Chapter 009

Zhenzhen cautiously avoided the dog and tried speaking to it:
“G-go… go out!”

The big white dog seemed to be listening seriously, but clearly didn’t understand. It tilted its head again, still staring at her with that same curious look, as if asking: What are you saying?

Zhenzhen looked at the dog and sensed that it didn’t seem aggressive.

In fact, far from aggressive—its face and eyes looked downright silly and endearing.

Still a bit nervous, she asked,
“What… what do you want?”

The white dog tilted its head to the other side, still watching her intently.

Zhenzhen started feeling ridiculous. Here she was trying to reason with a silly-looking dog.

Thinking it through, the dog was probably just hungry and had come looking for food.

But there was nothing at home—no fire, no stove, no leftovers.

Still, there was half a steamed bun left from breakfast. Shi Huaiming had overestimated her appetite and gotten too much.

But that was a white bun… was it really okay to feed a dog with that?

Looking at the expression on the dog’s face, Zhenzhen wasn’t as scared anymore. She sat back down at the table.

Then she said to the dog,
“We’re really poor… there’s nothing for you to eat.”

The dog responded, “Woof woof!”

Zhenzhen: “…”

Well, that conversation went nowhere.

Then the dog hopped off the bench and came to sit obediently next to her, front legs tucked in and eyes round and shining, tongue lolling out as it watched her.

After a while, it tilted its head again.

It must know how cute it looks like this!

Zhenzhen couldn’t resist any longer and cautiously reached out to pat its head.

Not only did the white dog not dodge, it even stood up and walked under her hand, letting her pet all the way from head to tail.

Zhenzhen laughed at its antics.

After watching it for a bit, she stood up and went to the cupboard, bringing out the leftover half of the steamed bun.

She didn’t toss it to the dog. Instead, she sat down and began peeling off the bun’s outer skin.

After peeling off one piece, she placed it on the bench beside her and said,
“Listen, we’re really poor. We only get white rice and buns like this during New Year or special occasions. So all I can give you is the crust…”

The white dog gently took the bun skin from the bench and chewed it up in two bites.

Zhenzhen tore off another piece, and it gently took that one too.

Once it finished all the crust, the dog didn’t leave. Instead, it looked at her with even more longing in its eyes.

Zhenzhen’s heart softened under that gaze. After a moment, she sighed,
“Alright then.”

She tore off a small bit of the bun and popped it in her mouth.

The dog’s eyes sparkled even brighter, sitting obediently in front of her, smacking its lips.

Zhenzhen smiled and tore off another small piece, placing it on the bench next to her.

Then she took a bite, and the big white dog took a bite—they finished the half bun together.

After they were done eating, Zhenzhen spread her hands. “That’s all there is.”

This time, the big white dog seemed to understand her. It turned and walked away. But after reaching the corner of the wall, it paused, lowered its head for a moment, then turned back.

Not only did it come back—it had a dusty, tattered little ball in its mouth.

Was this its way of saying thank you?

Zhenzhen looked at it. “I don’t want that thing.”

The dog just stood there with the ball, wagging its fluffy tail like a broom.

Well, it was pretty sincere.

Zhenzhen reached out her hand toward the dog and said, “Alright then, give it to me.”

But the big white dog didn’t hand it over. Instead, it ran a few steps toward the door with the ball still in its mouth.

Then it came back and looked at her, eyes full of expectation.

What’s going on?

Zhenzhen thought for a moment. “You’re not asking me to play with you, are you?”

Naturally, the big white dog didn’t reply—it simply ran a couple more steps toward the door again, then returned.

Zhenzhen figured she was probably right this time.

She picked up the keys and stood up. As expected, the big white dog bolted toward the door with the ball.

It led her outside to a wide open space, nudged her hand, and dropped the ball into it.

Zhenzhen understood now. She gripped the ball and threw it as far as she could.

The dog dashed off like a flash, chasing after it with agility. It retrieved the ball and brought it back to her.

The dog was having a blast, and Zhenzhen found herself enjoying it too.

The loneliness and dullness she had felt earlier had vanished. Time passed quickly.

Meanwhile, Shi Huaiming and He Shuo were heading to the cafeteria after class.

On their way back with their food, they happened to see Zhenzhen playing with the big white dog outside.

The dog was running back and forth with glee, and Zhenzhen was laughing just as happily.

Their attention was drawn to her, and they both stopped in their tracks.

He Shuo spoke first. “Haven’t seen her before… is that your wife?”

Shi Huaiming gave a quiet “mm.” “She just arrived.”

He Shuo chuckled. “Not bad. She’s already made a good friend.”

Shi Huaiming gave him a light punch and didn’t respond.

He kept walking forward and called out, “Zhenzhen, time to come home and eat.”

Hearing his voice, Zhenzhen realized he was back.

She turned to glance at him, quickly responded, then returned the ball to the dog and said softly, “I’m going home to eat now, so I can’t play anymore.”

Then she turned and hurried back home.

He Shuo stood where he was, watching and chuckling.

Just as he was laughing, his wife Li Shuang came back, holding their son He Ziran’s hand.

She looked at He Shuo’s face. “What are you standing here laughing about?”

He Shuo’s grin remained. “Just something funny.”

Li Shuang didn’t buy it. “What’s so funny?”

Realizing he couldn’t dodge the question, He Shuo said, “Saw Huaiming’s wife talking to a dog. She was pretty serious about it—kind of amusing.”

“What’s so funny about that?” Li Shuang didn’t find it interesting and tugged He Ziran along as she went home.

He Shuo, still amused, followed after them.

Back inside, Zhenzhen first put the books back in the room, then washed her hands and came to eat.

As she sat down and picked up her chopsticks, she thought for a moment and said to Shi Huaiming, “Since I don’t have much to do here, maybe we could buy some rice and flour, and I could cook at home?”

Shi Huaiming looked at her. “You don’t like the cafeteria food?”

Zhenzhen shook her head. “No, it’s good. I just want to cook for myself. There were always things to do back in the village. Now, there’s nothing, and I… I’m not used to it.”

Shi Huaiming understood and nodded. “Alright.”

Then he added, “But it’s not like there’s nothing to do. Studying is hard work too. I’ll tell you now—I’ll be a strict teacher, so you’ll need to study seriously and take this seriously.”

That sounded a bit intimidating.

Zhenzhen held her chopsticks and responded softly, “Okay.”

Shi Huaiming gave her a glance and continued, “But you also need to understand, you’re not studying for me, or for anyone else. What you learn—knowledge and education—will be yours alone. It will give you the ability to think, to see the world differently. Now that men and women are equal, I hope you’ll grow and gain a clear, conscious mind.”

Zhenzhen didn’t fully understand, so she just nodded again. “Okay.”

Shi Huaiming could tell she hadn’t quite gotten it, but didn’t push further.

He glanced at the food on the table. “Let’s eat.”

The meal was quiet. Zhenzhen still wasn’t used to it.

She wanted to make some small talk with him, but didn’t dare open her mouth.

He had never been much of a talker, and now he felt even colder and more distant. Sitting next to him made her feel pressured.

She could manage to bring up serious matters, but when it came to casual talk, she lost her nerve.

Still, if they didn’t even chat a little, it didn’t feel like they were really living together.

After finishing the last bite and putting down her chopsticks, Zhenzhen finally gathered her courage, looked at Shi Huaiming, and asked, “Third Brother, that big white dog—whose is it?”

Shi Huaiming stood up to clear the dishes. “It doesn’t belong to anyone. It has its own doghouse. Its name is Dabai. It roams around the courtyard. If anyone has leftovers they don’t want to go to waste, they’ll give it to him.”

Zhenzhen quickly stood to help him clean up. “It seems pretty friendly.”

Shi Huaiming replied flatly, “It’s friendly with food.”

Zhenzhen: “…”

After the dishes were put away, Shi Huaiming spoke to her in a matter-of-fact tone. “Starting now, you get a fifteen-minute break. After that, I’ll call you. Bring the first-grade language textbook and come find me.”

Zhenzhen straightened her posture and responded seriously, “Okay.”

Suddenly feeling a sense of urgency, Zhenzhen hurried back to her room to rest.

But the break was short. She felt like she had only just sat down when she heard Shi Huaiming calling her.

She got up to grab her books and go to him.

But when her fingers touched the stack of textbooks, she was stumped.

There were probably over twenty of them, and she had no idea which one was the first-grade Chinese textbook.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhenzhen simply picked up the entire stack.

Shi Huaiming wasn’t outside, so she carried the books to his room next door.

Hearing her footsteps, Shi Huaiming called from inside, “Come in.”

The door wasn’t closed, just left slightly ajar.

Zhenzhen pushed the door open with the books in her arms and walked over to Shi Huaiming’s writing desk.

Shi Huaiming looked up and saw the entire stack she was holding. He stared at her for a moment in surprise.

Just as Zhenzhen was about to explain, he returned to his usual calm tone and said, “Sit down.”

Zhenzhen didn’t explain further. She sat down on the wooden chair next to him.

Shi Huaiming glanced over the book spines, found the first-grade Chinese textbook, pulled it out, and placed it in front of her.

He told her, “This is the first-grade textbook. I’ll start teaching you from the very basics. Since this is your first lesson, we’ll just focus on Chinese. We’ll start math in a couple of days.”

Zhenzhen nodded. “Okay.”

Shi Huaiming took out a new notebook, opened to the first page, and placed it to the side. Then he handed her a pencil.

Zhenzhen followed his instructions obediently, doing whatever he asked.

She took the pencil and waited for the lesson to begin.

Shi Huaiming flipped to the first page of the textbook and placed it in front of her.

He looked at the book and said, “We’ll start with Pinyin.”

Zhenzhen didn’t say anything else, just nodded. “Okay.”

Flipping through the book, Shi Huaiming continued, “Today, we’ll learn the six basic single finals.”

He pointed at the first letter with his pen and read aloud: “This one is pronounced ‘a’.”

Zhenzhen nodded beside him, committing it to memory.

Shi Huaiming looked at her. “You need to read along with me—‘a’.”

Zhenzhen felt slightly embarrassed but still forced out a sound: “a.”

He explained, “Besides learning the letters, you also need to understand their tones. There are four tones. Remember this rhyme: First tone is flat, second tone rises, third tone dips, fourth tone falls. For example, ‘a’: first tone is ā, second is á, third is ǎ, and fourth is à.”

Knowing that might be a lot to absorb at once, he added, “You’ll not only need to be able to read them, but also memorize and write them from memory. But for now, just focus on learning the letters and their sounds. Just read along with me.”

Zhenzhen braced herself and replied, “Okay.”

Shi Huaiming: “The first letter, ‘a’.”

Zhenzhen: “a.”

Shi Huaiming: “First tone, ‘ā’.”

Zhenzhen: “ā.”

Shi Huaiming: “Second tone, ‘á’.”

Zhenzhen: “á.”

Shi Huaiming: “Too quiet. Don’t be afraid—speak louder.”

Zhenzhen felt awkward, but gathered her courage and raised her voice: “Second tone, ‘á’.”

Shi Huaiming nodded with satisfaction. “Good. Continue. Third tone, ‘ǎ’.”

Zhenzhen, now a little more confident after the praise, said, “Third tone, ‘ǎ’.”

Having mastered the first letter, the next five were easier to learn, since the format was the same.

The six vowels—“a, o, e, i, u, ü”—were simple to memorize, and Zhenzhen had them down in no time.

Shi Huaiming told her, “Now that you’ve memorized them, you need to learn how to write them.”

He reached for a fountain pen from the holder and wrote on the notebook. “Watch how I do it. For ‘a,’ first draw a large semicircle, then add a stroke on the right. The others are just as simple.”

After writing all six letters, he gestured for her to try. “Write them so I can see.”

Zhenzhen gripped the pencil a little nervously.

She pressed the pencil to the notebook, intending to write a line below Shi Huaiming’s.

But before she could start, he said, “Your grip looks off.”

Zhenzhen turned to him. “I… don’t really know how.”

This kind of habit needed to be corrected early. Shi Huaiming held the fountain pen in his own hand, demonstrating the proper way to grip it.

Zhenzhen tried to imitate him, but no matter how long she practiced, he wasn’t satisfied.

Yes, she could now feel just how strict he really was.

Seeing that she still wasn’t getting it, he set down his pen and reached out to help her directly.

His broad palm rested on the back of her hand, adjusting the position of her fingers and showing her how to place them properly.

The moment Shi Huaiming touched her hand, Zhenzhen froze, her heartbeat skipping.

She instinctively held her breath. Except for the fingers he was adjusting, the rest of her body was completely stiff.

His hand was large, making hers look tiny by comparison.

His palm was warm—almost hot—and that heat spread all the way to her face.