Mother and my brother only knew I painted for the Sai Yue Studio, assuming they were traditional bird-and-flower paintings. She didn’t believe me: “How much money can you get from selling a painting? That scholar Qi across the way paints shrimp so realistically, but only sells a painting for two taels of silver, barely enough to eat! Don’t you think I know?”
I was speechless. “Fine, this is the last time. Just take it.”
Mother hesitated for a while, then kept it, muttering, “Don’t forget to buy some nice clothes, accessories, cosmetics. Even after marriage, you must dress up to keep a man’s heart…”
I found these words somewhat uncomfortable, but when I tried to ask more, mother refused to say anything. I was puzzled. An Jin’s reputation for being flirtatious was not new, so why would mother suddenly say such things?
Before I could think more, a dog’s bark approached, and a white figure like lightning rushed towards me. I quickly stepped back. “Stop!” The white figure immediately halted, sliding several feet before stopping at my feet, looking up at me pitifully.
“Yuan Xiao,” I sighed with relief. “You finally understand.” I bent down and rubbed the white dog’s head. It half-closed its eyes, probably still disgruntled about not being allowed to rush at me before.
Yuan Xiao was a long-haired small dog, male, originally from the Western Liang country. Its ancestors were supposedly excellent fox hunters. Unfortunately, it ended up with me in Yan Feng, where there wasn’t even a rabbit, let alone foxes. After it caught the neighbors’ chickens and ducks several times, I locked it in a small dark room and scolded it. Since then, it learned to behave, occasionally catching mice for consolation.
I had raised it for a year. When I married An Jin, he firmly refused my request to bring it to the An family. So it remained at home, waiting for my visits. Every time I returned, it would enthusiastically pounce on me. As it grew larger, it could even reach my shoulder when standing, and its force was considerable. Such a pounce would nearly kill me. Moreover, its paws would mess up my clean new clothes. I would arrive looking fresh and leave disheveled.
