Chapter Sixty-Seven: Stealing the Dog (Part One) — Second Update

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It's often said that a woman is most beautiful after a bath. For Feng Shuya, this was especially true—she was more radiant than any flower, and fresh from her bath, her long hair damp and draped over her shoulders, she slipped into a white dress. Her cheeks were flushed with a healthy glow, her body carried a delicate fragrance, and her noble aura was unmistakable. The young boys, though eager to take in the sight, only dared to steal furtive glances. The girls, though not as stunning as Feng Shuya, were also more delicate and vibrant than usual.

The mischievous boys ogled the girls openly, their gazes wandering from faces to chests to hips. The girls, not to be outdone, thrust out their chests and swayed their hips as they passed by, some deliberately exaggerating the motion.

The little rascals swallowed hard, cursing under their breath, but kept their mouths firmly shut.

It was a lively meal, and by the time it ended, night had fallen. Feng Shuya gathered the girls to head back, but several boys were reluctant to leave.

"We want to play some firecrackers before we go," Tao Youneng said.

"If you boys don't leave, how could we girls dare to go alone?" one of the girls replied.

"Yeah, there are ghosts on the road—lost souls, hanged ghosts, headless ghosts... ha ha..." Tao Huan tried to frighten them on purpose.

"And there's the Huan-rascal ghost..." Le'er shot Tao Huan a look. "Come on, I'll walk you back."

"Le'er, no need for you to go. Let Huan and Huashong go instead; they've got things to do when they return," another girl chimed in.

Seeing the boys exchange mischievous glances, Le'er wasn't sure what they were plotting. Still, the bamboo grove was close to Shangtao, and nothing was likely to happen. She only walked them out of the bamboo forest before heading back.

Tao Youneng and three others stayed behind, still setting off "firecrackers."

"What are you up to, fooling around like that?"

"Le'er, how about we catch a dog tonight for a meal?" Tao Youneng laughed as he played cards. "It's been ages since we did something naughty together. Tonight's the perfect chance."

Le'er eyed them. These guys were troublemakers, always up to some mischief—never anything major, but always a little something: stealing a chicken, grabbing a dog, snatching a watermelon, picking some jujubes. Le'er used to be part of their crew, though it had been a long time since he'd joined in. Of course, in the countryside, such antics were seen as mere mischief; no one really thought of them as thieves. Everyone knew they only did it for fun, not to sell or to cook for their families.

Stealing a chicken was a bit more serious, and you couldn't do it from someone's house—only in the wild. If you went into someone's home, you crossed a line; that was real theft. As for dogs, no one here called it "stealing"—the word "snatch" said it all. The challenge was whether you could get one or not. Naturally, you couldn't do it in front of the owner, and certainly not in another village; that would cause real trouble. It was a technical business, not something just anyone could manage. In fact, not just mischievous kids but many adults did it too.

Dogs were different from chickens—locals didn't consider them livestock. Dogs grew up eating scraps and most people didn't bother feeding them, so "snatching" a dog wasn't really theft in their eyes—just a bit of fun.

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But things were different now. Le'er was an assistant in the village, no longer the wild child he once was. If people knew he was still hanging out with these little rascals, up to their old tricks, it would be embarrassing. Still, he had to admit, there was something thrilling and fun about it.

"Hey, Le'er, why are you so quiet?" Tao Youneng watched Le'er lost in thought. "Now that you're a village assistant, have you become timid? Lost your manhood?"

"You’re the one who’s lost your manhood. Want to compare?" Le’er snapped, then broke into a wolfish grin. "It’s not like we haven’t compared before—you’ll never beat me in this life, maybe in the next."

"Fine, let’s compare! Mine’s gotten a lot bigger these last two years."

Tao Youneng could bluff about anything, but not this. Even just two years ago, they’d compared, and he’d been far behind.

Without further ado, the boys headed to the toilet for their contest. In the end, Tao Youneng and the other four left like defeated roosters, unable to say a word. But Tao Youneng, ever unwilling to lose, suggested they compare who could pee the highest.

Surprisingly, though his faucet was smaller, Tao Youneng actually won the peeing contest, finally earning some bragging rights, and was all smiles.

"Le’er, you must have a girlfriend now, otherwise how come you can’t pee as high as before? You used to beat me," Tao Youneng teased. "Everyone says guys with a girl can’t pee as high."

"What’s it to you whether I have a girlfriend?" Le’er retorted, laughing. "If you’ve got the skills, go get one yourself."

"Dammit, if it weren’t for these stupid books, I’d have gone to Guangzhou by now," Tao Youneng grumbled. "Once I get there, I won’t have any trouble finding women."

The four boys buckled up and left the toilet. The Tao boys returned to their card game, while Le’er picked up a book to read. Seeing him reading, the boys grew curious—Le’er had been famous for hating books as a child. It wasn’t that he wasn’t smart, just mischievous; fighting, scaring girls, being late, and skipping class were all routine for him.

Girls like Tao Haiying and Shalan had survived his mischief through all of elementary school—it was a wonder they’d made it.

"Le’er, is that a dirty novel you’re reading?"

"Idiot, you’re such a pervert—can’t think of anything but women."

Finding that it wasn’t an erotic book, Tao Youneng lost interest and went back to his cards. After a while, he stood up and looked outside.

"Why aren’t Huan and Huashong back yet?"

"Maybe Huan’s got his female dog in heat," someone joked.

Le’er put down his book and went to make tea.

"You haven’t forgotten how to snag a dog, have you?" Tao Youneng laughed. "I had them take the bitch to the Xiao family’s village across the river."

There were many ways to catch a dog, and these boys knew them all. But in their opinion, the best method was to use a female dog in heat to lure a male. Take the bitch for a stroll in another village, then quietly bring her back and tie her to a stump—sooner or later, a male dog would show up.

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Before long, Tao Huan and Tao Huashong returned, leading the dog.

"Huan, how’d it go? Any luck?" Tao Youneng asked eagerly.

"With me on the job, you think a male dog wouldn’t show up?" Tao Huan laughed, jerking his thumb behind him. "He followed us back."

"Looks like you’re good at luring male dogs. Next time you won’t need a bitch—just your charm will do," Le’er teased, grinning.

"I’m not a female dog... ugh..." Tao Huan groaned as the others burst into laughter. He almost lost his temper, chasing Le’er around the yard after tying up the bitch. Le’er dodged playfully, just as a black male dog came trotting in.

"Let’s go inside so we don’t scare him off," someone said.

The six of them rushed back indoors and resumed their card game. Before long, they heard the sounds of the dogs outside, with Le’er’s own yellow dog barking madly from the yard.

"Le’er, your yellow dog is jealous," someone joked.

"His yellow dog is just as randy as he is—you didn’t know?"

"You’re all asking for it... Maybe I should tie the bitch over by you lot and let you have a go."

...

Tao Huan went outside, then quickly returned, his face lit with excitement.

"They’re at it! Come see!"

The boys hurried outside and saw the black dog and the bitch together. The black dog, startled by the crowd, looked as if he wanted to flee, but escape was impossible now.

"That black dog’s quick on the draw," Tao Huan said, picking up a stick. "Daring to mess with our bitch—he’s done for!"

The group burst into laughter again. When Tao Huan asked what was so funny, they all shook their heads, saying it was just the sight of the black dog and bitch together.