yan frowned.
The monsoon did not answer.
Fewer and fewer people came forward to say goodbye to Wu Yuan, and Wu Yuan's spirits were getting worse and worse. Zhong Yan picked up Xiao Haiyan and walked forward. Xiao Haiyan jumped out of her straw hat and tried to hit Wu Yuan's head.
Zhong Yan, forgetting all the prepared words in her mind, hurriedly went to scoop up the little seagull, saying, "You, you mustn't hurt Wu Yuan."
The little petrel seemed to understand, spread its wings and used the momentum to leap up, landing lightly on Wu Yuan's head.
Although it was a small leap, it still filled Zhong Yan with excitement.
"Wu Yuan, you are Xiao Haiyan's first friend, and Xiao Haiyan will always remember you."
As the "parent," Zhong Yan spoke on behalf of Xiao Haiyan.
Xiao Haiyan did not refute, and tacitly accepted these words.
After saying that, Zhong Yan followed the others and stroked the golden retriever's head.
The bristles of the five-yuan brush are not soft; they are a bit rough and feel like a stiff brush.
After touching her a few times, Wu Yuan turned his head and licked her palm with his wet, warm tongue.
Zhong Yanxin has a soft heart.
She was comforted by the five yuan.
How can there be such a gentle puppy?
Even when he was seriously ill and in pain, he would still carefully avoid her sharp teeth and touch her only with his soft tongue.
Such a nice puppy...
For some reason, Zhong Yan suddenly wanted to bury her face in its fluffy fur, to remember its strong heartbeat and its warm body temperature.
Chen Baoran unfolded a piece of paper from his pocket.
Everyone quieted down and sat around her.
Dr. Bai also arrived. He brought Wu Yuan the injection medicine and then sat down next to Wu Yuan to observe its reaction.
Chen Baoran's pink hair was tied back, revealing a slightly haggard face. She lowered her eyes and stared intently at the paper in her hand.
She made a sound:
"Wu Yuan, you have been in the human world for 2,188 days, and you are happy every day."
You eat three meals a day regularly and occasionally have some snacks.
My favorite is freeze-dried blueberries with goat milk, and sometimes I'll treat my mom to roasted beef liver.
You chewed up three pairs of slippers, two data cables, and a couple of mountain bikes.
But you are not a bad baby.
You are a brave fighter who helped a weak girl fight off an alcoholic thug. You broke two fingernails, lost a tooth, and were almost killed by the dog catchers who mistook you for a mad dog.
You are also a warm-hearted older sister who helps friends integrate into their social circles, mediates conflicts, and never bullies the weak.
You're still my sweet baby, always there for Mommy through terrible thunderstorms, through dark alleyways, and never absent even when I'm sick.
Dr. Bai suddenly touched the five yuan note, and everyone sitting in front saw him do so.
Wu Yuan quietly closed her eyes, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Its mouth was slightly open, still smiling.
Chen Baoran's fingers trembled, followed by his arms, shoulders, and throat...
"Thank you, puppy."
Everyone was saying their final goodbyes.
"Thank you, puppy."
Zhong Yan hugged the little seagull and whispered, "Thank you, little dog."
The little petrel stretched its neck and called out.
It probably also realized that it had lost a friend.
Zhong Yan may find it difficult to find happiness in the happiness of others, but she can easily feel the pain of others.
Chen Baoran's grief made Zhong Yan even more depressed.
Everything beautiful is fading away.
Dad, Aunt, Wu Yuan...
If life is destined to end in death, then what is the purpose of all the sadness, illness, setbacks, torment, and struggles encountered along the way?
She felt two light pats on the shoulder, and Ji Feng asked from beside her, "Shall we go?"
The farewell ceremony has ended.
Zhong Yan picked up the little petrel and followed the monsoon away from the lawn.
She hadn't been looking in the direction she was going, and when she came to her senses, the sea breeze was blowing her long hair.
They came to the seaside again.
Clouds gathered in the sky, obscuring the sun.
A few drops of rain fell, hitting her eyelids and the tip of her nose.
It's going to rain.
Some seabirds were circling overhead, calling to each other as their wings skimmed low over the sea.
My phone buzzed in my pocket; it was a message from my mother.
A photograph.
The admission notice from Southern Normal University has been taken out and placed on the table, with my sister's and uncle's smiling faces behind it.
This screen comes with its own name:
A child's achievements bring glory to the family.
Zhong Yan, who should have been the main character, felt nothing about any of this.
She wasn't the one who wanted to be a teacher.
She wasn't the one who wanted to go to Southern Normal University.
Zhong Yan casually clicked on an emoji to reply, but her hand slipped and she accidentally clicked on her mother's profile picture in the chat box.
The page redirects, and the same photo is prominently displayed in her Moments section on her homepage.
Zhong Yan's breath hitched.
I've been posting this on WeChat Moments for half an hour now, and it's already garnered quite a few comments and likes.
Among them were relatives, teachers, and even my mother's students.
Teacher X commented: [Teacher Wang has worked hard for several years, and finally achieved good results. Congratulations!]
A relative commented: "Qingyan has been a bright child since she was little, thanks to your excellent upbringing. Her father can rest in peace now."
Student X commented: "The teacher's child is really something; they never really paid attention to us when we ran into them before..."
The mother replied kindly to her students: "Oh dear, my daughter is only good at studying; she's not good at anything else. I'll share some of her notes with you when school starts. They're quite well-organized and will be helpful to you."
Teacher X followed up, saying, "Zhong Yan is too introverted. She needs to go out and make more friends, otherwise she'll never find a boyfriend!"
Mom replied: "I've already thought this through for her, don't worry [laughs while covering mouth] [laughs while covering mouth]"
Before we knew it, the rain had gotten heavier.
The rain was torrential and powerful.
It was as if, at that very moment, all the malice in the world was directed at her.
Despite the sweltering heat, a chill ran through me.
The two had no umbrellas and could only take shelter under the pavilion from the rain.
Flocks of birds were still flying over the sea in the rain.
Several old men who hunt birds stood in the pavilion, holding their long guns and cannons, sighing with regret.
One person said, "It's difficult for migratory birds to catch this kind of weather."
Another replied, "There's no way around it. Nature is just that cruel. The old, weak, sick, and disabled will be eliminated, and only the strong and healthy will make the tribe stronger."
Hearing this, Zhong Yan whispered to Ji Feng, "I watched a movie called 'Fly with You' before.' There was a goose in it that couldn't fly. It was taken back to its roost by a glider. Since it couldn't fly, it would eventually be abandoned by its flock and die alone."
Ji Feng turned to look at her. "Didn't you see the ending?"
Zhong Yan said, "Isn't this the end?"
Ji Feng shook his head. "There was a subtitle at the end saying that all the geese would return the following year, including the one that used to be unable to fly, Igo."
Zhong Yan's eyes widened instantly. "Really?"
Ji Feng was amused by her exaggerated surprise and a smile appeared on his face: "Yes, really."
"That's great!" Zhong Yan smiled.
After a prolonged downpour, the sunshine that breaks through the clouds can bring joy.
Hundreds of times, thousands of times.
Zhong Yan looked down at the little seagull in the straw hat, unaware that Ji Feng had turned his head and was watching her.
/
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Today I attended Wu Yuan's farewell ceremony. In its short life, it brought endless joy to those around it.
I often think that I wish I were my mother's dog.
Simply and faithfully obey her, protect her, and love her.
Until death.
But I am not. I have let my mother down, and I have let myself down as well.
Five yuan can bring happiness to those around me, but what about me?
I have no value.
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