Chapter 13 (continued)

One of the puppies stood with its head and chest held high, gazing at Shi Wen with bright eyes and its mouth slightly open. It seemed very interested in him, and when it met his gaze, it gave a "woof."

The other puppy had curled itself into a semicircle, lying limply on its front paws, its eyes half-closed and its body motionless. Its fluffy face was full of dejection.

It was remarkable that puppies from the same litter could have such completely different personalities.

Shi Wen crouched down and, deciding that neither puppy intended to attack him, reached inside and stroked the lively puppy first.

The lively puppy's fur was thick, soft, and smooth. Shi Wen stroked it with and against the grain, petted its head, belly, and paws, and it didn't seem to mind any of it.

It even stuck out its little pink tongue and flopped onto the bottom of the cage, exposing its white belly. It put a little paw on Shi Wen's hand, asking him to rub its belly.

Shi Wen obliged, and it whined affectionately, pushing itself under his hand again and again until his heart nearly melted.

The lively puppy rolled around on the bottom of the cage, begging for affection. After being bumped several times, the dejected puppy let out a remarkably humanlike sigh and moved aside.

Shi Wen couldn't help laughing and patted the dejected puppy on the head.

The dejected puppy seemed to like Shi Wen too. It nudged its fluffy head into his hand and rested it motionlessly in his palm.

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, pushing its own head toward Shi Wen's chest and whining for him to pet it.

After settling the other kittens and puppies, the young woman came over and saw them. "Oh, are they competing for your attention already?"

Shi Wen looked up and smiled. "It's pretty lively."

"That's just with you. It's not like that with anyone else." The young woman pointed at the lively puppy. "This one acts like 'anyone who comes close has to die' whenever other adopters come by. It barks so hard it puts its whole tail into it, and all that woofing makes my ears hurt every day."

"This one." The young woman pointed at the dejected puppy. "This one buries its head under its paws no matter who comes, giving a vivid demonstration of 'don't fucking touch me.'"

The young woman said, "The way they are, I was afraid I'd be stuck with them and wouldn't be able to find them homes."

Shi Wen smiled, his eyes curving slightly as he showed a row of snow-white teeth.

The young woman's voice softened. "I think you have an affinity with them. If you like them, why not take them home? Is your home in the city or the pastoral area?"

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

"They'd be a good choice, then," the young woman said. "They both have good frames and builds, and they're smart too. Their personalities are a little unusual, but they both like you, so there shouldn't be a problem."

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

The young woman readily replied, "Just register your ID, phone number, address, and so on, so we can follow up with you later. As long as you treat them well, that's all there is to it."

Shi Wen was quite fond of both puppies. He took out his ID and registered, then bought some dog food, dog treats, and common veterinary medicines at the shop.

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

Shi Wen also bought several large bags of beef products, such as the beef jerky and beef bites Heiwa liked. He was bringing new puppies home, so he couldn't let Heiwa feel neglected.

While Shi Wen was choosing, his phone rang.

He pulled it out and saw that Yan Kexing was calling.

Shi Wen hurriedly put the pet treats in the shopping cart, then pointed at his phone to indicate to the young woman that he was going outside to take a call.

Before the young woman could react further, he was already hurrying out.

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

Yan Kexing got straight to the point. "Shi Wen, are you free? I need a favor."

Shi Wen said, "What is it? Just tell me."

Yan Kexing said, "A Tibetan wild ass has fallen into a marsh. 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 didn't think much of it after hearing him out. "No problem. Which marsh? I'm in the city, so I'll find a ride over right away."

"At the northern foot of the Agouna Mountains." Having received an affirmative answer, Yan Kexing said, "You're in N City? I'm in the suburbs. Send me an address, and I'll come pick you up."

"Hang on, I'll send it to you on WeChat."

Shi Wen sent him the address, hung up, and hurried back to the pet hospital. He asked to leave the two puppies there for now and come back for them after he was done.

The young woman readily agreed.

Shi Wen didn't wait long before Yan Kexing drove up.

Yan Kexing wore a white shirt and dress pants. His sleeves were rolled almost to his elbows, revealing the smooth lines of his arms.

One look at him told Shi Wen that he hadn't planned to be out in the wild today. He guessed something had gone wrong with the Tibetan wild ass and someone had asked Yan Kexing to go over.

The thought passed through his mind, and Shi Wen quickly put all his analysis aside. He opened the passenger-side door and got in.

The car carried Yan Kexing's faint scent, like forest mist in spring. It enveloped Shi Wen as soon as he sat down.

Everything else in his mind vanished in an instant, and all his attention was pulled forcefully toward Yan Kexing.

Shi Wen used the act of fastening his seat belt to steady himself, then said, "I've never seen a Tibetan wild ass before. Is the situation serious?"

"There are plenty around the Agouna Mountains. You'll see one soon." Yan Kexing turned the car around and drove Shi Wen toward the suburbs. "What brought you into the city today?"

"I recently bought another batch of sheep, and Heiwa might not be able to keep an eye on them all alone, so I thought I'd get a few more sheepdogs. This pet hospital happened to have some sheepdogs up for adoption, so I came to take a look."

"Did you find any you liked?"

"I liked two of them and already finished the adoption paperwork. I'll come back for them once we're done."

As Shi Wen chatted with Yan Kexing, he realized that Yan Kexing was very familiar with his ranch.