You're my wife, don't doubt it!

Behind them, amidst the small bridge, flowing water, and houses, several stray dogs blocked the way. Xiao Yao almost bumped into one of them—and another one even chased the motorcycle for quite some time. Xiao Yao felt like it was about to bite his foot or trouser leg, and Shen Jie was also quite frightened.

Xiao Yao's frustration reached a breaking point, and he said bitterly, "If I encounter a dog like this again, I'll just kill it with my head." Yu Luying was so frightened that she stopped him and wouldn't allow him to hurt the "dog." Shen Jie also teased him, saying things like, "Don't hurt others because of your own kind."

“What do you mean by ‘feeling sorry for one’s kind’?” Xiao Yao said irritably. “Does your No. 7 Girls’ High School really not have Chinese classes? ‘Feeling sorry for one’s kind’ is the sadness of being sad, not the hurt of being hurt.”

"It's just that our international department doesn't have Chinese language classes..." Shen Jie said.

So there really wasn't a Chinese language class. Unbelievable.

“Tsk,” Xiao Yao said, “Damn it.”

When Xiao Yao finally saw the cross held high in the sky at the Bingfang Catholic Church, he was so excited that it felt like he was seeing Jerusalem.

"This is our pilgrimage," Xiao Yao remarked.

"It's almost nine o'clock!" Yu Luying jumped out of the car and ran into the lobby.

Yu Luying wanted him to arrive before the "Gospel" or at the very least before the "Creed," but by the time Xiao Yao parked and locked his light steed and walked into the church entrance, everyone was already kneeling down, ready to watch the priest consecrate the Eucharist.

After the Mass, Yu Luying walked to the entrance of the hall, looking somewhat dejected, waiting for Xiao Yao to come and push the cart.

Shen Jie also took off her veil and stood next to Yu Luying, looking around the entire church with her, searching for Xiao Yao's figure in the crowd.

"Strange, where did the dog go again?" Shen Jie muttered to herself.

The church was full of elderly people, so a teenager would stand out very much and there was little chance of him being missed.

"He probably went to the restroom, right?" Yu Luying said. "Just wait a bit."

Shen Jie: "There really aren't many young people here."

Yu Luying: "Yes, it's quite different from our Shanghai."

Shen Jie: "Although Shanghai also has a large elderly population, at least..."

The two children were chatting casually when they suddenly saw Xiao Yao appear out of nowhere, followed by the short, chubby, and smiling Father Li.

"Father Li." "Father Li."

Shen Jie had met him at summer camp and they had interacted, so she could remember his surname.

Father Li led the three of them to a small chapel in the annex and held a small Mass for them, as well as for a couple of other latecomers.

There was no grand procession of the Virgin Mary, no incense burners or bells, no singing, no sermons, and all the scriptures were simply and roughly recited.

Yu Luying was assigned to the second reading, while the first reading was originally assigned to Xiao Yao. However, Xiao Yao declined, saying that he had not yet been baptized, so Father Li assigned another random boy.

The entire mass was completed in just over twenty minutes. Yu Luying felt she had fulfilled her duty and was therefore very satisfied. Xiao Yao and Shen Jie were also very happy.

Father Li invited the three children to stay for dinner, but Xiao Yao politely declined on behalf of the two girls. The three children then got on their bikes and embarked on their journey back to Dongru.

"Don't you hate that Father Li?" Yu Luying asked Xiao Yao on the way. "I really didn't expect you to take the initiative to go to him."

“Children do things according to their preferences, while adults do things according to their needs,” Xiao Yao said smugly.

Shen Jie: "You're an adult now?"

“I really didn’t expect you could convince him to hold another mass for us,” Yu Luying said.

"Aren't you impressed by my diplomatic skills?" Xiao Yao said.

"Yes, how did you do that?" Yu Luying expressed her heartfelt admiration.

"Is this something particularly remarkable?" Shen Jie asked Yu Luying.

“Hmm… how should I put it?” Yu Luying thought for a moment and said, “Anyway, I have never seen a priest perform Mass for just a few people outside of the scheduled time. Hmm, I’ve never seen it.”

"Didn't Brother Bo do it once during filming?"

Yu Luying: "That's an emergency, okay?"

Shen Jie: "It might be because Father Li is a particularly good person."

Xiao Yao gently patted Shen Jie's cat head with his left hand: "Is it so hard to admit that your husband is good at negotiating with people?"

"You're so good at diplomacy, yet you're the class's best friend—" Shen Jie laughed, then bit her tongue.

"Holy crap, there are police." Luckily, Xiao Yao didn't hear a word of that. He slammed on the brakes and turned the car around to drive away.

"Has the dog really grown up?" Shen Jie murmured to herself.

By the time they finally made their way back to Dongru Town, the sesame seed cake shop had already sold out and closed up shop.

Xiao Yao was already used to this setup, so he took Shen Jie and Yu Luying to a small, shabby shop for lunch.

“You guys keep saying I’m not a local,” Xiao Yao said. “Don’t let this unassuming place fool you, it’s an old establishment with really authentic local dishes. Let me show you.”

Indeed, the restaurant was packed with customers; when Xiao Yao and his group started ordering, there was even a queue.

"Stir-fried clams, one please," Xiao Yao said to Shen Jie, pointing to the menu in his hand. "The most delicious seafood in the world, you can't miss it."

"I won't try it, lest you throw up all over the place again," Yu Luying teased.

"Didn't you throw up too?" Xiao Yao thought.

“That’s my girl.” Xiao Yao patted Yu Luying’s head and flipped through a few more pages of the menu: “Braised dog meat, one, to vent my anger.”

"Huh?" Yu Luying's eyes widened in surprise: "No, no, no, how can you eat dog?"

Xiao Yao: "? Why not?"

Chapter 329 Our Love

2023-09-19

"Huh?" Yu Luying's eyes widened in surprise: "No, no, no, how can you eat dog?"

Xiao Yao: "? Why not? We've been eating this since we were little."

“Huh? —” Yu Luying drew out the “ah” for a long time.

Xiao Yao, who had lived for 16 years, had never heard of the saying that dog meat was not to be eaten before, so he pressed Yu Luying for an explanation.

“Dogs are so cute,” Yu Luying said after a long pause. “Dogs are man’s best friend, they’re intelligent, and my family used to have a dog…”

Xiao Yao slapped Yu Luying's shoulder hard: "We used to keep goldfish at home, does that mean we can't eat fish anymore?"

Yu Luying was taken aback, and retorted, "That's different!"

"What's different?" Xiao Yao asked Yu Luying.

“It’s just…it’s different,” Yu Luying said.

"Sigh, you, you." Xiao Yao picked up a wooden chopstick in front of him and twirled it like a pen. "Hey, tell me, of all the things God created, what is the most noble creature?"

“A person…?” Yu Luying stared at him.

“They are humans and angels.” Xiao Yao gently tapped Yu Luying’s forehead with his chopsticks.

"Oh." Yu Luying pouted.

"Doesn't God grant humankind the right to manage and use animals?" Father Xiao continued his sermon: "This includes reasonable breeding, grazing, using their fur, milking them, using them for farming, hunting, keeping them as pets to guard the house, and killing them for meat. As long as it's not cruelty, as long as they are not endangered or protected animals, these are all human rights, aren't they?"

Yu Luying was clearly trying to argue, tilting her head and thinking for a long time before reluctantly saying, "Yes, that's right, but..."

“But,” Xiao Yao said, “there are pigs, cows, sheep, cats, and dogs.”

When the word "cat" was mentioned, Shen Jie glanced at him.

"Are all animals equal? ​​Apart from humans, is there any animal that is superior to others?"

“…No.” Yu Luying reluctantly admitted.

"You said dogs have a spirit. I remember Brother Bo talking about this in the catechism class. Only humans have souls. No, I should say that the souls of humans and animals are different—animals don't have free will, they only have the instinct to survive, right?"

“…Right…right?” Yu Luying said.

"Besides," Xiao Yao continued, "in our great China, dogs have always been one of the six domestic animals. They've always been a part of the hardworking and simple lives of the people, and the delicious food on our tables, especially for the literati and scholars of Jiangnan..."

“Isn’t this Jiangbei?” Shen Jie said.

Xiao Yao ignored Shen Jie: "For example, Zheng Banqiao, one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, do you know him? He loved dog meat like his own life. Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, Ji Gong, right? Tan Yankai, Zhou Enlai..."

Yu Luying was about to speak when Xiao Yao interrupted her again: "Dog meat is cooked three times, even immortals can't stand still; the smell of dog meat will make even immortals jump over the wall, have you heard of that?"

Yu Luying's face flushed red. She lightly tapped the wooden tabletop with both hands, making a soft sound: "Aren't you going to let me speak?"

"Excuse me, excuse me," Xiao Yao said, extending his right hand with his palm facing up. "Please."

“I admit, you’re right,” Yu Luying said.

“Of course I’m right,” Xiao Yao said with a grin.

“But I just don’t want to eat it. I think dog meat is too fishy. Is that okay?” Yu Luying said angrily.

“Yes, yes.” Xiao Yao raised his hands.

“You’re not allowed to eat either.” Yu Luying pointed at Xiao Yao.

"Huh?" Xiao Yao was about to say, "That's not being reasonable," but thinking of symbiosis, he changed his mind and said, "Okay, okay..."

“Oh dear, Mr. Xiao,” Shen Jie laughed and clapped her hands, “you’ve won the argument, but lost the heart of the beauty.”

"Huh?" Xiao Yao said.

"You said so much, offended people, and didn't even get to eat the dog meat. Don't you think you lost out?" Shen Jie teased.