Whoosh!
Earlier than usual, Zhang Zian was woken up.
Although fireworks and firecrackers were banned in Binhai City, they could still be set off in some remote suburbs and counties. The sound traveled far in the quiet morning. The yield of this firework bomb was probably not small.
It was said that there were firework bombs with a diameter of 10 inches, which were as powerful as cannonballs. One explosion could be heard in half of the city.
Today was New Year's Day. The new year had arrived.
Zhang Zian had not slept enough and was a little sleepy. He looked at his phone and silently calculated how many red envelopes he had missed at midnight last night. He felt like he had missed a few hundred million yuan, and then he became energetic again.
When his parents ran the pet shop, they would take a few days off on holidays like New Year's Day and Spring Festival to accompany him to the park or to the surrounding area for a short trip. However, he was alone and had nowhere to go even during the holidays, so it was better to run the shop as usual. He gave Wang Qian, Li Kun, and Lu Yi Yun a day off and told them not to come today.
Wang Qian and Li Kun's final exams were over, so they should go home to spend time with their families and then go back to school to prepare for the make-up exams.
Lu Yi Yun had a falling out with her family before, but blood was thicker than water. She would probably send a few text messages to say hello during the festive season. Maybe it could ease their relationship.
Since he could not sleep anymore, he might as well get up.
He quietly sat up, put on his clothes, and looked around the room.
The sound of the firecrackers had woken up the elfins briefly, but it was too early and the sky was completely dark. Even Galaxy, who was always energetic, lay down and continued to sleep, not to mention Fina, who could sleep peacefully even if the sky fell down. Old Time Tea's breathing was long and steady, and the rhythm of its inhalation and exhalation was as accurate as a radio wave meter.
"Meow, meow, raw beef brisket." In addition to Snowy Lionet's old habit of talking in its sleep, Zhang Zian did not know when it started to smack its lips in its sleep. He really wanted to find a chance to throw a cockroach into its mouth.
A little further away, Famous, who was sleeping in the corner, still had its small night light on. The dim light was the only light source in the room. Recently, Famous had been sleeping a lot better, and the number of times it woke up at night had decreased. Strangely, it also had a new habit — it would always kick its legs in its sleep, but Zhang Zian did not know what it was kicking.
Zhang Zian put on his clothes, went to the bathroom, and quietly left the bedroom.
Zhan Tian, who was lying near the glass door, raised its head vigilantly. Seeing that it was Zhang Zian, it continued to lie down with peace of mind.
Zhan Tian deserved to be a former ace police dog candidate. It was much more vigilant than Famous. Once there was any sign of trouble, it would be the first to react.
Zhang Zian opened the shutter door and waved at it. "Zhan Tian, let's go out and play."
Zhan Tian walked over obediently, tied the leash, and led it out of the shop.
It was so early in the morning, and it was dark outside. The street lights were still on, and there was almost no one on the street. The wind blew from the direction of the suburbs, bringing with it a faint smell of gunpowder. Zhang Zian walked along the street with it, and before he knew it, he had arrived at the entrance of Uncle Li's restaurant.
The lights in the restaurant were already on. Through the glass, one could see the busy figures of the old couple, but there were no customers yet. In the food and beverage industry, one had to wake up very early and prepare the semi-finished food before the customers arrived.
He pushed the door open and greeted, "Uncle, Auntie, Happy New Year!"
Uncle Li and Auntie Li were kneading the dough. They raised their heads in surprise. "Ah! Master Zhang, Happy New Year! Happy New Year! "
They knew that Zhang Zian had been very busy recently, and he hadn't come to their restaurant for a long time.
"I got up early today, and I had nothing to do, so I dropped by." Zhang Zian smiled. "Give me a bowl of wonton. By the way, give it another bowl. I want a big bowl with pure meat filling. "
He found a chair and sat down. He patted Zhan Tian's head. "Sit."
Zhan Tian squatted beside him obediently.
"Okay! This dog is so well-trained. It will sit when I tell it to. It's much better than the dogs in the countryside. " Auntie Li looked at Zhan Tian enviously. "We used to have a big wolfdog at home, but it was trapped and taken away …"
"Trapped and taken away?" Zhang Zian had just woken up. He didn't want to wake up the sleeping elfins, so he hadn't washed his face yet. His brain wasn't working well, and he didn't understand what Auntie Li was talking about.
Auntie Li made a circle with her hands. "It's a wooden pole with a wire hoop on the pole. It's used to trap dogs. There used to be people who trapped dogs in the city, because the dogs in the city were expensive and well-raised. But now there are too many surveillance cameras in the city, so those dog trappers have all gone to the countryside to trap dogs. They usually work in groups of two or three, with one person driving or riding a motorcycle, and the other sitting in the back seat. As long as the dog is walking on the side of the road, they will trap it and run away! The wire hoop is wrapped around the dog's neck, and with the momentum of the motorcycle, the average dog will immediately faint. Even if the stronger dog doesn't faint, it will at least foam at the mouth and have no strength to struggle … "
Auntie Li recalled the dog that had been trapped in her hometown, and she couldn't help but sigh. Even if the dog was just a common mixed breed in the countryside, and not an expensive breed, it was still raised by someone. Who wouldn't be distressed when it was trapped like that?
Zhang Zian suddenly understood. He had heard about dog trappers, but he had never seen one with his own eyes. Maybe it was rare in the city, but it was more serious in the countryside. Especially now that many young people in the countryside had gone to the big cities to work, leaving behind the old, the young, the sick, and the disabled. It was easy for people to take advantage of them.
"What happens to these dogs after they are trapped?" he asked again.
Auntie Li shook her head. "I don't know. I heard that those people take the trapped dogs back to where they live, sell the expensive dogs to others, and sell the mixed breed dogs to dog meat restaurants … My dog … Sigh …"
No one was willing to buy her dog, and it was likely that it would be sold to a dog meat restaurant.
Zhang Zian also sighed softly. If it was sold, there was still a possibility of getting it back, but if it was sold to a dog meat restaurant, I'm afraid …
At this time, Auntie Li served hot wontons and scolded, "It's the first day of the New Year, and Master Zhang rarely comes to eat. Aren't you making people unhappy? Go back to the kitchen to help! I'm so busy! "
Auntie Li was not someone to be trifled with. She immediately stared at him and said, "I'm talking about my own business. It's none of your business! How do you know that Master Zhang doesn't like to listen to this? "
Zhang Zian was afraid that they would quarrel, so he quickly tried to smooth things over. "It's okay, it's okay. I like to listen to it. It's like I've learned a lot …"
"Old man, did you hear that?" Auntie Li's eyes were even rounder.
They were used to quarreling all the time, and it didn't affect their relationship.
Auntie Li put the wontons on Zhang Zian's table and smiled. "Master Zhang, eat slowly. Don't listen to this old woman's nonsense. Our dog might not have been trapped, but it might have gotten lost … One morning, the gate of our old house was open, and the dog was lying in the yard, basking in the sun. I squatted next to it and pickled some vegetables. Later, this woman called me in the house, so I went in. It was only a few minutes, and when I came out, I couldn't find it."
"So you're blaming me?" Auntie Li was annoyed. "I called you because I had something to do. You knew that there was a dog trap nearby, so why didn't you close the gate before entering the house?"
Auntie Li also glared at her. "How could I think so much? You seemed to be urging me to hurry inside the house. I responded, but you kept barking. I thought you fell down and hit your head, so I didn't even have time to wipe my hands from pickling vegetables. I rushed into the house to see what happened to you. In the end, it was just a trivial matter, and I even lost my dog because of it … "
Before they started quarreling, Zhang Zian quickly followed Auntie Li's words and interrupted, "In fact, Auntie Li, you're right. The dog wasn't tied up, right? It could have gotten lost on its own. For example, a car passed by on the road, and it found it interesting, so it chased after it … "
He knew that his words were not convincing, but it was better than pretending to be mute.
Uncle Li nodded heavily and said, "I heard that old dogs are intelligent. Our dog is not young either. Maybe it felt that it didn't have much time left, so it left us to find a quiet place to breathe its last … It might not have been tricked by someone!"
He repeatedly emphasized that it might not have been trapped. Maybe he still had some hope in his heart. If it was trapped, it would die, but if it got lost, it might die of old age.
This also happened to reflect Auntie Li's love for the dog, and he didn't want to imagine that it had encountered a tragic fate.
Auntie Li muttered a few times and was about to refute her husband, when she heard the sound of boiling water in the kitchen. She hurriedly said to Zhang Zian, "Master Zhang, your dog is so well-trained. You must be careful not to be trapped …"
After saying that, she trotted to the kitchen and filled the thermos with water.
"This old woman only knows how to bluff all day long … Master Zhang, don't take it to heart." Auntie Li stared at her back and turned to Zhang Zian with a smile.
"It's okay, I really don't mind." Zhang Zian smiled. "Auntie Li, you don't have to entertain me. Go and do your work. I can eat by myself."
"Okay, take your time." The preparation work in the morning was very heavy. Auntie Li said a few polite words and returned to the kitchen.
Zhang Zian lowered his head, scooped up a wonton, and put it into his mouth along with the soup. He tasted it, and the temperature was just right. He added a little chili and pepper, then looked around. It was too early, and there were no other customers. He put another paper bowl of pure meat wonton on the ground and asked Zhan Tian to have breakfast. If there were other people eating, he wouldn't have done this, so he wouldn't have annoyed them.
After a bowl of hot and spicy wonton, fine beads of sweat appeared on his nose, and his whole body warmed up.
Zhan Tian also finished the wonton, and it seemed that it liked it very much. It even drank a lot of soup.
Zhang Zian put the money on the table, said goodbye to the kitchen, and left the shop with Zhan Tian.
It took them about 20 minutes to finish breakfast. The sky was a little brighter, and there were more people on the road.
He walked for a while with Zhan Tian, and when they passed by a lamppost, the light went out. Then he noticed a piece of photocopied paper stuck to the lamppost.
Normally, he wouldn't pay attention to such things. He thought it was nothing more than an old military doctor specializing in skin diseases, or a rich woman giving birth to a child. However, he was too free this morning, so he stopped and glanced at it. The paper was glued to the lamppost, and it gently swayed in the morning wind.
Missing dog notice:
At about 16: 40 p.m. on December 30th, I was walking my dog near the Family Quarters of Binhai University. My white Samoyed saw a stray cat and went to chase it. It suddenly disappeared at the corner of a residential building, and has not been found yet.
Its name is Tuan Tuan, a female dog, only three years old this year, about half a meter tall, about 1.1 meters long, and used to eat with its left teeth, so the left teeth are slightly worn.
Tuan Tuan is the happiest thing in our family. My parents were so distressed that they couldn't sleep or eat for a few days. If anyone is kind enough to find Tuan Tuan, I am willing to give 10000 yuan as a reward.
If someone saw that it was beautiful and took it away, please be kind enough to return it. We will not hold you responsible, and we are also willing to give you a lot of money. If you also like dogs, I am willing to buy you a purebred Samoyed.
Tuan Tuan is not a purebred Samoyed, so it is really not worth much money.
Behind the words was a picture of the Samoyed. Zhang Zian could tell at a glance that, as the owner said, the Samoyed was beautiful, but it was not a purebred Samoyed.
There was a phone number at the bottom, and a sentence: Please keep it for a few days after seeing it. I am responsible for cleaning up the notice I posted. Thank you!
Zhang Zian stopped and read the notice carefully. From the words of the notice, he could feel the owner's care and anxiety. A purebred Samoyed was usually worth only a few thousand dollars, and its owner was willing to pay 10000 dollars to get this purebred Samoyed back. If what Zhang Zian said was true, then this family really loved the Samoyed and did not want to lose it like this.
Logically speaking, missing cats and dogs notices were quite common in the city. Zhang Zian had seen them several times, especially for dogs like the Silly Sled Three, which were not vigilant towards strangers. They would follow a stranger's call, and it was too easy for them to get lost. Nowadays, many people didn't even leash their dogs. Once the dog was attracted by something, it would run away, and it would be hard for people to catch up with it. It was almost the same as the process described in the notice.
Maybe because of the influence of Mr. and Mrs. Li, Zhang Zian suddenly became a little suspicious. Could this Samoyed have been lured away by someone?
He read the notice again and noticed the words "suddenly disappeared." Maybe the owner also felt that the process of disappearance was a bit strange, so he described it this way.
But it was more likely that he was overthinking. Maybe this dog was just lost in a normal way.
Zhan Tian was sniffing around the lamppost. Zhang Zian pulled it and said, "Let's go, Zhan Tian. Let's go home."
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