Chapter 131: Halley
The puppy let out an even more eager bark upon receiving a response.
Huo Niangsheng insisted that Chen Wengang give it a name, but Chen Wengang refused. He knew that to name something was to forge a bond. He kept his mouth tightly shut. Huo Niangsheng caught a glimpse of the book Chen Wengang had been reading—a lighthearted science primer about celestial bodies.
The cover featured Halley’s Comet, dragging its long tail like a lonely bullet wandering through the cosmos.
“How about ‘Halley’?” Huo Niangsheng asked. He said it twice, then looked down at the dog. “Does it sound good?”
The puppy let out a cheerful “Woof!”
Huo Niangsheng smiled, his eyes catching the sunlight, and he reached out to scratch the puppy’s head.
When their fingers touched, Chen Wengang flinched.
He hardened his heart, placed the puppy on a chair, and said he didn’t want to raise it, before turning and walking out of the flower room.
The glass door closed behind him. The puppy circled on the cushion, barking incessantly in the direction Chen Wengang had left. Receiving no response, it grew more anxious; it suddenly scrambled off the lounge chair, rolled on the floor, flipped itself up, and rushed to the door, sniffing frantically.
Huo Niangsheng walked over, scooped it up into his arms, and let out a low laugh. “Alright then, you’re Halley.”
The puppy sniffed Huo Niangsheng’s hand, letting out soft, confused whimpers.
There were no pet supplies in the villa, only the crate Huo Niangsheng had brought. Xiao Ping found a cushion, and the butler crouched nearby to offer advice: “Don’t go looking in the storage room; it’s dusty and has mites. Just take a few clean cloths and line the bottom. Remember to latch the cage door; if a dog this small gets out in a place as big as this, we’ll never find it…”
Huo Niangsheng found Chen Wengang in the bedroom. “I have a cocktail party tonight, so I won’t be having dinner with you, hm?”
Chen Wengang hesitated before asking, “Can we still send it back?” He added, “The dog.”
Huo Niangsheng laughed. “Return it? If you won’t raise it, I will. If you don’t like it, just ignore it and leave it be.”
Chen Wengang had nothing left to say; he just watched him with one eye.
His vision had fortunately recovered; he now wore a prosthetic right eye, the pupil color very similar to his original one.
Huo Niangsheng called the driver to ready the car and left soon after.
In the evening, the butler came to call Chen Wengang for dinner.
As Chen Wengang passed through the living room, he glanced outside. A small group of people had gathered in the distance in the garden, chatting noisily. A German Shepherd had been brought to the house, and it seemed to be a rare curiosity—several helpers, along with the gardener and the driver, were crowded around the box, watching the commotion.
Chen Wengang suddenly asked the butler, “How does it eat? Does it need milk? It can’t drink the milk people drink, can it?”
The butler replied, “Mr. Huo said it’s already been weaned. Dog food specifically for puppies has been delivered; we’ll feed it in a moment.”
Chen Wengang asked again, “What about a dog bed and things like that?”
The butler answered, “Those were delivered too. Because they need to be sanitized, we’ll let it sleep in them in a couple of days.”
Since his other employer was away, he asked Chen Wengang for instructions: “Should we let it sleep indoors tonight, or outside?”
Chen Wengang said, “Just put the box in the living room for now. Ask Mr. Huo the specifics when he gets back.”
In the middle of the night, Chen Wengang sat up in bed.
He sat blankly for a moment, then slowly got up, draped a robe over his shoulders, and went downstairs.
Everything was deathly quiet; in the serene living room, there was the sound of faint breathing. Chen Wengang didn’t turn on the lights. Guiding himself by the dim light, he identified the silhouette of the box in the corner.
He knelt gently by the crate, bracing his hands on the carpet, holding his breath as he peered inside.
Halley was asleep, curled into a ball in the corner of the cage, soft and fragile. Perhaps hearing movement or catching a scent, it opened its eyes alertly. Discovering someone was there, it immediately perked up, whimpering and pouncing against the cage wall.
Chen Wengang stuck his finger into the cage and poked its forehead. “I won’t disturb you anymore. Go to sleep.”
Halley barked aggrievedly behind him, but Chen Wengang went upstairs without looking back.
The next day, Xiao Ping accidentally overslept. After waking up, she had drifted back off and dreamt that Mr. Huo and Mr. Chen had another violent conflict. Chen Wengang had smashed many things, and Huo Niangsheng was furious, pointing at his nose and cursing:
“You eat my food, wear my clothes—where did I ever fail you? And you have the nerve to give me attitude? Get out!”
His face was ferocious, eventually distorting into the image of the rugged men from her village back home. They would smoke dry tobacco, gather to boast and play cards on days they didn’t go to sea, and if they weren’t in a good mood, they would beat their wives.
Xiao Ping woke up in a fright. Checking the alarm clock, she realized she had overslept.
She scrambled to get dressed and ran to the main house as fast as she could, but the sun was already high in the sky.
Chen Wengang usually wouldn’t be downstairs at this hour, but today he was sitting in the living room reading a book, his posture rigid and formal.
Halley was circling around his feet. Chen Wengang looked down at it, its tail wagging in anticipation like a little flower.
He lowered a hand, and Halley immediately pounced, reaching out with its paws to nudge his fingers as if it had found a fun new toy.
The butler reminded them over the intercom to feed the dog. Xiao Ping filled half a bowl with goat milk and soaked puppy kibble. Just as she was about to put it in the cage, she had a thought. She went to Chen Wengang and whispered, asking if he wanted to feed it. Chen Wengang thought for a long time. Halley was waiting eagerly, stepping back and forth on his feet. Chen Wengang curled his fingers, then took the small bowl.
From that day on, Halley became a member of the Half-Mountain Villa.
It had been brought back by Huo Niangsheng, but Chen Wengang was the one who lived at the villa full-time. The butler still deferred to Chen Wengang’s wishes, asking if he minded the dog moving around the rooms. If he didn’t like it, they would limit its range to the yard.
Chen Wengang thought about it and said to let it do as it pleased, as long as it didn’t get lost.
Halley was granted the privilege of total freedom, swaggering into every corner of the villa daily.
The butler put a collar on it equipped with a GPS tracker. It was surprisingly obedient for a puppy; it didn’t show any dissatisfaction the first time it wore it, sniffing it with its nose, and agreed after being fed two treats.
But it still held a special affection for Chen Wengang. As long as it saw him, it would patter after his heels.
It got to the point where Chen Wengang had to walk while looking down, afraid he might accidentally step on its legs if he wasn’t careful.
Halley seemed to think this was some novel game and became even more energetic, pursuing him tirelessly.
But Chen Wengang remained resistant to reciprocating its affection—he had heard that German Shepherds only recognized one master. He hoped it would recognize Huo Niangsheng and cultivate a bond with him. There was no future for it following him; if he ever left this place, he might not even have the ability to feed it.
Huo Niangsheng had been busy lately. He came by two or three times a week, mostly unable to stay the night.
When he arrived, he would find Halley first, carry it to Chen Wengang, and pull him in to play with it together.
When he left, Halley would run to the door, ears drooping as it watched his Rolls-Royce depart.
Once, it bolted out chasing him; if the driver hadn’t noticed in time, it would have been crushed under the wheels. At that moment, Chen Wengang’s face had gone pale with fright, and he had slumped to the floor, clutching his heart. Huo Niangsheng held his hand, pulled the medication from his pocket, and pressed it under his tongue.
Huo Niangsheng scolded Halley twice. Whimpering, it lay down by Chen Wengang’s legs, resting its chin on his thigh.
Chen Wengang pulled it tightly into his arms.
He had Xiao Ping search the internet for how to care for a puppy.
Puppy rearing required guaranteed nutrition, including calcium powder and vitamins, which were crucial for teeth and bone development.
When a puppy leaves its mother, it will cry and feel uncomfortable, but the owner shouldn’t worry too much; just spend more time playing with it.
Puppies need socialization training from a young age; the owner has an obligation to teach it the rules and habits of human society. The owner must touch it to desensitize it to handling, make it understand recall and follow commands, teach it to go to the bathroom in specific spots, learn to return to its cage, and learn to wait for food. Otherwise, with the physique of a large dog, if it charges, jumps on people, or eats random things when it grows up, it will cause trouble and danger to others…
Xiao Ping sighed, “There are so many rules and regulations—is it really as much trouble as raising a child?”
Halley fetched its pillow and handed it to Chen Wengang. Chen Wengang understood and grabbed the pillow, but it shook its head and tugged it back.
“Don’t play tug-of-war with it, don’t play tug-of-war!” Xiao Ping shouted while scrolling on her phone. “Look, it says right here that this encourages the habit of snatching things from people. That’s bad!”
Chen Wengang let go, and Halley sat down hard on its bottom.
It flipped over, lay on the pillow, curled its two paws, and panted with its tongue out, looking at him in confusion.
Chen Wengang couldn’t help but laugh.
Xiao Ping continued searching for suggestions online and saw many owners say that while the dog is still young, one should take plenty of photos and videos to preserve precious memories of these first few months. Halley was compliant when it came to photos; it pressed its nose against the lens, revealing a fish-eye distorted, furry face, and then suddenly sneezed, making Xiao Ping clap and laugh.
Chen Wengang’s phone was soon filled with photos and videos.
The other staff members liked it too, and the kitchen would cook fresh meals for it with fresh fruit and vegetables from time to time.
But only when Chen Wengang served it would Halley deign to eat. Its obedience seemed carved into its bones; it could learn any command quickly. After a month, aside from Huo Niangsheng coming over, no one else could feed it.
One day, Xiao Ping noticed the dog bed in the living room was gone.
Chen Wengang had moved Halley—dog, bed, and all—into his own bedroom.
It seemed no one noticed this except for Halley, which was particularly happy. However, it pushed its luck and eventually refused to sleep in its own bed. With Chen Wengang’s indulgence, it jumped onto the bed to sleep with him every night.
Because of this, whenever it went to the courtyard to play and came back, it had to have its paws wiped. Every night, the butler would tirelessly bring a basin of water and crouch in the bathroom to wash its feet. At some point, Chen Wengang slowly took over this chore as well.
One night, Huo Niangsheng arrived in the middle of the night to find Chen Wengang lying on the bed, one arm wrapped around Halley, sleeping soundly. He didn’t even wake up when someone entered the room. Halley, however, opened its eyes; it propped up its head, looked at Huo Niangsheng, and its tail slapped against the mattress with a thud.
Huo Niangsheng stroked its head, and Chen Wengang finally woke up, subconsciously shifting to make room.
Huo Niangsheng kissed his forehead. “What have you two done?” He switched on the light. “Look at this—the bed is covered in dog hair.”
Halley opened its innocent eyes, twisting its neck to lick his hand.
Chen Wengang, still groggy, held the dog with one hand while hooking his other arm around Huo Niangsheng’s neck, responding to his kiss.
Huo Niangsheng pulled Halley down. He took a set of bedsheets and a quilt cover from the closet, and without calling anyone in the middle of the night, he organized the change himself before settling into bed to hold him. Chen Wengang still craned his neck to look at the dog, but Huo Niangsheng pressed his head down: “Stop looking, it has its own bed.”
I love the last scene 😭 it’s so domestic! 💝