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Xie Lian was on his way home. He was feeling a bit tired, but also accomplished. He had spent all day collecting scraps at Puji Village and it turned out to be very fruitful.
Now that Xie Lian had Hua Cheng, he didn't need to collect scraps for money, but he kept doing it for his own enjoyment. Xie Lian felt very satisfied with collecting things that would be just thrown away and giving them another chance. His own shrine was built mostly of things he had collected!
Today, he had found many reusable things. He carried them all in a bag on his back.
On his way, still a bit far from home, he found a rock that seemed to be very comfortable. As he was very tired and a bit hungry, Xie Lian decided to sit down for a while and eat the steamed bun he had brought with him.
Although, before he had even bitten it, he heard something moving in the woods. He curiously looked at the sound's direction, but he didn't see anything there.
"Ruoye, go there to see if there's anything wrong," Xie Lian said cautiously.
Ruoye immediately unwrapped from Xie Lian's arm, where it was resting, and went inside the woods. After a few seconds, Ruoye had returned, bringing along…
A dog?
The dog had followed Ruoye, trying to catch it. Ruoye quickly hid inside of Xie Lian's sleeves. The dog seemed to be disappointed, but not for too long. He quickly saw the bun Xie Lian was holding in his hand and looked at it with literal puppy eyes while barking, as if he asked for a bite.
Xie Lian gladly gave the whole bun to the dog. As a thanks, the dog barked happily and licked Xie Lian's hand.
Animals usually liked Xie Lian and this dog was no different. Xie Lian giggled.
He watched as the dog cheerfully ate the bun, noticing he was a very big dog. He surely wouldn't be able to stay inside the shrine, but he could stay in the outside area. This way Xie Lian would be able to feed him and he would have a lot of space to play.
Xie Lian decided to bring him home! He was sure Hua Cheng would also enjoy having a dog to play with.
When the dog finished eating, Xie Lian started talking to him. "Do you want to come home with me? We have more food in there," he said quietly to not scare him.
The dog barked excitedly, as if he understood what Xie Lian said. His bark was a bit different from other dogs Xie Lian had already listened to. This poor dog must have a vocal cord disorder, Xie Lian deduced. But it was no problem at all!
Xie Lian rose from the rock he was sitting on and the dog promptly followed him.
When they finally arrived home, the first thing Xie Lian saw was that the broken fence was fixed. Hua Cheng must have fixed it while he was out.
Inside the shrine, he saw Hua Cheng sitting leisurely on a chair. He must be tired from working earlier, so Xie Lian made a mental note to reward him later with a relaxing massage.
"San Lang, I'm home," he said smiling at his husband.
Hua Cheng grinned and quickly got up from the chair.
Every time Xie Lian returned home, Hua Cheng greeted him with a lot of kisses. The same thing happened when Hua Cheng returned and Xie Lian was the one waiting for him. But this time, before Hua Cheng could get any closer, the dog barked.
"Oh, right. San Lang, I found him in the woods. He was alone and hungry. Can we keep him?" Xie Lian asked with puppy eyes, to match with his new friend's.
Whichever response he was waiting for Hua Cheng to give was surely not the one he got from him. Hua Cheng's expression was one of surprise, but looked more like fear. He stopped walking.
"Gege, come here and don't make any brisk movements," Hua Cheng whispered.
Xie Lian knew something was off, so he did as he was told. The moment he was a few steps away from the dog, Hua Cheng embraced him, spinning so be was between the dog and Xie Lian.
"Gege, where did you find him? He isn't a dog, he's a coyote," Hua Cheng whispered worriedly in Xie Lian's ear.
Oh.
Xie Lian realized why the "dog" had such a strange "bark" and was walking in the woods, not among the people. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He didn't even know there were coyotes in China! How did he end up near Puji Village?
"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Hua Cheng asked, looking in pain himself.
"San Lang, I'm fine. Please don't worry," Xie Lian gave a reassuring smile. "The only thing he did was eat the bun I gave him and lick my hand. He doesn't seem dangerous." Hua Cheng didn't look more calm by his statement. "But now I know he's not a dog, he can't stay here with us. He belongs to nature. Let's just return him to the woods, mn?"
Hua Cheng relaxed a bit.
"Alright, but I'll stay between gege and the coyote, so he can't hurt you," he looked determined.
Xie Lian smiled warmly at him. He stood on his tiptoes and gave Hua Cheng a quick peck on his lips.
Holding his husband's hand, Xie Lian walked out of the shrine. The coyote tried to join Xie Lian's side, but with only one look from Hua Cheng he changed his mind.
Xie Lian had an idea.
"Ruoye, show the way to the woods," he said to the magical device in his sleeves.
Ruoye, glad to help, promptly unwrapped itself from Xie Lian's wrist and floated in front of them. The coyote was mesmerized by Ruoye and quickly followed it, trying to catch it. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng followed them from behind.
When they reached the woods, the coyote seemed to be very happy. He barely noticed that Ruoye had returned to Xie Lian's sleeves. He barked joyfully and raised his paws, as if he was saying goodbye, and then disappeared in the woods.
Xie Lian looked at the woods feeling a bit empty. For a moment, he was truly happy to adopt a dog. Although, before he could say anything, he felt Hua Cheng embracing him.
"Gege, if you'd like to, we can adopt a dog," Hua Cheng smiled fondly. "A real dog this time," he joked.
Xie Lian giggled.
"Let's think about it later. But yes. I'd like to adopt a dog someday. Or two. And maybe a cat?" he pondered.
Hua Cheng smiled and kissed him.
"Anything gege wants," be said honestly. "Also, I think a dog would be fun. I could teach him to bite everyone who is rude to gege," he smiled smugly.
Xie Lian laughed.
Still embraced, they lazily walked to the shrine together. Xie Lian wasn't in a hurry to get there. He was already home, for home was anywhere he was with Hua Cheng.