A Warm Flame Amidst the Frozen Winter
The biting north wind howled through the bare trees, carrying the bone-chilling cold of an unprecedentedly harsh winter. Snow fell thicker and thicker, blanketing everything in white, transforming the deserted road into a cold, deathly white ribbon.
Amidst this desolate scene, a tragedy unfolded. A Tibetan Mastiff mother, her large size a source of pride for her breed, now huddled helplessly. She had been cruelly abandoned on the roadside. Worse still, someone had used a crude iron chain to tightly bind her neck to a roadside marker. The icy chain tightened against her skin, causing her immense discomfort and pain. She struggled, tried to bite and tear at the chain, but in vain.
The snow continued to fall, showing no sign of stopping. The cold was slowly draining her strength. But she could not give up. She was not alone.
Nestled in their mother’s embrace, enveloped by her thick fur and the little warmth of her body, were the tiny puppies. They shivered, whimpering weakly from hunger and cold, burrowing deeper into her belly for survival. The mother dog lay motionless, using her own body as a shield against the wind and snow for her offspring. Her eyes were heavy with sadness and despair, yet still shone with the unwavering strength of a mother. She knew that if she gave up now, her puppies would not survive the night.
Time passed, and the darkness and cold grew more merciless. It seemed as though the fate of the Mastiff family had been sealed in this white night.
Suddenly, from afar, piercing through the thick fog and snow, two faint yellow beams of light swept towards them. The rumbling sound of a vehicle engine approached. It was a sign of life.
The entire Mastiff family, from the exhausted mother to the trembling puppies, all turned around simultaneously. In the mother’s eyes, dimmed by the cold, a faint but powerful glimmer of hope flickered. It was a desperate plea for help.
The car stopped. The door swung open. A middle-aged man stepped out, wearing a thick sheepskin coat. Snowflakes clung to his bushy beard and eyebrows, indicating the harsh weather. He squinted at the huddled, dark mass in the middle of the road, then cautiously approached.
When the flashlight in his hand illuminated the family’s plight—the mother chained up, her trembling puppies huddled together—the man’s heart ached with compassion. Without a word, he hurried back to the car. Just seconds later, he returned with a large pair of bolt cutters in his hand.
The man knelt on the cold snow, approaching the mother dog. Using all his strength, the muscles in his arms tensing beneath his thick coat, he clamped the pliers tightly onto the cursed chain.
Clang!
The sound of metal breaking echoed dryly in the night. The chain fell, freeing the poor mother.
The mother Mastiff seemed unable to believe what had happened. The pain in her neck disappeared. She stood up, shaking the snow off herself. She didn’t bark, didn’t show any signs of wariness, but rushed to bury her large head in the man’s legs, letting out choked whimpers. In her eyes, the stranger was her benefactor, the savior of her entire family.
The old man smiled kindly, patted her, then quickly bent down to embrace the trembling puppies. He hurried them toward the warm vehicle. He took another large woolen scarf, draped it over the mother dog, and wrapped the puppies tightly to keep them warm.
On the drive home, the man focused on the road through the snow while constantly glancing in the rearview mirror. In the back seat, the mother dog lay silently, keeping her puppies warm. A mix of emotions welled up in the man’s heart. He was overjoyed to have rescued this little family from the brink of death, but also worried about whether their health would be significantly affected after enduring such a long period of cold.
Upon arriving at his cozy wooden house, the first thing he did was prepare a hearty, warm meal for his special guests.
Watching the mother dog and her puppies devour their food, their empty stomachs gradually filling, the mother dog occasionally wagging her tail in thanks, the middle-aged man felt an immeasurable happiness and peace fill his heart. Tonight, the snowstorm still rages outside, but inside this house, a warm flame of human kindness and gratitude has been kindled.
