Chapter 5: Fulfilling a Wish 1
The sun is shining, the grass is green and the birds are singing.
It was a very sunny day. The sun was shining high, steadfastly performing its duties. In the blue sky, the white clouds were like soft marshmallows. As the breeze blew, the white clouds slowly changed shapes in the sky.
"Xiaoduo, the sun is shining brightly today!"
Just as I was admiring the scenery outside, a familiar voice sounded. It was very pleasant, with a somewhat childish tone, and at the end it sounded a bit like acting coquettish.
It’s Baibai. It’s sitting in my arms and looking at the blue sky with me.
At this time, the two of us were sitting together in Lu Zhan's business car, and Hero was lying on the empty seat in the last row of the business car. Because of its weakness, it lay there quietly, returning to its previous silence.
Today, a group of us and two dogs are going to the nursing home where Hero’s old owner is to help Hero fulfill his last wish.
"Of course the sun is very good today. The sun is very good every day! Hero is resting, please keep your voice down." I whispered to Abaibai.
"Yes, the sun is there every day, performing its duty every day, bringing warmth to the earth. The sun is already very old."
I looked down at Abaibai, and it looked up at me, with its furry ears drooping and its pink and tender tongue sticking out of its mouth. It was still as cute as usual, but I don't know why, but Abaibai gave me a feeling of melancholy today...
"Abaibai, the sun already existed before I existed, and from historical records, the sun has always existed, hanging in the sky every year, every month, every day, bringing warmth to the earth. As the messenger of the pet god, don't you know that?"
I thought that when Abaibai heard what I said, he would jump up happily, struggle in my arms, and say the usual funny but cute words.
But after I finished speaking, Abaibai lowered his little head again and continued to look at the sky outside the window.
"The sun is so old, but no one has ever said that they dislike it, and no one has ever thought of abandoning it. But why should dogs be abandoned when they get old? In the eyes of humans, should pets appear when they are needed, or act like a spoiled child, showing their cute side to make humans happy, or sit in the yard day and night to protect the home for humans? If it is old, can't move, has no strength, and is of no use, should it be thrown away?"
I looked down at Abaibai's round head. These words sounded like they came from a very wise old man, and they made people think deeply.
"Abaibai, why do your words make so much sense? You make me feel depressed." I said while rubbing the hair under Abaibai's neck.
Because I ran a pet hospital at home, I was able to come into contact with more animals than others. Different pets were sent to the hospital every day. At that time, I couldn’t communicate with animals.
Some of their owners drive very expensive cars, and some are just students in school uniforms, but when they are sick, their owners will stay with their beloved pets as if they were their own children.
However, there is another type of pets. When they are sent to the hospital, their bodies are already very weak. Under their bald hair are shocking scars. Some places are even sticky with hair that has not been taken care of for a long time, intertwined with blood and dirt.
They come from different places, but have the same eyes——
With a longing for home and despair for humanity...
Thinking of this, I felt even more depressed.
"Xiaoduo, don't think about it, just try your best to be yourself!"
Just then, a hand fell on the back of my hand.
I looked in the direction of that hand, and Bai Xiaocong, who was wearing a grass green pullover, looked at me awkwardly, then turned her head and looked somewhere else.
"Hey, Bai Xiaocong..."
Before I finished speaking, the hand that was originally on me had already left and touched Abaibai's head.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see it clearly. I was..."
"Hehe, I know, it doesn't matter!"
I looked at Bai Xiaocong and quickly interrupted him. What a shy boy!
As Bai Xiaocong's complexion gradually returned to normal, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, I was also startled when Bai Xiaocong touched my hand.
Although Bai Xiaocong always wears some strange clothes, like today, he is wearing a whole set of grass green clothes. Although there are black spots on the clothes, I am sure that if Bai Xiaocong sits on the lawn at this time, he will definitely be hidden in it.
In fact, Bai Xiaocong is really a very handsome boy. Although he always wears a pair of exaggerated black-framed glasses that take up half of his face, they only make his skin look whiter. Just when he was speaking, his fair face became rosy.
His facial features are very delicate, but not like those carved by an artist. Instead, he has a very delicate and restrained beauty. Usually, his flamboyant movements make him look very dull, making people think he is a very childish boy. But once he calms down and does things seriously, he becomes very handsome, making people's cheeks warm and their heartbeats speed up.
So, just now, when Bai Xiaocong touched my hand, my heart was beating very fast.
I don’t know why, but when his hand left my body, I felt a little uncomfortable, as if a pet that was originally in my arms suddenly struggled and ran away.
After driving for about two and a half hours, the GPS showed that we were approaching our destination.
This is not a very high mountain. At this time, our car is driving halfway up the mountain. In the shade of the woods, a white building with a sign that says "Shiyunshan Nursing Home" appears in front of us.
After the Lu family driver showed the security guard some kind of ID, our car was quickly allowed to enter the courtyard.
After taking a detour and parking the car in the parking lot, Lu Zhan gave the driver some instructions, then turned to me and said, "Xiao Duo, let's split up and complete the task. You take Bai Xiaocong and Hero and wait in the garden next to the parking lot we just passed, under the ginkgo tree over there. I'll go find the people at the nursing home to find out where Hero's old owner lives and where he is now."
After Lu Zhan finished speaking, he got out of the car first and walked towards the main building of the nursing home.
I obediently got out of the car and picked up Abaibai from the seat. Then, Bai Xiaocong also got out of the car, and together with the driver of Lu Zhan's family, we used a small stretcher specially for animals to lift Hero out of the car...
We put Hero under the ginkgo tree that Lu Zhan and I had agreed on. Hero woke up when we moved him and opened his eyes slightly, but there was no spirit in his eyes, just like a glass bead covered with dust. I put a soft cushion under Hero's body, hoping that this would alleviate his pain and make him feel a little more comfortable...
"Hero, hold on a little longer, you will see your old master soon! You can really see him this time, and maybe he will hug you when he sees you. He must miss you a lot after not seeing you for such a long time, so what you have to do now is to conserve your energy and wait for him to talk to you!" I touched Hero's head and said to it encouragingly.
Hero's eyes lit up like a lit match, and he looked a little nervous and uneasy. He whimpered softly, "Really? Will the master want to see me?"
"Yes..." Right...
Since Hero has been with the old man for so long, the old man should be very good to Hero, right? The old man's family does not represent the old man. Hero also told us before that the old owner was unaware of his departure. So, maybe this meeting will have a good result for Hero.
Hero was silent, and I could only sit with him under the ginkgo tree, silently waiting for the news that Lu Zhan would bring back.
Bai Xiaocong didn't say anything. He went back to the car, got a small pet blanket, covered Hero with it, and then sat next to Hero.
The golden ginkgo leaves were blown by the wind, swirling and falling on the green grass, creating a picturesque scene.
"Wow, a Frisbee! I'll catch it!" Suddenly there was a sound in the quiet scene -
"Mine!" At the word "Frisbee", a white schnauzer jumped out from under my feet.
"Abaibai——"
I turned around hastily and looked over. The ginkgo tree next to us was located in the middle of the lawn. In addition to the part facing the parking lot, there was a large lawn behind us, where groups of elderly people were walking and basking in the sun.
A little closer, a blue frisbee caught my eye, and then Abaibai rushed over and jumped up, trying to catch the frisbee, but the frisbee was caught by another big dog that looked very similar to Hero!
"I'm so angry! I could have caught it!"
A Baibai scratched the grass with his claws in annoyance and snorted.
"Abaibai, don't be so rude. This is someone else's frisbee, how can you catch it? We are here to accompany Hero together, not for a picnic!" Bai Xiaocong walked out and grabbed Abaibai's little body, but because Abaibai struggled too hard, he fell directly to the ground.
"Hey, Bai Xiaocong, are you okay?" I hurried over and helped Bai Xiaocong up.
"I'm fine, it's all Abaibai's fault. I came here to accompany Hero, but now it's like this!" Bai Xiaocong slowly stood up and rushed to Abaibai.
"Hoohoo—whoever calls me, calls me Hero!"
At this time, the healthy and energetic big dog who grabbed the Frisbee ran to us with the Frisbee in his mouth. He put the Frisbee on the grass beside him, and then stuck out his tongue and tilted his head to look at me!
Uh, why does this dog look so familiar?
I think this is the dog we saw when we went to Lemon Community last week? A German Shepherd of the same breed as Hero?
"Hey, your name is Hero too?" I walked up to the big dog and looked at it carefully.
I seemed to see Hero when he was young, with thick and healthy hair all over his body, two ears like signal towers, standing up very energetically, bright eyes, a black, moist, healthy nose, and strong and sturdy limbs.
I looked back at Hero. Because of the rescue, his hair was shaved in patches and his fur was dull in color. Although his ears were still erect, his slightly closed eyes, slightly protruding tongue, and occasional heavy breathing all showed that he was a very weak old dog. Only the golden plate with his name on his neck was still shining in the sun.
"Hello, my name is Hero, let's be friends! Where are you from, white dog, can we play Frisbee together? Can we play together?"
Although this is a very lively dog, the two of us and the dog Abaibai don't want to have anything to do with it at all...
Because - this dog is the one that took everything from Hero! It's the dog we saw in the Lemon Community!
Although it may not know anything, I find it very ironic looking at its lively figure!
"Hey, what's your name? We look alike!"
The healthy and energetic German Shepherd saw Abaibai's look of disgust, so he ran over and circled around old Hero, saying heartlessly.
However, Hero didn't even look at the healthy dog and still kept his eyes closed.
"Hero!"
At this time, an old voice sounded in the distance.
"Master!" The young dog ran like an arrow from a bowstring, holding the frisbee in its mouth and running to the owner who called its name - a silver-haired old man with a cane.
"That old man is Hero's owner!" Bai Xiaocong pulled out the relevant information from his mobile phone and told me.
The Hero, who was originally lying on the cushion, opened his cloudy eyes when he heard the voice. He tried to get up and raised his head towards that direction, but fell down because of the weakness of his limbs!
My heart ached and I walked over to Hero, touched its head and comforted it.
"Come on, Hero, it's okay, take your time!" I repeated over and over again, wishing there was magic in my voice that could help Hero stand up, or even just walk slowly, so that it could walk to its old master!
But now, his old master is sitting in a wheelchair, happily touching the head of the young German Shepherd who shares Hero's name, while Hero can only watch from afar, lying weakly behind the ginkgo tree, watching from afar with bitterness and envy!
It tried to stand up by its own strength, but failed after several attempts. It kept its head raised high, as if it would not be able to see its owner if it did not do so.
But what about his master...
I looked at the old man who was stroking the young German Shepherd's head and smiling with wrinkles on his face, and a deep sadness and anger surged in my heart!
Why do you treat your old Hero like this! Aren’t you his owner? Don’t you have any sense of responsibility and love for your pet?
"That's enough! Bai Xiaocong, you and A Baibai, watch over Hero. I'm going to ask him, I must ask him why he is so cruel to abandon Hero!"
Yes, I want an answer, an answer for Hero. No matter what the reason is, please tell us why, why do you want to abandon Hero who has always been with you? Now, you can still touch the head of other dogs as if nothing happened, and look at it so lovingly. Obviously, as long as you look up, you can see your old friend who has always been with you!
Ignoring Bai Xiaocong's obstruction, I rushed towards the old man angrily.
But when I was a few steps away from the old man, I stopped.
"Hero, when we went to Tibet together, you were running on the grassland, as fierce and handsome as a wolf! Now I am old, but you are still such a spirited young man!"
I stood there and watched the old man speak to the young German Shepherd with a nostalgic smile.
"Tibet, is it a new game?" The young German Shepherd looked confused, with his head slightly tilted and his eyes dark and innocent.
"There were no flying discs back then, and even no green trees to be seen, but you always followed me, patrolled with me, and captured the enemy! Now it's no longer possible. I'm old, and I'm afraid there's no hope of going back there—"
I stopped and listened to the old man reminiscing to himself.
What's going on? Did the old man regard this dog as his hero? However, even if the two dogs are of the same breed, or even look very similar, they are still easy to identify...
I looked at the old man in confusion, with questions in my mind...
"Grandpa Li, it's time to take medicine!"
Just when I wanted to rush over to ask what was going on, the nurse came forward and pushed the old man's wheelchair. The young German Shepherd followed beside him with a Frisbee in his mouth, wagging his tail, and slowly moved further and further away from me...
"Xiao Duo, don't chase me anymore. I already know the truth of the matter—"
At this time, Lu Zhan walked in front of me.
He stopped talking halfway and I looked at him, trying to find the answer in his eyes. Unfortunately, I can understand the language of animals but not the human heart.
We walked to the gathering place and saw that the old Hero was still looking at the place where the old man's wheelchair had just stopped with envy. My heart ached...
"Hero, don't blame your master, he has Alzheimer's disease..." We returned to the ginkgo tree, and Lu Zhan half-knelt in front of Hero, touched its head and whispered.
"It is a type of neurodegenerative Alzheimer's disease. In the early stages of the disease, memory loss and cognitive deterioration will occur, and then the patient will gradually become stupid and even completely unable to take care of himself. At present, there is no treatment, let alone any possibility of cure..." Bai Xiaocong subconsciously took over the conversation and explained.
When I heard the word "memory loss", I understood everything in an instant.
"So, the old man didn't forget Hero, but he has lost the ability to recognize him. His memory is slowly fading, so he only remembers Hero's name, but his memory has become fragmented and fuzzy, and he doesn't know that the current Hero is not the Hero who has been with him for many years. Therefore, his family can take advantage of this and throw away the old pet that is sick and useless to them, and replace it with a new big dog of the same breed. This not only reduces the burden, but also satisfies their relatives and children at the same time. The old man with degraded memory needs a dog named Hero to accompany him, and the child needs a young and lively big dog to play with... They all benefit, only the old Hero is sacrificed, and even his own name is taken away-"
"There really is nothing more shameless than this!" I said hatefully at last.
"But the old man didn't forget Hero, he just lost his memory and doesn't know the real Hero's current situation." Lu Zhan said impartially.
“I know, but the old man’s family is too much!”
What a shameless and selfish family. I remembered the last time I saw them playing happily with their dog, while the sick Hero could only watch from afar, just like today, watching with envy as everything that originally belonged to him was taken away!
"I can't tolerate even the messenger of the Pet God! I'm going to expose all this!" Abaibai also looked indignant.
"No……"
Hero's slow and low voice sounded, and we turned around to look at it at the same time. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the ginkgo leaves and fell on its old, scarred body, as if it was coated with a layer of holy light.
"What’s wrong with you?"
I followed Lu Zhan's example and half-knelt in front of it, while Bai Xiaocong sat directly next to Hero.
"It's okay, ahem, thank you for letting me know the truth of the matter. That's enough, it's really enough, that's enough!"
Hero gasped, his ears twitched, and his limbs twitched unconsciously.
"Oh no, Hero is in danger. Lu Zhan, take Hero away to the pet hospital, it needs emergency treatment!" I shouted hurriedly after observing the bad symptoms.
"No, no thanks! Thank you, kind girl. I can see my old master again and know that my old master has not wanted to abandon me and still remembers me... For an old and useless dog like me, this is already a perfect ending."
"Hero——"
I felt my vision gradually blurring. I touched its head, touched its body, and kept stroking it, hoping that this would give it some warmth and make it feel more comfortable.
"I, I also want to go back, back to the days when I lived with my old master... on the grassland... I miss it so much... The master still remembers me at that time... It's great... Thank you... Thank you for what you did for me, thank you..."
A meteor-like light flashed across the eyes of the old dog Hero, and then it became dim in an instant. A low whimpering sound came out of his mouth, and his breathing became more and more rapid. The sound was intermittent and became lower and lower. Lu Zhan's face changed when he heard it, and he shouted to the driver to drive out immediately. He and Bai Xiaocong planned to carry Hero into the car and go back to the pet hospital for emergency treatment .
"Hero——" I stretched out my hand and felt Hero's body gradually getting colder and harder. The rough breath caused by the illness was almost gone, and the voice that should have appeared in my heart also disappeared with that "thank you"!
“Woof, woof, woof… It, it’s gone… Xiaoduo, Bai Xiaocong… It’s gone…” Abaibai also felt the passing of Hero’s life, and its tone became very low, with a hint of sob.
"I'll try first aid..." Bai Xiaocong frowned, and then learned to use first aid measures to perform CPR massage on Hero, whose body was slowly getting colder, but it didn't work.
One minute, two minutes... ten minutes passed...
Everyone stood still under the ginkgo tree like puppets, looking at the skinny old dog Hero, who closed his eyes peacefully and died with scars all over his body.
Once upon a time, it was so smart and lively, running so strong and powerful, able to jump high and catch the frisbee thrown by its owner from any direction;
Once upon a time, it was majestic, loyal and brave, not afraid of danger, and fought side by side with its master on the grassland;
Once upon a time, it would put its front paws on your palm, stick out its tongue, wag its tail to show its affection to you, and bring you happiness...
But now it's dead.
It died after losing everything, being abandoned and hurt, it was forgotten by its beloved owner and deprived of its name, but it said it was satisfied and died without any resentment.
Before he died, he was still thanking a few of us for our small help.
Dogs are such vulnerable, yet very satisfying animals. If you give them a little care and love, they will always remember it.
Transparent tears rolled out of my eyes, drop by drop, like an unstoppable rain.
I remembered a line from a movie about pets I had seen:
“It’s your dog, but you are it’s all.
"It's just your dog, but you are its life."
A dog's life span is usually ten years. You spend one tenth of your life enjoying it , but it gives you a lifetime of loyal companionship in return.
…
"Hey, stop crying!"
I looked up and saw Lu Zhan handing me a tissue. Bai Xiaocong also reached out his hand, but he gave me his sleeve...
I subconsciously chose to pick up a tissue to wipe my tears, but I saw the sad look on Bai Xiaocong's face.
"Hey, you're so stupid to use your sleeve to wipe someone's tears!"
Ah Baibai secretly wiped her tears and spoke to him while lying on Bai Xiaocong's feet.
Later, after returning from the nursing home, Bai Xiaocong and I held a small funeral for Hero and buried him in the pet cemetery in Gem City. It was a pet cemetery established by volunteers, and most of the pets buried there were pets abandoned by their owners.
There is no place for Hero in that home. I hope that here, Hero can find the way to heaven, and there are many animals there that can be friends with him. Maybe one day, his old owner will come to heaven, remember everything, and reunite with him...
In Bai Xiaocong's room.
Bai Xiaocong was sitting on a very large and extremely comfortable computer chair. Various books were neatly placed on the table. Next to the huge computer table were two large canvas baskets, one of which contained various snacks, and the other contained various sundries, which were placed in a very messy manner, as if they had been suddenly taken in by the owner.
"Ahem, the house is a bit messy!"
Bai Xiaocong was wearing a one-piece suit today that was very similar to Hero's fur.
Alas, I have given up hope on Bai Xiaocong's aesthetic taste. No one is perfect, and it is normal for a genius like him to not know how to match clothes!
"Hero's matter has finally come to an end, but the current situation is very serious!" I looked at Bai Xiaocong seriously and said.
"Ah?" Bai Xiaocong looked confused.
"We helped Hero this time and helped him resolve his emotional issues at the last moment of his life . However, there are still many pets in this world who are being treated unfairly. My power is too small, so, Bai Xiaocong, let's continue our previous actions and become the guardians of the little animals!"
I held Bai Xiaocong's hand and looked at him with bright eyes. The reason I made this suggestion was that Hero's story gave me a lot of inspiration.
"Me? You want me to be with you?" Bai Xiaocong's eyes suddenly widened, with surprise and a hint of...happiness in them.
"Of course! You're so awesome, I feel safe with you around!" I said what was in my mind without thinking too much.
After this period of contact, I found that although Bai Xiaocong's dress, words and deeds are a bit strange, he is still a very good person. He is also very knowledgeable and knows a lot of things. He is also very good at high technology and computer programs...
With his joining, my dream can be better realized!
Bai Xiaocong blinked his bright black eyes, and he raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a super warm smile: "Okay, let's go together."
As he said this, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it hard.
I looked down at the hand I was holding with Bai Xiaocong.
His hands, which were very slender because of frequent typing, wrapped around my originally chubby hands. The back of my hands were lightly touched by his hands with some calluses, and it was as if waves of electricity jumped from the fingertips to my heart...
My heartbeat suddenly quickened, and an indescribable aura spread around us.
"Count me in! The great, noble and handsome Lord Abaibai!"
At this time, Abaibai jumped out from somewhere and put his dog paw on our hands!
Phew, I finally don't feel so embarrassed anymore...
