Zhu Mao took off his coat, wrapped up the cat in it and carried it back home.
After arriving home, he and Chen Qianqing looked for a cardboard box to put the cat in; then, they searched on the Internet how to take care of it.
Kittens cannot drink cow’s milk, one shouldn’t rush to give them a bath; preferably, they should be taken to a vet’s clinic for a check up, then be vaccinated.
Since they didn’t have goat’s milk, Zhu Mao and Chen Qianqing
(1.)
had to go to the shop next to school to buy Shuhua milk(1.) and feed the kitten.
The cat did appear to be incredibly hungry: while Zhu Mao used a spoon to feed it little by little, it didn’t make a sound. It drank until its stomach was full, then stopped.
After seeing that it was full, Zhu Mao spoke. “You keep an eye on it first, I’m going to prepare the ingredients.”
Chen Qianqing, who was watching the now satiated cat, hummed.
The kitten was dirty at that moment, but the color of its fur
(2.)
should have been similar to pear blossoms(2.). It was calmly laying down on its stomach inside the box, completely ignoring Chen Qianqing’s gaze.
Chen Qianqing looked at the cat and suddenly petted its head.
The cat let itself be petted, even raising its head while meowing in a spoiled way. Right now, it was still too small, so its meow wasn’t as clear-sounding as that of older cats.
Chen Qianqing extended his hand and expressionlessly poked its nose. “It’s really dirty.”
Naturally, the kitten didn’t understand what he was saying. Rather, it stumbled forward and rubbed its nose against Chen Qianqing’s index finger, then with keen pleasure the cat sucked it.
Chen Qianqing, “…”
Actually, Zhu Mao was a bit worried that the kitten would disturb Chen Qianqing, considering that he didn’t really like cats. In addition, when you encounter a newborn, they are likely to be noisier and, needless to say, dirtier.
When he came out with the ingredients, he saw Chen Qianqing playing with the kitten. After eating until its stomach was round, it was currently stumbling along inside the cardboard box.
Chen Qianqing, “This cat - let me adopt it.”
Zhu Mao’s eyes widened. “Didn’t you dislike small animals?”
He was worried because Chen Qianqing had clearly said it before.
Chen Qianqing was silent for a moment, then he said, “I didn't like them before, but now I do.”
Zhu Mao didn’t ask any further questions, as he felt that when Chen Qianqing talked about this matter his mood wasn’t very good. “The hot pot is ready. Do you want to eat the ingredients in the soup or do we take them out?”
Chen Qianqing glanced at the ingredients Zhu Mao was holding. “Doesn’t matter.”
He himself didn't like garlic, but since the original did, whether he ate it or not didn’t matter.
On the issue of the cat, Chen Qianqing hesitated. He knew that the original Chen Qianqing didn’t like small animals because he liked cleanliness. He couldn’t stand large amounts of cat fur in the room, and it was even more impossible to clean up their droppings. Due to this, Lu Zhengfei never got to adopt a pet.
Lu Zhengfei liked pets. Cats were good, dogs were also good; he liked them all.
So when Chen Qianqing saw Zhu Mao bring the cat home, he hesitated.
He clearly knew that if he didn’t adopt it, Zhu Mao would find someone near the school who would. However, when he saw the cat sucking on his index finger, Chen Qianqing decided – it was a strange feeling that he had never experienced. The cat was soft; even though it was very dirty, he still felt drawn to it. After thinking about it for a long time, Chen Qianqing still wanted to adopt it.
The ingredients for the hotpot were bought at the supermarket; it was convenient and the taste was richer. Chen Qianqing didn’t eat much, but Zhu Mao was very happy.
Chen Qianqing, “I’ll ask the landlord tomorrow if we can keep a cat here. If not, we will move to a different apartment.” Or ask Lu Zhengfei to buy one.
Zhu Mao, “Qianqing, thank you.”
Chen Qianqing laughed and didn’t say anything.
After eating dinner, the cat was already sleepy. It was balled up in old clothes, its stomach rising and falling as it breathed. It looked especially cute.
Chen Qianqing observed it for a while, then went to sleep.
On the second day, Chen Qianqing skipped morning classes, found a vet clinic and brought the cat in for a check-up.
Zhu Mao wanted to come along, but Chen Qianqing told him to go back.
Letting a star student skip class was cruel, especially for those like Zhu Mao who relied on scholarships. Chen Qianqing wasn’t like those young people who were swayed by their emotions - he knew that everyone had their own way of living.
The cat wasn’t even a month old. It wobbled while it walked and its teeth had just grown in.
The vet looked at the kitten; he was obviously very experienced with cats. “Is it a stray? It’s still thirty days old…still in the nursing period.”
Chen Qianqing nodded.
Even if the cat was too small to take a bath it was extremely dirty, so the vet gave his permission. It was best that they used warm water to avoid the kitten getting a cold. After the bath, they could then check for worms, and vaccinate it.
Generally, vet clinics don’t bathe cats: cats are not like dogs, they scratch people. At first, Chen Qianqing expected that the vet would bathe it, but the latter rolled up his sleeves and revealed red marks that hadn't yet faded. He had an expression that conveyed, “You can understand.”
Chen Qianqing was silent for a while, then he picked up the kitten and brought it back. He also bought a cat bed, litter and food, and had them sent over.
When they got home, Chen Qianqing readied the bath, wore rubber gloves and led the cat to the bathroom. The cat meowed, seemingly unaware of what was about to happen.
Chen Qianqing wrinkled his brow. He put the cat in the basin and checked if the temperature of the water was alright. Once it was, he slowly poured water over the cat.
Cats generally feared water. The cat meowed sadly: its wet appearance made it look even more pitiful and funny. But no matter how pitiful, it was bathed because its fur was too dirty.
Chen Qianqing ended up with two basins worth of dirty water; only after the third did the water run clean.
The cat also adapted quickly: at first it was meowing frantically, until finally settling down and calmly resting its head on the basin and closing its eyes.
Chen Qianqing looked at the cat’s appearance and realized that
(3.)
he hadn’t given it a name yet. He pondered for a while and named it, “From now on, you’ll be called… Xiao Hua(3.)?”
Cat, “…”
Chen Qianqing, “Mhm, from now on, you’ll be Xiao Hua.”
After the bath, Chen Qianqing wrapped the cat - no! - Xiao Hua in a towel to wipe away most of the water, then began to use a hairdryer.
The hairdryer was a bit loud, so Xiao Hua was shivering slightly.
But before Xiao Hua was done drying, someone rang the doorbell. Chen Qianqing first thought that Zhu Mao had come home. However, when he opened the door he saw an acquaintance. To be precise, it was an acquaintance from his former life.
The person outside the door was smiling gently. He looked like the gentlemanly kind, refined and cultivated. “May I ask if you are Chen Qianqing?”
(4.)
Chen Qianqing, “…” He had almost called him “ge(4.)”!
There was no mistaking it, the person standing outside the door was Ruan Wenhong.
Ruan Wenhong focused on the cat Chen Qianqing was holding in h
(5.)
is arms.
He said, “Hello, I’m Lu Zhengfei’s cousin(5.), Ruan Wenhong.”
Chen Qianqing took a step back. “Come inside.”
Ruan Wenhong came inside and even closed the door.
Chen Qianqing, “You sit on the couch, while I finish blow-drying Xiao Hua.”
Ruan Wenhong had a strange look on his face when he heard Chen Qianqing’s words. He felt that Chen Qianqing was really strange. Usually people would ask what he came for, but Chen Qianqing didn’t. Instead, he let him inside, led him to the living room and then went to blow-dry the cat first.
Ruan Wenhong didn't mind much. He guessed that Lu Zhengfei gave Chen Qianqing a heads-up; this was better, since it meant he could skip the backstory.
Chen Qianqing finished blow-drying Xiao Hua and brought it back to the living room.
Ruan Wenhong had been sitting on the couch for ten minutes already. He saw Chen Qianqing finally come out and opened his mouth to ask, “Can I have a bit of your time? I want to chat with you.”
Chen Qianqing glanced at him and sat on the couch, opposite Ruan Wenhong. “Okay.”
(6.)
Ruan Wenhong, “Mr. Chen, I know that you and my didi(6.), Lu Zhengfei, are together at the moment.”
Chen Qianqing looked at Ruan Wenhong and waited for his next words.
Ruan Wenhong, “I also know that you aren’t doing it out of your own will. If I gave you a chance to leave him, would you be willing?”
If it were the real Chen Qianqing, perhaps he would consider agreeing to Ruan Wenhong’s proposal. However, the current Chen Qianqing would absolutely refuse it, because he knew that this Ruan Wenhong who sat in front of him was truly an abominable man.
Ruan Wenhong was a good cousin. He agreed to a lot of things Lu Zhengfei asked for, but he absolutely wasn’t a good business partner.
Chen Qianqing didn’t know what he was planning. He only knew that Ruan Wenhong wouldn’t act like this just for Chen Qianqing.
Chen Qianqing, “Can you really help me leave him?”
Ruan Wenhong, “Of course, I too don’t want to see Lu Zhengfei do these kinds of things. Actually, I feel extremely apologetic in regard to matters involving you.”
Before coming, Ruan Wenhong had clearly asked around about things related to Chen Qianqing. From what he could tell, Chen Qianqing couldn’t be anything more than a naive and uncomplicated twenty-something student. It would be simpler for Chen Qianqing if he agreed.
Chen Qianqing revealed a smile that wasn’t a smile. “So, what do you plan to do with me?”
Ruan Wenhong, “It’s like this - if you stay here, Lu Zhengfei will definitely be able to find you. I can make arrangements for you to study abroad. If you agree…”
Chen Qianqing interrupted Ruan Wenhong. “You mean to say you’ll let me go? Which country?”
Ruan Wenhong, “I think Country A isn’t too bad.”
Chen Qianqing expressionlessly looked at Ruan Wenhong. “Country A?”
Ruan Wenhong, “Yes. At the moment, Country A looks like the best choice.”
Chen Qianqing didn’t speak. Ruan Wenhong had said enough. Given his status, he should already know that Country A would soon experience a large turmoil, to the point of harming Chinese lives. However, he proposed that Chen Qianqing go to Country A! He still dared to say that Country A was the best choice?
These words troubled Chen Qianqing deeply. In fact, they were pushing Chen Qianqing into an abyss. If Ruan Wenhong could arrange an accident and say that Chen Qianqing died, no matter how sad he was Lu Zhengfei would eventually forget him.
It was a pity. Ruan Wenhong thought he understood Lu Zhengfei, but he didn’t know his own cousin’s true movements.
Footnotes:
‘Shuhua milk’ - it is a common lactose-free Chinese milk brand, since a good portion of the population is lactose intolerant.
‘Pear Blossoms’ - the raws say 狸花, but since that isn’t a real thing I think the author made a typo and meant to write 梨花. They’re both read as ‘li hua’; the ‘li’ means racoon or tanuki, so the cat might be colored that way or white.
‘Xiao Hua’ - a literal translation would be ‘Small Flower’, but since it’s a name I’ll keep it as pinyin.
‘Ge’ - 哥 older brother.
'Cousin' - he’s Lu Zhengfei’s older cousin; he refers to himself as “his father’s brother’s son”.