Chapter 163: Bathing Big Black

Yun Jiao hadn’t forgotten about buying medicine to bathe the big dog.

She pestered her father into taking her to town, and sure enough, the doctor had the medicine. It was a powder that needed to be mixed with water for the dog’s bath.

With the medicine in hand, Yun Jiao and her fourth brother went to find Old Man Mu the next day.

The old man and the young girl huddled together, whispering as they plotted how to catch the dog and give it a bath.

"Let’s boil the water first. The dog’s probably in the bamboo grove right now. We’ll go find him."

The place Big Black frequented most was a hole in the bamboo grove, a den he had dug for himself.

The bamboo grove was right next to the Mu’s house, which was why Big Black, having been fed by Old Man Mu a few times, often showed up at his home.

Sure enough, they found Big Black curled up in a ball, fast asleep inside his den in the grove.

The dog heard them and pricked up his ears, lifting his head alertly. But upon seeing it was the two of them, he relaxed and even let out a yawn.

Yun Jiao patted his head. "Big Black, come on. Time for a bath."

Old Man Mu added, "Let’s go, let’s go! The water will get cold."

Although he didn’t understand their words, Big Black got up and followed them.

As it turned out, Big Black didn’t mind the bath.

He just wasn’t used to it, and the water had a rather sharp smell. The moment it touched his fur, Big Black started shaking himself dry.

"Hey, hold still!"

"Hey, you dumb mutt! We’re giving you a bath, what are you shaking for?"

After a chaotic struggle, they finally managed to hold Big Black still.

The dog’s black fur was so thick that the water was having trouble soaking through to his skin.

There was also a lot of loose fur from his last shedding stuck in his coat.

"Grandpa Mu, do you have a comb?"

"I do."

Old Man Mu brought out two wooden combs, and the pair—one old, one young—began to comb Big Black’s fur.

"No wonder the water couldn’t get through. This fur is so thick."

"With all this loose fur, aren’t you hot?"

"Whoa, this water is black! Big Black, are you sure you’re black? Or are you just this color because you haven’t had a bath in ages!"

Old Man Mu was quite the chatterbox, rambling on and on as he washed and combed the dog.

Big Black was very patient. Despite being held down and fussed over by the two of them, he didn’t so much as bare his teeth. When Yun Jiao asked him to lift a paw, he lifted it.

By the time they finished washing Big Black, there was a large pile of combed-out fur next to them, and the water had gone from pitch-black to relatively clear.

They could even faintly see dead lice that had been washed away.

"So he really is black. He just looks so much shinier now that he’s clean."

It was true. Before, Big Black’s coat had looked matted and dull, but now it was sleek and glossy.

Once Big Black was sure the two of them were done tormenting him, he moved a short distance away and gave himself a thorough shake, sending water flying everywhere.

His fur wasn’t dry yet, but Big Black felt like his whole body was much lighter.

He trotted over to Yun Jiao, wagging his tail, and licked her hand. Then he went and licked Old Man Mu’s hand to thank him as well.

Old Man Mu was secretly pleased, but he complained, "You got my whole hand covered in slobber."

"There’s still plenty of cured pork leg soup left from yesterday. I’ll get you some rice to go with it."

Yun Jiao followed him in and out of the house. "Grandpa Mu, you obviously like Big Black."

"I do not. It’s just that I can’t finish all these leftovers by myself."

"You do too like him."

"Hey, what does a little girl like you know? I have no intention of keeping a dog."

...

And so, it was settled that Yun Chenbei would be studying under Mr. Mu from now on.

When the villagers saw Yun Chenbei around, they were quite surprised he wasn’t at school.

"Isn’t your Chenbei in high school? Why isn’t he back at school yet?"

Wang Mei had already prepared an answer.

"It’s a sad story. My poor boy fell when he was little and has had trouble recognizing people ever since. He also loves woodworking, so he’s become Mr. Mu’s apprentice. This way, he can learn a trade to support himself in the future."

"What? What do you mean he has trouble recognizing people?"

So Wang Mei told them about his face blindness.

"Goodness, hitting your head can make you unable to recognize people? But everyone’s face is different. How could he not tell them apart?"

Wang Mei thought for a moment and offered an example.

"You’ve all watched TV at the village chief’s house, right? You’ve seen things like the Olympics, with all those foreigners. Can you tell their faces apart?"

’To him, all those foreigners looked pretty much the same anyway, whether they were Black or white.’

It was an excellent example, and the skeptical villager fell silent.

Another villager chimed in, "So in your Chenbei’s eyes, we’re all just like those foreigners?"

"Learning carpentry from Old Man Mu? What kind of future is in that? I’ve never seen that old man sell much of anything."

"Exactly. He’d be better off staying in school. A college degree will be worth a lot in the future, and he’ll find a good job easily. Maybe he could even work in a factory—now that’s a stable career."

"Or become a teacher. A doctor would be good, too."

"Well, he’d have to have the smarts to get into a teaching college or a medical school for that."

In their minds, being a doctor, a teacher, or a worker in a large factory were all secure, lifelong careers—the best jobs one could have.

As for being a carpenter... who in the village couldn’t knock together a chair or a table these days?

Out here in the country, it wasn’t like they needed fancy, decorative furniture.

A truly skilled carpenter would be making things like wardrobes that could be sold for a high price.

But they’d never seen Old Man Mu sell any big pieces like that.

Regardless of the village gossip, Yun Chenbei remained completely unaffected. Every morning after breakfast, he would go to Old Man Mu’s house and quietly immerse himself in his work. He was incredibly focused, often lost in his own world.

However, after Wang Mei’s explanation, the villagers understood that the boy hadn’t been rude for not greeting them before; he simply couldn’t tell any of them apart.

Suddenly, they all felt rather sorry for the boy.

How did he end up with such a strange condition?

Their family didn’t go out to sea for the next little while.

Because their new house was finished!

"It’s finally done."

It was Saturday, and the whole family stood before the new house, smiles on every face.

Two concrete buildings stood side-by-side, separated by a walkway wide enough for three people to walk abreast. The two-story houses were identical—clearly a matching pair built for brothers.

The large courtyard had also been paved flat with concrete, making it a convenient place for drying things.

The front-facing walls were even tiled in white ceramic.

All this meant the final construction cost for the two houses was quite a bit higher than the original estimate.

It came to a total of nearly two thousand yuan.

Although it pained them to spend so much money, looking at the two new houses made it feel worth it.

Yun Xiaowu asked impatiently, "When can we move in?"

"We have to wait a few more days. A newly built house is still a bit damp. For now, let’s focus on getting the place cleaned up."

Over the next few days, everyone was busy at the new houses.

They cleaned and began moving things they didn’t immediately need over from the old house, bit by bit.

The once-empty buildings slowly began to feel more like a home.

Yun Jiao even pestered her fourth brother into building a doghouse for the courtyard, using leftover lumber from the construction and some planks scrounged from Mr. Mu’s place.

She lined the inside of the doghouse with old, unused clothes from home.

Fu Mingyu had given them some fabric last time, so all the children in the family had gotten new clothes. Their old, patched-up garments had been set aside, as the ever-frugal Granny Yun couldn’t bear to throw them away.

Now, they had found a perfect new use.