Feng Yongrui was in a better mood after taking a bath. He did not think about the day's events anymore and instead prepared dinner. By this time the System had stopped sulking, so Feng Yongrui was also happy.
Hou Renshu and Ma Bo were ready to eat. It had become their habit to wait in the dining room and eat together with Master. When Ma Bo saw that Feng Yongrui brought the puppy along, he was giddy with excitement.
"Master!" The two disciples bowed in greeting and smiled.
Feng Yongrui gave them their food and put the puppy on the ground.
"Right, kids, I have something I want to ask you," Feng Yongrui spoke, his brows furrowed as he gazed at them seriously.
Hou Renshu's heart leapt and Ma Bo's felt his face lose color. Master rarely spoke in such a serious manner. Could it be... that he found out?
No... no... he couldn't... never -- Ma Bo gave a worried glance at his Shu Ge. Just like him, Shu Ge was clenching his hands so tightly that he almost drew blood. Feng Yongrui's next words, however, shocked them.
"So... what should we name this puppy?" Feng Yongrui asked.
The System had said that "Little Prince" was too tacky and not suitable for the puppy, but Feng Yongrui couldn't think of a better name. So he decided to ask his disciples for their opinion on this matter.
"Uhh..." Ma Bo stammered and his mouth hung open in confusion and surprise.
"I was thinking of naming this guy 'Little Prince'. What do you both think?" Feng Yongrui asked, taking the puppy into his arms again.
When the puppy heard Feng Yongrui say "Little Prince", it turned its head to look at him. Feng Yongrui couldn't help raising an eyebrow. Was he imagining it? It seemed like the puppy was looking at him with anger and disdain...
"...Master, how about calling it Xiao Hei*?" Ma Bo asked. The puppy gave a few dissatisfied barks, but no one noticed.
"Huh, I didn't think of that. It is a good name and very symbolic..." Feng Yongrui began.
"You idiot!!" The System screeched inside Feng Yongrui's head, interrupting him.
"Idiots! You all are idiots! How can my cutie pie be given such a random name, huh? Like Master like disciple, so un-creative! give my cutie a better name ah!"
Feng Yongrui rolled his eyes. This System is really so noisy and greedy.
"Little guy, what do you think of the name Xiao Hei?" Feng Yongrui rubbed the puppy and asked.
The puppy gave a few loud barks and wriggled out of Feng Yongrui's arms. Feng Yongrui gave a helpless smile and put it on the ground.
"Woof! Woof!! Woof, woof!" The puppy barked furiously.
"Master, I think he doesn't like it," Hou Renshu finally opened his mouth.
"Well... do you have any good ideas, Xiao Shu?" Feng Yongrui cocked an eyebrow upwards.
Hou Renshu pursed his lips and touched his chin. Actually, he did have an idea. The first time he saw the puppy, this name had crossed his mind. However... he wasn't too sure about it...
"Master, this disciples thinks..." He spoke slowly and frowned.
Seeing his hesitation, Feng Yongrui urged him, saying, "It's okay. I'm sure you have a good idea. Even if it isn't that good, we can all brainstorm our ideas together, right?"
Hou Renshu nodded. "I thought of calling it... Xiao Gou**. Master, what do you think?"
Feng Yongrui: "..."
Alright, he had to admit that all of their naming skills weren't exactly the best...
Feng Yongrui found it funny, but two people were enraged at Hou Renshu's idea. Well, they weren't exactly people, though.
The first one who got angry was the puppy. It felt really wronged at this moment and had scurried to Hou Renshu. With its small teeth, it grabbed Hou Renshu's robes and tugged violently. It also gave a few growls and barks.
The second one was the System, who began screaming and nagging ferociously inside Feng Yongrui's head. Feng Yongrui felt like his head was going to burst and felt annoyed.
"Hey, if you're so great, why don't you give the puppy a name yourself instead of complaining?" He said to the System
System: !!!
"Host, will you really listen to my suggestion?" Feng Yongrui heard a tinge of hopefulness in the System's voice.
"Of course I will. I'm a very open minded person," Feng Yongrui assured the System.
Feng Yongrui added a killing blow. "Though, you should know that listening is not the same as agreeing... After all, the final say is in my hands~"
System: "..."
"...If it were up to me, I would name the puppy 'The System's Little Cutie Pie'," The System said proudly.
Feng Yongrui felt his lips twitching and he grew speechless.
"...And how is that any better than 'Little Prince'?? If my name idea is tacky, what about yours?? And you dare to laugh at other people's ideas... System, you're really shameless..."
The System felt wronged. That name was superb, alright?
"Forget it," Feng Yongrui said while opening his food box.
"Let's eat first and think about the name later," Feng Yongrui said. He grabbed his chopsticks and began eating. Hou Renshu and Ma Bo soon followed suit.
The puppy was angry. First, they gave him a ridiculous name. Now, they were eating by themselves and completely forgot about him!
"Woof! Woof!" Hearing its barks, the System began nagging again.
"Look at that! My cutie pie is hungry. It's been one whole day and you haven't given him a single bit to eat. Now, you're eating yourself and leaving him alone... Host, this is abuse, I'm telling you!"
"Well. I actually forgot about that..." Feng Yongrui turned to his disciples.
"Do you know what dogs eat?" He asked.
Ma Bo frowned as he munched on his food.
"Master, I'm not really sure. But, I think dogs can eat anything?" Ma Bo's voice was slightly muffled because he was busy chewing.
"...I think they can eat anything as long as it tastes good," Hou Renshu said, and then paused.
"Well, maybe the taste doesn't matter. As long as it fills the stomach and keeps you going, it should be okay."
Feng Yongrui was silent for a while. Hou Renshu was only ten years old, and yet he could say something like that... Just what was their life like before this?
Feng Yongrui was very, very curious -- unfortunately, the lousy System had no information about their background. There were many times when he just wanted to ask them what had happened, what their lives were like before this, and so on.
Feng Yongrui knew that they were still quite wary -- maybe they weren't wary of him, they were just afraid that he would find out about certain things. Feng Yongrui knew they were hiding something -- sometimes their expressions would betray them.
And yet, he knew he had to be patient. If he asked them recklessly and they grew terrified of him, it would be bad...
Meanwhile, the System was on a completely different wavelength.
"Ex-cuse-me?" The System said, enunciating every word slowly.
"Dogs can eat anything? Dogs don't mind eating anything as long as they survive? Host, is this how you teach your disciples, huh??"
Feng Yongrui pursed his lips.
"If I knew what dogs ate, why would I ask them? I don't know what to do with pets, okay?"
Feng Yongrui had an idea. "Since you care so much about the puppy, why don't you give me free dog food?"
"...Well... Host, that would be against the rules..." The System's voice dragged on a bit.
"Come on, can you bear to see this little puppy eat leftover food or gnaw on bones?" Feng Yongrui's voice was just like a Devil, luring and speaking enticingly.
"Fine, fine," The System gave up. "One point every day for 3 bowls of kibble."
"Deal," Feng Yongrui said without hesitation.
With that matter settled, Feng Yongrui excused himself from the table and handed the puppy to Ma Bo. Feng Yongrui had noticed that Ma Bo had been looking longingly at the puppy for a long time now, so he handed the little guy to Ma Bo.
"Bo'er, take care of him. I'm going to get some food for the puppy," he said.
"Understood, Master," Ma Bo's face grew brighter and he hugged the puppy tightly.
"Woof!" It gave a sharp bark and looked at Ma Bo with a face that said, "It's your honor to hold me, you better savor this moment forever."
Feng Yongrui went to the kitchen and stretched out his hand. Almost immediately, a bowl of kibble fell into his hands. The bowl was beautiful, with a glossy purple color, and on the side, there was an inconspicuous engraving that Feng Yongrui did not notice.
Bringing the bowl to the back to the room, Feng Yongrui put it on the ground. The puppy's tummy began rumbling, grumbling and begging to be filled.
"That's for you, Xiao Hei," Feng Yongrui said.
"Woof! Woof!" The puppy wriggled out of Ma Bo's embrace and dashed to the food. After sniffing it a few times, it began wolfing down the food. The System was pleased.
"Hmph! My little cutie likes the food I made~"
Feng Yongrui just rolled his eyes in amusement and continued eating. It was a peaceful evening after such a tiring day.
***
Question: What will the puppy be called?
Feng Yongrui: Little Prince
Ma Bo: Xiao Hei
Hou Renshu: Xiao Gou
System: The System's Little Cutie Pie
The puppy: "..."
The puppy: Hello, it's MY name, so can't you ask for my opinion??
***
Notes:
*Xiao Hei = Little Black
**Xiao Gou = Little dog
***
This is the 20th chapter~ What do you think of Hou Renshu so far?
Comment below~~