Chapter 206: Meng Ci, We Can Go Back
"Eggplant, the place you're going to is a place of comfort, but you must remember to know your limits and proceed with caution, alright."
"Be sure to resist temptation and learn to say no."
Meng Ci gently patted Eggplant's head, giving sincere advice.
"Woof!"
Eggplant barked twice, seeming to understand.
Meng Ci then stood up, tied a leash around Eggplant's neck, and handed the other end to Instructor Li.
"Eggplant, for the next few days, you'll be with Instructor Li. Remember, don't bite anyone, understand?"
"We'll come back for you soon."
"Woof."
At first, Eggplant found it interesting, but upon hearing that his owner would be leaving him, he became reluctant and nudged closer to Meng Ci.
He howled, indicating that he could endure it but couldn't bear to be separated from his owner.
Eggplant then ran over, snatched the leash from Instructor Li's hand, and kept pushing it into Meng Ci's hand.
Meng Ci also felt reluctant, but there was no helping it. The child had grown up, and there were responsibilities that needed to be fulfilled.
Otherwise, if he hesitated, there would be no happiness in the future.
So Meng Ci comforted Eggplant once more, repeatedly reassuring him that they would come back for him. Only then did Eggplant leave, glancing back frequently as he followed Instructor Li.
By this time, the eight military dogs on the training field had already been taken elsewhere.
Meng Ci let out a soft sigh, then asked Lu Chen to show them the military dog assigned to them.
This military dog was named Eagle, who is a female.
As soon as Lu Chen approached, she stood up straight, and despite trying to remain calm, Meng Ci noticed the slight tremor in her left front leg.
And on Eagle's face, there was a long scar that ran diagonally from her left eye to her right cheek.
Of course, there were several other wounds on her body.
"If you don't want her, we can give you one of the police dogs' puppies later."
Lu Chen felt reluctant as he looked at Eagle, thinking that she might leave.
After all, she had been a comrade-in-arms.
Thinking this, since they had initially asked for pups, it might be better to give them a pup instead.
"Of course we want her!" Meng Ci turned to look at Lu Chen.
"You're not having second thoughts, are you?"
Although Eagle's condition was not the best, Meng Ci was drawn to her strict and disciplined nature.
Perhaps with more time spent with Eagle, Eggplant might change his free-spirited and undisciplined habits.
"Lu Chen shook his head and said, 'No.'"
"Although he felt reluctance, Lu Chen understood that Xiong Ying would only be blessed if it stayed with Meng Ci and Shen Que."
"And staying with Meng Ci and Shen Que might be better than remaining in the military district."
"'It's good that you didn't change your mind,' said Meng Ci."
"'We won't take Xiong Ying back for now. You keep it for a few more days.'"
"'Once Qie Zi finishes its mission, let it meet with Xiong Ying.'"
"'If they don't get along, we'll figure out a solution then.'"
"Xiong Ying's signs were not as obvious as those of the other military dogs, perhaps due to its injury."
Meng Ci thought that if Qie Zi and Xiong Ying didn't get along, he might need to rent a spacious place for them to gradually get familiar with each other.
That way, they wouldn't fight over territory right from the start.
"Okay," Lu Chen agreed.
Meng Ci and Shen Que then checked the food prepared for Qie Zi. Upon seeing the raw meat, Meng Ci felt disgusted.
"Lieutenant Lu, Qie Zi doesn't like eating raw meat."
"It usually eats the same as us. The meat and vegetables should be stir-fried and mixed with rice or noodles."
"And Qie Zi has a large appetite, so each meal has to be in a bowl like this."
Meng Ci roughly indicated the size of Qie Zi's food bowl.
Lu Chen acknowledged this and immediately had Qie Zi's meal plan changed.
Initially, they thought Qie Zi was a wolf and would eat raw meat.
Now that they knew it ate cooked food, Lu Chen was happy to accommodate.
After that, Meng Ci and Shen Que shared some of Qie Zi's living habits and then drove away.
Sighing, on the way back, Meng Ci couldn't help but worry about Qie Zi spending several days with many military dogs.
Those dogs were all strictly trained. Would Qie Zi be able to handle them?
And there were too many military dogs. What if Qie Zi didn't know how to control itself?
"If you're that reluctant, we can turn back now and pick Qie Zi up," Shen Que, with his strong sense of action, had already stopped the car.
Meng Ci shook his head, "Never mind, it has its needs after all."
Meng Ci was just worried that Qie Zi might not be used to it.
Although Qie Zi had briefly been separated from Shen Que before, it had always been with the familiar Liang Xiu.
But now, Qie Zi was facing a group of strangers and unfamiliar dogs.
Meng Ci's concerns were inevitable.
After all, both wolves and dogs have territorial instincts.
Shen Que, hearing Meng Ci's words, drove home.
The two didn't forget to exchange water and food at the exchange point.
After coming out, Meng Ci almost wanted to gouge his own eyes out, as he watched a man grab several mealworms and shove them into his mouth.
Those mealworms, after being fried, were slightly yellow, looking like a plate of scrambled eggs.
Shen Que, following Meng Ci's gaze, quickly covered his eyes and pulled him away.
"Xiao Ci, what will we eat when we get back?"
As soon as Shen Que spoke, he realized he had said the wrong thing, considering what Meng Ci had just witnessed—a resident eating mealworms.
Sure enough, when Shen Que turned his head, he saw that Meng Ci's face had turned slightly pale.
"Xiao Ci, do you think Eggplant is currently enjoying itself in a cozy place?"
"Xiao Ci, when we get back, we can harvest the eggplants grown in the glass house."
"Xiao Ci, in a couple of days, we will need to bring Xiong Ying back. Should we set up a nest for it ahead of time?"
...
Shen Que kept looking for topics to discuss, hoping to help Meng Ci forget what he had just seen.
Initially, Meng Ci was indeed shocked by the man eating mealworms.
But lately, having witnessed many residents taking mealworms home, he had been constantly imagining them eating the worms, so when he actually saw it, it wasn't as difficult to accept as he had expected.
The reason he remained silent was that he was thinking, if seeing mealworms frequently made him less afraid, then maybe when Eggplant and Xiong Ying returned, if nothing else worked, he could have them face each other, and perhaps their initial aversion might turn into mutual affection.
Listening to Shen Que's chatter, Meng Ci sighed and said, "Don't worry, I'm okay."
Then, Meng Ci shared his recent thoughts.
Shen Que thought this method might work.
He suggested using two ropes to secure them, one on each end, so they could face each other and avoid fighting.
Meng Ci nodded, agreeing that this approach could work.
After returning home, Meng Ci started choosing a spot and planning how to manage the two creatures that might clash like oil and water.