Chapter 189: Taking Root
At 2:00 PM the next day, as soon as they arrived at the airport, the group was picked up by Jiang Mei and driven to the animal shelter Xie Xitong had contacted.
Even on New Year’s Eve, the mother and daughter who ran the shelter lived their lives as usual, just adding a few red lanterns and “fu”(Good Luck) character decorations, and giving the cats and dogs extra food as their “New Year’s Eve dinner.”
Hearing that someone was coming to look at dogs and possibly adopt, they even extended an invitation, saying they could come anytime, and the roads would be clearer on New Year’s Eve.
Jiang Mei’s car was filled with dog food and treats donated by the Xie family to the shelter. After arriving at the shelter, they carried everything into the warehouse, accompanied by enthusiastic barks.
Cang Ling, who couldn’t materialize, floated around the kennels and cages. She had always been popular with animals, both in life and after death.
Although the cats and dogs couldn’t see her, they seemed to sense a gentle breeze and responded with friendly barks and meows, following the path of the wind.
Cang Ling wasn’t just wandering around aimlessly. She wanted to help choose a dog that was “compatible” with her—a subtle intuition, like a preliminary assessment for Xiao Luohan and Jiang Xue, trying to find a dog with a good temperament.
Following this intuition, she eventually stopped in front of a relatively secluded kennel, meeting a pair of eyes.
—They were large, dark brown eyes, clear and bright, with a faint, light gold ring around the right pupil.
This dog actually had the potential for “yin-yang eyes.” In their era, if it had been lucky enough to be discovered by a practitioner and trained, it would have become an excellent “assistant.”
Cang Ling couldn’t help but pass through the cage and materialize in front of the little creature, squatting down.
It was then that she noticed it was a Golden Retriever. Although the shelter wasn’t small, the dog’s fur was clean, indicating that the mother and daughter who ran the shelter regularly groomed it, but because of its long fur, there were inevitably some tangles.
“Do you want to come with me?” Cang Ling asked, petting the dog’s head. “I can open the lock and guide you to the kind people who will take care of you, just bark three times. But you have to be good and not too mischievous at home.”
“Woof, woof, woof!” The Golden Retriever barked the requested number of times without hesitation.
Meanwhile, the shelter’s younger daughter was showing pictures of the large dogs to Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan.
“You want a ‘gentle’ and mature dog, how about this Golden Retriever?” the young woman said, pointing at the screen with a slight accent. “It came here on its own. We initially thought someone had abandoned it at our gate, but after checking the security footage, it actually walked here on its own, so thin that its bones were showing, almost fainting from hunger!”
“It has a good temperament, but it’s too quiet. Other dogs are lively, but it doesn’t join in, so my mom and I thought it probably prefers a quiet environment, so we put it in a more secluded kennel.”
“Quiet is good, we’d like to see it,” Jiang Xue nodded.
But while they were still on their way to the kennel, the Golden Retriever came towards them, wagging its tail, its leash, still attached to its collar, in its mouth.
“Oh! I didn’t lock the kennel door today?” the young woman exclaimed. “But I always double-check the locks, how did it get the leash off?”
Xie Xitong was with Grandma Xie today and hadn’t come, but Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan were familiar with Cang Ling. Seeing her standing by the road, holding out her arms to show them the Golden Retriever, they immediately understood what had happened.
“I think, just like how it came here on its own, it’s smart enough to find us with its leash,” Jiang Xue said, making up an excuse. “In my elder’s words, ‘It’s fate, this dog is meant to be ours.'”
Sister Cheng’s usual sayings came in handy now. Besides them, no one could see the invisible Cang Ling, and even checking the security footage wouldn’t reveal anything.
Since the dog’s arrival had already been mysterious, after a brief discussion, the mother and daughter took out the “adoption agreement” they had applied for from the relevant authorities and animal protection associations and filled in the approximate return visit date.
After Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan read and signed the agreement, they were able to take the dog, along with its vaccination and neutering certificates, back to the car.
“What a coincidence, we were also planning to see this dog, and you’ve already brought it here,” Jiang Xue said on the way back, looking at the dog and then at Cang Ling, asking half-jokingly, “Does it have any special qualities? Otherwise, why would you help it ‘escape’?”
“Its right eye has the potential for yin-yang vision, and it’s very intelligent,” Cang Ling explained. “I’m guessing it found this shelter by sensing the wandering souls. The mother and daughter who run this shelter are very kind. Even the animals that unfortunately pass away here do so peacefully and without regrets.”
“Such souls, if they don’t choose to reincarnate, will linger in this world and continue to help those they care about, until they’re completely satisfied.”
“Woof!” the Golden Retriever barked softly in agreement.
The mechanical fox poked its head out of the backpack, stared at the dog for a moment, and said with some emotion, “It reminds me of my little hound. But it was a slender, pure black dog. Unfortunately, medical care wasn’t as advanced back then, and it died from an illness when it was six.”
“I remember its name was Wu Yi (No Clothes),” Xiao Luohan said. “‘Who says I have no clothes? I share my clothes with you.'”
She had vaguely remembered seeing this dog when she was very young, but hadn’t seen it since. So that’s how it had died.
“Then… should we give our dog the same name?” Jiang Xue asked tentatively.
“No, Wu Yi is Wu Yi, and it should have its own name,” the mechanical fox shook its head.
Neither Jiang Xue nor Xiao Luohan had thought of a name yet, mainly because they hadn’t seen the dog and didn’t know if it had any special background, so it was difficult to choose a name.
Considering that there was already a cat at home, even though the Golden Retriever had all its certificates, Jiang Mei still took it to a familiar veterinary clinic for a full check-up and a bath.
“By the way, since you were the one who found the dog, why don’t you divine a name for it?” Jiang Xue asked Cang Ling, still unable to think of a name, while they were waiting.
“But you two will be the ones raising it. I was just responsible for guiding it to you and training its abilities,” Cang Ling declined politely.
So the two turned to Xiao Luohan.
“…Xia Yun (Summer Cloud),” Xiao Luohan said after a few minutes, giving her answer. “Have you heard of the saying ‘summer clouds in winter’? It’s very friendly, and we did adopt it in winter.”
“Although it sounds like a person’s name, it does incorporate its background and personality,” Jiang Xue agreed. “Then let’s call it that! We’ll use this name for its registration and ID tag!”
The Golden Retriever, after its bath, had smooth, flowing fur. When Xiao Luohan called it “Xia Yun,” it immediately wagged its tail, came over, and nuzzled her hand, licking its lips, but deliberately turning its head, not actually licking her palm.
“It seems to be quite clean?” Jiang Xue said, reaching out tentatively. Seeing that it didn’t lick her either, her eyes lit up. “It’s true! Other dogs would have already started licking!”
She was truly relieved now. She was a bit of a germaphobe when it came to animal saliva, and although she could wear gloves during experiments at school, she couldn’t wear them all the time at home.
The newly arrived Golden Retriever was welcomed by everyone, especially Ms. Wei, who loved nature and animals. Murmuring “Good girl,” she knelt down and opened her arms, and the Golden Retriever immediately went over and nuzzled against her.
The Jiang family villa was large, so Xia Yun could go wherever it wanted, but unlike other energetic dogs, it clearly preferred staying at home, quiet and well-behaved, like a large plushie.
Jiang Xue tried giving it the plush toys from her closet, but it would just hold them with its paws, or use them as a pillow, without any intention of biting or chewing on them.
Xie Xitong, who had come to visit after hearing the news, excitedly brought dog chews and freeze-dried treats. This time, Xia Yun was interested, happily gnawing on the chew toy.
Xie Xitong, familiar with the characteristics of cats and dogs, boldly reached out to it. Seeing that it didn’t react, she moved closer. Strangely, even when she placed her finger on the chew toy, Xia Yun continued gnawing on it, without showing any signs of protectiveness or aggression.
“It’s strange, such a well-behaved dog, why would it go to the shelter on its own?” she said, looking at Xia Yun, puzzled. “And it wasn’t there for long, so this good temperament shouldn’t have been developed at the shelter.”
“Is there any hidden danger?” Jiang Xue asked.
“…I can’t say for sure, but if it could see wandering souls, whether it was lost, or abandoned by its owner or their family in some ‘gentle’ way, it would have been able to find its way back home,” Xie Xitong frowned. “But it chose to go to the shelter, and it was healthy, without any injuries, only thin from hunger…”
After thinking for a long time, she gave an uncertain conclusion: “It must have decided on its own that ‘my owner doesn’t want me anymore,’ or ‘my owner will be in trouble if I stay,’ so it found a new home for itself. Maybe we should be wary of its previous owner showing up when we take it for a walk?”
Jiang Xue instinctively hugged the dog.
“But don’t worry too much! It’s so smart, if it really thought its previous owner would come looking for it, even Cang Ling wouldn’t have been able to guide it to you,” Xie Xitong added. “Animals are very perceptive, and dogs are loyal. Now that it has accepted you, as long as you treat it well, even if its previous owner shows up, they won’t be able to take it away.”
Xia Yun turned around in Jiang Xue’s arms and whined softly.
Jiang Xue stopped worrying about it, and after playing with the dog for a while with A-Xi and Xiao Luohan, she heard Jiang Mei calling them for dinner and took the dog downstairs for New Year’s Eve dinner.
Since the “dog adoption” had been so smooth, they hadn’t had time to buy many supplies and food. Xia Yun’s first meal at the Jiang family’s home was “dog food” made by Sister Cheng, a mixture of beef, chicken, eggs, and mashed potatoes, with chopped broccoli and carrots, served in its new bowl.
This was Xiao Luohan’s second New Year in this world. Last year, when she had just arrived, although she hadn’t been afraid of the future, she had also been confused, not knowing what to do to repay this family’s kindness.
Now, she had fortunately found her own path, had a new family, new friends, a beloved, and a dog with potential.
As she raised her glass and toasted with everyone, she realized for the first time that she had truly taken root in this world.
