Chapter 43.2 — Warm hotpot on a snowy night
Zuo Ning realised that they were going to a place further away when they hit the highway. He was too lazy to stare out the window and predict their route. Instead, he put his head on Lu Chenghe"s thigh and closed his eyes to rest.
Lu Chenghe began to rub and pinch the little ear. Every time Little Pudding was annoyed, the ear would flick and Lu Chenghe would just switch to the other side. The two small ears were flicking to and fro but the dog was still unwilling to open his eyes. Lu Chenghe then pinched Little Pudding"s face. "So lazy. You might be sold before you know it."
Zuo Ning huffed twice and changed from lying on his stomach to lying on his side. The car"s heating was turned on and he felt a little stuffy and uncomfortable. However, Lu Chenghe"s nice scent made him a bit drowsy. When he felt the weight of Lu Chenghe"s hand on his body, he simple-mindedly and peacefully fell asleep.
They were still in the car when he woke up. Zuo Ning turned his head to look out the window. The sky… hm, he couldn"t tell what time it is but it was still bright outside. The snow was still falling so it must be some time in the afternoon. Zuo Ning opened his mouth wide and released a big yawn. He also pressed his paws against Lu Chenghe"s leg and stretched his waist. He shook his fur and stepped on Lu Chenghe"s leg to watch the scenery outside.
Lu Chenghe slapped his b.u.t.t, "You"re very heavy you know."
Zuo Ning wagged his tail and turned to look at Lu Chenghe. "Awoo." Don"t lie to me. Every week my weight is within the standard. Dr Wen said so!
"Are you talking back to me?"
Zuo Ning grinned and looped his paws around Lu Chenghe"s neck before skillfully headb.u.t.ting his body.
Lu Chenghe held Little Pudding like this. One person and one dog faced the window to look at the scenery. Not long afterwards, the car drove onto a side road and a holiday villa situated in the mountains appeared in front of them.
The driver had probably been here before because he smoothly drove into the villa. Compared to the scenery outside which was wrapped in silver and white, the villa"s green bamboo dotted in the white blanket of snow held a picturesque charm. There were very few people in the villa and the quiet and secluded environment soothed the body and soul.
Zuo Ning charged outside the moment the door opened. He stepped on the snow with one paw. The cool feeling swept away the oppression caused by the heat. He only took a few steps before Lu Chenghe picked him up with one hand and attached the leash to him.
"You are not allowed to run around. And you can"t play in the snow. If you don"t listen I will have the driver send you back home."
Now that Zuo Ning was caught in a prison he could only obediently stand next to Lu Chenghe. He couldn"t help but turned his head this way and that way, soaking up the view.
The driver unloaded the big and small bags and a person wearing a work uniform came over and handed over a room card. "Mr Lu, this is your room card. Mr Lou has already arrived and has been waiting for a while."
Lu Chenghe took the card, "Thank you."
The staff member smiled politely. "My pleasure. I hope you will have a pleasant time." He then gave the other room card to the driver.
Lu Chenghe took the bag that the driver was holding. "You go rest as well, I will call you if I need anything."
The driver nodded. "Understood sir."
Lu Chenghe pulled on the leash and called back Little Pudding who had lost himself in confused curiosity. "Come."
The bamboo forest trail had already acc.u.mulated a thick layer of white snow. The footprints they left behind were already covered with a light layer of snow. The snowflakes fell like feathers and landed quietly on the green bamboo leaves. When the leaf gathered too much snow, it slid off and fell to the ground causing the leaves to make a rustling sound.
Zuo Ning followed Lu Chenghe and they slowly made their way upwards. The snow crunched under their feet and the entire forest path was only him and Lu Chenghe. In this kind of atmosphere, even the dim-witted Zuo Ning felt like there was a kind of indescribable poetic grace. A troubled male heart began to stir. Although he was unable to walk shoulder to shoulder with Lu Chenghe, he still felt like they could become closer. Not like the distance of a leash but more like… being able to carry him?
He imagined a romantic scene like this. He was on Lu Chenghe"s back. Lu Chenghe slanted his head and his smile was both gentle and pampering. Oh my. Just the thought was enough to kickstart any young girl"s heart.
Lost in his thoughts, Zuo Ning stopped moving.
Lu Chenghe turned back to look at him. Seeing that he wasn"t moving, Lu Chenghe pulled the leash. "Quickly. There are only a few more steps left."
Zuo Ning sat on the snow and stared at Lu Chenghe. This is such a great chance, will you really not carry me?"
"Don"t be lazy. There"s only a short distance left. Quickly, don"t sit on the floor. Get up."
"Woof!"
"Are you coming or not?"
Zuo Ning bit the leash and attempted to pull Lu Chenghe.
When Lu Chenghe realised that Little Pudding was not going to leave he was too lazy to deal with him. He just tossed aside the leash and said, "If you don"t walk then you just won"t get any dinner. Starve to death." He walked off.
Zuo Ning: ??? This wasn"t right. The story was not supposed to be written like this. He was supposed to come over and helplessly pick him up after being unable to lovingly coax him!
It seemed like Lu Chenghe was really planning to leave without looking back. Zuo Ning immediately stood up. "Woof!" And ran over like the wind.
Lu Chenghe couldn"t help but smile when he heard footsteps behind him. Zuo Ning dejectedly followed behind Lu Chenghe while dragging his leash behind him. Compared to other pampering owners he felt that he definitely had a fake one.
After climbing a few steps, they were on another winding bamboo forest path. A wooden house appeared in front of them. That house was built in a high-rise style. Although it wasn"t as tall as a skysc.r.a.per, the exterior corridors stretching out from all directions was very beautiful. When you sat down you could swing your legs in midair. One side faced the secluded forest and you could see the snow and bamboo. The other side faced the downward slope of a mountain. The deep winter snow was very elegant.
It was the first time Zuo Ning had come to such a stylish place. This place was even better than that private restaurant situated in a traditional Chinese courtyard Lu Chenghe took him to last time. Since Lu Chenghe was carrying such a big bag, they were definitely going to spend a night here. Ah, clearly he wanted to create a beautiful memory of them watching the moon and snow. It was a pity that there were communication barriers and could not recite poetry and discuss the meaning of life.
He followed Lu Chenghe into the house and a spiral of warm air hit him in the face. He thought the furnishing would be very minimal from the outside however now there was a feeling of stepping into a fairyland. Zuo Ning even heard the sound of a babbling brook but couldn"t find the source of the noise.
Lu Chenghe took off his leash when he entered the house. He then took out a towel to wipe Little Pudding"s paws and fur. Otherwise, the snow would melt and causes the fur to become damp.
Lou Jiu was wearing a nightgown and lazily leaning against a doorway. He looked at Lu Chenghe with a smile. "I knew that you would definitely bring your dog with you. Since you brought him, keep a good eye on him. Don"t let him accidentally fall into the hot spring and get cooked."
Zuo Ning thought that there was a strange smell in the air, like the smell of rotten eggs.
Lu Chenghe raised his head and gave Lou Jiu a look. "Arrived in the morning?"
Lou Jiu was rotating his shoulder as he walked over. "Yup. I also soaked for a while in the spring already. When the two noisemakers arrive, it will be difficult to find a quiet time to yourself. How about it? Do you want to go in for a bit? This is the first snowfall of the year. It would be a shame to not enjoy it fully."
"No need. They will be here soon. I"ll just unpack first."
Lou Jiu said, "Nie Yong said that we would eat hotpot tonight. And get dead drunk. I even had someone expressly send over a lot of alcohol. A serious love was lost so it will probably be a crazy night tonight. I think you should still go relax for a bit now. Otherwise, you can only use the spring to get rid of your hangover tomorrow morning."
After he finished talking, he continued to speak without thinking. "They were doing so well before. Nie Yong that brat couldn"t stop talking about wanting to get married before. But the result was that they separated. The true love at the beginning of the year turned out to be this cheap. It was all just mouth movements with no substance."
Zuo Ning silently lowered his head and scratched the ground. Although he couldn"t be blamed for this situation there was still a feeling of guilt that he had been the one to make a move.
Lu Chenghe made a noise of agreement. "Then I"ll go soak for a while. Call me when they arrive."
Zuo Ning followed Lu Chenghe with a wagging tail. They walked past an open-air corridor. At the end of the corridor was their room.
The furnishings were very simple. It was a combination of Chinese and j.a.panese style. The bed was very low. A curtain canopy of white muslin surrounded it. The most striking feature of the room was the floor to ceiling gla.s.s window. Outside was a large balcony. The floor was paved with cobblestones and a huge bathing pool in the middle.
Lu Chenghe randomly put his bag on the floor before walking towards a bamboo hole beside the pool and opening it. Faint milky white steam poured out along with warm spring water.
Seeing that Little Pudding was curiously looking from the side, Lu Chenghe poked his head. "You can"t get too close to here. If you fall in, you"ll become dog stew."
Zuo Ning just lay by the side and watched. He was already so big but he had never soaked in a hot spring. He saw Lu Chenghe walk inside and take out his food and water bowl. Zuo Ning wagged his tail a bit before continuing to look at the pool full of water.
When the water was about to overflow, Lu Chenghe had changed his clothes from who knows where and walked over. A pair of big long legs appeared in front of a pair of dog eyes.
Zuo Ning raised his head and saw Lu Chenghe take off his robe. His mouth couldn"t help but open in antic.i.p.ation. But under the robe was another bath towel which was wrapped around his waist. He immediately became disheartened. There was only a dog here. As a man, do you have to be so conservative?!
Since Lu Chenghe looked so comfortable soaking in the pool, Zuo Ning couldn"t help but become restless and stick out a paw.
Before he even touched the water, Lu Chenghe who had eyes on the back of his head grabbed his paws. "You want to eat dog meat soup huh?"
Looking at the hand face so close to his own, Zuo Ning did not hold back. He stretched out his sinful little tongue and licked.
Naz: Thanks for reading~