บท 59: Itchy All Over (2-in-1)
The chapters are getting unbelievably shorter, when that is the case, I will include another chapter.
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Nighttime
Yueyue's Room
Yueyue lay on her bed, playing with the little white dog under it. The puppy seemed to enjoy it, showing its belly and letting out excited little yips as she poked it.
The soft fur, the warm little body, and its lively barks filled Yueyue with excitement. She hadn't had the chance to play with a puppy when she was at her grandpa's house.
"Hee hee," Yueyue giggled. Suddenly, she realized something. "Oh, I haven't given you a name yet! Hmm... Your fur is so white, like a little ball of cotton candy. I'll call you Little White!"
After school, her parents hadn't noticed the puppy. If things continued this way, she could keep it forever!
But... Yueyue frowned. Puppies grow up into big dogs, which would be harder to hide. This thought furrowed her brows as she tried to think of a solution.
Her pondering didn't last long as she felt sleepy. Picking up the puppy, she said, "Little White, you have to hide in the closet when we sleep. Don't let Mommy and Daddy find you. They... they..."
She wanted to threaten the puppy, but words failed her. To her, her parents were very kind. Her dad sometimes played with her toys and stole her snacks, but they were good otherwise.
Today, she had even fed the puppy with her dad's snacks.
"Anyway, don't let them find you!" Yueyue finally said, putting the puppy in her closet and leaving a small crack for air.
She turned off the light and happily jumped into bed. Thinking about playing with the puppy made her smile as she closed her eyes.
One minute... two minutes... three minutes...
Yueyue suddenly opened her eyes and sat up, scratching herself. "It itches!"
**Ren's Room**
Jada, freshly showered, was brushing her hair in front of the mirror. Her loose nightgown revealed glimpses of her skin, flushed pink from the bath.
"What are you looking at?" Jada asked, glancing at Ren through the mirror. His constant gaze made her feel self-conscious.
"You look so beautiful," Ren said appreciatively.
She felt a little flustered. Recently, Ren had been making these kinds of comments often, catching her off guard. She paused, blushing, before turning to face him.
"I look good now? Does that mean I don't look good at other times?" she teased, trying to counter his compliment.
"Not at all. You always look good," Ren replied with a smile, still gazing at her.
Feeling even more self-conscious, Jada picked up something from the dressing table and threw it at him, changing the subject. "Do you think Yueyue has been acting strange today? It seems like she's hiding something."
Knowing their child well, Jada had sensed something was off with Yueyue today.
Ren shrugged. "I didn't notice anything. Kids grow up and have their little secrets."
"What if someone is courting her?" Jada's voice was serious.
"Impossible!" Ren dismissed the idea. "She's too young to understand love. Those kids in her class are just little kids themselves."
"Don't be so sure," Jada countered. "Kids learn quickly from TV and anime. I remember a news story about two elementary kids breaking up because one didn't buy snacks."
Ren tensed up, clutching the blanket. "I can't believe it. Those kids in her class are not her type. Yueyue wouldn't be interested."
"But what if one of those kids is persistent? Yueyue is very cute."
"..." Ren fell silent. His daughter was indeed adorable. What if some persistent kid did have a crush on her?
"I need to talk to her!" Ren stood up, heading for Yueyue's room.
Jada smiled at his back. She was sure Yueyue was hiding something, but it wasn't about romance. It felt more like she had done something mischievous. Ren was the best one to talk to her about it.
**Meanwhile**
As Ren reached Yueyue's door, he heard her crying. He rushed in.
"What happened? Did you fall out of bed?"
He found Yueyue sitting on the bed, crying. Her clothes were lifted, revealing red marks all over her pale skin, clearly from her scratching.
"Daddy, it itches!"
Yueyue cried harder when she saw Ren.
"Jada!" Ren shouted, hurrying to hold Yueyue. She had red welts all over her body.
"What happened? Mosquito bites?" Ren was puzzled. But there were too many welts for that.
"What is it?" Jada, hearing Ren, rushed in.
"Yueyue has all these red bumps."
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Raising a Dog
"Why are there fleas?"
Back from the hospital, Ren and Jada exchanged puzzled looks. According to the doctor, Yueyue seemed to have been bitten by fleas or similar insects. The problem was, where did the fleas come from in their clean home?
"Yueyue, did you cuddle any animals at school?" Jada finally asked, considering that possibility.
If the fleas didn't come from their house, they must have come from outside, and Yueyue spent most of her time at school.
"I... I didn't cuddle any puppies!" Yueyue blurted out hastily, clearly flustered and trying to deny it.
Aha, it was a puppy!
Problem identified.
However, Jada noticed the nervous tone in Yueyue's voice, which confirmed her suspicion. Along with Yueyue's evasive behavior when she returned home from work, Jada had a guess.
Could it be...?
Jada's eyes twinkled with realization as she said slowly, "Oh, no puppies? That's good..."
She patted her chest in relief, adding, "The doctor said fleas from other animals are manageable, but fleas from puppies are the worst."
??? (>﹏<.)
"Mom, why are puppy fleas the worst?" Yueyue's body tensed, but she tried to appear nonchalant.
Despite her efforts, she couldn't fool her parents.
Ren, initially confused by Jada's statement, caught on when he saw Yueyue's reaction. His eyes lit up with understanding, and he joined Jada's bluff.
"Yeah, it's really bad," Ren said, his voice tinged with sadness. "Fleas on puppies can make them very sick if not treated by a vet. I remember we had a dog when I was little..."
"..."
As Jada spun her tale, Yueyue's expression turned vacant. Her hands, which had been holding her parents', slowly released.
Her mind echoed with a single horrifying thought... the puppy might die.
Is it really that serious?
(つ﹏)
"Waah!!!"
Tears streaming down her face, Yueyue wailed, "I don't want Little White to die! Mom, please save Little White!"
"Oh? So, you did bring a puppy home," Jada said, gently tugging Yueyue's ear.
(￣▽￣)o╭╯╰_─﹏─)╯
"Pretty bold, huh? Good thing it's just fleas. What if you were allergic to dog fur? Now we need to thoroughly clean the house to get rid of the pests!"
"Don't worry about that now! Save Little White first!" Yueyue screamed, flailing her limbs, but still thinking of her puppy.
"Ha, we were just teasing," Ren said with a chuckle, patting Yueyue's head.
Teasing... teasing... teasing...
Σ(°△°|||)︴
Yueyue was stunned, the words repeating in her mind. She even forgot to cry.
Grown-ups are so tricky!
"Now, tell us where you hid the puppy."
"Hmph!" (﹁﹁)
Yueyue pouted defiantly.
（〃｀ 3′〃）
Don't think I'll fall for that again!
"It's in the closet, isn't it?"
Knowing her daughter well, Jada headed straight for the closet.
Yueyue tried to stop her, but Ren held her back.
"Waah, let me go!"
But it was in vain. Jada opened the closet door.
Uェ*U
There stood the little puppy, wagging its tail and panting happily. It ran to Jada's feet, trying to nuzzle her.
Jada stepped back, avoiding the puppy. "We'll have to take it to a shelter tomorrow. We can't keep it."
"Waah, no! I want to keep Little White!" Yueyue cried, lying on the floor and kicking her legs.
"..." Ren felt a pang of sympathy. Since moving here, Yueyue had been well-behaved. He had never seen her this upset.
"Let's keep it..."
Before Jada could respond, Ren continued, "Children need to learn responsibility. Plus, it'll help her keep the house clean. It's good for her development."
Jada was taken aback, contemplating Ren's words. It was a good opportunity to teach Yueyue responsibility.
Seeing Jada's hesitation, Yueyue looked at her with hopeful eyes.
After a while, Jada reluctantly nodded. "Fine, but if you don't take care of Little White, it'll have to go. And your snacks will be cut in half."
"Yay!!!" Yueyue cheered. "I love you, Mommy and Daddy!"
She reached for the puppy.
"Wait, not tonight. We need to de-flea it first!"
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