Chapter 52: Zhui Feng

Chen Feng leaned out of the window and vaguely saw a rope tied to the other end of which was a small dog. The dog was completely wet, hanging by the rope with its two legs, head dangling downwards, the whole body suspended as if it were already dead.

Hurriedly, Chen Feng reached out to pull the dog inside through the window, wrapped it in a cloth from the kang, and said, “Oh, you’ve nearly worn this poor dog out. Is this how you brought it back from the mountains?” Then scolding, “You little thing, why can’t you be more careful?”

The Golden Swallow chirped, “Don’t worry, Mom, it won’t die. Just leave it in the space for a quarter of an hour, and it’ll come back to life.” With that, he entered the space.

Seeing Dabao still fast asleep, Chen Feng also took the dog into the space. She dried the dog’s fur, it was a beautiful gray and white mixed-breed, probably three or four months old. Perhaps due to a mix of cold and fright, it was ice-cold all over and still twitching.

It took more than a quarter of an hour for the dog to show signs of warmth, moving its head, and softly bark twice. The sound wasn’t like the typical bark of a dog or the howl of a wolf, it sounded somewhat like the barking of a Siberian Husky she had heard in a past life. Looking closely, it did resemble a Siberian Husky.

Chen Feng said, “Golden Treasure, if you bring back a Husky, that would be quite a surprise.”

The Golden Swallow lay on the ground with its wings spread out. It weakly said, “Don’t worry, it’s not a silly Husky. It’s not only powerful but also very clever. Mom, carry it outside, it’s exhausting to bring it back, and it needs to rest for a while.”

Chen Feng, who had been paying attention to the puppy, felt a bit embarrassed seeing the Golden Swallow lying on the ground. She gently touched its little head and said, “Golden Treasure, thank you for working so hard to get me a bodyguard.”

The Golden Swallow chirped, “Well, with a silly owner like you, there’s really nothing I can do.”

Chen Feng chuckled awkwardly, lifted the puppy, and exited the space. She first took the puppy to the kitchen for a bath, then put it in a basket, covering it with a tattered garment from Dabao’s childhood.

Chen Feng woke up to Dabao’s exclamation.

“Mom, how did we get a puppy at home?” Dabao asked, staring at the little basket on the ground.

Chen Feng replied, “Golden Treasure brought it back last night, saying it will guard our home from now on.”

The puppy was already awake, looking at them with a bewildered expression, its small black nose twitching. When it saw Dabao approaching, it instantly became alert, standing up straight and perking its ears. Although it didn’t bark, it appeared more dignified than those barking dogs, casting away the timid demeanor from the night before.

Dabao was frightened and stood still, not daring to move.

Observing the puppy’s demeanor, Chen Feng was somewhat puzzled. She had never seen such a proud and dignified dog before, definitely not a Husky. After a closer look, she began to understand. She speculated that it might have some canine heritage, but she couldn’t tell how much.

Initially apprehensive but realizing the puppy was only a few months old, she thought, “What’s there to fear?” If the Golden Swallow could bring it back, she must be confident about it. Otherwise, she would not have been at ease even if she herself perished. Thinking of carefully observing and trying to tame it, she decided to keep it. If that didn’t work out, she could have Golden Treasure take it back to the deep mountains, after all, it was still young.

She approached, squatted down, and as the puppy’s guard dropped instantly, it made a soft whining sound in its throat, extended its tongue to lick her hand, and its eyes revealed boundless affection.

Chen Feng was well aware that she didn’t possess this charm, most likely, it was due to the unique fragrance of Swallow Agarwood Tree on her body. While humans couldn’t discern it, animals with particularly sensitive olfaction could.

She had noticed this from Qiqi and Gray, they were actually closer to her. However, Dabao enjoyed taking them for walks, which made them more attached to him during playtime. If both she and Dabao were sitting together, they almost always revolved around her.

Furthermore, Qiqi and Gray especially liked to eat the household’s food, undoubtedly due to the water quality. Her water tank contained the wood bark of Swallow Agarwood Tree, and the water and cooked meals never failed to exude a delightful aroma.

With these two advantages, perhaps she could make this little creature willingly guard their home.

Thinking this, Chen Feng lifted the puppy and said, “This is Big Brother Dabao. You mustn’t be mean to him.” Then she placed the puppy in Dabao’s arms.

The puppy indeed behaved, sniffed around Dabao, extended its tongue to lick his hand, as if acknowledging him as its master.

What a clever little fellow.

Dabao, holding the puppy, smiled brightly and said, “Mom, I like it. Let’s give it a name.”

Chen Feng responded, “Let’s call it Zhui Feng. Chasing the wind, how swift.”

The rain outside had ceased, yet raindrops continued to drip from the eaves, and the yard was covered in fallen leaves. Chen Feng swept the yard, took Dabao to the old courtyard for breakfast, and brought Chasing the Wind along.

—

Chen Ming chuckled, “I need to tell your uncle first. Usually, when their dog has puppies, they send one over, but I didn’t expect Golden Treasure to be capable of bringing one here first.”

Chen Lu said, “Uncle’s dog has puppies, and we still need one, considering the size of our yard.”

Mrs. Wang smiled, “If A’Lu likes it, let’s raise one.”

Previously, with a family of five, Mrs. Wang was the only one managing everything, and there wasn’t even time to raise a dog. Now that Chen Feng had recovered from her illness, A’Lu and Dabao could help with household chores, and her husband’s health had improved significantly. So, when their son wanted to raise a dog, they can now comply.

Dabao placed Zhui Feng on the kang, and Chen Feng pinched its neck, saying, “This is our family member. You mustn’t be mean to them.”

Zhui Feng made a soft whining sound in its throat, closed its eyes, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

Chen Ming, observing closely, stuttered a bit, “Th-th-why does this puppy look somewhat like a wolf?”

Chen Feng responded, “It’s not a pure wolf, perhaps a wolf-dog.”

Just then, the Golden Swallow flew in from outside the window.

At the sight of the Golden Swallow, Zhui Feng trembled all over. It let out a howl, but upon catching the Golden Swallow’s stern gaze, it quickly shut its mouth, then nestled into Chen Feng’s embrace and refused to come out.

Chen Feng thought to herself, “I wonder how the Golden Swallow tormented it last night to make it this scared.”

Chen Ming chuckled, “Seeing its timid look, it’s definitely not a wolf.”

Zhui Feng settled down in the Chen household.

Zhui Feng grew up in a harsh natural environment and was anything but delicate. Within a few days, it became familiar with everyone in the Chen household, seeking the affection of each person, except for the Golden Swallow.

Even Qiqi and Gray got along well with Zhui Feng, and they even learned its distinctive howling. Not only did it leave the members of the Chen family amazed, but even Zhui Feng appeared bewildered. When the two birds made their unique calls, Zhui Feng would stare at them straight, taking a while to react.

Dabao particularly enjoyed seeing Zhui Feng’s expressions and often had Qiqi and Gray tease it in this manner.

However, there was one thing: Zhui Feng had to have meat in its food. This meant it would eat meat buns but absolutely refused to eat vegetarian buns or steamed buns.

Chen Feng was at a loss and had to ask Mrs. Wang to buy more meat every day.