Unable to endure the hardships of rural life, she returned home to arrange a marriage with a militar

Although this drunken encounter didn't lead to a deeper physical understanding between the two, it did bring them closer emotionally.

While Shu Yun was packing packages to send home in the living room, Gu Jun squatted down beside her to help. The two didn't speak, but they would occasionally touch each other's elbows and the backs of their hands, creating an intimacy that no one else could penetrate.

Shu Yun divided the snacks she made into portions, putting some in each package. The fabric she bought was to be sent back to Gu Jun's parents, as well as to Gu Jun's siblings. She also took some pastries, face cream, and other similar items.

The situation was much simpler for Shu Yun's maternal grandfather. Since he was the only one living there, sending fabric wouldn't make much sense. So Shu Yun bought a few ready-made clothes and also went to the hospital to get some commonly used medicines and pastries—all practical items.

Shu Yun simply wrote a letter, and after Gu Jun checked it and found no problems, the two of them rode their bicycles to the city post office while Gu Jun was at home.

Granny Jiang sat at the gate of the courtyard, cracking melon seeds and lecturing Kong Ping while chatting, "Hmph, she's only been married a few days, and look at her, she's already shown her true colors, sending things back to her parents' home all the time. She won't stop until she's drained Gu Jun dry."

After Kong Ping finished her postpartum confinement, she held her son with humble eyes and said, "Mom, don't worry, I won't."

Granny Jiang glanced at her and said, "I bet you wouldn't dare."

As if she could see through Kong Ping's thoughts, Granny Jiang spat the melon seed shells at Kong Ping's feet. "You don't need to be too envious of them. I went to their house yesterday and saw that her husband was doing housework with her. What kind of behavior is that? Men are supposed to do important things. How can they do housework? Sooner or later, Xiao Gu will be dragged down by her. He's not doing his job properly."

Kong Ping really wanted to say that what kind of important thing was a man who lay motionless on the sofa like a lord after coming home, leaving everything to his mother and wife without lifting a finger? But she didn't dare to say it and could only agree, "Yes, Mom, you're right."

Granny Jiang: "You're smart enough to clean up all these melon seed shells on the ground. They're making a mess."

Shu Yun and Gu Jun went into the city and mailed the package. After looking around, they didn't find anything they wanted to buy, so they were about to go back when they heard a small sobbing sound as they passed through an alley.

Shu Yun tugged at Gu Jun's clothes, "Did you hear that?"

Gu Jun listened for a moment, then said, "It's the voice of a bastard."

Gu Jun rode forward for a while and saw a small cardboard box by the wall. The sound was coming from inside. Shu Yun tugged at Gu Jun's clothes, the bike stopped, and Shu Yun got off to look.

Inside the small yellow cardboard box lay a tiny black puppy. It was very small; Shu Yun estimated it to be about the size of her palm. It huddled in a corner of the box, its fur still soft and fine, perhaps because it had just been born.

It seemed to smell someone approaching, and raised its head slightly from its body, revealing a pair of round, dark eyes. Although they were almost blending into its black fur, they were exceptionally bright, making the puppy's watery eyes immediately noticeable. Shu Yun's heart softened; she was completely charmed by the puppy's pitiful little eyes.

However, Shu Yun noticed that its right leg was stretched out unnaturally. Because the black fur was not very noticeable, she did not realize at first that the puppy was injured, and there was still fresh blood on the wound, which was obviously a new injury.

There was nothing in the small cardboard box except for a puppy. Shu Yun looked at Gu Jun and said, "Go and get some water."

Gu Jun nodded and left. Shu Yun squatted down in front of the puppy, trying to get it to lower its guard and come over. But after that first glance at Shu Yun, the puppy never looked up again and remained huddled in the corner.

Gu Jun acted quickly, bringing not only water but also some pastries. Shu Yun broke off a small piece of sponge cake and placed it in front of the puppy, then put the water down as well. "Good puppy, come and eat!"

The puppy must have smelled the aroma of the sponge cake, because it raised its head but still didn't dare to get closer. It just sniffed around with its wet little nose. Shu Yun didn't urge it, but stepped back a little to give the puppy a safe distance.

Unable to bear the hunger any longer, the puppy stood up shakily and slowly walked towards the pastries. As it got closer, the aroma became more pronounced. The puppy wanted to speed up, but its injured paw prevented it from running fast.

It finally got to eat the chicken cake. The puppy, whose baby teeth hadn't fully grown in yet, grinned as it ate the chicken cake, and then drank several mouthfuls of water from the small cup next to it.

It ate happily, its little tail wagging unconsciously, making Shu Yun's heart itch. She couldn't help but take a small step forward. The puppy became alert and immediately raised its head. Shu Yun could only remain still. Seeing this, the puppy relaxed and continued to eat happily with its head down.

Seeing Shu Yun's hesitant expression as she wanted to go forward but dared not, Gu Jun suggested, "Want to touch it? I'll go and grab it."

As she spoke, she deftly lifted the puppy by the scruff of its neck. Startled, the puppy flailed its short legs in the air and began to whimper.

Shu Yun was shocked and rushed forward to rescue the puppy from Gu Jun's hands. The puppy then realized the reality and, after weighing the danger levels between the two of them, buried its head in Shu Yun's arms and refused to come out, becoming much more affectionate than before.

Looks like a puppy who responds better to force than gentleness!

"If you like it, you can take this puppy home and raise it. It's a good thing to do and accumulate good karma."

A door opened in the alley, and an old woman with a hunched back came out. "If you let it stay here any longer, the puppy will be played with to death by the kids here sooner or later."

The old woman's face was covered in wrinkles, and her hands trembled as she closed the door. Her tattered clothes were patched all over, and her hair was already gray.

She felt sorry for the puppy, but her children were not doing well, and she was already struggling to make ends meet, so how could she possibly adopt a puppy that needed to be fed?

She had been observing from inside the door for a while, intending to move the puppy's cardboard box further away so that the children wouldn't tease the puppy after school, but then she saw the two people feeding the puppy.

Judging from their clothes, the old woman knew they were well-off and fed the dog generously, which explained her earlier suggestion—she simply wanted to find a good home for the dog.

Shu Yun pinched the puppy's soft little paws, looked up at Gu Jun with an expectant expression, and asked, "How about we adopt it?"

As she spoke, Shu Yun waved her paw, and the puppy barked softly.