Feeding Guidelines
Lu Chenyang was asleep, his breathing steady and long. Yu Sheng carefully turned over, dimmed her phone screen to its lowest setting, and opened the notes app.
A notebook titled "Police Dog Care Guidelines" was opened. This was a task Bai Hua had given him: to record Lu Chenyang's subtle daily changes as a reference for subsequent treatment and medication.
This name was carefully considered by Yu Sheng. During Lu Chenyang's coma, he repeatedly read the "Young Master's Recovery Diary" on the other's phone and was deeply inspired.
A young master paired with a police dog—perfect match.
The first record began on the day Lu Chenyang woke up, and now a total of more than half a month has passed.
…November 29:
—He's such a good puppy today. He finally ate something; he'd been throwing up everything he ate the past few days. He wouldn't touch the food the vet brought, so I had to drive to Shuno to buy him his favorite pineapple fried rice. That damn dog only took one bite and said it was bitter! Where was it bitter? It's all from golden pineapples flown in from Hainan!
—How could the owner let the dog go hungry? I personally cooked some chicken soup, thinking he'd at least drink a few sips out of respect for me. Sure enough, the dog was very obedient and drank a whole bowl. Then he got an upset stomach that night. He said it was a somatic symptom of phobia, unrelated to the chicken soup.
—Nonsense, of course it's irrelevant. I was fine after drinking it.
—Ah! I've caught somatization, I have an upset stomach, and I feel awful.
November 30:
—Poor little dog today. Qin Nan came to talk to him about the follow-up to the case this afternoon, since he was the victim. I had something to do at the hotel, so I left first. When I came back, I found the little dog asleep, frowning, with a large wet patch on his pillow.
Damn! I almost called Qin Nan and yelled at him for bullying my dog until he cried. But then I thought better of it; Officer Qin really did help us a lot.
—I checked the ward's security camera footage and found that the puppy looked at the door several times within a minute of me leaving, and even sat by the door, refusing to go back inside. It finally fell asleep after taking sleeping pills. Is this separation anxiety? My poor little dog. The owner will never leave again.
December 1:
—Today, the puppy is sick and weak. Are all abandoned puppies like this? They don't want to wake up when they're asleep, and they don't want to fall asleep again when they are awake. He said a day needs 34 hours to function properly: 22 hours awake and 12 hours asleep.
—I asked Baihua, and Baihua said that this is also a manifestation of the illness. Being afraid to sleep when awake is out of fear, fearing that uncontrollable changes will occur around them after falling asleep; being unwilling to wake up after falling asleep is also out of fear, fearing that they will have to face the facts they don't want to accept when they wake up.
—My police dog has really turned into a puppy; it's so fragile.
December 2:
—He's being a clingy puppy today. Lately, if I'm not around, he can go 30 hours straight without sleeping. If I leave in the middle of it, he'll wake up immediately.
Bai Hua said she wanted him to feel her presence at all times and to give him a sense of security.
—I tied one end of the tie around his wrist and the other end around my own. I won't leave; you can sleep peacefully.
—Damn! I need to go to the toilet, but I'm too scared to move.
December 3:
—I don't want to say much, today it's a big wolfhound.
—Isn't it said that taking too many psychiatric medications can be harmful?
—It's because I'm no longer capable.
December 4th:
—Today he's so excited! Ah Jiang brought over his Best Actor award from the Hundred Flowers Awards. I thought he'd gotten used to it after winning so many awards, but I didn't expect him to be so interested in this one; he was practically ready to take a bite out of it.
—Oh, the puppy said this is a testament to our first time acting together, symbolizing our acquaintance, understanding, and love.
—Ugh, a greasy little dog. But I like it.
December 5:
—My annoying little dog is here today. I found an abalone pearl on Koh Yari, and I was planning to have it made by a professional jewelry designer when I got back. But my little dog found out today and insists that I make it for him myself. How could I possibly do that!
—I give up! My dog dragged me to find Qin Nan, to Qin Nan's girlfriend's studio. (The dog went out on its own, so happy!)
Cutting jewelry is so difficult. But the dog was watching, and the owner couldn't let him down.
I'll do it!
December 6:
—Today he's a drama queen puppy. I took him to see his grandma, and he performed flawlessly, without giving a single slip-up. He truly deserves to be called an actor.
Grandma is recovering very well and will be discharged from the hospital soon. After discussing it, we decided to send her to a sanatorium in the west of the city, which was invested in by Sister Ciying. The environment and medical care there are top-notch. The puppy is very happy.
—He doesn't seem so resistant to seeing friends anymore.
………
Yu Sheng scrolled through the records, his heart filled with mixed emotions, wanting to cry yet also wanting to laugh. His fingertip hovered over the screen for a moment before he typed a new sentence:
December 12:
—Today is a good day for the puppy. He hasn't had nightmares for a week.
—As usual, he tied one end of his tie around his wrist when he went to sleep, and I held out my hand for him to tie it—it's like this every day. But today he didn't. He lowered his head and kissed the back of my hand, almost like a puppy licking its owner. But why did I see tenderness in his eyes? Was the dog feeling sorry for me?
—The puppy only let me hold the other end of his tie tonight, and said I could let go anytime if anything happened.
—Oh, maybe it was the way I rushed to the bathroom as soon as he woke up yesterday that startled him. But who can hold it in for 12 hours without using the bathroom!
After recording her day, Yu Sheng tucked her phone under her pillow. She propped herself up on her arm and gently kissed Lu Chenyang's earlobe. There was an abalone pearl earring there, just like Lu Chenyang, dazzling even in the dim light—it was truly beautiful.
*
Before the New Year, Lu Chenyang was discharged from the hospital. The two flew to Changchun together.
Bai Hua suggested that Lu Chenyang be placed in a familiar, safe, and relaxing environment. Considering that the apartment held too many unpleasant memories, Yu Sheng decided not to go back.
After careful consideration, he chose Changchun. The same tenement building where they had lived together a year ago, and the little flower shop where Wucao worked.
The old red brick buildings are mottled and worn by years of wind, snow, and coal smoke. The narrow gaps between the buildings make the sounds of spatulas clattering in the opposite houses clearly audible. Underfoot is a smooth block of ice, and everything is exactly as I remember it.
We're back here again, at the same time of year, in the same snowy weather, with the same two people.
"Ugh!" Yu Sheng hurriedly pressed down on her hat, which had almost been blown away by the wind, and muttered, "It's this very spot! Last year, it blew away one of my hats—a collaboration model worth tens of thousands!"
Lu Chenyang smiled and helped him steady his hat. "Young Master Yu, you're worried about a few dollars? That's not like you."
Yu Sheng ignored his teasing and walked forward against the wind. In order to prevent Lu Chenyang from feeling uncomfortable when interacting with outsiders, he deliberately did not have anyone from Shu Ye's Changchun branch pick him up at the airport, and it was just the two of them the whole time.
Now he's starting to regret it; he should at least have rented a car. It's so cold, it's freezing!
"I'm hungry," Yu Sheng said listlessly, looking at Lu Chenyang with pitiful eyes. Her long eyelashes were covered with white frost and trembled gently like cicada wings.
"I'll cook something for you when we get home." Lu Chenyang rubbed Yu Sheng's head and put his arm around his waist, as if afraid the strong wind would blow him away.
"Home" arrived quickly. It was a tiny shop, its facade so old you couldn't tell what it was made of, covered with a transparent plastic sheet that flapped in the cold wind. A small wooden sign with curled edges hung above the door, bearing the words "Wu Cao" in faded red paint, with a simple flower drawn next to it.
This was their former "home". Yu Sheng had contacted someone to buy the place half a month ago, restored it to its original state, and arranged for cleaning staff to clean it regularly to ensure that Lu Chenyang could comfortably "go home".
"Ugh, I'm exhausted. Go make dinner." As soon as she entered the house, Yu Sheng went straight upstairs and collapsed onto the hard sofa.
Lu Chenyang glanced at him with amusement. Luckily, he was wearing thick clothes, otherwise he would have been grimacing and complaining of bone pain.
Everything in the house was exactly the same as when they left. The small living room, the cramped kitchen where there wasn't enough room for even one more person, and the creaking, broken bed in the bedroom.
If you sniff carefully, you can still smell the faint scent of their perfume left behind before they left. It's woody, smells nice, and is the same as the one Yu Sheng was wearing.
"You rest for a bit, I'll go cook." Lu Chenyang took off his coat, tied on the apron hanging by the door, and walked into the kitchen with practiced ease. "Oh, and don't touch your suitcase, I'll unpack it after we eat."
"Hmph." Yu Sheng raised his chin and snorted, his arrogant young master demeanor surfacing. "Even if you asked me to discipline you, I wouldn't. I've served you for so long, now it's your turn."
Actually, Yu Sheng didn't want Lu Chenyang to be too tired, but Bai Hua had told him that this was also an effective treatment option.
Many people with mental illnesses share a common problem, which is also the most fatal one: feeling that they are not needed.
To give Lu Chenyang a sense of security, you don't necessarily have to arrange every little detail of his life or do everything for him personally.
On the contrary, this may further aggravate his condition, making him feel like a burden, a nuisance, an unwanted, useless defective product, or waste.
Therefore, Yu Sheng chose to do the opposite and act as a "useless" person, making the other person feel "needed".
Of course, this doesn't rule out the possibility that the Second Young Master Yu is using this opportunity to slack off and enjoy himself. After all, this used to be their way of getting along; he's most adept at acting like a spoiled brat.
Before Grandpa Yu could rest enough, Chef Lu had already prepared the meal and placed it on the small table.
"Ah Sheng, come and eat."
"Here I am!"
The old man lifted his bottom and darted to his rice bowl. Clear broth noodles, topped with two glistening, sunny-side-up eggs, and a spoonful of fragrant chili oil.
It's exactly the same as last year, but the mood of the people eating it is completely different.
Yu Sheng used to despise this bowl of noodles, but now she's eating it with gusto, stuffing her mouth full and eagerly stuffing in the second bite before even swallowing the first.
"Sweetie, eat slowly." Lu Chenyang picked up an egg from his bowl and put it in hers. "Have another egg."
Yu Sheng kept her head down, her face hidden in the bowl, not daring to lift it.
He was afraid Lu Chenyang would see his tears. He ate heartily, swallowing his tears along with the food, making the noodles several degrees saltier.
Aside from the day Lu Chenyang woke up, he never cried again. Even though his incontinence made his eyes easily red, he desperately held back. He maintained an optimistic attitude, carefully pretending, afraid that his emotions would affect Lu Chenyang's condition.
He endured it, swallowing all his emotions. But today, after swallowing this bowl of clear soup noodles, his heart was so full that all those suppressed emotions were squeezed out at once, impossible to hide.
His shoulders were shaking violently, and he bit his lip to keep from crying out loud. Until he was lifted up around the waist and nestled into a warm embrace.
She couldn't hold back any longer. Yu Sheng buried her face in Lu Chenyang's shoulder and burst into tears. Like a lost stray cat that had defeated all its rivals over the years to become the street king, she turned around and found her owner standing anxiously on the street corner, holding her favorite cat treat.
The kitten immediately bypassed its followers, retracted its claws, and jumped down from the platform. It meowed pitifully and aggrievedly as it climbed to its owner's side, showing him the scratches on its belly.
"Baby, I was wrong, I was wrong." Lu Chenyang lifted Yu Sheng onto his lap and gently rocked him while patting his back.
"You said...you said your life was mine, only for me to play with." Yu Sheng sobbed, hiccuping, wiping what looked like snot or tears on Lu Chenyang's shoulder. "How dare you die, how dare you!"
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