Qin Xiangyang thought he had gone to the wrong place and was startled by the dog. Though his family had raised a few yellow dogs, they had all been local breeds and didn’t bark . Clearly, the one in this house was entirely black, with glossy fur and ears perked up. Its bark was particularly loud.
"Oh, it really is Brother Qin," Jian Zhiqin hurried over to pull Qin Xiangming inside. Just as Conghua was about to bark, Jian Zhiqin gave it a kick. "Get lost and quit barking, or no food for you."
The big grain dog called Conghua wagged its tail pitifully, twisted its body, and hid in one of the rooms, using its paw to close the door. It was quite a human-like dog.
"Brother Qin, I’ll show you to your room. My sister went to buy groceries and she’ll be back soon."
Jian Zhiqin, like a busy little bee, led Jian Zhiqin to a room, poured him a glass of water, and then sat in front of the table, resting his little face on his hands.
"Brother Qin, do you recognize me?" he asked, pointing to his little face only to realize that perhaps he wasn’t that recognizable.
Qin Xiangyang almost embarrassedly spat out the water he was drinking.
"Uh, sorry, I really don’t recognize you."
He had grown up in Dadao Village and Shenjia Village and had never left. The farthest he had been was to the Capital City, but he had never seen this child.
"See, I forgot," Jian Zhiqin said, his little face drooping. "When I first met Brother Qin, I was still in my mom’s belly, so it’s normal that Brother Qin doesn’t recognize me," he concluded happily at this thought.
"Oh right, Brother Qin, hold on," he quickly stood up and ran out. When he returned, he placed a big pile of snacks on the table.
"Brother Qin, these are what I’ve saved up, all for you to eat."
Qin Xiangyang looked at the pile of snacks on the table, unsure where to put his hands.
Jian Zhiqin picked up a pack, opened it, and shoved it into Qin Xiangyang’s hand. He opened another pack for himself and started eating. "My sister will be back soon. Yeah, my brother’s coming too. Brother Qin, you definitely know my brother, yes, that’s it," he nodded confidently as he spoke.
When Qin Xiangnuan returned, Conghua sensed it. It ran out quickly, its tail wagging joyfully.
"What, are you hungry?" Qin Xiangnuan patted Conghua’s big head. It flopped onto the ground and started rolling around, perfectly mimicking the local dogs. This noble military dog’s descendant had learned the tricks of local dogs. Qin Xiangnuan wasn’t sure if its noble lineage would be ashamed, but she certainly found it humorous.
Oh, she turned around and coincidentally saw that the door to the room arranged for her brother was open, and it seemed like someone was inside.
Her face suddenly brightened with joy.
It must be her brother who had arrived.
Both siblings were similar, neither liked to cause trouble for others. When she first came to the Capital City alone, she hadn’t asked her grandma to send her, nor let her brother come along. She thought her brother was the same. With the door open, he must have arrived.
"Brother..." She quickly set down the groceries and ran inside.
Sure enough, sitting inside, happily chatting with Jian Zhiqin, was none other than Qin Xiangyang!