They arrived at the village entrance where Wang Tuozi's ox-cart would always stop. There were already a few people sitting in it.

"Uncle Wong, here's the fare for Ling and I," Liu Duo said and handed him six wen.

He took the money and nodded as he smoked on his tobacco, "Sit tight, we're moving out now."

He placed the tobacco pipe by his waist, and once he whipped his old bull's behind, they were off to town.

It was such a coincidence today to share a carriage with a few other young teenage girls, with Ye Ling being the only man - and a handsome one too. The girls kept stealing glances at him.

Liu Duo sat on a cushion, clinging onto Ye Ling's arm. She looked sideways and noticed his red cheeks, smiling all the way.

"Ling, your cheeks are red. Do you feel hot?" Liu Duo asked him in a low voice.

It was an early morning. There was barely any sun. How could it be hot?

The girls looking his way had already made him shy. Liu Duo's teasing only added to the burning sensation.

He looked sideways at Liu Duo, who was right next to him. He noticed her genuinely fair skin and her big eyes reflecting his own figure. He reached out a hand and patted her on the head. Gently and shyly, he said, "No, I don't."

He knew Liu Duo was just messing with him.

Liu Duo started complaining in her mind when Ye Ling patted her head. Geez, why does everybody do that? Do I look like a pet?

When they arrived in town, Liu Duo left her cushion on the cart, since they'd be going back eventually anyway.

Ye Ling followed silently beside her, holding her hand.

Liu Duo brought Ye Ling straight to the place selling cats and dogs. "Duo Er, are you planning to get a pet?"

"Yes. We could get a cat to play with, and a dog to guard the house. Hehe..."

After the previous night, when Ye Liu had tried to climb over to her bed in the middle of the night, she really wanted to get several cute pets.

At the market, she looked around at the available stock, searching for the right one.

"Duo Er, what color do you want for the cat and dog?" Ye Ling looked at the assortment of small animals, feeling dizzy.

There were some with long fur and some with short fur. Some came in one color. Others came in multiple colors. There were a lot to choose from.

Liu Duo looked at all the kittens and puppies. She said, "Anything. Whatever I like."

Ye Ling might as well not have asked if this was her answer. Women always said this. They would look for what they like, when in actual fact they wanted everything.

Liu Duo stopped in front of a stall, her eyes falling on a fat puppy. She asked the stall owner, "Hi, can I know what breed this is and how much it sells for?"

"Good eye, my lady. This is a purebred Mastiff, 50 taels of silver each." The stall owner anticipated a potential business deal as he greeted her happily.

His stall only had few customers. Most people walked away after asking the price.

Liu Duo looked up at the stall owner when she got her answer. Fifty taels for a puppy? Then she looked again at the fat, silly-looking creature in front of her. She couldn't tell how this would be a Tibetan Mastiff.

She didn't respond after asking for the price, but she kept looking at the puppy, feeling its fur and loving it very much.

Then the stall owner spoke some more, "Little lady, this little Mastiff is definitely purebred, I guarantee it. Don't underestimate how dumb it looks now. When it gets bigger, it will grow to a majestic size and serve as a good guardian to the house..."

The stall owner was passionate as he promoted his puppy, but Liu Duo didn't get a word in.

She couldn't get past the price. Fifty taels for a puppy sounded like a rip-off. It might as well be robbery.