Chapter 83 - 28: "Amber

Chapter 83: Chapter 28: "Amber

Looking at her son’s bright eyes, Lin Zhao didn’t have the heart to refuse, and a bittersweet feeling welled up inside her.

She hadn’t been involved in choosing their nicknames, so she was determined to put serious thought into their proper names.

"Okay, Mom will pick one." Lin Zhao looked down at the puppy, whose little tail was wagging like crazy. Its eyes were bright and incredibly clear, like beautiful amber. She said, "Let’s call it Amber. The puppy’s name is Amber."

"Sounds nice!" Da Zai didn’t even know what the word meant, but he was still considerate enough to praise it.

Er Zai asked, "Mom, what’s amber?"

Lin Zhao didn’t know either.

’In the original novel, someone found a rock that was later discovered to be precious amber, and Su Yuxian had said a lot of nasty things about it in private.’

"When your dad gets back, you can ask him."

Er Zai was very easygoing and never made things difficult for himself. If he didn’t know, he didn’t know. He didn’t dwell on it. He picked up his bowl, dropped into an Asian squat, and ate half-squatting side-by-side with the new family member.

Da Zai tucked the matter away in his heart, planning to ask his dad when he came home.

Lin Zhao thought of the mother dog and asked the two boys, "When you went to get Little Huang, did you see Dahuang?"

"Mom, its name isn’t Little Huang, the puppy’s name is Amber." Da Zai corrected his mom. Then he added, "We saw Dahuang. Dahuang is the one who gave Amber to us."

Lin Zhao thought about how much dog food she had. Raising another big dog would be no problem. She said, "Do you two want to keep Dahuang?"

The corners of the two little boys’ eyes lifted slightly, as if starlight was twinkling in their gazes.

"Can we?" Da Zai asked expectantly.

Er Zai also said, "I wanted to ask Dahuang to come, but I was afraid Mom would think raising two big dogs would use up too much food."

’If it weren’t for the mysterious lottery wheel, I definitely wouldn’t have agreed,’ Lin Zhao thought. ’But with this heaven-sent treasure, what’s one more dog? Besides, this is Dahuang.’

"It is a lot of food, but Dahuang can guard the house and protect you both. If we keep her, I’ll feel more at ease when I go to work."

’Dahuang, the village stray, is the descendant of a hero. She’s smart, loyal, and capable. Keeping her is definitely worth it.’

Da Zai gave Lin Zhao a hug, the tips of his ears turning red. He muttered, "Mom’s the best."

He quickly ran out of the house to find Dahuang.

For the first time, Er Zai didn’t follow his older brother like a shadow. He drank the last mouthful of his soup, put down his bowl, and went back to combing the puppy’s fur.

Lin Zhao noticed the comb in his hand. She was sure it wasn’t hers.

"Where did you get that comb?"

’It looks a bit like the one belonging to the boys’ grandma.’

Er Zai said, "It’s Grandma’s!"

"..." Lin Zhao pinched the bridge of her nose. "You’re using your grandma’s comb to brush the dog!?"

’You really are your grandma’s good little grandson, aren’t you.’

Er Zai looked confused. "But Grandma told me I could take it."

"Did you tell your grandma you were going to use it to comb a dog?" Lin Zhao asked.

Er Zai shook his head. "No."

"You can be the one to tell her, then." Lin Zhao’s head was starting to ache. ’If that were my comb, I’d never use it again.’

"...Oh," Er Zai replied, but he just kept nonchalantly combing the dog’s fur.

Lin Zhao felt like she couldn’t even bear to watch.

A bit curious, she asked one more question, "Why didn’t you take my comb?"

Er Zai tilted his head, his eyes filled with confusion. "But don’t you dislike it when people touch your things, Mom?"

As he spoke, his expression changed on the spot, shifting seamlessly from confusion to excitement. "Does this mean I can use Mom’s things from now on?"

’Even if you drag out that last word with all sorts of twists and turns, I’m still not going to say yes.’

"No!"

Er Zai didn’t pester her, adopting a calm, indifferent expression.

Lin Zhao was impressed.

’That attitude completely blows most adults out of the water. He never wastes energy on internal struggles.’

’Awesome.’

「Three minutes later.」

Da Zai returned with Dahuang.

The big yellow dog didn’t rush inside. She stood at the main gate with her head lowered. She was filthy from head to toe, with not an ounce of flesh on her bones, and her dull fur was matted and knotted.

When Amber saw her, she let out a few yips and ran quickly towards her, her tail spinning like a propeller. She bounced as she ran, looking absolutely adorable.

"Come on home," Da Zai urged Dahuang.

Dahuang looked up at Lin Zhao and Er Zai. Only after seeing them wave did she lead her child inside.

"Mom, should we give Dahuang a bath and a flea treatment?" Er Zai asked enthusiastically.

"Of course." Dahuang needed a bath and flea treatment even more than her puppy.

’The number of fleas on her must be countless.’

It was the same routine as before.

Lin Zhao changed into old clothes, applied deodorizer and flea medicine to Dahuang, and then used scissors to snip off the matted knots of fur.

This big dog was incredibly intelligent. It was as if she knew everything Lin Zhao was doing was for her own good. She was extremely cooperative, not even letting out a huff.

"Such a good girl." Lin Zhao found herself genuinely growing fond of Dahuang.

After the bath, she went back inside to get some dog food.

Dahuang didn’t eat right away. She used her front paw to push the bowl in front of Amber. Little Amber took a few more bites and yipped twice. It was as if she was telling her mom she was full, and only then did the mother dog begin to eat ravenously.

Life was hard for people in this era, and it was hard for dogs, too. From the day she was born, she had never eaten a full meal.