Letting go of self-restraint 6 - Can we keep him... pretty please?

Chapter 6

A-Yuan did not know whether he should be disappointed that they did not find the puppy's owner or if he should be glad for it. Of course he did not like the mere thought of his new friend not having anyone in the whole world, but at the same time, it was the opportunity he had been waiting for to ask his parents if they could keep Prince with them, since he was all alone and it was sad.

And so he did not waste any time and did just that as soon as they were back in the Jingshi, the puppy safely locked in his room in order for his daddy to be able to relax. A-Yuan wanted to have his full attention which would not be possible if the dog was in the same room as him. Sitting at the low table and sipping tea, he finally breached the subject, looking at his parents with grave but at the same time pleading eyes:

"Daddy, Father... Since we could not find Prince's owner today, what should we do now? We have to help him, take care of him. Can we keep him here in the Cloud Recesses?"

He did not want to beg just yet, waiting for his parents' reaction, surely they must have realized that the puppy could not survive on its own as well. He did not have to wait long for his daddy to speak first, after having another one of his silent conversations with his father: "A-Yuan, it is true that the puppy seems to not belong to anyone and we cannot just abandon it. But at the same time, we cannot keep it. You know the rules; no pets are allowed in the Cloud Recesses."

Now A-Yuan was confused and he started pouting: "But daddy! You have the rabbits so why cannot I have Prince? It is the same!"

His daddy seemed to have been taken aback and fell silent, his expression a strange mix of uncertainty and regret. A-Yuan knew he did not manage to convince him, he needed to press his point more. He took a breath and opened his mouth to add some arguments, but his father spoke before him with a voice so serious that A-Yuan immediately closed his mouth again and listened attentively.

"A-Yuan, do you remember what Uncle Xichen told you about the rabbits?"

What an odd question that was, of course he remembered. "I do. Uncle Xichen said that the rabbits are special. That they were a gift from the ancestors and that was why they were allowed to be kept here..." His words died out as he realized what he had just said. He was however not about to give up just yet, although he felt like he was fighting an already lost battle.

"I know they are special. But Prince is as well. Why cannot we keep him? Please..." he knew his behaviour was really unbecoming but what could he do? Surely they cannot just let the puppy to fend for itself. It was still a baby! Just like A-Yuan, and he had his parents, Uncle Qiren, Uncle Xichen and Huisang and so many more people who took care of him. It was not right that the puppy had no one at all.

He started sniffling out of sheer sympathy with the small creature. His daddy quickly stood up and gathered him into his arms, hugging him securely while patting his back. "A-Yuan do not cry. Of course we will not abandon the puppy. It would not be right; it depends on us now. But it cannot stay in the Cloud Recesses after all. Can you imagine how mad would Uncle Qiren be if he found out? Also, the puppy would not be happy here since it would have to stay inside alone often, we could not just let it run free."

There was a short pause before his daddy continued, his voice now happier, certainly to cheer A-Yuan up: "Do not worry, we will find a nice family who will take care of him, and we will go visit him to see how he is doing. What do you say?"

A-Yuan stopped sniffling and lifted his head to look at his daddy: "Do you promise they will be nice?"

"Of course, we would not entrust the puppy to someone who would not take good care of it. It can stay with us until then," reassured his daddy immediately. A-Yuan felt slightly relieved.

Then his daddy winked at him and lowered his voice, speaking now somewhat conspiratorially: "I have an idea. Do you remember how Jin Ling wanted to have a puppy some time back? I have written to Aunt Yanli to ask her if this puppy could be the one they were looking for. I do not have her response just yet, so they may not be able to take the puppy in, but it is possibility. Let us keep it a secret for now, alright? Until we know for sure."

A-Yuan immediately cheered up and beamed at his daddy: "Yes! Jin Ling will surely love him!"

His daddy smiled back at him and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Then he set him down and urged gently: "Then, go take care of the puppy until then. We have bought the snacks you wanted, go feed him so he becomes stronger."

A-Yuan immediately fetched the snacks they bought for the puppy from his father and hurried towards the door to his room. He only stopped once to turn around to promise: "Do not worry daddy, I will not let Prince get out of my room. I will only take him out for walks with Father."

His daddy smiled again and waved his hand at him. A-Yuan turned on his heel and run towards his room, opening the door very carefully so the puppy would not get out. He did not want his daddy to worry that the animal would start running around the Jingshi causing trouble. He would take good care of t.

He hoped that Jin Ling would want to take the puppy in and that Aunt Yanli and Uncle Zixuan would allow it. He was sure that his cousin would take good care of it and would become friends with it really quickly; the puppy was so friendly and sweet after all, who could not love him upon seeing him? Aside for his daddy, of course, but that could not be helped since he did not like dogs in general.

When his father was putting him to sleep in the evening, the puppy laid right next to the bed, drowsy after eating the snack they had brought for him from the Caiyi Town. Once his father closed the door behind himself, reminding him to keep it that way so the puppy would not be able to get out, A-Yuan turned to lay on his side and looked at the small sleeping creature.

He smiled and whispered: "Do not worry, Prince, we will find you a good family to take care of you. Although Jin Ling is a bit hard to become close to in the beginning, he is actually very sweet, he will love you." Content with how things turned out in the end, he closed his eyes and dived into dreamland.