Afterword

In the countryside, before an iron gate.

Song Jiawei, whose belly had a slight hint of chubbiness, looked up at the words on the gate and curled his lip.

"Twelve Pavilions Pet Park, quite a pretentious name."

Though his expression was one of disdain, Song Jiawei actually felt a trace of envy.

The Canid Language Dog Training Base had gradually begun to operate smoothly, and even without relying on Zhang Congwen's reputation as a celebrity dog trainer, business was exceptionally good.

Just as the Canid Language Dog Training Base was facing a brilliant future—a time when one could simply sit back and count the money rolling in—Zhang Congwen suddenly announced that he was going to start his retirement.

Taking his wife, he retreated to the countryside, leased a patch of mountain, and dedicated himself to raising various animals.

This Twelve Pavilions Pet Park was the place where Zhang Congwen kept his animals.

Song Jiawei was about to step forward when he noticed a car stopping right behind him.

The door opened, and it turned out to be Zhu Qingyan.

"What brings you here?"

Seeing his old friend, Song Jiawei walked over happily.

"Just to see how Congwen is progressing with the latest batch of assistance dogs. A while ago, I got in touch with the parents of five autistic children. If everything is fine on Congwen's end, I plan to bring those five children here next weekend for the matching process."

Zhu Qingyan blinked, pushed open the gate with familiar ease, and walked inside.

"What about you? Why are you here?"

With a helpless expression, Song Jiawei spread his hands and said, "It's all because Congwen was showing off in the group chat a while ago, saying the turtles he kept laid eggs. My little rascal of a daughter insisted that I come get one for her to hatch."

Puff!

Zhu Qingyan covered her mouth and burst into laughter.

"Those three Reeves' turtle eggs from last time—you gave them to Ling'er to hatch, but in the end, didn't they all dry up and the yolks turn to dust because of a lack of water? And yet you're coming to Congwen for turtle eggs again this time. I remember the ones laid this time are from his beloved Chinese box turtles; he treasures them dearly, so he might not necessarily give them to you."

Song Jiawei spread his hands with a helpless look.

"I know. But you know how much I dote on Ling'er. When she makes a fuss, she leaves me no choice but to figure something out. At worst, I'll just ask Congwen if he has any other kind of turtle eggs to fool her with. If all else fails, a crested gecko will do as a substitute."

"I recall you've already scammed two crested geckos out of him."

Hehehe...

Song Jiawei let out an obscene chuckle.

"I'm off to school, gonna get into Tsinghua. I'm so smart, so handsome."

"I'm going to work to make money and buy a house."

"Dig, dig, excavator!"

"The azure color waits for the misty rain, while I coo-coo-coo-coo..."

As Song Jiawei and Zhu Qingyan were talking, a voice drifted over from somewhere.

The two searched for a long time before finally spotting a mynah bird perched high up, with a tuft of silly-looking feathers on its nose.

"So it was you chattering away all this time," Song Jiawei said, glaring at the mynah with annoyance.

If they hadn't found this bird, they would have thought the place was haunted.

Song Jiawei actually recognized this mynah; his daughter had constantly nagged him to keep an identical one at home.

The mynah wasn't originally raised by Zhang Congwen as a pet, but rather rescued by him from the wild.

However, because it was his first time rescuing a bird and he lacked experience, the rewilding process failed, resulting in this mynah chasing cats around every single day like a brazen little pest. Because of this, Zhang Congwen gave up on any further attempts to return it to the wild.

A bird that had spent so much time around humans and lost its sense of vigilance would inevitably end up dying in the jaws of a stray cat if forcibly released. With no other choice, Zhang Congwen could only keep it at home.

Seeing the mynah, Zhu Qingyan grew interested and asked it, "Who are you?"

The mynah replied, "I am a little mynah."

"Well, now that's interesting." Seeing this, Song Jiawei decided to imitate Zhu Qingyan step-for-step.

"Who are you?" Song Jiawei asked.

The mynah replied, "I am your grand-uncle."

"You mother..."

Song Jiawei was so angry his nose was practically crooked. In all his years, this was the first time he had been outranked by a bird in terms of seniority.

"Do you believe I'll make you into soup?"

The mynah retorted, "Are you a fucking idiot?"

"You just wait, I'm going to pluck every single feather off you."

Seeing Zhu Qingyan covering her mouth and snickering nearby, Song Jiawei was furious. He brandished his phone, making a motion as if to hurl it.

"Help! Help..."

The mynah was quite clever; seeing the gesture, it shouted for help while flapping its wings and flying far away.

"What kind of garbage does that bastard Zhang Congwen teach them day in and day out? I'll have to have a serious word with him later and make him stew this wretched bird."

Seeing the mynah fly off, Song Jiawei remained filled with lingering indignation.

Zhu Qingyan didn't reply, merely giggling on the sidelines.

Woof!

Woof, woof, woof!

Whether it was because it heard someone speaking ill of Zhang Congwen, a large black dog rushed out from the interior, barking incessantly at Song Jiawei.

This large black dog was completely pitch-black, sleek and glossy, and possessed a deeply imposing appearance. Its teeth were bared, and every bark contracted its entire body, revealing well-defined muscular lines. Judging solely by this physique, the dog's strength was unquestionably formidable.

Putting aside its imposing bulk, even the breed's name exuded an air of dominance. This dog was a black wolfhound that Zhang Congwen had raised after moving here.

The large black dog seemed to have singled out Song Jiawei, barking only at him while completely ignoring Zhu Qingyan standing nearby.

"Dahai, stop barking!"

Not long after the big black dog appeared, the milky voice of a little girl rang out.

Immediately afterward, the little girl walked out holding a muzzle, her hands on her hips, and directly scolded the large black dog: "How many times have I told you not to bark at strangers? Why won't you ever listen?"

"If you keep disobeying like this, do you believe I'll hit you?"

"If I catch you being this impolite to guests again next time, I'll tell Daddy and make him tie you up so you can't run out to play, and no delicious snacks for you either!"

Although the little girl standing up was barely as tall as the head of the large black dog, she looked thoroughly fierce as she disciplined the creature.

Faced with her reprimand, the large black dog didn't dare show the slightest bit of defiance toward its tiny master; instead, it wore a flattering and ingratiating expression.

"Come here and put the muzzle on."

The little girl commanded, holding the muzzle in both hands.

The big black dog clearly felt reluctant, dodging twice in succession.

The little girl stamped her foot and said angrily, "If you don't obey right now, do you believe I'll ask Daddy to make dog meat hot pot? My Daddy said that whenever you see other people, you have to wear a muzzle, no exceptions. Hurry up!"

Despite her babyish voice, the little girl exuded a strong sense of leadership. The large black dog was completely submissive in front of her; after being scolded a few times, it obediently stretched its snout into the muzzle.

Clearly, this large black dog viewed the little girl as its pack leader.

"Tsk! Congwen really is a master dog trainer; even such a tiny daughter of his can train a dog this huge into total submission," Song Jiawei remarked. "Unlike my daughter, whatever she raises dies."

"Xiaobao, where is your daddy?"

Ignoring Song Jiawei, Zhu Qingyan addressed the little girl directly.

The little girl had just finished putting the muzzle on the dog and turned around, but upon seeing them, she looked startled. The fierce expression vanished instantly, and her lower lip began to tremble.

In the end, she let out a wail of "Wah," buried her face in Zhu Qingyan's embrace to hide, and pointed accusingly at Song Jiawei. "That weird uncle is here again."

Song Jiawei felt his soul leave his body. He spread his hands toward Zhu Qingyan, curled his lip, and looked utterly helpless.