Chapter 3527: Owner (8)
Chapter 3527: Owner (8)
When a working dog’s service years were up, the government would reclaim the guide dog. However, the owner could also apply to keep the dog by their side for the rest of its life.
A dog’s lifespan couldn’t be compared to a human’s.
After living together and developing deep feelings, it was never easy to accept the departure of the other.
“Is Beibei lost?” Ying Zhi asked with some anxiety.
Ning Shu let out a helpless bark and headed toward the station to wait for the bus.
When the Route 58 bus arrived, she led the two of them onto it. Ying Zhi paid the fare for both of them.
Seeing an available seat and someone offering to move, Ning Shu led the couple over.
Ying Zhi felt for the empty spot and said to Chen Hong, “You sit.”
Chen Hong sat down and offered a word of thanks.
The two fell into silence again. They rode for six stops, reached the station, and then wobbled their way back to Chen Hong’s house.
“Do you want to come in for a bit?” Chen Hong asked Ying Zhi.
Before Ying Zhi could even answer, Ning Shu rushed into the house, thinking, ‘Oh my god, I’m exhausted.’
Ning Shu collapsed onto the floor. Left with no other choice, Ying Zhi could only say, “Sorry for the intrusion.”
He was so indecisive, but then again, if Ying Zhi suddenly became a ‘domineering CEO’ type, he wouldn’t be Ying Zhi.
“Is your family not home?” Ying Zhi asked, noticing how quiet the house was.
“They all went to work.” Chen Hong poured some water for Ying Zhi and then poured a bowl for Ning Shu.
As Ning Shu lapped up the water, she felt that Chen Hong was a good person. It would be quite nice if the two of them could end up together.
Although they couldn’t see, they could touch each other. That kind of feeling was even better than seeing with eyes.
By discarding beauty and ugliness, all that remained was the feeling within the heart.
“Your father said he won’t let you go to work anymore. Is that true?” Ying Zhi asked. If it were true, he would never hear Chen Hong’s voice again.
Chen Hong’s voice was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.
“I won’t resign. It wasn’t easy to find a suitable job—a job that lets me support myself even though I can’t see,” Chen Hong said while shaking her head.
Ying Zhi immediately broke into a wide grin, looking exactly like the ‘silly son of a wealthy landlord.’
The man who had been so dejected and listless a few days ago was suddenly radiant.
“That’s great,” Ying Zhi said with a grin. After thinking for a moment, he added, “Chen Hong, how about we start seeing each other? I like you.”
“Okay.” Chen Hong agreed readily with her eyes crinkling into a smile, leaving Ying Zhi a bit dazed.
“You agreed?” Ying Zhi asked, unsure.
“I agreed,” Chen Hong said.
From the moment they confirmed their relationship, Ying Zhi walked with a spring in his step as if he were about to fly into the sky. His energy was boundless. He worked exceptionally hard and would escort Chen Hong home the moment he finished his shift.
Chen Hong’s family didn’t object to the two dating. Ying Zhi was single and had no family of his own. If the two really got married, Chen Hong wouldn’t have a mother-in-law to take care of.
They also didn’t have to worry about a husband’s family looking down on Chen Hong. Aside from his blindness, everything else about him was decent enough.
Sometimes when he walked Chen Hong home, her family would ask him to stay for dinner. Slowly but surely, they began to accept him.
The romance between these two was the blandest Ning Shu had ever seen, like a glass of plain water.
They didn’t go to movie theaters. Usually, they just spent time in the town square while Ning Shu led them around the streets.
If one were to name the most romantic thing Ying Zhi did for Chen Hong, it wasn’t buying flowers. Instead, he constantly bought her food. The snacks were different every day. Sometimes, Ying Zhi would even go into the kitchen himself to whip up some ‘unique’—horrific—cuisine.
However, he was always in a frantic rush, and turning on the gas was dangerous. Chen Hong told him not to cook. It didn’t matter that the food tasted bad, but it was just too risky.
Frozen food was perfectly fine.
Ning Shu also benefited from this and felt like she had gained two whole catties.
Chen Hong’s family began to treat Ying Zhi as one of their own. Sometimes Chen Hong’s mother would buy groceries, take them to Ying Zhi’s house, and stuff them into his refrigerator.
Whenever they made something delicious at home, they would send a portion over to him.
Naturally, the two eventually got married.
During the wedding, a beautiful wreath of flowers was hung around Ning Shu’s neck as she led the two of them from the front.
In peace and harmony, they became husband and wife under the blessings of their friends and relatives.
That night, Ning Shu rested her head on her paws. She didn’t want to hear what was happening in the room.
I understand what’s going on, okay!
The bed creaked and groaned. It was likely that before long, Chen Hong would become pregnant and give birth to a baby.
After they married and the house gained Chen Hong as its mistress, it became much more warm and cozy. Although Chen Hong couldn’t see, she would occasionally decorate the place.
The two of them went to work and returned home together. They bought groceries at the supermarket near their home, with Ning Shu serving as their guide, of course.
Every time they went to the supermarket, they naturally went to the dog food section first.
The beef flavor was delicious. In fact, dog food tasted quite good. As she ate the dog food in her bowl, Ning Shu was also forced to eat the figurative dog food served up by the couple.
Even though the two of them were blind, they still lived a very flavorful life.
Since they couldn’t see, they touched each other. Touching was more useful than talking. The intimacy of their skin was worth more than a thousand words.
Both were gentle people. There weren’t many arguments in their lives, but rather a lot of mutual help. It was a rare and heart-warming sight.
As Ning Shu ate her dog food, she felt a bit puzzled. Was this world really this simple? Had she just come here for a vacation, to be a carefree guide dog and watch her owners be all lovey-dovey?
Six months after the wedding, Chen Hong became pregnant. She had been feeling particularly unwell, dizzy and faint as if she were anemic. When she went to the hospital for a check-up, they told her she was pregnant.
As soon as she became pregnant, Chen Hong quit her job. Her work involved going in and out of sauna rooms where the temperatures were very high. Such heat was not conducive to the development of a fetus and could even cause abnormalities.
As a father-to-be, Ying Zhi appeared overjoyed. Aside from his working hours, he spent every day accompanying Chen Hong.
He had a simpering grin on his face all day long, which made Ning Shu’s fur stand on end.
Upon learning that her daughter was pregnant, Chen Hong’s mother immediately brought her back to their home to be looked after.
Since she couldn’t see, it would be dangerous if she bumped into something.
So, Ying Zhi ran to his in-laws’ house every day and slept on a floor mat there.
The conditions at the in-laws’ house weren’t great. The two elders, the son, and the daughter-in-law all lived under one roof. There were no spare rooms.
Ying Zhi didn’t care. He slept on the floor or the sofa every day. He gave some money to his mother-in-law and told her to buy whatever was needed.
As he felt his wife’s belly grow larger and larger, Ying Zhi’s grin stretched from ear to ear.
Ever since Chen Hong had become pregnant, Ning Shu stopped approaching her. Dogs and cats carried a type of parasite that could be bad for a fetus.
It was clearly a picture of happiness, yet Ning Shu felt an indescribable sense of anxiety and unease. She didn’t want to get close to Chen Hong.
Every time she saw Ying Zhi smiling like a fool, that sense of unease in Ning Shu’s heart grew even stronger.
Sometimes, her fur even stood on end uncontrollably. This was a premonition of danger.