Li Yuan mixed the milk powder with warm water and poured it into a stainless steel basin. The three wolfdog pups, smelling the scent, extended their pink little tongues and continuously licked the milk, making smacking sounds.
She watched the wolfdog pups with a smile. The pups, whose eyes hadn't opened yet, could only rely on their sense of smell to find food.
It seemed these wolfdog pups, born just a few hours ago, were starving. They licked the milk so quickly that in just a few minutes, the basin was almost empty.
Seeing this, Li Yu looked at the pups' bellies and said, "Give them some more. This might not be enough."
Li Yuan, hearing this, also felt the wolfdog pups hadn't eaten their fill, so she scurried off and prepared another bowl of milk powder.
By the time she returned, the wolfdog pups were whimpering, making 'ao-wu ao-wu' sounds. Their tiny voices had no deterrent power at all; they just sounded adorable.
As soon as Li Yuan placed the freshly mixed milk powder down, the pups wagged their tails and scurried over, resuming their frantic licking. Li Yu carefully observed them. These wolfdog pups had pointed muzzles, erect, hairless ears, and fluffy but uncurled tails.
From their overall appearance, they looked similar to common local dogs at first glance. However, if one looked closely, they would find that these wolfdog pups were quite different from ordinary local dogs.
They retained over 70% of wolf characteristics and 30% of domestic dog characteristics.
While the wolfdog pups were drinking milk, Li Yuan continuously stroked their fur. Their fluffy bodies felt incredibly smooth to the touch, making Li Yuan unable to put them down.
The wolfdog pups drank the milk very quickly, finishing it all in no time. They still seemed unsatisfied. The two male wolfdog pups were stepping on the basin, making 'pangpangpang' sounds, as if asking for more.
Li Yuan was about to go make more milk powder but was stopped by Li Yu: "They were just born, and their digestive systems aren't fully developed yet. Let's feed them again after a while. Don't let them overeat and upset their stomachs."
Li Yuan then stopped.
The three wolfdog pups, who had been noisily standing around the stainless steel basin, started sniffing around after a while when no new milk powder appeared.
Li Yuan was a bit curious, so she squatted down and tried to pick up one of the pups to pet it. But the pup struggled continuously, yelping loudly.
Li Yuan, helpless, had to put it down.
These newly born wolfdog pups, wobbling unsteadily, actually walked straight towards Li Yu.
They walked to Li Yu's feet, sniffed, seemingly confirming something. After a moment of confirmation, they licked Li Yu's pant leg, then lay down, exposing their bellies.
Li Yu smiled at the sight. It seemed these wolfdog pups weren't ungrateful.
"Ungrateful? They should look at who fed them!" Li Yuan said, pouting.
After all, she was the one who had just fed them, right? How could they run off as soon as they finished eating?
It was so frustrating.
Li Yu said with a smile, "You'll get used to them after feeding them a few more times."
Li Yuan thought about it and felt it made sense, so she nodded and said, "Then it's settled! I'll feed these wolfdog pups from now on."
"Haha, okay. Just don't forget to feed them," Li Yu said.
"Okay, I got it."
Li Yu paused. The wolfdog pups gathered around him. Li Yu found it easy to recognize the three pups: the first one to come out, with a grayish-white patch of fur on its head, was named Tie Zhu.
The second one, Gou Dan, was the second to come out and had some brownish-yellow fur on its head.
The third, Cui Hua, had a dark head with a few yellow spots, making her look a bit like a bear, but her four paws were white, which looked very cute.
Good. Li Yu felt very pleased.
These little things were quite interesting.
"Tie Zhu, Gou Dan, Cui Hua, let's go find you a den!" Li Yu said, then walked out of the villa. Generally, people don't keep cats and dogs inside the house.
The three little ones wobbled, following Li Yu step by step in a line, which made Li Yu's parents marvel.
"Big Brother, these wolfdog pups were just born. If we let them live in the yard now, won't they easily catch a cold? It's already November," Li Yuan said.
"It's November, huh?" Li Yu thought about it and agreed.
Beside him, Li Yuan also counted the dates. November. She remembered that before the apocalypse, it was a season for spending. But now, that seemed incredibly distant to them.
However, looking back from the present, in those times of rampant materialism, in that atmosphere where 'want' far outweighed 'need,' it felt as if everyone was in a frenzy.
Heavy academic pressure, busy work pressure, and various trivialities of life left many people breathless.
What is freedom? It's not about buying whatever you want; that's not freedom. Of course, if you have enough money, that's another story. But freedom is when you can do something, when you can buy something not for others' opinions, but only for yourself.
Master Sheng Yen once said: In this life, people don't need much, but they want too much.
Need and want are in conflict.
The pups wanted to drink more milk powder, but given their current physical condition, what their bodies needed was a moderate amount of milk. Too much would only upset their stomachs.
"Then let's just put them in the small room on the rooftop. Find some soft things. Didn't we have a lot of old blankets? Use them as padding," Li Yu said.
Li Yuan looked at the wolfdog pups, feeling her heart melt, and said with a pleading look, "Brother, can I keep them in my room?"
"What if they poop in the middle of the night?" Li Yu said.
"Uh..."
In one of the small rooms on the rooftop, in a small corner, a cozy den was set up. The den was warm, protected from wind and rain.
A layer of plastic sheeting was laid on the ground, then a blanket, and then another layer of fluffy small blankets. There were many of these items. Before the apocalypse, a large quantity of high-quality clothing, blankets, quilts, anoraks, down jackets, and so on had been purchased.
And after the apocalypse broke out, during searches outside, many clothing stores and home textile stores were emptied.
During that period, they went on a crazy 'zero-cost shopping spree,' which resulted in an abnormally large quantity of various supplies in the base now.
Li Yu also poured some water into a basin, fearing the wolfdog pups might get thirsty.
After doing all this, Li Yu wanted to leave. He was about to lift his leg and close the door.
The wolfdog pups behind him started whimpering, making 'ao-wu ao-wu' sounds. Their cries sounded pitiful, and Li Yu felt something unusual, so he stopped.
He simply sat down in the room. This room was usually used as a study, with two rows of bookshelves on the wall. Next to the bookshelves was a lazy rocking chair. Li Yu simply moved the rocking chair next to the pups.
Only then did the wolfdog pups stop whimpering.
The next chapter is under review. Check tomorrow.
