Chapter 81 - 28: "Amber

Chapter 81: Chapter 28: "Amber

Lin Zhao finished cooking, but Da Zai and Er Zai still weren’t back.

She wasn’t worried. She let the twins play in the courtyard while she went back inside and sat by the window.

The two toddlers could see their mother when they looked up, so they didn’t make a fuss, content to squat on the ground and play.

Lin Zhao thought about how they had run out of meat, with only eggs left. ’The puppy can’t eat our fine grains. If the villagers found out, they’d gossip about me for the rest of my life. I have to figure out a way to get some coarse grains.’

’How am I going to do that?’

’The prize wheel, of course.’

She would never admit it was because she hadn’t used the lottery in a few days and was itching to try her luck.

’Three draws.’

’Just three!’

’If I get something, great. If not, I won’t do any more,’ Lin Zhao vowed to herself.

The first draw went pretty well. She got food.

[Prawn Crisp Candy ×1 bag (50 pieces)]

[Powdered Milk ×1 bag]

[Meat Sauce ×2 jars]

[Pocket Mirrors ×3]

[Pork Ribs ×2 jin]

And just like that, 10 points were gone.

Lin Zhao was reasonably satisfied.

Next was the second draw.

She got a Summer Heat Relief Pack.

[Large Watermelons ×5]

[Mung Beans ×1 jin]

[Green Tea ×1 tin]

[Lemons ×2]

’Still nothing the puppy can eat.’

Lin Zhao calculated in her head, ’If I don’t get it after three tries, I’ll go to the old family estate to trade for some coarse grains.’

And then, the final draw.

’Please be coarse grains, please be coarse grains.’ All of Lin Zhao’s knowledge that was ahead of its time came from the original book. She was unaware of anything not mentioned in it, such as dog food.

After chanting her wish, she started the draw.

Her luck was pretty good.

She’d won the "Dog Owner’s Set."

[Deodorizer ×1 bottle]

[Canine Internal/External Parasite Treatment ×1 box]

[Dog Food ×100 jin]

’Dog food... as the name implies, food for dogs. And 100 jin of it! That should feed a puppy for a long time, right?’

Lin Zhao was deeply satisfied, having gotten exactly what she wanted.

’My points are down to 250, but it was worth it.’

Seeing that the twins weren’t looking, she hid all her new prizes in the cabinet. It was a good thing the cabinet was so large, or it would’ve been full long ago.

Just as Lin Zhao stepped out of the room, Da Zai and Er Zai came running home.

In his arms, Er Zai cradled a scrawny little yellow puppy. Far behind them, its mother followed furtively.

The skinny Dahuang didn’t enter the yard, but hid to one side of the Lin family’s main gate. She cautiously poked her head out to peek inside, hoping her pup would find a home, yet worried he would be rejected.

Er Zai set Little Huang down and stroked his neck.

Da Zai said happily, "Mom, we found Little Huang! He and Dahuang were eating garbage at the village entrance. He seems really hungry. Do we have anything to feed him?"

The puppy was all skin and bones, his coat dull and his fur dirty and matted. His eyes were moist and bright, full of a clever light. As if sensing that Lin Zhao was the one in charge, his tail spun like a propeller as he circled her.

Lin Zhao could practically see the fleas on him.

"He needs a bath first."

Da Zai immediately asked, "Should I heat some water?"

"No need, not on a hot day like this," Lin Zhao said.

Er Zai, who was squatting and playing with the puppy, looked up at her words. He grinned and said, "But you heat water to give us baths, Mom."

The boys wouldn’t understand about killing germs, so Lin Zhao just said, "Well, that’s because you’re my precious little boys. A warm bath feels better, so it’s no trouble for me at all."

Her words had the two boys grinning from ear to ear, the smiles not leaving their faces.

’Mom is the best!’

Da Zai and Er Zai didn’t let their mom do the work. They took Little Huang over to the water drain in the courtyard. Da Zai scooped water while Er Zai scrubbed the puppy’s fur.

The little pup wasn’t scared in the slightest, letting them handle him however they pleased. Every now and then, he would stick out his small, pink tongue to lick Da Zai and Er Zai’s hands, making the two boys roar with laughter.

Seeing their older brothers playing, the twins toddled closer. But before they could touch the puppy, Da Zai stopped them, his hands on their small shoulders.

"Don’t touch! Dogs have germs on them before they’re washed, right, Mom?" he asked Lin Zhao, who had just come out of the house.

"That’s right. Da Zai, take your little brother and sister and stand back a bit," Lin Zhao instructed.

With a serious expression, Da Zai led his younger siblings to the corner of the yard.

The twins adored their big brother, so they stopped fussing about wanting to play in the water.

Lin Zhao applied the deodorizer and parasite treatment to Little Huang.

"Mom, what’s that?" Er Zai asked, looking puzzled.

"Deodorizer and parasite medicine," Lin Zhao said.

"Where’d you get it?" he asked. But before Lin Zhao could explain, Er Zai nodded as if he’d figured it out. "I know! You must have bought it in town."

As if he’d uncovered a great secret, his eyes lit up and he broke into a wide grin. "So you like puppies too, Mom!"

Lin Zhao: "..."

’Well, that saves me the trouble of making up an excuse.’

"That’s right. I’ve wanted to get a dog for ages."

Er Zai’s eyes shone even brighter.

He was thrilled that he and his mom liked the same thing.