Milk Pudding
Li Qing: “The person across from us, is that the one?”
Lin Qiang: “Who?”
Li Qing: “The one with the very unusual name, 315, that owner.”
Lin Qiang: “Oh, the one who came last week and paid twice, Miss Situ, right? Where is she?”
Li Qing: “There, the cafe across the street, by the window.”
Lin Qiang: “Oh, right. Not gonna lie, her side profile is pretty nice.”
Li Qing: “I’ve actually seen her several times. She sits there a lot.”
Lin Qiang: “Isn’t today Thursday? People don’t work on weekdays?”
Li Qing: “Did you forget? She said she’s a designer, one of those high-end industries, so she probably doesn’t sit in an office every day. And the main thing is…”
Lin Qiang: “What’s the main thing?”
Li Qing: “She keeps looking this way.”
Lin Qiang: “Looking at what?”
Li Qing: “Who knows, tell me… do you think she’s looking at Dr. Liang?”
Lin Qiang: “No way, that, like, secret crush thing? That’s way too out there.”
Li Qing: “I remember that last time she came for the shot, she insisted on booking with Dr. Liang both times.”
Lin Qiang: “That was because her calico had been abused and panicked when it saw Dr. Lei, there was no helping it. Old Lei said so.”
Li Qing: “And she even held a number for the second shot. Oh, it’s been two weeks already, isn’t it about time?”
Lin Qiang: “You reminded me, when the system opens on the weekend I need to book her in.”
Book her in for three-thirty.
On a weekday, Friday afternoon, Situ Yuwan arrived on time with 315.
315 was very cooperative today, not hiding or running, just behaving in the cat bag.
On the drive to the hospital, they hit a red light. Situ Yuwan parked, thought it over and over, and finally poked the cat bag on the passenger seat. “You little guy, you know you’re seeing Dr. Liang, so you’re this enthusiastic today? Not scared of Dr. Lei anymore? You’re really happy, aren’t you.”
315 yawned with its paws tucked in.
When the light turned green, Situ Yuwan smiled too. She thought 315 was adorable.
In Exam Room 107, Dr. Liang wore a light blue mask and sat in front of the computer, the cursor skimming over 315’s file. Hearing the knock, she said, “Come in,” and waited until Situ Yuwan sat down in front of her.
There was a moment of silence. The owner did not greet her, so she did not either.
She looked at Situ Yuwan once, then lowered her head to look at the cat. Liang Zishu opened the cat bag, naturally and skillfully rubbed 315’s head, and softly called its name. After looking for a while, she said, “It’s fatter.”
Situ Yuwan said, “Yeah, it was way too skinny before. It was really small when I first brought it home.”
Liang Zishu lifted 315’s belly, smoothed its fur, running her hand all the way down to its tail. Feeling that 315’s coat had also grown much thicker, she said to Situ Yuwan, “You’ve taken very good care of it.”
Situ Yuwan looked at Liang Zishu and smiled. “But I don’t think its cheeks have filled out much. I see other people’s cats online, they’re all such fluffy little balls, so cute.”
Liang Zishu said, “Calicos don’t usually get really jowly. Or you can try switching to a high-protein cat food.”
She took the cat out, and 315 lay limp and soft in her palm, rubbing against her. Liang Zishu hooked a finger under its chin while stroking Situ Yuwan’s cat, still asking Situ Yuwan questions. “Did it finish the treats you bought last time?”
Situ Yuwan said, “Yes.”
Liang Zishu started preparing. The metal box came out, and then the sound of the plastic gloves tightening over skin. She kept talking to Situ Yuwan. “Any picky eating?”
Situ Yuwan said, “It doesn’t really like the blue can.”
With one hand on the syringe, Liang Zishu could still talk to her. “The blue one is beef, with a fairly high organ content. Xiaolin gave you the gold can, which is tuna, and the white can is chicken breast. It probably doesn’t like the fishy smell, so it’ll prefer chicken more. Next time you can try some freeze-dried treats and ready-to-eat chicken breast. If you have the conditions, you can cook it yourself too.”
And Situ Yuwan froze there.
She thought, Time has passed and she’s paying such close attention, Dr. Liang.
She saw the half-finished cup of coconut cold brew in the corner of the desk on the other side.
On Liang Zishu’s side, things were already moving. This time she did not ask Situ Yuwan to hold the cat. 315 did not resist Liang Zishu at all, the shot went in very quickly, and after a couple of sentences it was already over. Then she pushed back with her legs, rolled her chair away from the desk, and started cleaning up.
“Have Xiaolin switch the salmon cat sticks from last time to shredded chicken, and pick out some freeze-dried treats, and that’s pretty much it.” As she spoke, she casually took a few milk puddings from the shelf and put them into the side pocket of the cat bag, then lifted 315 back in and continued, “Oh, remember to tell her to hold a number for you.”
After the cat bag zipper was closed, Liang Zishu looked up. Having not heard a single word from the owner the whole time, her gaze asked a question.
When Situ Yuwan saw Liang Zishu’s eyes, those almond-shaped eyes with double lids and very long lashes, warm and calm, her gaze deep and moving, she realized her own breathing had gone a little heavy, then came back to herself. “Oh…”
Liang Zishu brought the cat bag over and set it in front of her, then stopped moving. Situ Yuwan quickly understood what that meant, but why was this process different from last time?
Then the door sounded.
Liang Zishu’s gaze followed the sound away from Situ Yuwan’s eyes and toward the door in the distance. She knew who it was, and still answered softly, “Come in.”
Lin Qiang opened the door but did not come in, only poked her head in and lowered her voice to Liang Zishu. “Dr. Liang, Dami is here. Miss Fang is in the waiting area. Are you done on this side?”
Liang Zishu did not answer right away.
Xiaolin was sharp-eyed. Seeing that the cat was already back in the bag, she knew the shot had already been given, and added, “Um… she booked for three forty-five.”
Oh, only fifteen minutes.
Liang Zishu said, “Let her in.”
Situ Yuwan gave a silent laugh, instantly understanding that this was what it meant to be squeezed in. No small talk, no comfort, no praise. Right off the bat, it was just aftercare instructions, because she wouldn’t be leaving the exam room with her.
But she knew perfectly well that two minutes ago, when 315 had finished the shot, she had not left because she was waiting for Dr. Liang to stand up together with her.
She should have just booked it herself through the mini program. As expected, people really can’t just use backdoor favors carelessly.
She asked, “Doesn’t it need to be observed?”
Lin Qiang answered first, “It’s like this, we usually take them to the boarding room.” In fact, cats basically never stayed in the exam room for observation.
Situ Yuwan stood up and answered readily, “Okay.”
Lin Qiang backed out. “Then I’ll notify Miss Fang.” She turned and shut the door.
Liang Zishu raised her eyes at Situ Yuwan. “It’s fine, you can stay here too.”
Situ Yuwan kept a polite, courteous smile, but still lifted the cat bag. “No need to trouble Dr. Liang, right?”
Liang Zishu was silent for a moment. Situ Yuwan tossed out, “We’ll head out first.” The other gave a hum. She opened the exam room door, and Lin Qiang and Miss Fang happened to arrive just then. They met in the hallway, and Xiaolin told Situ Yuwan, “Please wait a moment, I’ll take you to the boarding room.”
Situ Yuwan walked a couple of steps away to wait, and heard the two people talking inside the exam room.
The lively Miss Fang was bright and breezy. “Long time no see, Dr. Liang!”
Dr. Liang smiled at her too and answered, “Hello, Xiaofang. Let me see Dami.”
Miss Fang said, “Dami’s gotten much naughtier. Recently it’s been racing all over the house.”
Dr. Liang said, “Then why is it still this heavy? Its exercise still isn’t enough.”
Miss Fang said, “It’s not moving around now though. See, I told you, Dami always behaves itself the moment it sees you.”
Dr. Liang laughed, her voice cut off by the door. Lin Qiang came out from inside, and the four of them were separated inside and outside.
Lin Qiang led Situ Yuwan along. “This way to the boarding room. You can sit in the lounge area for a bit.”
Situ Yuwan said, “Okay.”
The boarding room was on the street side and very large, with transparent glass. Across from it was Shock Cafe. As soon as you went in, there were several cat trees, and one whole wall of raw wood cubbies. There was no shortage of water or food, and a lot of cats and small dogs too, some sleeping in the cubbies, others chasing and wrestling outside.
There weren’t many rules here. The cats and dogs were free-range, a bit like a cattery, letting anyone come in and pet them at will.
315 was timid around strangers. Situ Yuwan thought it probably wouldn’t want to come out, so she just set down the cat bag and found a corner to sit cross-legged on the floor, not going to the lounge area.
Last time, she hadn’t gone to the lounge area either. Back then, even the back-and-forth for payment had taken fifteen minutes. When she returned to 107, Liang Zishu was no longer seeing patients. She was at her workstation typing on the computer, occasionally browsing documents that looked like professional literature. Situ Yuwan just sat beside her stroking 315’s fur, and Liang Zishu taught her that the area around a kitten’s nape would swell up a little, and she could try massaging the cat there. The three of them, two people and one cat, stayed so quietly in one room, not disturbing each other, nor being disturbed by anyone else. It was peaceful and very comfortable. Then after another fifteen minutes, once Situ Yuwan had observed for a while and confirmed that 315 had no particularly obvious symptoms, she got up and left on her own.
Yes, back then she had been pretty satisfied. Yes, she had also been holding onto the expectation that this time would be the same.
She let her gaze drift across the road to the seat she always sat in at the cafe opposite, and right now it was empty.
She had accidentally thought she and Dr. Liang were very familiar with each other.
Why? Because of comforting the owner, because of the backdoor slot, because of that smile when 315 was pretending to get vaccinated, because of “You’ve taken very good care of it,” because the blue can was beef, the gold can tuna, and the white can chicken. Dizzy and muddled, Situ Yuwan felt she had been a little presumptuous. She had treated Dr. Liang a little specially, and then mistakenly thought the two of them had some different kind of magnetic field. But in reality, they simply were not equal to each other at all.
Dr. Liang had never said hello, little Situ, had never once called her name, had no idea what her name even was from one minute to the next.
Who are you anyway? Open the file and take a look, 315’s mom.
Situ Yuwan opened the cat bag pocket and took out the little puddings, flipping through them for a while. White ones, very small, one each, goat milk pudding.
She put them into the tote bag that held her laptop, not forgetting to mutter with a touch of complaint.
“At least give me something humans can eat.”
Twenty minutes later, Situ Yuwan went outside to the front desk, paid according to procedure, and bought the new cat snacks according to Dr. Liang’s instructions. When the time came, she walked toward the hospital exit, the semi-automatic glass doors, and reached out to press the open button. She vaguely heard a door behind her open, but she did not turn back.