Chapter 82 - 28: "Amber

Chapter 82: Chapter 28: "Amber

Lin Zhao tied her hair up, put on some patched clothes, and squatted down. She applied deodorant and flea-and-tick medicine to Little Huang. Its fur was matted into clumps that were impossible to get through.

"This puppy’s fur is too tangled to comb. Er Zai, can you get the scissors for Mom? I need to cut off the matted parts first."

Er Zai scampered into the house, found the scissors, and quickly ran back out, squatting down next to Lin Zhao.

"Mom, be careful! Don’t cut Little Huang’s skin, it’ll hurt," the kind-hearted boy reminded her.

"...I know," Lin Zhao replied.

With the knotted fur trimmed off, the little puppy looked much more refreshed.

"So ugly," Er Zai blurted out.

Lin Zhao took off her old work clothes, set them aside, and washed her hands with a bar of face soap.

Hearing Er Zai’s words, she shot him a sidelong glance. "That’s rude. Dogs have feelings, you know. And what’s so ugly about it? Don’t you think it’s cute? It’ll be even more beautiful once its fur grows back in. There’s no such thing as an ugly Chinese Rural Dog."

Er Zai’s eyes widened. "Mm-hm."

"What’s a Chinese Rural Dog?"

’I could just fall over.’

’You have no idea what that is, so why are you nodding along like you’re impressed?’

"A Chinese Rural Dog is a breed of dog. Little Huang and its mother are both Chinese Rural Dogs," Lin Zhao explained patiently.

"Are you hungry? If you are, I’ll go cook some meatballs."

Er Zai’s little stomach let out a few rumbles. "I’m hungry."

Da Zai also said, "I’m hungry too."

’How could they not be? They hadn’t eaten anything since they woke up.’

"Wait here, I’ll go make them."

Lin Zhao turned and went into the kitchen.

Er Zai was playing with Little Huang when he thought of something. He ran out of the house, straight to the old family home, and found Mother Gu. "Grandma, I want to borrow your comb."

Mother Gu glanced at his shiny, bald head and assumed Lin Zhao wanted to use it, so she didn’t ask any questions. "It’s on the cabinet. Go get it."

"Okay!" Er Zai chirped. He ran into his grandparents’ room to get the comb, then dashed back to his own house like a gust of wind.

"Brother, want to help me comb Little Huang’s fur?" he asked Da Zai.

Da Zai: "Okay."

The two boys began grooming the family’s newest member.

The twins wanted to join in but were flatly refused. The two little tykes could only pull back their eager hands and watch sullenly, their faces cupped in their palms.

A little while later, Lin Zhao’s voice echoed from the kitchen, calling them to eat.

"Da Zai, Er Zai, food’s ready! Hurry up and wash your hands. Wash them well!"

The two boys rushed to wash their hands, scrubbing them twice. They even sniffed each other’s hands afterward—it only counted if they could smell the soap.

Er Zai burst into the kitchen. Smelling the meat, his eyes crinkled with a smile. "Mom, I smell meat!"

"That’s right. And whose fault is it that we have a little glutton in the house?" Lin Zhao teased him.

Er Zai knew his mom was calling him the little glutton, and his smile widened. "But you don’t mind, Mom."

Da Zai wasn’t one for words; he moved to help his mom with the food.

Lin Zhao stopped him, saying, "There’s hot soup in the bowls, be careful not to get burned. I’ll get the food. You two can wash the dishes later."

"Okay," Da Zai replied.

There was a breeze in the courtyard today, so Lin Zhao had set up the table outside early. The family of five ate outdoors.

Third Child and Fourth Child also had meat to eat. The two little toddlers smiled, showing their tiny baby teeth.

In their small wooden bowls, the meatballs were broken into tiny pieces to ensure they wouldn’t choke.

Er Zai saw this and said, "Third Child and Fourth Child get some too?"

"It’s fine for them to have some once in a while." ’Otherwise, the two little ones would start fake-crying again.’

In the meatball soup, there were plump, round meatballs, mushrooms, and finely chopped green onions. It was savory and refreshing.

In addition to the meatball soup, there was also a dish of sugared tomatoes. Sweet and tangy, it was the perfect summer dish.

Da Zai and Er Zai ate without even lifting their heads.

Little Huang circled the two brothers’ feet, its tail wagging furiously, letting out an occasional BARK.

"Mom, Little Huang doesn’t have any food," Da Zai said.

"Oh, I forgot about it." Lin Zhao put down her chopsticks and went inside. She portioned out some dog food and placed it in front of the puppy.

The little yellow dog buried its head in the bowl and began to eat, devouring the food with a startling ferocity.

"Mom, Little Huang was starving." Da Zai’s eyes were filled with sympathy.

He and Er Zai used to be that hungry, too. But ever since their mom started taking care of them, they had never gone hungry again. Their bellies were full every day.

The little boy looked at Lin Zhao with adoration, the light in his eyes enough to soften anyone’s heart.

"Now that it’s a part of our family, it won’t go hungry anymore." Lin Zhao was quite fond of furry friends, especially dogs. ’They’re loyal and capable—who wouldn’t love them?’

"Mom, can you give Little Huang a name?" Da Zai asked, looking up at his mother pleadingly as he played with the puppy.

"Me? Why do you want me to name it?" Lin Zhao asked with a smile.

Da Zai’s little face was serious. "Mom is the head of the family. You gave us our names, so you should name the new member too."

’Wrong.’

’She hadn’t been the one to name the children; Mother Gu had.’