The spot where the little white cat stood was originally a high platform for growing flowers and plants. Some flowers liked to climb, while others drooped, so the wooden platform in front of us was uneven, with the highest level slightly taller than the courtyard wall.

The villa had changed owners, and the flowers on the racks had been moved away, leaving it bare.

Song Suiyuan had only given a few more instructions to the gatekeeper, and he was a step late. By the time he entered the villa, Ah Yan was nowhere to be seen.

His brows just furrowed when a “meow~” came from above.

Song Suiyuan looked up, his expression helpless: “What are you doing up there?”

Looking afar.

“Meow~” Ah Yan replied, taking a few steps back into a small patch of shadow.

Looking up, the vast blue sky was dotted with slowly drifting white clouds. To the left was a view of the entire wild garden, and to the right, the green mountains and carriages. But Ah Yan wasn’t interested in these; he had only come up and discovered two children secretly grilling fish by the lake while all the adults were busy.

Just wait a little longer, until the fish is cooked, and the cat will go and snatch it.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

The children grill fish, and the cat waits behind.

Flower racks were rare in the city, and Song Suiyuan thought the little cat wanted to see something new. He waited for it for a while, but Ah Yan showed no sign of coming down, so he had to urge it once.

Ah Yan lazily meowed, the fish was being turned over, almost ready.

It did respond, sounding in a good mood. Song Suiyuan couldn’t understand cat language, but knowing it was fine, he let it play by itself.

The steward came forward to greet him and guided the young master to the dining hall. Song Suiyuan briefly recognized a few faces, exchanged some pleasantries, and the lunch was just ready, being served one after another.

The aroma of the dishes intertwined, fresh and fragrant, very appetizing. Song Suiyuan, who was quite picky about food, had been hungry for a while, and the smell made his mouth water. He tasted each dish, particularly fond of a cold wild vegetable dish, eating more than half of it.

As his stomach gradually filled, Song Suiyuan put down his chopsticks and asked, “What is this dish?”

The steward eagerly introduced, “It’s a wild vegetable native to Sanghua Mountain, called ‘bitter leaf’ by the locals. It has an appetite-enhancing effect and is in season now. If you like it, young master, I can have someone dig more for you.”

“Okay.” Song Suiyuan nodded, thinking of the greedy little white cat, “Make another plate.”

In his previous life, he didn’t care for worldly pleasures or the desire for food. Now he realized the leisurely aspects of life were hidden in the mundane, in the rice, oil, salt, and the distant mountains with clear wine.

Thinking this way, Ah Yan, who was specially sent back to the capital by Yun Shizi, seemed to be living more freely than he was.

Just as he thought of Ah Yan, it returned.

At the door, Ah Yan trotted in with a fish in its mouth, jumped onto the table, and placed it in front of Song Suiyuan: “Meow meow…”

The cat snatched two fish, giving you one.

Song Suiyuan was taken aback, meeting the gaze of the round-eyed, obedient little white cat: “Is this for me?”

Only raised for two days, and it already brings back fish?

Ah Yan extended a small paw and pushed it forward.

It was indeed for him.

Song Suiyuan looked at the fish, then at the cat, for the first time understanding why some palace concubines treated cats like children.

He couldn’t help but smile, maintaining rationality amidst the surprise, asking it, “Where did you get this fish?”

The fish was already grilled to a charred layer, clearly not something its two little paws could achieve.

Seeing that he had accepted it, Ah Yan wagged its tail, ignoring his question, and turned to eat the other dishes on the table.

Eat, eat, eat the cat’s fish, shut your mouth.

Don’t try to get words out of the cat every day.

The fish the cat brought back still had a tooth mark on its belly.

Although Song Suiyuan was touched, he couldn’t guarantee that his spiritual little cat wouldn’t bring back mice like ordinary cats, so he didn’t dare eat a bite.

A whole black fish, worth a hundred taels of gold in a tavern, was pretentiously picked apart with chopsticks by Song Suiyuan and set aside.

The steward wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Black fish are hard to raise and don’t grow easily. They were specially raised by Song Gongzi here, only for the Song family.

Which little brat in the family was so bold, risking his life?

Song Suiyuan didn’t give the steward a glance. He noticed the little white cat circling on the table, finding it inconvenient to eat, so he held it in his arms and fed it personally, especially the cold bitter leaf dish he liked.

One bite, Ah Yan swallowed it whole.

Another bite, Ah Yan swallowed again, its little paw pointed at the rabbit meat.

Song Suiyuan ignored it and picked another chopstick of bitter leaf to its mouth: “Bitter leaf is sweet and refreshing, have another bite.”

Ah Yan dodged with its round head: “Ow.”

Take it away, not eating.

“Thank you for the grilled fish; I also like this dish and had them make it again just for you,” Song Suiyuan said emotionally.

Ah Yan buried its round head in its paws: “Ow…”

Even the cat won’t eat it.

Song Suiyuan pretended to be puzzled, put down his chopsticks, and patted its belly: “Why won’t you eat? Are you full?”

Ah Yan didn’t even mind the hand on its belly, pointed loudly at the table: “Ow!”

The cat wants meat!

Song Suiyuan paused, thought for a moment, then suddenly realized: “You don’t like bitter leaf?”

Ah Yan nodded.

Ah Yan paused: “…”

It resignedly wiped its face with its little paw, yes, clever Ah Yan can understand human speech.

The meowing conversation of the little cat could be considered a coincidence, but nodding was something else entirely.

Song Suiyuan looked at the dejected little white cat and chuckled softly. Did it think it was disguising itself well?

He had never seen a cat that loved to respond as much as it did.

After lunch, before Song Suiyuan could speak, Ah Yan quickly jumped to the ground and ran out the door. He watched the shadow disappear like lightning, shaking his head with amusement.

In the afternoon, Song Suiyuan rearranged the staff in the villa, directly replacing the steward.

He threw the messy account books to the new steward to sort out and went out for a stroll around the villa. He hadn’t toured it since acquiring it. From the main hall to the bedroom and study, around the servant’s quarters, along the lake to the heart of the lake, back to the wild garden entrance, he never encountered the little cat.

More than an hour passed without seeing it.

Song Suiyuan couldn’t help but worry. Although Ah Yan was spiritual, it was still a cat, and it was new to the villa.

He frowned, his gaze pausing over the wooden structure.

This rack was naturally suitable for finding someone.

On the flower platform, Song Suiyuan saw the same scenery Ah Yan had seen, equally uninterested in appreciating it.

He quickly found that little white ball.

There was a plot of land in the villa used to cultivate some herbs, and one of them was thriving. Ah Yan was rolling around in that plot, destroying a handful of herbs with each paw, and when it heard someone passing by, it would lie flat and play dead, hiding in the lush growth, making it hard to find.

Song Suiyuan didn’t discover it.

———

It wasn’t until nearly dark that Song Suiyuan finally waited for the little white cat to return.

It had been rolling in the herb field all afternoon, its fur smeared with dirt, turning the pampered house cat into a gray one.

Song Suiyuan stood under the corridor, looking down at the returning little gray cat with an unreadable expression, his voice indifferent: “If you got lost, how would I explain to His Highness the Crown Prince and the Duke of the State’s heir?”

Ah Yan had thought it would get a scolding from Song Suiyuan for hiding all afternoon, and was ready to meow back. However, faced with this unexpectedly light question, it uneasily pawed the ground.

It preferred gentleness over harshness.

The little cat lowered its round head and pawed the ground, looking somewhat pitiful. But this little thing was quite bold. If it was let off lightly this time, it might deliberately hide somewhere next time where it couldn’t be found.

This couldn’t be allowed to start.

So Song Suiyuan ignored it, maintaining a calm and cold demeanor: “All things can be eaten, and you can travel anywhere… why should the Duke of the State’s heir entrust you to someone else? You could roam freely.”

“In this way, I wouldn’t have to worry, and you wouldn’t be constrained. We’d both be fine, right?”

Ah Yan pouted, took two steps forward, and rubbed its head against Song Suiyuan’s leg, reluctantly acting spoiled.

Hmph, you didn’t even look for the cat.

Cats are easy to find.

Song Suiyuan turned and entered the bedroom.

Out of the cat’s sight, he squinted slightly, realizing Ah Yan responded to this approach.

Ah Yan hadn’t seen this silent side of Song Suiyuan before and was a bit anxious, following closely behind: “Meow meow…”

Talking is fine, but how can you be angry? The cat wasn’t even angry today…

As for Song Suiyuan’s mention of roaming freely, Ah Yan hadn’t considered it.

Cats and humans are different. He had the identity of the Duke of the State’s heir and couldn’t enter the capital without a summons, so he couldn’t return as Yun Xiu. But as a cat, he was fragile and very dependent on people, needing care, which is why he chose the Crown Prince’s cousin.

These past two days, Song Suiyuan had taken good care of him. Cats liked being fed and cuddled, even though Song Suiyuan liked to get words out of him…

The cat didn’t want to change people!

Song Suiyuan grasped the situation, and when the little cat caught up, he scooped it into his arms and sighed: “Ah Yan, you can be angry, but don’t let people not find you.”

Ah Yan obediently stayed in his arms, its round eyes guilty, seriously reflecting… but when its gaze fell on the basin of clear water, its little head spun quickly, and its paw lifted—

Song Suiyuan sighed again: “I was just about to wash my face when I heard you come back, so I went out. Now the water temperature is just right. I’ll give you a bath.”

Ah Yan scratched its face: “…”

So it wasn’t prepared in advance for the cat’s bath, huh.