The Early Spring - Chapter 63

Chapter 63 - Hello There, Luke 

Shang Zhitao was a woman of action; once she decided on something, she did it right away.

In the final week before the New Year, colleagues were either taking time off or heading back to their hometowns, leaving very few people in the office. The efficiency-boosting project model Shang Zhitao had been handling successfully passed its tests and approvals, slated for an official launch right after the New Year.

Suddenly finding herself with nothing much to do, she took advantage of the rare moment to browse other web pages at her workstation. Lumi walked back holding a water glass and spotted her looking at dogs online.

"Like dogs?"

"I love them. I want to raise one." Shang Zhitao nodded. She had read online that dogs love to cling to people, idling right by your feet whenever you're free. She pictured it: on a snowy or rainy day, or simply when feeling utterly bored alone, having such a cute creature keeping you company must feel wonderful.

"I happen to have a friend who runs a kennel in Tongzhou. Want me to take you to pick one out?"

"Huh? Right now?"

Shang Zhitao truly admired her mentor for knowing people from every walk of life—it seemed as though there was no task she couldn't handle and no person she couldn't pull strings for across the entire city of Beijing.

"Of course right now." Lumi put on her coat. "There are only a few days in the entire year that are prime for playing hooky. If we don't go now, what are we waiting for?"

Shang Zhitao put on her coat as well, then noticed Kitty standing up from her workstation. Kitty was wearing a black knit mini dress and a pair of over-the-knee boots today, and she smiled at them out of the blue. "Where are you guys going to look at dogs?"

Lumi wanted to snap back with "None of your damn business," but Shang Zhitao chimed in first, "We're going to Tongzhou." She nipped their bickering right in the bud.

As they put on their coats and walked out, Kitty followed right behind them.

The three of them stayed silent inside the elevator. Then Shang Zhitao's phone rang, and she answered, "Hello, President Wang."

It was a supplier who had been onboarded this year—the very one Shang Zhitao had used for her Suzhou station event.

"I'm at the company," Shang Zhitao said with a smile.

"You're downstairs at our company?"

"Alright, I'll be right downstairs."

Shang Zhitao hung up the phone and said to Lumi, "Old Wang is here. He says he's just passing by and wanted to drop in for a visit."

Stepping out of the elevator, they saw President Wang sitting on the ground floor with two red New Year gift boxes beside him. Kitty, having entered through the back door of the cafeteria, glanced at the gift boxes, then took a look at Shang Zhitao before pushing open the door and walking inside.

"With the New Year approaching, our company prepared some Spring Festival couplets for our clients, and we've also put together a set for the two of you."

"No, we definitely can't take that. A gift box is a small matter, but work is a big deal." Lumi flatly refused. "President Wang, please don't be so polite. Let's have a meal together when you have time, but you can keep the gift boxes."

"That's right," Shang Zhitao nodded alongside her, telling President Wang, "You really don't need to be so courteous."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the three of them parted ways.

Lumi led Shang Zhitao to the underground parking garage to get her car. Once they were inside, she remarked, "Things like this are going to happen all the time in the future. Take my word for it: don't accept anything. Of course, you're not that kind of person anyway."

Shang Zhitao nodded. "I'm a coward. I don't want to get locked up at a young age and make my parents take the high-speed rail just to visit me in prison—how exhausting would that be?" She said it just like that, but her sense of justice wouldn't allow her to do such a thing anyway. Not taking even a single thread or needle from the masses—once you take something, how can you still face the masses?

"There's plenty of this stuff in our industry. People in marketing are always standing on the frontline of the wind and waves. A gift box today, a silk scarf tomorrow, a handbag the day after—before you know it, you're utterly ruined." Lumi shifted gears as she spoke. "Besides, your big sister here isn't hurting for that little bit of money!"

When Lumi mentioned "a handbag the day after," she suddenly remembered the four untouched bags sitting at home. Were those bags bought by Luan Nian or given by a client? That thought abruptly popped into her head, though she shook it away a second later. Luan Nian wasn't that kind of person; he lacked for nothing himself and possessed a distinct streak of aloof pride.

Shang Zhitao couldn't quite figure out how Luan Nian's habit of casually gifting luxury bags had developed. He handed over gifts so nonchalantly—take the gift left on the sofa with you when you leave, or grab the gift from the back seat when you step out of the car.

It took up so much space. How many belongings did she even have of her own? When moving houses, those bags alone required an entire box to themselves, making anyone unaware think she traded in luxury packaging boxes!

While she was lost in thought, Lumi reached into the back seat, handed her a small box, and said, "It's the New Year. This isn't for you—it's for your mom and dad."

"Why are you buying things for my parents?" Shang Zhitao felt like the box was burning her hands.

"Just take it! It's not for you anyway—belts, one for each of them. Thank you, Uncle and Auntie, for making those pickled vegetables; they were too delicious. I hope you bring back a bit more from home this time."

The last time Shang Zhitao went home, she brought back the pickled vegetables made by Old Zhai, filling half a suitcase with jars and bottles—a truly magnificent sight. She had brought two jars for Lumi, who fell completely in love with them and simply ate them all.

"If you love them I can bring more, but what's with you giving gifts..." Shang Zhitao felt a bit embarrassed.

"Is it any of your business? Just take it and don't make me angry."

The two of them bickered all the way to the kennel. The person running the kennel looked a bit punkish; upon seeing Lumi, he gave her a hearty slap on the shoulder. "You looking to get a dog?" It was clear the two of them were very familiar with each other.

"My girl here is looking to raise one," Lumi told Shang Zhitao. "Tell him whatever breed you want. He knows all the kennels around here, and if he doesn't have it here, he can take us to pick one out at someone else's place."

"I want to raise a Samoyed or a Golden Retriever," Shang Zhitao said earnestly. She liked Samoyeds because they looked like little snowballs, and Golden Retrievers because they were obedient and smart. In short, either was fine.

"I happen to have a litter of newborn Samoyeds right now. Show-line dogs—their coat volume, bone structure, and length are all top-tier. Want to take a look?"

"Sure."

Shang Zhitao followed him inside and was greeted by a wriggling pile of tiny snowballs.

The man even offered her a tip: "When buying a dog, it's all about fate. Call out to them, and the first one that comes over to play with you is guaranteed to be the sharpest and share the deepest bond with you."

Oh.

Shang Zhitao squatted down and called out—how was she supposed to call? Woof! She let out an imitation of a dog bark. It was the first time the kennel owner had ever seen someone call a dog like that, and he burst into laughter. "You're quite a funny girl."

Lumi was laughing on the sidelines too. "She's always like this, a complete airhead."

Sure enough, one little puppy heard Shang Zhitao's call, scurried over to her feet, and bit playfully onto her finger with its fluffy little mouth. Shang Zhitao felt her heart melt instantly. She scooped the puppy up onto her lap, and the little thing took an immediate liking to her, rolling over to expose its belly in her arms so she could scratch it. Was this what the dog owner called fate?

Holding the little snow-puff, Shang Zhitao couldn't bear to put it down. She looked up at the kennel owner and asked, "How much is it?"

"Free."

"Huh?" Shang Zhitao had checked online before coming; show-line Samoyeds weren't cheap, ranging anywhere from several thousand to tens of thousands. What did "free" even mean? Meanwhile, Lumi had already bent down, grabbed the puppy by the scruff of its neck, and started walking toward the exit. "If it's free, why aren't you moving fast? Are you waiting for the boss to change his mind?" The puppy was obedient enough, dangling its four paws in the air as Lumi carried it away, looking wonderfully dopey.

"Take good care of it, and bring it back to see its parents when it gets a bit bigger. It's already had one shot; you can get the rest done when you get back. Do you want to take the cage with you, or just carry it?"

"I'll carry it, I'll carry it. But shouldn't I still give you some money? I read online that show-line dogs cost eight or ten thousand; I feel bad about this."

"Are you out of your mind? Why would you feel bad, this is my brother!" Lumi shoved Shang Zhitao toward the exit. "Just treat him to a meal another day! Hurry up, don't you still need to buy a cage and dog food, don't you need to buy it a new outfit?"

The two of them got into the car with the puppy resting in Shang Zhitao's arms. Lumi glanced at the pup, then at Shang Zhitao, and let out a loud "What the hell!" "I'm telling you, Shang Zhitao, how come the dog you picked looks exactly like you?"

"How does it look like me?" Shang Zhitao lifted the puppy up to eye level. Eye to eye, the puppy let out a little woof.

"Look at that expression! Look at that face!" Lumi laughed so hard her stomach hurt. "Blockheaded and clueless, identical to you!"

Huh?

Am I blockheaded?

Shang Zhitao cradled the puppy and asked it, "Am I blockheaded, Luke?" The puppy tilted its head—blockheaded indeed.

"What did you call it?" Lumi thought she had misheard and asked again.

"I named it Luke," Shang Zhitao answered Lumi earnestly. "It's a good name, very cathartic."

Shang Zhitao had simply wanted to raise a dog named Luke. Luke, come here! Luke, sit down! Luke, stop! Luke, good boy! How satisfying that sounded. She chuckled aloud. "How imposing the name Luke is! Whenever I get mistreated at the company, I can come home and discipline Luke. Luke, how did you do this work? If you can't hack it, quit! Luke, why did you pee inside the house? If you can't hold it, get outside! Luke, look at other dogs, and then look at yourself." Shang Zhitao's imitation of Luan Nian's tone was uncanny, right down to the facial expression—frowning, cold-faced, with that punchable look. Lumi laughed herself into a heap over the steering wheel, leaning over it for ages. "Putting it that way is seriously therapeutic! When I get home, I'm going to rename my pet lizard son Lu An too. Lu, An—Luan: Lu An, you little scumbag! Who are you glaring at, Lu An? One more glare and I'll starve you to death!"

The two of them laughed together while Luke, nestled in Shang Zhitao's arms, pondered its brand-new name. After pondering for a long while, perhaps deciding it sounded quite majestic after all, it suddenly stood up and let out a milky, fiercely adorable woof!

"Good boy, Luke. Bark for your big sister again."

With Luke in her life, Shang Zhitao felt that this year had become truly complete. Cradling the pup, she walked through her front door and announced to Sun Yu and Sun Yuanzhu, "Come take a look at my little snowball."

The three adults crowded around Luke, taking turns petting it with fond affection. The little creature was exceptionally cute and endearing; whenever you petted it, it would open its little mouth and pretend to bite your finger. A moment later, it would roll over on the floor to expose its belly, showing off every single trick it knew. It bore no resemblance to Luke at all, but it was infinitely more fun, Shang Zhitao thought to herself.

She couldn't bear to lock Luke inside a cage, worried the little guy would feel wronged. So Sun Yuanzhu scrounged up the leftover materials from assembling the bookshelf earlier and fenced off a corner on the balcony, besides ordering dog treats online because he worried Luke might suffer from malnutrition. Fearing Luke might catch a cold, Sun Yu dismantled a quilt and sewed a dog bed by hand, warning the puppy as she worked: Now don't you go chewing on this, it wasn't easy to sew. As for Luke, perhaps sensing that it was treated with utmost luxury in this household, it would scamper over to rub against one person's leg a moment later, then scratch at another's pant leg—never sitting still for a second.

Watching Luke's lovable antics, Sun Yu said to Shang Zhitao, "You know, this puppy Luke has a genuinely wonderful personality."

Well, obviously. Much better than Luan Nian's.

When Shang Zhitao went to sleep that night, she heard Luke whimpering beneath the bed, padding back and forth across the floor as if feeling rather restless. She clicked on the bedside lamp and sat up; Luke immediately sat down straight on the floor, and after a few seconds, propped its fluffy little front paws onto the edge of the bed with a soft wu—its voice dropping from high to low with a hint of grievance.

"Do you want to sleep with me?" Shang Zhitao asked it.

"Woof!" Luke barked, which probably meant: Yes! Sleep with you! Right now!

Shang Zhitao scooped it up onto the bed. "Now don't you go peeing on the bed, okay? I know even if I tell you, you won't understand—you're still too young and don't know how to hold your bladder yet!" Little Luke sat on the bed, tilting its little head and gazing up at Shang Zhitao with round eyes as if deep in thought, before letting out another woof.

It was probably saying: I'll try my best not to.

Shang Zhitao chuckled, turned off the light, and in the darkness, little Luke found a spot right beside her hand, pressing its fluffy little body tightly against her arm, resting its head on her wrist with a soft squeak. Shang Zhitao felt an indescribable sensation blooming in her heart—soft to the point of melting. A Luke that belonged exclusively to her, a Luke that had to sleep right by her side every single night. She rested her hand on its head and softly murmured, "Luke, be a good boy now, and don't learn from Luke."

With Luke in her life, she felt that the empty space in her heart had finally been filled, as if she didn't need Luan Nian to patch it up quite as much anymore.

Luke was wonderful in every way, except for being a bit too young; it needed to go out to pee in the middle of the night, and if she didn't take it out, it would whimper around the room. So Shang Zhitao would wrap herself in a down jacket, looking a complete mess with unbrushed hair, and take it downstairs to do its business. The little garden downstairs had patches of accumulated snow, and Luke hadn't learned how to lift its leg to pee yet; bending its hind legs, it would relieve itself right onto the snow with a splashing sound. Because its legs were so short, the fur around its rear end would get damp every time it finished. Whenever they went back upstairs, Shang Zhitao had to grab a warm towel to wipe its bottom.

Watching her get put through the wringer, Sun Yu teased her, "The day Luke can help you take care of Luke will be the day your life is truly complete."

Shang Zhitao paused mid-wipe, then continued cleaning the puppy.

Since raising a dog, she had started waking up even earlier. Lacking sleep, dark circles had begun to form beneath her eyes.

On the second-to-last day before the New Year, she ran into Luan Nian at the company. In an uncharacteristic move, Luan Nian asked her, "Here so early?"

"Ah..."

Luan Nian glanced at her and asked, "Shall I pick you up tonight?"

"No can do... I'm not free tonight..." Shang Zhitao replied earnestly.

"Why?"

"I have to go home and walk my dog."

"You got a dog?"

"Mmhmm. If I don't walk it, it'll pee inside the house. Besides, it needs to go downstairs to pee in the middle of the night..."

"What about your roommates?"

"My roommates all went on holiday and headed home today." Shang Zhitao waved her hand. "No way, I can't go to your place anymore!"

The elevator doors chimed open, and she stepped inside ahead of Luan Nian, thinking to herself how bizarre it was: ever since she got Luke, even her carnal desires had completely vanished!