The foolish roe deer was left behind to live with the two deer.
When it came time to eat the roe deer meat, Hei Dan couldn’t resist the temptation and completely forgot his earlier vow on the mountain.
Now, Lin Zhen’s household was getting livelier by the day.
There were two rabbits—most of the rabbits they raised earlier had been slaughtered during the New Year.
When they started slaughtering the rabbits, Hei Dan was upset at first, but as soon as he tasted the rabbit meat, his sadness disappeared.
Rabbits reproduced quickly, so they kept the smaller ones and traded others with the educated youth at the commune or friendly aunties in the village, leaving just two for themselves.
They also had three chickens: one rooster and two hens. Both hens were currently brooding.
Add to this the two wolves, and the yard was truly bustling.
Despite the many animals, the yard was kept impeccably clean. Song Wei had even planted some fragrant flowers in the corners, so the air carried a light, pleasant aroma.
Hei Dan was a diligent little helper. Lin Zhen and Song Wei didn’t ask him to gather firewood in the mountains, but every morning after waking up, he would clean the deer pen, rabbit cages, and chicken coop before heading to school with the two wolves.
On the way, he would meet his classmates and play with them.
Wolf One and Wolf Two, acting as leaders, gathered the brigade’s dogs and escorted the children to school in a spectacular parade.
Seeing this scene, the villagers couldn’t help but laugh.
“Those two wolves from Song Wei’s house are amazing! Every time I see this, I can’t help but laugh—it’s so incredible. Back in our day, there weren’t so many dogs escorting us to school.”
“There weren’t even many kids going to school back then. But these wolves—those sharp eyes! You can tell they’ve got wolf blood in them.”
“With those wolves around, no kidnappers would dare come near.”
The adults didn’t need to personally escort their children; they just watched as their kids walked to school with their friends, accompanied by the cats and dogs. It was reassuring.
Yes, there were even a few cats in the mix: two tabby cats and an orange cat, all of them looking quite imposing.
“It makes me want to get a dog too. My kid will start school next year.”
“Doggy…”
A three-year-old child tried to run over but was quickly caught by his mother.
“Where do you think you’re going? It’s not your turn to go to school yet.”
But the mother was already thinking about getting a dog. She didn’t want her child to be the only one without a canine escort when the time came—it would be embarrassing.
Today, Song Wei accompanied Hei Dan to school.
She hadn’t expected the cat-and-dog escort squad to grow so large.
Unable to resist, she went back to grab her camera and started taking pictures of the cats and dogs lounging around the school.
When school was about to end, Song Wei returned to see the dogs already sitting in neat rows at the school gate.
As soon as they saw their kids, they wagged their tails and trotted over, even carrying the children’s schoolbags in their mouths.
The cats, though not strong enough to carry bags, walked beside their children like loyal guards.
The two tabby cats, in particular, walked with such swagger that they exuded an air of authority.
The three cats accompanying the kids were all robust and well-fed.
Although they were house cats, rural cats often started hunting mice as early as two or three months old.
In the countryside, mice were plentiful, as were forest birds and grasshoppers. These cats were excellent hunters, keeping themselves well-fed and muscular.
More importantly, they were smart.
Song Wei couldn’t help but smile. She had never seen such a sight in her previous life. She eagerly snapped several photos of the scene.
Looking at the cats and dogs, Song Wei felt an overwhelming sense that these weren’t just animals—they were companions for the children.
“Big Sister Song, did you come to pick me up from school?”
Hei Dan ran over excitedly, flanked by Wolf One and Wolf Two.
Song Wei raised her camera and said, “I was taking some photos.”
This was a scene she wanted to capture. It seemed her camera couldn’t remain a secret any longer.
Sure enough, as soon as she spoke, the nearby children’s eyes lit up, and they swarmed around her.
“Big Sister Song, is that a camera?”
“Big Sister Song, did you take a picture of me? Do I look good?”
“Big Sister Song…”
The children crowded around, their sweet voices calling her “sister.”
“I took pictures of everyone. I’ll have them developed soon so you can all see them.”
Hei Dan and Shuanzi puffed out their chests with pride. Their expressions were almost smug.
After all, they had photos of their own!
Although Shuanzi had been tempted to show his friends his photos, he had kept them hidden at Hei Dan’s insistence.
On the way home, Song Wei was surrounded by children, followed by a majestic procession of dogs. It looked like they were heading off to a gang fight—truly imposing.
As the children gradually went home, Shuanzi looked at Song Wei with shining eyes.
“Big Sister Song, can I show my friends my photos now?”
Song Wei smiled and nodded. “Of course! Just be careful not to damage them.”
Zhuanzi nodded vigorously and ran home.
The first thing he did was pull out his family photo and the large portrait of his grandparents.
“Big Sister Song said we don’t need to hide them anymore. We can look at our photos whenever we want!”
His grandparents loved the photos, especially his grandmother, who would take out the family photo every day to admire it, her spirits visibly lifted.
After that day, word spread that Song Wei had a camera.
Although many people were curious and wanted to see it, they didn’t dare bother her at night.
Meanwhile, Song Wei was writing in her journal.
“I never imagined that the loyalty of cats and dogs could be so vividly displayed.
The village children have started school, but their escorts aren’t their parents—though they might as well be. These are companions who can’t speak but stay by their sides: the cats and dogs.
Recently, something major happened in the brigade. Some kidnappers came, but thanks to early detection, all the children were safe. Even so, the adults were worried. Busy with work in the fields, they couldn’t always accompany their children to and from school.
So, the children called on the companions they had grown up with. Now, the brigade has a unique scene…”
Song Wei recorded the event in her journal, her words simple yet vivid.
Although she wasn’t particularly good at academics, she had always kept a habit of journaling in her previous life.
It had been a way to cope with loneliness, a safe outlet for emotions.
In this life, she rarely wrote, but she still liked to record interesting events.
This time, she could include photos alongside her writing. She had also documented her previous experiences, such as whale watching and fishing, in her journal with photos.
Lin Zhen stood behind her. “Can I take a look?”
Song Wei handed it to him. There was nothing secret in it, so why not?
“I want to see too!” Hei Dan chimed in enthusiastically.
Song Wei smiled. “We’ll develop the photos tomorrow.”
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