“Huh—”
“It stinks!”
In the first-floor garage.
Fu Cheng crouched on the ground and picked up the little dog with one hand, placing it on the pee pad.
Lin Zao and Little Bao both pinched their noses and clung to Fu Cheng’s back, hiding behind him.
“Dad, the little dog’s being naughty! It peed everywhere without even telling us!”
Little Bao complained unhappily.
Lin Zao patiently explained, “It’s still too little to fully control itself yet.”
“You were the same way when you were small. Big Daddy had to change your diapers every few hours.”
“Then when you got bigger, Dad and Big Daddy kept teaching you until you learned to use the toilet on your own.”
“So we need to give the little dog some time to learn slowly. We can’t be too strict with it…”
Lin Zao tried to make his voice and tone sound as gentle as possible.
But saying such a long speech in one go was really…
“It really does stink…”
Lin Zao pinched his nose and turned his head away, trying to catch a breath of fresh air.
The attempt failed. The stench lingered.
“I can’t take it anymore!”
Lin Zao jumped down from Fu Cheng’s back and bolted away.
“I need to breathe some… fresh air…”
“Dad!” Little Bao called out.
He wanted to chase after him but couldn’t bear to leave the little dog.
He wanted to watch the little dog but was afraid of the smell.
Little Bao took three steps after his dad.
Halfway there, he suddenly stopped, turned back, and ran two steps the other way.
He hesitated, unable to make up his mind.
“Oh man… I…”
Why couldn’t there be two Little Baos in the world?
One to watch the little dog, one to go get some air!
Back and forth, over and over.
Little Bao felt like the rope in a tug-of-war match, being pulled this way and that by Dad and Big Daddy.
But in Lin Zao’s eyes, he didn’t look as slim as a rope—just like a little fat spinning top.
For some reason, the little top kept spinning on the ground, unable to stop.
“I can’t stop… My head’s dizzy…”
“What do I do? What should I do?”
“Wah… Dad…”
Just one dad, one big daddy, and one little dog were enough to turn Little Bao into a perpetual motion machine!
Lin Zao sighed, took a deep breath, held it, and walked forward to press down on Little Bao’s head.
Little Bao finally stopped, his body tilting as he leaned against him. “Dad…”
“Hmm hmm hmm—”
Lin Zao was holding his breath and couldn’t speak. He just let out a couple of hums before picking him up.
Little Bao knew that meant Dad was calling him a “little dummy.”
Father and son picked a spot at a relatively less smelly safe distance and watched Fu Cheng and the little dog.
Fu Cheng steadied the little dog with both hands, letting it pee on the pee pad.
Of their family of three, only Fu Cheng remained as steady as a rock from start to finish.
“Dad, Big Daddy’s so awesome. Can’t he smell the stink?”
“I don’t know.”
Logically speaking, a zombie’s sense of smell should be even sharper.
That way, it could more accurately and efficiently track food and attack humans.
Fu Cheng was indeed like that.
When he lived downstairs, he could smell Lin Zao and Little Bao’s scents from upstairs.
So…
With his back to his wife and son, Fu Cheng clamped his mouth shut, held his breath, and tensed his face.
Hold it! Fu Cheng, hold it!
He couldn’t show weakness in front of his wife and son!
If they couldn’t handle it, he had to step up!
“Dad, Big Daddy’s amazing. Not only does he teach me to pee, but he teaches the little dog too.”
“Yeah, way better than me, and I even have a preschool teacher certification. He knows how to train dogs too.”
Hearing the praise from his wife and son, Fu Cheng’s gaze grew even more determined.
No need to praise him—this was just what the head of the household should do!
Finally, the little dog finished peeing.
The chaotic battle came to an end.
Fu Cheng lifted the little dog by its hind legs, shook it off a bit, and set it down on the ground.
One zombie and one dog communicated flawlessly in zombie-speak and dog-speak.
Fu Cheng said gravely, “Growl growl growl.”
—Next time you need to pee, tell me first and do it on the pee pad.
The little dog looked innocent. “Whine…”
—Got it, zombie big boss.
Lin Zao and Little Bao peeked over curiously.
Though they couldn’t understand the words, seeing the smooth exchange and harmonious vibe put their minds at ease.
Lin Zao watched for a bit and, seeing they’d gone quiet, called out, “Brother Cheng!”
Fu Cheng turned his head.
Lin Zao pointed at the pee pad on the floor. “Bag up the pad… Never mind, forget it!”
He was afraid Fu Cheng’s clumsy hands would spread it everywhere, making it even messier.
Lin Zao had no choice but to set Little Bao down, grab two plastic bags, and run forward.
Before the little dog learned to walk properly, they used pee pads.
Or the expired diapers left over after Little Bao learned to use the toilet at two and a half.
Or Lin Zao’s homemade ones: old towels with holes on the outside, stuffed with absorbent cardboard or scraps of cotton inside.
Pretty crude, but they worked.
Of course, the homemade pads were one-use only. Lin Zao never washed them.
He changed them once a day. After the little dog used one, he’d bag it up in plastic and toss it in the big trash bin by the back door.
Of course, with zombies overrunning the city and everything shut down, no sanitation workers would come collect garbage anymore.
They couldn’t just dump it anywhere either—it could ruin the living environment and annoy the neighbors.
So the last time they went out, Lin Zao had specially taken the trash to dispose of it.
Lin Zao handed the plastic bags to Fu Cheng, had him bag the pad, and take it out to throw away.
When he came back, Lin Zao took out a new pee pad but placed it farther from the dog bed.
Little Bao ran up, wanting to help Dad by dragging it closer.
But Lin Zao stopped him. “Little Bao, leave it right here.”
“Why?” Little Bao looked puzzled.
“It’s closer to the toilet.”
“But it’s farther from the dog bed.”
“We put the pee pad a bit closer to the toilet every day. The little dog gets closer and closer to the toilet each time, and in a few days, it’ll go on its own.”
“Oh…”
Their first floor had a toilet.
Back when Fu Cheng ran his shop downstairs, he didn’t need to go upstairs.
But the first-floor toilet was pretty remote and basic: concrete floor and walls, just a squat toilet and a faucet.
Once the little dog learned to pee there, no more pee pads—just flush it away.
Lin Zao planned to lead it gradually toward the toilet.
After settling the little dog, Lin Zao and Little Bao went back to sorting the lettuce.
The box of lettuce Fu Cheng brought back—the leafy parts they hadn’t eaten yet—looked decent after soaking in water, all fresh and green.
But those lettuce roots were definitely done for.
Little Bao picked up the bottles holding the lettuce roots one by one and handed them to Dad.
Lin Zao pulled out the roots. No new sprouts. They felt slimy, and when he broke one open, the inside was all black and rotten. Into the trash they went.
Father and son worked around the box. Fu Cheng couldn’t handle this delicate task, so he kept teaching the little dog to pee in one spot.
Seeing Lin Zao place the pee pad farther away, Fu Cheng guessed his intent and directly carried the little dog into the toilet.
“Growl growl growl.”
—Listen up! This is the toilet, that’s the squat hole. From now on, you pee here.
“Whine whine whine.”
—Big boss, you just said to pee on the pad.
—That was then, this is now. Rules changed.
—Okay, got it again.
—Now do it. I’ll check!
—But I don’t feel like it right now.
Fu Cheng squatted in front of the little dog, staring it down.
He tried to intimidate it with his zombie aura.
This was crucial to whether he could sleep in bed tonight. He had to be serious!
But the little dog wasn’t intimidated at all. It blinked its eyes, twisted its body, and slipped right between Fu Cheng’s legs to escape.
The little dog scurried off on its four stubby legs toward Lin Zao and Little Bao.
It got it now.
The zombie big boss understood its words, but the big boss was mean and gruff—not nice at all.
When it came to treatment…
To good food and water…
To similar age and shared interests…
It had to be that guy!
Fu Cheng saw it bolt straight toward his wife and son and chased after it.
—What are you doing? Get back here! Get back!
The little dog lunged forward, tumbling and rolling right to Little Bao’s feet with a flurry of yips and barks.
Its fluffy, round head bumped against Little Bao’s foot.
The little dog looked up, blinking its big black beady eyes at Little Bao.
—Hey, I’m here!
Little Bao’s eyes lit up. He patted its little head. “Whoa! Little dog, you came to play with me?”
At the same time, Fu Cheng lunged forward from behind and hugged Lin Zao.
Such a big dog!
Lin Zao stumbled forward uncontrollably, nearly knocked flying!
Fu Cheng wrapped his arms around Lin Zao’s waist, pulled him back, and looked up at him with a blink.
—Little Zao, I’m here too!
“Fu Cheng! You… you big dog!”
“Acting spoiled is for puppies only half a month old.”
“Don’t you have any idea how big and strong you are?”
The little dog wagged its tiny tail. Fu Cheng wagged his nonexistent big tail.
As expected, Little Zao’s pets landed on his shoulder again.
Fu Cheng wagged even harder.
Though the little dog understood Fu Cheng’s words, it was too young, with a tiny brain.
It always forgot right after being told or hearing something.
It promised faithfully in the morning but couldn’t hold it in by afternoon.
Lin Zao had no choice but to switch strategies—
The “dog-watching” strategy.
He’d noticed that usually, within half an hour after eating, the little dog would need to go.
So after Little Bao fed it rice soup, he had Fu Cheng stand guard by the dog bed.
As soon as the little dog lowered its head and circled, showing it needed to pee, Fu Cheng would scoop it up and take it to the toilet to do its business in the hole.
Once done, Lin Zao had Little Bao reward it with a small piece of food.
Maybe some potato Lin Zao saved while cooking, or pork soft bone snatched from Fu Cheng’s mouth.
It also helped exercise its teeth.
Three times a day, reinforcing the habit with food.
At night, while he and Little Bao slept, Fu Cheng would check on it now and then.
They’d keep watching it until it learned.
Since they’d decided to keep this little dog, they’d raise it properly and carefully.
They couldn’t let it make the house dirty and smelly.
Nor could they abandon it just because it was a hassle.
This was a consensus the family had reached without even discussing it.
That night.
The family of three had all bathed.
Fu Cheng went downstairs to check on the little dog.
Lin Zao and Little Bao waited for him in bed.
Little Bao hugged his dad’s arm, snuggling close.
Father and son chatted idly about bedtime whispers.
“Dad, when can the little dog sleep with us?”
Lin Zao asked warmly, “Do you really want to sleep with the little dog that badly?”
“Mm-hmm.” Little Bao nodded vigorously. “It’s so fluffy. Hugging it to sleep would feel great.”
“We’ll need to wait at least another month, until it learns to pee properly. What if it goes on your blanket?”
Little Bao raised his little hand. “I’ll wash it! I’ll wash the blanket!”
“You’re not even as big as the blanket. You can’t get it clean.”
“I can wash it clean.”
“Then grab the blanket now and scrub it to see.”
“Okay.”
Little Bao stuck both hands out from under the covers, spread his ten fingers, grabbed the corner of the blanket, and gritted his teeth.
“Yah! Yah yah yah!”
“Okay, okay.” Lin Zao quickly stopped him. “No more washing, or you’ll rip the blanket.”
“Oh.”
Little Bao reluctantly let go of the blanket corner.
But his moods came and went fast.
He perked up again in no time, drawn to his dad like a little iron ball to a magnet.
“Dad, when are we going out again?”
“Didn’t we just go out last time? You want to go again already?”
“But last time I didn’t even get out of the car to play! I want to play on the slide and seesaw.”
“Sorry, Little Bao.” Lin Zao pinched his chubby cheek. “Not yet.”
“Then when?”
“Well…”
Lin Zao couldn’t answer.
Just then, the half-closed bedroom door was pushed open from outside.
Fu Cheng was back.
Lin Zao turned his head at once. “Brother Cheng, wash your hands!”
Fu Cheng held up his spotless hands for Lin Zao to sniff the soap scent.
Only then did Lin Zao let him onto the bed.
The family of three settled in, with Lin Zao in the middle and Fu Cheng and Little Bao on either side.
“Dad.” Little Bao called him again. “We weren’t done talking earlier.”
“What were we talking about?”
“When can we go out and play!”
“Dad…” Lin Zao thought for a moment. “I don’t know.”
He didn’t want to give a random date.
If the day came and they couldn’t go, Little Bao would be so disappointed.
But…
Little Bao had asked this question so many times.
He couldn’t keep saying “I don’t know.”
“Here’s the deal.” Lin Zao made up his mind. “On your birthday, Dad and Big Daddy will take you to the park, okay?”
“Really?” Little Bao’s eyes sparkled, his whole little body buzzing with excitement.
“Mm-hmm.” Lin Zao nodded firmly. “As long as it’s sunny and not raining that day, we’ll go.”
“Yay!” Little Bao cheered and stuck out his pinky. “Dad, pinky promise.”
“Okay.” Lin Zao hooked his own pinky.
“Big Daddy too.”
“Alright.”
Lin Zao grabbed Fu Cheng’s hand and forced his finger out.
Lin Zao and Fu Cheng’s fingers hooked around Lin Xiaobao’s tiny, chubby little fingers.
“Pinky promise—no take-backs for a hundred years.”
Lin Zao mulled it over in his mind.
Little Bao’s birthday was in June.
There was a little park near their home. A quick drive would take less than five minutes.
Slipping out there on a quiet night when no one was around didn’t sound impossible.
Night had fallen.
Lin Xiaobao pressed both hands to his chest, willing his pounding little heart to calm down. With his eyes squeezed shut, he drifted off into a deep sleep.
It was only March now, but he was already counting down the days to his June birthday.
Lin Zao lay sprawled atop Fu Cheng in a tight embrace, his head pillowed on the man’s broad chest as he slept soundly.
Fu Cheng held Lin Zao close, one hand splayed across his back between his shoulder blades. His eyes were closed, his mind at rest.
Suddenly, in the enveloping darkness, Fu Cheng’s eyes snapped open. Two crimson glows pierced the gloom, sweeping across the room before fixing on the window that faced the street outside.
The very next moment, the roar of engines and screeching tires erupted—the unmistakable clamor of a car chase.
A split second later, shrill human screams pierced the night, mingled with desperate cries for help.
“Help!”
“Brother Fu! Brother Lin!”
“Red Hair! Green Hair! Yellow Hair!”
“Save us! Help! Ahh! Get away! Stop chasing us!”
Fu Cheng’s arm shot out. He gathered both Lin Zao and Lin Xiaobao into his embrace, shielding them fiercely.
The noise jolted Lin Zao awake. His eyes flew open. He glanced first at Fu Cheng, then out the window.
The voices were familiar—women’s voices.
It was…
