Although there were no mobile phones in that era, some information was still passed from person to person very quickly in a small city like this where relationships mainly depended on acquaintances.
Zhang Chuntao soon learned from a fishmongering lady at the farmers' market that her grandfather had accidentally fallen to the ground because he was walking too fast while looking for Einstein for her.
"Is my grandpa okay? Auntie, do you know which hospital he is in?" Even though Zhang Chuntao was concerned about Einstein, she also knew that the most important thing now was her grandfather's safety.
Xiaohua was so nervous that she couldn't say a word. She had a premonition that Einstein's disappearance might bring many unexpected consequences.
"I don't know about that, but you should hurry home! This dog really ran away. If it doesn't work, you can just buy another one."
Zhang Chuntao nodded, her expression very solemn.
"Please continue to help me find Einstein," Zhang Chuntao said humbly, holding Xiaohua's hand. "If I really can't find him, I'll be miserable."
"I know," Xiaohua immediately held her best friend's hand and said, "I'll ask my parents to help me find it."
…
In the municipal hospital, Zhang Chuntao and her father sat together in a corridor filled with the smell of disinfectant, and it seemed that neither of them was willing to speak first to break the silence.
Finally, Huang Ying came over. She frowned and reluctantly pulled Uncle Yang's hand over.
"They said the old man fell. What happened? I remember him being in good spirits normally!"
My father seemed to have aged more than ten years in an instant. He lowered his eyes and said in a very pale tone, "You're too anxious! The dog is lost, and he thinks it's his fault."
Zhang Chuntao bit her lips hard. She could hear the reproach in her father's words, but she had no way to refute.
She even felt that her father was right to do so, and that it was her grandfather's fault that he fell. If she could exchange her life for her grandfather's, Zhang Chuntao would be willing to do so.
"This matter has nothing to do with Chuntao," Uncle Yang said softly, "Everyone, don't be nervous. The vice president of this hospital and I have a good relationship. I asked him to arrange for the best experts in the hospital to come. Everything will be fine."
Then Zhang Chuntao saw her father, who had never liked Uncle Yang very much, stand up and bow to the man: "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Uncle Yang waved his hand, "It's just a small favor."
The doctor came out and finally told me the good news: Grandpa's illness wasn't serious and he just needed to rest for a few months. "You're lucky he didn't hit his head."
Only then did Zhang Chuntao feel a little relieved.
But Einstein was lost.
At first, Zhang Chuntao was still expecting a miracle to happen.
But after a week, she gave up.
Huang Ying did buy Yang Xing a dog, which I heard was called a Corgi, a breed of dog from the UK.
As the summer vacation was coming to an end, Xiaohua found Zhang Chuntao and told her a secret.
"Taozi, I, I've been feeling nauseous and want to vomit recently."
The two of them sat by the deserted river. Zhang Chuntao suddenly threw the stone in her hand, causing the calm lake surface to splash.
She turned her head and stared at Xiaohua in shock, "What did you just say?"
"I might be pregnant." Xiaohua lowered her head. "During that time, I often went out drinking with Zhang Xin. I would fall asleep in the middle of the night and had no idea what was going on. Sometimes I would wake up and find that I wasn't even dressed properly."
"You, are you crazy?" Zhang Chuntao couldn't believe what Xiaohua said. In her impression, Xiaohua might not be very reliable, but she wasn't that stupid. "Don't your parents know that you don't come home at night?"
Valley
"My parents are getting a divorce recently. They're always arguing or fighting at home. They have no time to care about me." Xiaohua stroked her abdomen and whispered, "Should I have an abortion?"
The answer is yes. Zhang Chuntao did not give Xiaohua time to hesitate and directly took her back to her home.
"Dad," Zhang Chuntao clutched Xiaohua's hand tightly, her expression startling her father. "Do you know where to get an abortion?"
This man, who had never been defeated by any storm, almost fainted when he heard his daughter's words: "You, you are pregnant?"
He had already raised his hand, and there was no doubt that as long as Zhang Chuntao nodded, this powerful slap would fall on her face.
"No, it was Xiaohua. It was an accident." Zhang Chuntao said softly, "Dad, you won't tell anyone else, right?"
"Hey," the man looked at Xiaohua deeply and said, "No, how could a little girl do such a thing? I'll call your mother and tell her that you will be staying at our house for the time being."
…
Zhang Chuntao was faced with another question: "Are you going to tell Zhang Xin?"
"I'm about to get beaten," Xiaohua said, lying flat on the bed. She stared at the empty ceiling with a dull look in her eyes. "Let's not talk about it. Taozi, tell me, is my life over?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Zhang Chuntao covered her mouth.
"Really?" Xiaohua burst into tears. "Taozi, you know, I looked in the mirror yesterday and found that I look more and more like my mother."
Zhang Chuntao fell silent.
"By the way, Taozi," Xiaohua said abruptly, changing the subject. "I heard there's a dog farm in the suburbs, and they're catching a lot of stray dogs. After they're proven healthy, they're sold to restaurants."
Zhang Chuntao raised her head: "Really? I want to go and take a look."
"But Einstein has been gone for over a month..."
"I'll just take a look."
The next day, Zhang Chuntao went to the dog farm with her father.
However, Xiaohua, who had been hiding in their home, slipped away quietly, leaving only a letter at Zhang Chuntao's bedside.
"Dad," Zhang Chuntao said, sitting in this second-hand car that her father had borrowed from a colleague, "Do you think Einstein has been eaten?"
"I don't know." My father's face was very strange. "If you still want a dog, we can just buy another one."
"I won't keep him anymore," Zhang Chuntao shook her head. "I don't even understand life myself!"
The silent car passed by the Municipal Cultural Palace. Zhang Chuntao looked out the window and saw a very exaggerated poster:
"The Alien Exhibition, if you miss it, you'll regret it for ten years!"
There are only three workers in the kennel, and the rest are dogs.
Zhang Chunyan looked at the stray dog with its teeth bared in the iron cage, and inexplicably thought of the aliens on display. Were they also locked in cages like this?
She walked around in a circle but didn't see Einstein.
"Golden Retriever?" My father secretly contacted the dog farm owner, who shook his head and said, "There was a golden retriever last month, but it was sent to a restaurant a long time ago."
The father turned around and found Zhang Chuntao, comforting her: "The boss said he has never seen a golden retriever. Why don't you adopt one from here?"
"No need, Dad," Zhang Chuntao covered her mouth and nose, "I want to go back."
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