After washing up in the evening, the two of them squatted down in front of the puppy for a while. Ever since it drank some porridge and lay down, the dog hadn't moved at all; only its heaving belly proved that it was still stubbornly alive.
Li Chu had no other choice, after all, he wasn't a veterinarian and didn't know how to save it.
"Alright, let's go upstairs to sleep. It's on its own now." Li Chu said, standing up.
Ding Qiunan squatted there, stretched out her hands, and said coquettishly, "Carry me upstairs."
Li Chu walked over and picked her up in his arms: "I've noticed you've changed quite a bit."
The girl wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at him, asking, "Which version of me do you like?"
As Li Chu carried her upstairs, he said, "I like Ding Qiunan, not that kind of person."
Hearing his words, the girl rested her head in his arms and smiled dreamily.
She slept soundly tonight; Li Chu didn't bother her anymore.
Li Chu was awakened in the morning by a faint whimpering sound. He opened his eyes and saw the girl still sleeping soundly in his arms. Then came another whimpering sound, and he realized there was another dog downstairs, which sounded much louder than last night.
Li Chu put on his clothes and went downstairs. In the living room, the little dog was still lying on his clothes. When it saw someone coming, it struggled to stand up but failed and weakly barked "Woof".
The remaining half bowl of porridge had been finished. Li Chu reached out and teased the puppy's chin. It first sniffed twice with its nose, and then stuck out its tongue to lick Li Chu's fingers.
He thought for a moment, then went into the kitchen to cook a pot of porridge, since they would be eating soon anyway. While the porridge was cooking, he brushed his teeth, washed his face, and then went outside to detox. By the time he finished, the porridge was ready.
She ladled another bowl of clear broth for the puppy, let it cool, and placed it in front of the puppy. The puppy climbed onto the edge of the bowl and started licking it. At this moment, Ding Qiunan also came downstairs. Seeing that the puppy was in much better spirits than last night, she squatted there and grinned foolishly.
After watching for a while, Ding Qiunan turned to look at Li Chu sitting on the sofa: "Li Chu, how about we raise the puppy after we save it?"
After all, this puppy is so small that even if it's saved now, it probably won't live much longer if it's abandoned. These days, people are lucky to have enough to eat; nobody wants to keep a dog.
Ding Qiunan felt that her family had plenty of food, and the little thing looked quite cute, so raising it would be a good idea.
“You can keep it if you want, but I need to talk to the three old men in the yard. It’s fine now that it’s small, but I’m afraid it will scare the people in the yard when it gets bigger. There are quite a few children in the yard,” Li Chu said.
And so, the two decided to keep the puppy, figuring they could just tie it up later if necessary.
Ding Qiunan squatted down and looked at the puppy: "Give it a name. From now on, it will be called Xiao Hei. Xiao Hei, remember that, this will be your name from now on."
This dog is quite intelligent. As soon as Ding Qiunan called out "Xiao Hei," it raised its head and barked "Woof!" at the girl in a cute and innocent way, then lowered its head again to continue licking its porridge.
This amused the girl, and Li Chu, seeing this, also smiled happily beside her.
After watching for a while, Ding Qiunan went to wash up. Li Chu heated up the leftovers from last night, and after they finished eating, Li Chu went out to the recycling station to see if he could find some planks to make a nest for the puppy. Since they were going to keep it, they couldn't just let it lie on the ground all the time.
When they arrived at the recycling station, Li Chu gave the gatekeeper a pack of cigarettes. The gatekeeper was so happy that he immediately found a wooden box that used to store bullets for Li Chu. The box had a hole in the bottom, but it didn't affect its use as a doghouse. The height was just right so that the puppy could climb out. It also saved Li Chu the trouble of making it himself.
Back home, Li Chu took some peanuts and went to greet his three uncles. The first and third uncles readily agreed, only reminding him to keep a close eye on them when they got older. The second uncle, however, started to put on airs and lectured him for a long time, which Li Chu found incredibly annoying. Fortunately, they eventually agreed to everything.
Li Chu made some noodles for the two of them at noon. Ding Qiunan was indeed very skillful and worked very quickly; she had already made a cotton cover for a single sofa in just two days.
In the afternoon, Li Chu sat on the sofa reading a book, while Xiao Ding continued working at the sewing machine; guests had come to visit.
The guest was brought by Xu Damao; he was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.
Upon entering the house, Xu Damao appeared somewhat embarrassed and introduced Li Chu, "Brother Chu, this is Director Lou from our steel mill. Director Lou, this is Dr. Li Chu."
Li Chu immediately understood. This middle-aged man was Lou Xiao'e's father, Xu Damao's future father-in-law. No wonder he brought him directly to his home.
Li Chu extended his hand and shook hands with Director Lou: "Hello, Director Lou!"
"Hello, Mr. Li." Director Lou looked at Li Chu with curiosity in his eyes.
Ding Qiunan also put down her work, stood up, and greeted them.
After being seated, Li Chu got straight to the point and asked, "Chairman Lou, may I ask what brings you here?"
Chairman Lou glanced at Li Chu's house and said directly, "I wonder if Mr. Li has a private place here? I have something to discuss with you."
Li Chu roughly knew why Chairman Lou wanted to see him. It was either because he had taken the medicine that Xu Damao had brought and found it effective, and wanted to buy more, or perhaps he had some unspeakable trouble.
Li Chu didn't like receiving patients who came to his home. He thought for a moment and said, "My home is a bit small. How about this, you go to Da Mao's room first, and I'll come over later. We'll talk there."
After listening, Chairman Lou nodded in agreement, and Xu Damao took his future father-in-law to the backyard.
Upon entering Xu Damao's house, Chairman Lou's brows furrowed. The house was a mess, with things scattered everywhere, and leftover rice in bowls on the table, which had been there for who knows how long and was already discolored.
Xu Damao felt embarrassed and hurriedly tidied up for a long time, but there wasn't even a decent chair in the house. He could only ask Chairman Lou to sit on a small stool. Xu Damao stood aside with an embarrassed smile, not knowing what to say.
At this moment, Chairman Lou was starting to regret choosing such a partner for his daughter. He looked at the doctor's house they had just visited, and then at this place, even though it was because Dr. Li had a woman in his house.
But look at Dr. Li's refined and gentle demeanor, and then look at your daughter's boyfriend, all bowing and scraping, acting all greasy. He's been sitting here for ages and hasn't even poured her a glass of water. Oh, judging by the cold stove and empty pot, he probably doesn't even have any water at home.
Just as Xu Damao was breaking out in a cold sweat under the gaze of his future father-in-law, Li Chu lifted the curtain and walked in.
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