Chapter 29

Shi Wen opened the video and took a look.

Two little yellow dogs were squeezed into a cage. They had big eyes, broad noses, and thick paws. Though they were a little skinny, they were unquestionably purebred shepherd dogs.

They seemed like a good fit.

Shi Wen opened the contact card and decided to get in touch with the pet hospital.

"Starlight Pet Hospital—"

Following the navigation, Shi Wen arrived at the entrance of a pet hospital. He looked up at the sign, then pushed open the glass door and walked inside.

The moment he entered, the cats and dogs filling the room fell quiet for a moment before instantly erupting into a commotion. More than half the animals in the pet shop turned to look at him, with barks and meows rising one after another.

The puppies in particular were so excited they practically wanted to tap-dance inside their cages. They thrust their mouths through the bars and barked enthusiastically at him.

The few people standing in the pet shop all turned to look at him.

Shi Wen froze where he stood. He had not expected his affinity with animals to have become this strong.

A young woman poked her head out from behind the shelves. "Hello?"

Shi Wen took out his phone. "Hello, I contacted you on WeChat. I wanted to see the two dogs up for adoption."

"Oh, it's you." The young woman tried to soothe the cats and dogs, then pointed. "The puppies are over here. Have a look first."

Following where she pointed, Shi Wen immediately spotted the two puppies inside a large cage on the bottom shelf.

Both puppies were local shepherd dogs with yellow backs and white bellies. Judging by their builds, they had probably only been weaned recently.

At that moment, one of the puppies stood proudly with its head raised, staring brightly at Shi Wen. Its mouth was slightly open, and it looked extremely interested in him. When their eyes met, it gave a bark.

The other puppy had curled itself into a semicircle, lying listlessly over its front paws with half-closed eyes, completely motionless. Its fluffy face was full of dejection.

It was remarkable for puppies from the same litter to have such wildly different personalities.

Shi Wen crouched down. Once he determined that neither puppy meant to attack him, he reached into the cage and petted the lively one first.

The lively puppy had thick, soft fur that was smooth and sleek. Shi Wen stroked it with the grain, against the grain, on the head, belly, and paws, and it did not object at all.

It even stuck out its pink little tongue, flopped onto the bottom of the cage, exposed its white belly, and placed a little paw on Shi Wen's hand to signal for a belly rub.

Shi Wen rubbed its belly, and it whined coquettishly as it kept burrowing beneath his hand. His heart was practically melting.

As the lively puppy rolled around on the floor of the cage, acting cute, it bumped the dejected puppy several times. The latter let out a remarkably humanlike sigh and shifted aside to avoid it.

Shi Wen could not help laughing. He reached over and petted the dejected puppy's head.

The dejected puppy also seemed to like Shi Wen. It nudged its fluffy head into his hand and rested it against his palm without moving.

Holding up the dejected puppy's head, Shi Wen could only use his other hand to stroke its neck.

The lively puppy anxiously pawed at the dejected puppy's head, then shoved its own head toward Shi Wen's chest. It whined, signaling for Shi Wen to pet it.

Having soothed the other cats and dogs, the young woman came over and took a look. "Oh, are they fighting for attention now?"

Shi Wen looked up and smiled. "They're pretty lively."

"That's only with you. They aren't like this with anyone else." The young woman pointed at the lively puppy. "This one puts on a 'anyone who comes near me has to die' attitude whenever other adopters show up. It barks so hard even the base of its tail is straining. It barks every day until my ears hurt."

"This one." The young woman pointed at the dejected puppy again. "No matter who comes, it buries its head under its paws, vividly demonstrating exactly what 'don't mess with me' means."

The young woman said, "With the two of them acting like this, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find them homes."

Shi Wen smiled, his eyes curving slightly as he revealed a row of snowy white teeth.

The young woman's voice softened. "I think you have a connection with them. If you like them, take them home. Do you live in the city or out in the pastoral area?"

Shi Wen said, "In the pastoral area. I'm looking for two shepherd dogs."

The young woman said, "Then they're a good choice. They both have great frames and builds, and they're smart too. Their personalities are just a little unusual, but they both seem to like you, so there shouldn't be any problem."

Shi Wen stood up. "I'd like to adopt them. What procedures do I need to go through?"

The young woman readily replied, "We'll register your ID, phone number, address, and so on, so we can follow up later. Just treat them well. There's nothing else."

Shi Wen liked the two puppies quite a bit. He took out his ID and completed the registration, then bought some dog food, dog treats, and common veterinary medicine from the shop.

Not knowing what the two puppies liked, Shi Wen picked out several large bags of pet treats with better ingredients.

He also bought several large bags of beef products Black Kid liked, such as beef jerky and beef cubes. He could not let Black Kid feel neglected just because he was bringing home new puppies.

As Shi Wen was choosing items, his phone rang.

He took out his phone and checked it. The caller was Yan Kexing.

Shi Wen hurriedly tossed the pet treats into the shopping cart, pointed to his phone at the young woman, and indicated that he was going outside to take the call.

Before the young woman could react any further, he was already striding hurriedly outside.

Shi Wen walked outside the pet shop and answered Yan Kexing's call.

Yan Kexing got straight to the point. "Shi Wen, are you free? I need your help with something."

Shi Wen said, "What is it? Go ahead."

Yan Kexing said, "A Tibetan wild ass fell into a swamp. It's a little stressed and won't let anyone near it. I'd like you to come take a look and see if you can calm it down so we can pull it out."

Shi Wen did not think much of it after hearing that. "No problem. Which swamp is it? I'm in the city. I'll find a car and head over right away."

"It's at the northern foot of the Agouna Mountains." After receiving his affirmative answer, Yan Kexing said, "You're in N City? I'm in the suburbs. Send me your address, and I'll come pick you up."