My name is Nian Gao.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a tasty thing, although I am white and soft, but I am a dog.
That year, when I was just one month old, I was brought into the palace and given to a girl by the emperor.
She is so beautiful, like a fairy in the sky, and her smile is more beautiful than the crabapple tree.
She gave me my name.
She said, "The previous one was called glutinous rice, and this one is called rice cake. It's white and soft, which is very appropriate."
Although I don’t know who Nuomi is, I will be Nian Gao from now on, and this girl is the one I will take care of for the rest of my life.
But she has many names.
At first she was called Jieyu, and later she was called Xiurong, Shunyi, Zhaoyuan, and many other names. Until now, everyone calls her Niangniang, and sometimes Empress Niangniang.
I think, maybe it’s the same as me, sometimes people call me Nian Gao, and sometimes they call me Gao Gao.
But I have only had one name from beginning to end, which is Nian Gao, and I have only had one owner from beginning to end, which is this girl.
Later the girl gave birth to a child, so I also had a little master.
I also knew another dog, it was very beautiful, but its owner said that I was an old man and should not harm others.
Although I don’t know what my father-in-law meant, I felt like something was missing after I had a long sleep one time, and things have been different since then.
Well, don’t worry about these. I have more important things to do. The little master is waiting for me to take care of him.
This little guy grows so slowly. It took him over a year to learn how to walk, and he's still not very steady.
I can't remember how many times I've been a meat cushion.
Those people who follow him don’t react as quickly as I do. They are really useless.
So I am very worried. He grows so slowly, and when I am old he is still young. Who will protect him
So I stayed with him all day, hoping he could grow up faster.
Oh, by the way, this little master is called the Fourth Prince, and everyone calls him that.
Children are always full of energy. Fortunately, I am young and can run with him.
The master is not doing well, so he always leaves the little master to me to take care of.
As a dog entrusted with an important task, I feel a great sense of responsibility and dare not be careless at all.
Time passed quickly. Just when I thought my little master had grown up, she became pregnant again.
This time she gave birth to two.
Oh my God, I'm so worried.
No dog has to worry more than me about taking care of three human cubs.
So I started running around between my three children. Fortunately, the two younger ones were of similar age and were always together, so I only had to run around to two places.
She picks up the Fourth Prince from school every day, and spends the rest of the time with the two little masters.
Of course, I would also go to accompany the master, but the man called the emperor came more often than me.
He looks reliable, and I can rest assured that my master will leave his care to him.
My master saw how tired I was from running back and forth, so he ordered someone to make bone soup for me.
Watching me drink, he talked to me.
"Nian Gao, they have their own servants to serve them. You don't have to run around like this. You are so tired that you can't even stop talking."
“Woof woof woof!”
I responded, but I don’t know if she understood me.
I am not as capable as you, my servant. I don't trust anyone to take care of it, so I'd better take care of it myself.
Seeing that I insisted, the master ordered someone to make a nest for me and put it in the two little masters' room. That became my nest, and I no longer had to sleep on the floor when I accompanied the little masters.
I love it so much, no place is better than my little home, hehe.
As the days passed, the two little masters grew up. The boy was called the Sixth Prince and the girl was called the Fourth Princess.
The names are really long, so I’ll just call them Xiaoliu and Princess for now.
Oh yes, later on the Fourth Prince changed his name and everyone called him the Crown Prince. After being named the Crown Prince, he moved out of the palace.
He also often took me to the Prince's Mansion to play, but I grew up in the palace and I still liked the palace more.
Besides, the prince has grown up, but Xiaoliu and the princess are still not grown up yet. I have a long way to go and I still have to accompany these two.
After all, they all love to play with me the most, especially Xiaoliu.
But Xiaoliu is too good at teasing dogs, so I don’t like playing with him.
The owner said that this is called seven or eight years old, even dogs dislike it.
This is absolutely true, I hate it.
After all, I was almost sixteen years old at that time, which meant I was at least a grandfather among dogs.
Once, the master beat Xiaoliu severely because he bothered me.
No matter how I tried to persuade him, it didn't work. I could only watch Xiaoliu screaming in pain after being beaten.
Oh, if I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place.
My owner was very worried about my health and asked a veterinarian to check it out.
But the vet said I'm in good health and I can probably live another three or four years.
Doesn't that mean I'm almost 20 years old? I'm really an old man.
But by then my teeth had begun to loosen, I was not as energetic as before, and I always liked to lie down and not move. It turned out that I was getting old.
Later, my master sent a young eunuch to take care of me.
I know my master wants me to live longer, but I really can't do it.
When I was almost nineteen, the winter was exceptionally cold, and it got even colder after the first snow.
The floor heating was turned on in Zhaochun Palace, and my master carried me into the house to sleep. But I was still very cold, my paws were weak, and I didn’t want to eat.
Somehow, I felt like I was about to leave.
My owner asked a veterinarian to see me again, but the veterinarian just shook his head and sighed.
It seems like I really have to leave.
But actually I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all, I was just very sleepy and a little cold, but my owner was very sad and cried.
I wanted to comfort her, so I called out with great effort.
The master cried and touched my ears and shook hands with me as before.
But I didn't have the energy to complete the instruction, so I could only lick her hand.
Not long after, the three little masters also came.
They gathered around me and I felt much warmer, but they were all crying and I didn't have the energy to stand up and rub their legs to comfort them.
"Okay, all of you should say goodbye to Nian Gao. It has worked hard all its life, and it's time to take a rest."
The master's voice is very gentle.
I think so too. Don’t be sad, let’s say goodbye properly. Maybe we can see each other again in the next life.
The prince was the saddest. He held my head and cried.
I was also very sad because this was the first child I watched grow up.
Xiaoliu also cried.
He apologized to me and said that he shouldn't have made me wear a skirt and put makeup on me.
Actually, I didn't blame him. I just thought the child was too naughty.
Finally, it’s the little princess.
She kissed my head and told me to find her in the next life.
Seeing everyone so sad, I didn't want to leave, but I had no choice.
After all, all good things must come to an end.
I heard this from my owner. She reads a lot of books, and I have heard a lot from her. I don’t regret it anymore, because at least I am a cultured dog, and there are so many people who love me.
I hope I can meet these lovely people again in my next life.