Chapter 47: A small hound that understands human nature

Dawn was just breaking faintly; the chill was like a drill, bit by bit squeezing into the gaps of doors and windows.

The earthen bed had cooled halfway; only the stove side still retained a bit of last night's warmth.

Lu Qingshan leaned against the edge of the bed, his eyes hardly leaving the small thing wrapped in torn cotton wadding.

Jin Hu seemed to be failing, even worse than last night.

His breath was barely there, his tiny belly barely rising and falling, as if he could stop breathing at any moment.

Lin Yue'e also woke up, not daring to make a sound; she sat up silently, her hands gripping the edge of the blanket tightly, her eyes full of panic.

Xiao Xue in the west room also seemed to sense something wrong, she turned over and muttered a sentence of sleep-talk.

Just then, that faint breath of Jin Hu vanished completely.

His small body lay completely still, utterly stiff.

"It..." Lin Yue'e's throat tightened, voice trembling with tears; she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, and tears streamed down.

That just‑sparked hope was like being doused with icy water and extinguished.

Lu Qingshan's heart also felt as if it had been tightly clenched, aching severely.

But he didn't panic; he bent over and lightly placed his palm on Jin Hu's icy‑cold small body.

The Mountain Wild Heart in his chest jumped violently, then emitted a faint but steady warmth.

He closed his eyes, focusing all his mind—not forcing control, but rather repeatedly calling in his heart to this tenacious little life.

He tried to gently pass a thread of the Mountain Wild Heart's power—originating from the mountains and wilds, brimming with vitality—over to him.

This feeling was wonderful, like groping in the dark for an extremely fragile thread, trying to send his own strength along it.

This consumed his focus intensely; he could even feel fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, though the room was as cold as an ice cellar.

The room fell deathly silent, save for Lin Yue'e's stifled sobs and the wooing wind outside the window.

Lu Qingshan's forehead beaded with fine sweat, even though the room was still cold.

He could "feel" that last spark of fire within Jin Hu's body, like a candle flame in the wind, about to go out.

We can't just let it end like this!

He felt a surge of determination welling up inside.

Just at the instant before that spark was completely extinguished——

"Huh!"

An extremely soft yet crystal‑clear intake of breath!

Jin Hu's small body jerked sharply, like someone who had choked on water finally breaking the surface and gasping for air!

Although still feebly weak, that tiny chest began to rise and fall again—faint, but resolute!

"He's alive! He came back to life!" Lin Yue'e laughed through tears, her fingers whitening as she covered her mouth, tears flowing even harder, pure joy.

Lu Qingshan let out a long breath, feeling all his strength drained away.

He opened his eyes, watching Jin Hu's small body rise and fall again, feeling an indescribable mix of exhaustion and reassurance.

He carefully withdrew his hand, afraid to startle the little creature.

After a while, Jin Hu slowly opened his eyes.

Those eyes, originally dull and lifeless, now though still heavy with fatigue, seemed to have had a layer of dust washed away, regaining a faint yet stubborn gleam.

It struggled, lifting its head slightly; those eyes, wild yet crystal‑clear, swept past Lu Qingshan's arm and locked firmly onto his face.

In his gaze, the former fear and confusion were gone, replaced by a sense of reliance and trust, as if he had decided something.

It seemed to know that this person had pulled it back from the Ghost Gate.

"It's all right, nothing's wrong." Lu Qingshan's voice a little hoarse, he gently patted Jin Hu's head.

Lin Yue'e quickly wiped her tears, then swiftly went to the kitchen to heat some rice soup, adding extra minced meat left from yesterday, chopped finer.

This time feeding went much more smoothly than last night.

Although Jin Hu still had little strength, his swallowing was noticeably stronger; his little tongue licked the edge of the spoon, making a faint sound.

A small bowl of rice soup, he actually drank about half of it, intermittently.

After finishing, he seemed a bit more spirited, not immediately sleeping; he earnestly rubbed his little head against Lu Qingshan's palm, his throat emitting a satisfied, soft purr.

Lu Qingshan marveled at how tenacious this little creature's life was, and faintly felt that the Mountain Wild Heart in his chest seemed to have some inexplicable connection with Jin Hu.

He came to value this dog more and more.

"Dad, is the dog okay?" Xiao Xue, who had also woken up sometime, rubbed her eyes and came to the bedside, her little face full of curiosity.

"Yeah, Jin Hu is brave; he pulled through." Lu Qingshan pulled his daughter close, letting her see Jin Hu, "Look, he's thanking us."

Xiao Xue carefully extended her fingertip and touched Jin Hu's little head again.

Jin Hu seemed to sense the little master's goodwill, gently wagging his tail—though only slightly—making Xiao Xue so happy her eyes crinkled.

Footsteps and voices came from outside the courtyard gate—Zhao Tiezhu and Liu Fugui had arrived.

"Brother Qing Shan! We're here!" Zhao Tiezhu's loud voice shouted through the door panel.

Lu Qingshan rose to open the door; a blast of cold wind poured in.

Zhao Tiezhu and Liu Fugui came in, their faces red from the cold, rubbing their hands.

Seeing the puppy on the bed, obviously much more spirited, both were stunned for a moment.

"Oh, this puppy has recovered? What a tough life!" Zhao Tiezhu said with a simple smile.

Liu Fugui also stepped closer for a look, clicking his tongue twice: "Brother Qing Shan, where did you pick up this treasure? It looks nothing like the village mutts."

"Let's get to work, no delays." Lu Qingshan said little, pointing to the pile of wild boar meat frozen like stone in the yard, "Today we need to tidy all of this up."

In the yard, that pile of meat and offal, even if seen yesterday, still made Zhao Tiezhu and Liu Fugui's hearts thump when they looked at it today.

It's all meat! Solid, genuine meat!

Lu Qingshan began assigning the chores.

Let Zhao Tiezhu use an axe to split the large chunks of frozen meat, break them into small pieces for easy storage.

Also have Liu Fugui carefully clean out the pig heart, liver, lungs, and large intestine.

"Tiezhu, when splitting the meat, follow the grain to save effort."

"Fugui, turn the intestines inside out and scrub them hard with plant ash or coarse salt to get rid of the slimy smell, otherwise they won't be edible."

"Keep the pig liver, slice it and salt it; it can keep for a few days. As for the heart and lungs, we'll stew them today."

Lu Qingshan spoke while also pitching in himself.

His movements in handling the game were swift and neat; whether splitting meat or cleaning entrails, they showed the steadiness and efficiency of an old hunter.

Zhao Tiezhu and Liu Fugui were thoroughly convinced, and they worked with even greater vigor.

Lin Yue'e wasn't idle either, boiling water, passing things, and occasionally lending a hand.

Xiao Xue clung to a small stool, sitting by the threshold, curiously watching the adults busy at work, occasionally glancing back at Jin Hu dozing on the kang.

Just then, Jin Hu on the kang suddenly lifted his head.

It seemed to have been awakened by the commotion in the courtyard, staggering to its feet with slightly wobbly legs, but its eyes instantly grew alert.

First it glanced at Zhao Tiezhu and Liu Fugui busy in the courtyard, then let out a low, warning whine from its throat.

Zhao Tiezhu and Liu Fugui both stopped what they were doing, stunned for a moment.

"Hey, this little thing is pretty good at guarding the house!" Zhao Tiezhu grinned, not taking it seriously.

But right after, Jin Hu's gaze snapped toward the courtyard gate, its body slightly crouched, the whine in its throat becoming more urgent, even tinged with ferocity.

Lu Qingshan followed Jin Hu's gaze.

Sure enough, next door's Qian Guapu was holding an empty basin, standing at her own courtyard gate, craning her neck to look over here.

On her face was her usual greedy, calculating expression, with the corners of her mouth seemingly twisted.

Obviously, the sound of butchering and cleaning entrails over here had drawn her over.

"Whine... woof! woof!"

Nobody expected that the barely alive Jin Hu would suddenly, in the direction of Qian Guapu, let out two low growls, followed by a small but unusually clear bark!

That sound carried a warning to strangers to keep away, plus a hint of food-guarding ferocity.

Qian Guapu was startled by the sudden dog bark, her neck jerking back.

She resentfully stepped back two steps, muttering under her breath: "What the hell, a sickly pup picked up off the street dares to bark at me..."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear.

Lu Qingshan merely glanced at her briefly and ignored her.

Seeing Lu Qingshan look over, Qian Guapu's eyes met his; she inexplicably felt a bit uneasy, shrank back, turned, and went into her own courtyard, slamming the door shut.

Watching Jin Hu unleash such astonishing instinct from its small frame, Lu Qingshan felt even more reassured.

No wonder it's a proper Oroqen hunting dog—its homestead‑guarding, master‑protecting, alertness is innate.

He walked back inside, squatted down, and gently patted Jin Hu's head, as a soothing praise.

"Good job, Jin Hu, you know how to guard the house."

Jin Hu immediately stopped barking, its tail tentatively wagging twice.

Then it affectionately rubbed its still slightly cool little head against Lu Qingshan's warm, dry palm, emitting a soft purr as if it had received tremendous praise.