Chapter 17 Shocking Change
From then on, Guo Jia became a regular customer at our pastry shop, often sitting for two hours at a time, saying nothing, just staring blankly at a plate of rouge cakes.
Although his eyes were fixed on that plate of exquisite rouge cakes, I'm sure that in his heart he was thinking of the woman who loved eating rouge cakes.
He frequented places like brothels, coming and going with great style. I, however, often sighed and worried about his seemingly frail body. I also got to know the hairless donkey beside him, which supposedly had a rather cool name: Little Mao.
Thanks to Gou'er's tireless efforts in sacrificing his looks, the pastry shop's business is booming.
The dog greeted the customers in front of the shop whose real intentions were not the wine, Aman chopped firewood in the backyard, while I leisurely leaned against the threshold, keeping an eye on everything around me.
They seem to be living a good and happy life.
I'm not greedy, really, not at all.
After taking the herbal tea, I felt a pang of conscience and went to the backyard to find Aman.
"Come and have some tea." Standing under the eaves, I smiled and waved to Aman.
Aman raised his hand and hastily wiped away his sweat, then put down the axe in his hand and walked towards me.
His long, black hair was tied up in a bun, and he was shirtless. His white skin tinged slightly red in the sunlight. Even when chopping wood, he exuded an indescribable aura.
He took the teacup, tilted his head back, and gulped it down in one go.
Peeking over the pile of firewood scattered on the ground, I felt a little guilty and pulled him back into the house. "Come inside and rest." There was so much firewood; in modern times, he would have been sued by the labor inspection department. What a heartless boss.
He happily followed me back to the room without a single complaint. He was truly an ideal employee. I reached out to wipe his sweat, and he smiled innocently at me, which made my heart flutter.
"Let go! I told you to let go!" Gou'er's angry shouts came from outside the door.
I frowned. Sigh, here we go again. The dog is beautiful, which brings in a lot of money, but…
I strode to the shop entrance and saw a fat old man with a lewd grin on his face, holding onto the dog's hand tightly. I smirked and walked over, shouting, "What's going on here?"
The old man was startled by my loud voice and looked up to glare at me.
I subtly pulled the dog behind me and chuckled, "It's just a small business, why are you making things difficult for us?"
"Hmph! My master is giving you too much credit!" shouted one of the old man's lackeys.
"Thank you for your kind words, sir. Please take these rouge cakes as a token of our respect." I casually grabbed a packet of rouge cakes and stuffed it into the lackey's arms, thinking it was better to avoid trouble.
"Damn it, do you think I'm a beggar?!" The old man got angry, grabbed me, and pretended to lash out.
Stuck in his greasy body, I knew I wasn't cut out for swallowing my anger. I clenched my fist, suppressing my nausea, and was about to kick that ungrateful bastard to death when suddenly I saw Gou'er pounce on me and pin him down.
"Let go of my sister! You bastard! Get your filthy hands off her! Don't touch my sister!" Gritting his teeth and roaring, Gou'er tied the skirt that was in the way around his waist and gave the lewd old man a good beating.
The poor old man couldn't understand how such a beautiful woman could be so terrifying when she got angry. He could only stare wide-eyed as the dog beat him until his face was bruised and swollen.
I tilted my head, completely baffled. It seemed like the dog was in more danger; the old man had absolutely no interest in me.
The old man was beaten so badly he was barely breathing, and it looked like he was about to die. I quickly grabbed the dog.
"Okay, okay, it's alright now."
The dog finally stopped and leaned against me, panting heavily.
I lovingly touched his flushed little face, feeling deeply moved. It's so wonderful to have such a thoughtful little sister.
"Get out!" The dog bared its teeth and howled when it saw the old man still lying there.
The old man ran away in a panic.
"Oh, lady, image..." I shook my head, bent down with a pained expression to lower his skirt, and muttered to myself.
A black line appeared on the dog's forehead. "I'm a man."
I was stunned for a moment, looked up at him, and then burst into laughter. I pulled him into my arms and gave him a hard peck on the cheek.
Mmm, smells delicious, tastes good. I nodded, grinning mischievously.
The dog's face instantly turned as red as a boiled shrimp, almost steaming.
"I want a kiss too," someone said dejectedly from behind, unwilling to be ignored.
I grinned and raised my hand, shaking my index finger. "Men and women shouldn't touch each other, hehe."
The dog's face was full of black lines, but I was laughing heartily to myself.
"Fire! Fire! Fire!" In the middle of the night, I was drooling as I slept with my homemade pillow in my arms when I suddenly heard someone shout.
Fire? In a daze, I half-opened my eyes, and thick smoke choked my face, causing me to cough violently.
Oh no! There's a fire! I snapped back to reality.
Smoke was everywhere, making it impossible to tell which way to go. I gritted my teeth, threw the thin blanket into a basin of water to soak it, then wrapped it around myself, covering my mouth and nose, and rushed out.
"Dog! Aman!..." I called out as I ran, "Aman, where are you...dog..." The bright fire and the endless darkness, such dark and brilliant colors were terrifying.
"Sister! Sister!" Gou'er's voice came clearly from outside the fire.
"Don't come in!" I yelled as he was about to rush in.
The dog carried a basin of water and ran back and forth, basin after basin, but the weather was dry and the fire was raging high in the sky. How could the dog possibly put it out with its small strength?
"Man! Man! Where are you!" I searched around in the darkness.
“Xiaoxiao…” Aman’s voice came from the end of the darkness.
I rushed toward the sound, and a burning crossbeam suddenly collapsed. My eyes widened as I watched the beam crash down from the sky.
My body felt light, and I was suddenly pulled into an embrace.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..." It was Aman's voice.
He kept chanting as he rushed out of the inferno.
"Sister..." The dog dropped the water bowl and rushed to my side, "Sister..."
I stood up from Aman's embrace. The three of us looked at each other, all covered in dust and dirt.
"Sister, the house is gone," Gou'er said in a low voice, his voice thick with a nasal tone. "Our home is gone."
I grinned and pulled him into my arms. "The house is gone, but the home is still here."
"Sister?" Under the moonlight, the dog's clear black and white eyes looked at me, tinged with red.
"Hehe, at worst I can go back to being a beggar." I stroked his messy hair and smiled.
"I'm afraid you won't even have the life to be a beggar." A cold voice came from behind.
I was startled and looked back to see dozens of people dressed in black surrounding us.
This wasn't an accidental fire; it was arson!
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