Chapter 113: The general is not to be argued with.
It was the highlight of Mingzhu’s day. She had never owned a pet in her life and she had four now, a dog and three cats.
"Daddy, are they really for me?" Mingzhu asked, for the third time.
Jingzhe patted Mingzhu on the back, "Yes, they are all for Mingzhu. They are still a little sick but we will take care of them. When they are strong enough, you will be able to play with them."
The animals were all sleeping, having been visited by a veterinarian that vaccinated them. Mingzhu wanted to touch them but she seemed to be apprehensive. She was worried that she would hurt them as they were sick, especially the kittens.
Mingzhu had memories from her childhood that she had never shared with her mother, like the one time she brought home a kitten that she found on the playground of her school.
Madam Sun had taken one look at the kitten, grabbed it and thrown it out of the house over the balcony. She had threatened Mingzhu that if she ever brought home another animal as useless as her, she would beat them both to death.
Mingzhu had never asked for a pet of dreamed of owning one since then. She stuck to envying other little girls and boys that owned pets. Now, she did not have to be envious anymore, she had her own pets.
She could be like Lian that owned two dogs. No--she was better than Lian because she had a dog and three cats.
She looked back at her mother, tears in her eyes. "Mommy." she cried out.
Mei Mei swooped in, picked her up and hugged her. Mingzhu was crying insensibly, just as she herself had done that morning.
"Aiyo...why is our Mingzhu crying?" Mei Mei bounced Mingzhu in her arms, patting her back gently. "If you cry, you will scare the kittens. You have not even give one of them a name."