Chapter 484 - 404: Black Tiger Kills a Chicken

In the yard of Zhao Jun’s home.

Zhu Dashan glanced at the astonished look on Zhao Jun’s face and burst into laughter. He clapped Zhao Jun on the shoulder and asked with a grin, "What do you think? Your grand-uncle has a good eye, right?"

Zhao Jun turned his head and stared blankly at Zhu Dashan, not knowing what to say.

It was impossible to explain.

If Zhao Jun said the dog was no good, Zhu Dashan wouldn’t believe him. He’d just think Zhao Jun was unwilling to lend him a good dog.

Having no other choice, Zhao Jun could only nod. He went back to the storage shed to get a few hemp ropes, preparing to leash Black Tiger and hand him over to Zhu Dashan.

When Zhao Jun returned to the front of the house, he found Zhu Dashan already playing with Black Tiger. The old man was using his hands to playfully pull at Black Tiger, trying to get him to stand up on his hind legs.

Black Tiger played along, hopping and jumping up. Because of this, Zhu Dashan somehow failed to notice that there was something wrong with one of the dog’s front legs.

But seeing Zhao Jun approach, Zhu Dashan pointed at Black Tiger and asked, "Why do you have this dog tied up so securely? He’s all trussed up."

As it turned out, Black Tiger had two ropes on him. One was a collar around his neck, while the other, a flat, wide strap, was wrapped around his back and front legs, much like a modern pet harness.

Hearing this, Zhao Jun gave a helpless smile and said, "This dog’s too energetic. I was afraid he’d tear up the yard."

"So what?" Zhu Dashan waved his hand dismissively and laughed. "A good dog is supposed to be full of spirit. A listless, half-dead one isn’t going to catch anything, is it?"

As he spoke, Zhu Dashan pointed back at White Dragon, who was lying in front of his doghouse with his head resting on his paws. "Just like that dog of yours," he said to Zhao Jun. "He looks so lethargic. You can tell he’s no good with just one glance."

Zhao Jun had just untied the harness from Black Tiger and looped the hemp rope around his neck. Hearing Zhu Dashan’s words, he followed the old man’s finger and saw he was pointing at White Dragon. Zhao Jun couldn’t help but shake his head and smile.

After leashing Black Tiger, Zhao Jun handed the rope to Zhu Dashan and advised, "Grand-uncle, when you take this dog back now, you’ll have to keep him at your place for the day. Make sure you keep him tied up, okay?"

"What, you don’t trust your grand-uncle?" This old man’s ability to understand things was a bit different from most people’s. Gripping the rope with one hand and stroking Black Tiger’s head with the other, he said to Zhao Jun, "I’ll bring this dog back exactly how I took him. I won’t lose him."

The moment Zhao Jun heard that, he knew the old man had misunderstood him again. He felt a wave of helplessness. But then he saw Zhu Dashan point to his right and say, "Leash up those two dogs for me as well."

Zhao Jun looked up and saw that Zhu Dashan was pointing at Big Fatty and San Pang. Without a word, he picked up the ropes and walked over to them.

Zhu Dashan followed, leading Black Tiger. When he reached Big Fatty and San Pang, he said to Zhao Jun, who was in front of him, "Zhao Jun, these two are pretty tough as well, aren’t they?"

Hearing this, Zhao Jun turned to look at Zhu Dashan and couldn’t help but smile. "Grand-uncle, how could you tell?" he asked.

Taking Zhao Jun’s words as confirmation of his good judgment, Zhu Dashan let out a hearty laugh and reached out to stroke Black Tiger’s head again.

Black Tiger was very cooperative, craning his neck, lifting his head, and squinting his eyes for Zhu Dashan.

"Good dog!" Zhu Dashan couldn’t help but praise Black Tiger again. He then looked at Zhao Jun, holding the rope in one hand and pointing at the dog with the other. "Look at this dog! Sturdy and strong, lively and full of energy."

"Hah!" Zhao Jun nearly let a sarcastic comment slip, but then he remembered this was his elder and quickly held his tongue.

Zhu Dashan raised his hand and pointed to Big Fatty and San Pang. "And look at these two! With frames that big, they can’t be weak!"

Zhao Jun was speechless. But the old man was a bit stubborn—or as they’d say in the Northeast, a bit "peculiar."

So, there was no way for Zhao Jun to change his mind.

Seeing Zhao Jun remain silent, Zhu Dashan assumed he was right and said with a laugh, "See? Your grand-uncle knows his stuff, right? Back when your grandpa was alive, I even used to go hunting with him."

"Huh?" Zhao Jun was taken aback. He quickly asked, "Grand-uncle, I’ve never heard that you went hunting."

"Where would you have heard it?" Zhu Dashan said with a smile and a wave of his hand. "That was a long, long time ago. You weren’t even born yet."

"Yeah, you’re right," Zhao Jun agreed, while complaining inwardly, ’If it were any earlier, my dad wouldn’t have even been born yet.’

Just then, Zhu Dashan looked around the yard, smacked his lips, and sighed nostalgically. "Standing here in your family’s yard for a bit reminds me of your grandpa. Back then I was... about your age now, always trailing after him. Whatever he hunted, I’d help him drag it home, and then I’d get to mooch a bit of meat."

At this point, Zhu Dashan suddenly asked Zhao Jun, "In hunting terms, isn’t that called being a ’tag-along’?"

Zhao Jun blinked, completely unsure how to respond. He had lived two lifetimes and had never seen someone describe themselves that way.

A "tag-along" was a term for a dog. A helper dog, one that supports the lead dog, was also called a "flanker" or a "tag-along dog."

Utterly helpless, Zhao Jun could only pretend he hadn’t heard. He thrust the ropes for Big Fatty and San Pang into Zhu Dashan’s hands and said, "Grand-uncle, it’s not my place as the younger one to rush you, but my mom’s not home and I’m in a hurry to get to work, so I won’t keep you."

As he spoke, Zhao Jun pointed toward White Dragon and Little Bear. "What about those two? You want to take them?"

"Nope!" Zhu Dashan shook his head. "One’s listless and the other’s a female. What good would they be? I don’t want them. These three are enough for me."

With that, Zhu Dashan led the three dogs out of the yard. As he walked, he looked back at Zhao Jun and said, "You go on and get ready for work. I’ll bring these three dogs back when I’m done with them. Don’t you worry about them; I won’t lose them."