Is It Male or Female?

Perhaps because the New Year had just passed, the medicine hall remained quiet. Chen Miansheng closed shop early today, and by the time dinner was ready, it was still only approaching dusk.

Since his medicine was usually taken before meals, and the food had just been prepared and was too hot to eat immediately, he first scooped a portion into the little cat’s bowl before turning to the stove to decoct the herbs.

Fei Yan glanced at Chen Miansheng’s back, then at the meal he had prepared for her, and her eyes slowly drifted to the side—where a braised pig’s trotter was placed.

That was something Chen Miansheng had bought on the way home, at her urging.

The savory aroma wafted steadily into Fei Yan’s nose. She swallowed hard, and without thinking, quietly snatched it up in her mouth and trotted over to drop it into the bowl he had filled for her.

The pig’s trotter was huge. Chen Miansheng hadn’t yet chopped it into smaller pieces. Fei Yan gnawed at it with great effort, but even after a long time, she couldn’t tear off a bite.

When Chen Miansheng finished preparing the medicine and turned around, he found the pig’s trotter had vanished.

Tilting his head slightly, he immediately spotted the fluffy rear of the little orange cat facing him, fiercely locked in a death match with the pig’s trotter.

Seeing how hard she was struggling, he let out a helpless chuckle and was about to take the trotter from her mouth when she suddenly jerked her head toward the courtyard gate.

“Someone’s here?” he asked.

Still gripping the trotter, Fei Yan managed to nod with great difficulty.

Not wanting to keep the guest waiting, Chen Miansheng gave up the idea of cutting up the pig’s trotter for now. He gave the little orange cat a quick pat on the head and got up to open the door.

To his surprise, it was Gu Wu and Wu Gang.

Gu Wu was still arguing with Wu Gang: “Brother Wu, you know my master’s condition. There’s no way he’d come open the door himself.”

But Wu Gang looked confident. “Trust me. He definitely will.”

After all, there was that little orange cat.

When the door creaked open, Gu Wu looked completely stunned. He even forgot to sign. He stared blankly at Chen Miansheng and hesitantly spoke.

“Master Chen, how come you…”

Chen Miansheng simply lifted his eyes slightly and swept his gaze over the two of them. “Is there something you need?”

Wu Gang nudged Gu Wu with his elbow. “Brother Gu, go on—tell him.”

Only then did Gu Wu come back to his senses and raise his hands to sign.

“Sir, on the way back, I ran into Brother Wu. He’s planning to take Madam Wu to the county to see a doctor. There’ll be no one to look after the kitten at home, so he hopes you can take care of it temporarily. He’ll pick it up again as soon as he returns.”

When Gu Wu’s hands stopped moving, Wu Gang knew he was done “talking” and quickly uncovered the bamboo basket he was carrying, revealing a calico cat inside.

The calico was a typical mix of black, orange, and white, no more than two or three months old. Since Wu Gang made a living fishing, he certainly hadn’t skimped on feeding it.

The kitten was chubby and healthy, but due to its age and smaller frame, it was clearly much smaller than Fei Yan.

“I named her Xiao Hua. She’s gentle, obedient, and easy to take care of. I even brought the fish she usually eats—and enough for the orange cat too. You just need to toss her two fish a day, Master Chen. Nothing else. I promise, she won’t cause you any trouble.”

Chen Miansheng didn’t answer right away. His eyes lowered slightly in thought before he suddenly asked, “May I ask, is Xiao Hua male or female?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, both Gu Wu and Wu Gang froze.

Wu Gang was the first to react. Realizing Chen Miansheng’s orange cat was a female and with spring approaching, it was only natural for him to be concerned.

So he quickly replied, “She’s a female! Definitely female.”

Satisfied with the answer, Chen Miansheng nodded. “Please wait a moment. I’ll go ask Little Orange for her opinion.”

With that, he left the door ajar and retreated back into the courtyard.

Wu Gang looked at Gu Wu in total disbelief. “Did he just say… he wants to ask that little orange cat’s opinion? Isn’t he the owner?”

Gu Wu, long used to how much his master doted on the cat, simply patted Wu Gang’s shoulder and said earnestly, “You get used to it.”

Meanwhile, the little orange cat was still battling the pig’s trotter. One paw pressed firmly on one end, and her once-clean, soft paw pads were now stained with grease. Her mouth, too, was smeared with dark sauce.

Because her fangs couldn’t tear through the meat, her face twisted into an expression of pure frustration. But she seemed completely unaware of how ridiculous she looked. At first, she had been trying to dodge Chen Miansheng out of guilt—now, she didn’t even bother moving. She just glanced up at him briefly before lowering her head to continue her epic fight with the trotter.

Chen Miansheng was amused by the little orange cat’s expression and chuckled. “Most cats just look like little flower cats, but you’ve really lived up to the name.”

Of course Fei Yan could hear the teasing in his tone. She turned her head to glare at him and was just about to flick her tail at his face when he suddenly said, “Little Orange, can I discuss something with you?”

Fei Yan looked down at the mangled pig’s trotter she’d been gnawing on, then looked up at Chen Miansheng’s smiling eyes. After a moment of thought, she released the pig’s trotter from her mouth and obediently sat in front of him, tail swaying behind her to signal, Go on, say your piece already.

Chen Miansheng chose his words carefully. “Would you like to have a playmate?”

After all, his little cat spent most of her days idle at the medicine hall. Maybe she did want a companion to pass the time.

But the next second, the little orange cat shook her head without hesitation and turned back to gnawing on her pig’s trotter.

She had thought Chen Miansheng wanted to discuss something important. So it’s just that?

With Chen Miansheng around, wasn’t that enough? What would she need a playmate for? Pig’s trotters tasted better anyway.

Chen Miansheng hadn’t expected such a firm rejection and couldn’t help but laugh. He picked her up by the scruff and turned her to face him again. “You really don’t want one? It’s a well-behaved little kitten, just like you.”

That was the wrong thing to say.

The moment she heard that, Fei Yan puffed up in alarm.

Wait a minute—Chen Miansheng has another cat outside? And she hadn’t noticed a thing?

Was it because she, Fei Mao Mao, wasn’t cute enough? Or not thoughtful enough? He actually wants to bring another cat home to raise?

No way. She hadn’t even managed to make Chen Miansheng fall for her yet, and now there’d be another cat competing for his attention? That would lower her chances of success!

The moment that thought struck, every cell in her fluffy body screamed REJECT.

She glared fiercely at Chen Miansheng, letting out a low “mrrr mrrr” growl from her throat.

If nothing else, her presence was definitely imposing.

Chen Miansheng was a bit surprised by how strongly his little cat was reacting. He rubbed her neck to soothe her and added an explanation.

“It’s Brother Wu Gang’s cat. You remember him, don’t you, Little Orange? He once brought you a carp, and just a few days ago during the New Year, you even got upset because of him.”

Of course Fei Yan remembered. That comment Wu Gang made about her being a good little flower girl? She’d remember that for life.

And she hadn’t forgotten the taste of that basket of fish either.

Upon hearing that it wasn’t a new cat that Chen Miansheng wanted to raise, Fei Yan blinked, and her bristling eased slightly.

Chen Miansheng watched her reaction closely and continued, “Brother Wu has saved up enough to take his grandmother to the prefecture for treatment. Since no one will be around to care for the kitten, he asked me to help feed it for a while.”

The little orange cat seemed to soften even more.

A smile touched Chen Miansheng’s eyes. He raised his fingers and gently wiped the marinade from the corners of the little orange cat’s mouth. “It won’t be for long. Once Brother Wu comes back, he’ll take the kitten home again.”

Fei Yan twitched her ears a couple of times.

Given the situation… it wasn’t exactly unacceptable, was it?

But then Chen Miansheng suddenly stood up and let out a soft sigh.

“Well, if Little Orange really doesn’t want to, I have no choice but to turn Brother Wu down. It’s just a shame about that big basket of fresh, plump fish he brought. I’ll have to let him take it all back.”

He had just taken a step toward the gate when he felt a faint tug on the hem of his robe.

Chen Miansheng turned his head.

The little orange cat flicked her tail to show she agreed, then immediately acted like she couldn’t care less. With the pig’s trotter back in her mouth, she turned and padded off.

Well… she was only agreeing for Wu Gang’s sake.

Yup. That was all it was.

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