Vera Xavier took a closer look and saw that the puppy was actually missing a hind leg!

Her heart softened the moment she saw its condition. She reached out to stroke the puppy’s head. The little dog opened its eyes, looked up at her, and let out a couple of soft whimpers before licking her palm with its tiny tongue. Her heart instantly melted.

She had a soft spot for such incredibly cute, fluffy little creatures, so she picked the puppy up. Seeing this, the shop owner said, “That dog was born missing a leg. If you want it, you can have it. It’d be a shame to just throw it away. It’s a life, after all.”

The puppy had been born to the shop owner’s own dog. The mother dog, perhaps because she rejected the puppy for its missing leg, refused to nurse it. And with only three legs, it couldn’t compete with its siblings for milk. As a result, while its littermates had grown strong, it remained frail and skinny.

A disabled dog like this would never sell, and the shop owner didn’t have the time to care for such a tiny creature. He had brought it out today intending to throw it away. But seeing that Vera seemed to like it, and thinking that it was a life after all, he decided he would just give it to her if she wanted it.

Vera didn’t have to think hard to guess the puppy’s fate. If she didn’t take it with her, the puppy would likely be dead in less than three days.

She had always held a reverence for life. Although she knew she didn’t have much time to raise a puppy, she couldn’t bear to let it die. Seeing it now, curled into a frail, snow-white and pinkish ball, she made up her mind. She would take it with her.

She smiled and thanked the shop owner, then bought a small pet bed from the shop. Cradling the puppy in her arms, she ambled off to continue her search for houseplants.

She knew she didn’t have the green thumb for delicate flowers, so she decided to get something easy to care for, like a pothos or a spider plant. However, while browsing, her eyes were drawn to a plant with pink blossoms on wispy, smoke-like green vines. Not knowing its name, she asked the shop owner.

The owner turned out to be a man of refined taste. He said with a smile, “This plant is called Beauty of Jade. It’s perfect for growing at home on a trellis. When it thrives, it’ll climb along the trellis and cover an entire wall with flowers. However, Veridia’s winters are very cold, and this plant isn’t cold-hardy. It’s best to bring it indoors for the winter.”

‘I guess I’m a sucker for pretty things, too,’ Vera thought. This beautiful vine was so much prettier than a pothos, and it wasn’t even complicated to care for—she just had to protect it from the frost.

She immediately abandoned her earlier plan and decided to take the plant home. She started to haggle with the owner, but before they could even finish one round of bargaining, a familiar, gentle female voice cut in: “I’ll take this plant.”

Vera turned her head and saw Brooke Mitchell. She was wearing a green, modernized, long-sleeved qipao with an ankle-length trench coat draped over her shoulders.

Neither had expected to run into the other here, and both were a little stunned.

Vera also noticed that Brooke’s hair was done up in a coil today, fastened with an exquisite, dangling hairpin. The look made Brooke appear both noble and elegant. There was an artistic air about her eyes and brows, which made her seem completely out of place in the flower and bird market.

But there was no denying it: Brooke Mitchell was beautiful, with an exceptional air about her. Even though she had aged, she was still stunning. Moreover, she possessed a timeless beauty that only comes with age. ‘Brooke, at least, has a far more artistic flair than I do,’ Vera thought.

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