Although fireworks were banned in Binhai City, they were allowed in remote neighborhoods and counties . The noise travelled a large distance in the quiet morning . It must have been a huge firework . . .
Fireworks with a 10 inch shell were as powerful as a bomb . One all on its own could be heard from over half the city .
Today was January 1st, the beginning of a new year .
Zhang Zian was exhausted from his lack of sleep . He looked at his phone, and silently added up how many red packets he'd missed from countless Wechat groups since midnight . He felt like he'd lost a fortune, and soon became wide awake .
When his parents ran the pet shop, they would close the store for a few days during major holidays like New Year's . This way, they could take young Zian to the park or on a short trip in the area . But now, he was all alone and had nowhere to go even if he did close the shop . He might as well keep the business open and running . He still gave the day off to Wang Qian, Li Kun, and Lu Yiyun, and asked them not to come in that day .
Wang Qian and Li Kun had finished their finals . They should be spending time with their families during the holidays, and then getting ready to go back to school to prepare for more exams .
Lu Yiyun had some rough patches with her family in the past . But blood was thicker than water . The holidays were all about spending time with family, so she might as well message them and try to fix things .
Since he couldn't fall back sleep, he figured that he might as well get up .
He sat up quietly, got dressed, and looked around the room .
The fireworks had even briefly woken up the elfins . But it was early, and it was still completely dark outside . Even the energetic Galaxy went back to sleep, not to mention the sleepy Fina, who wouldn't wake up even if the sky fell down . Old Time Tea's was asleep, taking long and steady breaths . Its breathing was as steady as a radio clock's .
"Meow . . . nom . . . raw beef brisket . . . " Besides from talking in its sleep, Snowy Lionet developed another bad habit of having dreams about eating . Zian almost wanted to shove a cockroach into its mouth .
Farther away, Famous was asleep in a corner . The dim light from the night lamp was the only lighting in the room . Famous had been sleeping better these days and woke up less often in the night . Weirdly enough, it also developed a bad habit of kicking its leg while it was sleeping . Who knows what it was trying to kick at .
Zhang Zian went to the bathroom and then sneaked out of his bedroom .
By the glass door, Zhan Tian alertly lifted its head . When it saw that it was only Zhang Zian, it laid back down in peace .
Zhan Tian was without a doubt a previous top police dog candidate . It was much more alert than Famous, and responded to the slightest sound before anyone else .
Zhang Zian rolled up the metal door shutter, and waved it over . "Zhan Tian, come and play with me outside . "
Zhan Tian walked over obediently . He put on its leash and they left the shop .
It was very early in the morning and still dark outside . The street lamps were on, with only a few people walking around . Wind was blowing through the area and there was the slight smell of gunpowder . Zhang Zian walked with Zhan Tian down the street, and reached Uncle Li's restaurant before he even realized it .
The lights were turned on early in the restaurant . Through the window, he could see the old couple working . There were no customers yet, but the restaurant owners had to get up early and prepare the food before the customers arrived .
He pushed the door open and said, "Uncle and Aunt, happy new year!"
Uncle Li and Aunt Li were mixing dough . They were surprised to hear his voice, and lifted their heads . "Oh! Master Zhang, happy new year! Happy new year!"
They knew that Zhang Zian had been busy lately . He hadn't visited their restaurant in a long time .
"I got up early today and had nothing to do . So I decided to pay you guys a visit . " Zhang Zian smiled . "One bowl of wonton soup for me, please . And one for him as well, a large one with all meat filling . "
He sat down on a chair and tapped Zhan Tian's head . "Sit . "
Zhan Tian sat next to him dutifully .
"Wow! This dog is so well-trained, it actually sits down when it's told to . It's much more obedient than the dogs in the countryside . " Aunt Li enviously looked at Zhan Tian . "We had a big dog back home, but then it was trapped by somebody . "
"Trapped?" Zhang Zian had just woken up, and hadn't washed his face so he wouldn't wake up the sleeping elfins . His brain was working slowly, and couldn't understand the words she was saying .
Aunt Li drew a circle in the air . "It's a wooden rod, with an iron circle on one end, used to trap dogs . There used to be dog trappers in the city too, since city dogs are so expensive and well fed . But there are too many security cameras in the city, so the trappers moved to the countryside . They usually come in groups of two or three . One drives a motorcycle, with another person on the backseat . If they see a dog roaming on the road, they trap it and run away! They put the dog's neck into the iron circle, and quickly speed up the motorcycle . Most dogs choke and faint . Some stronger dogs won't pass out, but they're too weak to struggle after being choked . . . "
Aunt Li thought about the dog that got stolen in her hometown, and took a deep sigh . It was an ordinary type of dog from the countryside, not an expensive breed . But, they had raised since it was a puppy . Any owner would have been attached to it and heartbroken over it being trapped and taken .
Zhang Zian suddenly understood . He'd heard about dog trapping, but he'd never seen it happen himself . Maybe it happened less often in the city, but not in the countryside . Especially now, as most young people moved to the city to work, leaving the old and sick in the countryside, easy to be taken advantage of .
"What do they do with the trapped dogs?" He asked .
Aunt Li shook her head . "I'm not sure . But I heard that the trappers bring the dogs back to their homes and sell the expensive dogs . The cheap breeds are sold to dog meat restaurants, so my dog . . . " She sighed sorrowfully .
Nobody would want to buy her ordinary dog . It probably ended up at a dog meat restaurant .
Zhang Zian also sighed . If it had been sold again, there was at least chance to get it back . But if it had been sold to a dog meat restaurant . . .
At that moment, Uncle Li served the hot wonton soup and scolded her . "This is the first day of the new year, with our special guest Master Zhang . Why are you upsetting him? Go back to the kitchen to help! I'm swamped over here!"
Aunt Li was a tough woman . She widened her eyes and said, "I'll say whatever I want . It's none of your business! How do you know what Master Zhang wants to hear?"
Zhang Zian didn't want them to argue, and tried to make peace . "It's okay, really . I liked the story and learned something new . "
"You old decrepit man, you hear that?" Aunt Li's eyes were even wider after getting support .
The couple was always arguing . They were both used to it, and couldn't hurt the other's feelings .
Uncle Li put the wontons on Zhang Zian's table and smiled . "Help yourself, Master Zhang, and don't listen to this old woman . Our old dog was probably not trapped . It might have gotten lost . One morning, the gate was open in our yard, and the dog was resting in the sun near it . I was making pickles close by . Then this woman called me from inside the house . I went in the house for a few minutes and then the dog was missing when I came back out . "
"So it's my fault then?" Aunt Li was furious . "I called you for something . You knew there were dog trappers around . Why didn't you close the gate before coming inside the house?"
Uncle Li yelled, "How could I think that far ahead? You were rushing me to get inside, and kept calling me even after I answered you . I thought you fell and hit your head, so I hurried inside to see what was wrong, without even washing my hands . It turned out to be nothing important, and we lost the dog because of it . "
Before they started arguing again, Zhang Zian interrupted their conversation . "You're right, Uncle Li . The dog wasn't on a leash, right? It might have gotten lost . Maybe a car drove by, and it followed out of curiosity . "
He knew he wasn't being that convincing, but it was better than saying nothing .
Uncle Li nodded and continued . "I've heard that old dogs are spiritual beings . Our dog was very old . Maybe it knew that it didn't have that much time left, so it left us to die in a quiet place . It's possible that it wasn't trapped!"
He emphasized over and over that it might not have been kidnapped . He didn't want to give up on what little hope he had . It surely wouldn't have lived after being trapped . But if it got lost, it at least had the chance to die a natural death .
This showed how much Uncle Li loved their dog, so much that he couldn't bear to imagine it suffering a terrible death .
Aunt Li mumbled . Just as she was about to respond, she heard the water boiling in the kitchen, and told Zhang Zian in a hurry, "Master Zhang, since your dog is so well trained, you must be even more cautious of dog trappers . "
Then she ran into the kitchen to pour the hot water in a thermos .
"This old woman makes a fuss everyday, don't take her seriously, Master Zhang . " Uncle Li stared at her from behind and turned to smile at Zhang Zian .
"It's fine . I really don't mind . " Zhang Zian laughed . "Uncle Li, I'm all good here . Go on ahead if you're busy . I can take care of myself . "
"Okay, enjoy your food . " There were a lot of things to take care of in the morning . Uncle Li left politely and went back to the kitchen .
Zhang Zian scooped up a wonton and some soup with his spoon, and then put it into his mouth . It was the perfect temperature . He added some chili powder and pepper, and looked around . It was too early, and no other customers had arrived yet . He put the disposable bowl with the meat wontons on the floor, and called Zhan Tian over for breakfast . If another customer was eating next to him, he wouldn't have done this because he wouldn't have wanted to upset them .
After a bowl of hot wonton soup, his nose was shiny with sweat, and his whole body was warm .
Zhan Tian also finished its food . It liked it a lot, and even drank most of the soup .
Zhang Zian left money on the table, shouted towards the kitchen, and then left the restaurant with Zhan Tian .
It took them about 20 minutes to finish breakfast . The day was brighter, and more pedestrians were in the streets .
He walked around for a while with Zhan Tian . A street lamp turned off as he passed by a utility pole, and then he noticed a piece of paper .
Normally, he wouldn't have paid attention to this . They were usually scam advertisements about magical alternative therapies for skin diseases, or rich women looking for surrogates . But he had a lot of free time this morning, so he stopped to take a look . It was taped to the pole, moving gently in the morning winds .
Lost Dog:
Around 16:40 on December 30th, I was walking my dog near the the Family Housing Facility of Binhai University . My white Samoyed saw a stray cat and chased after it, then suddenly disappeared after turning a corner around a residential building, and is nowhere to be found .
Its name is Tuan Tuan, female, only 3 years old, around half a meter tall and 1 . 1 meters long . It chews on the left side of its mouth, so its left teeth are slightly worn down .
Tuan Tuan is our family's joy . My parents are so sad and haven't been able to sleep for days . If someone is kind enough to get Tuan Tuan back, I'll pay 10,000 Yuan as a token of my appreciation . You have my word .
If someone stole it because of its beauty, please kindly return it . We won't fight you, and we're willing to pay the same price . If you're also a dog lover, I'll buy you a purebred Samoyed .
Tuan Tuan is not a purebred Samoyed . It's not worth that much money .
Tuan Tuan's picture was listed below the writing . Zhang Zian recognized right away, that just as the owner said, the Samoyed was beautiful, but not purebred .
There was telephone number at the end, along with a side note: Dear sanitation workers, please keep this flyer here for a few days . I'll take it down myself . Thanks!
Zhang Zian stopped to carefully read it again . He could feel the love and anxiety in the owner's words . A purebred Samoyed may cost a few thousand yuan, but the owner was willing to pay 10,000 yuan to get a non-purebred one back . If he meant what he said, this family really loved the dog and didn't want to lose it like this .
In general, ads for lost cats and dogs were common in the city . Zhang Zian had seen several different ones before . The silly sledding dog breeds especially, because they weren't cautious around strangers and would follow anyone who called it . It was easy to lose them . Also, many people walking their dogs didn't use a leash . If a dog got distracted, it could run away so fast that it would be impossible to follow, just like what had happened in this ad .
Maybe Uncle and Aunt Li were right . Zhang Zian suddenly became paranoid . Could this Samoyed have been trapped?
He read the ad again, and noticed the words "suddenly disappeared" . The owner must have thought it was suspicious to describe it this way .
Or maybe he was just thinking too much . Perhaps this dog was simply lost .
Zhan Tian sniffed around the pole . Zhang Zian pulled on its leash . "Come on, Zhan Tian . Let's go home . "
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