Zhan Chunlan left with the puppy in her arms.
She planned to take the puppy back to her dorm to dry it off before bringing it out to find its owner in the neighborhood.
However, she didn't have much hope. In an era when most people couldn't even get enough to eat, losing a dog probably wouldn't be a big deal.
But, what if?
The next day, as soon as she got off work, she took her dog and wandered around the neighborhood where she had met the day before, asking around. After asking whoever she asked, she pointed to an old house with a yard on the back street: "The female dog there gave birth to puppies a while ago. I heard one of them was stolen. Go and take a look."
Zhan Chunlan thanked them and went over with the puppy in her arms.
The gate to the courtyard was half-open, and a large black dog was lying on the threshold, basking in the sun. Its ears were perked up, and it was barking softly at the puppy in her arms. The little yellow dog was also twisting and struggling, its tail wagging like a windmill.
An elderly woman in her sixties with gray hair came out of the house, carrying a bowl of food, presumably for the big black dog. After a moment of stunned silence, she realized, "Isn't this my little yellow dog? I heard it was stolen yesterday when I came back, and I thought... it was already cooked."
Zhan Chunlan handed the puppy over, saying, "I happened to see them about to kill a dog, so I took this puppy back and am returning it to you today."
The old woman took the dog, her cloudy eyes suddenly lighting up, but the light quickly dimmed again. She stroked the puppy's back and sighed, "Young lady, thank you for your kindness. But I'm getting old, and it's a bit difficult for its mother to take care of it."
At this point, she gently pushed the dog into Zhan Chunlan's arms: "If you don't mind, you can take it home and raise it. It'll be a way to give it a chance to live."
"Me, raise it?" Zhan Chunlan asked, somewhat surprised. "But I still live in the dormitory, which is very inconvenient."
The old lady sighed, her voice full of helplessness: "I'm old and all alone. Because I raised Dahei, those dog thieves are now eyeing my house. If the puppy stays with me, it will end up in their stomachs sooner or later."
“I think you’re a good girl. If you can’t raise her, help her find a good home. It’s better than her being ruined at such a young age.”
Zhan Chunlan looked at the old woman in front of her, and then at the big black dog that was always by her side. The little yellow dog was now wandering around under the big black dog, wanting to nurse.
"Alright."
Zhan Chunlan took the little yellow dog away; her "good days" had begun.
She named the puppy Xiaoman, or Zhan Xiaoman.
At 5:30 in the morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, she would put on her coat, take a shovel in one hand, and lead Zhan Xiaoman around the factory perimeter wall to let Xiaoman take care of his "personal needs." Then she would break off half a steamed bun, mix it with some hot water, and watch him slurp it down before stepping into the workshop as the bell rang.
At six o'clock in the evening, while others rushed to the cafeteria, she ran back to the dormitory first to untie the rope and headed straight for the riverbank with Zhan Xiaoman. Xiaoman ran happily ahead, while Zhan Chunlan strolled behind. Every now and then, Xiaoman would turn back to wait for her, its tail curled into a question mark, as if afraid its owner would get lost.
After walking around for an hour, she returned to her dorm. While making noodles for herself, she casually added an extra spoonful of broth to dilute it before feeding the dog.
With such a busy schedule every day, how can I find time to date?
"Director Fang, I heard your third son is dating someone?" Qin Boshan, deputy director of the Haicheng Health Bureau canteen, asked Fang Li while holding a lunchbox.
Fang Li was eating with her head down when she heard this. She just nodded slightly and didn't stop eating. That girl was so busy recently and she lost weight. She wondered if she had finished her work recently. She should find some time to go and see her.
"When do they plan to get married? It's been more than half a year since last year, hasn't it?"
Fang Li looked at them speechlessly: "You're supposed to be government officials, what kind of talk is that? The girl isn't even 17 yet, she's a long way from getting married."
"Don't be so rigid. Can't we hold the wedding banquet first and then get the marriage certificate when we reach the legal age?"
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the curious faces around her, and raised her voice slightly: "Hey you guys, how old is this young girl? Don't treat her like a little girl just because she started working early and is capable. I treat her like my own daughter. She's still a child, and I can't bear to see her get married so early."
"But isn't her boyfriend your third son? If they get married, they can live together, wouldn't they be even closer?"
"Closeness?" Fang Li put down his chopsticks and looked at the group seriously. "I don't plan to let them squeeze in with us old folks after they get married. I'll rent them a place and let them live their own little lives outside."
After saying that, she picked up the empty lunchbox, got up, and left.
The remaining people looked at each other in bewilderment: "Director Fang usually seems serious and dignified, and he's unapproachable when he's working, but I didn't expect him to be so nice to his future daughter-in-law."
"Is that all?" another person chimed in dismissively. "You don't know, when her eldest daughter-in-law gave birth to her grandson, she didn't help take care of him for a single day. It was all the child's maternal grandmother who took care of him."
"I don't like what you're saying. What do you mean by 'giving her a grandson'? This child can be born to her, or to her husband, but how can it be born to her mother-in-law?" The female section chief was displeased. What kind of talk is this? How can a grown man be so gossipy?
"Moreover, I actually know about this. It's not that she's unwilling to help take care of the baby, but rather that her eldest daughter-in-law wants her own mother to take care of the baby, and even gives her own mother 20 yuan every month."
"Oh? Then Director Fang has no objections?"
"Director Fang said that the child is hers, and she can let whoever she wants take care of him. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have a good relationship, so don't believe everything you hear!"
The next day, a light drizzle fell in Haicheng, as light and fluffy as a soft veil, gently covering everyone.
Today, Zhan Chunlan was off work. Remembering what she had said before, she wanted to send the first batch of strawberry candy to Ms. Fang Li as soon as it was produced. So she specially bought 4 catties of strawberry-flavored fruit candy and 2 catties of milk candy from the factory's employee welfare store and headed to Fang Li's house.
Just as they arrived at Fang Li's door, the door creaked open. Fang Li, one hand tucked into her trench coat button and the other holding a canvas tote bag, was about to step out. Raindrops fell on her neatly permed temples, forming tiny, glistening drops.
Zhan Chunlan quickly closed her umbrella and waved, "Aunt Fang—"
The sound was clear and bright after being washed by the rain.
"Chunlan? You're done with your work?" Fang Li was stunned for a moment, then a smile spread across her eyes: "Why did you come in this rainy weather?"
"Yes." She handed her the candy in her hand: "The first batch of strawberry candy came off the production line a couple of days ago. I promised you I'd be the first to try it, so I had to rush over to bring it to you during my break."
As Fang Li spoke with a smile, she came down the steps to greet her, took the net bag from her, and led her home.
Zhan Chunlan rubbed her shoes on the doormat, raindrops dripping down the tip of her umbrella in a thin line. She smiled at Fang Li, a little embarrassed, "Are you going out? I came over without telling you. If you have something to do, you can go ahead. I'll come again next time."
"I was just about to come find you. It's been so long since I've seen you. Aunt Fang missed you!" Fang Li laughed loudly, taking her hand and leading her into the house. "Come in quickly, it's damp outside."
The dim light from the incandescent bulbs in the living room illuminated the wooden floor, while the sound of rain outside the window wove a fine, dense net. The two settled on the sofa, and Fang Li eagerly unwrapped a fruit candy. A bright pink candy rolled into her palm, the cellophane rustling as the strawberry candy entered her mouth.
She squinted her eyes first—a sweetness tinged with a hint of tartness, the fruity aroma of strawberries, like something soaked in spring rain, gently landed on her tongue: "Mmm~ delicious,"
After a moment, she smiled slightly embarrassedly: "But I'm a bit clumsy with my palate, so I always feel that the taste isn't much different?"
Zhan Chunlan placed her hands on her knees, leaned forward slightly, and said with a light smile, "Haha, it's not that Aunt Fang is tongue-tied, you're amazing! The one I gave you to taste before was the one brewed in a small batch in the lab, and the one I'm giving you to taste now is the one mass-produced in the factory. The fact that there's no difference is the highest praise you can give."
Fang Li listened, and a smile appeared at the corner of her eyes again. She carefully folded the candy wrapper into a small square: "I see. It seems my tongue is still of some use?"
As he spoke, he raised his hand to brush a drop of rain off Zhan Chunlan's shoulder, "Tomorrow I'll take it to the department and let those young people try the strawberry candy that Chunlan developed."
Zhan Chunlan smiled and watched Fang Li arrange the candies: "Aunt Fang, please feel free to arrange them. If it's not enough, I'll bring you more next time. I'll try my best to make sure you eat candy until you're sick of it!"
"Hahaha~" Fang Li laughed happily, raised her hand and pointed at her: "I never thought that one day I would be able to live a life where I'm tired of eating sweets."
“There’s so much candy, I’ll share some with your older brother and second sister so they can take it to their workplaces and promote it for you. And Xiao Si, there are lots of young people at his school, I’ll have them all buy some strawberry candy.”
After saying that, he looked at Zhan Chunlan with a hint of teasing. Zhan Chunlan didn't react at first, but after a while she remembered that she hadn't prepared one for Comrade Wang Wenfeng. It seemed that she was not a very good "partner".
"Brother Wenfeng..." Zhan Chunlan wanted to explain.
"Don't worry about him." Fang Li had teased her enough and stopped making things difficult for her: "He doesn't like sweets. Just give him a few pieces and it will be enough for him to eat for years."
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