Song Tan's Notes

He Tuoluo looked a little bewildered.

He had been exhausted and had choked on some water, so he had fallen asleep. He only remembered that Xiao Shi's wet dog head was still next to him.

Why... is he about to be buried?

He knew the word; it was used only after death.

He stood there, frozen in place.

Moreover, his wife looked at him and blinked hard—child, if he didn't react soon, her tears would be gone!
Moreover, he rushed over to save the day, and now he placed his hand on Xiao Shi's shoulder and sighed, "Come on, take one last look at Xiao Shi."

He led He Tuoluo to the middle of the crowd, and upon seeing this, Song Tan and Lu Chuan quickly pretended to shovel two more shovelfuls of dirt onto Xiao Shi:
"Look, take one last look, you'll never see it again."

Next, the security guards will take Xiao Shi to the sunflower field near the rocky slope, where he will patrol the tall, large, and lush sunflower grove.

Having fulfilled one's duties without being seen by He Tuoluo, and persisting for ten days or half a month, that's what you call being absolutely foolproof.

Sigh, there's only one dog over there, Xiao Shi. If it wants to play with the other dogs, it has to wait until the middle of the night. It's so frustrating.

With everyone making the atmosphere so somber, He Tuoluo finally came to his senses and quickly went to the edge of the pit, looking at Xiao Shi lying quietly next to the dog inside.

The creature's fur was still glossy, its distinctive black and white meteorite-like coloration having been praised by countless people, but at this moment its eyes were tightly closed and it remained motionless.

He Tuoluo watched quietly for a while, and everyone exchanged glances, wondering why the child was reacting this way.

The next moment, He Tuoluo suddenly asked, "Dad, why did it die?"

Besides, I was thinking to myself, why is this brat not playing by the rules? Could it be that he doesn't even have empathy?

She quickly added sadly, "Sigh. I told you before, don't do dangerous things... This time you jumped into the pond and got cramps, and your mother and I didn't have time to save you. Xiao Shi sacrificed himself to save you..."

Ugh!
He sighed deeply, overwhelmed with grief. The heroic rescues and sacrifices often depicted in movies and TV shows flashed through He Tuoluo's mind.

He looked at the annoying little dog that was always following him and watching him, and his eyes welled up with tears. Suddenly, he burst into loud sobs.

"Wow……"

She cried so loudly, so painfully, and so unexpectedly.

Everyone present was shocked.

Song Tan, with her sharp eyes, noticed that Xiao Shi's ear tips twitched, so she quickly sprinkled another shovelful of soil on top.

He Tuoluo wailed, "I never thought of that... I never thought of that..."

He was always full of energy, from the first time he played hide-and-seek at home, to sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night, and later in shopping malls, playgrounds, kindergartens...

When Mom and Dad arrived, they were so anxious their faces were flushed, they were covered in sweat, and they even had to bow and apologize to the person...

He saw it all, but couldn't understand the adults' embarrassment; he just found it amusing.

Over the years, he has indeed never gotten into any trouble.

He can swim, but he doesn't remember how he passed out.

Dad said it was a muscle cramp, something the teacher taught in safety class, but how could he have a muscle cramp?

Little Ten...

At this moment, those blurry, frosted-glass images from the past—my parents' embarrassment and livid faces, the earnest lessons I received at home, and the beatings I endured in a fit of rage—all the blurriness was washed away by my tears, and they all appeared clearly before me.

He Tuoluo cried louder and louder.

He hadn't thought of that.

He really likes dogs, and he especially likes Xiao Shi. Although it's a bit annoying that it keeps staring at him, it's the only dog ​​that keeps him company when he walks alone at night.

If it weren't for Xiao Shi, he probably would have slunk back as soon as he left.

And now… he wailed, and at that moment he lunged into the pit again:

"Don't bury it! Don't bury it! I want to hug it, Daddy, let me hug it..."

Oh dear, you can't hold her like that! If you do, you'll find she's hot and soft, and her belly is moving up and down!
Song Tan quickly shoveled two more spades of soil over it, his expression completely strained. Lu Chuan, however, sighed deeply.
"Xiao Shi is a good dog, but it won't be with you anymore. It's hot now, and you've been asleep for a long time, so it'll start to smell bad very quickly."

"Let him go to sleep early."

As he spoke, he quickly added another shovelful of soil.

Moreover, as she pushed He Tuoluo's body and watched him sob uncontrollably, as if his entire body was trembling to the extreme, a hint of pity flashed in her eyes.

But no matter how reluctant I am, the play must be finished.

So she half-embraced him and pushed him into the room.

The crying continued unabated; he was truly heartbroken.

Once everyone left, Lu Jing greeted them at the door, and everyone quickly dug Xiao Shi out again.

The loose, soft peat moss was practically weightless, so the oxygen tank they bought was unnecessary. Xiao Shi shook its body, getting rid of the scattered peat fragments. Song Tan even patted the dog's head a couple more times, then gently patted its back.

"Go ahead, Best Actor, go around from behind."

Little Ten let out a low whimper and disappeared into the flower bushes in an instant.

Then everyone hurriedly and pretended to fill the soil back in, even building a small mound.

Then he sighed, realizing how difficult it is to educate children.

At that moment, even through the window, one could hear He Tuoluo's cries:
"I never thought of that... Dad, I never thought of that... I'll never do it again... Please have Xiao Shi stay with me, don't bury his father, don't bury him..."

So tragic, so tragic!
This is truly meant to give him an exceptionally profound memory of his young childhood.

But Lu Chuan recalled the tragic scene of the couple shedding tears in the car while looking at the dog, and his expression remained equally resolute at this moment:
"You've come this far, hang in there!"

They exchanged glances, encouraged each other, and then maintained their somber expressions before entering the hotel.

Lu Chuan then thought of something else: "He probably hasn't eaten since last night. That's more than ten hours. It's time to give him something to eat."

Song Tan listened intently: "She's crying, crying so hard, she probably can't eat right now. Let's talk about it when she's tired of crying."

Besides, the whole family stayed in the room.

Mr. and Mrs. He stood guard at the window to prevent He Tuoluo from seeing any loopholes.

Moreover, the couple hesitated when they heard him sobbing and trembling on his small bed, his voice hoarse and desperate.

"Do you think I should try to reason with him now?"

For example, if you don't do this or that, Xiao Shi won't do this or that.

Or perhaps, if you do this again next time, another Xiao Shi will sacrifice for you...

Moreover, his wife shook her head:

"A loud drum doesn't need a heavy hammer."

“We used to reason with them every day, we even hit them and scolded them. We consulted a psychologist and took them out for walks during holidays, but nothing worked.”

“If he doesn’t take it seriously, he’ll never learn. But we can’t bear to harm his body.”

The two families consisted of four adults, and neither the husband nor wife had the energy for it. They simply couldn't afford to keep up the pace.

And now, although it sounds cruel, he has to bear the burden of a life at such a young age.

But this is better than losing your own life or having someone else bear the burden of yours, isn't it?
The most important thing in life is responsibility. (End of Chapter)