Chapter 12 Husky
Lao Wang is 57 years old this year. He is not good-looking. He used to be called "the garbage collector". In recent years, he finally got a better name and became "the waste collector Lao Wang". Maybe because he has been living in the garbage dump for many years, his skin is dark and dirty, and he always smells. Lao Wang himself can't smell it, but he knows from other people's reactions that the smell must be bad.
People often frowned and walked away from him, and those customers who sold scraps never wanted to stay with him for a minute longer. Lao Wang didn't care about these things.
He already lives with garbage every day, so why should he make himself smell good? Lao Wang is quite satisfied with his life. He can earn 4,000 to 5,000 yuan a month from selling garbage, and after deducting the rent, he can get more than 3,000 yuan. It is more than many college students earn. At the beginning of every month, he would go to the bank on the other side of the street to deposit 3,000 yuan. Some months when he is lucky, he can even save nearly 4,000 yuan.
This is a habit he has developed over the years. In the past, he saved money for his son's tuition, and now he is paying off his son's mortgage. When talking about his son, Lao Wang's heart is filled with pride.
His wife died early, and he raised his son with all his heart and soul, watching the crawling child grow into a jumping elementary school student, enter middle school, study at a prestigious university, and finally start a family. His son was so outstanding that all the neighbors gave him a thumbs up.
Now his son has joined a well-known enterprise group. He once went to the group building to collect garbage. The security guard of the high-end office building pinched his nose and asked him to wait outside. He knew that he was not qualified to enter such a grand and high-end place, so he could only stand outside and watch the glamorous white-collar workers coming in and out downstairs. When he thought that his son was now one of these white-collar workers, like them, dressed brightly and clean-shaven, going in and out of high-end places, he couldn't help but smile.
"Ding-ling-ling..." His cell phone rang. It was the old phone that Professor Wu didn't want when he went to collect waste. In addition to the city's key middle school, this district also has a branch campus of a university. The communities next to the campus are basically inhabited by faculty and staff of the university and middle school, and the teachers always have a large number of old books and journals that they don't want. Professor Wu was a frequent customer of his. One year when he went to collect waste newspapers, Professor Wu threw an old cell phone into his torn sack.
Lao Wang asked Professor Wu why he didn't want a cell phone anymore.
Professor Wu said nonchalantly: "Electrical appliances are updated very quickly nowadays. My son bought me a new mobile phone, so I can't use this one anymore."
Professor Wu doesn't want it, so he can take it himself. Lao Wang thinks this old phone is good, the font is big and clear. Isn't the mobile phone just for making calls? Why do you need those fancy ones? Lao Wang is not interested in the new mobile phones of young people. For him, mobile phones are just for business and communication with his son.
He picked up the phone and his son's voice burst out at him: "Are you going to the Youth Activity Center again?" His little grandson Liangliang is about to enter the second grade of elementary school. Now he goes to the Youth Activity Center every Wednesday during the summer vacation to attend interest classes.
"Yeah, I thought Liangliang might be hungry during class..."
"I've told you so many times not to go, don't go, dad, why don't you listen!" The son's voice was shrill and loud, "Whenever you come, you bring Liangliang some snacks that you bought from somewhere. The child has had diarrhea several times before. What are you thinking?!"
"But I didn't bring any food this time, so I thought about taking Liangliang to KFC after class..."
"No need! I've told you several times that Ina should pick up the kids. Liangliang's classes are not cheap, so don't go anymore. Dad, you know how sloppy you are, so give Liangliang some face in front of his classmates."
"But I..."
The call was disconnected. Lao Wang stared at the phone blankly, swallowing the second half of the conversation.
But I...want to see Liangliang...
Liangliang, his lovely grandson, looks exactly like his son when he was little. He has a round face and is as naughty as a monkey, but his words are warmer than the sun. He still remembers his little son whispering in his ear innocently, "Dad, I will buy you a big house in the future."
Dad, I want to buy you a big house, big and clean. In the future you won't have to live a hard life collecting garbage.
Liangliang would also say in the same tone: "Grandpa, don't collect garbage anymore, it's so hard work."
But Grandpa has to pay the mortgage for Liangliang’s house.
His son got married and chose a house in the city. It was not very big, but it was facing south and bright. His son and his wife, Ina, liked it at first sight. With his son's look, Lao Wang immediately took out all his savings over the years to pay a down payment. The house prices in the city were expensive, and his son's salary was already very hard to support the family, so of course Lao Wang had to help pay the mortgage.
Ina is a tidy daughter-in-law and she decorated the house very beautifully.
When Lao Wang first came to the house, he felt out of place. The gatekeeper of the community almost drove him away. When he finally got through the door, he stepped on a gray mark. Under the glaring eyes of his daughter-in-law, he quickly took off his shoes. As soon as his shoes were dragged off, his socks were particularly eye-catching. There were several holes on the gray socks that were patched with messy thread, which looked ugly and abrupt on the bright and clean floor. He couldn't help but shrink his feet, trying to hide these embarrassing feet under his trouser legs, but the several mud marks on the trouser legs pierced his eyes again. He picked up this pair of pants from the garbage station a few years ago and wore them. They had been worn to a grayish white. He looked away from his pants. His coat was also recycled from the station many years ago, and there were pilling on the cuffs and elbows. He had taken a shower this morning, but now standing in this brand new and clean new house, he felt like a dirty and broken mouse.
At this time, my son's colleagues came to celebrate their new house. One of them came in and asked in surprise, "Why hasn't the garbage collector left yet?" A beautiful female colleague covered her nose and shouted, "It stinks so much! Let him go quickly." My son and Ina smiled awkwardly and didn't explain, but their eyes urged Lao Wang.
This is not a place for garbage collectors like Lao Wang.
a shame.
Leave, quietly, and leave the bright new house without explanation.
He left.
In fact, it is more comfortable to live alone. Lao Wang has to deal with the collected garbage every day, and he is not used to living in a clean house. Lao Wang is very open-minded. God is very good to him. He has always been healthy and has never been sick or had any disasters. It is also good to live alone. He is content. Liangliang never dislikes his job. What's wrong with picking up garbage? Lao Wang supports Liangliang's father by picking up garbage. Whenever Liangliang comes to his scrap warehouse to play, it is his happiest time.
But one time, Liangliang got a fever after returning home, and it lasted for three days and almost turned into pneumonia. His daughter-in-law, Ina, said that it was because Lao Wang's place was too dirty that Liangliang got sick. Children are very delicate nowadays, and Lao Wang's waste collection point collects all kinds of dirty garbage, so they might have touched something dirty.
After that, Liangliang was forbidden to visit him.
But he wanted to see his grandson.
He wanted to see Liangliang’s rosy round face and wanted to hear him say, “Grandpa has worked hard, let’s play together.”
Liangliang's birthday is coming soon, and he must prepare a birthday present for Liangliang.
A few days ago, he called his son's house, and Liangliang answered the phone. "Grandpa, I miss you so much~" Upon hearing this childish voice, Lao Wang's heart was filled with joy, "Liangliang, what do you want most for your birthday? Grandpa will buy it for you."
"Erha! I want Erha! " Liangliang said crying.
"What is Erha? Grandpa will buy it for you! Liangliang, don't cry."
Liangliang sniffed and said, "It's a husky. My classmates said my family couldn't afford a show-level husky. I had a fight with my classmates, and now all of them say I'm a boaster. But my dad doesn't agree to let me raise one. Woohoo... Grandpa, I want a husky! A show-level husky!"
"What is a competition-level Husky?"
"It's the competition level!! I want the competition level one!!"
Lao Wang hung up the phone, wondering what a show-level Husky was. Later, he asked someone and found out that a show-level Husky was a high-end breed of Husky dog, the kind that can participate in competitions.
He ran to a pet store. The clerk frowned and came over to chase him away, "Go away, we don't deal in garbage."
"Husky, do you have any here?"
The clerk glanced at him and said, "The pets here are all for sale. You can't touch them."
"I know. Show me the Husky. How much?"
The clerk looked at him with amusement and said, "Uncle, the dogs we sell here are all purebred dogs with certificates."
"How much is the competition-level one?"
"Uncle, please take a look at this non-race-level purebred puppy first. A good-looking puppy is 3,500 yuan, and this one with average appearance is 2,800 yuan."
Lao Wang was surprised: "Why is it so expensive?"
The clerk grinned and said, "Look at that one over there. It's a show-level Husky with double pedigree certificates. It starts at 10,000 yuan. I'm telling you it's already a bargain."
“This dog is too expensive.”
"I told you all these dogs are purebred," the clerk said. "They usually eat much better than you and I. These dogs are aristocratic and very particular."
"What good food can a dog have? What a waste." Lao Wang muttered. The dogs in his hometown would eat any leftovers with relish and they were all well-fed.
"You won't understand even if I tell you. Sir, a show-level Husky can be said to have noble blood. Just pick up a stray dog and raise it. Don't block our way and delay our business."
The price of a show-quality husky was beyond Lao Wang's imagination. The down payment for his son's house emptied all his savings, and now almost all of his monthly earnings are used to pay the mortgage, leaving only a few hundred yuan for living expenses. How can he afford to spend thousands of yuan to buy a dog now?
He returned to his small warehouse and dug out all the small change, which added up to just under two thousand dollars.
He went to several pet stores in one day, and the attitudes of the store clerks were similar. Some of them didn't even bother to quote the price and just drove him away. There were no exceptions. The price of a Husky that was not very pure could range from a few hundred to a thousand, but all the show-level Huskies were around ten thousand. Only one store was willing to offer eight thousand.
Eight thousand yuan. Lao Wang thought about it and decided to go back and sell all the inventory to raise money to buy a dog.
But when he returned to the scrapyard, he found several people standing at the door.
"Old Wang, you're here!" The speaker was Director Li from the neighborhood committee. "I told you that someone would come to inspect in the next few days, why are you still piling your things outside?"
"I have something to do today." Lao Wang was stunned. "Where are the pipes and things I piled up outside?"
"It's gone," Director Li said. "The law enforcement team cleared all the garbage you piled on the street."
Lao Wang was anxious: "That's what I want to sell!"
Director Li raised his voice: "We told you several months ago that the law enforcement team would conduct an inspection. We posted notices and shouted through loud speakers. You didn't listen. Who do you blame? The higher-ups said we wanted to build a clean and safe city. They publicized it several months in advance. Why didn't you take it seriously?"
"But that is..."
"It's all garbage, and you still pile it on this public street. Not only does it hinder traffic, but it also smells bad. Residents have long been dissatisfied. Do you know how many complaints I have received here? How many times have I advised you? Can you count it yourself?"
Lao Wang said nothing. He was worried about his garbage being cleared away. Director Li was right, but his things had been piled here for years. He knew he had violated the rules, but the previous city sanitation campaigns had never affected him, so he tacitly regarded Director Li's advice as another empty promise. He shamelessly pretended not to hear it.
Who could have thought that this law enforcement team would be so swift and decisive.
In the evening, Lao Wang sighed heavily.
He wanted a show-quality Husky, which was the gift his little grandson wanted most.
He has to save 3,000 yuan every month to pay his son's mortgage. Now that business is getting harder and harder, it's already difficult to save enough for the mortgage after deducting rent and living expenses. He has borrowed money shamelessly since this afternoon, but he has only borrowed a few thousand yuan. Now this money is far from enough for a show-level husky. He sighed again.
His son and Ina had forbidden him to pick up Liangliang privately, and giving him a birthday present was his only chance. He wanted so much to see Liangliang's smiling face.
Lao Wang knocked his head, "Husky." How could this dog be so precious? In the countryside, dogs are given away casually. It is common to raise too many and drown a litter of puppies. Why are dogs classified into different grades in the city?
Lao Wang felt upset and stood up to pour himself some wine.
Then he heard rustling noises behind the cabinet. Was it a mouse? Lao Wang paced back and forth. The mouse behind the cabinet did not calm down, but jumped up and down even more arrogantly.
He was really asking for death. Lao Wang took off his shoes and walked around the cabinet to see an animal chewing his old newspaper in the dark corner. A mouse would never be this big.
What is this? Lao Wang rubbed his eyes. He turned on the light.
A dog was chewing an old newspaper with great relish. Hearing the sound, the dog raised its head. Its eyes were beautiful blue, its ears stood upright, its fur was gray, and there was a white flame-like pattern on its forehead. It was extremely handsome, and it looked more like a beautiful wolf than a dog.
Lao Wang swallowed his saliva.
It looked just like the husky I saw in the store today. But none of the huskies in the store, including the show dog, could compare to the handsomeness and agility of the one in front of me.
The perfect appearance even made Old Wang, who knows nothing about dogs, feel moved.
"Husky?" Lao Wang said softly.
The Husky glanced at Lao Wang, then lowered its head and continued to chew on the newspaper.
