Chapter Fifty
After dinner, the two strolled along the riverbank. In stark contrast to the desolate scene during the day, the riverbank was bustling with activity at night, crowded with people. Although the temperature was a few degrees lower than during the day, the cold did not deter people from their steps. More and more people gathered along the riverbank, and some even stood on the frozen river surface.
Zuo Xutong was wondering why people were braving the freezing cold to flock here when a crisp popping sound suddenly rang out in the air. She looked up and saw a dazzling display of fireworks bursting in the night sky, instantly illuminating the entire riverbank.
Amidst the cacophony of voices and the deafening explosions of fireworks, she felt an unprecedented tranquility. Time seemed to stand still, everything around her gradually blurred, and all the dazzling fireworks eventually turned into dim specks of light, disappearing into the deep night sky.
Isn't all the beauty and splendor of the world as fleeting as fireworks? Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh: "Happiness is always short-lived, but regret is eternal."
Peng Kun lowered his head, gazing at her face, which was shimmering in the fireworks, and said softly, "But life is always full of regrets. Why not try to appreciate them and accept them?"
"Because I'm a perfectionist, I have a kind of mental fastidiousness."
"So you can't appreciate the Venus de Milo?"
“That’s right, but I can appreciate Michelangelo’s David.” After Zuo Xutong finished speaking, they both laughed.
As the fireworks display was about to end, Peng Kun picked up his phone, glanced at it, and frowned, saying, "We're so unlucky."
"What's wrong?"
“Starting tomorrow, Hunhe will be hit by an extremely cold wave that is rare in history, with the temperature plummeting to minus fifty degrees Celsius. We won’t be able to go anywhere and will have to stay in the hotel and enjoy the snow.”
"Really? I'd also like to visit the nearby ancient town." Zuo Xutong unlocked her phone and opened the weather app, which showed a high of -39°C and a low of -51°C for tomorrow.
"Stop dreaming. Can't you see there isn't a single taxi on the street? We need to go to the supermarket to buy some things in a bit. In case the snow closes the door, we won't starve to death in the next few days."
Staring at the alarming numbers on her phone screen, Zuo Xutong couldn't help but wonder, "Isn't this global warming? Why is it still so cold?"
“Global warming will lead to the large-scale disappearance of Arctic sea ice. The rise in Arctic temperatures weakens the polar vortex that controls cold air, so cold Arctic air masses move southward into mid-latitude regions, making winters there even colder and triggering super winters,” Peng Kun explained.
"So this means that climate change will not only cause heat waves, droughts and floods, but also extreme cold waves... No wonder there have been frequent blizzards around the world in recent years."
“Yes, some people use this as an excuse to refuse to acknowledge global warming, but in reality, there are various interests driving it.” After Peng Kun finished speaking, the two turned back. On the way, they turned into a supermarket and bought some food.
The crowds along the riverbank had dispersed, and an unusual silence enveloped the area. Every household kept their doors and windows tightly shut, as if awaiting the arrival of this once-in-a-century blizzard. Thick clouds obscured the moonlight, pressing down on this remote border town. Tree branches cast eerie shadows in the snow, and the earth was deathly still and devoid of life.
A chill ran up from the soles of her feet and straight to her heart. Zuo Xutong couldn't help but shiver and almost tripped over something.
She looked back and saw that the thing seemed to move slightly. She slowly moved closer and observed it carefully from a distance of half a meter. It was a dark, indistinct object stuck in the thick snow, like a tattered rag.
"Oh my god, it's a dog!" she exclaimed, staring blankly at the dying little animal.
Its eyes were half-open, too weak to even cry out. It lay on the frozen snow like a dried fish, the snow on its fur frozen into ice crystals. Its eyes were unfocused, staring ahead in despair, as if waiting for the end of its life.
Zuo Xutong's heart was breaking. Just as she was at a loss, Peng Kun stepped forward and found that the puppy still had a faint breath. Without hesitation, he immediately took off his clothes and wrapped the dog in his down jacket, which was still warm from his body.
The cold wind was like countless sharp knives, piercing through his sweater and into his skin. His lips were frozen purple, and the wind howled past his ears, fiercely blowing on his exposed face. The pain was so intense that he almost lost consciousness, but when he thought of the dog in his arms struggling on the edge of life and death, and that he was racing against death, his steps became more urgent.
Upon entering the hotel, Zuo Xutong noticed that he was completely pale, his face as white as paper: "Are you alright?"
He shook his head slightly, unable to utter a single word, as his teeth chattered uncontrollably. He could only keep his mouth shut to avoid looking too disheveled.
The two went straight to the fifth floor. Peng Kun freed one of his numb hands, struggled to take out his room card, and swiped it to open the door.
The moment the door opened, a wave of warmth rushed in. His skin, which had been taut from the cold wind, slowly relaxed under the comfort of this warm current. It felt as if a faint electric current was running through his face, and he began to feel a slight tingling sensation. His numb senses gradually returned, but the dog's body remained stiff and unresponsive to external stimuli.
He bent down and gently placed the dog on the ground. Melted snow dripped down its fur, soaking a large area of its down jacket.
Zuo Xutong stared at the puppy on the ground, its life hanging by a thread, and asked anxiously, "Will it survive?"
"I don't know, let's leave it to fate." Peng Kun was finally able to speak, his hoarse voice trembling slightly. He turned around, pulled a few tissues from the tissue box on the table, and then squatted down to gently wipe the puppy's fur. He was extremely careful, as if his hand was handling a delicate cicada wing, and the slightest force would injure its skin and blood vessels.
He touched its body with his hand, but could not feel any warmth, and its breathing was extremely weak.
"Is it going to die?" Zuo Xutong's eyes reddened, and an indescribable pain welled up in her heart.
Seeing her like this, Peng Kun felt a little sad. He subconsciously stood up and said, "I'll take it to the vet. You stay at the hotel and wait for my news."
Zuo Xutong glanced at the time; it was already past ten o'clock. Tears finally welled up in her eyes. "It's too late. The pet hospital has been closed for a long time," she said, wiping her eyes and choking back sobs. "Besides, your down jacket is all dirty. You can't go out like this; you'll freeze to death."
Peng Kun sighed helplessly, turned his head and glanced at the large bed behind him, on which was a set of white bedding. "I had a sudden inspiration," he said, "How about I go out wearing the hotel's quilt?"
Zuo Xutong burst into laughter through her tears, but her lips quickly fell back down. Seeing her bewildered expression, Peng Kun felt even more sorry for her, unable to imagine how she would react if the puppy couldn't be saved. He frowned and said seriously, "It's getting late. You should go back and rest. We'll check on the situation again tomorrow."
“No, I’m going to stay here,” Zuo Xutong said firmly.
The two squatted down again, staring intently at the dog on the ground, like two children huddled together watching ants move house.
A few minutes later, the puppy seemed to tremble slightly. Peng Kun keenly noticed this subtle change and nudged Zuo Xutong with his elbow: "Look!"
Zuo Xutong opened her eyes wide and noticed that the puppy's body suddenly trembled slightly, almost imperceptible to the naked eye because it was covered by its curly pepper-colored fur. She was overjoyed; it was a sign that its nerves had revived.
Over the next half hour, it finally showed some signs of life. Its body trembled more and more violently, and its previously empty eyes gradually focused, and light appeared in its dim eyes.
Peng Kun quickly fetched a glass of warm water from the bathroom, carefully held the glass, and slowly poured the water to its lips. Sensing the warm liquid, it instinctively stuck out its tongue, as if using all its strength, to lick the corner of its mouth, and then let out a soft whimper.
This sound almost brought Zuo Xutong to tears of joy. She grabbed Peng Kun's arm and exclaimed excitedly, "That's wonderful! It's alive!"
The two looked at each other and smiled, both letting out a long sigh of relief.
Another half hour passed, and its front paws kicked a few times before it was finally able to move. It tried to lift its head, but ultimately it drooped down again, powerless. Peng Kun tentatively reached out and stroked its body; the touch was much softer than before. Only then did he feel relieved enough to pick it up and walk towards the bathroom, with Zuo Xutong following him in.
"Towel..." As soon as Peng Kun finished speaking, Zuo Xutong understood and quickly took a towel and spread it on the washbasin. Peng Kun put the dog on the towel, and the two worked together very well.
Peng Kun picked up the hairdryer hanging on the side wall of the bathroom, turned on the warm air, and started blowing it on its wet fur. Perhaps stimulated by the warm air, tears suddenly welled up in its eyes, and it let out a louder whimper.
Zuo Xutong looked up at the person in the mirror. In his clear and bright eyes, she saw compassion, love and pity. There seemed to be a kind of heart-stirring power about him. She couldn't explain what it was, but she was deeply attracted by that power.
If he were to repeat what he said that day again, she would probably agree without hesitation.
After the two of them worked tirelessly, the puppy finally regained consciousness, but it was still very weak and had difficulty even opening its mouth, let alone eating.
It was emaciated, its belly was exaggeratedly sunken in, as if it hadn't eaten for a long time. Its weak body couldn't withstand the hunger at all, and if this continued, it would probably face the threat of death again.
“This must be a stray dog, its fur is all matted,” Peng Kun speculated. “It was probably hiding somewhere before. In this cold weather, it risked its life to come out and look for food, it must have been starving.”
Zuo Xutong felt a pang of sadness, unable to imagine what it had gone through before. How could it, so weak and helpless, struggle to survive in this bitterly cold and icy place?
Peng Kun bought a bottle of mineral drink from the vending machine downstairs. They boiled a kettle of water in the room, put the drink in the kettle to heat it slightly, and then used it as a nutrient solution to pour into the puppy's mouth. Its strong will to survive made it desperately stick out its tongue and lick the liquid from its mouth.
Reassuringly, after being given "nutrition", the puppy gradually regained some strength. It was able to hold its head up for a few seconds, its limbs became more flexible, and it even tried to stand up on its own.
At two in the morning, snow began to fall silently outside the window. Snowflakes fluttered down, and the howling wind squeezed through the window cracks, making strange noises, like background music from a ghost story. The outdoor temperature had already dropped to minus forty degrees Celsius. Peng Kun walked to the window, looked at the raging snowstorm outside, and sighed heavily: "I wonder how many animals will freeze to death on the streets tonight."
His words plunged Zuo Xutong's heart into an ice cellar. She looked out the window with a solemn expression, her voice filled with bitterness: "They did nothing, yet they have to bear the consequences of global warming."
After a long day of activity, both of them were exhausted. Peng Kun turned around, patted her on the shoulder, and said, "It's too late, you should go back and rest."
Zuo Xutong glanced at the poor stray dog and hesitated, "What should we do with it?"
"I'll take care of it, don't worry."
Zuo Xutong then remembered that he had just arrived that morning, had traveled such a long distance, and had been out all day. He should need rest more than she did, so she offered, "Why don't you go to my room to rest? I'll stay and take care of it."
Peng Kun shook his head and said, "Let me do it. I've raised dogs before, so I have more experience than you." Seeing her doubt, he added, "My dog lived to be 17 years old and died peacefully."
Zuo Xutong certainly understood what dying of old age meant for a dog: it meant that in its relatively short "dog life," it wouldn't be abandoned by its owner, poisoned by rat poison, or stolen by dog traffickers...
"At 17 years old, it's still a very old dog," she said with satisfaction.
"But after it died, we never wanted to have a dog again."
"Why?"
“We had raised it for so long that we developed an attachment to it, like it was family. My mother was heartbroken for a long time after it passed away.”
Looking at the stray dog struggling to its feet on the ground, Zuo Xutong suddenly said, "Let's give it a name?"
Peng Kun thought of his male dog named "Xiao Mei" and said with a smile, "I'm not very good at this, you can name it."
"We found it on the third day of the Lunar New Year, so how about we call it 'Third Day'?"
Peng Kun nodded in agreement: "The third year of junior high school is also the time when it is reborn."
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