No One Loves Me (GL) - Chapter 4

Xie Zhitang turned the car around to pick up the cat. Lin Yibing’s cat was a big orange one she had found as a kitten. She had raised him for several months, and he was now plump and healthy.

“Is there anything I need to know?” Xie Zhitang asked.

Lin Yibing put the cat in a carrier bag, then added a sisal toy and a bag of cat food. “There’s nothing special to watch out for. Tangyuan is very brave, but don’t feed him any other cat food; it can give him loose stools. Just let him eat this one.”

“Okay.”

Xie Zhitang carried the carrier and got into her car, driving back to Lingzhang Street.

Inside the Cat Paws pet grooming shop, Xin Geling was standing in front of a small shelf, memorizing the names and prices of the pet supplies.

Suddenly, the door opened, and she saw a customer come in out of the corner of her eye. Xin Geling turned to greet them but froze when she saw who it was.

“Why are you here?” Xin Geling’s gaze dropped to the carrier bag in Xie Zhitang’s hand, which held a cat.

Maintaining her professionalism, she stepped forward to take the carrier. The cat inside was quite heavy.

“Sister, why are you here?” Xie Zhitang’s gentle eyes showed a hint of surprise. “I was just thinking of arranging Tangyuan’s boarding and then going to find you to have dinner and catch up.”

Xin Geling didn’t suspect anything. “Is this your colleague’s cat?”

“Yes,” Xie Zhitang said. “My colleague is going to A City tomorrow to host a campus ad creative competition, and she asked me to help her take care of her cat, board it, and get it groomed.”

“Did you come here to board him?” Xin Geling asked.

“Yes. I saw that this shop had good reviews online and it’s quite close to my colleague’s home, so I came over. I didn’t expect to run into you, Sister. Are you working here?”

Xin Geling understood. “Yes, I found a job here, grooming cats.”

“You’re grooming them?” Xie Zhitang asked.

“Yes.”

“Is it hard work?”

“It’s not bad.”

Xie Zhitang looked at her for a while. “Do you mind telling me the prices? How much does it cost to groom a cat? What about boarding? My colleague needs him boarded for about a week.”

“How much does Tangyuan weigh?” Xin Geling asked.

Xie Zhitang shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

Xin Geling took the carrier to the table, took Tangyuan out, and placed him on the scale. “He’s 6.8 pounds. A full deep groom is 150 yuan, and boarding is 120 yuan a day. A week is 840 yuan, so the total is 990 yuan.”

Xie Zhitang watched her technique—her long fingers gently held the cat under its armpits, placed it softly on the scale, and then stroked Tangyuan’s head to calm him. Xie Zhitang’s gaze involuntarily moved from the cat to Xin Geling’s profile, and she was lost in thought for a moment.

“990 yuan,” Xin Geling repeated.

When she didn’t get a response, she turned her head to look. Xie Zhitang was looking down, taking out her phone from her bag. “Can I transfer the money directly?” she asked.

“Yes,” Xin Geling replied.

A moment later, Xie Zhitang had scanned the QR code. “Okay, do you want to groom him now?”

Xin Geling nodded. “I’ll take him inside.”

“Can I come with you?” Xie Zhitang asked.

Xin Geling hesitated. It was rare for customers to go inside, but it wasn’t forbidden. The owner had said that the customer was always right and they could watch.

“Come on in,” Xin Geling said, holding the cat and walking in with her.

She adjusted the water temperature, put on grooming gloves, and, with the cat grooming supplies at the edge of the sink, she took Tangyuan from Xie Zhitang, put an Elizabethan collar on him, and slowly placed him in the basin.

Tangyuan was a little afraid of the water. Xin Geling sensed his nervousness as he tried to climb out and complained in a grumbling voice.

He seemed to be a very bad-tempered cat.

“Can you hand me the cat treat from over there?”

Xie Zhitang looked around and saw the cat treats on a nearby shelf. She took one, tore it open, and asked, “Should I feed this to Tangyuan?”

Xin Geling was about to take it, but Xie Zhitang moved away. “Let me feed him.”

Xin Geling watched as Xie Zhitang fed the cat. Xie Zhitang bent down slightly, squeezed out some of the treat, and held it to Tangyuan’s mouth. “Tangyuan, have a treat. Don’t be rude.”

Xie Zhitang had never had a cat, but she had heard Lin Yibing talk about Tangyuan. The little guy had a short fuse and was known for being rude. Whenever he made continuous “meow-meow” noises, he was being rude.

Tangyuan was still grumbling with a low-pitched “meow-meow,” but when he smelled the treat, he stopped and started licking it. His nervous demeanor slowly calmed down.

Xin Geling turned on the showerhead and slowly wet the fur on his back. Tangyuan stiffened for a moment when the water hit him and grumbled a few more times.

Fortunately, Xie Zhitang quickly squeezed out a new treat for him. Tangyuan couldn’t resist the smell and continued to eat, letting Xin Geling wet all his fur.

After he was completely soaked, Xin Geling turned off the water and began to apply shampoo to Tangyuan, massaging it into his fur, from his back to his belly, tail, legs, and then to his neck and chin.

Her hands were full of lather.

After about twenty minutes of washing, Xin Geling began to rinse the suds off Tangyuan. By now, Tangyuan was used to the feeling of the water, so even without a treat, he didn’t struggle much.

He just kept his big round eyes open, watching the two people standing outside the basin.

After he was thoroughly clean, Xin Geling washed his head, using her hands to wet it and then applying a little shampoo.

After he was completely clean, Xin Geling wrapped him in an absorbent towel, took him out of the basin, and walked toward the door.

Xie Zhitang followed her. “Is he done?”

Xin Geling went to the main area, sat on a chair, and put Tangyuan on her lap, gently drying him. “He’s done. I just need to blow-dry him now.”

“Sister, your technique is very professional,” Xie Zhitang said.

“I learned it,” Xin Geling replied.

After Tangyuan was mostly dry, Xin Geling used a new towel to wipe him again. She then wrapped his legs and body, leaving only his head out.

Xie Zhitang didn’t know what she was doing, but she found Tangyuan’s appearance a little comical. He couldn’t move at all.

Tangyuan started to grumble again. Xie Zhitang chuckled and reached out to scratch his head. “Tangyuan, don’t be like that.”

She was answered with a flurry of “meow-meows.”

Xin Geling brought out the tools for cleaning ears. Tangyuan was wrapped up and lying on Xin Geling’s lap, unaware of what was about to happen.

When ear drops were poured into his ears, and his head was held so he couldn’t shake the liquid out, he complained even louder and more furiously.

“Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow—”

After about ten seconds, Xin Geling looked at Xie Zhitang. “You should move back. I’m afraid he might shake the ear mites onto you.”

“Okay.” Xie Zhitang stepped back a little.

Xin Geling held a tissue near Tangyuan’s ear so that when he shook his head, the ear mites wouldn’t splatter everywhere.

Most of the ear drops were caught by the tissue. Xin Geling used a cotton swab to clean and dry his ear.

Then she did the same with the other ear.

And, of course, Tangyuan continued to complain.

After his ears were clean, Xin Geling unwrapped the towel from him and put the Elizabethan collar back on him to clip his nails.

The angry Tangyuan tried to bite, but the collar prevented him, so he started grumbling again.

Xin Geling had no choice but to give him another cat treat. Xie Zhitang took it from her hand. “I’ll do it, Sister.”

Xie Zhitang sat beside her, their shoulders touching, and fed Tangyuan the treat.

With the treat to calm him down, Tangyuan was quiet for a while.

Xin Geling took the opportunity to clip his nails because few cats have the patience to get all their nails clipped.

Afterward, Xin Geling put Tangyuan in the blow-dryer box and adjusted the temperature and wind speed.

After about twenty minutes, all of Tangyuan’s fur was dry. Xin Geling took him out, trimmed the hair on his paws, and the session was finally over.

Xie Zhitang stroked Tangyuan’s soft fur and laughed. “Why is he still so angry?”

Suddenly, Tangyuan tried to bite her hand.

“Watch out!”

In the nick of time, Xin Geling pushed Xie Zhitang’s hand away, but she was a second too late. Tangyuan bit her own hand instead.

A thin scratch appeared on the back of her hand, leaving a white mark that soon began to bleed.

Xie Zhitang stood frozen, staring at the back of Xin Geling’s hand.

It was her right hand that had been covered in blood that day…

Xin Geling quickly put Tangyuan into one of the display cabinets, closed the door, added food and clean water, and turned back to ask, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Xie Zhitang said. She watched Xin Geling walk to a table, pick up a bottle of alcohol, spray it on her wound to disinfect it, and then tear open a bandage to cover it.

“It’s good that you’re okay.”

Xin Geling then began to clean up the items from Tangyuan’s grooming session, put away the carrier, went back into the grooming room to put away her gloves and supplies, and finally cleaned the basin and mopped the floor.

When she came out, Xie Zhitang was still standing there, her gaze repeatedly flicking to the back of Xin Geling’s hand. “What time do you usually get off work, Sister?”

Xin Geling glanced at the clock and walked toward the shelves. “7 o’clock.”

Xie Zhitang came up beside her, watching her squat down to organize the shelves and memorize the supplies. “Sister, Tangyuan scratched you. Should you get a rabies shot?”

Xin Geling asked, “Has Tangyuan had his Miau San Duo vaccine?”

“Yes,” Xie Zhitang replied. She had asked Lin Yibing.

Xin Geling continued to organize the products. “If he’s had it, I don’t need to get one. He doesn’t have rabies, so he can’t infect me.”

Xie Zhitang was still a little worried. “What if he’s a carrier?”

Xin Geling explained gently, “If he were a carrier, he wouldn’t live for more than seven days. You don’t need to worry about me.”

With that said, Xie Zhitang couldn’t force her to go. She just replied, “It’s almost time to get off work. How about I treat you to dinner tonight?”

Xin Geling stood up. She had memorized most of the names and prices of the grooming supplies, cat food, and treats on the shelf, but she still needed to get more familiar with them.

She turned to face the woman in front of her. “Xie Zhitang, it’s normal to get bitten or scratched by a cat. You don’t have to feel bad about it.”