The Wait of Time

At the entrance of the old street's general store, a stray Shiba Inu named 'Dahuang' always used to squat. One of its hind legs was slightly limping, a old injury from being hit by a car years ago. At that time, Grandpa Chen, who ran a breakfast shop nearby, took him in and gave him a bowl of warm soy milk and a meat bun every morning. From then on, Dahuang became Grandpa Chen's most loyal shadow, accompanying him every day as he opened and closed the shop, and then walking home together. However, time spares no one, and Grandpa Chen's health grew weaker and weaker. One early morning last winter, Grandpa Chen passed away from a sudden heart attack. After the funeral, his family cleaned out the house and rented it out, and the neighbors never saw Grandpa Chen again. But Dahuang didn't know what death was. He only knew that the person who warmed him every day was gone. Every day after that, regardless of wind or rain, Dahuang would arrive at the former site of the breakfast shop precisely at five in the morning and quietly lie down by the wooden door. Whenever someone passed by, he would immediately stand up, wagging his tail slightly, and gaze at the person with clear, expectant eyes. When he realized it wasn't a familiar figure, he would silently sit back in his original spot, his eyes looking lonely yet still determined. A year has passed. Dahuang's fur is no longer shiny, and his body has become increasingly thin, but he still waits there. The neighbors were deeply moved by his persistence, and they spontaneously took turns caring for him, building him a small wooden house. Dahuang doesn't understand the complexities of the world. His world is very small, so small that it can only hold one person. He spent the long wait of his remaining life interpreting the purest, most unwavering love of an animal.