The First Time We Met

I first welcomed Niu into my life in November 2015, at a friend’s home.
When I went to see her for the very first time, she was just a month and a half old—a tiny little girl, a Bichon Frise.

Her whole body was covered in fluffy white fur, and her eyes shone brightly like stars.
As I crouched down to look at her, she slowly opened her mouth, revealing two tiny teeth.

It took me some time to realize that it was her smile.

I had tons of stylish English names in my mind.
But when I saw her “grinning at me”,
The word “Niu” suddenly flashed across my mind.
Yes—that would be her name. “Niu”.
From that moment on, she became my “daughter (Niu means daughter in Chinese)”.

She Is The Quietest Companion

During the weekend afternoons, I would curl up on the sofa with a book, while she nestled close beside me, pressing her little body tightly against mine.

Sunlight filtered gently through the lace curtains, falling across her, while even her breathing grew calm and
light.

Sometimes, when absorbed in my reading, I would absentmindedly rest my foot on her.
She would simply adjust herself into a more comfortable position and remain by my side.

Amid the quiet rustle of turning pages, her gentle, shallow snores blended in, becoming the tenderest background music of the afternoon.

Her Smile, My Light In My Dark Moments.

When Niu came into my home, my son was twelve, playful, and mischievous.
I spent my days busy with my work, and my evenings watching over his studies.

The pressures of both work and family came crashing over me like waves.
Stress surrounded and weighed me down until one day, completely exhausted,
I collapsed onto the sofa and, before I knew it, tears began to fall.

Quietly, Niu walked over.
She didn’t leap about as she usually did—
Instead, she gently rested her chin on the back of my hand.

Her warmth, carried through her soft, damp nose, seeped into my hand.
When I looked up, I was met with Niu’s gentle smile.

Her mouth curved slightly at the corners, a tiny pink tongue peeking out.

Seeing me look at her, she placed her paw gently on my hand.
And from her eyes, I felt the words she seemed to say:

“It will be all right.”

Her Love Is A Silent Companionship.

When I raised my voice at my son for his mischief,
Niu would rush to his side, and tumbling around his feet,
her tail gently swaying in my direction.
With her tender, pleading cries, the heavy air would gradually soften into calm.

As the night hours stretched on and work still lingered in my thoughts,
Niu would lie silently by my desk, gently resting her little head on my foot.
Her warmth seeped into my heart, quietly dissolving the fatigue of the day.

It dawned on me that the patience of parenting and the compassion at work are not born from imposed lessons or stern reproach, but from something far more genuine.

Niu’s star-like eyes taught me this:
that love means responding with simple sincerity and quietly watching over.
Like the warmth of a cup of coffee offered without a word,
or the silent kindness of papers neatly arranged—

Even without a voice, there is a presence full of warmth and strength.
Through Niu, I came to understand this.

Her Love, Hidden in Every Ordinary Moment.

Niu is the one waiting by the kitchen door for breakfast in the morning, The gentle warmth beside me on the sofa in the afternoon, and the soft, damp nose that quietly heals me when I am sad,
a small shadow stretches next to mine in the evening sunset.

She knows what lies within my silence,
And I, too, can feel the gentle signs from Niu.

Without words, we converse through our eyes, And through our warmth, we share each other’s presence.

She spent her whole life by my side,
turning simple days into a light filled with tenderness.

Niu’s smile was not something she was born with—
It was the proof of all the love she had poured into me.
I love her.
Our love lives beyond words—
just as deeply as the way she loved me

Submission Date: August 2025
Author: Changzhou OPK Co., Ltd.
Deputy General Manager
Su Rong