Trigger warnings: suicide, corporal punishment, explicit sexual content, graphic mentions of death, trauma.
And angst, but we signed up for it, so I suppose that doesn’t need much warning.
The Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun or ErHa He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun, popularly known as 2Ha is for those who can get past the first 15 chapters without prejudice or bias. I won’t lie, I had many, but by the end of the book, I was in a blanket cocoon and puffy eyes and wanted to wrap up all these characters in their warm blanket burritos.
I will keep this blog spoiler-free, which means it’s all just my feelings about the whole book.
And also it will be…*ahem* general audience friendly.
As usual, here’s a short handmade summary of Dumb Husky and his White Cat Shizun a.k.a 2ha:
Taxian-Jun a.k.a Mo Ran is the Emperor of the world, and could not possibly need anything more to be happy at the age of 32. He had the ultimate power to crush his enemies and was married to the most beautiful woman in the world.
But perhaps, life wasn’t all that for Mo Ran, who kills himself in grief from losing the only enemy he lived for, the one who killed the person Mo Ran loved, his Shizun- Chu Wanning.
Plot twist, somehow, Mo Ran is transported back in time to when he is 15 years old and all is right, where he is just a disciple and his one true love is alive.
Now back with his memories, Mo Ran decides to live his life differently while making sure his shizun is not able to harm his beloved and putting on the mask of a dumb obedient disciple. All while resisting his urge to get closer to his Shizun.
Going forward, I’ll list out all that I loved about the book, trying to avoid most of the spoilers.
- The trope of “a golden retriever and black cat energy” perfectly describes this couple. Of course, their colors are switched, but the energy remains the same.
The found family trope is another one of my favorites that is well done in the book.
Sect leader turned friend who makes sure you aren’t exhausting yourself with work, his wife who makes sure you eat well after you do exhaust yourself, and disciples that go through the underworld and back to revive you.
2. Chu Wanning is an absolute introvert, who can be easily misunderstood due to his words, and sometimes the lack of them. And who better to misjudge him than Mo Ran? The misunderstanding and angst this generates, make one bang their own and the heads of these idiots.
And Mo Ran, an extrovert with loud and clear words, sometimes makes conclusions like a speed train, so these clashes were bound to happen.
But! The clearing up of all the confusion is so soothing to the now bruised heart, that it’s all worth it.
Where the angst for TCGF, mainly starts from books 3 and 4, this book takes off with it at the beginning. And maintains the same pace throughout.
One of my favorite things about any romance is the longing, yearning, and pining between the characters. Misunderstandings that could have been easily solved if only the other person stood behind the door for 2 more minutes are the most frustrating ones.
But this is avoided smartly because Chu Wanning wouldn’t be caught dead confessing, so waiting for him to spell it out is a no-go. So no heard-behind-the-door-conversations.
This also makes me pull my hair out because this kitty has too many suppressed emotions.
Chu-self-degrading-&-low-self-esteem-Wanning really out there collecting men left and right while looking like that and simultaneously calling himself ugly is just the epitome of no self-awareness.
3. Backstories-
One thing I genuinely enjoy about bringing in more and more characters in Chinese novels is that almost everyone has a story that plays a part in the building of the main story.
This is why, we cannot stop ourselves from shedding tears on every backstory, because Meatbun distributes trauma among the characters, main or supporting, like it was generated from a factory that requires the raw material like — readers tears.
- Meatbun standing on top of the crowd handing out flyers to the characters* You get a tragic back story, you also get trauma, and you get it with a little bit of spice.
I do not mean to make light of the situation, considering some of the flashbacks are really hard to read, especially Mo Ran and Chu Wanning. So, if you are influenced by these things mentioned in trigger warnings, maybe you can think twice before reading the book.
From birth mother to adopted family, from savior to ruthless father, all characters are given a chance to shine.
Except Nongong Liu maybe. That bish had it coming.
That is not to say that the book isn’t good. Ho ho ho! Absobloodylutely not!
I intend to mean the exact opposite- the book is worth crying over.
4. Reading 2ha is a mix of emotions. Angst, foreboding, sadness, Joy, elation, frustration and more. All that makes a book into a worthwhile book.
The beauty of “The Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun” is that it uses the disciple x shizun trope in all ways possible.
To go from forbidden love to ‘it was always meant to be’, this story spans over 2 lifetimes of missed chances and snatched opportunities.
To changing destinies and rewriting fates.
The progression of hating someone till the line between love and hate is blurred, Mo Ran and Chu Wanning’s journey to finding peace and quiet life with each other through it all is tearjerking.
Along with other characters who deserved their happy endings in their first lives. And losing a few characters who deserved it just as much in their second life, but did not regret it. (Keep your tissues close for this one)
5. The subplots- Never let it be said, that any subplot in 2ha was boring.
Almost every plot had an undertone of romance, which made the slow-going romance enjoyable. While the main characters were out there kicking butts and taking names, the subtext of ever-present, but never confessed love was present.
From fighting and hiding from ghosts to going to the Upper Cultivation world on a case while trapped in a child-like state, the trust and feelings remain.
(No, no one is in love with the child, they just love the child.)
Even in the subplots that don’t necessarily revolve around our two main characters, the story keeps the reader hooked with its emotional roller coaster and plot twists and turns.
I would 10/10 recommend this book to all danmei lovers.