After listening to the conversation between Shi Xinyu and Ms. Ying, Ying Miaomiao was filled with mixed feelings. Besides thinking her mother was truly reliable, she also had an extra layer of doubt.
She remembered that before sending the text message that day, Shi Xinyu had also called her, but Ms. Ying had already come up with an excuse to conceal the truth—a car accident.
But she wasn’t actually in a car accident.
Based on the years of unspoken understanding between mother and daughter, Ying Miaomiao felt that Ms. Ying, the old fox, definitely knew something.
Seeing Ying Miaomiao standing at the foot of the bed in a police uniform with a solemn expression, Shi Xinyu put down her phone and affectionately rubbed her head.
Ying Miaomiao’s fur seemed to have become thicker again, soft and dense. With a little force, her fingers sank into the fur, as if falling into a ball of cotton.
Just as the kitten was about to become impatient, Shi Xinyu withdrew her hand preemptively.
Her soft, velvety fur was ruffled. Little police chief Ying Miaomiao extended her white gloves to punish the bad woman, but the bad woman actually pinched her paw pad!
…
After a night of commotion, Ying Miaomiao slept exceptionally soundly.
She dreamt she was on a boat.
The ocean was a boundless blue expanse, and she only had a small fishing boat. The mocking cries of seabirds echoed in her ears.
‘Stupid cat, can’t catch fish.’
‘Clumsy cat, can’t catch fish.’
She wasn’t a stupid cat or a clumsy cat. Ying Miaomiao clawed wildly, making the small boat rock even more. A fish jumped onto the deck by itself.
It flopped and flopped, just about to be eaten.
Until a bump.
Ying Miaomiao opened her eyes, her sapphire-blue eyes slightly glistening, like two clear lakes shrouded in a hazy mist of sleepiness.
She yawned, her ears twitching subconsciously.
Ying Miaomiao was still thinking about the fish she hadn’t managed to eat.
She was about to stretch when she realized her surroundings were a little off.
Ying Miaomiao looked down. A seatbelt was securely fastened to a dark gray blanket, and she was tightly wrapped inside that dark gray blanket.
She was sitting in the passenger seat next to Shi Xinyu.
Ying Miaomiao, who belatedly realized this, was utterly bewildered.
Didn’t they say felines are most alert when sleeping? How could she be wrapped in a blanket and driven out without noticing at all?
If she hadn’t had a dream, would she have only found out when they arrived at the destination?
Shi Xinyu was very focused on driving. She sat up straight, hands on the steering wheel, completely unable to spare any attention for Ying Miaomiao, who was constantly making small movements in the passenger seat.
She looked up.
Shi Xinyu’s fingers were slender. The sunlight passing through the car window made the hand resting on the steering wheel look like jade. Seeing she couldn’t get Shi Xinyu’s attention, Ying Miaomiao had no choice but to look around.
Shi Xinyu hadn’t turned on the navigation, but looking at the monotonous scenery outside the window, Ying Miaomiao felt she seemed to recognize this place.
The hazy sleepiness from before didn’t seem to have completely faded, and Ying Miaomiao yawned a few more times along the way.
It wasn’t until she saw a familiar high school that she realized that the familiar roads from before really weren’t her imagination.
She was very familiar with them!
Ying Miaomiao’s heart was extremely restless. She closed her mouth and stared intently at Shi Xinyu.
Strictly speaking, Shi Xinyu and she were indeed alumni, but from university. Moreover, as far as Ying Miaomiao knew, there was only one high school in town.
It wasn’t Ying Miaomiao boasting, but if someone like Shi Xinyu had existed in the high school, it would have been impossible for her not to know of Shi Xinyu’s existence.
Why was she here?
A terrifying thought suddenly occurred to Ying Miaomiao.
Was there a possibility that Shi Xinyu was going to the hospital to see the ‘Ying Miaomiao’ who was in the car accident?
Ying Miaomiao grew even more nervous. She looked at Shi Xinyu, then at the road conditions, completely flustered.
She wasn’t a cat demon from a supernatural legend who could use divine powers. She was just a couch potato forced to turn into a cat. If Shi Xinyu hadn’t adopted her, she might still be wandering outside right now, unable to even secure food and shelter.
In her anxiety, the car stopped steadily outside a small courtyard bursting with flowers.
Only when pulling the handbrake did Shi Xinyu notice that Ying Miaomiao was awake. She unbuckled her seatbelt but did not release the dark gray blanket’s restraint, holding Ying Miaomiao securely.
The moment they got out of the car, Ying Miaomiao felt the air in her hometown was excellent, much fresher than the air in the big city.
Due to the limited view while being held, Ying Miaomiao could only see Shi Xinyu’s jaw and a corner of the flower bed around the house.
Many flowers were planted in the flower bed, their fragrance overflowing. Beneath the patches of green, a blue hydrangea stood out, incredibly fresh and beautiful under the bright sun and blue sky.
Such beautiful scenery couldn’t be found at the small hospital in their town.
Half of the weight on Ying Miaomiao’s heart was lifted.
This was a small Western-style house. Although well-maintained, the traces of time were still visible. Ivy grew freely on the exterior walls, giving it a strong sense of vitality.
Shi Xinyu hugged Ying Miaomiao and opened the door with one hand. The lock emitted a ‘creak’ due to the passage of time.
The light inside the house was quite good. Dappled sunlight filtered through a thin sheer curtain, scattering onto the wooden floor.
Ying Miaomiao immediately spotted the sofa inside. A light green slipcover was draped over the corduroy sofa. It wasn’t very large but looked very soft, perfect for an afternoon nap.
She moved, wanting to get a clearer look at the furnishings and decorations inside, but Shi Xinyu was inconsiderate. She didn’t notice the kitten’s head stretching out much.
It wasn’t until they went upstairs that Ying Miaomiao’s gaze returned to Shi Xinyu. The light in the stairwell was slightly dim, but this dimness further accentuated the superiority of Shi Xinyu’s bone structure.
Her brow bone was full, her nose bridge high, and her jawline was sharp and cold, yet carried a hint of softness.
In this light, the small brown mole on the side of her nose was faintly discernible, making Ying Miaomiao want to touch it. Just looking at it, she couldn’t entirely confirm its existence.
The time spent climbing the stairs wasn’t long, only a brief ten seconds.
Ying Miaomiao looked at Shi Xinyu for ten seconds.
Upstairs, the light was noticeably better. She suddenly snapped back to reality, feeling rather uncomfortable, and instinctively burrowed back into the blanket.
The room door wasn’t locked. It made a ‘creak’ sound when opened.
The restraint on Ying Miaomiao suddenly disappeared.
She was placed out of the blanket by Shi Xinyu. When she landed, Ying Miaomiao felt a moment of wistfulness, but it was quickly replaced by curiosity.
The curtains in this room were also like those in the living room, only lightly drawn with a sheer layer to prevent the light from being too harsh.
The room was very clean, spotless.
Soft and dappled sunlight passed through the snow-white sheer curtain, falling onto the desk and then onto the kitten.
Ying Miaomiao walked forward a few steps. The slightly stinging light spots made her pupils narrow. She squinted and turned to look back at Shi Xinyu.
The kitten’s eyes were very clear, the glacier sapphire-blue color looking bottomless.
Shi Xinyu squatted down and soothingly stroked the kitten’s head. Her voice was the same as usual, but Ying Miaomiao inexplicably heard tenderness in it.
She said, “This is where I grew up.”
…
Shi Xinyu’s vacation time wasn’t short. In addition to the Qingming Festival holiday, she also took an extra four days off, making a total of seven days.
However, on the first noon they returned, Ying Miaomiao met Shi Xinyu’s grandmother.
When she returned, Ying Miaomiao was lying on the corduroy sofa she had immediately favored upon entering. A black and white kitten lying on the green slipcover was particularly conspicuous.
Ying Miaomiao was startled, instinctively sitting up, “Meow.”
Hello, Grandma.
Shi Xinyu was sitting on the sofa nearby. Seeing her grandmother return, her expression softened. She slowly walked to the entrance, taking the pot of flowers her grandmother was carrying.
“I’m back.”
Shi Xinyu ignored her grandmother’s protests and carried the flowers without question, familiar with the route, walking towards the flower stand on the other side near the window. Although the person who returned wasn’t her, her grandmother understood her intention.
“You child.”
Although it was a complaint, Ying Miaomiao could hear the affection in her grandmother’s tone.
“What is this little cat’s name? It looks quite spirited.”
Grandmother washed her hands and walked towards the sofa. Ying Miaomiao tactfully vacated the seat and let out a “Meow” towards her grandmother.
Grandma, please sit.
Kittens who respect the elderly and love the young like her are rare.
Ying Miaomiao jumped off the sofa, gesturing for her grandmother to sit.
Shi Xinyu’s hands were also stained with some soil. She washed her hands clean, only wiping them simply. Her fingertips were no longer dripping water, but they were still damp, and her knuckles and fingertips were slightly pink.
She walked to the coffee table and poured a cup of chrysanthemum tea for her grandmother. The temperature of the tea was just right, neither too hot nor too cold.
The tea tasted slightly bitter with a hint of sweetness. Chrysanthemums bloomed again in the teapot.
“Her name is Miaomiao.”
Her grandmother seemed thoughtful, and she smiled, “Do you still remember when you kept saying you wanted to raise a cat when you were little?”
Shi Xinyu’s face flushed a little. She picked Ying Miaomiao up from the floor, pretending to go upstairs, “I remember.”
“At that time, you said you were rescued by a cow cat and wanted your savior to have a home, but you never saw that cat again after that.”
Shi Xinyu turned back. She sat on the sofa, distractedly stroking Ying Miaomiao’s head.
“Miaomiao and I are destined.”
Her grandmother took a sip of chrysanthemum tea. The clear bitterness mixed with a hint of sweetness relaxed her brow. “It’s almost time for lunch. What would you and Miaomiao like to eat?”
For lunch, Shi Xinyu cooked.
With limited ingredients at home, she only made two simple home-style dishes.
Considering the elderly, Shi Xinyu made two dishes with the limited ingredients.
One was scrambled eggs with spring bamboo shoots, and the other was plain stir-fried seasonal vegetables.
The spring bamboo shoots and seasonal vegetables were both gifts from a neighbor. The seasonal vegetables were grown by the neighbor, and the spring bamboo shoots were the result of a trip to the mountain.
Both ingredients were very fresh, carrying the scent of spring.
But unfortunately, Ying Miaomiao did not have the fortune to enjoy them.
Shi Xinyu prepared a separate cat meal for her.
It was egg and pumpkin puree.
Heaven knows how much she craved the human food when comparing it to the cat food.
But Shi Xinyu was a very stubborn bad woman. She constantly kept in mind that the kitten shouldn’t eat anything too salty, strictly limiting Ying Miaomiao’s diet.
She could only eat a bite of cat food and look longingly at the human food.
After lunch, Ying Miaomiao and Shi Xinyu kept her grandmother company in the living room, chatting aimlessly for a while, which also served as digestion.
When her grandmother showed signs of tiredness, Shi Xinyu took Ying Miaomiao back to the room.
The afternoon always makes one drowsy.
The pure white sheer curtain fluttered in the breeze. The kitten lay on the desk, feeling the warm sunshine, making her body smell of the sun.
Shi Xinyu’s room was neither big nor small. On the bookshelf in the corner were some awards and certificates. Ying Miaomiao, with her sharp eyes, noticed that these awards were only from before high school.
She tapped her tail on the desk, her gaze returning to Shi Xinyu, who was lying on the single bed.
The bed set was sky blue, a girlish style, which had an oddly suitable feeling for Shi Xinyu. The sheets and duvet cover had been newly washed and smelled of the clean scent of laundry detergent.
Ying Miaomiao moved her steps, deciding to sleep in her familiar spot—next to Shi Xinyu’s pillow.
However, this single bed was vastly different from the double bed at Shi Xinyu’s place, at least for Ying Miaomiao, it was much more crowded.
Shi Xinyu was lying flat, seemingly oblivious to the glaring sunlight.
Ying Miaomiao finally found a small corner where she wouldn’t press down on Shi Xinyu’s hair. She kneaded the pillow, confirmed it was soft enough to be her cushion, and lightly settled down.
Her black fur blended with Shi Xinyu’s hair.
But Ying Miaomiao still couldn’t fall asleep. She gently rested her tail over Shi Xinyu’s eyes, and only then did she peacefully drift off.
In her dream, she caught that big fish.