Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 189: Fate

Liu Changqing stood in the doorway, looking at his son and Zhou Shiyan, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.

His gaze swept over both of them before settling on the small dog in his son’s arms.

Its ears flopped down, with a tuft of black fur on its head. Its overall color was a dusty yellow, but its four paws were black. Paired with its round, dark eyes, the combination gave it an odd appearance.

To put it simply—it was pretty ugly.

Zhou Shiyan gave a slight bow and greeted him softly.

“Long time no see, Uncle Liu.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since you last came over. By the way…”

After the polite exchange, Liu Changqing pointed at the yellowish mutt in his son’s hands.

“Where did you pick that up from?”

The moment the puppy saw Liu Changqing’s face, its little nose twitched as it sniffed the air. Then, its expression changed.

With an exaggeratedly fierce look, it opened its mouth and let out a supposedly aggressive growl.

“Grr… waah!”

Maybe because it hadn’t fully developed, the puppy couldn’t produce a proper bark like an adult dog. Instead, it made a sound that was more like a baby wailing.

Liu Changqing hadn’t expected such a reaction from what looked like a well-behaved pup.

He reached out and poked the puppy’s head with his finger.

The little dog reacted as if it had encountered the worst villain, snapping its mouth open in an attempt to bite him.

Unfortunately, it missed.

“Oh? You actually tried to bite me?”

“I found it by a trash bin.”

As Liu Zhiyue spoke, he stepped inside, took off his shoes, and gently placed the puppy on the floor.

In the short moment while he was switching to slippers, the puppy suddenly bolted like a madman—straight toward Liu Changqing’s feet, where it clamped down on his pant leg and started shaking its head wildly.

After putting on his slippers, Liu Zhiyue grabbed a pair of older slippers that Zhou Shiyan used to wear and placed them at her feet. Then, he turned back, watching the puppy viciously gnaw at his father’s pants with an intense expression.

After hesitating for a moment, he spoke with some uncertainty.

“Dad… is it just me, or does it seem to really hate you?”

“I’ve noticed that too.”

Liu Changqing sighed.

With that, he gently lifted his leg, and the puppy, still holding onto his pants, was flung across the floor. It tumbled a few times before landing on all fours—only to launch itself at Liu Changqing again.

This time, it switched targets.

It started biting his slippers instead.

The scene quickly became chaotic.

“Aah! A puppy!”

Hearing the commotion, Liu Xiazhi, who had just finished her bath and returned to her room, pushed open the door.

Seeing the little dog ferociously attacking her father’s slipper, she let out a shriek and immediately rushed forward.

Unfortunately, she didn’t get far.

Just as she passed by her father, Liu Changqing grabbed her by the collar.

“Puppyyyy!”

Trapped in his grasp, Liu Xiazhi whined with longing, stretching her arms toward the pup that was still determinedly gnawing on the slipper.

“You just took a bath. Don’t touch it—it might have bacteria.”

After saying that, Liu Changqing turned to his son and added,

“You should wash your hands too.”

“Got it.”

Liu Changqing watched the puppy for a moment before shifting his gaze to Zhou Shiyan. Then, he asked,

“So… are you two planning to keep it?”

He could pretty much guess what had happened. On their way home from school, they had stumbled upon this stray.

He wasn’t sure about the exact circumstances, but since his son had brought it home, it likely meant they wanted to keep it.

The moment Liu Changqing finished speaking, Liu Xiazhi, still held back by him, perked up in excitement. She spun around, grabbed onto his shirt, and looked up at him with eyes full of hope.

“Dad, let’s keep it! Please!”

“Our apartment isn’t suited for keeping a dog. And it’s not a toy—it’s a hassle to clean up after it.”

“I’ll take care of it!”

“You will?”

He raised an eyebrow, tapped his daughter lightly on the head, and sighed.

“You and your brother both have school. How do you plan to take care of a dog?”

Liu Xiazhi was stumped. She racked her little brain for a solution, thinking hard for a long time before finally shouting,

“I… I won’t go to school anymore!”

“Don’t even think about it!”

Her father shot down the idea without hesitation.

Watching the father-daughter exchange, Zhou Shiyan’s eyes dimmed slightly. Liu Zhiyue, standing beside her, caught this subtle change in expression.

For the first time, he made a direct request to his father.

“Dad, let’s keep it.”

“……”

Hearing his son say something so irrational was rare, and Liu Changqing looked visibly troubled. He glanced at his son’s face, then at the scrappy little dog that was still stubbornly gnawing on his slipper without a hint of exhaustion.

Weighing all the factors, he finally gave his answer.

“No.”

His voice carried absolute authority.

The three kids fell silent, disappointment evident on their faces.

Liu Xiazhi was the most dramatic—her head drooped, and she looked utterly dejected, as if the world had lost its meaning.

Seeing their reactions, Liu Changqing sighed and added,

“We can’t keep it, but a puppy this small without a mother around isn’t ideal either. How about this—I’ll ask someone downstairs if they’re willing to take it in.”

“Who?”

Liu Zhiyue immediately asked.

“The old man I always see when I go for runs?”

“Yeah.”

Liu Changqing nodded.

He was referring to Wu Feng, the elderly man who had once handed him an old photograph. Wu Feng lived alone, without family.

Their apartment complex really wasn’t suitable for raising a dog. If it were summer break, they could manage, but right now, both of his children had school, and bringing a dog to work wasn’t an option either.

Last time, when Liu Xiazhi brought home tadpoles, it wasn’t an issue—they were small and didn’t make a mess.

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But keeping a dog? That would be irresponsible, both to the family and to the dog itself.

Locking it inside the apartment all day wouldn’t be fair.

It needed a proper owner.

And Wu Feng, who lived alone, was the perfect candidate.

Liu Changqing was a man of action. Once he made up his mind, he immediately picked up the little dog, put on his shoes, and headed downstairs.

The three kids followed closely behind.

He knocked on the door for a good three minutes before Wu Feng finally answered.

Before Liu Changqing could even speak, the old man started scolding him.

But then, noticing the three children behind him, he quieted down.

Liu Changqing could tell from Wu Feng’s disheveled appearance that he had just gotten out of bed, which explained his grumpiness.

After organizing his thoughts, Liu Changqing explained the reason for their visit.

He had expected Wu Feng to refuse, but surprisingly, the old man agreed.

Years ago, when he was younger, Wu Feng had raised dogs before. But back then, he wasn’t particularly invested, and most of them didn’t live long.

Now, in his old age, living alone for so long, the loneliness had started to weigh on him.

He had actually been thinking about getting a pet, even considering buying a bird from the pet market.

Unexpectedly, Liu Changqing had delivered a pet right to his door.

It wasn’t a bird, but that didn’t matter much. Wu Feng didn’t care about the breed—he just wanted something to keep him company, something to make life feel a little less lonely.

Taking the puppy from Liu Changqing’s hands, Wu Feng didn’t seem bothered by its smell. Instead, he started examining it with curiosity, holding it up and squinting at its little belly.

Then, he chuckled.

“It’s a boy!”

After some thought, he gave the pup a name.

A’Huang.

The older generation often believed that simple, even slightly crude names helped animals thrive.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many village dogs named "Goudan" (Dog Egg).

And just like that, the matter was settled.

Although they weren’t keeping the puppy themselves, they had found it a good home.

Even the dog seemed to understand that this old man was going to be its new owner.

After chatting for a bit, Liu Changqing prepared to leave.

He also asked his son to walk Zhou Shiyan home.

Throughout the entire process, Zhou Shiyan had stayed quiet.

But just as they were about to leave, she suddenly gathered her courage, stepped forward, and asked Wu Feng,

“Grandpa, can I come visit it in the future?”

“Of course!” Wu Feng replied with a smile.

Hearing his answer, Zhou Shiyan’s face lit up.

The little puppy, as if sensing her happiness, let out a tiny, immature bark.

“Woof!”

Its tail wagged enthusiastically as it stood beside Wu Feng, looking up at Zhou Shiyan.

One person, one dog.

One tall, one small.

They stared at each other.

A’Huang’s eyes held a strange, almost intelligent glimmer.

Just like that morning—when a hurried girl had stopped, turned back, and shared her steamed bun with a starving stray dog.

That same kind of understanding.