When Bai Xiulan heard their dog, Little Black, bark once outside and then fall silent, she thought she must have misheard. Little Black, the stray they'd taken in, had grown up to be exceptionally clever.
It would bark nonstop at anyone other than family who entered the courtyard, unless a family member called out to it. And it got very fierce if anyone tried to enter the main house or the storeroom.
Once, she'd been in the outhouse in the backyard and couldn't come out right away. A neighbor auntie had come over to borrow a steamer, and Little Black had cornered her outside. Luckily, she'd gotten back quickly, or the dog surely would have bitten her.
Little Black wouldn't take food from strangers, so the sound must mean her Changqing was back. It wasn't the height of summer; she could have waited a bit longer. Why was she rushing back so late this time?
And just like that, the kids entered the outer room.
"Why didn't you just come back tomorrow?"
