Luzhou Moon - Chapter 155
Lian Junchu seemed not to have considered this question, and after a moment of hesitation, she said, "Whatever."
"What do you mean by 'whatever'?" She didn't quite understand his indifferent answer, and looked up at him with a frown.
"Sigh..." he lamented to her, "Sometimes I feel like you're my child."
Yue Ruzheng couldn't help but laugh, cupped his cheeks and kissed him, "Little Tang, how old are you planning to raise me?"
He thought for a moment and said, "Until I can no longer support you."
Yue Ruzheng's heart warmed, and she buried her face in his chest, saying, "When you can no longer support me, I'll take care of you."
The next morning, Lian Junchu went down the mountain to sell the herbs. Yue Ruzheng waited until noon, when a light spring rain began to fall, but he still hadn't returned. She grew increasingly restless, so she simply closed the door, opened her umbrella, and walked down the mountain.
Fortunately, they hadn't gone far when they saw him standing under a large tree, taking shelter from the rain—a rare occurrence. Yue Ruzheng jogged over and said, "You've been obedient today, not braving the rain to travel."
Lian Junchu smiled slightly, her lips pursed, a hint of mystery in her smile. She paused, then noticed that he had inexplicably taken off his outer garment and covered the bamboo basket on his back with it.
"Didn't you sell the herbs? Why are you covering them with your clothes?" she asked, puzzled. She reached out to lift the clothes, but Lian Junchu quickly dodged her, saying, "Don't touch them. Let's talk about it when we get home."
Yue Ruzheng looked at him suspiciously, but had no choice but to accompany him. The sounds of rain and streams filled the air, but she vaguely heard some strange noises coming from the bamboo basket. However, Lian Junchu remained calm and said nothing.
Back in the cabin, Yue Ruzheng turned to tidy up the paper umbrellas, but heard Lian Junchu call out from behind, "Ruzheng, come here."
Yue Ruzheng turned around and saw him sitting on the stool behind the threshold, taking off his shoes and slowly tilting the bamboo basket on the ground.
"What is it?" Yue Ruzheng muttered as she walked forward and looked down to see a small, creamy-yellow puppy sleeping in the bamboo basket. The puppy looked to be newborn, and because of the rain, its fur was still slightly damp, even though Lian Junchu had covered it with her clothes. It was half-opening its eyes, gazing upwards with a dazed look.
"A puppy?! Where did it come from?" Yue Ruzheng asked, both surprised and delighted, squatting down beside the bamboo basket.
Lian Junchu then cheered up, holding the bamboo basket with both feet, and said, "I saw that the pharmacy owner had a litter of puppies at home, so I asked him for one." He shook the bamboo basket slightly, and the puppy whimpered a few times, which amused Yue Ruzheng.
"Take it out and wipe it with a cloth, I'm afraid it will get sick," he said to Yue Ruzheng.
Yue Ruzheng hesitated for a moment, looking at the puppy, wanting to reach out but then pulling back. She stammered, "You hold it."
Lian Junchu was taken aback. "What, are you afraid of dogs?"
Her face flushed slightly; she felt a pang of tenderness looking at the puppy, but she didn't dare touch it. "I'm afraid it will bite me."
"It hasn't grown any teeth yet!" Lian Junchu said helplessly, and had no choice but to knock over the bamboo basket and gently poke the puppy out with her foot. It stood on the ground, wobbling and unsteady on its feet, but its big, round, dark eyes looked completely harmless.
"But I don't know why I'm a little scared," Yue Ruzheng said shyly, taking a clean rag and handing it to Lian Junchu. He carefully wrapped the little yellow dog in it with his foot, leaving only its pointed ears showing.
"I didn't know you were afraid of dogs... I was thinking of keeping one for you to keep you company." He said in a low voice as he wiped the dog.
The puppy whimpered a few times, wriggling its body, its paws leaving scattered little paw prints on the ground. After cleaning its fur, Lian Junchu gently lifted it with her feet and held it up to Yue Ruzheng, saying in a tone that was half-comforting and half-pleading, "Look, it's not fierce at all. If you're good to it, it won't bite you when it grows up."
The puppy's fur was a little messy from being ruffled by Lian Junchu. It seemed very curious about everything around it, gazing at its new owner with its dark eyes. Yue Ruzheng looked at it, then suddenly smiled, boldly extending a finger to gently touch the puppy's ear—wet and soft.
"Little Tang, it looks like you!" Yue Ruzheng proudly announced this new discovery to Lian Junchu.
Lian Junchu chuckled, "How do you resemble me?"
"Eyes, black and bright." Seeing that the puppy didn't seem to resist, Yue Ruzheng poked it again with her finger, beaming with joy.
When Lian Jun saw her smile, he felt genuinely happy. He gently placed the puppy on the ground, lifted his foot to ruffle its fur, and said, "Ruzheng, you'll have company when I'm not home."
Yue Ruzheng was stroking the puppy's back when she heard what he said. She looked up at him and felt a warm feeling spreading around her.
With the arrival of the puppy, Yue Ruzheng's attention shifted entirely to it. For half a day, she didn't even do her needlework, just sat in the main room watching it waddle around. Even when Lian Junchu had settled the puppy into its home that evening, and it was already too sleepy to continue sleeping, she lingered by the straw nest, watching the puppy drift off to sleep.
Lian Junchu sat beside her, watching her so engrossed in the moment, and the gloom that had been lingering in her heart for the past few days finally began to dissipate a little.
"What should I name it?" Yue Ruzheng was still thinking to herself even after the puppy fell asleep.
Lian Junchu hadn't thought of one yet, and casually said, "You can come up with one."
"You've read a lot of books, haven't you? You get up." She clung to him, refusing to leave, and gently bit him.
He chuckled, "Does a puppy's name need to be based on classical texts?"
Yue Ruzheng slapped him on the shoulder and said, "Then I'll call it Little Yellow."
Lian Junchu said blankly, "Why do I feel something's strange..."
"Hahahaha..." Yue Ruzheng laughed out loud. She leaned on his shoulder and shook him, saying, "You're Little Tang, and it's Little Yellow. You really are brothers."
"You!" Lian Junchu forcefully turned to the side, trying to drive her away, but she refused to let go.
"Little Tang, Little Tang, be more generous, don't stoop to the level of a puppy," she gently advised.
Lian Junchu sighed helplessly, "I'm not arguing with it, it's just that you've left me with no choice."
...
As usual, Yue Ruzheng went to bed before Lian Junchu that night. The night was a bit chilly after the rain, and the thin quilt wasn't enough to keep out the mountain cold. She curled up and slowly stretched her feet down to warm herself up a bit.
When Lian Jun entered the room, he saw that she had already lain down first, knowing that she didn't want him to be cold. He stretched out his legs, lifted the blanket, and sat down, then suddenly turned and got out of bed.
"What are you doing?" Yue Ruzheng asked, startled.
He walked to the wooden box in the corner, lifted the lid, and forcefully pulled out a felt blanket with his right foot. Then, bending down, he bit a corner of the blanket, swung it forcefully over his shoulder, and carried it to the bedside at a slight angle before saying, "Don't catch a cold."
Yue Ruzheng covered the quilt with a blanket, reached out and pulled him over, pressing him down onto the bed.
"Why didn't you just tell me to take it out sooner?" she whispered, rubbing her foot against his toes.
He still habitually glanced at her slowly, "If I didn't tell you, wouldn't you know you need to wear more blankets when it's cold?"