"But... puppies have a lot of bacteria, right? When I wanted to touch them before, my aunt would scold me and stop me, saying they were dirty..."
Qin Huai also came out and stood next to Yin Huaiyu, muttering.
Cheng Taotao didn’t care about bacteria or anything; she just knew these puppies were pitiful... The more Qin Huai said that, the tighter Cheng Taotao held the puppies.
At this moment, Zhou Guangren didn’t know how to handle the situation, so he asked Guan Su, "Do you have any reliable friends working at a pet hospital or a stray animal shelter?"
Guan Su thought for a while but couldn’t think of any friends in relevant professions, so he shook his head.
"Then... are there any good pet shops nearby? We could send these dogs there for care, right?"
"Grandpa Zhou... can’t I keep them?"
For adults, whether it’s stray animals or homeless orphans, after living for so many years, they have become accustomed to it.
It’s not a lack of kindness, but knowing that behind that kindness lies a lot of effort and cost. After weighing it out... they avoid trouble when possible.
At this moment, whether it was the director, Zhou Guangren, or Guan Su, they all wanted to protect Cheng Taotao’s kind nature. It’s not just Cheng Taotao; all the children with their earnest eyes were staring at the adults.
Perhaps Cheng Taotao knew Grandpa Zhou was helping her, helping these helpless puppies, but... she wasn’t at ease. With her pure nature, Cheng Taotao understood that there isn’t that much kindness in the world, and these puppies may not be as lucky as she is to encounter kind-hearted people repeatedly.
"Taotao, you’re still young. How can you take care of five puppies?"
"I’ll figure something out..."
"Taotao, raising so many dogs in the orphanage would cause a lot of trouble." Director Qi said to Cheng Taotao.
Cheng Taotao seemed to realize how unlikely it was for her to raise these puppies alone. Mischievous and carefree Cheng Taotao suddenly burst into tears,
"They won’t be troublesome... Taotao will take good care of them..."
She was stubbornly insisting and pleading...
Yin Huaiyu looked at the "tomboy" who was deemed a little piano prodigy by the teacher, her face dirty, mixed with tears, looking even more pathetic, shrinking her big head... What was she wearing today?
A long-sleeved cotton-linen top and gray jeans that all seemed ill-fitting.
Crying and fussing like this was really quite distressing.
Yin Huaiyu thought, he couldn’t stand this unsightly scene, couldn’t stand this girl crying with her hoarse voice... So he walked to Yin Shixiu, reached out to hold his hand, and looked up at his father,
"Dad... can I keep one?"
"..."
"..."
Yin Shixiu and Su Xiaomeng were both stunned. No one expected that Yin Huaiyu, who was always indifferent and avoided trouble, doing things efficiently, would take the initiative to ask for a dog...
Shuangshuang and Huang Huang both liked dogs, which Yin Shixiu and Xiaomeng knew. They were very close to Bai Fengmao’s Ah Bu. Later, the two little ones were quite upset for a few days after Ah Bu passed away.
Shuangshuang had once expressed her desire for a dog, but when Xiaomeng explained all the responsibilities of owning a dog, Prince Huang immediately opposed,
"Shuangshuang is already problematic enough, a dog would be an even bigger hassle, I don’t want it."
Shuangshuang thought about it and perhaps agreed that it was indeed troublesome, and the matter of getting a dog was dropped.
But now...
Yin Shixiu looked at Yin Huaiyu, who then said, "I know keeping a dog is a hassle. You have to train it to be obedient, take it on walks, spend a lot of time with it, feed it, and take care of it when it’s sick... Eh, it really is troublesome."
Yin Huaiyu said as he scratched his head somewhat irritably.
Su Xiaomeng couldn’t help but laugh; it’s rare to see Yin Huaiyu acting silly like this.
"And you still want to keep one?"
Yin Shixiu asked.
Yin Huaiyu took a deep breath, looked up at Yin Shixiu, "Her crying is too ugly, I can’t take it."
"Pfft..."
As soon as the little brother said this, Liu Liu laughed out loud, and nearby Qi Hongyu couldn’t help but laugh too.
Cheng Taotao felt wronged, her grievance mixed with a bit of frustration, her expression was nothing less than spectacular.
"Just because of that?"
Yin Shixiu raised an eyebrow, squatted down, adjusted his son’s clothes, and asked lightly, the two looked like they were cast from the same mold, both exceedingly handsome, everything they did and said was easy on the eyes.
"The dogs are also pitiful, so... can I keep one?"
"Think it through, if you decide to keep one, you’re responsible for it for the next ten years."
"Uh-huh, I’ve thought it through."
"Alright, you can keep one."
Yin Shixiu agreed, which was something Su Xiaomeng completely hadn’t expected. She saw Yin Huaiyu calmly walked over to Cheng Taotao after getting permission,
"Give me one, I’ll take good care of it."
Cheng Taotao furrowed her brow as she looked at Yin Huaiyu; with this expression... Yin Huaiyu thought maybe her crying was better.
"I promise I’ll take good care of it, my home is super big! We have many yards! I also have pocket money, can find really good dog doctors to care for it! I just promised my dad I’d take care of the puppy, and I’ll definitely keep my word. A man of his word doesn’t go back on it!"
Yin Huaiyu said to Cheng Taotao seriously, word for word!
Cheng Taotao wasn’t too stubborn. Maybe more than adults, she believed in what Yin Huaiyu said. As Yin Huaiyu spoke, the little girl’s mind was also turning... seeming a bit hesitant.
After all, this little brother was wearing a cold face but spoke words that contradicted his expression... Cheng Taotao really couldn’t figure out Yin Huaiyu’s true thoughts.
For a moment, the two were stuck...
Su Xiaomeng nudged Yin Shixiu, whispered, "Why did you agree?"
"Or else?"
"You wouldn’t play dumb, would you? You believe he’ll follow through just because he said so? What if he refuses later, wouldn’t it fall on me? If it doesn’t fall on me, it would trouble others at home either..."
"Yeah."
Yin Shixiu responded, nodding.
Su Xiaomeng promptly shoved him, "Why are you just saying yeah! Why did you agree to him then?"
"It won’t be me who suffers."
Yin Shixiu said indifferently, Su Xiaomeng’s expression froze, reaching out to pinch the flesh on Yin Shixiu’s arm!
"Ow..."
Yin Shixiu winced in pain, frowning.
"Here, take them." At this moment, the deadlock between the two little ones was broken; Cheng Taotao handed the dogs she held to Yin Huaiyu — all five of them.
Yin Huaiyu, looking at the puppies transferred to his arms, was shocked and looked at Cheng Taotao,
"I said just one! Do you not know how to count?"