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“Hmm?”
Jiang Tiantian didn’t hear clearly. She leaned in slightly, wanting to know what he was saying.
Cha Jiuzhang could no longer hold back. He reached out, lifted her chin—
And buried his head down.
He swallowed the half cherry that Jiang Tiantian had been toying with.
A long moment passed.
Jiang Tiantian’s face grew redder and redder. She was nearly out of breath, on the verge of fainting.
The rapid, powerful heartbeat of the person in front of her pounded against her palm, making her even dizzier.
Jiang Tiantian clawed at him with both hands, pushed with all her strength—
Finally, she managed to shove Cha Jiuzhang away.
At this moment, the last bit of sunlight still clung stubbornly to the sky, unwilling to set.
Jiang Tiantian stood hidden in the shadows of a tree trunk, while half of Cha Jiuzhang’s face was bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.
One in light, one in shadow—yet their gazes were locked together, breathing heavily.
Cha Jiuzhang’s slightly hoarse voice sounded, “Do you still want to laugh?”
Looking at the man before her in such a moment, Jiang Tiantian finally understood the phrase—“To die beneath the peony flower, even as a ghost, one remains romantic.”
Wealth, status—those she could earn for herself.
But such a high-quality man—if she let this one go, where would she find another?
She hadn’t been single all her life because she was picky. It was simply because she had seen too little—her taste was right here!
Her dream prince had stepped into reality…
Jiang Tiantian stood on tiptoe, quickly pecked him on the cheek, and grinned, “I want to laugh! What are you gonna do about it?”
Provoked, Cha Jiuzhang pushed her against the tree and pressed close again.
Using his actions to teach her the lesson—“Playing with fire will get you burned!”
“Woof woof~”
A dog’s bark suddenly came from behind.
Jiang Tiantian hurriedly pushed him away and pointed behind him, signaling him to look.
Cha Jiuzhang turned around angrily—
And there, not far behind them, sat Mop, the dog, tilting its head, watching them with a face full of canine confusion.
What was Dog Dad sneaking off to eat this time?
And why did he go back for seconds… and thirds…
“Mop!!!”
Cha Jiuzhang gritted his teeth. He had never felt a stronger urge to beat this dog than at this very moment.
Mop had been sitting there for quite some time.
Earlier, Zuo Mingyan had rushed out when she heard Jiang Tiantian’s sudden scream—
Then…
After signaling Mop to stay quiet, she had quietly slipped away.
Only Mop remained, loyally standing guard.
Now, seeing that Dog Dad was finally paying attention to it—
“Woof woof~”
Mop happily pounced on Jiang Tiantian, wrapping its paws around her, ready to lick her.
Since Dog Dad enjoyed licking so much, it must taste amazing!
That movement—
Swoosh!
So fast that even Jiang Tiantian herself didn’t react in time.
It was Cha Jiuzhang, his face dark, who swiftly grabbed Mop and dragged it away.
This little mutt needed some discipline. Lately, it had been getting way too reckless!
Jiang Tiantian stood in place, laughing out loud.
Then, for some reason, she suddenly felt that the scene of Cha Jiuzhang holding Mop looked oddly familiar.
She recalled how Cha Jiuzhang had just been holding her in the exact same way.
Hmph—
This mutt got the same treatment as me?
How unfair!
“Xiao Qi, does Mop have any interesting footage from the past two day’s worth editing?”
Xiao Qi’s childish voice carried a rare hint of amusement. “After bringing back matsutake mushrooms today, Mop went on three different dates with three different female dogs within two hours.”
Jiang Tiantian: “?”
She was stunned.
So, the title of Scumbag Dog was truly well-earned, huh?
She checked the footage Xiao Qi sent her—
And was speechless.
—-
Mop had gone up the mountain today with Aunt Second because it had promised yesterday to take their family’s little flower dog along.
Though Little Flower wasn’t as skilled as Mop, after following it and trying a few times, she surprisingly managed to find over ten matsutake mushrooms.
Aunt Second was overjoyed and gave all the credit to Mop.
Such a great dog mentor!
When they got home, Aunt Second kept her promise and bought a fresh piece of beef liver for Mop.
Mop nudged the liver and signaled for Aunt Second to cut it into three portions.
Then, at Aunt Second’s house, Mop cozied up with Little Flower, sharing a meal—bite by bite—finishing the first piece together.
After that, it grabbed the other two pieces and trotted home.
But it didn’t rest long.
Soon, Mop took one piece and sneaked off to another house’s dog den.
There, with a little yellow female dog, it repeated the same act—cuddling up, sharing bites, finishing the second piece.
Having strengthened their bond, Mop happily returned home.
But not long after—
Mop fetched the last piece of liver and headed to the east side of the village.
There, it found a black female dog, used the same strategy, and finished off the last piece.
Only then did it finally waddle back home, completely satisfied.
—-
Jiang Tiantian, after watching the footage, felt like there were just too many things wrong with this story—
She had no energy left to comment.
“Xiao Qi, add some voiceover and narration, then just post it.”
“I swear, watching A Day in Mop’s Life is way more entertaining than watching people.”
Still shaking her head at Mop’s shamelessness, Jiang Tiantian stepped into the house.
Mop, however, was already being disciplined by Cha Jiuzhang.
After a good scolding, Mop now sat in front of its doghouse, wearing a specially crafted wooden muzzle.
Surprisingly… it actually looked kind of cool.
Seeing Jiang Tiantian walk in, Mop lifted its head and gave her a pitiful look, then whined twice at Cha Jiuzhang, as if pleading for mercy.
Cha Jiuzhang extended a single finger, pointed at it from a distance, warning it sternly.
Mop’s little heart trembled. It lowered its head, curling up in defeat, reflecting on its sins.
It truly felt… Dog Dad didn’t love it anymore.
One slip of the tongue, and life as a dog becomes tough.
At this moment, only a cute little female dog could heal its wounded soul.
“Tiantian, you’re back! Come eat!”
Zuo Mingyan beamed as she placed the last dish on the table.
“Mom, I’m sorry, I left in the morning and forgot to tell you. You didn’t have to wait for me to eat.”
Jiang Tiantian felt guilty. It was already almost 8 PM, and the family hadn’t had dinner yet.
“It’s fine. We don’t always eat on time anyway. Go wash your hands.”
Cha Jizu walked out of his herbal garden, locked the wooden gate behind him, fetched a bucket of water from the well, and gestured for her to wash her hands.
Curious, Jiang Tiantian asked, “Grandpa, what kind of herbs do you grow in your garden?”
Outside the Tea family’s courtyard was a large, fenced-off herbal field with stone walls surrounding it.
Inside, there were several different sections, resembling a miniature botanical garden.
The entrance was on one side of the courtyard and was usually kept closed.
Though… that might’ve been to keep Mop out.
Even after staying here for days, Jiang Tiantian hadn’t dared to enter alone.
“These are rare herbs I’ve collected. When I find mature seeds, cuttings, or offshoots, I bring them back to see if they can be cultivated.”
Jiang Tiantian nodded in understanding. “So, Grandpa is conducting herbal medicine cultivation experiments?”
Seizing the chance, she probed further. “Grandpa, since our family’s bruise-healing ointment is so effective, have you ever thought about starting a pharmaceutical company to produce and sell it on a larger scale?”
“Maybe you have other formulas too. If they could all be mass-produced, they could help so many people.”
Cha Jizu gave Jiang Tiantian an approving look.
“I have thought about it. That’s why I’m experimenting with growing these herbs—if successful, medicinal prices could drop significantly.”
“When herb prices fall, the medicine made from them can be more affordable for ordinary people.”