Chapter 399: Chapter 148 Black Dog_3
"She’s cold and indifferent to the Marshal too," an Imperial Guard said animatedly. "She doesn’t discriminate, equally cold to everyone."
Chi Jian: "..."
"So," the Imperial Guard continued with enthusiasm, "that means she doesn’t like the Marshal, and that means the brothers here might have a chance. We should try to compete for her affection."
"If she doesn’t fancy the Marshal, who knows, maybe she might take a liking to one of us?"
Chi Jian was silent for a moment before he uttered, "Go take a good look at yourself in the mirror," and turned to walk away.
At the table, Lu Tong finished examining the arms of the crowded Imperial Guards. The sun had already crossed its zenith.
A zealous Imperial Guard couldn’t help but invite her, "It’s getting late, Doctor Lu hasn’t had lunch yet, has she? The food at the Palace Marshal’s Mansion is delicious. Why don’t you stay for a meal before leaving?"
"Thank you, but I need to return to the Medical Officer Institute to organize the medical records."
Lu Tong gently declined, since Pei Yunmeng was absent for martial training that day, she handed over the newly written prescription to Qingfeng. After instructing Qingfeng on the medical orders, she picked up her medical box and stepped out the door.
Outside, the sun blazed down. Duan Xiaoyan followed behind Xiao Zhufeng with a troubled expression, sighing, "I never thought I’d become a grandfather at such a young age."
Xiao Zhufeng listened with a headache.
In his arms, four fluffy black puppies were huddled together like a cluster of pitch-black sesame balls, wriggling and making soft noises.
A few days ago, Zhizi, the Palace Front Office’s official dog, was seduced away by some stray male dog and silently gave birth to a litter of puppies. Duan Xiaoyan stood at the doorstep of the Palace Marshal’s Mansion pointing to the sky and the ground, cursing for three days without discovering which culprit the father was, yet he was left with a messy situation of mother and orphans to take care of.
More than a month had passed, and the puppies had all opened their eyes, able to wobble around on the ground. Duan Xiaoyan took them out to the training field every day to sunbathe, and today was no exception.
"If you dislike that male dog so much," Xiao Zhufeng said, "why keep them?"
"The children are innocent. At worst, we’ll raise them without their father." Duan Xiaoyan clutched the little bundles tighter in his arms, then said uncertainly, "But, can our Palace Marshal’s Mansion really afford to keep so many puppies?"
Feeding four more mouths wasn’t an issue for the Palace Marshal’s Mansion; it wasn’t that they couldn’t afford to keep four more dogs. The problem was the puppies’ boundless energy. Just having Zhizi alone often resulted in the yard’s fences being torn apart. With the addition of four more, Duan Xiaoyan didn’t dare imagine the chaotic scenes of frantic chickens and dogs in the future.
After some thought, he said, "Perhaps it’s better to find them good homes."
As he spoke, he saw someone lift the curtain and step out of the small courtyard of the Palace Marshal’s Mansion. A woman in blue, carrying a medical box, emerged—it was the female Medical Officer, Lu Tong.
Duan Xiaoyan’s eyes lit up with delight. "Isn’t that what we’re talking about?"
"Medical Officer Lu—" He approached her with enthusiasm.
Lu Tong had just stepped out the door when she heard someone calling her.
As she looked up, a shadow swooped down in front of her like the wind. Duan Xiaoyan stood before her, holding up several fluffy bundles and flashing her a bright smile, revealing neat white teeth.
"Look—"
Lu Tong followed his gaze and was momentarily bewildered.
The four black puppies were being held up by the scruff of their necks by Duan Xiaoyan, their tiny feet kicking futilely as they whimpered softly.
Duan Xiaoyan introduced them with zeal: "Freshly one-month-old puppies, smart and adorable. They’re good for petting and will guard your home. They really are auspicious pets for travel and domestic life. Would you like to take one, Medical Officer Lu?"
Lu Tong stood frozen in place.
For a brief moment, a multitude of ancient scenes flashed through her mind: blood and mud, sobs and pounding rain, broken bodies, and graves on the mountainside with powerless cries. Suddenly, she felt a ridiculous sense of confusion, unsure if she was in distant Shengjing or on the lonely, dimly lit Luomei Peak.
The midday sun poured through the wisteria trellis in the courtyard, blurring her vision with its intensity. Despite the warm March sunshine, she felt as if she were back in the days when she experienced the "Cold Silkworm Rain," as cold and piercing as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
In front of her, Duan Xiaoyan was still rambling on, "Medical Officer Lu, look, there are four little puppies here, each full of life and wit, two females and two males. They will grow up to be as brave and beautiful as our Zhizi. You can pick one to take back to the Medical Officer Institute or even the West Street Benevolent Heart Medical Hall. They will protect your place, and when you have free time, you can allow the mother and daughter to see each other..."
Whatever he said next, Lu Tong couldn’t hear clearly. Those several black fur balls were almost pressed against her face, like an enormous dark cloud. She could feel the warm fur of the puppies touching her skin, tickling softly, almost making her shiver.
She began to feel breathless, and her complexion turned increasingly pale.
Just then, a figure abruptly intervened.
Someone stood in front of her, blocking Duan Xiaoyan’s approach and also obscuring her view.
It was as if she had been miraculously rescued from suffocating waters, her breathing restored, and she looked up in a daze.
Pei Yunmeng stood before her.
He must have just returned from the training field, one hand holding the Silver Meeting Knife, and without saying a word to her, he glanced sideways at Duan Xiaoyan and asked, "What are you doing?"
Duan Xiaoyan, still cradling the four puppies, answered, "... Zhizi’s puppies. I thought the Palace Marshal’s Mansion had too many dogs, so I was thinking of giving one to Medical Officer Lu..."
"It’s not necessary."
Lu Tong interrupted him.
Pei Yunmeng turned to look at her without speaking.
Lu Tong, with her head down, avoiding looking at the puppies in Duan Xiaoyan’s arms, gripped her medical box tightly and left quickly after saying, "I don’t like dogs."
Duan Xiaoyan, watching her retreating figure, opened his mouth in shock. It took him a while to recover, and he looked at the bundles in his arms, reluctantly saying, "She... doesn’t like them? They’re so cute? Brother... brother?"
The young man withdrew his gaze, glanced at the puppies in his arms, and said, "Shut up."