Chapter Seven: The Teapot Comes to Life

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Jin Qiao Lu pushed the door open and saw An An lying on the carpet, playing with a white dog she had never seen before, completely engrossed in the moment.

Jin Qiao Lu: …Hmm?

Uncle Lin noticed Jin Qiao Lu had returned and approached quietly, briefly explaining the situation. He concluded, “Although I’ve posted in the owners’ group asking if anyone has lost a dog and to come search here, there’s been no response so far. But the dog doesn’t look neglected, so I’m guessing it might have wandered over from another place?”

Jin Qiao Lu nodded. “Then let it stay here for now. Tomorrow we’ll take it somewhere and widen the search.”

Uncle Lin agreed and then mentioned another matter. “Sir, it seems Miss An An can talk to animals?”

He hesitated as he said it. Honestly, he still wasn’t entirely convinced by what An An had claimed earlier that afternoon. But since her interaction with the dog seemed genuine and responsive, and not fabricated, he decided to leave the puzzlement to Jin Qiao Lu instead of worrying himself and risking his thinning hair becoming sparser.

Jin Qiao Lu raised an eyebrow but said nothing about believing or not. He stepped forward and gently lifted An An, who was still buried against the dog, though he kept a slight distance from her.

At last, An An spotted her dear father. “Baba!”

She opened her arms wide, ready to give him a big hug, but Jin Qiao Lu held up one hand against his forehead, gently pushing her back just enough to prevent her from pressing fully against him.

“You just hugged the dog, so you can’t hug Papa now.”

He carefully reminded her, but An An tilted her head slightly, staring unblinkingly at his arm before looking back up at him. “But Baba, I hugged the dog first!”

Her big eyes pleaded with him, as if accusing him.

Jin Qiao Lu rubbed his nose and bent down to set her down.

“See? Now you’re not hugging.”

An An puffed her cheeks, placed her small hands on her hips, and from Jin Qiao Lu’s perspective, she looked like a little teapot come to life—round and plump.

“Hmph!”

An An snorted at Jin Qiao Lu, then turned her head away. But the moment she caught sight of the dog again, she instantly forgot what had just happened and focused entirely on burying herself in the dog once more.

“Ah! The dog is coming!”

With that, she leapt forward, grabbing the fur on the dog’s back, using both hands and feet to scramble up. Her hands gripped the dog’s fur tightly with great awareness for safety.

Jin Qiao Lu: …!!

He was momentarily stunned as the little girl climbed onto the dog’s back!

Hurriedly, he bent down to lift her off, but the white dog, seemingly startled or provoked, suddenly took off running with An An on its back!

An An: “Ooh? Wahahaha!”

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Dog: “Woof woof, woof~”

An An: “Doggy! Fatty!”

Though the dog was small and somewhat plump, it was surprisingly agile and quick, making it impossible for Jin Qiao Lu to catch the two little troublemakers.

Uncle Lin just came out of the kitchen and witnessed the heart-stopping scene.

“Oh my dear young lady…”

He exclaimed while flanking Jin Qiao Lu, both trying to corner the dog still “parkouring” around.

By the time Jin Qiao Lu managed to pull An An off the dog’s back, her hair was a wild, frizzy mess.

Her eyes were still dazed, but when she looked down at the dog, excitement surged again. “Play!”

Jin Qiao Lu tapped her forehead lightly with his finger. “No more playing! It’s too dangerous. What if you fall? No more playing.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “Tomorrow I’ll bring you a rocking horse toy, alright? No more riding the dog, okay?”

An An was about to quietly cry because Jin Qiao Lu wouldn’t let her play, but when her father promised to bring her a toy, her face instantly brightened.

Still, she wasn’t quite happy about not playing with the dog and tried to negotiate, “Baba, can I still play with the dog a little?”

Jin Qiao Lu rephrased gently, “Look, the dog is small, just like you—a little child. If you play with the dog too long, the dog will get very tired, right? We have to let the dog rest.”

An An considered his words and finally nodded. “Okay.”

Seeing her agree, Jin Qiao Lu motioned to Uncle Lin to take the white dog downstairs.

Then he carried An An upstairs to bathe her and change her clothes.

When they came down, An An was dressed in a creamy yellow onesie with a little yellow duck pattern in the center, which she adored, squeezing and pinching it alternately with both hands.

At dinner, Jin Qiao Lu seated An An in her special chair and fed her carefully.

During the meal, An An grabbed a custard bun with her hand and offered it to Jin Qiao Lu. “Baba, eat! It’s delicious!”

Jin Qiao Lu ducked to avoid the bun but mischievously bit An An’s little fist instead.

He gently pressed his teeth on her hand and then looked up seriously, babbling nonsense at her: “Papa has tasted it. An An’s little hand is very tasty. Very delicious.”

An An was stunned, looked at Jin Qiao Lu, then at her little chubby fist—which was unhurt—and considering what he had just said, decided tears were the best course of action after all.

After all, Baba was trying so hard to tease her.

“Waaahhh…”

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An An tried very hard to cry, but no tears came out.

At one point, she thought of something funny and couldn’t help but giggle, then forced herself to cry again.

Jin Qiao Lu found this little thunder without rain quite amusing, so he reached out, pulled her into his arms, and soothed her. “Don’t cry anymore, okay? Papa won’t do that again.”

Hearing this, An An slowly lowered her little fist from in front of her eyes, looked at Jin Qiao Lu with big eyes, and seeing he was happy, she finally put her hand down completely.

An An spoke earnestly to Jin Qiao Lu, “Baba, your eyes are good, but it’s okay. An An will protect you~”

She patted her little chest, promising him with a determined look.

Jin Qiao Lu: Well, being comforted by a two-and-a-half-year-old.

He gave An An a big, affectionate kiss on the cheek. “How are you so good, little An An?”

“Ah, whose little child are you? Why don’t you come with me? My place is pretty big; you can have lots of fun. How about it? Hm? Want to come with me?”

An An looked at Jin Qiao Lu curiously, then raised her little hand to pat his head. She had seen people do this on TV, didn’t know why, but just knew it was the right thing to do.

“Baba, what are you saying? An An is already at Baba’s home.”

Jin Qiao Lu chuckled. “It’s okay, Papa was just confused.”

“An An, why did you suddenly think of touching Papa’s forehead?”

An An: “Saw it there.”

Following her finger’s direction, Jin Qiao Lu understood.

Perhaps it was from some commercial or an animated show she watched; that image had stuck with her.

“An An is really smart,” Jin Qiao Lu praised. She only saw it once but remembered it and even imitated it—truly clever.

An An proudly puffed her chest. “An An is the best!”

Jin Qiao Lu smiled and nodded. “Yes.”

[System: Little one, have you eaten enough?]