Questioning

Of course Lu Mingyue knew the little yellow dog in front of her was male. It wasn't as though she couldn't see...

She simply hadn't expected Grandpa Li to be willing to give her the dog.

"Grandpa Li, are you really willing to give me this dog? I only brought enough money to buy cured pork ribs for my grandpa!"

Although Old Lu had connections with the yamen and counted as half an official employee, it wasn't as though the yamen had prisoners to behead every day, was it?

Besides, whatever Old Lu earned mostly went toward food, drink, and clothes for the two of them. At least, that had always been the case in the years Lu Mingyue could remember.

So she had always thought her grandpa probably hadn't saved up much.

What was more, she now needed to eat more good food to sustain her path of immortal cultivation.

Thus, much as she liked the puppy, if he cost money, she couldn't casually spend it on bringing a dog home.

He would need feeding once he came home, too. Even leftovers cost money!

Grandfather and granddaughter were both thrifty people who never threw away food they couldn't finish. Besides, Lu Mingyue was still only seven and had been raised by Old Lu, so naturally she couldn't make the decision over his head.

"Oh, you little girl. You really are a thoughtful one!"

Li Laifu gave Lu Mingyue a slightly sour sidelong look, then glanced at the little yellow dog who had taken to her so readily and waved a hand.

"He's a living creature, after all. Who knows where Big Yellow brought him back from? He was already weaned, and he's eaten quite a bit these past few days. I couldn't bear to throw him out. If you like him, take the little rascal home. Just think of it as taking a worry off your Grandpa Li's hands!"

"Hehe, you're the best, Grandpa Li!"

Once Lu Mingyue heard he was free, she knew she could take him home.

If Grandpa didn't like him, she would just eat a little less at each meal!

"Oh, stop it. You little girl only know how to sweet-talk people. Your Grandpa Lu is still the one you care about most!"

Li Laifu rolled his eyes, turned, and went into the shop, unhooking several pieces of air-dried cured pork ribs.

"Come take a look. Your grandpa's picky about his food, so choose a good piece for him!"

"Okay!"

After buying the cured ribs and paying, Lu Mingyue happily carried Little Yellow off to buy a large grass carp before heading home.

On the way, she ran into Grandpa Li's big yellow dog. Lu Mingyue was still rather afraid of this dog, who guarded Grandpa Li's house at night but roamed the streets all day. To her surprise, Big Yellow merely glanced sideways at Little Yellow in her arms, wagged his tail at her, and left.

Well, this dog dad wasn't very reliable.

Lu Mingyue silently felt sorry for Little Yellow for a second, then looked down to find him still grinning at her with his tongue hanging out.

"Grandpa, I'm home!"

Old Lu had already finished tending to the body of the Twin Blades Gang's second elder's son and was now smoking his pipe in the sunshine in the courtyard. At the sound, he looked over and immediately spotted the little yellow dog in Lu Mingyue's arms.

"Why've you brought a puppy home?"

Lu Mingyue was a little nervous, but she still approached with Little Yellow in her arms. "Grandpa, someone abandoned this little yellow dog by the road. He was so pitiful, and he kept following me the whole way, so I brought him back. Grandpa, please let me keep him, okay?"

Old Lu looked at the little yellow dog staring at him. Man and dog silently met each other's eyes for several breaths before he looked away and tapped his foot against the ground, setting his reclining chair rocking.

"Keep him if you want. When I was young, someone suggested I get a dog, too. Said I lived in this courtyard all alone without any company. I did, but he died after just a few years. It hurt to see, and after that I never wanted another."

So Grandpa had kept a dog before!

He just couldn't bear the sorrow of being parted from him?

Lu Mingyue understood her grandpa a little better now. Relieved, she happily carried Little Yellow into the kitchen.

"You're the best, Grandpa! I'll make you poached fish in chili broth right away!"

"Woof~"

The little yellow dog gave a puppyish yip, as though he knew he could stay, and wriggled, trying to jump out of Lu Mingyue's arms.

"Little Yellow, don't go running outside. Watch out, or someone might catch you and stew you into dog-meat soup!"

After giving the puppy this warning, Lu Mingyue put the little fellow on the ground and got busy making lunch for herself and her grandpa.

This worked out nicely. In the past, apart from the swim bladder and roe, she could only throw away the fish's innards.

Now she had Little Yellow, who had already eaten meat at Li Laifu's house and didn't care whether fish innards tasted good. He gobbled them all up in a few bites.

"Grandpa, I want to make Little Yellow a doghouse!"

After lunch, Lu Mingyue spoke to Old Lu as she cleared away the bowls and chopsticks.

"Aren't there still a few planks in the side room? Do what you can with those. Don't hurt your hands."

Full and satisfied, Old Lu was leaning back in his reclining chair, drowsy. He had seen that the puppy wasn't picky and ate both meat and vegetable leaves, so naturally he had no objections now.

"Okay!"

Lu Mingyue answered happily and went to the side room to pick out several planks over a meter long. These were old timbers left over from repairs to the house, treated with tung oil, and they weren't cheap.

That was why Lu Mingyue had needed Grandpa's permission before making Little Yellow a doghouse.

Fortunately, after being fed earlier, Little Yellow already knew who treated him well. Wherever Lu Mingyue went, he trotted eagerly along behind her.

"Our native dogs really are clever!"

As Lu Mingyue hammered away at the planks, she pictured the various doghouses she had seen in her previous life. It took her over an hour to make the simplest sort of doghouse.

"Little Yellow, get in!"

She rubbed a handful of dry rice straw between her hands and put it inside the doghouse. Once she was sure it was warm enough inside, Lu Mingyue issued an order to Little Yellow, who was sitting sleepily nearby.

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"Woof~"

Little Yellow ambled inside. Perhaps the straw was warm enough, for he lay straight down.

"Good boy!"

Lu Mingyue propped her chin in her hands. Seeing that Little Yellow was about to fall asleep, she couldn't help murmuring to herself again.

"Calling you Little Yellow doesn't seem quite right. You'll grow up someday. Am I supposed to call you Big Yellow then? Wouldn't that give you the same name as your dad? That won't do. It'd muddle the generations..."

"Old Lu, where's my young master's body?"

Lu Mingyue was pondering a name for Little Yellow when a man's voice suddenly rang out from beyond the courtyard, accompanied by footsteps.

From the sound of it, quite a few people had come.

Lu Mingyue grew nervous. She pressed Little Yellow, who had been startled awake, back into his doghouse, then picked up the hammer and walked out.

"The young master's body is in the room. Rest assured, Second Master, I've already made him presentable..."

Old Lu had risen from his reclining chair and was speaking with a bow to a burly man dressed in black. A dozen or so sturdy men stood in the courtyard.

"Go bring your younger brother's body out."

The burly man spoke to the person beside him, then turned to glance at Lu Mingyue standing in the doorway before tossing Old Lu a money pouch.

"Old Lu, you were responsible for tending to my son's body. Did you find anything on him?"

Though the form of address was familiar, his tone was somewhat cold and hard.

Lu Mingyue's little body tensed.

She could tell that the man in black was only being polite on the surface. Those words were clearly questioning her grandpa!

"Anything?"

Old Lu looked a little puzzled, too. Instinctively catching the money pouch, he raised his head to look at the Twin Blades Gang's second elder.

"The young master was wearing only a single-layer garment. There wasn't anything on him..."

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