Walking the Dog

Early weekend morning.

Chen Zhi felt like he wasn't walking the dog, but rather the dog was walking him.

The leash in his hand was pulled taut, and at the other end, a black-and-white Husky was pawing the ground with its front legs and kicking off with its hind legs, launching a charge toward a utility pole at the alley's entrance.

This guy's current size had completely left the "puppy" category behind, and the iconic "three flames" on its face exuded an aura of pure, unadulterated stupidity.

"Slow down! Are you rushing to be reincarnated?"

Chen Zhi was yanked forward, stumbling, and had to grip the leash tightly with both hands, leaning back in a tug-of-war stance.

Xiaobai didn't listen at all. It turned its head, gave Chen Zhi a sidelong glance with its blue eyes, opened its mouth to let out half a pink tongue, and let out a weird howl that sounded like a wolf.

"Awooo—woof!"

This howl was full of energy, startling the sparrows in the trees by the roadside, causing them to flutter away in a panic.

Chen Zhi felt his head buzzing.

He panted heavily, looking at this over-energetic creature, and couldn't help but complain.

"Lin Wanwan, this thing looked pretty cute when it was little. How did it grow up to be so scruffy?"

Beside him, Lin Wanwan was skipping along, stepping on the cracks between the paving stones.

She was wearing a cream-colored hoodie today, her hair tied up in a high ponytail, and she was holding a freshly picked foxtail grass, swinging it around in the air.

Hearing Chen Zhi's complaint, the little girl immediately stopped and pointed the foxtail grass at Chen Zhi's nose.

"Nonsense!"

Lin Wanwan's almond eyes widened. She took two steps to Xiaobai's side, squatted down, cupped the Husky's long face with both hands, and rubbed it vigorously.

Xiaobai immediately cooperated, narrowing its eyes, wagging its tail like a propeller, and even nudging shamelessly into Lin Wanwan's arms.

"Look how cute Xiaobai is! You're just heartless and always complaining about it."

Lin Wanwan looked up and made a face at Chen Zhi.

"Is that what you call cute?"

Chen Zhi loosened his reddened hands, pointing at the dog's head in exasperation.

"Didn't this guy chew up one of your dad's leather shoes again yesterday? I heard Uncle Lin cursing for a long time when he left the house this morning."

Lin Wanwan's movements stiffened.

She guiltily looked away and gave a dry cough.

"That... that was Xiaobai helping Dad check the quality of the shoes! Besides, that shoe was old anyway."

"Woof!"

Xiaobai seemed to understand that someone was defending it, immediately raising its neck and giving Chen Zhi another bark, its face written with the arrogance of "someone's got my back, what can you do about it."

Chen Zhi laughed out of anger.

He raised his foot and gave the dog's butt a light kick.

"Fine, you two are in this together. Let's see if you still think it's cute when it tears up your homework one day."

Lin Wanwan snorted, stood up, and snatched the leash from Chen Zhi's hand.

"I'll walk him! Xiaobai listens to me best. He won't do what you said."

She pulled the leash and ran forward, her ponytail bouncing behind her head.

"Xiaobai, charge! We're going to the market to buy buns!"

As soon as the Husky heard the word "buns," its ears shot up like antennas, its four legs moving rapidly, dragging Lin Wanwan toward the bustling farmers' market ahead.

Chen Zhi shook his head, shoved his hands into his pockets, and followed slowly behind.

The early morning sun pierced through the thin mist, shining on the girl and dog ahead, giving them a golden halo.

...

The Chengnan Farmers' Market was the liveliest place in this old part of town.

The sounds of hawking, haggling, and the clucking of chickens and ducks mingled together.

The ground was perpetually wet, mixed with rotten vegetable leaves and muddy water.

Chen Zhi carefully avoided a puddle, his eyes searching the crowd for those two runaways.

Soon, he spotted the familiar cream-colored hoodie in a corner at the edge of the market.

It was a secluded spot, usually occupied by mobile vendors trying to save on stall fees.

Lin Wanwan was standing there, gripping the restless Husky tightly, staring blankly ahead, her back seemingly stiff.

Chen Zhi frowned and walked over quickly.

"What's wrong? Did Xiaobai get into trouble again?"

Just as he reached Lin Wanwan's back, before he could clearly see what was happening ahead, a shrill female soprano pierced the surrounding noise.

"Oh my! Everyone, come and judge! This old man looks honest, but his heart is so wicked! These vegetables are soaked in water. Are you selling vegetables or selling water? Trying to rip people off, aren't you?"

Chen Zhi's footsteps paused.

He turned sideways, looking over Lin Wanwan's shoulder.

In the corner, a snakeskin bag was spread out on a concrete block, neatly piled with bunches of greens and radishes.

An old man in a gray Mao suit was hunched over, his hands nervously rubbing his apron, his wrinkled face flushed red.

"Ma'am, these... these vegetables were just picked from the field this morning. The morning dew hasn't dried yet. It's not sprinkled water..."

The old man's voice was low, carrying a slight accent, sounding somewhat weak in the noisy market.

Beside the old man stood a thin, small figure.

Li Zhiyi had her sleeves rolled up high, revealing slender wrists. She kept her head down, biting her lower lip hard, her hands tightly clutching the old man's clothes, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

Opposite them, a middle-aged woman with permed wavy hair and wearing a floral pajama set stood with her hands on her hips, spit flying.

She held a bunch of spinach, shaking it vigorously, causing a few drops of water to splash onto Li Zhiyi's face.

"Dew? Who are you kidding! This was clearly sprinkled on to add weight! You country folks nowadays look honest but have hearts blacker than coal! This bunch of vegetables costs two yuan, and at least one yuan of that is for the water!"

The curly-haired woman grew more animated, her finger almost poking the old man's nose.

"Refund my money! Otherwise, I'll flip this stall over! Didn't you ask around who I am, trying to pull this trick right under my nose!"

Passersby stopped and pointed.

"These vegetables do look pretty wet."

"Sigh, it's not easy running a small business."

"Who knows, vegetable vendors these days are indeed very crafty."

The murmurs buzzed like flies.

Grandpa Li was sweating profusely, his lips trembling. He wanted to explain but was clumsy with words, only able to repeat over and over: "It's really not... I really didn't..."

Li Zhiyi buried her head even lower, her shoulders trembling slightly.

She wanted to speak, to defend her grandpa, but her throat felt blocked with cotton, unable to utter a single word. That familiar, suffocating sense of shame washed over her like a tide.

She felt as if all the surrounding gazes were like needles piercing her.

Seeing that no one dared to speak up, the curly-haired woman became even more arrogant. She threw the spinach in her hand to the ground and raised her foot to kick the neatly piled radishes.

"Not talking, huh? Feeling guilty, aren't you?"

Li Zhiyi suddenly raised her head, instinctively reaching out to block it.

Just then.

A slender hand suddenly reached out from the side, firmly grabbing the curly-haired woman's wrist.

"Auntie, you've got quite a grip."

The curly-haired woman was startled and turned around abruptly.

A teenager in a tracksuit stood behind her, wearing the kind of punchable smile that made people want to beat him up at first sight.

Chen Zhi let go of his hand and wiped it on his pants in disgust, as if he had just touched something filthy.

"Who are you? Mind your own business, you little brat!"

The curly-haired woman glared at him. Just as she was about to lash out, she suddenly felt a burst of warm, moist breath against her leg.

She looked down.

A massive dog's face was pressed against her pajama pants. Its blue eyes stared fixedly at her, emitting a low growl and revealing two rows of eerie white teeth.

"Ah!"

The woman shrieked and stumbled back three steps, almost stepping into a puddle behind her.

Lin Wanwan tugged at the leash, her small face taut, deliberately giving the rope a bit more slack.

"Xiaobai, sit! Don't scare the auntie. Even though this auntie is louder than you, we still need to be polite."

Xiaobai cooperatively let out a loud, resonant bark.

Ignoring the woman's panic, Chen Zhi bent down, picked up the smashed bunch of spinach from the ground, and gently shook off the dirt.

Then, he walked over to Li Zhiyi.

The girl was staring at him blankly, her pupils slightly dilated as if she hadn't quite processed what was happening.

"Why are you zoning out? Do these vegetables not cost money?"

Chen Zhi stuffed the spinach back into Li Zhiyi's hands, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.

Next, he turned to face the curly-haired woman, the smile instantly vanishing from his face.

"Ma'am, this spinach is two yuan a bunch. You just ruined about a third of it, so compensating them with ten yuan isn't asking too much, right?"

"You... what nonsense are you spouting!"

The curly-haired woman recovered her wits and pointed at Chen Zhi, scolding, "Are you this old man's grandson? Learning bad habits at such a young age, trying to extort people now? These vegetables are dripping with water; I haven't even asked him to compensate me yet!"

"Water?"

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow.

He casually picked up a piece of leafy green from the stall and, in front of everyone, gave it a hard shake.

A few crystal-clear water droplets splashed out and landed on the concrete floor.

"Come on, everyone, take a look."

Chen Zhi raised his voice. It was clear and bright, instantly cutting through the surrounding noise.

"This is called morning dew. For vegetables freshly picked in the morning, the pores of the leaves are open, locking the moisture inside. If water was just sprinkled on it, the droplets would float on the surface and dry off with a single shake. But look at these leaves, aren't they still moist?"

He handed the green vegetable to an elderly man watching from the crowd.

The old man, clearly an expert, squinted at it and nodded. "Indeed, this is fresh produce straight from the fields."

Chen Zhi smiled, turned back to the curly-haired woman, and his tone sharpened.

"Ma'am, you buy groceries regularly, yet you don't even have this basic common sense? Or do you just think bullying an old man and a little girl makes you look exceptionally capable?"

"I... I..."

The woman's face flushed the color of pig liver. She hadn't expected this kid who appeared out of nowhere to have such a glib tongue.

"Furthermore."

Chen Zhi looked her up and down, his gaze pausing on the gleaming gold bracelet on her wrist.

"This bracelet of yours must be worth at least ten thousand, right? Dressed so decently, yet you're here throwing things and cursing in the street over a few cents of vegetable money. If word gets out, will your square dancing team even still want you?"

These words were a precision strike.

A burst of laughter immediately erupted from the crowd.

"Exactly, she has no shame."

"The poor girl was almost scared to tears."

"This lady always loves taking petty advantages. Last time at the fish stall, she did the same..."

The tide of public opinion instantly turned.

The curly-haired woman completely lost face. She felt the mocking gazes around her slapping her face like physical blows, burning with pain.

"Fine! You guys are tough! I'll leave, alright?"

She pulled a ten-yuan bill from her pocket, crumpled it into a ball, threw it fiercely onto the vegetable stall, and turned to push her way out of the crowd.

"Wait."

Chen Zhi's voice rang out again.

The woman paused her steps and looked back, glaring at him viciously. "I gave you the money, what else do you want?"

Chen Zhi pointed at the smashed spinach on the ground.

"You smashed these vegetables, so you have to take them with you. After all, you paid for them, and we don't do forced buying and selling."

"You!"

The woman's chest heaved violently with anger, but under Xiaobai's tiger-like glare, she ultimately didn't dare to throw a fit. She bent down, grabbed the ruined vegetables, and squeezed into the crowd, her retreating figure looking extremely wretched.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Grandpa Li tremblingly picked up the crumpled ten-yuan bill, wiped his hands repeatedly on his apron, and walked over to Chen Zhi, so agitated he was incoherent.

"Young man... thank you, thank you so much... If it weren't for you..."

Chen Zhi waved his hand, returning to his lazy demeanor.

"It's nothing, Grandpa Li. I happened to need to buy vegetables anyway."

He crouched down and began picking and choosing from the stall.

"These radishes look good, give me two. And these greens, wrap them all up for me, it'll save my mom from having to shop elsewhere."

Li Zhiyi stood to the side, having not spoken a word all along.

She watched Chen Zhi skillfully bag and weigh the vegetables, watched Lin Wanwan help hold the bags open on the side, and watched the sunlight fall on Chen Zhi's slightly messy hair whorl.

Her hands tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white.

In that moment just now, when he stood in front of her, she felt as if a crack had opened in her constantly cold and damp world.

"Umm..."

Li Zhiyi finally mustered up her courage, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Chen Zhi was busy stuffing a giant white radish into a plastic bag and didn't look up.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

After saying these two words, Li Zhiyi's cheeks instantly turned completely red, like a ripe tomato.

Chen Zhi's movements paused for a second.

He stood up, carrying the fully stuffed plastic bags in his hand, and glanced at Li Zhiyi.

The girl still had her head down, not daring to look at him, but the hands gripping the hem of her clothes had loosened.

"What are you thanking me for? I just found that lady irritating."

Chen Zhi casually made up an excuse, stuffed the money into Grandpa Li's hands, and then waved at Lin Wanwan.

"Let's go, Lin Wanwan. If we don't head back, that silly dog of yours is going to flip someone's stall."

Nearby, Xiaobai was trying to gnaw on a piece of sugarcane at the next stall, only failing because Lin Wanwan was desperately pulling its ears.

"Coming, coming!"

Lin Wanwan replied, waving at Li Zhiyi with a radiant smile.

"Zhiyi, see you on Monday!"

The two people and one dog left noisily.

Li Zhiyi stood in place, watching their backs disappear into the crowded sea of people.

Grandpa Li sighed, carefully smoothed out the ten-yuan bill, put it into his inner pocket, and muttered:

"These two kids, they have such good hearts..."

Li Zhiyi didn't say anything.

She silently crouched down, reached out her fingers, and quietly picked up all the overturned vegetables.