The world outside the house was pitch black, and the sound of a dog barking incessantly ca from the front door.
"Dog, stop barking! Cough, cough..."
Patriarch Su’s voice of rebuke ca from beside the lotus pond, prompting Su Lao Si to quicken his steps. When he reached the doorstep, he saw Patriarch Su leaning on a cane, trying to quiet the continuously barking dog.
Su Lao Si hurriedly called out, "Dad, why are you still not resting?"
He took the opportunity to glance at the noisy dog.
The little pup brought back to the Qin Family by the rascal pig had, after a few years, grown into a majestic large dog.
Since the day Su Pan’er had left, the dog always enjoyed circling the Qin Mansion every morning; if it spotted any strangers attempting to scale the wall, it would bare its teeth and bark furiously. It even bit a mischievous child trying to climb the high walls of the Qin Mansion and nearly got beaten to death for it. In the end, Su Lao Si settled the matter by paying thirty taels of silver.
Money was precious in the countryside these days; a normal family could make do with a tael of silver for a whole year. The Su Family’s dog had bitten soone, and in paying thirty taels of silver, the incident was put to rest.
Originally, everyone was prepared to let the little dog fend for itself, but Patriarch Su felt sorry for it as it was covered in wounds; rembering that it was the dog Pan’er had brought ho, he was moved by compassion and brought it a bowl of food.
Unexpectedly, the dog miraculously survived!
Perhaps after this ordeal, the dog had beco countless tis more fierce than before. Patriarch Su, worried that the dog might bite soone again, had secured it next to the courtyard gate with an iron chain.
But this evening, it was barking madly, as if in a frenzy.
Thinking of this, Patriarch Su scrutinized the dog from all angles: "Lao Si, what do you think is wrong with the dog today? Why is it causing such a commotion? Could it be that sothing big has happened?"
"Dad, what big thing could happen in our rural area? At most, there are just so trivial matters..."
Su Lao Si was sowhat dismissive and took another look at the dog: "Perhaps, it wasn’t fed enough tonight?"
"I don’t think so."
Patriarch Su shook his head: "This dog, since being brought back by Pan’er, has been very well-behaved all these years. It’s so agitated today, could it be that..."
"Could it be what? Dad!"
Su Lao Si curiously pressed on.
With so hesitation, Patriarch Su ventured, "Could it be... Pan’er has co back?"
Pan’er has co back?
Surprise crossed Su Lao Si’s face, only to be replaced by dismay: "Dad, Pan’er has important things to do; how could she possibly co back? You should head back to your room; it’s cold right now, don’t catch a chill."
"Ah—"
Patriarch Su nodded in agreent, took another look at the dog, which still couldn’t stop jumping around, and then turned to go back inside the house.
But just as he turned, a cry of surprise suddenly ca from behind him. He instinctively turned back around, only to see the dog break free from its chain and bolt toward the front door as a dark shadow.
The front door was tightly shut, but the dog unexpectedly squeezed through the gap at the bottom of the door and quickly disappeared from view.
The two of them were shocked and hurriedly chased after it: "Dog, co back! Dog..."
Su Lao Si ran after the dog, cursing as he went: "Dog, co back; dog, co back now! If you don’t co back, beware I’ll kill you and stew you into a delicious pot of dog at! Co back..."
He had just reached the crossroads behind the mountain when the dog running ahead suddenly stopped and let out a series of joyful barks.
Su Lao Si quickly looked up, and he was dumbstruck on the spot!
"Pan... Pan’er..."
Compared to Su Lao Si’s stunned reaction, Su Pan’er was equally startled by the dog!
They had been exhausted from traveling. As they got closer to ho, she grew increasingly timid with the familiar feeling of being near yet so far.
But before she could adjust her emotions, the dog suddenly rushed over, wagging its tail and frolicking at her feet, continually flipping its belly and rubbing against Su Pan’er’s feet while making a low, ingratiating noise from its nose.
"Ugly girl, is this, this your dog?"
The people behind her had originally thought it was a wolf, but upon seeing that the yellow and white dog was different in size from a wolf, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes, indeed it is my dog. I just didn’t expect that, after all these years, it would still rember !"
Su Pan’er struggled to bend down and stroke the dog’s fur.
The dog sprawled on its belly to accept Su Pan’er’s caresses, obviously enjoying it very much!
"Indeed, you have been away from ho for so many years, and it still rembers your scent, running such a long distance to greet you, such rarity, such rarity!"
Everyone was amazed.
Although a dog is a beast, it rembers its master’s kindness better than many people who behave like beasts and will never forget it in a lifeti!
As Su Pan’er was feeling moved, she suddenly heard a voice laden with surprise, hesitation, and caution.
"Ugly girl, is it really you who has co back?"
Su Pan’er quickly lifted her head, her face filled with joy.
"Dad!"
...
Compared to Su Lao Si, who had dashed out quickly, Patriarch Su had just reached the doorway when he could no longer run and had to lean against the doorfra to catch his breath, "Ah, I’ve gotten old, no longer of use..."
Once his legs stopped trembling so much, he looked out into the pitch-black night sky, realizing that he couldn’t catch up with the dog and had to stand by the door, waiting for Su Lao Si to return.
Soon, he indeed heard Su Lao Si’s voice, interspersed with the dog’s cheerful barking.
He pitied the old dog and hurriedly scolded, "Lao Si! That dog was brought back by Pan’er, if not for the monk, at least for the Buddha’s sake, you mustn’t harm it! Otherwise, if Pan’er ever returns, she...
Patriarch Su was still rambling when suddenly a person appeared before him.
"Grandfather, Pan’er has returned!"
Patriarch Su’s prattling abruptly stopped, and using the light of the lantern in his hand, he looked at Su Pan’er for a long ti before wiping his eyes and shaking his head with a sigh.
"Ah, Lao Si! I’ve gotten old, and my vision has dimd. I thought I saw Pan’er returning, ah! I don’t even know how she’s doing now."
This made Su Pan’er choke up with emotion, unmindful that she was heavily pregnant, she tried hard to kneel down.
"Grandfather, it’s , Pan’er has returned! Pan’er has co back to see you!"
Patriarch Su stared at Su Pan’er for a long ti, disbelief in his eyes.
Unsure whether he was in reality or a dream.
Su Lao Si hurried forward, "Dad, Pan’er has co back! It’s Pan’er’s return, and your great-granddaughter has also co back! Yan Yan, quickly greet your great grandfather."
Little Yanyan obediently ca forward to pay her respects, her mouth curving into two sweet dimples.
"Yanyan pays respects to great-grandfather."
Patriarch Su trembled all over, his hands shaking ceaselessly, and finally the expression in his eyes changed. He propped the lantern to shine on Su Pan’er and Little Yanyan’s faces over and over again.
"Truly, the ugly girl has returned?"
He stretched out his trembling hand as if to touch Little Yanyan’s face, but the aged hand retracted halfway, "Good, good! It’s good that you’ve co back, it’s good indeed!"
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