The Little Boss attracted a lot of attention, with many people asking where they got the dog, as it didn’t look like a local breed.
Song Wei: “A friend gave it to us. Since it’s still small, we brought it along on this long trip. Everyone, uncles, aunties, brothers, and sisters, please don’t mind. It won’t run around or bark.”
No one minded, of course.
This little one looked like a hero.
Not only did no one mind, but Little Boss also became particularly popular on the train afterward. Even the train police couldn’t resist playing with it when they passed by.
Especially when they noticed that the little guy would whine and call for someone when it needed to relieve itself, everyone found it even more endearing.
How old is it? It’s practically smarter than a child.
Song Wei also felt that Little Boss was a bit too clever.
At night, while preparing to sleep, she picked up the little dog and examined it from left to right.
Lin Zhen: “What are you looking at?”
Song Wei whispered, “I’m wondering if this little guy forgot to drink the Mengpo Soup in its past life. But looking at its clear eyes, it doesn’t seem like it.”
Lin Zhen tapped her forehead: “What are you thinking? Some dogs are just naturally smart. Back in our village, there was a hunter who had a black dog that started learning to hunt in the mountains at just three months old, and it learned quickly. There are also military dogs that can understand commands at a very young age.”
In comparison, Little Boss is smart, but not that extraordinary.
Herding is an instinct passed down in this breed’s bloodline, and a keen sense of smell is a talent shared by all dogs, though some breeds excel in this area. Little Boss probably falls into this category.
As for knowing to call someone when it needs to relieve itself, even some children whine when they need to go. Moreover, Little Boss is used to doing its business in the grass. It’s just a habit.
When a habit is suddenly disrupted, they instinctively seek out someone close to help solve the problem.
Song Wei didn’t dwell on it too much.
When it got dark, they slept. When it got light, Lin Zhen took a thermos to fetch hot water and heated up some food.
Little Boss ran around the train carriage, and no one shooed or scolded it. In fact, some people really liked it.
“Little Boss, come eat.”
Little Boss’s meal had meat, vegetables, and soup. Actually, milk would be best for a puppy this age, but there was none on the train.
Powdered milk, being a luxury item, was even less available. Even if they had it, preparing milk for a dog in front of so many people would have drawn strange looks.
Although everyone liked Little Boss, it was still a dog, and in their eyes, it could never be as precious as a human.
After breakfast, with nothing else to do, they passed the time by reading or looking at the scenery outside.
After two days on the train, they arrived in City G.
The two of them were getting off here to check on Xie Tian’s mother as he had asked.
First, they checked into a local guesthouse, dropped off their luggage, and then took Little Boss to the address Xie Tian had given them.
When they reached a certain apartment building, Song Wei and Lin Zhen asked the elderly gatekeeper about Ji Guiyu.
The old man had a loud voice and was hard of hearing: “What? What fish? You want to buy fish? Why’d you come here for that?”
Song Wei raised her voice a bit: “Not buying fish. We’re looking for someone named Ji Guiyu.”
As she spoke, she handed the old man a few pieces of candy.
“Uncle, you’ve worked hard. Do you know Xie Tian? We’re looking for Xie Tian’s mother.”
After receiving the candy, the old man’s hearing seemed to improve.
“Oh, you mean Xie Tian’s mother! I know Xie Tian. Poor kid, both he and his mother have had it rough…”
Seeing that he was about to go on a long tangent, Song Wei and Lin Zhen exchanged a helpless look.
Lin Zhen took out fifty cents and placed it in front of the old man.
“Uncle, get to the point.”
The old man’s hands moved swiftly: “Well, here’s the thing. Yesterday, Xie Tian’s stepfather came home drunk and beat up Xiao Ji. We all heard the screams.”
“The Women’s Federation came to check, but this is a family matter, and no one wants to interfere. Are you relatives of Xiao Ji? You should go see her quickly. She hasn’t left the house since yesterday.”
Song Wei and Lin Zhen’s expressions changed, and after thanking the old man, they hurried to Xie Tian’s home.
After knocking, there was no response or movement from inside.
Something was wrong.
Song Wei decisively kicked the door open.
The noise was so loud that neighbors from the apartment building poked their heads out to see what was happening.
“What’s going on? Who are you? Why are you kicking doors?” a neighbor shouted, glaring at them.
“Sorry, Auntie. Xie Tian’s mother is our aunt. The gatekeeper said she hasn’t left the house since yesterday, and when we knocked, there was no response. We got worried and had to do this.”
Song Wei spoke quickly and had already rushed into the house.
Once inside, her face turned pale. She bent down and picked up the woman lying on the floor, unconscious, with blood on the back of her head.
“Move aside, everyone. I need to take her to the hospital.”
Lin Zhen cleared the way ahead, while Song Wei carried the woman and ran behind him.
The onlookers, seeing the blood on the floor and the woman in Song Wei’s arms, were horrified.
“This… this is going to be a death!”
The entire apartment building erupted in chaos.
“Who would’ve thought? Zhao Yongkang seemed like such a decent man, but he beat her to death.”
“How cruel! This isn’t disciplining his wife—this is murder!”
“I heard it was about the house. Zhao Yongkang wanted Xiao Ji to transfer the house to his name, but she refused, saying it was for Xiao Xie. After that, Zhao Yongkang started beating her often.”
“That’s why you have to be careful when choosing a man. What kind of monster did she marry?”
Of course, there were also those with old-fashioned views.
“A woman should follow her husband. What’s the point of her holding onto the house? Since she married Zhao Yongkang, the house should belong to the husband’s family. I don’t see anything wrong with what Zhao Yongkang did.”
Everyone glanced at the speaker—oh, it was the notorious old-fashioned thinker in the building. Never mind him.
No one paid him any attention.
The man snorted coldly and left with a dark expression.
Meanwhile, Song Wei and Lin Zhen rushed the woman to the hospital as fast as they could.
A few hours later, the doctor came out: “She was brought in just in time. Her life is saved, but she’ll need to recover well. She has multiple injuries. What’s going on in your family?”
Song Wei clenched her teeth: “My aunt married a violent scumbag!”
Damn it, my fists are itching to punch that scumbag.
After being saved, Ji Guiyu was sent to a hospital room for an IV drip.
Song Wei stayed in the room to watch over the medicine, while Lin Zhen went to buy food and gather information about Zhao Yongkang.
He didn’t have many connections here, so gathering information was difficult.
But there’s no shortage of people from all walks of life, and Lin Zhen had his own methods—it just required spending some money.
Ji Guiyu woke up around nine in the evening.
When she opened her eyes, she seemed dazed, as if recalling something. Tears streamed down the corners of her eyes.
“Auntie, are you okay?”
Ji Guiyu looked at her, her voice hoarse: “Who are you?”
Song Wei replied, “I’m Xie Tian’s friend.”
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