Chapter 14

editor/TLC: Rin

Only after Zhang Hang had finished showering did Xiao Ren rub his eyes and get out of bed. At this time, Zhang Hang was sitting quietly at the table practicing Braille, every once in a while saying a few words to Big Black. The Labrador looked up at the teenager the entire time. Whenever Zhang Hang spoke to him, Big Black would make a low “woof” sound. If Zhang Hang touched the dog’s head, Big Black would put his head on his thigh and rub against it vigorously. This morning, the mood surrounding the young man and dog was very warm. Xiao Ren, who had always lived life at a fast pace, watched this scene with a quivering heart. He had never experienced such tranquility.

Of course, he also had no time to enjoy it.

“I’m going to be late!” Xiao Ren, after coming to his senses, rushed into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and washed his face in less than 30 seconds. There was time left for him to sprinkle water on his head and fix his crew cut, but not enough time to allow for eating. He was about to run out of the house when his pant leg was pulled. Looking down, he saw that Big Black was biting his pants. Xiao Ren said with a wry smile, “Sir, I’m going to be late.”

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Zhang Hang fumbled about for a second before coming over with breakfast, placing a container in Xiao Ren’s hand. “Steamed buns, porridge, and eggs. There’s no time on the road, so eat it at the station.”

“Thank you!” When Xiao Ren took the breakfast, Big Black immediately let go of him. Xiao Ren then rushed out of the room in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Hang tilted his head and thought for a while. Back when he wasn’t raising Big Black, he frequently had energetic mornings such as these. He couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic.

He went back to his desk and continued to learn Braille. However, doing so without being able to see was difficult. In the past, he was able to check his answers by reading the book. Now, he was unable to see the text, and could only rely on context to slowly guess. He had only gone over one page so far this morning, and there were many words he still didn’t understand.

Zhang Hang closed the book and sighed. “It seems that I have to go to a school for the blind. Even if I can’t go to university, I must at least learn Braille. Then I’ll have no problems with reading and literacy.”

“Woof!” Of course, Lu Chengye agreed.

Zhang Hang smiled at him, then stood up and stretched. He then patted his stomach and knew that it was time to have lunch.

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In the half year that he’d lived with Zhao Xiaolian, Zhang Hang had already learned how to cook by himself. Although what he made wasn’t delicious, he could at least swallow it down. The thing was, Big Black couldn’t eat oily or salty food. At least when cooking for himself he could control the amount of oil and salt, but now that he couldn’t see, Zhang Hang wasn’t sure how he would cook food for Big Black. He could go out to a restaurant to eat, but that kind of food wasn’t good for dogs.

If you lived alone, you could casually throw something together. Even if it tasted bad, it would fill you up. However, he now lived in Xiao Ren’s house. After the morning’s events, Zhang Hang was afraid to start cooking by himself. Everything depended on touch, and he was not yet familiar with living life as a blind person. What if he burned down the house?

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“Hah, hah…” The summer was hot, and the one-year-old Big Black couldn’t help panting with his tongue out. He was sure this was due to the heat.

Just as Zhang Hang was about to go out to dinner with Big Black, Xiao Ren rushed back home. He saw that Zhang Hang was surprised to see him, scratched his head and said, “I will apply for leave in the afternoon so I can take you to the Disabled Persons’ Federation. We can have you apply for a disability certificate, then later for an allowance. You should be able to do so.”

“But your work…”

“It’s okay. We’re on duty round the clock, so I’ll just change shifts with someone and come back another time.” Xiao Ren took Zhang Hang’s hand and said, “Let’s go have a meal. We can give Big Black some meat bones.”

“Wu… Woof woof woof!” Lu Chengye stared at Xiao Ren holding Zhang Hang’s hands. He couldn’t help barking, wanting to shout ‘Let go of that hand!’.

“Hahaha, look at Big Black. He’s so excited about going to eat meat bones.” Xiao Ren laughed heartily, and wasn’t afraid to pat Big Black on the head.

Zhang Hang: “…”

Although he couldn’t see, he was particularly sensitive to the emotions contained in Big Black’s barks— it could even be said that it was because he couldn’t see that he was so sensitive . Big Black’s barking just now didn’t sound happy, but Xiao Ren was so enthusiastic that Zhang Hang swallowed his words in silence.

Xiao Ren, although young and brash, was also frugal, so he brought them to a restaurant he was familiar with. He greeted the boss and took the dog in, then specifically asked the boss to make some unsalted bones for Big Black. After all, he was a policeman. Although he could be quite crude, with some things he paid great attention to detail.

Xiao Ren was so considerate that Zhang Hang felt better than he did earlier. Over the course of the meal, he chatted with Xiao Ren happily and drank two cups of beer. Because he was only a high school student, he had never drunk before, and wasn’t very good at it. Two cups didn’t make him drunk, but he was a little tipsy. His face became red and his eyes were moist from the alcohol. Xiao Ren stared at Zhang Hang for a while and couldn’t help shaking his head and sighing. How could such a good child have such a hard life?

Zhang Hang didn’t feel bitter. The bitter times had passed, and his heart felt satisfied. With Big Black accompanying him and Xiao Ren helping him, he was very happy.

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The next afternoon, they went to the Disabled Persons’ Federation. The staff took Zhang Hang to the hospital for an examination, with the diagnosis being complete blindness. Xiao Ren filled in the application form for Zhang Hang. After several working days, the disability card arrived, and they could go apply for an allowance.

In the evening, Xiao Ren insisted on treating Zhang Hang to dinner again, but this upset Zhang Hang and he insisted on paying. To lessen the financial burden on the young man, Xiao Ren ordered some cheap and affordable dishes. As they were headed home, they passed a bookstore, so Xiao Ren and Zhang Hang went in and browsed. Big Black wasn’t allowed in, so he sat outside and waited for them. Zhang Hang bought a basic Braille textbook, and Xiao Ren bought a book as well. Lu Chengye saw through the glass door that the book Xiao Ren had chosen was titled, “The Complete Collection of Family Dishes”.

From the instant noodle box at his home, one could see just how casually Xiao Ren lived his life. He was just a messy bachelor. However, after meeting Zhang Hang, he worked hard to clean up his house, and asked for leave in order to help him. Now, a man who couldn’t cook at all went to buy books in order to learn. Zhang Hang couldn’t see the book, but Lu Chengye could.

After leaving the bookstore, Big Black went up to them. He first greeted Zhang Hang, then went over to Xiao Ren and licked his fingers amicably.

This excited Xiao Ren very much. He had already wanted to hug and pet the energetic and lively Big Black. However, Big Black had been ignoring Xiao Ren, sometimes even showing a disdainful expression. This made it difficult for the man to get close. But now Big Black had initiated, how could Xiao Ren let go of such an opportunity? He immediately hugged Big Black’s neck, rubbed the dog’s body with a hand, and enthusiastically kissed his forehead. “Big Black is so smart!”

“Wuwuwu…” Lu Chengye was quickly touched all over by Xiao Ren. He felt as if his entire body had been molested, the man had even dared to kiss him! Lu Chengye tried his best to restrain himself from biting Xiao Ren.

“Look at how much Big Black is enjoying me petting him! Doggies love being touched by humans, especially those they are close to,” Xiao Ren excitedly said to Zhang Hang.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Zhang Hang: “…”

How he wished he could not understand the emotions in Big Black’s barks like Xiao Ren… ah, forget it. Since Xiao Ren was happy, let him misunderstand. Big Black wouldn’t bite him anyway.

Zhang Hang had confidence in this. He knew Big Black so well, he even knew his bark. This was probably because he raised him from a puppy.

After returning home, Zhang Hang felt more at ease lying in a strange bed than he did the night before. Xiao Ren was still playing games in his bedroom, and Zhang Hang could hear the sound of him smashing the keyboard through two closed doors. Last night, he hadn’t been able to sleep because of the noise, but tonight he felt at ease.

“Big Black?” He reached out and Lu Chengye, lying under the bed, raised his head and licked Zhang Hang’s fingers.

“We’ll be fine, right?” No matter how strong he was, Zhang Hang would be uncertain about the future. Today, Xiao Ren’s enthusiasm and earnest attitude made him regain his passion for life. There were still a lot of good people in this world.

“Woof!” We will definitely be alright, and I will accompany you. Lu Chengye licked Zhang Hang’s fingertips and gently comforted him.

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Zhang Hang, reassured by Big Black, fell asleep to the sound of Xiao Ren tapping at his keyboard. The next day, he opened his eyes and felt like the air was very fresh.

He went for a run and bought breakfast as per usual, but today woke Xiao Ren up ten minutes earlier so the man could eat breakfast at home. It was the first time Xiao Ren had gotten up so early. He sat at the table eating with Zhang Hang and thought that this was pretty nice.

Xiao Ren was out in the field that day. After eating dinner, he went out on his police bike to patrol, and Zhang Hang stayed home to study. At about 9 o’clock in the morning, someone knocked at the door. But Xiao Ren shouldn’t be back by this time, right? Zhang Hang couldn’t look through the peephole to see who was at the door. He could only ask, “Who is it?”

A familiar low voice came from outside the door. “Hang Hang, it’s me, open the door.”

“Woo…” Lu Chengye barked warily from beside Zhang Hang.

Zhang Hang was stupefied for a short time, then slowly opened the door to let Zhang Qiming come in.