137 Quarrel

At this moment, Sister Yang sent me a second WeChat nudge, clearly showing she was running out of patience. I replied, "I'm waiting for a taxi."

Sister Yang responded, "Stop waiting. I'll drive over with Xiaoya to pick you up."

Hearing this, I figured that would be fine as well, so I replied, "Alright, I'm walking along the street. I'll send you my location." With that, I said goodbye to Fatty and Tietou, and strolled back into the night, holding Lone Shadow.

The night was already deep, with very few cars or pedestrians on the streets. After walking for about twenty minutes, I met Sister Yang, who had driven over to pick me up.

Sister Yang stopped the car and, seeing me holding Lone Shadow, asked in astonishment, "Where did you pick up that little dog?"

I smiled and said, "It's just a stray dog. Its name is Lone Shadow—I gave it that name. Do you think it's cute?"

Seeing me holding the puppy, Xiaoya couldn't help reaching out her hand to tease it. Sister Yang frowned, worrying aloud, "Do stray dogs carry viruses and bacteria? If you catch rabies, you'll be in terrible luck."

I gave a bitter smile and replied, "I've already washed this little dog clean. There shouldn't be any viruses or bacteria. As for rabies, I wouldn't be that unlucky, would I? Besides, it didn't hurt me. If I really do get struck, I'll accept my fate."

Sister Yang said, "Maybe I'm worrying too much, but it's best to avoid touching stray dogs of unknown origin."

I explained, "Sister Yang, if you keep a dog at your factory, you'll feel much more at ease! The moment anything happens, the dog will bark fiercely, and petty thieves won't dare to sneak in and steal things."

Sister Yang replied, "Feng, if you want to keep a dog, I'm not opposed to it. We can go buy one to raise later. But keeping a stray dog of unknown origin—I really worry about whether it carries viruses or anything..."

I smiled and said, "It's fine. If you're not at ease, Sister Yang, tomorrow I'll take Lone Shadow to the pet hospital for a check-up and get it vaccinated as well."

Seeing that the Lone Shadow I held was skinny and its fur looked unkempt—clearly abandoned and unwanted by its owner—Sister Yang tried to persuade me, "Ah Feng, let it go! What if Xiaoya gets bitten by it? If you really like raising a dog, let's go to a proper pet store and buy a good one to keep."

Clearly, Sister Yang thought I just liked keeping dogs. In truth, I didn't care much for raising dogs at all. The reason I liked this stray dog, Lone Shadow, was that I felt its fate was much like my own.

Once I poured my emotions into it, of course I could no longer abandon it. So I said, "Sister Yang, if you don't like Lone Shadow, then I have no choice but to leave."

With that, I opened the car door and hopped out. Sister Yang cried out in shock and anger, "Ah Feng, what do you mean by this? For the sake of a stray dog, you're actually choosing to abandon me? Am I really worth less to you than a stray dog?"

Perhaps my state of mind had become somewhat abnormal, so I retorted, "This Lone Shadow is my reflection. Since I chose to save it, I will never abandon it again..."

Hearing this, Sister Yang was evidently furious. Just last night in bed, we had been all over each other, whispering sweet nothings. Now, she was being abandoned for the sake of a stray dog.

With a heartbroken tone, Sister Yang said, "I know you look down on me because I'm a widow... That's why you deliberately chose a stray dog to piss me off. You don't actually like this stray dog at all, do you?"

Stubbornly, I said, "Sister Yang, I'm serious. For Lone Shadow's sake, I am willing to give up everything else, including you."

As the proprietress of a small factory, Sister Yang was actually a strong-willed woman. Usually, she held a lofty position in front of her employees; when had she ever suffered such humiliation?

Angered to the extreme, she laughed in rage and said, "Fine! Since you like this stray dog so much, go live with it then! Don't think for a second that I can't live without you. Haven't I muddled through these past few years just the same..."

Seeing us start to argue, Xiaoya was at a loss for what to do. As I turned to leave holding Lone Shadow, she cried out sadly, "Mom, I like the puppy Uncle Feng is holding... Mom, please let Uncle Feng bring the puppy back with him..."

Sister Yang, still in the heat of her anger, ignored her daughter entirely. She worried that if Xiaoya grew fond of the stray dog, she would play with it, and then catch some virus or bacteria—that would be a huge disaster. She slammed her foot on the gas and drove away.

Left alone, I walked with Lone Shadow down the empty street. The night wind blew past, and I felt a chill.

I checked my phone and saw that it was already past twelve o'clock at night. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, there were almost no pedestrians on the streets, and the occasional car flashed by in a hurry.

I felt that I had been a bit too impulsive with my words just now, but I truly wasn't willing to give up Lone Shadow.

For I knew how cruel it was to give hope to something only to shatter it again—just like when Jin Yulian gave me hope back then, only to plunge me into despair.

Looking at Lone Shadow's trusting gaze toward me, how could I bear to abandon it?

Sister Yang had driven away, so where should I choose to spend the night?

Should it be the rented shack with the broken bed, or Sister Yang's warm bed?

If I abandoned Lone Shadow and called Sister Yang to apologize, she would certainly be willing to take me back, but that was not my personality. I would never stoop to acting like a dog begging for scraps; buried deep beneath my inferiority complex lay an unyielding heart.

Was there a taxi? If so, I was prepared to hail one and return to my hometown to spend the night.

Even weary birds returning from flight know where to return; my hometown of Maple Forest Village was my true home. The moment I thought of my hometown, I thought of Granny Li, and then I thought of Sister Li.

I had failed Sister Li far too much. If there was anything I could do to make amends for my wrongs, I was willing to pay any price, even if it cost me my life, because I was raised by Granny Li, and I owed her a life...

Silently in my heart, I said, "Sister Li, I will come to find you again. I will protect you from the shadows..."

At this moment, a song floated into my mind: *"Loved one, oh loved one! Can you hear my gentle call? The little tree by the door has grown into lush shade. When shall we gather and meet again? The bright moon shines on the window sill, the same yearnings, the same parting sorrows. Even a waning moon can wax full again, day after day, year after year, separated by a sea, hard to meet! Loved one, oh loved one, I am yearning for the morrow when we shall meet, weary birds know to return when tired of flying..."*

I muttered to myself, Sister Li, I will come back to find you. Let my infidelity with Sister Yang be treated just like the things you did with your ex-boyfriend... That way, we're even.

Amidst my wandering thoughts, a taxi happened to arrive. I waved my hand and jumped into the car. Suddenly, my phone rang. The call was from Sister Yang, and she cried out in terror, "Feng, it's bad! Something's happened, come over quickly, I'm scared..."