PCJ – Chapter 191 The Puppy Makes a Trouble

“You know how much food twenty-nine dogs eat in a day?” Zhang Manyin asked Ma Donghua in return.

Almost every household in Meizi Village keeps dogs. When feeding them, they usually mix some leftover rice with a bit of oily soup. Farm dogs are not picky; as long as there is something to eat, they are content. Sometimes they scavenge for bones at others’ homes when they are hosting guests, and nobody really pays attention to how much a dog eats per meal. Often, they aren’t even fully fed every meal.

But Zhang Jiaohua was now raising so many dogs that leftover rice alone couldn’t solve the problem. Even though they were puppies, twenty-nine dogs would need a large pot of food, and it had to be quality grains. This amount of food would rival the consumption of several pigs. When Ma Donghua did the math, she was shocked.

“Our family had a few acres of fields last year, and the granary is full, but with this many dogs, one granary of grain might not be enough. In the first month, it’s fine since the puppies don’t eat much. But as they grow, they could devour a fortune. What should we do, old man?”

Zhang Manyin replied grumpily, “Didn’t you say it didn’t matter? Now you’re asking me what to do? What can I do? Figure it out yourself!”

Zhang Manyin took some tobacco from his pouch, cut a small rectangular piece of paper, rolled the tobacco in it, struck a match, and the dim yellow light momentarily lit up the dark kitchen. He lit the cigarette, took a few deep puffs, and the glow from the cigarette flickered with his breaths.

Ma Donghua hurried to Zhang Jiaohua’s house to persuade her grandson.

After returning home, Zhang Jiaohua went straight to Zhang Jiwang’s house.

“Jiaohua, you’re a rare guest! You never come to play at Grandpa Jiwang’s house. Come, come, I have some candies for you,” Zhang Jiwang greeted warmly.

“Grandpa Jiwang, I need your help,” Zhang Jiaohua said urgently.

“Oh, what is it?” Zhang Jiwang smiled but still went inside to grab a handful of candies and handed them to Zhang Jiaohua.

“I have a lot of dogs at home, and I don’t have enough bowls for them to eat. Can you make a wooden trough to feed them?” Zhang Jiaohua wanted Zhang Jiwang to make a trough similar to the ones used in Meizi Village for feeding piglets.

“How many dogs are you feeding?” Zhang Jiwang’s eyes widened.

“Twenty-nine,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

Zhang Jiwang chuckled, “You must have driven Manyin mad with so many dogs.”

“He hasn’t come to my house yet. Anyway, whether they approve or not, I’m keeping these dogs,” Zhang Jiaohua said firmly.

“You stubborn kid. Manyin is just concerned about you, not trying to harm you. I’ll make the trough for you, but you need to explain things clearly to your grandpa Manyin,” Zhang Jiwang said as he found a few planks of cedar wood. Cedar is light, making the trough easy for a child like Zhang Jiaohua to move.

“I know,” Zhang Jiaohua nodded, but he wasn’t sure how to explain it to his grandpa.

The trough was very simple in Zhang Jiwang’s hands. He even planed it smooth inside and out. “Since you need it quickly, this will have to do for now. When I have more time, I’ll make you a nicer one.”

“No need. The puppies will outgrow the trough in a month or two,” Zhang Jiaohua shook his head.

“That’s true,” Zhang Jiwang agreed. He made four troughs, each over a meter long, making them easy to move and stack when not in use, taking up little space. It was a thoughtful design.

Back home, chaos ensued.

The new twenty-three puppies and the five original ones were playing together. Twenty-eight puppies, each different, were rolling on the ground, stealing Zhang Jiaohua’s shoes, and fighting over a corn cob.

The kitchen was a mess, with pots overturned, water flooding the floor, and bowls scattered everywhere. The food prepared for the puppies was already eaten, and two puppies were licking the pot when Zhang Jiaohua arrived. It seemed the food was insufficient. Zhang Jiaohua didn’t plan to fully satisfy these puppies’ hunger.

“Shanbao! How are you watching the house? Look at this mess!” Zhang Jiaohua scolded Zuan Shanbao.

Zuan Shanbao, feeling wronged, jumped down from a brick pile. It was frustrated too. These new puppies didn’t fear it, the dog king, at all. Its former authority at the police dog base was gone, and even its kennel was taken over by a few puppies. Zuan Shanbao wasn’t sure about the puppies’ place in Zhang Jiaohua’s heart, fearing the new dogs might replace it.

“Look around! Look at this mess! You’re a big dog, and these little puppies are running wild. Can’t you control them?” Zhang Jiaohua led Zuan Shanbao around the house, pointing out the chaos. Whether Zuan Shanbao understood or not, Zhang Jiaohua was upset. Was bringing so many dogs home good or bad?

“Go gather them up. This can’t go on,” Zhang Jiaohua ordered Zuan Shanbao to organize the noisy puppies.

“Woof woof woof…”

People have their languages, and dogs have theirs. Whatever Zuan Shanbao said, it had no effect. Only a few puppies glanced back at Zuan Shanbao before continuing to play, while others didn’t even hear it.

“Awooo…”

Zuan Shanbao got angry and showed its dominance.

Immediately, all the puppies lay on the ground, trembling. The smallest of the five original puppies glanced at Zuan Shanbao before quickly lying down again.

“Gather up!” Zhang Jiaohua shouted in the yard. He had an idea inspired by his school sports lessons, where kids lined up neatly and counted off. Zhang Jiaohua decided to make the puppies stand in line.