Don’t mention that they have been together for almost a year now, even before they had this kind of relationship, Lin Xiche and Xu Fang had never been separated for such a long time.
Lin Xiche had grown accustomed to sharing everything that happened with Xu Fang every day, or simply bothering him for no reason, waiting for him to get annoyed and then soothing him.
In her heart, Xu Fang occupied an irreplaceable place.
With him having his phone taken away, it felt like an insurmountable barrier separating them completely.
Lin Xiche’s mood felt somewhat empty.
Seeing that she was still tearing the calendar pages but not completing the task, Lin Xige started teasing her.
“Do you want me to buy you thirty more calendars?”
Without lifting her eyes, Lin Xiche slowly organized the torn paper she had just torn off and placed it back into the calendar. She patted her face and returned to her normal self after that strange moment, speaking earnestly, “Twenty-seven more would be enough.”
“You’re only going away for a month,” Lin Xige’s expression carried a hint of disdain as she continued to look through her teaching materials. “I really don’t understand you people in love.”
The room fell silent.
A few minutes later, Lin Xiche suddenly called out to her, “Lin Xige.”
Her voice lowered, “I’m feeling a bit down.”
Hearing this, Lin Xige looked at her with a slightly annoyed expression. “It’s just one month. When you go to the university in Yuangang, you won’t see me for several months, but you don’t act this gloomy.”
“But I can still call you.” Lin Xiche rubbed her eyes and said, her expression somewhat vacant, “Today, he told me that if he doesn’t go, he would have wasted a year of university.”
“Well, you can’t just not go.” Lin Xige’s expression showed a hint of understanding and she hesitated for a moment before saying softly, “I even thought about asking him to give up and let me support him.”
“…I can’t afford that.”
“…”
“So, he should continue to go, sob.”
“…”
On the other side.
Xu Fang carried his suitcase into the assigned dormitory.
It was an eight-person room with bunk beds. There was no air conditioning, just two ceiling fans that were currently spinning, occasionally making a creaking noise.
Everyone had already arrived, squeezed into this small room, making it quite stuffy.
All of them were people Xu Fang knew, and the eight of them were sitting scattered around, some on the beds and others on the floor, chatting casually.
Xu Fang squatted on the floor, and with a ‘zhi-la’ sound, he opened his suitcase.
A few sets of clothes, some daily necessities, and half a box of snacks that seemed to emit a golden glow.
Originally, the room was noisy, but it suddenly fell silent.
One second, two seconds…
Suddenly, a guy spoke up, “Damn, Xu Fang, why did you bring so many snacks?”
This statement seemed to be a signal, and the others pounced on the suitcase like hungry wolves. They grabbed a few bags and ran off, not even half a minute passed before Xu Fang’s suitcase was emptied.
“…”
Xu Fang’s temple twitched, and he muttered a few curses under his breath but didn’t make a move. He wasn’t very interested in snacks; he had only brought them because Lin Xiche wanted him to.
The room was once again filled with the sound of people eating, accompanied by Yue Tong’s voice, “Damn, we’re going to live a primitive life for a month. I feel like my girlfriend is going to break up with me.”
“Don’t have any misconceptions about yourself,” another guy snatched the snacks from him, “She’s breaking up with you because you’re too ugly, okay?”
“Get lost! You’re still single!”
The noise they made was too loud, and a few potato chip crumbs were sprinkled into Xu Fang’s suitcase.
Xu Fang turned his head and stared at the two of them in silence.
Yue Tong patted his face with his hand, which still had potato chip crumbs on it, and complained, “Fang-ge, why are you being so stingy? It’s just a few potato chips.”
Another guy squatted down and picked up the potato chip crumbs that had fallen into the suitcase, then shoved them into his mouth. “Isn’t it fine if we eat them? They’ll be gone.”
“…”
Just as he had arrived, Xu Fang was already thinking about going back.
The animal rescue center Lin Xiche was going to was located in the west district of Xicheng, quite far from the center of the city. There was no direct bus service, and she had to walk for another half an hour after getting off the bus.
Following the map on her phone, Lin Xiche wiped away her sweat. She felt like she was going to burst into flames by the time she finally reached the base of the rescue center.
The area was not small, with U-shaped bungalows surrounding a large open space in the middle. Cages were set up on both sides, containing various breeds of dogs.
The place looked shabby, with peeling paint on the outer walls and peeling wallpaper inside. Due to the hundreds of animals, the place had a strong smell, making it quite unpleasant.
There were already more than ten people here, huddled together and chatting.
In front of them stood a woman with short hair, looking like the person in charge here. She was holding a notebook and seemed to be explaining something to them.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Xiche noticed the woman looking at her. Then, she lowered her head to check her notebook and asked somewhat uncertainly, “Are you Lin Xiche?”
Lin Xiche nodded.
The woman smiled; her skin was somewhat dark, but she appeared young and energetic. “Everyone is here. Let me introduce myself first. I’m Yu Ni, the head of this rescue center.”
The other experienced volunteers also introduced themselves.
“Let’s get started then. We’ll divide the tasks first,” Yu Ni pointed in the direction of the cages and bungalows, “Our daily routine mainly involves moving in donated dog food and daily supplies, cleaning the dog and cat pens, and feeding them.”
Yu Ni then assigned tasks based on the volunteers’ body size and preferences.
Lin Xiche and another group of people were assigned to clean the dog pens.
Soon, Yu Ni came out of the building, distributing gloves and aprons while giving instructions.
The hygiene in the dog pens was poor. Due to the limited space and a high number of dogs, the ground was covered with excrement, creating an unpleasant odor.
Lin Xiche put on her apron and picked up her tools to start cleaning.
The animals in the rescue center generally had a defensive attitude towards humans and were wary of them. When they saw her approaching, dogs that had been lying down would move away.
However, there was one dog that remained in place.
It was slightly emaciated, with black fur, and one of its eyes was blind, while the other was sunken, which didn’t seem like a congenital defect.
Since Lin Xiche entered the pen, this dog had been whimpering pitifully, keeping its head lowered and avoiding eye contact.
Lin Xiche bent down, maintaining a safe distance, and spoke to it in a soft voice, “Don’t be afraid of me. Next time, I’ll bring you some food, okay?”
The little black dog whimpered but didn’t move.
Lin Xiche said a few more words to it, feeling somewhat helpless.
Soon, Yu Ni came over with her tools to help.
Perhaps smelling Yu Ni’s scent, the little black dog’s tail began to wag, indicating friendliness. However, it still kept its head down, and its body seemed to tremble slightly.
“This dog’s name is Heibao,” Yu Ni smiled, crouching down to pat its head. “It was mistreated before, so it’s a bit afraid of people.”
Lin Xiche understood and asked hesitantly, “Are you talking about its eyes?”
“Yes,” Yu Ni sighed softly, her voice lowering, “I can’t imagine what kind of person could do such a thing.”
Looking at Heibao, Lin Xiche’s mood suddenly grew heavy. She stood up without saying a word, didn’t approach it any further, quickly finished cleaning the pen, and moved on to the next one.
Lin Xiche soon noticed that it wasn’t just Heibao; many of the dogs had various disabilities and issues.
Many of them were abandoned by their owners due to their disabilities.
After cleaning up, Lin Xiche took some dog food and went to the dog kennel to feed them. Most of the dogs rushed over and gathered around the food bowls.
Only Black Treasure stayed curled up in the corner, lying on the ground without moving.
Lin Xiche pursed her lips and placed a small bowl of dog food near it.
It still didn’t move.
As Lin Xiche walked out of the kennel and looked back, she noticed that it had finally gotten up, moving slowly towards the bowl.
Lin Xiche couldn’t help but feel that although she had done a good deed by volunteering at the rescue center today, she didn’t feel as happy as she had expected. She slung her bag over her shoulder, headed towards the train station, and instinctively dialed Xu Fang’s number.
When the mechanical female voice on the other end informed her that he had turned off his phone, it suddenly hit her.
Xu Fang had been deployed to the military.
Lin Xiche arrived at the train station, boarded the train, and then took out her phone to send him a message.
Lin Xiche: [I went to the rescue center today. The environment there is quite poor, but the young woman in charge seems cheerful and easy to get along with.]
Lin Xiche: [There’s a dog there that was previously abused. Someone had gouged out one of its eyes, so it’s very afraid of people. I tried to feed it, but it only ate after I left.]
…
…
Lin Xiche: [Hmm.]
Lin Xiche: [Time flies so quickly!]
Lin Xiche: [It’s already been a whole day!]
Over the next week, Lin Xiche went to the rescue center every day to help out and started to get to know Yu Ni, who, although it couldn’t be seen at first glance, was in her thirties. She had previously worked at a pet hospital and later joined the center as a staff member, eventually becoming the head.
Lin Xiche was ten years younger than her, but they got along naturally and happily.
On the day she received a call from Xu Fang, Lin Xiche was in the dog kennel, feeding the dogs. She placed the food bowls on the ground and squatted in front of them, watching them eat with an unusually good mood.
Before long, Lin Xiche noticed Black Treasure in the corner, realizing that she had almost forgotten to feed it.
She stood up, grabbed a small bowl, and filled it with dog food, placing it near Black Treasure.
She then squatted about a meter away from Black Treasure, placing the bowl in front of herself and coaxing it, “Come and eat.”
After waiting for half a minute without any movement, Lin Xiche complained, “Are you still afraid of me? I’ve been here for a week.”
“You ungrateful little thing,” she muttered as she thought about standing up.
But before Lin Xiche could stand up, Black Treasure got up and approached the bowl cautiously. It lowered its head and began to eat the food in front of it.
Lin Xiche was stunned for a moment, hesitated, and reached out to pat its head.
While Black Treasure ate, its tail started wagging towards her.
It was expressing friendliness and affection towards her.
Lin Xiche’s heart softened instantly.
The next moment, Xu Fang’s call came through.
Worried about missing his call, Lin Xiche had changed her ringtone to a loud one earlier, which had also startled her and Black Treasure.
Lin Xiche quickly answered the call and walked out of the kennel.
Coincidentally, Yu Ni approached, carrying a black-eared butterfly dog in her arms.
Lin Xiche greeted her, her voice sounding more cheerful and excited than usual due to Xu Fang’s call.
“Pipi!”
Xu Fang on the other end paused for a moment, then softly responded with an “Hmm.”
Hearing his voice, Lin Xiche redirected her attention and smiled, saying, “Oh, I didn’t call you just now. We have a dog here named Pipi.”
“…”
“Now I’m calling you for real.”
“…”
“Pipi.”
No response from the other end.
Lin Xiche blinked, thinking he might not have heard clearly, so she raised her voice a bit, “Pipi!”
Still no response.
Lin Xiche frowned, took a deep breath, and yelled loudly, “Pipi!!!”
As soon as she finished yelling, she heard Xu Fang’s voice on the other end, sounding lightly annoyed, “How should I respond?”
His voice was low, as if he was not in a good mood, and he even chuckled, saying, “I’ve only been away for a week, and you’ve already met a dog with the same name as me?”
Lin Xiche suddenly realized her mistake and hurriedly explained, “I didn’t choose the name. It was given by the center’s director. I wouldn’t name a dog that.”
Xu Fang on the other end continued to chuckle, “Alright, alright. Who is this director?”
Lin Xiche replied, “I’m not very familiar with her yet. Her name is Yu Ni, and she’s quite young and friendly.”
“From what you’re saying, she seems nice.” Xu Fang’s tone became more relaxed.
Lin Xiche smiled and nodded, mentioning Yu Ni again, “Yes, she cares a lot about the animals here and is very good to us volunteers.”
Xu Fang didn’t seem interested in continuing that topic, so he changed the subject, “Did you have a good day today?”
Lin Xiche happily replied, “I had a good day, and I even made friends with Black Treasure.”
Xu Fang laughed, “You really can make friends with any little animal.”
Lin Xiche also laughed, feeling much happier. She said with a hint of reluctance, “I really like it here, but unfortunately, I can only volunteer for a week.”
“It’s okay, you can come again next time.”
“Yeah, I’ll definitely bring you with me next time.”
After the call ended, Lin Xiche continued with her work at the rescue center, feeling even happier. The experiences of this week as a volunteer had made her feel fulfilled. She had formed deep friendships with Yu Ni and the other volunteers, and she had gained a deeper understanding of animal rescue. Especially her special bond with Black Treasure, a dog that had suffered abuse, left her feeling content.
When her week of volunteering ended, Lin Xiche returned to Source Harbor University and resumed her college life. However, the satisfaction and passion she felt for animal rescue would always accompany her.
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