Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Clever Dog

With Song Jiawei’s help, Zhang Congwen no longer concerned himself with the matter of price and turned his full attention to observing the dog, Snow Mud.

Earlier, Snow Mud had gone into another frenzy after being agitated by the barking of the dog from Mrs. Wang’s house. But perhaps accustomed to the barks from downstairs, Snow Mud soon gave up struggling.

Once the dog was completely calm, Zhang Congwen instructed Sun Zimu to make that hissing sound through his teeth.

“Hiss~ hiss~”

With the leash firmly in his grasp, as if holding Snow Mud’s very life, Zhang Congwen stood steady. No matter how much Sun Zimu provoked with the hissing noise, Snow Mud dared not make a move.

Then Zhang Congwen handed the leash to Sun Zimu, letting him walk Snow Mud around the living room while continuing the sound.

Yet as soon as Sun Zimu uttered the first syllable, Snow Mud began to struggle wildly again, trying to bite through the leash. Witnessing the dog’s crazed behavior, Xiao Huang, who was nearby, backed away several steps, licking his lips nervously.

But to everyone’s surprise, Zhang Congwen merely took two steps forward, shortening the distance between them, and Snow Mud instantly ceased its antics, becoming docile.

Zhang Congwen nodded at Sun Zimu, signaling him to continue.

Sun Zimu made the hissing sound again.

This time, Snow Mud only glanced at Zhang Congwen a few times, as if looking at a menacing night specter. Uncharacteristically, the dog didn’t erupt again; instead, as though the sound no longer mattered, it lowered its head and began sniffing around, searching for something, purposely avoiding Zhang Congwen’s gaze.

Yet from the constant twitching of its ears, Zhang Congwen could tell the dog hadn’t truly stopped caring about the sound; it simply didn’t dare act out in Zhang Congwen’s presence.

“Raise the leash,” Zhang Congwen suddenly commanded, just as everyone thought the situation had settled.

It turned out that Snow Mud’s search was a ruse—its real intent was to inch closer to White Dog, hoping to vent its frustration on him.

Hearing the command, Sun Zimu tried at once to lift the leash. Realizing its ploy had been uncovered, Snow Mud began struggling violently again. But Sun Zimu, younger and slighter than Zhang Congwen, couldn’t manage to raise the leash despite several attempts.

Fearing that Snow Mud might seize the opportunity to bite his son, Sun Zhong hurriedly took the leash from Sun Zimu and yanked it upward.

But even this didn’t calm Snow Mud. On the contrary, being repeatedly restrained pushed the dog to its limit, making its resistance even fiercer.

It began emitting sharp, strange barks, clamped its jaws around the collar leash, and whipped its head frantically, desperate to break free. But under Zhang Congwen’s guidance, Sun Zhong showed no hesitation and simply hauled Snow Mud off the ground.

No one expected that, just moments before, Snow Mud was ready to fight to the death; now, suspended in the air, it immediately quieted down.

Zhang Congwen couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation, “Quite clever, aren’t you? Knows when to back down. As soon as it realizes it’s not getting its way, it surrenders immediately.”

Of course, this wasn’t genuine praise.

Among the most troublesome types for trainers are those dogs sharp enough to judge the situation, and Snow Mud ranked high on that list.

For instance, the Border Collie, hailed as the most intelligent breed, is a typical representative of this kind. At home, they’re a handful, but in the hands of a trainer, they instantly become obedient, sometimes even cunning enough to deceive the trainer. Inexperienced trainers might think they’ve succeeded with such a dog, only for it to revert to its old ways once returned home—then, back with the trainer, it’s as good as gold again.

Fortunately, while Snow Mud was clever, it wasn’t quite at the Border Collie’s level.

Zhang Congwen had Sun Zhong make the hissing sound once more. This time, Snow Mud no longer sought an outlet for its discontent and behaved.

Seeing the initial success of his training, Zhang Congwen remarked, “Don’t be fooled by its appearance. Always stay vigilant. From now on, whenever it shows even a hint of discontent—toward people or other dogs—you must suppress it as firmly as you did today.”

He then instructed Sun Zhong to release the leash and had everyone pretend to ignore the dog completely.

Sure enough, Snow Mud’s obedience lasted only a few seconds before it started edging closer to the other dogs, attempting to intimidate them.

Zhang Congwen, watching closely from the shadows, immediately instructed, “Block Snow Mud. Don’t let it approach the other dogs.”

Sun Zhong quickly moved to physically separate Snow Mud from Xiao Huang.

But Snow Mud, undeterred, tried to circle around Sun Zhong to bully Xiao Huang, feeling emboldened now that the leash was no longer in Sun Zhong’s hand.

At that moment, White Dog suddenly moved behind Sun Zhong, taking Xiao Huang’s place. White Dog’s stance showed he was now in protective mode—should Snow Mud try to attack Sun Zhong, White Dog would immediately step in to shield him.

Inwardly, Zhang Congwen praised White Dog as a fine animal, displaying clear protective instincts. Yet, in his eyes, this wasn’t truly a positive sign.

It wasn’t that White Dog’s protective behavior was bad, but rather that now was not the time for him to take on such a role.

The issue lay not with White Dog, but with Sun Zimu’s family.

What White Dog was doing was akin to a person stepping in to break up a fight. Few dogs possess such awareness—only the truly perceptive, the so-called “human-like” dogs, will act this way.

Yet in a multi-dog household like Sun Zimu’s, it should be the owner, not White Dog, who acts as mediator. The reason White Dog felt compelled to step in was the lack of leadership from the family, who failed to assert the role of pack leader.

Because of this deficiency, the situation had deteriorated, leaving the other two dogs without a sense of security or peace in the household.

Still, having learned from before, Snow Mud now checked itself, not daring to push Sun Zhong too far. It kept trying to get around him to bother Xiao Huang, but Sun Zhong gradually forced Snow Mud into a corner of the living room.

Snow Mud then sat on the floor, feigning indifference and gazing around as if nothing concerned it. But as soon as Sun Zhong relaxed for a moment, Snow Mud tried to seize the chance to escape.

Naturally, under Zhang Congwen’s watchful eye, Snow Mud was not so easily allowed to succeed. As the dog looked about, Zhang Congwen was already prepared to alert Sun Zhong.

The moment Snow Mud tried to bolt, Sun Zhong, prompted by Zhang Congwen, stepped forward and blocked the escape.

With its path blocked, Snow Mud began sniffing Sun Zhong’s scent.

Zhang Congwen immediately instructed, “Push it away with your leg—firmly.”

Sun Zhong took a step into the corner, further limiting Snow Mud’s space.

Snow Mud, sitting and craning its neck, gazed at Sun Zhong in confusion, unsure what this meant.

Then, Zhang Congwen directed Sun Zhong to yield the space he’d just claimed.