Chapter 11 - 9 God Ji Feeds the Cat
Qingran was quite fond of cats, those soft little animals, but Qingran's mother was allergic to animal fur and would sneeze non-stop if she smelled it. Therefore, Qingran's wish to keep a pet at home had to be shelved.
Qingran's mother felt very guilty that her allergy prevented her daughter from fulfilling that little wish, so to make it up to her daughter, she bought Qingran many realistic plush animal toys.
Qingran was already past the age of playing with plush toys, but every time she saw the plush toys her mother brought home, she would still act very happy.
Later, her mother died unexpectedly, and Qingran's father, after more than a decade of deep love with his wife, could not handle the shock. He became seriously ill and, once recovered, seemed to numb himself by pouring all his energy into his work.
Later on, Li Qingmo did mention once at the dinner table about getting a small pet at home. Their father silently gulped down several mouthfuls of food without saying a word.
Qingran quickly refused her brother's kindness, using her loss of interest in small animals as an excuse. She saw both her brother and father breathe a sigh of relief. Was it not just her father who didn't want to erase the traces of their mother's life in their home?
After dinner, their father called them siblings to his study. He looked at them for a long while and then suddenly his eyes reddened. This man who had led a smooth life for half of it now faced the fatal blow of losing his wife in middle age. After two lonely and mournful years, he suddenly came to his senses, having neglected his children for two whole years...
After things calmed down, a group of small stray cats often appeared on the big tree not far from Qingran's home. Qingran didn't know whether these stray cats were intentionally brought there by her father or not. She hadn't lied at the dinner table; ever since her mother's death, she really didn't like small animals that much anymore.
The stray cats were probably very hungry and became familiar with Qingran, who often fed them. Upon seeing Qingran from afar, they would scurry down from the tree. Qingran squatted under the tree, pouring cat food into little dishes in her hands.
"Meow... meow... meow..." Soft, milky meows could be heard. Qingran stood up and looked around, unable to find the source of the kitten's voice, but instead heard faint sounds from above in the tree.
Qingran took a cautious step back and looked up, searching the dense tree leaves for the kitten. The first thing she saw was the long legs wrapped in black pants, and in the lap of the boy sitting on the tree branch was a dirty orange kitten.