Chapter 45 The Starry Sky, Though Beautiful, Cannot Compare to You...

“Getting a dog?”

“That’s right. It was actually the owner of the pig farm who suggested it, and he said it’s best to get a fierce one.” As Xia Yan recalled the pig farm owner’s words, they echoed in her mind.

Lin You didn’t hesitate for more than a couple of seconds. “There are dogs, but all the ones in the army are wolfdogs. They’re tough and fiery-tempered. If you want one to bond with, you’ll need to raise it from a pup. Otherwise, it’s hard to form any attachment.”

In her previous life, Xia Yan had kept a dog, but it was a poodle. So when she heard Lin You mention a wolfdog, she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. Still, she didn’t want to give up on the idea. “Then help me pick out a puppy that looks a bit more intimidating.”

“Alright,” Lin You agreed readily. “I’ll drop by Captain Lu’s place tomorrow and pick out the fiercest-looking one I can find.”

After a brief pause, he added, “Xia Yan, you really don’t have to push yourself so hard. My salary is enough for our family’s needs, at least as long as we don’t make any big purchases.”

Xia Yan understood what he meant, but she wasn’t the kind who could sit idle. Lin You seemed reliable now, but who could say what the future would bring? In her previous life, she’d learned that the only person she could truly rely on was herself. Women must stand strong on their own.

“Lin You, I just want to contribute to this family too. None of it feels like a burden to me. Not only can I earn some money, but it also makes my life more fulfilling.”

Lin You knew she wouldn’t be persuaded otherwise. In the end, he said nothing more, simply drank a few mouthfuls of water, and stepped outside for a smoke. Perhaps another thought came to him, for before he went to bed, he offered one final reminder: “About Gou Sheng, I doubt Liu Xiuying will just let this go. You’d better be careful. When she gets unreasonable, even Zhao Ming can’t restrain her.”

Xia Yan looked completely unconcerned. She walked over to the window, gazing at the starlit sky. “Lin You, have you ever really looked at the stars? They’re so beautiful.”

Lin You looked at her, the light illuminating her slightly upturned face.

She was a sight for sore eyes.

He followed her gaze and looked up at the sky, a phrase flitting through his mind: “No matter how beautiful the stars are, they can’t compare to you…”

***

At that moment, in the infirmary at the garrison, Liu Xiuying’s face was ashen, her eyes red with weeping. “Where’s the car? Why isn’t the car here yet? Gou Sheng, wake up, don’t scare your mother like this!”

“All you can do is cry! You have no shame. It’s your fault our son is in this state. Xia Yan came to our door saying there was something wrong with the pork, and you still tried to be sneaky. Why didn’t you just eat all the meat yourself? I’m telling you, Liu Xiuying, if anything happens to our son, I won’t let you off!”

After berating Liu Xiuying, Zhao Ming turned to Zhang Jun and Zhu Yan. “Doctor Zhang, what kind of poison did my son get into?”

Zhang Jun adjusted his glasses. “To me, it looks like snake venom… Actually, the pork itself didn’t contain much toxin. Eating a small amount wouldn’t do much harm, which is why your wife and the others improved after getting IV fluids. But Gou Sheng ate too much pig’s blood soup, so more toxin remained in his system, leading to his current condition.”

Snake venom?

Zhao Ming was startled. “Doctor Zhang, do you know what kind of snake it was?”

Zhang Jun shook his head. If Gou Sheng had been bitten by a snake, he could have determined something from the wound, but this was different. “I can’t say for sure. We’ll have to wait for the lab results to know exactly what happened.”

As they spoke, the sound of a car braking sharply came from outside. It was a small vehicle, and since Liu Xiuying was also showing symptoms of poisoning, only Zhao Ming accompanied Gou Sheng to the hospital.

As soon as Zhao Ming left, Liu Xiuying tried to leave the infirmary to confront Xia Yan. In her eyes, this was all Xia Yan’s fault; if she hadn’t raised piglets, none of this would have happened.

Fortunately, Zhu Yan was there and stopped her. “Liu Xiuying, you’ve only just started to recover. If you go running around, the poison might flare up again, and then we won’t be able to save you.”

“Doctor Zhu, you’re just trying to scare me.”

Liu Xiuying trusted no one at this point. Seeing Zhu Yan block her way, she immediately assumed she was trying to stop her from making trouble for Lin You, and continued, “I’m only going to see Xia Yan. I won’t bother Lin You.”

“Heh, scare you? Why would I bother? If you don’t believe me, go right ahead. Whoever you want to bother isn’t my concern—but if something happens, don’t come crying to me.”

Zhu Yan sneered.

She’d already heard the whole story from Xia Yan earlier in the day. Liu Xiuying’s own greed had harmed both herself and her children, and yet she was still looking to blame others.

With that, Zhu Yan didn’t waste another word and turned to leave.

Liu Xiuying glared at the two sleeping children in the beds, her eyes full of malice. “Xia Yan, just you wait.”

By early the next morning, word of the trouble at Liu Xiuying’s house had spread throughout the compound. The women who had accused Xia Yan of wasting pork the day before were now filled with dread.

“That Liu Xiuying—if she wants to risk her own life, fine, but dragging three kids into it? What kind of mother is that? Truly unlucky.”

“You’re telling me! I heard that last night, Political Instructor Zhao and Captain Lin rushed back in the middle of the night. Zhao Ming even went to Captain Lin’s house to cause trouble.”

“After all these years, Zhao Ming still doesn’t know what his wife is like? He’s blaming Captain Lin—but it’s a blessing Lin’s wife didn’t go to the regiment to lodge a formal complaint.”

“That’s right. I heard Xia Yan had to pay thirty-five yuan just to buy back the piglet meat. Thirty-five yuan! Think how much pork you could get for that. That woman really is greedy—no wonder she’s in trouble.”

…

The women in the courtyard were gossiping away when Lin You returned from outside, carrying a dog.

“Look at that, a wolfdog, and its eyes are blue…”

“Yes, it looks a bit intimidating.”

The noise of the children woke Xia Yan from her sleep. She’d stayed up late chatting with Lin You, who, true to his word, turned out to be quite the chatterbox.

With her hair a mess, she wandered into the courtyard, only to see three children squatting and staring at a puppy. Its eyes were blue, and three white streaks on its forehead looked like three burning flames.

Xia Yan was dumbfounded. “Lin You, is this the wolfdog you mentioned?”

“That’s right. I picked out the sturdiest one.”

Lin You hoisted the ‘wolfdog’ up and gave its sides a gentle squeeze.

“So you call huskies wolfdogs around here?”

Xia Yan had thought Lin You meant a German Shepherd, a breed known for being the perfect guard dog. She hadn’t expected one of the infamous “sled dog trio”—a husky. What did huskies have to do with wolfdogs?

Rely on it to guard the house? She’d be grateful if it didn’t tear the place apart.

“Husky what?” Lin You looked at the little dog in his hand, then turned to Xia Yan in confusion.