"Dad, this is the dog I just bought from Wangjia Village!" Liu Yifeng walked up to his dad, leading a big black dog.
Liu Chunsheng retreated in fright, "Don't let it come near me. This dog looks quite big. Why did you suddenly decide to buy such a big dog? You're not planning to eat dog meat, are you?"
He didn't consider the possibility that Liu Yifeng bought it to raise himself. After all, people usually buy small dogs and raise them, not start with such a big one.
Before Liu Yifeng could speak, Tongtong said indignantly, "Grandpa is bad. The doggie is so cute, how can you eat it!"
Liu Chunsheng was a little embarrassed, "Tongtong, Grandpa doesn't eat dog meat. I was just asking your dad!"
"Dad, I bought this dog to raise. It's part of our family now. Don't forget about it when you feed the dogs from now on!" Liu Yifeng replied.
Liu Chunsheng was stunned, "Don't we already have Da Bai? Why do we need another one? Besides, can such a big dog be tamed?"
"It depends on the effort. As long as we treat it well, it will surely be tamed!" Liu Yifeng didn't care much about whether it could be tamed, as long as the big black dog didn't cause any trouble!
"I don't know what you're thinking, buying such a big dog. I see the bloodstains on its neck are still quite fresh. Did it just have a fight, and you bought it?" Liu Chunsheng asked, looking at the big black dog.
Liu Yifeng nodded, "Da Bai bit it. The black dog's owner wanted to beat it to death and eat it when he saw it couldn't even beat Da Bai. Tongtong couldn't bear it, so he asked me to buy it."
With this explanation, Liu Chunsheng understood.
However, hearing that Da Bai had bitten it, he was a little surprised. After all, the two dogs were vastly different in size, and Da Bai didn't seem like a match for the big black dog.
"Dad, do you find it unbelievable that Da Bai could beat the big black dog?" Liu Yifeng could tell what his dad was thinking from his expression.
Liu Chunsheng nodded, "I am indeed quite curious. How did Da Bai manage it?"
"Have you forgotten the compound supplement Da Bai ate? Tongtong developed that. It can strengthen the body and improve Da Bai's combat power."
Liu Chunsheng suddenly realized, "I see! No wonder Da Bai had so much fighting spirit! But this dog just arrived at our home. You should keep it on a leash for the next few days. I'm afraid it might run away and not come back."
"I know. Let it get familiar with our family members for the next few days, and then I'll give it some freedom!" Liu Yifeng said, then tied the dog leash to the jujube tree in the yard.
"Daddy, shouldn't we also give this doggie a name?" Tongtong asked.
Liu Yifeng nodded in agreement, "Yes, we should give it a name! Da Bai's fur is white, so it's called Da Bai. Its fur is black, so let's call him Da Hei, how about that?"
Although the name was a bit casual, Liu Yifeng thought the names of the two dogs were quite symmetrical – Black and White Fiends.
"Da Hei, okay, let's call him Da Hei!" Tongtong said, then walked up to Da Hei, calling out its name while stroking its forehead.
This made Liu Chunsheng's heart skip a beat, terrified that Da Hei might bite Tongtong. The dog's teeth were so sharp that if they bit Tongtong's hand, Tongtong's hand would be broken immediately. Fortunately, Da Hei just lay on the ground, letting Tongtong pet it without moving. Da Bai was also running around excitedly in front of Da Hei, wanting to attract Da Hei's attention and play with it. But Da Hei didn't respond.
"Tongtong, don't disturb Da Hei. Let it be alone for a while. When it gets familiar with our family, it will play with you." Liu Yifeng was going to his second aunt's house to deliver oranges. Unwilling to let Tongtong stay so close to Da Hei, he found an excuse to make Tongtong leave Da Hei. Tongtong didn't think much of it and went to the living room. He also needed to feed the little fish, which he hadn't fed all day.
"Dad, I'll go to Aunt Two's house to deliver some oranges and come right back. You keep a good eye on Tongtong, and pay attention to Da Hei too. Give it some food later." Liu Yifeng said as he sat in the driver's seat and leaned his head out to look at his dad.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Tongtong. Drive slowly on the road!" Even if Yifeng hadn't said it, Liu Chunsheng wouldn't have felt at ease leaving Tongtong to play with Da Hei alone.
Meanwhile, Liu Yifeng arrived at his eldest aunt's house.
"Yifeng, why are you here?" Li Qiuping, Liu Mei's daughter-in-law, was sitting in the yard cracking melon seeds. Seeing Liu Yifeng arrive, she immediately stood up.
"I brought some oranges. Where's Auntie?" Liu Yifeng took out a bag of oranges from the back seat.
Li Qiuping helped him take it, "Look at you, why do you always bring something when you visit? We're family, you don't need to be so formal!" Compared to before, Li Qiuping's attitude towards Liu Yifeng had undergone a complete 180-degree transformation. She now regarded Liu Yifeng as her god of wealth, and her own prosperity depended entirely on him, so she naturally had to behave well!
"These are oranges I grew myself, specially brought for you to try!" Liu Yifeng said.
"What, these are your oranges? Then I must try them carefully later, they must be delicious! You sit down for a moment, I'll go call my mother-in-law for you. She's weeding in the vegetable garden behind the kitchen."
"No need, let Auntie continue her work. I don't have anything else to do!" Liu Yifeng didn't want to delay his aunt's work because of him.
Li Qiuping then turned around, "That's fine, I'll get you a cup of tea!"
"Don't bother. I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving now." Liu Yifeng didn't have much to say to this cousin-in-law. Sitting there was awkward, so it was better to go back and accompany his son sooner. Just as he was about to leave, Liu Mei walked over, "Yifeng, why are you leaving so soon? It's almost six o'clock, stay for dinner before you go!"
"No, I have other things to do. Next time, Auntie. You shouldn't overwork yourself either. You don't have to finish all your work at once!" Liu Yifeng said, looking at his aunt's mud-covered hands with concern.
"Auntie knows what she's doing and won't get tired." She was born to be a hard worker and felt uncomfortable if she didn't do anything.
Liu Yifeng knew his aunt couldn't stay idle, so he didn't say anything more, "Then I'll be leaving now, Auntie. I'll come back for a meal in a few days!"
"You said the same thing last time, and you still haven't eaten at Auntie's house. Are you looking down on Auntie's cooking?" Liu Mei pretended to be displeased.
Liu Yifeng quickly explained, "Auntie, you misunderstand. I really have something to do. I need to deliver oranges to a friend later!"
Speaking of oranges, Liu Mei had more to say, "Yifeng, have you sent any oranges to your second aunt?"
"No!" Liu Yifeng replied truthfully.
Liu Mei immediately started to persuade him, "Are you still angry with your second aunt? But no matter what, she is still your biological second aunt. You are the younger generation and should not take what elders say to heart! Auntie doesn't eat oranges, so give the oranges to your second aunt. It's a good opportunity to mend your relationship!" Liu Mei valued family ties more than money. Last time she saw the two families break off, she was heartbroken.
Liu Yifeng, however, had no intention of giving in, "Auntie, these oranges are for you to eat. How can I give them to Second Aunt? Don't worry about my matters with Second Aunt's family. If Auntie has nothing else, I'll be leaving." With that, he immediately started the car and left. He had never considered making the first move to reconcile with his second aunt. He didn't think he had done anything wrong in that matter. If he were to back down now, given his second aunt's personality, she would continue to be unreasonable in the future. He would consider reconciling the two families only when his second aunt had a change of heart and initiated a peace talk.
Seeing Yifeng drive away, Li Qiuping's gossiping heart was stirred, "Mom, what happened between Yifeng and Auntie Xiao?" After dinner last time, they left early, and only Liu Mei stayed behind to help clean up. And since Liu Mei hadn't mentioned what happened between the two families after she returned, Li Qiuping still didn't know that Liu Yifeng had fallen out with his aunt's family. Liu Mei looked at her daughter-in-law, who was full of curiosity. Knowing that she was a gossip, if she told her, everyone would know. So she said nothing and turned to go back to the vegetable garden. However, Li Qiuping followed behind, refusing to give up, and kept asking for the reason. Liu Mei, annoyed by her persistence, finally told her what had happened the previous afternoon. After hearing the whole story, Li Qiuping immediately took Liu Yifeng's side, "I support Yifeng cutting ties with Auntie Xiao. Auntie Xiao is really something. She didn't want to invest at the time. Now that she sees it's profitable, she wants to jump in halfway. Is there such a good thing in the world? We all got equity. If Yifeng agreed to her, our shares would have to be given to her, and we would have lost so much money!"
"You're just stirring up trouble. Are money and family ties more important? Mom only told you this, so don't spread it around outside. If the two families reconcile someday, it will be awkward!" Liu Mei warned her uneasily.
Li Qiuping nodded, "Don't worry, Mom, I definitely won't talk nonsense." But seeing her demeanor, Liu Mei didn't look like someone who could keep a secret, and she regretted telling her all this.