The story of the dog army caused quite a stir in Ping’an Brigade for several days, and its fame even spread to other villages.
As a result, some women who had married out of Ping’an Brigade but still had family there brought their relatives to visit the dogs under the guise of visiting family.
Wolf One and Wolf Two, along with their dog army, became quite the sensation in the area.
Because they could bring back meat, even the fox with a lame leg in the household became particularly obsequious toward Wolf One and Wolf Two.
It must be said that there’s a reason foxes have traditionally been depicted as beautiful creatures in folklore.
Take the one they had rescued, for example.
Although its leg was injured, its fiery red fur was stunning, with a fluffy, pretty face, sparkling fox-like eyes, and an exceptionally coquettish personality.
It was also very clever, knowing exactly who provided its food and shelter in this household. Every day, despite its injured leg, it would stubbornly wait at the door for Wolf One and Wolf Two to return.
As soon as the two wolves came back, it would wag its fluffy tail, flatten its ears like airplane wings, and let out soft, whimpering sounds as it rubbed against them, its movements incredibly clingy.
At first, Wolf One and Wolf Two were quite annoyed by it, but this fox had thick skin. When bitten, it would lie down and look at them pitifully.
It seemed to understand that Wolf One and Wolf Two were just trying to scare it, as the bites never hurt. So, it would shamelessly hobble over again, acting particularly delicate and frail.
Over time, the two wolves seemed to grow accustomed to it. They even started leaving a large piece of meat for it whenever they went out hunting—meat they had saved from their own meals in the mountains.
Sometimes, they would bring back an entire wild chicken, rabbit, or field mouse for it.
While recovering from its injuries at Lin Zhen’s home, this fox managed to fatten itself up and make its fur glossy within about a week.
And it didn’t seem like it was just freeloading.
Because it was really good at what it did—not only waiting for the two wolves to return, but also sharing food with them when Song Wei and the others provided it. It would even groom their fur and squeeze between them to cuddle when they slept.
If not for the difference in species, Song Wei might have suspected they were biological siblings.
This fox had truly managed to find itself two capable and powerful protectors.
In a way, it really looked like a family: the older brother and sister were strong warriors who went out to fight, while the younger brother was a spoiled, coquettish crybaby.
Song Wei: …What on earth am I thinking?
“Song Wei, is Song Wei here?”
An unfamiliar voice came from outside, and the three carnivores in the house immediately perked up their ears. Heidan, who was sitting on a small stool writing in the courtyard, also craned his neck to look.
Song Wei went out and saw that it was the postman.
“Hello, I’m Song Wei.”
“There’s a package for you.”
“Thank you, Uncle Li. You’ve gone through a lot of trouble. Have a cup of water.”
Heidan, ever perceptive, quickly brought over a cup of water. The postman, drenched in sweat, had made a special trip to deliver the package, and it wasn’t easy for him.
Besides, he was somewhat of an acquaintance.
Uncle Li didn’t stand on ceremony and took the bowl from Heidan, drinking it down.
“Oh, it’s sweetened water.”
Heidan grinned.
After finishing the water, Uncle Li said his goodbyes to Song Wei and the others and rode off on his bicycle.
Closing the door, Song Wei opened the package. Inside was a newspaper, a remittance slip, and some ration coupons.
At a glance, she saw that the remittance slip was for about thirty yuan.
She knew that newspapers typically paid between six to twenty yuan per thousand words for submissions. This was a local newspaper, and her article was around three thousand words. They had paid her ten yuan per thousand words, which was quite generous, especially since they had also included ration coupons.
There were meat coupons, grain coupons, and fabric coupons—about five in total. Not a lot, but still a rare treat.
Opening the newspaper, she saw that her article wasn’t on the front page, but it was placed in a fairly prominent position toward the back, which was still quite good.
Song Wei’s eyes lit up.
This was money and coupons she had earned entirely through her own efforts. How could she not be happy?
She looked more closely and noticed that the published article had been slightly edited, but not much. The most exciting part even included a photo, so the pictures she had sent along with the article had clearly been put to good use.
Seeing Song Wei so happy, Heidan tiptoed over.
“Sister, what is it? Let me see too.”
Song Wei handed him the newspaper: “Look, you’ve made it into the paper.”
Heidan followed her finger to the spot she was pointing at and his eyes widened.
The photo was taken at the school gate, capturing the moment the dogs were welcoming the children.
The children were inside the school, their backpacks on, their faces filled with clear, carefree smiles. The dogs were outside the school, sitting in an orderly and imposing manner, not entering the school grounds but watching the children inside like loyal guardians.
It had to be said, this scene was both eye-catching and heartwarming.
Heidan’s small figure was also clearly visible in the photo.
“It’s really me! I’m in the newspaper!”
At this time, being featured in a newspaper carried significant weight, and Song Wei had submitted the article to the largest newspaper in the city.
Even though Heidan was young, he understood that this was an incredibly honorable thing for him.
“Hahaha… I’m in the newspaper! Wolf One, Wolf Two, come quick! You’re in the newspaper too! We’re all in the newspaper!”
Song Wei smiled as she watched him cheer, then opened the letter that had come with the newspaper.
The newspaper said they really enjoyed her style of writing and the stories about the children and dogs. They hoped to continue working with her in the future, especially if she included photos. The payment would remain at ten yuan per thousand words.
They also explained why the payment was only ten yuan: as a new author, ten yuan was the highest they could offer. Established authors with more reputation could earn more, but if her work received a good response, her payment could increase over time.
This was the highest rate the newspaper could offer her at the moment, and they had also included some ration coupons as a bonus.
Song Wei thought to herself that this newspaper was quite honest.
It was a pity Lin Zhen wasn’t home at the moment, or she could have shared her joy with him.
She even gave Heidan a dime as pocket money, just because she was happy today.
“Sister made some money today, so here’s some pocket money for you.”
Heidan was overjoyed. Today was truly a great day!
When Lin Zhen returned home, he immediately noticed the cheerful atmosphere.
As soon as he entered, Song Wei shoved the newspaper into his hands, her face beaming like a flower, vibrant and beautiful.
“Take a look, my article got published.”
Song Wei never would have thought that she, a former academic underachiever, could earn money through her writing skills honed from keeping a diary in her past life!
The amount wasn’t huge—it wasn’t as much as what she earned from selling wild boar meat.
But the two were different.
This was something to be proud of, something she could openly boast about. One article could earn her as much as a formal worker’s monthly salary!
After reading it, Lin Zhen also smiled visibly.
“I knew you could do it.”
His tone was filled with pride.
The two of them laughed and leaned against each other, Song Wei’s eyes curving into a smile that made her look truly beautiful.
He felt lucky too, to have found someone like her to spend his life with.
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