Da Hua the cat meowed contentedly as it devoured its food, clearly in high spirits. However, the translation provided by the little one, left Aunt Chen both amused and speechless. Did this stray cat really think it had made her its lackey? She chuckled, patting Yu Yuanyuan’s head, assuming this was just the little girl’s imagination. After offering a few reminders, she continued with preparing dinner.

From that day on, Da Hua began to wander near the courtyard every evening, occasionally letting out a few meows. Sometimes, when it arrived before Yu Yuanyuan got home from school, Aunt Chen would kindly set some food out in the corner for it. Over time, she noticed the cat was quite well-behaved. It never caused any trouble in the yard. After eating, it would lazily find a quiet corner to nap in, waiting for Yu Yuanyuan to return and play with it for a while. Then, like clockwork, it would quietly slip away.

On Friday, after returning from kindergarten, Yu Yuanyuan was thrilled to finally have the weekend. For a child, the mere thought of no school was worth celebrating. Since Yu Jinxiao was away on a business trip, Gao Zhou had been personally picking her up every day. He took full advantage, spoiling her with secret treats and candy, making Yu Yuanyuan eagerly say, “Uncle Gao, come pick me up early!”

As they stepped through the door, Gao Zhou suddenly noticed a dark shadow darting past his feet. Startled, he thought it was a large rat and instinctively raised his foot to kick it.

“Uncle Gao, that’s Da Hua!” Yu Yuanyuan, in her soft voice, called out, still a bit unclear in her pronunciation. The “rat” wobbled back into view. “Da Hua, this is Uncle Gao. Uncle Gao is a good person!”

Da Hua paused, lifting its head to stare curiously at Gao Zhou, who in turn froze for a moment, puzzled.

“Where did this stray cat come from?” Gao Zhou, meeting Da Hua for the first time, quickly scooped Yu Yuanyuan into his arms and warily shooed the cat away. “Shoo, shoo, get out of here.”

“Uncle Gao!” Yu Yuanyuan protested, her small hand patting his cheek. “Da Hua is a good kitty, don’t scold it.”

Noticing the odd tone in her voice, Gao Zhou hesitated. “You’ve been playing with this cat often?”

“Yep, Da Hua comes every day to eat. It’s really well-behaved.” Yu Yuanyuan grinned and waved at the cat, who tilted its head adorably, meowing in response, despite its fierce appearance.

“Why are you so late?” Da Hua asked, sounding like an elder brother.

The little girl earnestly replied, “I had to go to school.”

“So small, and you have to go to school every day? Humans live such hard lives,” Da Hua meowed, unable to comprehend the busy routines of humans. Yet, waiting in the courtyard for Yu Yuanyuan to come home had somehow become a part of its daily routine.

Gao Zhou stood there, watching as Yu Yuanyuan carried on a conversation with a cat, with both sides seemingly understanding each other perfectly.

“Miss Yuanyuan, can you really understand what this fat cat is saying?” Gao Zhou gently set Yu Yuanyuan back on the ground and knelt to get a better look at Da Hua.

After a bit of chit-chat between the girl and the cat, Da Hua, clearly irritated, extended its paw and slapped the ground, baring its sharp claws.

“Who are you calling fat?!” Da Hua hissed angrily.

Yu Yuanyuan turned to Gao Zhou with a hushed tone, holding a finger to her lips, “Uncle Gao, Da Hua doesn’t like being called fat.”

The “translation” seemed so accurate that Gao Zhou couldn’t help but nervously shrink back, playing along. “My apologies, that was rude of me.”

After a brief back-and-forth between Yu Yuanyuan and Da Hua, the little girl grinned again and said, “Da Hua says it forgives you.”

At first, Gao Zhou had assumed the “conversation” was simply a product of Yu Yuanyuan’s imagination. But seeing the way Da Hua reacted, he started to wonder if perhaps this wasn’t entirely make-believe. Somehow, it all seemed to make sense.

“Then… can I pet it?” Gao Zhou asked, extending his hand tentatively, eager to try.

Yu Yuanyuan babbled something to Da Hua and then looked up, saying, “Da Hua has a condition!”

“A condition?!”

Wait, could the cat really be bargaining now?