How Lucky She, Fei Yan, Is 

Seeing the little orange cat like this, Chen Miansheng couldn’t help but chuckle and coaxed softly, “Alright, I’ll buy it for you on the way back later. Be good, Little Orange.” 

But Gu Wu furrowed his brows slightly and signed with his hands, “Young Master, it’s already this late. The market on East Street should be closed.” 

Chen Miansheng replied, “It’s fine. I’ll take another street back today with Little Orange. Xiao Wu, you don’t have to come with me. Go back and rest.” 

Gu Wu didn’t respond right away. He stood in place and thought for a moment, then asked, “Young Master, you’re planning to take the side street today?” 

Dongfeng Town was divided into four main streets. Both East Street and the side street led to Chen Miansheng’s small courtyard — one was closer, the other farther. 

What made the side street special was its night market. Occasionally, some vendors would still be selling things there. Chen Miansheng had always rushed home in the past, so he’d never taken Fei Yan there to stroll. Today was the perfect opportunity to finally have a look around. 

Chen Miansheng gave a quiet “Mm” in acknowledgment. 

He glanced at the sky, then back at Gu Wu. “It’s getting late. Your place is in the opposite direction. You should head back early.” 

Upon hearing this, Gu Wu didn’t insist further. He bowed respectfully to Chen Miansheng and said, “Then I shall take my leave.” 

Winter days always turned dark early. The side street wasn’t as lively as East Street, and since it was already evening, there were barely any people around. 

Fortunately, they came across a butcher’s stall that hadn’t yet packed up. Chen Miansheng bought two jin of pork and, at the little orange cat’s “strong request,” added half a jin of ribs and beef. With both hands full, he headed back toward the courtyard. 

Since Chen Miansheng couldn’t carry her like this, Fei Yan very sensibly jumped to the ground and walked beside him. 

Just as they neared the end of the side street, Fei Yan caught something in her peripheral vision and was instantly distracted. 

It was a mobile stall run by an elderly woman, her hair white with age. In front of her were handmade items woven from bamboo strips: bamboo dragonflies, parrots, baskets — all sorts of things. 

Fei Yan wasn’t interested in these, of course. The real problem was the bamboo tube beside the stall, filled with slender reed decorations. As the cool breeze blew, the reeds swayed gently. 

Ordinarily, Fei Yan wouldn’t be interested in something like that. But unfortunately, the tips of those reeds had bird feathers tied to them — they looked exactly like cat teasers. 

The cat instincts inside her were instantly triggered. With a loud “meow,” she spun around and leapt toward the reeds without thinking. 

The old woman was startled. Once she saw who it was, she smiled kindly. “Oh, where did this little cat come from?” 

Chen Miansheng had walked quite a few steps before realizing his cat was missing. His heart skipped a beat as he turned quickly — and there she was, completely absorbed in playing with the reeds at someone else’s stall, utterly unwilling to budge. 

He let out a helpless laugh, turned back, and bowed apologetically to the old woman. “Sorry, I didn’t keep an eye on her. I’ve troubled you.” 

The old woman replied, “It’s no trouble at all. I love cats, too. Young man, your cat is such a sweet one.” 

Though she said a whole lot, all Chen Miansheng could do was watch her cracked lips move, unable to hear a word, and feel slightly exasperated. 

Seeing that the old woman didn’t look angry, he guessed she wasn’t upset with his cat. He gave her a polite smile, freed one hand, and bent down to lift Little Orange Cat by the scruff. “Be good, Little Orange. Time to go home.” 

Fei Yan was totally absorbed in playing with the reed. She jumped up and bit the tip of the reed, then landed on the ground, refusing to let go even when lifted by the scruff. 

The feather stuck out of her mouth, and her big, shiny black eyes blinked innocently. She looked both silly and adorable. 

Faced with such a little cat, Chen Miansheng truly had no way to deal with her. After a moment of thought, he simply crouched down to her level and asked, “Little Orange, do you like the reed?” 

The little orange cat nodded, then shook her head. 

Fei Mao Mao liked the teaser. What did that have to do with Fei Yan? 

Chen Miansheng raised an eyebrow and flicked her head lightly, chuckling. “So which is it? Nodding and shaking?” 

Fei Yan hesitated for half a second. In the end, she gave in to the cat instincts in her body and nodded. 

Understanding her now, Chen Miansheng looked up at the elderly woman. “How much for this?” 

Then, as if remembering something, he quickly added, “Ah, sorry. I can’t hear, could you kindly show me with your fingers?” 

The old woman paused for a moment, then a trace of pity crossed her face. She held up three fingers. “Three wen.” 

Chen Miansheng paused briefly while reaching for his money pouch. “You mean… it only costs three wen?” 

The old woman smiled and nodded. 

Even knowing he couldn’t hear, she continued speaking anyway. “This kind of handiwork isn’t worth much. If I charged more, no one would buy them. I don’t have many skills, so I make these little things to help cover the cost of medicine.” 

Still holding the reed in her mouth, Fei Yan turned to look at the old woman upon hearing the word medicine. 

Medicine? Does the old lady have someone sick at home? 

Maybe sensing the little cat’s gaze, the old woman bent down slightly and placed her rough, calloused hand on her head. 

“Little cat, you must take good care of your master, alright? Unlike this old lady… I don’t know how much longer I can stay by my old man’s side.” 

Those words hit Fei Yan like a blow to the chest. She suddenly felt a tightness that wouldn’t go away. 

She hadn’t personally performed surgery before crossing over, but she’d witnessed enough life-and-death partings as a student under her mentor. Yet this old woman could talk about such a cruel reality with such calmness. 

After a few seconds of hesitation, she trotted back to Chen Miansheng, lifted her paw to tug at his robe, then returned to the old woman’s stall and patted each of the little crafts with her paw pads. 

Chen Miansheng tilted his head slightly. The unspoken understanding between them let him grasp her intention right away. “You like all of these, Little Orange?” 

Fei Yan licked her lips and wagged her tail despite her conscience. 

Of course, she wasn’t interested in the other little trinkets, but if Chen Miansheng could buy a few more, the old woman could earn a few more coins. Maybe, by scraping together enough, she’d be able to buy a few more sets of herbs. 

After all, there were already so many things she was hiding from Chen Miansheng — one more wouldn’t matter. 

With that thought, Fei Yan uneasily lifted her little cat head and stole a glance or two at Chen Miansheng, worried he might refuse. 

Chen Miansheng lowered his eyes, his jet-black hair falling to obscure half his face, making it difficult for Fei Yan to read his expression. 

Several seconds passed before she heard him let out a soft laugh and say, “Good cat.” 

Having spent this much time with the little orange cat, Chen Miansheng had become quite familiar with how his cat expressed emotions. So he naturally understood that she wasn’t actually interested in the things she’d just pointed at. 

As for why she insisted on pointing them out anyway — it likely had something to do with whatever words he hadn’t been able to hear earlier. The answer was obvious. 

Truthfully, even if the little orange cat hadn’t asked, Chen Miansheng had already planned to do the same thing. 

Although he couldn’t hear the old woman’s words and didn’t know exactly what had prompted the little cat’s reaction, that didn’t mean he hadn’t made his own judgment. 

It was the coldest part of winter, and the old woman, already advanced in age, was standing on a side street trying to sell these small trinkets. Who knew how long it would take before she made a sale? 

If she were to fall ill because of it, that would be a true loss. 

Facing the old woman’s confused gaze, Chen Miansheng gave a slight smile. “Ma’am, how much are all the items my cat pointed to just now?” 

The old woman opened her mouth, then switched to gesturing a few seconds later: “Thirty-six coins.” 

Chen Miansheng nodded and took out a piece of broken silver, handing it to the old woman. 

The moment the old woman saw the silver, she panicked. “Young man, what are you doing? I don’t have enough change for that! Take it back, take it back!” 

Even though he couldn’t hear him, Chen Miansheng could guess about seventy to eighty percent of what the old man meant. His expression remained calm, his tone steady. “Ma’am, I’ve spent all my coins. This piece of silver is all I have left. Please accept it.” 

Fei Yan nodded in firm agreement — exactly, exactly! 

After a brief pause, he added, “Besides, my cat doesn’t know how to be gentle. It’s only a matter of time before she breaks something you’ve made. I’ll come back and buy more then. Consider the extra payment an advance — is that alright?” 

Fei Yan froze: “?” 

What do you mean she doesn’t know how to be gentle? She, Fei Cat, is the gentlest and most good-tempered cat in the whole world, alright? 

But when the old woman looked at her hesitantly, she flinched, then darted her eyes wildly over the various trinkets. Without thinking, she lifted her paw and gave a bamboo dragonfly a sharp swipe. 

To be fair, the scratch was actually pretty deep. 

At the same time, she heard a muffled chuckle come from Chen Miansheng behind her. 

She immediately turned her head and glared at him, waving her paw in warning. 

What are you laughing at? All of that was just to go along with your nonsense. 

In any case, whether it was Chen Miansheng’s words that convinced him, or the old woman was persuaded by the cat’s destructive power, she fell silent for a while. Then she finally nodded, accepted the silver, and said, “Thank you.” 

Fei Yan wagged her tail at the old woman, as if to say, “No need to thank me.” 

Naturally, Chen Miansheng didn’t know what was exchanged between the old woman and his little cat. After stashing the few little items in his sleeve, he clasped his hands in farewell and turned to leave. 

The man and the cat left the side street one after the other. The streets were empty, the sky had darkened, and only soft snow continued to fall. 

Worried the cat might not keep up, Chen Miansheng deliberately slowed his steps to match her pace. 

As they neared the courtyard, Fei Yan suddenly paused. 

It was Thirteen, reminding her in her mind that the cooldown time for the “Siren’s Three Sentences” was over. 

She tilted her ear thoughtfully, then looked around to make sure no one was nearby. Confirming they were alone, she darted in front of Chen Miansheng and blocked his path. 

Chen Miansheng came to a halt and looked down at his cat, asking patiently, “What is it?” 

Fei Yan drooped her tail at him, motioning for him to lean down a bit. 

And to his credit, Chen Miansheng understood what she meant and bent down slightly. “Like this?” 

Fei Yan nodded, focused her gaze, then suddenly pushed off hard with her hind legs and leapt straight onto Chen Miansheng’s shoulder. 

Even though Chen Miansheng had mentally prepared himself, the weight of the little orange cat still caught him off guard and made him stumble forward a bit. 

He let out a surprised laugh and barely managed to steady himself. “What are you up to, Little Orange?” 

Fei Yan didn’t respond right away. She licked her lips, and then — in that long-absent soft, girlish voice — she quietly said, “Hey?” 

Once she was sure it worked, she leaned in, nuzzled her fluffy little head against Chen Miansheng’s cheek, then moved to his ear and solemnly whispered two words: 

“Thank you.” 

It was the “thank you” the old woman hadn’t been able to say — and also the “thank you” Fei Yan had long wanted to say from the bottom of her heart. 

How wonderful. 

That in this strange world, she had met someone as good and gentle as Chen Miansheng. 

There was only one Chen Miansheng in the whole world, and she was lucky enough to run into him. 

How fortunate she, Fei Yan, truly was.