Chapter 81 ☆ Kitten (Part 1)

Xie Zhao was drenched in rain. Cheng Yaoyao shivered as she threw herself into his arms and felt the warmth and strength of his muscles beneath his clothes.

After just a few seconds in the yard, Cheng Yaoyao was soaked through. Xie Zhao touched her wet hair, frowned, and lifted her up. “What’s wrong?”

Cheng Yaoyao lay in Xie Zhao’s arms, her fear fading away. Embarrassed, she looked up at him with her peach blossom eyes and asked, “Why did you come back so late?”

Xie Zhao replied, “I brought you something.”

Cheng Yaoyao’s eyes lit up. “What is it?”

Before Xie Zhao could answer, Cheng Yaoyao felt something warm against her stomach, and it started moving. “!!!!”

The object wriggled more vigorously, and Cheng Yaoyao’s face flushed. “What… what is it?”

Xie Zhao set Cheng Yaoyao down and began to unbutton his coat. Few people wear such old-fashioned coats these days, but Xie Zhao, tall and straight, carried it off stylishly.

Water dripped from his muscles as he carefully unbuttoned his coat, reached into his arms, and pulled out…

A… what was that?

The little creature, no bigger than Xie Zhao’s palm, had its eyes still closed. Although it was nestled in Xie Zhao’s arms, it was still wet. Its hair was matted in clumps, and it was gray and bald. Only its nose, mouth, and four small paws were pink. The little thing wiggled and cried, making a whimpering sound.

Cheng Yaoyao stared at the tiny creature hesitantly. “Is this a… cat? It looks so small…”

Xie Zhao brought the kitten closer. “It’s a cat, not even a month old yet.”

Cheng Yaoyao squealed, “Ahhhhhhh, take it away!”

Xie Zhao looked at the struggling kitten in his hand with a hint of disappointment. “Don’t you like it?”

“I like it!” Cheng Yaoyao said, her heart racing. She was relieved it wasn’t a mouse. She mustered the courage to get closer and saw that the kitten had a red nose and mouth, like bright lipstick, and its tiny limbs were stretched out.

Cheng Yaoyao gently touched the kitten’s paw pad with her finger. “Give it to me.”

Xie Zhao carefully placed the kitten into Cheng Yaoyao’s hands. She held it gingerly. The kitten was wet and cold, with only a slight warmth. It seemed uncomfortable, as it continued to cry and shiver.

Cheng Yaoyao said nervously, “It’s all wet; it might freeze to death!”

Xie Zhao took off his coat and draped it over Cheng Yaoyao’s shoulders. “Let’s go back inside.”

Xie Zhao picked Cheng Yaoyao up and carried her through the rain into the hall.

Cheng Yaoyao found a clean towel, wrapped the kitten in it, and gently wiped it down. She felt the kitten’s round belly and asked, “Has it eaten?”

Xie Zhao wiped his face and head with his coat, squeezing out some water. “The female dog at the fertilizer factory just gave birth, so I fed it some milk.”

“That’s good. I was worried about feeding it so late,” Cheng Yaoyao said, wrapping the kitten so only its head was exposed and rocking it gently in her arms. Despite her efforts, the kitten continued to whimper. “Where did you find it?”

“From a garbage dump,” Xie Zhao replied. “Others’ cats gave birth but didn’t want to keep them, so they threw them away.”

Cheng Yaoyao was speechless.

She handed the kitten back to Xie Zhao. The kitten seemed to settle down in his warmer arms. Cheng Yaoyao ran to the kitchen, returning with a bowl of ginger soup. “I made this for you earlier. Drink it quickly.”

Xie Zhao took the bowl, blew on the soup, and held it to Cheng Yaoyao’s lips. “Drink some; you’ve been caught in the rain.”

Cheng Yaoyao took a sip and said, “It’s too spicy. Drink it quickly. I need to take a shower and give the kitten a bath.”

Xie Zhao looked doubtful. “Can such a small cat take a bath?”

Cheng Yaoyao played with the kitten. “Just wash it with warm water. It’s shivering because it’s cold. After washing, just dry it off.”

In the steaming bathroom, Cheng Yaoyao relaxed in the warm water with her hair loose.

The small wooden basin also steamed as the kitten was gently submerged in the water, crying out loudly. Xie Zhao held the kitten in one hand and gently splashed water over it with the other. The kitten closed its eyes and cried out plaintively.

Xie Zhao, unable to bear the sound, said, “It keeps crying. Is the water too hot?”

Cheng Yaoyao leaned over the edge of the basin. “It’s fine. The water for a cat’s bath should be warmer than for a human. Clean its paws; So, it’s not too dirty from the garbage.”

Despite Cheng Yaoyao’s reassurances, the kitten cried even louder, “Meow! Meow!”

Cheng Yaoyao stretched out her arm and pinched its tiny ears. “You’re quite fierce.”

As she reached across him, water droplets fell from her smooth skin onto the back of Xie Zhao’s hand. The bathroom was filled with steam and the scent of roses, making Xie Zhao feel slightly breathless.

The kitten suddenly fell silent. Xie Zhao looked down and saw it drinking the bath water! He quickly lifted it out, but the kitten was still trying to jump back in, its tiny paws flailing.

Xie Zhao frowned. “Are you hungry?”

Cheng Yaoyao withdrew her hand, placed it on the edge of the basin, and smiled. “It seems like it won’t mind baths in the future.”

Xie Zhao stroked the kitten from head to tail, squeezed out the water from its sparse fur, and wrapped it in a towel to dry. Thankfully, the kitten was bald and dried quickly.

The kitten was younger than Xie Zhao had expected, no older than half a month. It was a little bald with sparse white fur on its pink body. If you looked closely, you could see a bit of orange on its head, back, and bottom.

“The big orange has been chosen,” Cheng Yaoyao said with a smile. “Why did you pick it up? It might turn into a pig later.”

The kitten wriggled desperately in the towel, so Xie Zhao let it crawl to his chest. Hearing Cheng Yaoyao, he asked, “Don’t you want a pet?”

Cheng Yaoyao pouted. “Didn’t you say I already have chickens?”

“This one has white fur, like a sheep,” Xie Zhao said, his expression turning slightly strange as he looked down.

The kitten bit Xie Zhao’s chest through his clothes, suckling hard. 

Xie Zhao pulled the kitten away, and it cried out in distress.

Cheng Yaoyao laughed so hard she splashed water. 

Xie Zhao’s face darkened, holding the struggling kitten in his arms, unsure of what to do. The tiny kitten’s cries were heart-wrenching.

“…Sister.”

Cheng Yaoyao wiped her eyes, still chuckling. “Give it your finger.”

Xie Zhao asked, “Will that help?”

Cheng Yaoyao assured him, “Of course, I’ve raised cats before and have experience!”

With no better option, Xie Zhao offered his finger. The kitten gripped it with all four paws and sucked on it until it quieted down. Xie Zhao said, expressionless, “Give it away.”

“No, I want to keep it,” Cheng Yaoyao replied, lifting her chin.

Xie Zhao questioned, “Don’t you think it’s ugly?”

“I find it funny now,” Cheng Yaoyao said, watching Xie Zhao with the kitten and laughing again, her teardrop mole sparkling in her eyes. “The cats I raised before were bigger when I first brought them home. I’ve never had a kitten this small.”

Xie Zhao looked at Cheng Yaoyao and asked, “What kind of cat did you have before?”

Cheng Yaoyao replied, “It’s a Ragdoll.”

Xie Zhao asked, “Ragdoll?”

Cheng Yaoyao bit her tongue slightly and explained, “It’s a very beautiful cat. Snow-white fur, long and fluffy, with blue eyes. It’s like a fairy among cats! Unfortunately, I’ve been away from home for so long, and I don’t know how it’s doing…”

Her long eyelashes drooped as she rested her chin on her arms, looking a bit disappointed.

Xie Zhao hated seeing her unhappy, so he whispered, “I’ll go home with you and bring it back.”

Knowing it wasn’t possible, Cheng Yaoyao cheered herself up and smiled. “Alright, you go out first. I’ll help you after I get dressed.”

Xie Zhao carried the kitten out of the room and said helplessly before closing the door, “Hurry up.”

Cheng Yaoyao laughed quietly to herself again.

There was some goat milk left from today, so she heated it up with spiritual spring water and brought it into the house. “Here it comes, don’t worry.”

The kitten, already a bit irritable, struggled in Xie Zhao’s arms, whimpering nonstop. As soon as it smelled the milk, it raised its head, searching for the source of the scent, and started crying.

Cheng Yaoyao placed the goat milk on the table and spread out an old towel. The kitten was put down, and it immediately dragged its soft limbs toward the milk and started drinking it. It drank fiercely, making gurgling sounds as it gulped down the milk, its four tiny paws grabbing at the towel.

Cheng Yaoyao found it amusing and gently tapped its head. The kitten turned and bit her finger with its toothless mouth, surprising her. Xie Zhao quickly grabbed her finger to check. There was some white goat milk on her fingertip, but the skin wasn’t broken.

“You bite me before you even have teeth,” Cheng Yaoyao complained to Xie Zhao.

The kitten, unaware of doing anything wrong, continued slurping the milk, its little ears twitching. Xie Zhao pulled the plate of milk away slightly, and the kitten followed, meowing and trying to bite Xie Zhao’s finger.

Xie Zhao pressed the kitten down with just one finger, immobilizing it. The kitten fell on its back, paws in the air like a turtle, and cried out pitifully.

Cheng Yaoyao couldn’t bear it anymore. “Oh, don’t bully it, it’s just a baby.”

“It’s protecting its food. It needs to learn a lesson,” Xie Zhao said sternly, but seeing the kitten’s face covered in milk and its little paws flailing helplessly, he let it go.

Cheng Yaoyao quickly turned the kitten back over. It burped and suddenly went still. She covered her heart with her hands. “It’s so ugly, but cute…”