1983, Northeast China

Chapter 17 I'm Not Going With You

"It's old, but it still has a nose, and it's more well-behaved than most dogs." Zhao Defa squatted down and stroked the back of Huang'er's neck twice. "When the day comes that it really can't accompany you into the deep mountains, it can stay in the yard to guard the house for Xiulan and the children. That's better than nothing."

Chen Shi could see the reluctance in Zhao Defa's eyes and understood that he was genuinely thinking of Zhao Defa's future, "Another mouth to feed."

"We can delay a meal, but we can't afford for anything to happen to the child," Zhao Defa said, looking at him.

Chen Shi nodded. He understood the reasoning, but he forcefully suppressed his eagerness to go into the mountains.

The old yellow dog lay there for a while before moving closer to Chen Shi's hand.

Chen Shi took a bowl, scraped off the remaining chicken blood jelly, added half a spoonful of hot soup, mixed in some corn grits, and placed it in front of the dog.

Yellow Ears twitched its nose quickly and wagged its tail vigorously, but it didn't lunge forward. It squatted there waiting for Chen Shi to speak.

Chen Shi looked down at it, "Yellow Ear."

The old yellow dog's ears twitched.

"Old man, why don't you put on so many rules when I'm around?" Zhao Defa grinned and cursed, then turned to Chen Shi and said, "Your father used to say that if you go into the mountains with a dog, you'll have half an eye at night. That dog was quite good when it was young."

Ya Ya clung to the doorstep, one foot still inside, not daring to get too close. "Can a dog be used as eyes?"

Chen Shi pushed the bowl towards the old yellow dog, indicating that it could eat. "Yes, there are some things in the mountains that people can't see, but dogs can smell. If people go astray, it can remember the way. If it encounters large livestock, it can also help people avoid suffering losses."

"Does it bite bad people?"

"It won't bite unless provoked." Chen Shi touched Huang Er's ear, where there was an old scar. "A good dog will warn you first. By the time it really bites, it's too late for the person to escape."

The old yellow dog lowered its head and ate only after receiving Chen Shi's signal.

Aunt Wang came over carrying half a bag of mixed grain flour.

Huang Er had finished eating and was resting by the threshold when she heard footsteps. She slowly stood up, supporting herself with her front paws.

As soon as Aunt Wang entered the door, Huang Er let out a low moan and lunged forward.

Startled, Aunt Wang hugged the flour bag tightly to her chest. "Oh dear, you've only just come in and you're already guarding the house? I brought you flour, not to steal chickens."

Chen Shi raised his hand and patted Huang Er, "One of us."

Yellow Ear sniffed at Aunt Wang's trouser leg, then returned to the threshold and lay down, its tail swaying gently on the ground, as if to acknowledge her.

The flour sack wasn't tied tightly, and flour got all over Aunt Wang. She patted it off and cursed, "That donkey at the mill is lazy today too. I've been waiting in line for ages, and my toes are practically freezing off."

"If you really want a dog, Old Ma's litter of puppies is almost a month old. There's only one left, a black-backed, white-chested one that nobody wants. They say it's ugly and has a white tip on its tail, so nobody wants it."

Chen Shi asked, "How's your courage? Is your eye steady?"

"I didn't crawl into its kennel and become its sworn brother, how would I know how brave it is?"

Aunt Wang put down the flour sack and continued, "But that little thing can't compete with its brothers for milk, though it can hold on. The other night it was cold, and the straw nest was covered in frost, but it huddled on the very edge, and the next day it was still nursing."

"A dog that can endure hardship is a good dog if raised properly."

Looking at Huang Er's sturdier body, which was even more robust than her own, Ya Ya asked, "Uncle, should we keep that puppy?"

"Take good care of the person first," Chen Shi said. "If the puppy comes, it needs to eat too. It's a companion for coming into the mountains, not something you can cuddle and play with."

Ya Ya asked, "Does your friend want some soup too?"

Aunt Wang chuckled, "If your uncle doesn't get anything, you two will each get a mouthful of cold air, and you'll even have to share half of it with the dog."

"Then I'll just have a small sip."

One sentence made Aunt Wang burst into laughter again.

After Zhao Defa left, Chen Shi cleaned up the dog bowl and found that the bottom of the bowl had been licked until it was shiny, and there wasn't even a trace of corn left.

Huang Er didn't seem to want to leave with Zhao Defa. It slowly escorted him to the gate of the courtyard, sniffing the tobacco pouch on Zhao Defa's body a few times.

Once the footsteps had faded into the distance, it turned back and lay down in the yard, its ears following any noise from outside.

Ya Ya squatted down two steps away from it, wanting to touch it. She stretched out her hand halfway, then pulled it back.

Chen watched for a while before saying to her, "Let it smell the back of your hand first. When a dog doesn't recognize people, it hates it when someone comes up and presses its head down."

Ya Ya mustered her courage and slowly extended the back of her hand. When she was about to touch the dog's nose, she was so nervous that she didn't dare to breathe.

Yellow Ears raised its nose to sniff, then put its chin back on its paws and flicked its tail toward Ya Ya.

Ya Ya asked, "Doesn't it like me?"

"I like you," Chen Shi said. "A good dog doesn't kiss people randomly. The fact that it lets you sit in front of it means it recognizes you as its little master."

"Will it listen to me from now on?"

"Listen to your mother first." Chen Shi picked up the wooden board and gestured for a long time. "It can protect you. If you encounter danger and it barks at you, don't argue. Just run into the house and lock the door first."

Aunt Wang was helping them watch the stove when she heard this and chuckled, "That's right, sometimes people aren't as sensible as dogs."

Chen Shi walked around the courtyard wall. The fence behind the woodshed was badly crooked, with a crack in the middle of the bamboo strips, which a thinner child could easily squeeze through.

He stepped on one end of the rope and re-enclosed the fence.

Making one less trip into the mountains might at most yield a little something, but leaving the yard undefended means that if something really happens, the damage can't be made up for with just one meal.

A splinter got stuck in his fingertip, so he put his finger in his mouth and sucked on it before tightening the wooden board again.

Chen Xiulan sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), wearing a cotton-padded jacket. Xiaoman, who had just finished nursing, had a little white foam on the corner of her mouth.

Aunt Wang brought the basin of hot water into the house and put it on the table.

"Here, wipe your face." Aunt Wang wrung out the handkerchief. "I'm not going anywhere today. If anyone dares to block the door again, I'll poke their butt with fire tongs."

The words were rather crude, and Chen Xiulan twitched her lips slightly.

From an angle where no one could see, she pushed the scissors closer to the pillow and then covered them with the corner of the blanket.

In the courtyard, Chen Shi was still twisting hemp rope, while Ya Ya and Huang Er were having a great time playing.

The old yellow dog suddenly raised its head and let out a series of low growls.

Upon hearing the noise, Chen Shi did not speak immediately. He wrapped the end of the rope around the pillar and slowly turned around.

A hand reached out from a crack in the fence on the other side.

He held a piece of hard candy with a crumpled wrapper in his palm.

"Yaya," Tian Guizhi whispered, "Auntie will give you candy."

After seeing who it was, Ya Ya immediately backed away.

Huang Er took a step forward, his large body shielding Ya Ya behind him.

Tian Guizhi did not see Chen Shi, or rather, she thought Chen Shi was still behind the woodshed.

She passed the candy in a little more, completely ignoring the barking old dog.

"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. Your father left something for you outside. Go with your aunt and bring it back to buy flour for your mother."

Ya Ya remained silent, her eyes fixed on Chen Shi.

Chen Shi stood by the woodshed, not in a hurry to move. He wanted to hear what other reasons Tian Guizhi could come up with, and he also wanted Ya Ya to remember that some people's sweetness should not be accepted casually.

Tian Guizhi's voice became even more urgent, "What kind of good life can you have if you stay with your mother? There's an aunt's family that dotes on their daughters. If you go there, you can wear new cotton-padded jackets and eat white flour buns. You're still young and don't understand. Your aunt is doing this for you."

"I won't go with you." Ya Ya's voice was soft, but firm. "My mother said I can't go with you."