The next morning, with the sky clear as washed, Lin Suqing did not feel like sleeping in. Instead, he got up early and went to the front yard to find the rattan ball. Carrying the ball, he made his way to the inner courtyard. Since he had brought it back, he might as well tease with it.
He had planned to wait for the puppy to wake up, but to his surprise, as soon as he got back to the inner courtyard, the puppy was already sitting there, yawning.
"I brought you a gift yesterday, but I forgot to give it to you then."
Lin Suqing tossed the ball, flicking it a couple of times with his foot, then kicked it toward the puppy. But the dog didn't catch it; instead, it agilely dodged to the side and let out another big yawn.
The rattan ball hit the ground and rolled far away. Lin Suqing went after it and kicked it back, asking, "Why didn't you catch it?"
