“By the way, A’man, are there still stray cats crying in your neighborhood?” Mi Lin asked as she came out of the hospital.
“Why do you ask?”
Chu Fanxi said, “My mother has been idle recently, and her friend is setting up some kind of stray animal rescue station. Didn’t you say a few days ago that you couldn’t sleep because of the feral cat noise? Xiao Mi was just going to suggest that we should just get the feral cats in your neighborhood there and kill two birds with one stone.”
“What feral cats?” Mi Lin pinched Chu Fanxi’s waist and said with discontent, “That’s called a stray cat.”
“Aren’t they all the same…” Chu Fanxi touched her waist to retort in a small voice.
Xiao Man said indifferently, “That cat died and gave birth to a kitten in the hallway of my building.”
Mi Lin stared in amazement, “Dead? And had a kitten? How is that kitten now?”
Chu Fanxi put her arm around Mi Lin’s shoulders and wiggled her eyebrows at Xiao Man, “What else can you do? It’s not like you don’t know that A’man hates cats, so she probably left that kitty there and didn’t care.”
“Oh no no, it’s so cold, it…”
“It’s fine, it can eat and even sleeps at my place now.”
Mi Lin and Chu Fanxi listened and looked at each other in unison, their eyes filled with disbelief. Xiao Man stood on the side of the road to stop a taxi, and Mi Lin and Chu Fanxi got together behind her and muttered.
Chu Fanxi: “What’s happening? Doesn’t A’man hate cats?”
Mi Lin nodded: “And I’ve never heard her talk about wanting a pet before.”
Chu Fanxi: “It’s not like she took the wrong medication, is it?”
Mi Lin: “It’s possible…”
This part of the hospital is a bit congested with vehicles coming and going, and there are a lot of people taking taxis. Xiao Man waved several times for taxis that were already loaded with passengers, and when she turned back, she saw her two friends talking mysteriously with their heads together, and looking at her from time to time, afraid that Xiao Man might know that they were discussing about her.
Xiao Man helplessly frowned, “What are you guys muttering about?”
“No, nothing!” Mi Lin waved her hand in denial in a hurry, and after a moment she inched her way over to her and asked, “A’man, why… why don’t I come to your place with Chu Chu today to check on the kittens?”
Another taxi drove over slowly, Xiao Man waved and stopped it, casually saying, “What’s so good about cats.”
Mi Lin was too embarrassed to say that she was afraid that Xiao Man would raise the kitten wrong, so she had to give a wink to Chu Fanxi, who smiled and gave Mi Lin a round of applause, “Xiao Mi has never seen a newborn kitten before, so just satisfy her.”
Xiao Man lucked out this time, the taxi that she stopped was empty and slowly stopped in front of them. Xiao Man opened the passenger door and went in first, sticking her head out of the car window, “Then hurry up.”
The three of them took the car to Xiao Man’s place, and as soon as Mi Lin entered the door, she eagerly asked Xiao Man, “Where’s the cat? Let me see!”
Xiao Man took off her coat and scarf, went to an inconspicuous paper box in the corner of the living room, looked inside the box, and frowned. She remembered to look before leaving, the kitten was obviously sleeping well in the nest, how come she went out less than a morning and the little thing is gone?
Xiao Man stood up and shouted in the living room, “Miao Miao.”
Miao Miao had been with Xiao Man for more than a week, and every time Xiao Man called its name it would answer with a few milky cries, except today when Xiao Man called it, the living room was quiet and there was no movement at all.
Xiao Man called out again: “Miao Miao.”
There was still no movement.
Miao Lin and Chu Fanxi looked at each other, Xiao Man called the kitten’s name again, this time in a rather serious tone, “Miao Miao, I’ll get angry if you don’t come out.”
“Meow…” Only then did a small whimper come from a corner of the living room. Xiao Man’s gaze swept around the room and found a small head poking out from behind the paper box, calling out and shrinking back.
Xiao Man’s serious eyes suddenly relaxed and lightly laughed, “What are you hiding here for?” She bent down and picked up Miaoyin, the unweaned kitten grew fast, in a week’s work it had grown bigger than Xiao Man’s hand, shrinking in her hand, two front paws over her head, looking very shy.
Yu Miaoyin swore she hadn’t done anything so humiliating since she could remember! Didn’t she just take a nap while she was out? Who knew that she was dreaming of rolling around in the arms of her senior sister when she suddenly felt a wet towel underneath her, and Yu Miaoyin woke up with a start, sadly discovering that she… had wet the bed.
Although this little nest probably can’t be considered a bed, but in a dream, bedwetting is… Although Yu Miaoyin’s current form is a little milk cat that was born just over a week ago, her mental age is that of a twenty-year-old adult! Looking at the dark water stain in her nest, Yu Miaoyin wished she could dig a hole and bury herself.
If she is found by the sister… it doesn’t matter, she’s just an unweaned kitten, she will forgive her. Yu Miaoyin comforted herself with this shameless reason, while trying to stand on her short legs and pull the edge of the paper box, she quietly “escaped” from jail.
Not expecting Xiao Man to come back so quickly, Yu Miaoyin buried her head and didn’t dare to look at Xiao Man. Curling herself into a ball and playing dead in Xiao Man’s hand.
“Is this the cat you picked up?” Mi Lin leaned forward and poked Yu Miaoyin’s short leg with her finger, exclaiming, “Geez A’man, it wasn’t easy for this little guy to survive in your hands.”
Don’t speak ill of senior sister!
The temperature of the kitten’s mouth was on the high side, and it didn’t have any teeth. Mi Lin was nonetheless bitten on her finger by Yu Miaoyin, and poked Chu Fanxi with her elbow, “Chu Chu, look, it likes me.”
Yu Miaoyin let go of Mi Lin’s finger and rolled her eyes. Who likes you, this cat only likes senior sister, okay? Unfortunately, she couldn’t speak, so she had to move and moved her butt towards Mi Lin.
Yu Miaoyin had spent a week with Xiao Man, and fearing that Xiao Man would say she would give her away again. She always behaved very well. She stayed quietly in her nest. When Xiao Man teased her, she would turn her belly over to Xiao Man. If she ignored her and Yu Miaoyin never bothered her, but today, her attitude was suddenly abnormal. Xiao Man became suspicious and knelt down and looked at Yu Miaoyin’s nest.
As soon as she squatted down, she saw a small puddle of faint water stains that had almost dried. Xiao Man touched Yu Miaoyin’s head and laughed, “No wonder you’re hiding, did you wet the bed?”
To say that the cat Xiao Man picked up is strange, only a week old and can’t stand up, but it already knows how to clean itself. Every time it will crawl to the cat litter prepared by Xiao Man for it to finish, it will also clean its little butt, and then slowly crawl back to its own nest, like an adult.
Bedwetting is already humiliating enough, but to also have senior sister to say so openly, Yu Miaoyin shamefully covered her eyes and did not dare to look at Xiao Man. She crawled on Xiao Man’s wrist to her chest and rolled around in her arms in a pleasing manner.
Xiao Man was softened by her and patted her chubby butt, “It’s good to know that you’re wrong, let’s see if you still dare next time.”
“Meow meow meow~” Don’t dare, definitely won’t dare next time! Don’t leave me alone!
The two people beside them, Mi Lin and Chu Fanxi looked at each other, their eyes were almost staring. Is this, is this still the Xiao Man who they knew who avoids all cats like a snake? Is this person possessed?
“That’s what, A’man, me and Chu Chu have things to do. We won’t stay, bye-bye…” Mi Lin pulled Chu Fanxi up and ran like she had seen a ghost…
“Wait!” Xiao Man placed Yu Miaoyin on the couch, “Xiao Mi, Chu Chu, I have something to tell you.”
Mi Lin stopped, turned around and asked, “What is it?”
“It’s…” Xiao Man wanted to speak, looked at the kitten rolling on the couch and pointed at the door, “Let’s go out and talk.”
Although not very scientific, Xiao Man always felt as if the cat could understand human words.
Out of the door, Chu Fanxi teased Xiao Man, “What’s the matter that you still have to come out and say, ah? Could it be that you’re afraid that your little kitten will hear you?”
Xiao Man said, “Chu Chu, you said your mom is adopting stray cats?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Ask her for me if she knows anyone who wants a kitten. It’s not a lot to ask, just make sure they’re trustworthy and nice to cats.”
Mi Lin asked, “A’man, you’re not going to get rid of that cat of yours, are you?”
“Huh?” Chu Fangxi exclaimed strangely, “Didn’t it get along with you quite well?”
Xiao Man was silent for a long time before she said, “I can’t take care of it.”
No matter how cute and understanding, a cat is a cat after all, and the affection for it will never be rewarded. It is better to send it away as soon as possible. Xiao Man is used to being alone and preferably doesn’t want to be tied up by a cat.
Mi Lin didn’t understand Xiao Man’s thoughts. In her opinion, Xiao Man obviously loved this kitten, she and Xiao Man grew up together and had never seen Xiao Man so attached to anything. So Mi Lin couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you sad to give it away?”
This time Xiao Man did not answer again, Chu Fanxi felt the atmosphere is not right, pulled Mi Lin, and said, “A’man, don’t worry. We are friends for many years, I am absolutely reliable. I’ll contact you when it’s done. Mi Lin and I will go home first.” After finishing, she pushed Mi Lin’s shoulder to get her out of there.
Sad? Xiao Man thought faintly. It’s better to be sad now than to be heartbroken later. Besides, it’s only been a few days and she hasn’t developed the feelings that can grieve for the cat yet.
Yu Miaoyin, who was lying on the couch, with all four paws to the sky holding the bottle of milk Xiao Man gave her to eat, inexplicably sneezed, choked on the milk, and threw up a small puddle on the couch.
“… …” Yu Miaoyin crawled and crawled, pulling the tissue box on the sofa, dragged out a Kleenex to wipe up the puddle of creamy white smudges, and then stirred back to put the Kleenex into the crack of the sofa to destroy the evidence. Seemingly as if nothing had happened or out of place and she continued to hold the milk bottle to eat.
Ying ying ying, I really want to grow up. Yu Miaoyin sucked the nipple and thought, I wonder how mom and dad are doing, are they still fighting? If I grow up, maybe I can sneak back to see them?
But what can she do if they see her? Are they going to have to accept the reality that their daughter is a cat? Don’t say it, even Yu Miaoyin couldn’t even accept it herself.
Translator: Feel free to support on Ko-fi.
Thanks for the chapter