So I would take it to the small dark room for talks, finally making it understand that its head-on attacks greatly inconvenienced me. It cleverly learned to be cunning, seemingly not attacking from the front but ambushing me from behind, making me even more embarrassed.
The ultimate solution came from An Jin.
During the New Year, An Jin returned home with me. Yuan Xiao pounced as usual but was quickly caught by An Jin. Yuan Xiao was extremely dissatisfied, seeing An Jin as the chief culprit destroying its happiness, baring its teeth and wanting to attack him. Before I could stop it, I saw An Jin’s calm face, gently patting its neck and saying one word. “Stop.”
Yuan Xiao was stunned, looking at me reluctantly and unwillingly, then tucking its tail and walking away dejectedly, leaving our entire family wide-eyed. I was even more surprised, never expecting An Jin to have dog-training skills.
From then on, Yuan Xiao would become obedient upon hearing this “stop” command. I used this to prevent both frontal and rear attacks.
Yuan Xiang glanced behind me, probably confirming whether her rival An Jin had followed along. After confirming, she stood up and circled around me, letting out a few happy whimpers.
“This fellow can only be managed by a son-in-law!” Mom suddenly remembered something and mysteriously asked, “A Yao, does your son-in-law know Yuan Xiang’s origins?”
I shook my head. “I’ve never mentioned it. He hasn’t asked either.”
“That’s good,” Mom let out a sigh of relief.
Speaking of Yuan Xiang’s origins, I can’t help but mention those few aborted romances between my fifteenth and eighteenth years.
The first was the son of a senior compiler in the Hanlin Academy, named Duan Chang. Though this young master Duan had ordinary looks, he was gentle in personality and from a wealthy family, perfectly matching my expectations. We drank tea and chatted properly, went on a few dates, and just when I thought I could consider entrusting my future to him, I saw him coming out of the Linglong Pavilion. After careful consideration, I felt I couldn’t accept sharing a future husband with another man. I regretfully expressed this opinion to him, suggesting he seriously consider his sexual orientation and not waste another girl’s time. His expression was extremely complex, and he never appeared again.
