Telling the House Dog Not to Bite

Hearing that familiar voice, one didn't even need to think to know it was Er Lingzi from Taohua Village. Er Lingzi, as his name suggested, was born foolish. Now eighteen years old, he was tall but had a runny nose every day. No one was willing to play with him; sometimes when he played with children under ten, he was shunned or teased and mocked.

This foolish older brother, despite being slow, was incredibly happy because he had a gentle and kind mother who was also very beautiful—a true virtuous wife and good mother who protected Er Lingzi. During the hard years, Er Lingzi's mother, Su Wanhe, had looked after Wang Yonggui more than once, sometimes giving him food. Moreover, Su Wanhe was the most beautiful and succulent woman in the Ten Miles and Eight Villages; as her name implied, she was as beautiful as the evening glow. At thirty-eight, she now appeared both beautiful and mature with a certain charm, like a fairy.

It is said that every boy has a few sisters-in-law or aunts in his heart; it could be said that in the Ten Miles and Eight Villages, the woman young men fantasized about most was Su Wanhe. Wang Yonggui was the same; he fantasized about Su Wanhe the most, and she was the woman he most wanted to have and liked best. Su Wanhe's gentle and kind appearance was long ingrained in his heart; she was irreplaceable to him.

Hearing Er Lingzi's voice, he immediately thought of his mother, and his heart couldn't stop racing. It was precisely because of this that Wang Yonggui and Er Lingzi had the best relationship; only Wang Yonggui was willing to accompany and play with Er Lingzi.

A dog relies on its home, and a rooster relies on its coop. This dog, seeing someone in rags or someone who looked fearful, would bark particularly fiercely. Da Huang was barking fiercely and pouncing. Er Lingzi looked terrified, sweat breaking out on his face as he shouted anxiously.

"Wang Yonggui, you're working up there; I came to find you to play. Come and drive your Da Huang away; I'm afraid it'll bite me."

Wang Yonggui put down his hoe and looked at Er Lingzi at the foot of the hill. "Er Lingzi, come on up! It's fine. Da Huang, no more barking."

Even Da Huang felt Er Lingzi was a foolish pushover, but at Wang Yonggui's shout, Da Huang quieted down. Er Lingzi huffed as he climbed up to the orchard, arriving at his side panting heavily. He snorted back some mucus and then showed a foolish grin.

"Yonggui, your Da Huang was almost chopped to death, yet it's still so fierce. It scared me to death."

Being alone was boring anyway, so Wang Yonggui laid the hoe across the ground to use as a seat. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and handed one to Er Lingzi.

"Want a smoke?"

"Hehe! Okay, but you're not allowed to tell my mother."

"Don't worry! I'm not like you, always such a tattle-tale."

Er Lingzi took the cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. He choked a few times, tears coming out, but he chuckled smugly. Wang Yonggui looked at Er Lingzi, a wicked smile suddenly appearing on his face.

"Er Lingzi, aren't you afraid of my Da Huang? I have a way. Next time you come to play, my Da Huang definitely won't bark at you or bite you."

Er Lingzi scratched his head: "Ah? In the village, I'm most afraid of your Da Huang. What's the good way? I'm telling you first—the way you mentioned last time, bringing food to feed Da Huang to get it used to me, that won't work. I was scolded by my mother many times when I went home."

Wang Yonggui chuckled. "Hehe! Er Lingzi, it's not that way. I guarantee your mother won't scold you. Next time you come, bring your Xiao Hua along, and my Da Huang won't bark at you."

Er Lingzi didn't quite understand: "Why?"

"You don't even understand this? If you bring your Xiao Hua, she'll protect you! My Da Huang won't dare bark at you then."

Er Lingzi choked on a few more puffs of smoke, his face turning red as he threw the cigarette butt on the ground. "Pah, pah, pah! It's spicy and makes me choke; it's no good to smoke. Yonggui, I don't think it'll work. Your Da Huang is such a fierce fighter; my Xiao Hua can't win against it!"

Wang Yonggui glanced at Er Lingzi: "What do you know? Males are all afraid of females. Don't look at your Xiao Hua being small. As long as you bring her, and she and my Da Huang get together, my Da Huang will definitely admit defeat; he absolutely won't win against your Xiao Hua."

Er Lingzi snorted some mucus: "I don't believe it. In the village, no dog can beat Da Huang, let alone my Xiao Hua. She's not even as big as your Da Huang. If she gets bitten to death, my mother will scold me again."

Wang Yonggui couldn't help but smile wickedly. "Er Lingzi, my Da Huang and your Xiao Hua have a very good relationship; he won't bite her! After you bring her, my Da Huang won't be able to wait to embrace her! If you don't believe me, bring her next time and see. If they really fight, I'm right here! Truly, male dogs are afraid of female dogs; actually, it's the same for people. Just like in your house, is your father afraid of your mother?"

Hearing this, Er Lingzi nodded and then thought for a moment. "Yonggui, what you said seems to be true. My father is taller and bigger than my mother, but he's usually afraid of her."

Wang Yonggui threw his cigarette butt on the ground and patted Er Lingzi's shoulder. "That's exactly it! Have you ever seen a man and a woman get into a physical fight? In a fight, the man is always the one who loses. Have you ever seen your father and mother fight? Who was fiercer?"

Er Lingzi showed a foolish grin, remembered for a bit, and nodded. "Of course I've seen it. My father and mother, about every two weeks or so, would fight at night while I was asleep. Sometimes I'm actually awake; they think I don't know. I see them fighting often but don't dare to intervene, or I'll get scolded."

Hearing this, Wang Yonggui had a wicked smile on his face. "Er Lingzi, how do they fight? Is it fierce? Could someone die?"

"Very fierce, they fight until my mother screams that she's dying..."

Er Lingzi described it foolishly, making Wang Yonggui's heart race with excitement and suspicion. Su Wanhe usually looked kind and gentle, refined and quiet. He didn't expect that behind closed doors with Tan Ankang, she was like that—completely different from what he imagined. It seemed what Brother Zhang Da Zhu told him last night was exactly right. Don't look at a woman's kind and refined exterior; when the lights go out, she turns into a different person. There were many things he didn't understand about women because he wasn't married yet. It seemed it really was so. Thinking of Su Wanhe's posture and the kind of "fighting" Er Lingzi described, how could Er Lingzi's father handle it? Just looking at that woman a few times would probably cause trouble.

"Tsk tsk! Heavens!"