Chapter 202 : The Sprite from “East Three Sprite”
"Mom, you’re back!"
Ling Ye, sitting in the living room typing while watching Xiao Ai, looked up when she heard the door open and saw her mother enter carrying a small box, followed by a familiar “little tail.”
She recognized the tail immediately—the little girl from the time they stayed at Qin Qing’s place. But since the girl was so shy, she’d never responded to Ling Ye’s attempts at conversation and only clung to her mom. Ling Ye thought to herself, “I was here first, you know.”
Though Dong Xue loved being close to her mother, Ling Ye wasn’t about to compete with a little girl over her mom’s attention.
Ling Ye looked curiously at the box in her mother’s hands. Seeing how carefully her mother was holding it, she wondered if it contained a cake or something similar.
Only after closing the door did Ling Ning let out a sigh of relief. Pets weren’t allowed in this apartment complex, and if she got caught, there would be a fine—she’d be in serious trouble. Fortunately, this little kitten was quiet and hadn’t made a sound the entire way, so she’d managed to sneak past the security guard at the gate.
Curious, Ling Ye set her wireless keyboard aside and walked over as her mother carefully opened the box.
“Meow, meow, meow~”
As soon as the box opened, the little kitten inside began to meow.
"A kitten?!" Ling Ye exclaimed, surprised to see the adorable creature inside the box. She hadn’t expected her mom to bring home a cat.
Seeing her daughter’s surprised face, Ling Ning briefly explained the story, then hurried off to the bathroom with the kitten in hand. Though it looked clean, Ling Ning, being a bit of a germaphobe, wanted to give it a bath first.
The two little girls followed her into the bathroom, crowding the small space with three people and a kitten. Thankfully, two of them were tiny, or it would have been a tight squeeze.
As soon as the water touched it, the kitten started struggling.
"Ye Ye, help Mom hold its legs. Watch out for its claws."
With Ling Ye’s help, the bathing went much more smoothly, and soon the kitten was clean. Fresh from its bath, its fur clung to its body, giving it a less-than-cute appearance.
Dong Xue tugged on Ling Ning’s skirt and whispered, “The kitty is hungry.”
Realizing she hadn’t thought of feeding it, Ling Ning remembered that there was only dog food in the house—not suitable for cats. Thinking quickly, she went to the fridge and found a small piece of fish and a sausage. She chopped them up into a fine paste and set it before the kitten.
As the kitten ate happily, Ling Ning relaxed, finally noticing that she was soaked. Some of it was sweat, and some was water from bathing the cat.
Watching the two little girls play with the kitten, Ling Ning smiled and said, “You two keep an eye on it. I’m going to take a shower.”
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When she came out of the shower, she found an amusing scene.
The kitten was lying in front of the fish tank, watching her lazy pet fish, which was as lifeless as ever, drifting slowly around the tank. The fish seemed completely unbothered by the kitten’s presence.
"Mom, does the kitten have a name?"
Ling Ning shook her head. “Just name it something simple—Whitey, Blackie, or Spotty would all work~”
Ling Ye gave her mother a disapproving look. Her mom’s naming skills were hopeless—she might as well be naming things as lazily as that shameless fish in the tank.
“Hmm…” Ling Ye thought for a moment, then, as if struck by inspiration, she held the kitten and announced excitedly, “From now on, your name is ‘Sprite’! Like the ‘Sprite’ from East Three Sprite!”
Dong Xue nodded in agreement. The name sounded much better than the ones Ling Ning had suggested.
“Are you sure naming it that won’t get it beaten up?” Ling Ning thought to herself, holding back a chuckle.
Checking the time on her phone, she saw it was getting late, so she turned to Dong Xue and asked, “Xiao Xue, do you want to go home, or would you like to stay over?”
Dong Xue hesitated, then softly replied, “Go home.”
“Alright, I’ll walk you home and pick up some groceries on the way.”
Dong Xue nodded and cast a longing glance at the kitten before leaving with Ling Ning.
“Xiao Xue, do you really like the kitten?”
Dong Xue nodded, then whispered, “Ling Ning, can I come to see the kitty again?”
Seeing the hope in Dong Xue’s eyes, Ling Ning found it hard to refuse. Honestly, she hadn’t planned on keeping the kitten for long—just temporarily while she looked for someone who wanted a cat. Pets weren’t allowed in her building, and with the lazy fish already munching on dog food, adding a cat might seriously strain her wallet.
“Alright, alright…” Ling Ning sighed, then smiled at Dong Xue. “Of course, you’re welcome to come see the kitten anytime.”
“Really?”
“Of course! When has your Sister Ling Ning ever lied to you?” Ling Ning turned to her daughter, still playing with the kitten. “Ye Ye, I’m going to take Xiao Xue home and pick up some cat litter and food. Watch over the kitten and make sure it doesn’t wander off.”
“Got it! Mission accepted!”
Cheering happily, Ling Ye had already caught on that her mom was willing to keep the kitten around.
Seeing her daughter’s joyful expression, Ling Ning couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated at the thought of adding “cat caretaker” to her duties once again.
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Author’s Note:
Nineteenth update, five more to go!