Chapter 402

Zheng Tan felt bewildered. This old man really…

Why ask me if you want to raise a dog?

Have you ever seen someone raising a dog and asking a cat for advice?

Zheng Tan glanced at Old Man Lan, not intending to respond. How would he know what kind of dog to keep? Even if he knew, he couldn't answer.

However, Zheng Tan didn't intend to respond, but Old Man Lan had no intention of letting him go; he called out to Zheng Tan, who was about to leave, and then walked toward the small flower garden.

Zheng Tan didn't really understand what the old man wanted, but he followed anyway, out of respect for the old man's hard-won recovery.

At that moment, two people were guarding the small flower garden, one at the main gate, one at the side gate. Although Zheng Tan always called this place the 'small flower garden,' it wasn't small; one person might not be able to guard it alone. The garden had also been renovated; compared to before, its security level was several grades higher.

After Old Man Lan entered the small flower garden, he didn't linger; instead, he rode out on the three-wheeled electric cart he used for transporting flowers, with some dirt still stuck in the cargo area from the last time he hauled flowers.

"Come on, Hei Tan, get in the cart, let's go buy a dog." Old Man Lan said to Zheng Tan, who was standing nearby.

Recently many people have given Old Man Lan suggestions, but he still hasn't decided what kind of dog to buy; the dogs he liked had no puppies available, and he didn't want to wait several more months. Finishing this matter early would put his mind at ease; otherwise he'd always feel something hanging over him.

He heard that near the main school gate there were stalls selling small pets, and another market at the old street also sold puppies, so Old Man Lan planned to have a look. The dogs sold there certainly weren't any fancy breeds, and Old Man Lan wasn't particularly keen on fancy breeds anyway. Breed didn't matter; as long as it could guard the gate, it was fine. A friend's little Pekingese made a decent guard dog, better than some dogs that only grew big but lacked sense. So, for Old Man Lan, a dog's value wasn't in its price or size, but in its ability to guard against thieves.

Buy a dog?

Zheng Tan hesitated for two seconds, then jumped onto the cart; he still didn't understand. What did Old Man Lan's dog purchase have to do with him? Still, tagging along to see some excitement and novelty wasn't bad—otherwise he'd have nothing to do at home.

There indeed are stalls selling small pets at the school gate; in spring and summer many sell small goldfish, turtles, etc. In autumn and winter, however, some turtles and similar animals go into hibernation. Students lose interest in those, while hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and kitten litters become relatively popular.

Over the past few years, Zheng Tan has seen many abandoned small animals on campus—stray cats need not be mentioned. There are plenty of abandoned cats on campus. Hamsters, guinea pigs, and the like, if they escape, are likely to be eyed by cats. When students first start keeping them, they're just after novelty; once the novelty wears off and it becomes a hassle, they start thinking of abandoning them. Sometimes Zheng Tan goes to the artificial lake or strolls to nearby scenic lakes and sees various small animals that have been thrown into the water and are already dead. Such incidents occur many times each year; no matter what the school does, they remain all too common.

Since students buy, vendors naturally enjoy bringing their 'merchandise' to sell at the school gate. Walking along the road by the school gate, Zheng Tan can see several vendors.

Zheng Tan followed Old Man Lan to a stall that sold hamsters and rabbits; beside it, a large cage held four puppies, looking about one to two months old, fluffy, able to walk, in good spirits, with fur leaning toward brownish-yellow with some gray.

The vendors Zheng Tan had just passed also sold puppies, but there were more students gathered there, and the puppies included Pekingese, little Golden Retrievers, and not-quite-pure husky mixes. Old Man Lan seemed not to have taken a liking to any of those; this pet stall ahead was the last one on the road.

The puppies all looked cute and had great appeal to students, especially female students. However, like these few in front, after about another month they'd likely start to draw dislike, because their mongrel appearance would become more obvious; compared to Pekingese, Golden Retrievers, etc., mongrels are indeed unpopular among students.

But as far as guard duty goes, Old Man Lan is quite satisfied with mongrels; otherwise he wouldn't have stopped at this little stall.

According to the stall owner, he's helping a friend sell them; the friend lives in the suburbs, and his family's mongrel had a litter. He didn't want to keep them, nor sell them to a dog farm for meat, so he asked the owner to bring them out to sell.

Lan Lao tou didn't believe that. He had heard yesterday that dog dealers selling meat dogs wouldn't charge high prices; in rural homes, puppies went for just a few yuan to ten-something yuan, so you could buy a large batch cheaply. That's why someone thought of bringing dogs out to sell to students, where they could make several dozen more yuan.

"What colour is this dog?" Lan Lao tou said, looking at the puppies in the cage.

Seeing Lan Lao tou's interest, the vendor piled on a smile and said, "Don't look at the grey now; when they grow up they'll be different—they'll definitely be big yellow dogs like their mother. Oh, I forgot to mention, the mother dog's ears are erect, so these puppies will definitely have erect ears when grown, looking spirited. Are you buying a dog to guard the house or just to keep as a pet?"

"Guard duty." Lan Lao tou had no requirements for the dogs' ears—whether erect or folded didn't matter; what mattered was being able to guard. He couldn't tell now if they could guard, but looking at these few puppies, he felt they weren't very reliable.

Exactly! And besides, for guarding the house, native dogs are best; those fancy breeds aren't necessarily better at the job. Didn't the news just say that a household got burgled and their dog even helped carry things away? It's a family living near us; they also keep a dog, and when they bought it they supposedly spent several thousand yuan. But that dog—tsk—when someone knocks on another's door, their dog barks fiercely, yet when their own door is knocked, the dog doesn't make a sound. What kind of nonsense is that!

The vendor spoke with gusto, and Lan Lao tou nodded along, though he offered no opinion. No matter how a dog behaves, you can't generalize from a single case; every breed has its good and bad individuals.

The vendor kept boasting, different customers have different needs, so his advertising slogans and recommendations naturally vary; students mostly want something cute, easy to raise, and fresh, but elders definitely want something practical.

What the vendor didn't say was that his friend's chickens had been killed by the dog a few times; he would never say that, because if this old man also kept chickens, saying it would ruin the deal. So, when talking about catching thieves versus chasing chickens, just say you want a thief-catcher; it's better not to mention chicken-chasing.

Lan Lao tou felt somewhat tempted; a dog that catches thieves would be great. But which one should he buy? Or should he buy several?

Lan Lao tou really had no experience. So, looking at the four puppies in the cage that were similar in size and build, he couldn't decide right away. He shifted his gaze to the black cat crouched on the vehicle, looking at the cage, and said, "Hei Tan, which one do you think is best?"

The vendor hadn't noticed earlier, but hearing Lan Lao tou's words, he craned his neck and said, "Ha, this old man is buying a dog and even brought a cat! Who buys a dog and brings a cat along?"

Hey, sir, you raise this cat really well." The small vendor said.

Who doesn't like to hear praise? Lan Lao tou nodded proudly, "Well, it's not mine."

Small vendor: "……" You're not even the owner, what are you showing off for?

Zheng Tan ignored the vendor; Lan Lao tou had asked him to pick a dog, but he wouldn't know how—he couldn't even pick a cat, let alone a dog. These four puppies all looked alike, all male, with small folded ears; when they whined "hng hng" at people, they gave a pitiful, endearing impression, and dogs always easily arouse human sympathy.

After seeing Zheng Tan, the four puppies in the cage all crowded toward the side facing him, looking curious about this cat. Zheng Tan stood before the cage and could see the puppies clearly.

The vendor also saw Lan Lao tou's dilemma and said, "Actually, any puppy is the same; raising a dog is like raising a child—different upbringing leads to different outcomes, so training later matters." His meaning was that picking any puppy at random would do; just raise it well after bringing it home. Having a cat pick a dog? Ridiculous! He might as well close his eyes and pick one himself.

Actually, you can tell the temperament of puppies this age. When Zheng Tan was at the pet centre, he had seen Xiao Guo and the others examine the kittens' bodies and also check each kitten's temperament—some kittens are docile when picked up, while others struggle fiercely, scratching and biting.

However, Zheng Tan saw that the four puppies before him seemed to have similar temperaments—none especially lively, none especially calm. No wonder Lan Lao tou found it hard to decide.

Hei Tan, go ahead and pick boldly; whichever you choose is fine, and if it turns out badly later, I won't blame you—that's my responsibility." Lan Lao tou said.

Actually, Lan Lao tou's thought was that the few dogs in the compound were all fine; since Zheng Tan this cat gets along relatively well with dogs, picking a dog wouldn't turn out too badly. It would be more reliable than him, who is only interested in plants and basically clueless about animals.

Zheng Tan didn't know Lan Lao tou's thought; hearing him say that, he raised his hand and tapped the cage. At that spot, a puppy was crowded together with its three brothers; seeing Zheng Tan tap the cage, it even opened its mouth, as if it found it amusing.

That one." Lan Lao tou pointed at the puppy and said.

The vendor chuckled inside, thinking the black cat was just waving its paw at the puppies in the cage—not really selecting a dog—but since the customer said so, he didn't bother to explain, happily opened the cage, and lifted out the puppy he had just pointed at.

Is this the one? It's just weaned; you can feed it some rice porridge or the like." The vendor handed the puppy to Lan Lao tou.

Hei Tan, is this the one?" Lan Lao tou looked toward Zheng Tan, saw Zheng Tan had already returned to the vehicle, then looked at the puppy in his hand, saw no sign of injury or illness, and asked the price.

I was planning to sell it for eighty to a hundred, but since you're the first dog buyer today, sir, I'll give you a discount—sixty." The vendor said.

Sixty? You're trying to bluff! Just a few days ago I heard three-month-old puppies were selling for fifty; your price is too inflated." Lan Lao tou said. He wasn't complaining about the cost; he was just stating the facts.

Ah, sir, you shouldn't say that—no matter the price, you're paying to see the dog, right? This dog is genuinely good; it inherits its parents' natural talent for guarding the house, unlike other pampered dogs—many city dogs have forgotten how to guard.

In the end, the puppy was sold for sixty yuan, though the vendor threw in a cage—not large, enough to hold two puppies this size, just of poorer workmanship.

After placing the cage on the vehicle, Lan Lao tou said to Zheng Tan, "Hei Tan, keep an eye on things; let's go check out the vegetable market over there."

Zheng Tan was surprised—did that mean they still had to buy another? If he'd known earlier, he would have just pointed to two right away. (To be continued..)