Just as Ning Shu was about to reach out to grab San Bao, she saw Da Mao extend her front paw, blocking San Bao from falling.

It was to prevent him from tumbling over.

San Bao, taking advantage of this, grabbed hold of Da Mao’s front paw and then successfully hugged her.

Da Mao was very gentle, supporting San Bao with one paw while tilting her neck to let San Bao hug her.

For some reason, Ning Shu’s eyes suddenly became moist.

She found this scene very heartwarming and full of love.

“Mom, can we adopt Da Mao and Tie Dan?” Er Bao looked at them with a longing expression, unwilling to let go of either one.

Ning Shu didn’t want to let go either. Both of them looked so loving.

“Is it possible?” Ning Shu asked Lin Guodong.

Mainly because after they entered, all the other military dogs were either lying down or looking on, but only these two came over.

This first impression made her really like them.

Lin Guodong looked at the soldier who was taking care of the military dogs.

The soldier said, “If you can adopt both Da Mao and Tie Dan, that would be great. Da Mao and Tie Dan are a pair of companions. If you only adopt one of them, it might not work.”

“What?” Ning Shu was surprised. “Aren’t they different breeds? And aren’t they both males?” Oh my, this couldn’t be happening!

The soldier chuckled. “Sister-in-law doesn’t know? There are also female military dogs. Da Mao is female, and Tie Dan is male. As for the breeds, in the past, for breeding and training military dogs, we might have paired dogs of the same breed, but now that breeding isn’t needed, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Our Da Mao is a Kunming Dog, while Tie Dan is a Bench Dog. Speaking of which, Tie Dan is quite a dominant figure among our military dogs. Later, he fell in love with our Da Mao…”

What? Ning Shu was stunned.

Da Mao was female? Tie Dan was male? No way! Just looking at their sizes, it didn’t seem possible.

The Kunming Dog, bred successfully in China in 1964, was distributed to military districts nationwide. .Whether it was patrol, reconnaissance, or tracking, Kunming Dogs excelled in all aspects.

Moreover, Kunming Dogs had fierce and aggressive personalities.

Although they showed strong hostility towards enemies, they were also very affectionate towards their owners.

They were obedient and disciplined, never attacking unless commanded by their owners.

An adult female Kunming Dog was about 60 centimeters tall and weighed around 65 pounds.

They had sturdy and powerful bodies, appearing very handsome.

But this handsome Da Mao turned out to be female.

Ning Shu felt like she had misplaced her affection.

On the other hand, Tie Dan was a Bench Dog. It was called a Bench Dog because of its short stature.

However, underestimating the Bench Dog because of its size would be a mistake.

These were the first generation military dogs in China’s history.

They also had a glorious title – they were called the Anti-Japanese War God Dogs.

During that time, the Japanese invaders brought their military dogs, including Wolf Qing, into our country, disrupting many of our soldiers’ plans and committing numerous crimes.

But the Japanese military dogs also caused headaches for our soldiers at one point.

In such circumstances, our country trained the Bench Dogs and brought them onto the battlefield.

Don’t be fooled by their small size; the Bench Dogs had absolute advantages.

Despite being small, they were agile. During battles, they would jump up and bite the necks of the Japanese military dogs, always with precision.

Because of them, the Japanese military dogs became useless.

Hence, they earned the title of Anti-Japanese War God Dogs.

The Bench Dog, also known as the Chinese Bench Dog, is a breed of the Chinese native dog, or a kind of mongrel.

They are small-sized dogs with relatively short limbs but exceptionally agile movements.

An adult male Bench Dog is about 40 centimeters tall and weighs around 30 pounds, with a coat color of tan.

Compared to Kunming Dogs, Bench Dogs are much easier to domesticate.

Often, people call Bench Dogs “stupid dogs,” not because they lack intelligence but because of their unwavering loyalty, the kind of loyalty that doesn’t allow their minds to wander.

Seeing Ning Shu’s expression, the soldier knew what she was thinking.

Frankly, he was also surprised that Tie Dan was able to subdue Big Mao, but he did, and he didn’t know what Da Mao saw in Tie Dan.

“In that case, we’ll adopt them,” said Lin Guodong.

Ning Shu also snapped out of her thoughts. “That’s fine, no problem.”

Hearing their agreement, the soldier felt pleased.

The military’s funds were limited, and although the military dogs received care from the army, it was limited.

If they could find the right owners… looking at Lin Guodong’s family, all healthy and well-fed, their conditions seemed excellent.

“Lieutenant Lin, we’re very grateful for you taking them in, but there are some things I need to mention in advance,” the soldier said. “Since these military dogs have served the country, you can’t just abandon them. If there comes a day when you can’t keep them anymore, you can bring them back…”

The soldier laid out some conditions, and Ning Shu and Lin Guodong listened attentively.

Actually, they wouldn’t even consider doing such a thing without him saying it.

If it were regular dogs, they wouldn’t abandon them, let alone Da Mao and Tie Dan.

“That’s all fine, don’t worry. We’ll take care of Da Mao and Tie Dan like family. And we won’t bring them back unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Ning Shu promised.

Lin Guodong nodded in agreement.

The soldier’s smile became even more sincere than before. “I’ll give you some information about Da Mao and Tie Dan, their basic and honorary records. Take a look. It doesn’t include specific details of their achievements due to military secrecy. Also, their health conditions and reasons for retirement. Don’t worry, they don’t have any life-threatening illnesses.” He assured them that if there were any life-threatening illnesses, he wouldn’t allow the military dogs to be adopted.

Because adopting them only to separate later wasn’t something he agreed with.

Ning Shu: “Okay, thank you.”

“Let’s go to my office then,” the soldier said, patting Da Mao and Tie Dan’s heads. “We’ll come to see you later.”

Seeing the soldier and the others about to leave, Tie Dan felt reluctant and followed them, with Da Mao trailing behind. However, they only followed to the warehouse’s entrance and didn’t come out further. Instead, they looked at them with their deep eyes.

The soldier waved to them and then closed the door.

As the door closed, it seemed like there was a gleam in Da Mao and Tie Dan’s eyes.

Arriving at the soldier’s office, he handed Ning Shu the files of Da Mao and Tie Dan. Ning Shu took them carefully and started reading attentively.

She read each word very seriously and learned about Da Mao and Tie Dan’s appetite, habits, toilet schedule, and more importantly, the reason for their retirement.

It turned out that Tie Dan was injured by a bullet in the leg. Although the bullet was removed, its leg couldn’t jump like before. As a small-sized dog, its biggest advantage was agility.

But if it lost its agility, its small size became a disadvantage.

Seeing this, Ning Shu breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there was no life-threatening situation, it was good.

And Da Mao’s reasons were similar. In a mission, to help the soldier carry out a message, it went alone to distract the enemy.

As a result, it sustained multiple injuries during the fight with the enemy. After being nursed for nearly half a year, its physical condition was retested, and it was found unsuitable for further missions.

Ning Shu’s eyes turned red again.

In fact, among dogs of the same breed, those selected as military dogs have shorter lifespans.

The intensity of training and injuries sustained during missions shorten their lives.

Yet, they remain humans’ most faithful friends, still unwavering in battle.

Sometimes, despite their bravery and fearlessness, they’re just children in terms of intelligence.

They are pure, simple, and repay kindness with their own “foolishness”.

Lin Guodong sensed Ning Shu’s emotions and patted her back. “Let’s take good care of them from now on.”

Perhaps because he had seen life and death so often, he could face it with equanimity.

Of course, this doesn’t mean he’s heartless.

As a soldier, military dogs are his companions, his comrades. He would also fight desperately to save them.

It’s just that, having seen so much, his mindset has become calm.

“Yeah, I’m just… moved,” Ning Shu said. Indeed, she was moved.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe how humans and dogs, clearly two different species, could become such miraculous partners.

Ning Shu regained her composure and said to the soldier, “Thank you, comrade, for letting me understand Da Mao and Tie Dan better. Rest assured, I promise once again, I will take good care of Da Mao and Tie Dan in the future.”

“Yeah, I trust you.” The soldier looked into Ning Shu’s reddened eyes and chose to believe. “Next, let’s go through the formalities, and then we’ll go get Da Mao and Tie Dan.”

“No problem,” Lin Guodong said, knowing he had to handle the paperwork.

In this era, processing paperwork was quick, just filling out some forms.

Since Lin Guodong was a soldier, there was no need for further verification.

After completing the paperwork, the soldier took them back to the warehouse they visited earlier.

As soon as the soldier opened the door, Da Mao and Tie Dan were squatting at the entrance, not resting.

Seeing them return, Da Mao and Tie Dan warmly rubbed against the soldier’s legs.

Since the soldier had been taking care of them all along, in their hearts, the soldier was like their owner.

“Da Mao, Tie Dan…”

Seeing Da Mao and Tie Dan, the three children happily approached and reached out their hands.

Da Mao and Tie Dan could sense the kindness of the three children, and because they were kids, they were especially tolerant of them.

Of course, it might also be because the soldier was there, allowing them to accept the three children.

Da Mao and Tie Dan extended their paws and shook hands with the three children, just like before.

After shaking hands with the three children, Da Mao and Tie Dan looked at Ning Shu again, perhaps thinking Ning Shu wanted to shake hands with them too.

“Wow, Da Mao, Tie Dan, you’re amazing,” Ning Shu was moved and held their paws.

The soldier watched their interaction with a smile, then spoke after they finished their exchange, “I still need to have a chat with Da Mao and Tie Dan later. Sister-in-law, could you wait for us?”

“No problem, we’ll wait outside,” Ning Shu said.

Ning Shu’s family of five waited outside.

They didn’t know how the soldier was communicating with Da Mao and Tie Dan. Although the warehouse door was open, they stayed away, giving the soldier and Da Mao, Tie Dan some time to say goodbye, so they couldn’t hear what was being said inside.

The three children outside started feeling anxious.

“Mom, do you think Da Mao and Tie Dan don’t want to come to our home?” Erbao, feeling uneasy, was always quick to voice his concerns.

Ning Shu reassured him, “No, they won’t. You all love Da Mao and Tie Dan so much, they’ll definitely want to come to our home. But after they come to our home, you must treat them well, like friends, like family. You mustn’t hit them or scold them, understand?”

Yibao and Erbao nodded, saying, “Mom, we won’t.”

Sanbao also voiced his opinion, “Love, no hitting.”

“You’re all so good! To celebrate having new members in our family, we’ll have braised pork trotters tonight,” Ning Shu declared proudly.

The three children clapped happily at the thought of having meat for dinner.

“Mom, can Da Mao and Tie Dan also eat meat?” Yibao asked.

“We can give them the meat bones,” Ning Shu replied.

It wasn’t that she was reluctant to give Da Mao and Tie Dan meat, but in this era, even if they were military dogs, giving them meat could attract gossip from some people.

“Can I leave the meat on the bones for Da Mao and Tie Dan to eat?” Yibao asked again.

Ning Shu’s eyes lit up and she couldn’t help but praise him, “Ah, our Yibao is so smart! Of course, you can, but it can’t be seen by anyone else, only at home.”

Yibao smiled happily, “I know.”

Erbao overheard his brother and mother’s conversation and followed suit, “Mom, I can also leave my meat on the bones for Da Mao and Tie Dan to eat.”

“Well, our Erbao is also a good kid,” Ning Shu praised generously.

Erbao smiled contentedly.

Seeing both pots praised by their mother, the Sanbao couldn’t resist pulling her hand, “I’ll give too, not eat meat.”

Ning Shu watched his eager expression and couldn’t help but find him adorable.

She couldn’t resist poking his cheek, “Our Sanbao is also very good.”

Sanbao looked satisfied and raised his little head to look at the two older siblings.

Seeing Sanbao’s expression, both Yibao and Erbao couldn’t help but smile secretly.

Yibao followed his mother’s example and praised Sanbao, “Yeah, Sanbao is amazing.”

So, Sanbao’s chin raised even more higher.

After a while, the warehouse door opened, and the soldier came out, followed by Da Mao and Tie Dan, both carrying cloth bags in their mouths containing their belongings.

“Sister-in-law…” The soldier bowed to Ning Shu, “Sister-in-law, Da Mao and Tie Dan are now in your care. Please treat them kindly.” He bent down.

Seeing retired military dogs have a good place to go was his biggest wish.

Ning Shu quickly stepped aside, “Don’t worry.”