Afternoon nap ended, Ying Miaomiao woke up just as evening was approaching.
Looking out the window of Shi Xinyu’s room, she could see the entire flower garden. The evening breeze was gentle, and the setting sun was accompanied by crimson rays of light. Blue hydrangeas swayed in the wind, announcing the arrival of night.
The only thing left in the room was her, a cat lying splayed out on the bed, sound asleep.
Ying Miaomiao stood up and jumped onto the desk, yawning as she faced the window. The window was still slightly ajar, and the evening breeze lifted the pure white sheer curtain, which gently brushed against her.
She quickly backed away a few steps.
Shi Xinyu had closed the door when she went out, so Ying Miaomiao could only stay inside for the time being.
Standing quietly at the window watching the scenery for a while, Ying Miaomiao suddenly felt a bit lonely. She saw pedestrians on the road chatting casually, and families walking together.
And she was just a spectator standing on the windowsill, a cat insignificant in their eyes.
The sheer curtain slapped Ying Miaomiao’s face again, and she slowly jumped down from the desk.
The pillow and the sheets seemed to still carry Shi Xinyu’s body temperature and scent, a warm, subtle fragrance of orchids.
Ying Miaomiao suddenly recalled that phone call. She was curious about Shi Xinyu’s past. For such an outstanding person, what was the reason for her long-lasting affection for someone who might not offer a future?
Ying Miaomiao’s gaze swept across the room.
The awards on the bookshelf were well-preserved, only slightly faded due to age. A vintage poster hung on the wall behind the door.
Ying Miaomiao remembered that poster. When she was just starting junior high, this singer was all the rage, and even now, she still loves listening to the songs sung by this artist.
She had an identical poster at home.
In addition—Ying Miaomiao’s gaze suddenly fixed on a instrument case in the corner.
The case was pure black, with a few sticky notes attached to it.
Ying Miaomiao jumped off the bed and walked towards the instrument case.
The sticky notes on the case seemed to have lost their stickiness too; Ying Miaomiao didn’t dare to breathe hard even from a distance.
Shi Xinyu’s handwriting was elegant and strong. The writing on the sticky notes was somewhat faded, but what drew Ying Miaomiao’s attention most was a note that read: “Difficulties come, but they pass”.
There weren’t many words on it, but it was immediately recognizable that this was not Shi Xinyu’s handwriting.
The handwriting on this note was more childish, but the writing was extremely serious, every stroke carefully placed.
This was a sticky note treasured by its owner.
It was carefully tucked into the inner layer of the instrument case, perfectly preserved while still being immediately visible.
The door suddenly opened.
The moment Shi Xinyu entered the room, she saw the kitten crouching in front of the instrument case.
She hurried over. Seeing that the sticky notes and everything else were still in place, she let out a sigh of relief and lightly traced the instrument case with her fingertips, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.
“Miaomiao, are you interested in musical instruments?”
Ying Miaomiao looked up, not replying.
Shi Xinyu smiled faintly. She tucked the sticky notes back in place and gently opened the case.
Inside the case lay a well-preserved wooden guitar.
She sat on the wooden chair by the window and casually plucked the strings a few times; it was slightly out of tune.
But Shi Xinyu had infinite patience.
Ying Miaomiao jumped back onto the windowsill. In the moonlight, she felt like she was getting to know Shi Xinyu again.
After tuning it, Shi Xinyu held the guitar across her lap. The wooden guitar was slightly dark due to its age.
Her fingers rested on the strings; her nails were cleanly trimmed, and her fingertips were slightly pink, looking even more slender in the light.
She wore no jewelry on her hands, yet they were exceptionally beautiful.
Shi Xinyu lowered her eyes slightly; her raven-like lashes cast small shadows in the light. She showed no obvious expression, yet Ying Miaomiao could inexplicably sense a trace of fond memory.
Her fingers swept across the strings, playing a familiar melody.
It was that song again.
Ying Miaomiao was utterly annoyed.
She hated herself in this state.
The next day, morning.
Ying Miaomiao woke up early.
She was in low spirits and found it hard to get excited.
So much so that she didn’t realize Shi Xinyu had woken up.
As soon as Shi Xinyu woke up, she found the kitten crouching on the desk by the window, looking outside through the glass.
She got up quietly, so as not to startle the kitten. It wasn’t until her fingertip touched the kitten that the little cat realized someone was behind her.
Ying Miaomiao froze for a moment, then gently rubbed against Shi Xinyu’s fingertip.
Shi Xinyu frowned slightly. It seemed that Miaomiao’s mood had been low since last night.
She didn’t change out of her sleepwear and sat directly on the chair, silently accompanying Ying Miaomiao to watch the sunrise outside the window.
At half past six in the morning, the sun had already risen, and the nearby streets gradually began to show signs of life. Sparrows chirped softly in the branches, mixing with the cries of street vendors.
The small town came alive.
“Miaomiao, are you not used to this place?”
Ying Miaomiao turned her head, wanting to refute.
This was the place where she grew up; how could she not be used to it? But when she opened her mouth, it was just a soft meow.
She felt even more depressed.
Ying Miaomiao played with Shi Xinyu perfunctorily for a while, then continued to gaze out the window.
She missed home a little.
…
Shi Xinyu changed her clothes and decided to take Ying Miaomiao out for a walk.
She was glad she had brought the harness and leash.
As they were about to leave, Grandma waved goodbye to both of them.
Ying Miaomiao wasn’t overly enthusiastic about going out, but she was willing to take a rare trip outside.
The moment she obediently allowed the harness to be put on, Ying Miaomiao suddenly felt a little sorrowful. She felt that she had been completely manipulated by Shi Xinyu, that bad woman.
Stepping out of the house, breathing the long-missed fresh air, Ying Miaomiao felt that it wasn’t so bad after all.
The small town’s morning was full of vitality and energy.
Shi Xinyu taking Ying Miaomiao out garnered a lot of attention. After all, people walking their dogs early in the morning were common, but people walking their cats were not.
Ying Miaomiao walked ahead of Shi Xinyu, her tail held high, the little white tip swaying rhythmically.
But when she subconsciously walked near the school, Ying Miaomiao almost wanted to tuck her tail between her legs and flee. Sometimes she really wanted to break her own legs for walking randomly.
The junior and senior high schools in their town were one campus, but divided into the junior high section and the senior high section. Ying Miaomiao had spent six long, painful years at this school.
Although there were fond memories, it was morning now.
It should be noted that while it was Shi Xinyu’s holiday, it was not the students’ holiday. The area near the school on a normal workday was full of students wearing uniforms.
An alluring aroma wafted into Ying Miaomiao’s nostrils. She suddenly began to miss the steamed buns, mantou, mixed rice noodles, and shouzhuabing (hand-grabbed pancake) from the stalls near the school gate.
She suddenly turned back, “Meow.”
Do you want to eat breakfast? The breakfast here is very delicious.
If she remembered correctly, Shi Xinyu also attended this school, and they were only three years apart in age. Ying Miaomiao thought, perhaps they had walked through the school gate at the same time.
As the number of people nearby increased, Shi Xinyu noticed the kitten’s gaze and, not minding the dirt, simply picked her up and held her in her arms.
The kitten smelled of sunshine and grass. Shi Xinyu patted Ying Miaomiao’s soft body reassuringly, “Are you scared because there are too many people?”
Ying Miaomiao had a helpless feeling, like casting a pearl before a swine. This was a breakfast gathering spot certified as delicious by her six years of hard study, but Shi Xinyu thought she was afraid of the crowd.
“Meow.”
Eat.
Shi Xinyu saw Ying Miaomiao’s eyes kept looking towards the small stalls. She paused, and said with some difficulty, “These things are high in salt, little cats can’t eat them.”
Seeing how eager Ying Miaomiao’s gaze was, she shook her head helplessly: “Big greedy cat.”
What a big greedy cat! Ying Miaomiao was furious. Shi Xinyu finally understood her meaning, but only half of it. How annoying!
That bad woman!
The moment the class bell rang, the originally bustling street instantly quieted down. Taking advantage of the empty time, Shi Xinyu finally chose a steamed bun shop.
She bought two mantou (plain steamed buns), one for herself and one for the cat.
But before feeding it to Ying Miaomiao, she cautiously searched the internet to confirm it was safe before breaking off small pieces for the kitten.
Ying Miaomiao really liked the solid texture of the mantou.
She had eaten a few pieces, and as she was opening her mouth to take another bite, the wind suddenly picked up, and a drop of rain landed in her mouth.
During the transition between spring and summer, the weather was often unpredictable.
It was clearly sunny just a moment ago, but now it suddenly changed. The wind and rain seemed to happen in an instant. Shi Xinyu quickly scooped up Ying Miaomiao, held her in her arms, and rushed home.
The small vendors also noisily scurried for cover under the eaves.
The raindrops pattered down on them, bringing a chill of spring. Ying Miaomiao was firmly protected in Shi Xinyu’s embrace, avoiding most of the rain, with only a few drops landing on her head, messing up some of her fur.
The distance from the school gate to home was not far. Shi Xinyu walked quickly, and soon she could see her house in the distance.
But there was a familiar figure at the corner.
Shi Xinyu immediately quickened her pace, worried, “Grandma, why are you out in the rain?”
Grandma was holding two umbrellas. She handed one to Shi Xinyu before smiling and saying, “To pick up my granddaughter.”
“…”
“The road is slippery when it rains, be careful not to fall.”
Ying Miaomiao poked her head out from under the umbrella. Her head was already wet from the rain, and after rubbing against Shi Xinyu’s clothes, the fur on top of her head stood up, without any shape whatsoever.
Grandma’s gaze swept over Ying Miaomiao, and she laughed, “Miaomiao looks so funny.”
Shi Xinyu looked down. Amidst Grandma’s mocking laughter, her lips were tightly pursed, trying to hold back a smile as she comforted Ying Miaomiao, “It’s very cute.”
After they got home, she finally freed a hand to gently press Ying Miaomiao’s ears, whispering, “Miaomiao can understand.”
The rain always came fast and left fast.
Soon after they got home, the drizzling rain lessened significantly.
However, Shi Xinyu and Ying Miaomiao were both soaked by the sudden rain. To avoid catching a cold, Shi Xinyu decided to bathe the kitten first.
The bathroom in the old house was smaller and didn’t offer much space to move around.
Shi Xinyu took off her jacket and pants, wearing only a T-shirt. She adjusted the water temperature and brought Ying Miaomiao into the bathroom.
It was gloomy outside, making the bathroom not very bright. Hot water created a mist, and the confined space was hazy.
Shi Xinyu’s skin was very fair, and her legs were long and straight, looking particularly translucent in the haze.
Ying Miaomiao’s small head couldn’t come up with too many descriptive words. She subconsciously dared not look.
Clearly, people wearing swimsuits at the beach exposed much more skin than Shi Xinyu did, and as a modern person, she was used to it, but… she couldn’t describe the feeling she had now.
Shi Xinyu thought Ying Miaomiao was afraid of the water. She comforted her softly. Her slender fingers traced the kitten’s fur with the water flow. For a moment, it was hard to tell which was warmer, the hot water or the tremble she felt.
The hot water was poured on the back of her neck by those hands; the water flowed gently. Ying Miaomiao was restless, not daring to look back at Shi Xinyu.
She was afraid that one glance would remind her of last time.
But even without looking, she could imagine the way those hands swept across her fur, and she could recall the beautiful curves and Shi Xinyu’s smooth, moist skin.
The bath was long; every minute and every second seemed to be torment for Ying Miaomiao.
She couldn’t control her own mind.
The hot water left her.
But the slight friction sound of clothing behind her made her body stiffen. She could clearly guess Shi Xinyu’s every move.
Steam filled the air, and water dripped.
A long time passed.
The sound of water stopped. Shi Xinyu wrapped Ying Miaomiao in a towel.
Her hair was wet, her pale face had a blush, and small drops of water slid down her slender neck.
It wasn’t until she was out of the bathroom that Ying Miaomiao dared to open her eyes.
Shi Xinyu, as usual, first used a hairdryer to dry Ying Miaomiao’s fur.
The gradually drying and expanding fur seemed to bring back a shred of Ying Miaomiao’s rationality. She looked away, letting Shi Xinyu dry her fur without a word.
She felt a moment of confusion.
What was wrong with her?
Her heart was pounding so fast, so hot.