When the Warden opened the door, he found no one inside.
Nothing had changed since he left.
Only Wangwang seemed unusually lively today.
Usually, after eating, he would slump back into his kennel as though life had lost all meaning. Today, he still had the energy to run and bounce around the office.
He even had an emerald-green cloth bag clamped in his mouth.
The Warden noticed that detail.
After all, he always retained a panoramic image of the office in his mind, marked with every detail from before his departure, down to the precise angle of the carpet.
This was professional diligence. It allowed him to determine upon returning whether someone had secretly entered his room.
"Oh, my good boy."
The Warden stepped forward, rubbed Wangwang's head, and took the cloth bag from his mouth to examine it.
"Where did you find this bag?"
Wangwang answered as he walked out of the office, then ran several dozen meters down the corridor and panted at a gap in the circular railing. "Was it here?"
"Woof, woof!"
Cured meat, cured meat!
This was the direction the kitchen worker had taken when the Warden first sent her away.
Having identified the bag's owner, the Warden rubbed Wangwang's little head.
"I'm glad you're all right. But if you want a walk from now on, you must wait until I return. Also, I'll be cutting back your food tomorrow—rules are rules."
"Woof!"
It's a deal! Two blessings at once!
Seeing how lively Wangwang was, the Warden carried him back into the office. "It seems there's nothing wrong with the Head Chef's food, at least for most people."
He considered the entire incident from beginning to end, finally classifying it as a personal dispute.
"But perhaps I should analyze another portion of food."
"Woof, woof!"