Chapter 94 |
The weather turned cold again, and the chill returned.
Qu Dubian did not follow his plans of going somewhere to play today and somewhere else tomorrow.
He brought out the little dog clothes his grandmother had made and took care of Da Hei in the palace.
Da Hei's spirits had originally improved a bit, but after the cold returned, he began to seem unwell again.
Old dogs are very afraid of winter. Throughout the entire winter, Qu Dubian tried every possible way to keep him warm, even leaving a spot for Da Hei on his own bed.
But Da Hei never slept on the bed. If he was placed there, once Qu Dubian fell asleep, he would get down by himself and curl up to sleep beneath the bed.
Qu Dubian felt a bit anxious and a bit angry, but more than anything, he felt helpless.
He rebuilt a nest under the bed, placed charcoal braziers around it, and even put a hand warmer inside Da Hei's bed.
Da Hei's vitality waned day by day, and the people of Shunning Palace seemed to sense something.
Zhiyi and Qu Dubian also started school again.
But after school each day, they didn't linger outside. They would rush back quickly, spending all their free time keeping Da Hei company.
Da Hei was a Wuhai dog, healthy and robust, having almost never fallen ill.
In his old age, aside from his hearing failing, he ate, drank, and walked normally. He could still express what he wanted and show his emotions.
He wasn't sick now either; it was just that his energy was fading very quickly.
Qu Dubian held a bowl, sitting cross-legged in front of Da Hei's dog bed to eat his meal. Da Hei was also eating. Qu Dubian would take a bite, Da Hei would look at him, then lower his head to take a bite himself.
Qu Dubian could see he was having some difficulty eating, seeming not to want food, but with his company, Da Hei still tried very hard to eat.
Watching Da Hei finish his meal, he wanted to sleep again.
Qu Dubian wiped his mouth, picked him up, and rested his chin on Da Hei's head.
"Da Hei, let's try our best. You're about to spend the eighth Lantern Festival with me. Shunning Palace can't do without you. Everyone still relies on you to guard the place. The big bones for you to chew are all ready. I didn't allow you to chew them before, but this time I give special permission."
"You can't be absent, understand?"
Da Hei didn't make a sound, his eyes closed, showing no reaction. It was impossible to tell if he heard or not.
Qu Dubian gently pinched his ear.
"Then it's the old rule. If you don't make a sound, I'll take it as your agreement. You can't go back on your word."
Da Hei's condition seemed to have stabilized.
Qu Dubian still looked after him every day.
He didn't show any sadness; every day he spent with Da Hei, he was happy and cheerful. But the level of care he showed, down to the exact amount of each meal and the quality of the ingredients, worried Imperial Consort Xuan.
Da Hei would leave one day. Xiao Qi had the deepest bond with him. When that day came, how would this child grieve? Would he be able to bear it?
Another two days passed.
Qu Dubian discovered Da Hei trying to go outside.
Several times, he sneaked out on his own. Qu Dubian searched the entire palace, and even when he found him, he couldn't bring himself to scold him, only pointing at him and lecturing him sternly.
Da Hei shrank into a corner, burying his head with his paws.
He couldn't hear at all, so there was no point in covering up.
At first, Qu Dubian thought Da Hei had dementia from old age, no longer recognizing the way or people. Holding Da Hei, feeling a bit wronged, he rubbed his head and asked fiercely:
"Are you leaving because you don't recognize me anymore?"
Da Hei tilted his head, rested his chin in Qu Dubian's palm, and wiggled his ears back and forth—adorably.
This was Da Hei's little trick to cheer him up. He clearly still remembered him.
Qu Dubian was happy again and instructed him: "You are not allowed to be a bad dog who tries to avoid making his owner sad by running away from home before going to the dog star. Old grannies should obediently be taken care of by the kids."
Da Hei couldn't hear. Finding an opportunity, he still kept sneaking out.
Finally, one dark night, while the two-legged human pup on the bed was asleep, he slipped out the main gate again—he didn't notice that the gate of Shunning Palace wasn't closed at all.
And the sleeping two-legged human pup opened his eyes the moment he left.
Taking advantage of Da Hei's deafness, Qu Dubian followed silently behind him.
The Wuhai dog walked slowly, his age showing faintly. His tail drooped slightly against the cold night wind. In the pitch-black night, he walked somewhat alone, yet with determination.
Step by step, it was unclear where he was going.
The patrolling guards were very surprised to see Da Hei, and even more surprised to see Seventh Prince following far behind him.
Qu Dubian slightly raised his hand, shook his head, and made a gesture for silence.
The guard captain immediately understood, cupped his hands in salute, and led the guards away.
Da Hei passed through one palace pathway after another. Several times, his movements were so slow that Qu Dubian thought he would stop, but he kept going.
Until he stopped in front of the kennels.
He squeezed with effort under the fence, passed several cages, and sniffed incessantly with his nose.
At night, only the night watch was at the kennels in the Beast Garden.
Qu Dubian went over and greeted the watchmen, telling them not to disturb Da Hei. Then, listening to the faint sounds coming from the kennels, he followed.
Da Hei stopped in front of a dog bed.
Several pitch-black Wuhai dog puppies were kept here.
He sniffed carefully with his nose.
These puppies were descendants of his descendants, and he could still detect a faint, familiar scent. Da Hei reached into the dog bed and pawed a few times. The puppies were all about a month old, now waking up with little "aowu aowu" cries.
Near the dog bed was their mother, who woke at the sound and bared her teeth at Da Hei.
Da Hei gave a fierce bark and swatted her with a paw.
"Aowu! Aowu!" The familiar force made the adult mother dog immediately remember something. Her ferocity vanished, and she circled Da Hei affectionately.
Da Hei swatted her with his paw again.
The adult mother dog immediately shrank to the side, not daring to move.
Da Hei carefully picked through this litter of puppies and finally chose the most unusual one—this Wuhai dog had one white ear.
Yet its scent smelled the strongest and healthiest.
He carried the puppy back in his mouth.
He returned the same way he came, even more cautious now, avoiding the patrols all the way.
Qu Dubian still followed behind him, then chose a moment to take a detour, returning to Shunning Palace a few minutes early. When Da Hei returned with the puppy in his mouth, he pretended to be angry and surprised:
"Where did you get such a little thing! Where have you been again? I was just about to go out looking for you."
Da Hei nudged him inside with his head. Only after entering the room did he place the puppy he was carrying at Qu Dubian's feet, giving soft whimpers.
First, he placated the angry two-legged human pup, then used his mouth to nudge the little puppy shivering from the cold on the floor.
Let him watch you continue to grow up from now on.
Qu Dubian quickly fetched a cotton blanket, wrapped the puppy up, and placed it in a bed to warm it. Then, with a stern little face, he rubbed Da Hei's nearly frozen body.
"You just go ahead and roam. Who could out-roam you?"
He cleaned Da Hei's paws and urged him into his dog bed. "Drink some warm water later. I won't take care of the puppy you found. You raise it yourself."
The next day.
The newly arrived puppy in Shunning Palace was handed over to Ye Banban to raise for the time being.
Da Hei had been out in the cold all night, yet his spirits seemed to have lifted. He waited patiently for Qu Dubian to return from school and led him to the storeroom.
There was one room specifically for storing miscellaneous items. Da Hei pawed and nosed around for a long time.
Qu Dubian helped him search. "Da Hei, what are you looking for?"
Da Hei's nose twitched, then he began digging frantically in one spot, finally unearthing from beneath a pile of clutter in the corner—the little dog cart.
He excitedly circled the cart once.
He crawled under the front harness, got himself strapped in, and then tugged at Qu Dubian's clothes with his teeth.
Qu Dubian said helplessly, "Be good, Da Hei. I've grown up. You can't pull me anymore, and besides, the wheel is broken."
The little dog cart had been retired, its left wheel cracked at one edge—a well-earned retirement.
Da Hei didn't understand the words, but he could glean something from Qu Dubian's expression. He let out anxious whimpers, which grew louder and louder. Finally, he sat down and wagged his tail, determined to get the boy on board.
After a moment of silence, Qu Dubian asked, "You'll leave faster if you do this. Don't you want to stay with me a few more days?"
Da Hei: "Whimper."
Qu Dubian took a deep breath, then scooped up the little dog cart and sprinted to the rear courtyard. "Noble Lady Guo! Quick! I need your help!!"
Noble Lady Guo: "What is it? What's wrong?"
Qu Dubian said gravely, "Please fix this wheel as fast as you can."
He set the cart down. "Right here. A patch would do."
"Why so sudden...?" Noble Lady Guo was momentarily puzzled, then seemed to remember something. "Is it because of Da Hei?"
Qu Dubian sighed. "The old fellow is hard to appease."
"How long do you need?"
"The sooner the better, ideally before dark."
"Before dark, I'm afraid I can't manage it alone," she said, not letting Qu Dubian's disappointment settle before adding with a slight smile. "This will require everyone's help. If I only handle the shaping, half an hour."
Qu Dubian's eyes lit up. "Great!"
He borrowed Noble Lady Guo's copper gong, leaped up, and landed on the roof of Shunning Palace. With a loud clang, clang, clang, the sound echoed clearly throughout the palace grounds:
"Code Red! Code Red! Da Hei of Shunning Palace has recently applied for permanent departure from the palace and requires one small cart!"
"Anyone not busy, please come to the rear courtyard to help! Let's give our Da Hei a happy retirement! Noble Lady Guo needs to make a wheel!"
"Calling for Imperial Consort Xuan!"
Imperial Consort Xuan rolled up her sleeves. "Coming!"
Zhiyi: "I'm coming too!"
Ye Xiaoyuan: "Right here."
A few shouts were all it took to gather them in the rear courtyard. Some searched for wood, others for files and tools.
Noble Lady Guo tied up her sleeves, neat and efficient. In the dead of winter, they all worked up a sweat in the courtyard.
"This piece here, Little Qi, use the knife to carve along the lines I've drawn."
"Alright."
Qu Dubian channeled his inner strength, working as swiftly as Imperial Consort Xuan.
He never imagined that the first time he'd use his internal energy like this would be for carpentry.
Noble Lady Guo removed the original wheel.
Da Hei lay on the ground, silently watching them work. Seeming to understand they were repairing the cart, his tail gave faint wags.
As the sun began to tilt westward, Da Hei yawned.
Qu Dubian's heart tightened. He sped up his movements. During the final touches, when Noble Lady Guo successfully installed the wheel on the cart and gave it a smooth pull, everyone cheered.
"It's fixed!"
They all looked at Da Hei.
Da Hei struggled to his feet, shook his fur, and walked step by step to the little dog cart. He willingly crawled under the harness and began pulling the cart outward.
When they reached the palace gate, Qu Dubian helped lift the cart over the threshold.
Da Hei turned his head to look at him.
Qu Dubian strode over and sat down on it.
He always felt he hadn't changed much from a few years ago, but the little dog cart, which used to fit two of him, now felt cramped with just him alone.
Qu Dubian secretly used his inner strength to suspend himself, not putting his full weight on the cart.
Imperial Consort Xuan, Noble Lady Guo, Zhiyi, and Ye Xiaoyuan stood at the palace gate watching them.
Qu Dubian grinned and called out, "Da Hei and I are going out to play!"
He shouted loudly, "Da Hei! Let's go!"
He didn't specify a destination, but Da Hei had already broken into a trot.
He was much, much slower than before, yet still just as steady and reliable—the same reliability that made young Qu Dubian pick him out from the kennels all those years ago.
Some of the gatekeepers were the same ones from before. They removed the threshold before the little dog cart even arrived. For the new ones, Qu Dubian would shout from afar for them to move it.
Da Hei passed through unimpeded.
There was no destination.
He retraced every place he had accompanied Qu Dubian to.
The most frequented schoolhouse, the Zichen Hall, the training grounds, the large tree behind the training grounds where he and Liu Liu often spent time, the spot on the palace wall where he watched fireworks his first year, the palace path near the ancestral shrine outside the menagerie where he was once kissed by an ostrich...
Joy, melancholy.
Frame by frame, page by page.
Qu Dubian watched Da Hei's running back.
In a daze, he felt as if time were flowing backward, as if Da Hei were striving to help him chase after his lost childhood.
They took a very long route.
Eventually, almost everyone in the palace knew the Seventh Prince was darting all over the grounds on a little dog cart, but no one stopped him. When Emperor Chong Zhao heard of it, he merely fell silent for a few seconds, sighed, and ordered, "Pass the word. Do not hinder them."
After visiting all the places they had been together, Qu Dubian could sense that Da Hei was nearing exhaustion.
But this old fellow, who learned this stubbornness from no one knew where, refused to stop. Qu Dubian didn't force him to halt. He respected the will and perseverance Da Hei was expressing.
On the final stretch of road leading back to Shunning Palace, Da Hei let out a long howl and suddenly began to sprint.
He seemed to have returned to his peak condition.
Qu Dubian played his part perfectly, shouting with gusto, "Amazing, Da Hei! You're the most incredible Five-Black Dog!"
Da Hei, majestic and imposing, seemed to glance back at him, then accelerated further.
By now, the sky had darkened. Only the warm yellow light at the gate of Shunning Palace illuminated the grey paving stones.
Da Hei came to a steady stop right at the entrance.
Qu Dubian jumped off the little dog cart, took two steps back, and sat down on the threshold. He beckoned, "Come, Da Hei. Let's go home."
Da Hei looked at him for a long time, as if choosing between going and staying.
If he stayed here, would his death attract predators, posing a threat to the two-legged cub?
In the end, he yielded to the plea in the two-legged cub's eyes. He crawled out from under the harness and walked, step by step, to Qu Dubian. Then his whole body went limp, half-collapsing into Qu Dubian's arms.
Qu Dubian said, "Good Da Hei, we're home now."
He held Da Hei, stroking the fur on his head in slow, steady motions.
"Your fur's all messed up from running."
He carefully smoothed out Da Hei's disheveled coat, tending to it with great care. As he worked, Da Hei's breathing grew fainter and fainter. By the time he finished, Da Hei's tail slowly drooped and moved no more.
Qu Dubian's fingers stilled for a moment, then he gently patted Da Hei's head.
"You broke your promise, Da Hei. You missed this year's Lantern Festival too."
He rested his chin on Da Hei's head. A teardrop fell and disappeared into his fur.
"Very well. Da Hei of Shunning Palace has passed away from natural causes and applied for permanent departure from the palace. The organization has approved the request. May he have a smooth journey."
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