Chapter 11: Small Animal Rescue Station

When the news broke in the afternoon that Aofeng would be returning to the Training Base, both Wang Xiuyun and Shen Doudou were stunned.

After hearing Shen Yuanhui’s explanation, Wang Xiuyun finally relaxed. She had thought they weren’t going to let Old Shen adopt Aofeng anymore. But if it was for Aofeng’s future, she completely understood. A dog as exceptional as Aofeng would be wasted if kept at home as a pet.

Still, the thought of Aofeng leaving made her a little reluctant. But Old Shen had said that once Aofeng retired, they could adopt him again.

However, what adults can accept, children may not. Shen Doudou burst into tears and threw his arms around Aofeng, crying, “I don’t want Aofeng to go back! Grandpa, can’t you ask them not to take him away?”

Shen Yuanhui tried to reason with him. “You have to go to kindergarten, and there aren’t many people at home. Aofeng would get lonely, so he has to go to school too. Don’t you want him to become even stronger?”

Shen Doudou shook his head. “Then I won’t go to kindergarten anymore. I’ll stay home and play with Aofeng.” Because of that incident, all the kindergartens in the city underwent emergency reforms. Sunshine Kindergarten gave the kids a full week off to help them recover emotionally. But to little Shen Doudou, it just meant he never had to go back.

Wang Xiuyun crouched down and patiently coaxed him. “Doudou, you’re going back to kindergarten tomorrow. Don’t you miss Teacher Yueyue and Tongtong? If you never go back, you won’t see them again. And Aofeng has his own little friends at the Police Dog Kindergarten. He’ll miss them too.”

Wang Xiuyun’s words were clearly more persuasive than Shen Yuanhui’s. Shen Doudou pouted, thinking for a long time before asking, “Will Aofeng come home every day like me?”

It was nearly a three-hour drive from downtown Anyang City to the Police Dog Training Base, so daily trips weren’t realistic. And if Aofeng passed his assessment, his training would become even more intense, making it impossible for him to leave the base easily.

“Aofeng has to follow the rules there, but Grandpa promises you, whenever there’s time, I’ll take you to visit him,” Shen Yuanhui assured him.

Knowing there was no way around it, Shen Doudou looked at Aofeng with teary eyes, his lips trembling.

The pure, heartfelt emotion of a human child struck Aofeng deeply. For the first time since gaining awareness, he stretched out his tongue and gently licked Shen Doudou’s little hand to comfort him.

Shen Doudou hugged Aofeng’s neck and cried again. Being forced to part with his best friend was too much for a little kid to bear!

In the end, he agreed—on one condition: he wanted to personally take Aofeng to school.

Shen Yuanhui and Wang Xiuyun exchanged a glance. In the end, they couldn’t bear to refuse him and agreed. After some discussion, they decided that Wang Xiuyun and Shen Doudou would accompany Aofeng, while Shen Yuanhui had to return to work.

All morning, Shen Doudou clung to Aofeng. He even brought out his little backpack and tried stuffing it with the dog food and canned meat others had gifted to Aofeng.

But his backpack was just too small. After a few cans, there was no room left.

Aofeng looked at him, both amused and helpless. If he passed the assessment, he wouldn’t be allowed to eat any of this food. But it did remind him that he needed to figure out what to do with it all.

After thinking for a long time, Aofeng came up with a solution: stray dogs.

Anyang City had done a pretty good job in this area. Several places around the city had Small Animal Rescue Stations, including one near the little park. As long as someone brought an animal there, they would take it in, care for it, and track its adoption if someone wanted to take it home. Because of this, there were very few stray animals in Anyang.

He decided to donate all the dog food and canned meat to the rescue station. That way, the kind gestures wouldn’t go to waste, and he could help others in need.

Without delay, Aofeng got up, picked a relatively light bag of dog treats from the pile, held it in his mouth, and walked to the front gate, standing there motionless.

He and Shen Doudou had a good understanding. The moment Doudou saw him like that, he knew Aofeng wanted to go out, so he quickly called for Grandma.

At first, Wang Xiuyun thought Aofeng just wanted a walk. Though she didn’t understand why he was carrying something in his mouth, she still obliged, putting on his leash and heading out with him and Shen Doudou.

Aofeng wasn’t a fan of leashes, but the city wasn’t like the countryside. Without one, he’d probably be picked up and sent to a rescue station himself.

They walked for a while, and even when they passed the little park, Aofeng didn’t stop. This left Wang Xiuyun and Shen Doudou puzzled. Where exactly was Aofeng going?

It wasn’t until Aofeng walked straight through the gates of the rescue station that they realized this was his destination.

“Ma’am, are you here to drop off this dog for rescue?” A girl in a volunteer uniform quickly approached Wang Xiuyun. Though she didn’t think this German Shepherd looked like it needed rescuing, most people who came here were bringing in animals.

Wang Xiuyun quickly shook her head. “He’s ours.”

Aofeng stepped forward, placed the bag of treats in front of the girl, and nudged it with his paw.

The girl crouched down and asked tentatively, “Is this… for me?”

Aofeng looked around, his gaze landing on a cage where a tailless stray dog was quietly watching.

“For them?” the girl quickly caught on and praised him, “What a sweet boy!”

Aofeng felt a little embarrassed, but remembering he was now a dog, he resisted the urge to back away. However, when the girl tried to pet him, he turned his head to refuse.

“Ma’am, you have such a kind heart. Thank you for bringing these treats,” the girl said warmly, unfazed. Some dogs just didn’t like being touched.

Wang Xiuyun waved her hand. “Oh, it wasn’t me. He wanted to bring them himself.”

After speaking, she looked down and asked, “Aofeng, are you saying we should bring all the food from home over here?”

Aofeng gave a short bark, confirming she was right.

With that confirmation, Wang Xiuyun turned to the girl and said, “Sweetheart, we still have lots of dog food and canned goods at home. We’re planning to bring everything over. Do you have a cart or something like that here?”

“All… all of it?” The girl’s eyes lit up at once. The little cuties here did have food to eat, but because of the high cost of medical care, they could only afford the cheapest dog food. Now, they could finally enjoy something better.

“Yes!”

“Xiaozhu¹, Xiaozhu, quick, bring the cart from inside!” the girl called out loudly. Soon, another girl wearing glasses came out, pushing a small cart in her hands.

After the girl explained the situation, Xiaozhu’s eyes lit up just as brightly.

“Auntie, I can’t leave here right now. Why don’t you take Xiaozhu with you to help carry everything? That way, you won’t have to make multiple trips.”

Wang Xiuyun agreed, then took the girl named Xiaozhu back home with her. The sheer amount of dog food filled the small cart to the brim. Afterward, Xiaozhu sincerely thanked Wang Xiuyun, Shen Doudou, and Aofeng once more, and handed Wang Xiuyun a handwritten card along with a set of animal-themed stickers. They were adorably designed and incredibly cute.

Every time a kindhearted person came by, they would give out these little gifts they designed themselves. The gifts were small, but they were a heartfelt way of giving back to those who showed compassion.

Translator’s Notes