Chapter 465: Be with You for the Long Run
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The German Shepherds, most of which were rejects, looked very aggressive. Feng Xuan was quickly losing faith in them, especially when he discovered that some of the dogs had been gotten rid of for having poor obedience. When he learned that they listened to Old Yang’s commands and that Old Yang had been a dog trainer before, he came up with the idea of asking him for help.
Old Yang went back to the dorm to change his clothes. To Zhang Zian, Feng Xuan said, “How many dogs do you think we should we buy? Do you want to pick them out?”
Zhang Zian told him, “I think the more, the better. Why don’t we just buy all of them? We still have several big events to be filmed, don’t we? That includes the farewell party before the police officers head back to the frontier, as well as the award ceremony at the end. A lot of dogs will need to be there at the same time for those scenes. From what I count, I don’t think the number of dogs we have now will be enough.”
Feng Xuan nodded. He’d planned to temporarily borrow some dogs from the police dog unit for these shots. However, because a lot of time had already been wasted because of the incident caused by the pyrotechnician Guan Biao, it would be a hassle to go through the loaning procedure again. He’d better solve the problem here and now.
“Okay, let’s do this. Comrade Old Han, we’d like to buy all of these dogs,” he said. Old Han agreed without much deliberation. These dogs were useless to him if they stayed anyways.
The leader of the base thought that these dogs could be donated to the crew for no cost, but Feng Xuan insisted on paying him some money.
Old Yang came back after he finished changing clothes. Together with Feng Xuan and his assistant, the crew staff, and a few police officers, they loaded the caged German Shepherds into the truck. The cages would be returned back to the base after the dogs were delivered to the crew. There were wheels at the bottom of the stainless steel cages, so it was easy to transport them.
Because they couldn’t take any more of Old Han’s repeated invitations, Feng Xuan, Zhang Zian, and Famous went to the base cafeteria for lunch, which had ordinary home cooking. During their meal, other police officers and dog trainers, who were eating there, secretly glanced at them, especially at Famous. They whispered to each other occasionally.
Abandoning his previous scornful attitude, Old Han attentively asked Zhang Zian if he would like a beer. When Zhang Zian politely declined, he asked casually where he had gotten Famous from.
Zhang Zian had anticipated such a question when Old Han persuaded him to drink. Old Han must have changed his mind after listening to Old Yang. So, just as he told Professor Wei Kang and President Wu Mingzhen before, no matter what anyone asked him, he replied that he had found Famous on the streets. Famous’ origins could be easily traced from any other answer.
Famous was obviously not a German Shepherd from the current time period. Comparing it to the German Shepherds in this era, Famous was closer to their ancestors, the wolf. Zhang Zian once heard that in order to deal with the overall decline in German Shepherds, some researchers from the Police Dog Research Institute were even trying to mate German Shepherds with wolves so that their offspring could resemble their ancestors more closely. Otherwise, it would only be a matter of years before German Shepherds were completely taken out from the police force and replaced by other more suitable breeds.
After their quick lunch, Old Han sent them to the base gates. The crew’s vehicle was ready. Everyone was waiting for Zhang Zian and Feng Xuan.
Old Han politely said a few more words to Feng Xuan. If Feng Xuan encountered any difficulties in the shoot, he should feel free to come to the base for help, and the base would eagerly lend a helping hand. Feng Xuan casually accepted his offer.
Then, Old Han returned to the base. Zhang Zian was about to get in the vehicle with Feng Xuan, but noticed that Famous was staring at the gates. He followed its gaze and looked in the same direction.
A figure slowly walked out from the base. The spotty shadows from the trees and the blocked view from the automatic gate made the person’s facial features a bit fuzzy. Zhang Zian could only tell that it was a skinny young man wearing casual clothing. He was carrying a big backpack, disproportionate to his body, making him look too heavy on the top.
The training base was not open to the public. The people that Zhang Zian met inside the base, whether they were wearing casual clothes or police uniforms, walked and moved vigorously and resolutely, carrying a neat sense of authority that was exclusive to those in the army or police force. However, this figure was moving very leisurely, as if he was strolling with a loved one through the woods. Zhang Zian calculated the time that Old Han used to say goodbye to them. The tree lined road was not a very long, but this person still hadn’t reached the end after walking for twenty minutes.
There was no lover or child, but only an adult German Shepherd walking beside him. The German Shepherd was carrying a huge travel bag in its mouth, as if it was also apprehensive about something, and it walked very slowly. It stopped to look back from time to time, like it was going to take the luggage and turn around at any given moment.
Despite how slowly they had travelled, the road had finally come to an end.
The human figure stopped outside of the gates. With one more step, he would go beyond the sliding tracks of the automatic gate, which was under the watch of an on duty armed police officer. If he took another step, he would leave the base, but he stopped right there.
His face looked red from the long exposure under the sun. Zhang Zian could still tell that he was a young man in his twenties, with thick eyebrows and short spiky hair.
Seeing him finally stop completely, the German Shepherd was so happy that it turned around and tried to walk back with the luggage still in its mouth. He tried to grab the luggage from the dog. “Here we are Storm,” he said in his mellow, out of town accent. “Give me my luggage and go back.”
The German Shepherd named Storm suddenly went crazy, dragging the luggage inside. Caught off guard, the man, startled by Storm, staggered a few steps towards the base.
“Let go! Storm! Let go!” he ordered loudly, bending over like a game of tug of war. He shifted his center of gravity backwards to steady himself and continued to fight over the luggage with Storm.
Storm didn’t listen to his orders at all. With its sharp teeth tightly holding onto the straps of the luggage, it refused to let go no matter how loud he shouted.
The man’s strength was losing to the dog’s. He was dragged back inside the base inch by inch, at a snail’s pace. This German Shepherd, however, seemed to have been even more motivated and it kept pulling harder. The muscles all over its body were tightening up.
“Let go! Storm! The baggage straps are going to snap!” he cried.
Like a statue, the on duty police officer was staring straight ahead, clearly ignoring the scene unfolding right before his eyes.
As he predicted, with a loud snap, the nylon luggage straps could no longer handle the opposing forces and ripped down the middle. Having no time to catch himself, he swayed a few steps towards the direction of the gate and fell onto the ground.
He placed his hands on the ground trying to get up, but his palms felt something cold. He looked down and saw that his hands were on the sliding tracks of the gate. He was back at the starting point of the tug of war.
As if victorious, Storm walked briskly into the base, taking a few steps with the luggage still in its mouth. It looked back at him every few steps, as if urging him to keep up.
The distance between the man and the dog got larger and larger. He didn’t bother keeping up with it, or even standing up. He quietly sat on the ground, watching it walk away calmly. He took off his huge backpack and threw it onto the ground in front of him. Gently, he said, “I’m leaving, Storm. Even if you take all of my luggage, I have to leave.”
Just before, no matter how hard he tried to command it, Storm refused to let go of the bag. Hearing this sentence, Storm involuntarily opened its mouth like it had lost all its willpower. After hearing his lifeless voice, the luggage was dropped to the ground in a cloud of dust.
Since Zhang Zian and Feng Xuan still hadn’t gotten in the vehicle, Feng Xuan’s assistant ran over and asked him, “Director Feng, are we still waiting for others?”
“Wait a second,” said Feng Xuan, waving his hands. “Wait a second.”
Probably because he wanted to smoke another cigarette, Old Yang, who had changed into a crumpled police uniform, jumped out from the truck’s passenger seat and approached Zhang Zian and Feng Xuan, narrowing his eyes to look to the gate.
“It’s Cui Yi. It’s this kid’s turn to retire from the service now. Several years have passed since he first arrived here. At the beginning, he wept because he missed home so bad.”
Leaning on the door of the truck, Old Yang lit up a a high quality cigarette that Feng Xuan gave him and acted like this was nothing out of the ordinary.
Staring at each other from a distance of about 20 meters, it seemed like the guy and the dog were trying to beat one another through a battle of patience and willpower. At the quiet gates of the police dog training base, no one was talking. Only the whistling from the wind through the pine trees could be heard.
Cui Yi unzipped his huge backpack and took out a bag of tightly packed roast chicken. He ripped open the package, took out a drumstick, and waved the drumstick in front of Storm.
Storm hesitated for a moment but did not come closer, as if it was afraid that the luggage it was guarding would disappear without a trace.
“I won’t secretly run away.” Cui Yi smiled, throwing his big backpack farther away.
Turning around in circles with its tongue hanging out, Storm seemed to be stuck in a dilemma and didn’t know if it should trust him or not.
“Come and eat it. This is the last time I’ll feed you.” He shook the drumstick again.
Storm cautiously stepped forward. It stopped to check whether the luggage was still there every couple of steps. It took Storm awhile before it reached Cui Yi. Storm bent down and sniffed the drumstick. With only one bite, it tore off half the meat from the drumstick. It swallowed down the chicken in a few chews.
Cui Yi held the drumstick and turned it to the other side. With another bite, Storm finished the rest of it. He fumbled a few times, trying to get something from his pocket, and took out a tissue. He wrapped up the chicken bone, and ripped off another drumstick from the chicken. “Eat slowly. There’s still plenty of meat.”
After feeding it two drumsticks, he tore off pieces of the chicken breast and put them in his palm for Storm to eat. Storm used its tongue to roll the chicken breast into its mouth, leaving warm licks on his palm.
Soon, all the meat that could be torn off from the roast chicken was eaten. Cui Yi didn’t dare feed the parts with bones to it, out of the fear that the bones would get stuck in its throat.
He wiped his hands clean with a paper towel and put his arm around Storm’s neck like they were good buddies.
“Storm, I’m leaving. The new trainer, Li Yongping, is a good man. You have to cooperate with him. You can’t throw tantrums with him like you did when I first came. You have to act good, carry out more assignments, and strive to get good behavior awards. You little b*stard, this is the scar you left on me from that first time, and it’s stuck on me for my whole life.” He rolled up his left sleeve, exposing a circular scar on his left arm. It was a bite mark. It was unbelievable how painful this scar looked. The blood must have been gushing from his arm in streams when it happened.
“I’ve hit you and scolded you while training, and you’ve bitten me. We’re even. But if you even dare to bully the new trainer and don’t listen to his orders, I won’t forgive you! Do you understand?”
Storm moaned, bowed, and licked his scar.
“Do you realize your mistake? Good. When carrying out tasks, you must protect Li Yongping and yourself. And then you must retire in a healthy condition.When you retire, I will submit an application to the superiors of the organization to adopt you. It’s said that police dogs that have performed worthy services are easier for people to adopt.”
Cui Yi didn’t seem like a person who couldn’t make up his mind. But he seemed to have endless advice to give to Storm, instructing it with all sorts of details from daily life to training to executing tasks. He was afraid that Storm might cause trouble after he left. Afterwards, he choked with sobs, and his thoughts became disorganized again, even after trying to get his attitude straight the previous night.
Storm had never seen him like this. Restlessly, it turned its head to look at his backpack, planning to drag him back into the base. But being hugged tightly by Cui Yi’s strong arm, it was unable to move, and it was also scared to resist him.
At that moment, another young man in a police uniform walked from the base. Without approaching them, he kept watch on them from afar. This was probably the new trainer, Li Yongping.
Cui Yi forcibly wiped his eyes and gestured to Li Yongping.
Li Yongping slowly walked towards him. He walked out of the base, sticking out his hand to call a taxi.
“Storm, I need to leave now, or I may not make the train. You go back with Li Yongping, and remember what I said, do you understand?” Cui Yi took off the collar from the backpack, the one that Storm had always used, and put it around its neck. He attached it with a leash, indicating for Li Yongping to come over and hold it.
The straps from the luggage were still torn off. Li Yongping picked up the bag and put it under his arm, carrying it over to Cui Yi.
Cui Yi solemnly handed the leash to Li Yongping. “Please take care of Storm from now on.”
“I’ll take good care of it!” Li Yongping nodded fiercely and handed him the luggage.
Cui Yi looked at him, gritted his teeth, and said, “I believe in you. I have to leave now. Goodbye!”
“Take care! Have a nice trip!” Li Yongping said.
Cui Yi bent down and patted Storm on the head for the last time. He firmly turned around, lifted his legs, and walked across the gate tracks. After this final step, he was no longer part of the police dog training base.
The instant his foot landed heavily on the other side of the tracks, Li Yongping, who was holding Storm, and the on-duty police officer who had remained motionless as a statue, gave a solemn salute towards his back simultaneously .
Cui Yi did not look back. But Zhang Zian could see that he was already in tears. He stuffed his large backpack and the luggage into the trunk of a taxi, opened the door, and sat down.
Suddenly, Storm started barking violently, and it rushed out, dragging its leash behind it. Li Yongping didn’t seem to have held the leash very tightly, nor did he seem to have the intentions of catching up with Storm.
Storm rushed to the side of the taxi and stood up, with its two front paws against the window. It watched Cui Yi blankly. Except for the times when Cui Yi went to his hometown for festivals, they had never been separated from each other when leaving the base. It seemed like Storm was asking, Why aren’t you taking me with you?
Tears bursting from his eyes, Cui Yi opened the door and hugged Storm tightly. “Storm! Storm!” He muttered its name repeatedly, unable to say anything else.
Famous, Zhang Zian, and the others were all quietly watching.
After a long time, the taxi driver started growing a bit impatient. He wanted to urge Cui Yi to hurry up, but didn’t dare to actually do so.
“F**k!” Old Yang threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stamped it out. He strode towards Cui Yi and patted him in the shoulder. “It’s time to go.”
“Master Yang…” Cui Yi opened his eyes that were foggy with tears. He looked up and recognized who it was.
Old Yang pulled out a crumpled handkerchief and handed it to him. “Wipe off your tears.”
Blushing, Cui Yi took the handkerchief and casually wiped his face, and then gave it back. “Thank you, Master Yang, this is so embarrassing…”
Old Yang put the handkerchief back into his pocket, and said in an unbothered way, “I’ve seen many similar embarrassing situations before.”
“Get in the car.” Old Yang urged him, “The train won’t wait for you.”
“Sit!” Cui Yi pressed Storm and gave his final order to it.
Storm obediently sat on the ground.
Cui Yi went back into the car, shut the door, and said to the driver, “To the train station please, thank you.”
As light smoke emitted from the exhaust pipe, the driver turned on the taxi, stepped on the accelerator, and gradually sped up the car.
Storm was stunned for a moment, and then started to chase after the taxi.
Sticking his head out from the rear window, Cui Yi waved and shouted, “Storm! Go back! I’ll pick you up when you retire!”
Storm didn’t stop. It kept chasing after him, desperately trying to catch up with the taxi. But the taxi was getting increasingly farther and farther away. The taxi started going faster, and as its physical strength was being drained rapidly, Storm ran slower and slower. When the taxi disappeared at the end of the horizon, Storm finally stopped and sat on the ground, staring hopelessly into the distance.
Unknowingly, Old Yang had come next to it. He reached over to pick up the leash, and gently pulled. “Let’s go Storm, let’s go back.”
Storm looked up at Old Yang and whimpered. Led by Old Yang, it returned to the base. It turned its head every few steps, as if hoping that its owner would change his mind and come back.
“Stop looking. He won’t come back no matter how many times you look.” Old Yang pulled the leash harder with hand. “Even if that kid has the audacity to come back, I’ll just kick him into the car again.”
Storm seemed to have understood his words and sadly lowered its head.
“You heard what he said before. If you behave well and perform good service, you still have a chance to be together once you retire.” Old Yang said, “But if you dare lose your temper and behave poorly, you won’t be able to see him ever again. Don’t worry, a few years will pass by in a blink of an eye. When I first met him, he was just a young kid and you were just a puppy! So many years have passed…”
While talking, he took Storm back through the gates. In the presence of the on duty police officer, he put the leash into Li Yongping’s hand and severely reprimanded him. “What were you thinking? How could you let the dog take over like that? Do you want to end up in the kitchen like me?”
Li Yongping lowered his head.
“Unacceptable!” Old Yang cursed at him. “Go back inside, quickly!”
Li Yongping saluted him and took Storm, who kept looking outside, to return back to the base.
Old Yang walked back to the truck and said snappily, “Let’s go, the show’s over!”
