Chapter Three: Two Talents

"You have a dog too?" Zhu Qingyan asked in delight.

To her surprise, Zhang Congwen shook his head with a wry smile. "No, I only keep two turtles. This wound was probably from being bitten by someone else's dog."

Given his current circumstances, he could barely support himself, let alone take care of a dog.

Zhu Qingyan paused in surprise, then laughed and said, "A bite is a bite; if you weren't bitten, you weren't. How could there be such ambiguity?"

Zhang Congwen briefly recounted what had happened. He had no desire to show off in front of Zhu Qingyan, so he only gave a general idea of the events. Even so, Zhu Qingyan could imagine how dangerous the situation must have been, and couldn't help but study him again.

Back in school, Zhang Congwen had always kept a low profile, not particularly popular. She only knew him in passing and hadn't learned much about him. She never expected him to be so brave.

With some admiration, she said, "I didn't think you were so capable. We've had a dog at home for ages, and I never knew you could subdue a dog like that."

She thought, if she were in his place, she probably wouldn't have had the courage to save someone. Even if she did, she wouldn't have known how.

Zhang Congwen explained, "My family lives in the countryside. We used to have a large orchard of apple trees. To prevent people from stealing apples at night, we kept several dogs to watch over them. At one point, we had five. Plus, I've always been interested in animals and have read a lot about them. So I know a thing or two about dogs' habits."

"Could you do me a favor?" Zhu Qingyan suddenly said. "I want you to help train my family's Bichon Frise."

Zhang Congwen was taken aback. "I'm no professional dog trainer. I just know a little about dogs."

"Just give it a try." Zhu Qingyan smiled.

It was a beautiful smile.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Congwen didn't refuse. He had nothing else to do, and if he could be of help, so much the better, so he agreed.

After getting the rabies shots, the two of them got into Zhu Qingyan's car and headed for her home.

In the elevator, Zhu Qingyan explained, "My workplace is far from home, so I usually stay in a rented apartment near the company. The Bichon is a gift I gave my parents, and they adore it. But for some reason, the dog only likes my parents and is hostile toward me. It's tried to attack me more than once. Today I just wanted to pet it, and it bit me. Do you know why?"

Zhang Congwen replied, "I'll need to see your home before I can say."

As they spoke, they arrived at Zhu Qingyan's door. Before she could unlock it, they heard barking from inside.

Zhu Qingyan expertly unlocked the door and called out, "Dad, Mom, I'm back!"

"Qingyan, did you get the vaccine?" Her mother was the first to speak, holding the Bichon in her arms.

Even in her mother's arms, the Bichon was restless, barking incessantly at Zhu Qingyan and Zhang Congwen.

"Xiaobao, who's this?" Zhu Qingyan's father, seeing a young man behind his daughter, suddenly looked wary.

With a sweet smile, Zhu Qingyan said, "This is my university classmate, Zhang Congwen. I want him to help train our Tuantuan."

"Hello, Uncle, Auntie," Zhang Congwen greeted politely.

But he was not met with any warmth. Zhu Qingyan's father, Zhu Chang, said, "No need, Tuantuan doesn’t need training. I know what dog training entails—it's just hitting and scolding. Our Tuantuan is so small, how could it take that?"

Liu Mei, Zhu Qingyan's mother, shot her husband a look and smiled at Zhang Congwen. "You're Xiao Zhang, right? Come in and have a seat."

She ushered him in, the Bichon still barking non-stop, with no one in the family making any move to stop it.

It was Zhang Congwen's first time visiting a girl's home, and he felt a bit ill at ease. Liu Mei misunderstood, thinking he was afraid the dog would attack, and quickly reassured him, "It's fine, Xiao Zhang, our dog doesn't bite."

The classic line.

"Mom!" Zhu Qingyan protested, exasperated. "If it doesn't bite, why did I have to go to the hospital for a rabies shot today?"

"Tuantuan was just playing with you. You were frightened and accidentally got scratched by its teeth," Liu Mei argued.

Then she turned to Zhang Congwen and said, "Xiao Zhang, you're welcome to visit, but there's no need to train the dog. We've had Tuantuan for years, never once hit or scolded it. If you scold or hit it in front of us, we can't accept that. Besides, we've raised it since it was a pup; it's never bitten anyone and is very affectionate with us. This was just an accident."

Zhang Congwen immediately understood Liu Mei's concerns and smiled. "Don't worry, Auntie, I'm not a professional trainer, just someone who knows a bit about dogs. I'm only here to take a look. Training doesn't have to involve scolding or hitting."

Zhu Chang snorted, even more on guard, as if suspecting Zhang Congwen was using the excuse of dog training to pursue his daughter. "If you're not a professional, what if you make things worse? I've seen those training videos online. Those trainers are really rough with dogs."

"Dad! Just let my classmate try. He already said he wouldn’t lay a hand on Tuantuan, your precious dog, even more so than your own daughter. What’s the harm in trying? If you’re not satisfied, you can stop him at any time."

Zhu Qingyan’s words carried a hint of complaint, which softened Zhu Chang instantly. Liu Mei, familiar with her husband’s ways, knew his hostility toward Zhang Congwen was less about the dog and more about their beloved daughter. She shot her husband another look.

Zhu Chang gave in completely, muttering, "Do as you two wish."

The balance of power in the household was clear in an instant.

Liu Mei, satisfied with her husband's response, turned to Zhang Congwen. "As long as you don't hit the dog, go ahead and try."

Zhang Congwen nodded and began observing Tuantuan, the Bichon. By now, Tuantuan seemed tired of barking, but its guard was not down; it stared intently at Zhang Congwen, its tail making wide, sweeping circles.

From Tuantuan's face, Zhang Congwen read nervousness, timidity, arrogance, and vigilance.

After watching for a while, Zhang Congwen smiled, having more or less understood the problem.

But Zhu Chang, seeing Zhang Congwen doing nothing but staring at the dog, couldn't help but mutter, "I've never seen a dog trainer just sit and watch. Can you really tell anything that way?"

He was silenced by another glare from Liu Mei.

Zhang Congwen smiled. "Sometimes you really can learn a lot from observing a dog."

He explained, "Uncle, Auntie, since I walked in, Tuantuan’s tail has been wagging in large circles. Do you know what that means?"

Zhu Qingyan looked confused. "Isn't a wagging tail a sign of happiness?"

That was exactly what Zhu Chang and Liu Mei thought. It was common knowledge—a wagging tail meant a happy dog. Did Zhang Congwen not even know that? They began to doubt his competence.

Zhang Congwen shook his head. "A wagging tail doesn't always mean a dog is happy, just like a human's smile. There are bitter smiles, forced smiles, polite smiles, insincere smiles, and even smiles that hide ill intent. The meaning can vary wildly. Dogs are the same. While they often express their feelings with their tails, not all tail-wagging means happiness. The way Tuantuan is wagging its tail right now actually indicates fear and anxiety."

Before the couple could respond, he went on, "Also, the way its nose twitches and how it keeps licking its lips unconsciously shows the same."

The couple was taken aback. In all their years with the dog, they had never noticed such details. They began to think there might be more to Zhang Congwen than they had assumed.

Seeing their reaction, Zhang Congwen knew he had made a better impression, but that alone wasn't enough to persuade them about his skills. He needed something more convincing.

So he turned to Zhu Qingyan and asked, "Do you have a leash at home?"