Chapter 498: A Homage to Youth
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Xiao Yuhong's tears fell on her daughter's face. Her daughter raised her hand and tried to wipe away her mom's tears. The little girl asked in a small voice, "Mom, why are you crying?"
"No reason, baby. I'm just happy." Xiao Yuhong squatted down, picked her daughter up and said, "We're going to have a new member in our family. Aren't you happy about that?"
The little girl blinked, not understanding what her mother meant.
Xiao Yuhong waited in the yard with her daughter. She kept glancing at Famous and Zhan Tian, maybe she was afraid that they would lunge over and hurt her daughter.
Famous simply sat down to show that it wasn't hostile, while Zhan Tian hid itself underneath a car.
After seeing the dogs's gestures, Xiao Yuhong relaxed.
Fu Tao walked into the kennel, to Cage 2, and opened the cage with a key.
Luo Luo, who had always been very obedient, was restless in its cage. Luo Luo was so familiar with Xiao Yuhong's footsteps that it knew she was here the moment she got out of the car.
"No need to rush! I know you've been waiting a long time. Just a few more minutes, all right?"
Luo Luo couldn't wait to go outside. When the cage opened, it was held back by Fu Tao and was soon tied to a leash. Knowing that Xiao Yuhong was with her daughter in the yard, it'd be problematic if Luo Luo rushed to Xiao Yuhong excitedly and frightened the little girl.
Luo Luo proudly walked past the cages of the other police dogs. Luo Luo had always been normal, except for today.
Xiao Yuhong recognized Luo Luo the moment she saw it.
Luo Luo was a bit older, and its hair no longer looked like it did when it was young, but its eyes were still the same ones she remembered.
It didn't matter. Xiao Yuhong was older too.
"Luo Luo!" Xiao Yuhong hollered.
Before she came, she had worried that Luo Luo might not recognize her. Her worries were unnecessary. If Fu Tao wasn't desperately holding it, Luo Luo would have rushed over to Xiao Yuhong the moment it saw her face.
"Luo Luo! Sit!" Xiao Yuhong commanded for the first time in forever.
Luo Luo sat down on the ground obediently, looking at Xiao Yuhong and her daughter with a confused expression on its face.
Xiao Yuhong's husband nervously looked at them from afar. Although Xiao Yuhong repeatedly assured him that Luo Luo was very gentle and obedient, Luo Luo was an adult German Shepherd, and their daughter was so petite and fragile. If Luo Luo bit their daughter, the little girl would be traumatized.
Xiao Yuhong bent down and gently stroked Luo Luo's neck, forehead, and chin. Luo Luo stuck out its tongue to lick Xiao Yuhong's hand.
Luo Luo was still the same dog she remembered. Everything was the same as before, as if not a day had gone by since they separated.
She put her daughter down, took her daughter's hand, and said softly, "This is the dog Mom raised. Its name is Luo Luo. Come, say hello."
Her daughter was a little scared to face the big dog, but she was also very curious. Hiding behind her mother, the little girl stuck out half her head.
"Luo Luo, this is your little sister. You can't bully her." Xiao Yuhong pulled Luo Luo into one arm and her daughter into her other arm.
"Come on, touch it. Luo Luo is very nice, it won't bite you." She encouraged her daughter.
Her daughter was brave enough to reach out and gently touch Luo Luo's neck, then quickly retracted her hand. After confirming that Luo Luo was indeed friendly, she was no longer afraid.
Most children liked animals, Xiao Yuhong's daughter was no exception. Besides, she had shown her daughter many photographs of Luo Luo before, so the little girl had become familiar with Luo Luo, the extra member of their family, a long time ago.
Soon, her daughter happily played with Luo Luo, and even climbed on its back as if she were riding a big horse. She patted it and said in a small voice, "Luo Luo, giddyup."
Xiao Yuhong worried that the old dog couldn't stand the weight of her daughter, so she didn't ask it to stand up. When Luo Luo gazed at her, it had the same look of determination that it had in training.
"Well, Luo Luo, get up!" Xiao Yuhong had read the mind of her old friend.
Luo Luo hunched over and stood up. The little girl clung to its neck, and cheered.
"Mom! Mom! I'm riding a big horse!"
Carrying the little girl on its back, Luo Luo steadily walked around the yard twice. Xiao Yuhong walked alongside them to keep her daughter from falling.
"Well done, Luo Luo! Well done!" she praised Luo Luo as she had done many times before.
The rejuvenated Luo Luo didn't seem like a 9-year-old dog at all, it felt like it was in its prime of its life.
Xiao Yuhong also seemed to have recovered her lost youth, and was as joyous as a teenage girl.
She looked up at the various training equipment displayed across the yard and suddenly had an idea.
"Baby, get down. You can play with Luo Luo when we're home." She took her daughter off Luo Luo, and her daughter was upset.
Xiao Yuhong turned her head and smiled at Fu Tao. "May I borrow some of your equipment?"
"Suit yourself." Fu Tao knew what she was going to do.
"Thanks."
Xiao Yuhong untied Luo Luo's leash and stood in front of it. "Morning training session has begun! Listen to my commands!"
Luo Luo's ears perked up, and it was full of energy.
It was rare to see the complete set of equipment in the police dog training base. Since there were so many props in this nursing home, Xiao Yuhong wanted to train with Luo Luo one the last time.
When it left this place, Luo Luo would no longer be a retired police dog, it'd be part of a family.
"Run!"
She pointed to a balance bridge.
Luo Luo rushed, leapt to the balance bridge, and walked over the bridge smoothly.
"Well done, Luo Luo!!"
Xiao Yuhong ran with Luo Luo. After giving birth, her physical strength was worse than before. Luckily, she was wearing sports shoes today, otherwise she wouldn't be able to run.
"Jump!"
She pointed to a high jump stand.
Luo Luo gracefully jumped over the high jump stand.
"Good job, Luo Luo! Good job!"
As soon as she entered the yard, she noticed that the equipment here was smaller than the standard equipment in the police dog training base. The props allowed these retired police dogs to relive their glory days.
Xiao Yuhong took Luo Luo to complete the training on the barrier walls, crawling frames, and cable-stayed bridges. She could tell from Luo Luo's performance that the owner must have been involving the police dogs in some kind of training so that they wouldn't get depressed.
The little girl gaped at her mother because she had never seen her mother act so heroic.
Xiao Yuhong was already out of breath. As they gradually used all the props in the yard, their training was coming to an end.
Luo Luo sat down in front of Xiao Yuhong, sticking out its tongue and panting.
Xiao Yuhong bit her lips and then she said loudly, "Training's over! Dismissed!"
Her voice was very loud with a bittersweet tone, as if she was bidding farewell to her youth.
Zhang Zian, Old Yang, Fu Tao, and Xiao Yuhong's husband all began to clap.
"Mom, you are amazing!" her daughter yelled happily.