Chapter 384

: "To understand why Little Flower could run in the right direction with Zheng Tan, we need to go back to when she was still a puppy." No Chinese.

Translate: "If one wants to explain why Little Flower can cooperate with Zheng Tan to run in the correct direction, one must trace it back to when Little Flower was still a puppy."

We need to keep meaning, not add. Use "Little Flower". Use "Zheng Tan". Keep punctuation? We'll output as a sentence.

: "Saint Bernards are big dogs by nature; even as puppies they are larger than other small breeds, and naturally larger than the few cats Zheng Tan and his friends have. However, Little Flower's temperament meant she was destined to be bullied by the four cats in the compound." No Chinese.

Translate: "Saint Bernards are naturally large dogs; even as puppies they are bigger than other small breeds, and naturally bigger than the few cats Zheng Tan and company have, but Little Flower's temperament destined it to be bullied by the four cats in the compound."

: "【11】 The word meaning \"the compound\" can be translated as \"the compound\"; there's no need to use the specific term Xiqu Dayuan here." Check: contains Xiqu Dayuan (pinyin) which is fine. No Chinese characters.

: "From then on, Zheng Tan began training Little Flower, although to others it just looked like play between a cat and a dog, and no one would have thought Zheng Tan was training the dog. So now, whenever Zheng Tan gently tugs on Little Flower's collar, she runs in the direction of the pull, and stops when pulled backward. After several years, they have developed some tacit understanding." No Chinese.

: "From then on, Zheng Tan began training Little Flower, although to others it just looked like play between a cat and a dog, and no one would have thought Zheng Tan was training the dog. So now, whenever Zheng Tan gently tugs on Little Flower's collar, the dog runs in the direction of the pull, and stops when pulled backward. After several years, they have developed some tacit understanding." No Chinese.

: "【16】 The term meaning tacit understanding should be translated as \"tacit understanding\"." No Chinese.

: "Passersby found the pair quite interesting, but the bloodstains on Little Flower made many people keep their distance." No Chinese.

Translate: "Passersby found this pair quite interesting, but the bloodstains on Little Flower made many people keep their distance."

: "Little Flower led Zheng Tan all the way to the pet center, and didn't attract any extra attention from passersby." No Chinese.

Translate: "Little Flower led Zheng Tan all the way to the pet center, and didn't even let passersby glance much."

: "Soon after Zheng Tan and Little Flower left, the situation at the entrance of the western compound stabilized, the road was completely cleared, and there was no sign that an accident had just occurred there." No Chinese.

Translate: "Not long after Zheng Tan and Little Flower left, the situation at the entrance of Xiqu Dayuan stabilized, the road was completely cleared, and there was no sign that an accident had just occurred here."

We need to use "Xiqu Dayuan". Good.

: "Several guards and security personnel were chatting about the incident when a young man in a campus security uniform ran over." No Chinese.

Translate: "Several guards and security personnel were chatting about what had just happened when a young man in a campus security uniform ran over."

: "\"Hey, Xiao Wang, what are you doing over here? Although something just happened, no one notified you to come over—leaving your post is not allowed. \" Among those chatting, one person saw the young security guard, frowned, and said." No Chinese.

Translate: ""Hey, Xiao Wang, what are you doing over here? Although there was just an accident here, no one notified you to come over—leaving your post without permission is not allowed." Among those chatting, one person saw the young security guard and frowned, saying:"

We need to keep quotes. Use English quotes. We'll keep the Chinese quotes? Probably use English quotation marks. We'll output as: 【8】 "Hey, Xiao Wang, what are you doing over here? Although there was just an accident here, no one notified you to come over—leaving your post without permission is not allowed." Among those chatting, one person saw the young security guard and frowned, saying:

But we need to keep the Chinese quoted speech as is? The instruction: translate faithfully. So we translate the quoted speech into English. So we should translate the whole line, including the quoted speech. So we will translate the quoted speech into English. So we will not keep Chinese quotes. We'll produce English translation.

Thus: 【8】 "Hey, Xiao Wang, what are you doing over here? Although there was just an accident here, no one notified you to come over—leaving your post without permission is not allowed." Among those chatting, one person saw the young security guard and frowned, saying:

But we need to keep the structure: The line originally had quoted speech then narration. We'll translate both.

: "\"No, Old Liu, I got a call from Old Zhang. He said he was taking Professor Li and others to the affiliated hospital, and Professor Li, waking up in the car, asked us to check on Little Flower. He said Little Flower was also injured, Old Liu—who is Little Flower? \"" No Chinese.

Translate: ""No, Liu Ge, I got a call from Zhang Ge. He said he was accompanying Professor Li and others to the affiliated hospital, and Professor Li woke up in the car and asked us to check on Little Flower. He said Little Flower was also injured, Liu Ge—who is Little Flower?""

We should keep the nickname in pinyin (Zhang Ge, Liu Ge); translate Professor Li as Professor Li; and translate Little Flower as Little Flower.

The young guard who had come running said, while also looking around, that just moments before he had heard something happen here and had seen the campus hospital's ambulance leave, but they couldn't abandon their posts, so he resisted his curiosity and didn't come over; he hadn't expected to receive a phone call so soon. The person who had sent Professor Li and the others over thought things here weren't finished yet, so he didn't call the guards at the West District compound, but instead called the young guard whose work was relatively light nearby. He asked him to look after Little Flower. He had no idea who Little Flower was, and the caller didn't explain before hanging up.

Translate: "The young security guard who had run over said while also looking around, he had just heard that there was an incident here and saw the ambulance from the campus hospital leave, but they couldn't abandon their posts, so he resisted his curiosity and didn't come over—yet not long after he received a call. The people who had taken Professor Li and company over thought things here weren't settled yet, so they didn't call the security at Xiqu Dayuan; instead they called a young security guard whose work had been relatively light lately, asking him to look after Little Flower. But he had no idea who Little Flower was, and the caller hung up without explaining."

: note about using Xiqu Dayuan and Xiao Yi Yuan. Need English without Chinese characters. So: "【51】 Use Xiqu Dayuan for the western compound and Xiao Yi Yuan for the campus hospital." Ensure no Chinese characters. The terms Xiqu Dayuan and Xiao Yi Yuan are pinyin, fine.

Thus: "The young security guard who had run over said while also looking around, he had just heard that there was an incident here and saw the ambulance from Xiao Yi Yuan leave, but they couldn't abandon their posts, so he resisted his curiosity and didn't come over—yet not long after he received a call. The people who had taken Professor Li and company over thought things here weren't settled yet, so they didn't call the security at Xiqu Dayuan; instead they called a young security guard whose work had been relatively light lately, asking him to look after Little Flower. But he had no idea who Little Flower was, and the caller hung up without explaining."

After receiving a call from a colleague, the young guard rushed over immediately, although he didn't know much about the school's people and affairs. He had only heard Professor Li's name over the phone. He didn't know Professor Li nor Little Flower. He even thought Little Flower might be a relative of Professor Li, and wondered why the person named Little Flower was injured but didn't follow the ambulance to the hospital. He looked around and saw no injured persons.

Translate: "After receiving the call from a colleague, the young security guard immediately came over, although he didn't know much about the school's people and affairs. He had only heard Professor Li's name on the phone. He didn't know Professor Li nor Little Flower, and he assumed Little Flower was some relative of Professor Li's, wondering why the person named Little Flower who was injured hadn't gone to the hospital with the ambulance; he came over and looked around, but saw no wounded personnel."

We should translate the word for ambulance as ambulance and the word for hospital as hospital; we will use the generic term hospital rather than a specific name.

'Little Flower?' an older guard exclaimed, looking around. 'Didn't I tie Little Flower up nearby? Where did it go?'

Translate: ""Little Flower?" an older guard blinked, looked around, and said, "Huh? Didn't I tie Little Flower to the side just then? How is it gone?""

'Tied?' the young guard became even more puzzled.

Translate: ""Tie?" the young guard became even more puzzled."

'Is it Professor Li's big dog? Someone said they just saw it.'

Translate: ""You mean Professor Li's big dog? I thought I heard someone say they saw it just now." Someone said."

Several people asked around and discovered that the dog had gone missing while they weren't paying attention.

Translate: "Several people asked around and discovered that the dog had disappeared while they weren't paying attention."

'I asked the guard at the east gate, and he said he hadn't seen it.' A guard hung up the phone and said that.

Translate: ""I asked the guard at the east district, and he said he hadn't seen it come back." A guard hung up the phone and said."

'Let's check the surveillance footage.' Even though it's just a dog, they're responsible if they lose it; moreover, this dog had saved a person, and Professor Li, lying in the ambulance, kept muttering, showing how important the dog was to him.

Translate: ""Let's check the surveillance quickly." Even though it's just a dog, they'd be responsible if they lost it, and besides, this dog had saved a person; Professor Li, lying in the ambulance, kept muttering, showing how important the dog was to him."

Several people gathered in the surveillance room and pulled up the footage from the cameras at the entrance just moments before.

Translate: "Several people gathered in the surveillance room and pulled up the footage from the few cameras at the entrance just then."

'That's it, that's it—I said I tied it up nearby,' the older man pointed at the screen, which showed the three of them pulling the dog out of the crowd and tying it up nearby.

Translate: ""That's it, that's it—I said I tied it to the side earlier." The older man pointed at the screen, which showed the three of them pulling the dog out of the crowd and tying it to the side."

Then, several people intently watched the dog on the screen.

Translate: "Then, several people intently watched the dog in the footage."

Then, from the camera footage they saw a small black cat, compared to the dog, undo the dog's leash; the dog ran off and back, and then the black cat jumped onto the dog's back and rode away on it.

Translate: "Then, from the camera footage they saw a black cat, not much smaller than the dog, undo the dog's leash; the dog ran off and came back, and then the black cat jumped onto the dog's back and rode it away."

Several guards: '【silence】'

Translate: "Several guards: "……""

We need to keep the ellipsis as is? Probably translate as "……". We'll keep the same.

They looked at each other in silence.

Translate: "They looked at each other, speechless."

Over there, Zheng Tan brought Little Flower to the pet center. Although Little Flower is usually brought by Old Li once or twice a month, each time either by bike or by car, Little Flower doesn't remember the way. Now, with Zheng Tan's guidance, it made no mistake; upon seeing the pet center, Little Flower's earlier anxiety about the unfamiliar environment faded considerably.

Translate: "Meanwhile, Zheng Tan brought Little Flower to the pet center. Although Little Flower is brought there by Old Li once or twice a month, usually by bike or by car, Little Flower doesn't remember the way. Now, with Zheng Tan's guidance, it made no mistake; upon seeing the pet center, Little Flower's earlier anxiety about the unfamiliar environment faded considerably."

We should translate the nickname as Li Lao Tou (pinyin), as agreed.

Zheng Tan didn't let Little Flower run straight to the main entrance of the pet center; instead he took the side door straight to Xiao Guo's workshop. Going through the main entrance wouldn't guarantee that everyone knows Little Flower, and without someone to bring it, doing anything would be inconvenient, plus treatment would require waiting in line. At Xiao Guo's place, even if no one brings it, there's no need to pay medical fees upfront—Xiao Guo will first treat Little Flower's wounds. Since Old Li isn't around and the situation there is unclear, his family likely went to the hospital to attend to him, so for now nobody would notice Little Flower; leaving it with Xiao Guo is the best option for the moment.

Translate: "Zheng Tan didn't let Little Flower run straight to the main entrance of the pet center; instead he took the side door straight to Xiao Guo's workshop. Going through the main door wouldn't necessarily mean everyone knows Little Flower, and without someone leading it, doing anything would be inconvenient, plus treatment would require queuing. At Xiao Guo's place it's different: even if no one brings it and there's no money for medical fees, Xiao Guo will first treat Little Flower's wounds. Old Li isn't around now, and the situation there is unclear; Old Li's family are probably all at the hospital busy with his affairs, so for a while no one will likely notice Little Flower—leaving Little Flower with Xiao Guo for now is the best option."

: note about using Xiao Guo exactly and Li Lao Tou. Need English without Chinese characters. So: "【106】 Use Xiao Guo exactly; render the old man's nickname as Li Lao Tou." Avoid Chinese characters.

The people at Xiao Guo's workshop have nothing to do today; they're just hanging out, thinking about how to shoot the next promotional video. As website video views increase, more advertisers have been coming knocking, but they still have to maintain quality and can't cut corners.

Translate: "The people in Xiao Guo's workshop had nothing much to do today, just hanging out and thinking about how to shoot the next promotional video. As the website's video views have increased, more advertisers have come knocking lately, but they still have to maintain quality and can't cut corners."

Everyone was inside, relaxing with the air conditioning on, watching TV and chatting, when suddenly they heard a knock on the door.

Translate: "One by one they were lounging in the room with the air conditioning on, watching TV and chatting, when suddenly they heard a knock on the door."

'At this time, with the sun so strong, who could have come over?'

Translate: ""At this time of day, with the sun so big, who's come over?""

'Never mind who it is, hurry up and open the door—it might be a big client,' an employee joked.

Translate: ""Never mind who it is, hurry up and open the door—it might be a big client." An employee joked."

The person nearest the door shook their head, got up, walked over, opened the door, and saw a dog's head—a large dog covered in blood staring at them.

Translate: "The person nearest the door shook his head, got up, walked over and opened it—only to find a dog's head: a huge dog covered in blood staring at him."

If it weren't for seeing Zheng Tan on the dog's back, the employee who opened the door would likely have been frightened and shut it again. They are responsible for filming, not veterinary work, and aren't familiar with the pet center's clients; they only know a few regular contacts, and Little Flower is unfamiliar to them. Moreover, Little Flower is covered in blood, exhausted from running, panting heavily with its mouth open, looking quite frightening.

Translate: "If it weren't for seeing Zheng Tan on the dog's back, the employee who opened the door would probably have been frightened enough to shut it right away. They're in charge of filming, not veterinary work, and they aren't familiar with the pet center's clients; they only remember a few regulars, and Little Flower is relatively unfamiliar to them. Moreover, Little Flower is covered in blood, having run over exhausted, panting with its mouth open, looking rather frightening."

'Boss!!'

Translate: ""Boss!!""

They can't handle this themselves; they can only have Xiao Guo come out.

Translate: "They couldn't handle this themselves; they could only have Xiao Guo come out."

Xiao Guo, in the break room, heard someone shouting outside, came out to look, and upon seeing Zheng Tan and Little Flower, he was also startled. He walked over and noticed the barrel that Little Flower was wearing; the barrel had Little Flower's name printed on it, and this barrel serves as Little Flower's dog tag, with all the information engraved on it. This reassured Xiao Guo a little, although he still worried that the black cat might lead the dog astray.

Translate: "Xiao Guo heard someone shouting from the break room, came out and looked outside; seeing Zheng Tan and Little Flower, he also jumped. He walked over and looked at the barrel Little Flower was wearing—the barrel had Little Flower's name printed on it; this barrel was Little Flower's dog tag, with all the information engraved on it, which put Xiao Guo somewhat at ease, though he still worried that the black cat might lead the dog astray."

We should translate the term for the container as barrel, since it's a barrel‑shaped dog tag.

Little Flower still remembered Xiao Guo's scent, so it didn't resist much. Xiao Guo sometimes goes to the compound to find Zheng Tan, and occasionally stops by to see Little Flower; the few people who keep pets in the compound all know Xiao Guo, while Old Li and his family live on the first floor, and Little Flower's kennel is also on the first floor, making visits convenient.

Translate: "Little Flower still remembered Xiao Guo's scent, so it didn't resist much. Xiao Guo sometimes goes to the compound to find Zheng Tan, and occasionally stops by to see Little Flower; the few people who keep pets in the compound all know Xiao Guo, while Old Li and his family live on the first floor. Little Flower's doghouse is also on the first floor, making visits convenient."

We should translate the term for compound as 'the compound' and the nickname as Li Lao Tou.

'Oh, it's Little Flower,' said someone nearby; very few people around keep Saint Bernards, so he just checked the barrel to confirm. Since this time Little Flower came on its own and he didn't see Old Li, Xiao Guo felt a bit puzzled.

Translate: ""Oh, it's Little Flower, then." There are very few people around who keep Saint Bernards, so he just glanced at the barrel to confirm. Since this time Little Flower came on its own, and he didn't see Old Li, that's why Xiao Guo felt a bit doubtful."

We should translate the term for Saint Bernard as Saint Bernard.

Despite the uncertainty, Little Flower's wounds still need prompt treatment.

Translate: "Doubt aside, Little Flower's wounds still needed to be dealt with promptly."

After calling the veterinarians at the pet center, they took Little Flower there directly.

Translate: "He called the veterinarians at the pet center, then directly took Little Flower over."

'Meow——'

Translate: ""Meow——""

Sesame peeked its head out from the doorway, sniffed the unfamiliar scent, saw Zheng Tan, and then trotted over. Now Sesame has grown a bit larger than Zheng Tan, about the size of Peanut Candy; if compared precisely, Sesame is just a little bigger than Peanut Candy.

Translate: "Sesame poked its head out at the doorway. It smelled a strange scent, and upon seeing Zheng Tan, it trotted over. Now Sesame is a notch bigger than Zheng Tan, about the same size as Peanut Candy; if we really compare, Sesame is just a bit bigger than Peanut Candy."

We should translate the cat's name as Sesame and the candy's name as Peanut Candy.

Zheng Tan isn't in the mood to play with this guy right now; he wants to go see how Little Flower is doing. Earlier he only thought about rushing to the pet center to check Little Flower's injury, overlooking its overall condition.

Translate: "Zheng Tan wasn't in the mood to play with this guy right now; he wanted to go check on Little Flower's condition. Earlier he had only been thinking about rushing to the pet center to look at Little Flower's injury, overlooking the dog's physical state."

Earlier, when he saw the guards leading Little Flower away, he hadn't noticed anything wrong, and even when dodging the police it had run fast, so he hadn't thought much of it. Now that he's here, Zheng Tan feels worried. If Little Flower already had internal injuries, would running here make them worse? Although the trip from the school hasn't been long, injuries are unpredictable. Little Flower is over five years old; heard that large dogs generally have shorter lifespans than small ones, so if it harbors some hidden ailment, could that shorten its life?

Translate: "Earlier, when he saw the guards leading Little Flower away, he hadn't noticed anything amiss, and even while dodging the police the dog had run pretty fast, so he hadn't thought much of it. Now that they'd arrived, Zheng Tan began to worry: if there were already internal injuries, would running here make them worse? Although it hadn't taken long to get from the school to here, injuries are unpredictable. Little Flower is over five years old, and I've heard that large dogs naturally have shorter lifespans than small ones; if it ends up with some hidden ailment, could that shorten Little Flower's lifespan?"

Previously Zheng Tan had no particular feelings toward cats and dogs, but over the past few years, watching several cats and dogs in the compound grow up and play together daily, many people see them as childhood friends who grew up side by side. Although many cats are considered adults at one year old, from a human perspective, whether they're one or five years old, they're still grouped as 'kids.'

Translate: "Before, Zheng Tan had no particular feelings toward cats and dogs, but over these past few years, watching the few cats and dogs in the compound grow up and play together daily, to many people they're like childhood friends who grew up side by side. Although many cats are considered adults at one year old, from a human perspective, whether one or five years old, they're still lumped into the "kids" category."

We should translate the term for compound as 'the compound'.

He lifted his leg to follow Xiao Guo to check on Little Flower's condition, but hearing a noise behind him, Zheng Tan turned around and saw Sesame following him; he raised his hand to gently push Sesame's head back inside. Even in the hot weather, with its furry coat, Sesame is still well‑behaved staying indoors.

Translate: "He lifted his foot to follow Xiao Guo over to check on Little Flower's condition, but hearing a rustle behind him, Zheng Tan turned around and saw Sesame following him; he raised his hand, pressed against Sesame's head, and pushed it back inside. Even though it's hot weather and the animal still has a full coat of eye‑catching fur, Sesame is still well‑behaved staying indoors."

While Little Flower was receiving treatment, Xiao Guo also called Old Li; the person who answered was Old Li's wife. Worried about Li's condition, she didn't say much when Xiao Guo called, only asking him to look after Little Flower for now.

Translate: "While Little Flower was receiving treatment, Xiao Guo also called Old Li; the person who answered was Old Li's wife. Because she was so worried about Old Li's condition, when Xiao Guo called she didn't say much, only asking him to please look after Little Flower for now."

We should translate the nickname as Li Lao Tou and the wife of that person as Old Li's wife.

Little Flower's test results came back quickly.

Translate: "Little Flower's test results came out quickly."

'There's no serious fracture; if the internal organs are fine, then it's okay—those wounds are easy to heal. According to the record, Little Flower is over five but under six years old, still in the prime of life for a Saint Bernard. Professor Li has been taking good care of it, so Little Flower could easily live another five or six years with no problems. Just the other day someone brought in a thirteen‑year‑old Saint Bernard that was still healthy, able to eat and run.'

Translate: ""There's no serious fracture; if the internal organs are fine, then it's okay—those wounds are easy to heal. According to the record, Little Flower is over five but under six years old, still in the prime of life for a Saint Bernard. Professor Li usually takes good care of it, and with this condition it could easily live another five or six years with no problems. A few days ago someone brought in a Saint Bernard that was thirteen and still doing fine—able to eat and run.""

We should translate the term for Saint Bernard dog as Saint Bernard and the title Professor Li as Professor Li.

'As long as there's no major problem, that's good—don't skimp on the medication. After all, Professor Li is lying in the hospital still thinking about the dog, and this dog just saved a person,' Xiao Guo said.

Translate: ""As long as there's no major problem, don't skimp on the medicine—Professor Li is lying in the hospital still thinking about the dog, and this dog just saved a person." Xiao Guo said."

'Okay, I understand,' the veterinarian replied. Xiao Guo's comment meant two things: first, the dog is a good one worth saving to the best of your ability; second, you don't need to worry about medical costs—the owner will cover them.

Translate: ""All right, I understand." The veterinarian responded. Xiao Guo's words were telling him: first, this dog is a good dog and deserves your utmost effort to save; second, don't worry about the medical fees—the owner will definitely make up for them."

Listening to the veterinarian discuss Little Flower's condition with Xiao Guo, Zheng Tan felt relieved; as long as there's no serious issue, that's fine.

Translate: "Listening to the veterinarian discuss Little Flower's condition with Xiao Guo, Zheng Tan also felt a weight lift off his chest. As long as there's no major problem, that's fine."

Actually, thinking back to what he heard at the compound's gate, Zheng Tan believes Little Flower could have easily dodged the oncoming motorcycle, but it likely didn't want to let Old Li behind it get hurt, so it bravely blocked the bike. If the car's impact on the motorcycle had been stronger, Little Flower might not have survived.

Translate: "Actually, thinking back now to what was heard at the compound's gate, Zheng Tan feels that, given Little Flower's reflexes, it could easily have dodged the sliding motorcycle, but it probably didn't want Old Li behind it to get hurt, so it bravely blocked it; if the car's impact on the motorcycle had been any stronger then, Little Flower might not have survived."

We should translate the term for compound as 'the compound' and the nickname as Li Lao Tou.

However, Old Li is also genuinely fond of Little Flower; even though he himself hasn't settled down, he's still thinking about the dog.

Translate: "Nevertheless, Old Li truly doted on Little Flower; the old man himself hasn't even settled down, yet he's still thinking about the dog."

: note: we already have English sentence: "Nevertheless, Li Lao Tou truly doted on Little Flower; the old man himself hasn't even settled down, yet he's still thinking about the dog." Ensure no Chinese characters. It's fine.

Don't think that back then many people said Little Flower was so brave and loyal in protecting its master; after the onlookers had watched the excitement, they no longer bothered to think about anything. At this point, the only one who still cares about the dog is the dog's owner. If even the dog's owner doesn't think about the dog, then in Zheng Tan's view, this dog's life is somewhat tragic. (To be continued...)