Chapter 46: Cao Shujie is truly a dog

After washing his face, Cao Shujie saw some fallen leaves in the courtyard. He went to get the broom leaning against the south wall and swept the yard.

After putting down the bamboo broom, he strolled over to the dog cage and glanced at the still-sleeping pair of husky brothers. Mischief flickered in his eyes as he raised his hand and banged loudly twice on the dog cage.

The two huskies, fast asleep, were immediately startled awake. They looked up to see Cao Shujie standing in front of the cage, saw nothing else unusual, and their doggy eyes rolled twice, as if they understood what happened.

The blue-eyed husky bared its teeth and started howling at Cao Shujie with loud, indignant, “Awoo, awoo!”

At the moment, he looked a bit like a triangle-headed creature, two pointed ears pricked skyward, blue eyes glinting with the angry annoyance of someone woken too early. Daha was absolutely seething.

Normally quieter, Erha was also enraged this time, glaring at Cao Shujie with his deep brown eyes, baring his teeth as if saying to Cao Shujie: “You, owner of dogs, you’re really not decent. I won’t let you off so easily.”

“Oh, oh… woof!”

Erha’s deep, drawn-out howl echoed through the yard.

Cao Shujie didn’t mind at all, in fact he enjoyed teasing the pups. “Daha, Erha, you two stay up barking all night and then sleep in all morning. That’s not how good dogs behave! Come on, let’s go out and get some exercise.”

While talking, he went to open the dog cage, fetched the leashes, and fastened them onto the necks of the unwilling huskies. “Let’s go, we’re heading up the mountain for some fresh air.”

It was just past six, and his mother was already up making breakfast. Cao Shujie told her where he was going before dragging the two husky pups out with him.

Daha and Erha really didn’t want to go; the brothers just wanted to curl back up in their dog cage and get more sleep.

When they saw Cao Shujie pulling on the leashes, they simply plopped their butts down, gripping the ground with all four legs, trying to resist in hopes that he would give up on walking them.

But the cruel reality for the two brothers was that as long as the leashes were in the hands of this shameless dog owner, their dream of freedom was out of the question.

Not cooperating?

Their necks would be painfully strangled by the leashes.

“Move it! If you don’t, I’ll kick you both.” Cao Shujie turned back and looked at the little rebels, getting even more energized as he raised a foot. “If you can’t behave, what use are you?”

Eyeing the dirty foot ready to stomp down at any moment, the two huskies finally surrendered, letting out a whimper, then quickly sprang up and ran forward, tails wagging.

Seeing this, Cao Shujie couldn’t help but smile. “That’s better, only obedient dogs are good dogs.”

He led the two pups away from home, heading northeast toward the mountain to check out the orchard.

On the way, he ran into a few early-rising elders, cheerfully greeting each one and calling them what he should.

“Shujie, up early to walk the dogs?” Old man Cao Zhenglin asked.

Cao Shujie nodded. “Grandfather Zhenglin, what brings you up so early?”

“Oh, I’m nearly eighty now. There’ll be plenty of time to sleep when I’m gone,” Cao Zhenglin replied.

Admiring his carefree attitude towards life and death, Cao Shujie couldn’t help but say, “Don’t say that, Grandfather Zhenglin. You’re so strong, I bet you’ll live to a hundred.”

“Heh, you kid know how to talk,” Cao Zhenglin grinned, then asked, “Shujie, when is your grandfather coming back? I haven’t seen big brother Hu in ages.”

Cao Shujie’s grandfather was named Cao Zhenghu—a pretty old-fashioned name.

But back in those days of war, many couldn’t read; just having a name was a feat.

“Grandfather Zhenglin, my grandfather will be back at the end of the year. Then I’ll go pick him up at my uncle’s place,” Cao Shujie said.

His grandmother passed away early. Only his grandfather was left, and he and his uncle took turns caring for him each year.

But his uncle didn’t live in Yiling City, so visits were rare.

Besides that, Cao Shujie had an aunt, Cao Hongyan, who worked at a state-owned cotton mill in a neighboring city when she was young, eventually settling down there.

Cao Zhenglin nodded. “Go on with your business, then.”

…

He didn’t meet anyone else as he walked the huskies up to the orchard. Cao Shujie headed straight to the well, opened the little gate, and used the pump to draw some water into a small pool outside.

He tossed the leashes to the side, even threatening, “If you run around, I’ll break your legs.”

Perhaps Daha and Erha really understood this time. They sat quietly, looking innocently at Cao Shujie as he washed his face with the freshly drawn well water, as if to say, “When have we ever been disobedient?”

They were just too young now—rebelling against Cao Shujie was unrealistic. It was better to bide their time, grow up a bit, and plan revenge later.

Ten years in a dog’s life, as long as they got to bite him once before the end, that’d be enough.

Cao Shujie had no idea that was what the pups were thinking. He splashed the refreshing well water on his face, the chill instantly sharpening his mind.

He felt much more awake.

After washing, a naughty glint came into Cao Shujie’s eyes again. Suddenly, he scooped up a handful of water and flung it at the nearby, quietly sitting huskies.

The cold water landed on the huskies’ fur without issue, but when it splashed into their eyes, the brothers both shook their heads vigorously.

Water sprayed everywhere, some even landing on Cao Shujie.

Seeing this, Daha and Erha’s doggy minds must have hatched a plan, because they immediately dove headfirst into the pool. When they crawled back out, their fur was soaked through.

Bathed in the newly risen sunlight from the east, they both shook themselves wildly, sending most of the water spraying all over Cao Shujie.

“Awooo~”

“Oh, oh~”

The husky brothers were having the time of their lives, barking as if to say, “Cao Shujie, you bastard, we brothers aren’t afraid of you!”

“Damn it!” Cao Shujie’s furious roar echoed across the mountain.

…

By 7:30, when Cao Shujie escorted two droopy, exhausted huskies down the mountain, his clothes were completely soaked.

The two dogs were genuine drowned rats, dripping water from their fur with every step.

On the way back, a few villagers asked him what had happened out of concern, but Cao Shujie couldn’t possibly explain that he’d been tricked and avenged by two husky pups.

“Damn it, you two really are proper dogs!” Cao Shujie ground his teeth in frustration.

Suddenly, he lifted his foot and kicked at them again.

But the husky was clever; with a nimble dodge, he sidestepped the kick.

When they got home, Wang Yuelan was stunned.

“Shujie, what happened to you? Did you fall into a ditch?” she asked, worried.

Cao Shujie waved her off. “It’s nothing, Mom. I’m going to change my clothes.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Shujie wrinkled his nose and shivered. “Achoo!”

Afraid her son would catch a cold, Wang Yuelan hurried him off to change.

(End of this chapter)