Not far from the highway, a mansion with an area of about half an acre surrounded by green brick walls, and in front of it is a pond, with four or five households scattered around, shining seven or eight lamps in the quiet night, faintly outlining the contours of distant and near scenery.

  Shen Huai and Chen Dan, brother and sister, approached the house, when suddenly a dog barked from the darkness, making people realize that there was a dog lying behind the gate. Perhaps hearing the footsteps without stopping, the dog at the gate barked fiercely twice more, intending to dispel outsiders' attempts to approach the house.

  Chen Dan saw Shen Hui stop in front of him and guessed that he was afraid of being bitten by the dog, so she explained: "Jinzi is a timid golden retriever that Haiwen brought back from the city to raise before his death. When it hears the sound of strangers' footsteps, it dares to bark twice, but once it recognizes someone, it becomes gentle. However, after Haiwen's death, Jinzi didn't bark much for more than half a month and just lay at the back door of the yard, staring at passersby as if waiting for Haiwen to return..."

  Shen Huai let out a probing whistle.

  This whistle sounded a bit dull in the quiet night, but as soon as it came out, a black shadow darted out of the darkness and pounced on Shen Hua's body.

  Chen Dan was startled, thinking that Jinzi had gone mad and wanted to bite Shen Huai, but before she could stop him, he pounced on Shen Huai and then suddenly retreated back to his feet.

  Jinzi hesitated and looked up at the person in front of him, then cautiously approached to sniff, as if trying to sniff out a familiar scent from this person... That whistle was so familiar, but the smell of this person was so strange. Jinzi was confused, seemingly unwilling to let that familiar whistle disappear, and let out a low growl.

  Chen Tong only thought that Jinzi was going to bite Shen Huan, how could he let Shen Huan be bitten by a dog? He jumped out of the car and kicked Jinzi with his foot, trying to kick the danger away from Shen Huan.

  "No!" Seeing Chen Tong raise his foot to kick, Shen Huan couldn't stop him and quickly stepped forward to block the way in front of Jinzi. Chen Tong kicked out without knowing whether it was heavy or light, and Shen Huan's calf was suddenly kicked, causing a sharp pain that made him turn around and loudly scold Chen Tong: "It just doesn't recognize me, why did you kick it?"

  Chen Tong frightened Shen Huan, and Chen Dan was also at a loss for what to do in the face of this sudden change.

  Shen Huai also knew that Chen Tong had just kicked out in a hurry because he was afraid the dog would bite him. But at this moment, he couldn't hold back his emotions anymore, and he squatted down to hug Jinzi who was lost in confusion, bursting into uncontrollable silent sobs...

  The moment Jinzi was hugged by Shen Hui, he still wanted to struggle, but suddenly felt that this hug was so familiar. His bright eyes looked at the tears falling on the face of the person in front of him, and although he was confused, he leaned forward and licked his face twice with his tongue. The salty tears didn't taste good, so he didn't struggle to get away, but instead became immersed in this familiar hug.

  Chen Dan's vigilance and caution, Shen Huai wouldn't blame her for it, thinking she was right to do so, knowing she was a good woman who kept herself clean. Shen Huai also controlled himself from getting too close to Xiao Li and Chen Dan. But the more rational he tried to be, the more intense the complex emotions of having his loved ones in front of him yet unable to acknowledge them became suppressed, until he suddenly collapsed without warning.

  Kinji still recognizes himself! Shen Huai thought excitedly, and tears fell uncontrollably, brushing down his face.

  Chen Dan and Chen Tong were stunned, Shen Huai's majestic appearance when he subdued "Yellow Face Cat" Wang Gang before nightfall was what kind of awe-inspiring sight. Who would have thought that he would be holding a "strange" dog and crying silently like this? Fortunately, it was at night, so it didn't completely ruin his image, but it still scared Chen Dan and her brother, leaving them at a loss for what to do.

  "Brother?" A hesitant voice suddenly came from inside the hospital gate.

  "Oh, it's us." Hearing Xiaoli shouting in the courtyard, Chentong thought she was calling him and responded.

  It was also Xiao Li's timid shout, as if a hollow sound came from her soul, that made Shen Huai's out-of-control emotions wake up, turn his head to look, and the big lights in the courtyard lit up. The light shone on Xiao Li's pale white face, and it could be seen that her eyes were full of confusion and loss that she couldn't hide: Could it be that Xiao Li also heard him unconsciously whistling for Jinzi just now?

  Jīnzǐ yǒu bā gè yuè dà le, yǒuzhe piàoliang de pí máo, xiàng qiǎn jīnsè de duànzi sì de, cháng yǒu shěn huái xī gài nàme gāo, bǎi zhe wěibā, chōngzhe zhàn zài yuàn mén lǐ de xiǎo lí dī fēi le shēngyīn, sìhū zài gàosù tā: tā jiùshì gēgē a.

  Xiao Li stood in the bright spot, unable to see the tears on Shen Hua's face. She looked at Chen Dan, Chen Tong and Secretary Shen who had helped them at the municipal steel factory standing at the intersection, thinking that the familiar whistle she heard just now was her own illusion.

  Xiao Li's heart was filled with disappointment, but she still opened the courtyard door and asked: "Why are you back so late? Ah, what happened to Chen Tong's face?"

  Although Shen Huai's heart ached, he came to his senses and wiped away the tears on his face. He smiled at Chen Dan, who was frightened into stupidity: "I also had a dog with me when I was young, and Jinzi looks just like it. When I was young, I lived in a farm with my mother, relying on each other for survival, and there were no playmates, only that dog accompanied us through the most difficult years. In my twelfth year, my mother fell ill and passed away, and the dog stayed with me for another year before it died of old age. Then I grew up alone, without even a single friend..."

  Shen Huai cried like that, Chen Dan wouldn't suspect his half-true and half-false words. Her vigilance and defense against Shen Huai completely collapsed at this moment. A soft spot in her heart was moved by the emotions he had unleashed.

  "Chen Tong, you go in with Xiao Li first..." Chen Dan was afraid that Shen Hui would be seen by others in such an awkward state, so she wanted her brother to enter the courtyard with Xiao Li first. She wanted to stay with Shen Hui for a while longer in the dark night.

  It's strange to say that the dog didn't respond to Xiao Li's calls, but instead stood obediently beside Shen Hua, occasionally sweeping his pant legs with its tail.

  Shen Huai stood on the muddy edge of the road, only then did he feel that Chen Tong had kicked him in the leg, his calf bone aching vaguely, rolling up his pant legs to see that it was bruised.

  "Chen Tong is really clueless," Chen Dan said, squatting down in front of Shen Hua to examine the injured area on his leg. The light was dim, and she had to lean forward to see it clearly. She reached out a hand to press gently on the darker-colored skin, then looked up at Shen Hua and asked, "Does it hurt?"

  "Chen Tong is afraid that I will be bitten by the gold and then kicked, I was also in a hurry to shout at him, you help me tell him later." Shen Huai said with a pretended ease.

  He didn't mind Chen Tong's kick, he just wanted to calm down as soon as possible. He felt the coolness of Chen Dan's fingers on his small foot. Chen Dan was so close that her face was like a lotus flower emerging from the dark water, her eyes were clear and bright. Shen Hua smelled the faint fragrance coming from her body, his excited emotions gradually calmed down, feeling warm in his heart, he restrained the urge to hug her into his arms.

  After calming down, Shen Huai and Chen Dan entered the courtyard, where Chen Tong and Xiao Li were already preparing dinner.

  Chen Dan and her husband Sun Yong had a bad relationship after marriage, so they simply lived in the single dormitory on the top floor of the town's reception station. It was only recently that she came to stay at the old house temporarily to accompany Xiao Li.

  The old house is surrounded by emptiness, with a small pond in front of it. Three sides are surrounded by a pool, and one side has an earth embankment leading to the highway. Within 200-300 meters around, there are no other houses. Only two people and a timid dog live in this big house, which can be quite eerie at night.

  Even if Shen Huai didn't happen to rent a house in Meixi Town, Chen Dan wanted to bring Little Li to live in the town and let the old house be; it's just that Jinzi, who was used to living in the countryside, wasn't easy to raise in the dormitory of the reception station in the town, and hesitated without making a decision.

  Shen Huai agreed to rent the entire house and also promised to put Jinzi in charge of taking care of the old house, so Chen Dan and Xiao Li could come over anytime to see it, and this problem was solved.

  Xiao Li is still not very concerned about things, and even if she is strong, she is just a 15 or 16-year-old girl. These days, she has also developed some dependence on Chen Dan's habits, so the matter of renting a house naturally depends entirely on Chen Dan to make decisions for her.

  Chen Dan originally didn't want to get too close to Shen Huan, fearing he had some ulterior motives towards her. The closer they got, the deeper she would fall in. But seeing Shen Huan hugging Jinzi and crying, this layer of caution and defense suddenly crumbled.

  She knew that Shen Huan, who seemed so radiant and promising on the surface, must be bearing unimaginable pain deep down, which was why he would occasionally let his emotions overflow in such an unguarded manner - although Shen Huan looked quite ugly when he cried, but this kind of person made her feel at ease and authentic.

  Thinking of Shen Huai's appearance earlier, and seeing that the golden retriever had been lying at his feet all night, thoroughly enjoying his touch, Chen Dan's heart was warmed up again, how could he still refuse to rent the old house to him?

  The house rental was settled, Chen Dan and Xiao Li refused to pay the rent, Shen Hui put 600 yuan on the table, which was equivalent to three months' rent, and said:

  "I came to Meixi Town as a cadre, if I don't pay rent for the house, it's not worth it. This is also in Meixi Town, such a big courtyard, plus the land outside, all counted together, only 200 yuan per month, really cheap for me. For renting a house, you help me draft a lease agreement, and also notify the village. Don't let the neighbors on both sides see me as a stranger, or I'll be beaten up like a thief, then I won't have anywhere to complain..."

  Shen Huai's words always had an irresistible persuasive power; Chen Dan had no choice but to accept the rent from Xiao Li. Although the city steel factory promised to pay living expenses and tuition fees every month before Xiao Li started working, this year's prices were rising sharply, and the living expenses of over 120 yuan per month would actually be very tight for her, and Chen Dan's salary was not high either.

  Renting out the old house can earn an extra 200 yuan in rent every month, and life is indeed not so tight.