Chapter 9

The tiny kitten had suckled enough goat milk powder and pushed the bottle away. Xie Zhitang was caught off guard, and the goat milk on the bottle’s nipple got onto the kitten’s soft pink nose and the fur beside its cheeks.

Xie Zhitang let out a low “eh.”

Seeing this, Xin Geling pulled a tissue from the table and helped wipe it clean, so it would not choke through its nose.

“Are you sure you want to raise her?” Xin Geling asked again.

“Of course. I’ll raise her.” Xie Zhitang rubbed the kitten’s ear with the pad of her finger. “But I have to go to work every day, so during the day while I’m at work, I won’t be able to watch her.”

Xin Geling listened seriously.

Xie Zhitang said, “What do you think about boarding Tangtang here for a while? Once she grows a little bigger, I’ll take her home.”

Xin Geling was thoughtful. The tiny kitten was still so small right now. It could easily get sick, bump into something, or fall. If there was no one at home watching it, it could indeed lead to regret.

“But in that case, the cost will be relatively high.”

The boarding fee was 120 a day. Half a month would be 1,800.

“That’s all right.” Xie Zhitang looked gently at the tiny kitten. “Tangtang is worth it.”

She was worth it.

Xin Geling said no more and handled the boarding procedure for her. At the same time, she took two bags of Ross cat food down from the shelf and calculated everything together.

After Xie Zhitang paid, she picked up the cat teaser and played with the kitten for a while. “Tangtang, Mommy will come see you after work every day. Be good while you’re here.”

Hearing this, Xin Geling, who was in front of the computer, could not help looking over at her.

After playing for more than an hour, the tiny kitten grew tired. Xie Zhitang handed her over to Xin Geling and asked her to put her back into the display cabinet.

It was getting late. Xie Zhitang picked up the two bags of Ross cat food Xin Geling had packed for her. “Sister, I’ll go back first.”

“Okay. Be careful.” Xin Geling watched her leave.

Xie Zhitang drove across the main road. Lin Yibing called in, and Xie Zhitang turned on Bluetooth to answer.

“Hello? Bingbing, what’s wrong?”

Lin Yibing said, “Director Xie, I wanted to ask how Tangyuan is doing after getting his balls snipped.”

Xie Zhitang said, “He’s doing pretty well. There’s no inflammation, and the wound is slowly healing. [read the original at bailiantales.com]I just checked on him at the shop.”

Lin Yibing was surprised. “You actually went to the shop to check on him again?”

That level of attentiveness was practically more attentive than she was as Tangyuan’s owner.

Tangyuan’s second mother could only be Xie Zhitang.

Xie Zhitang said, “Mm. I bought Tangyuan two bags of Ross cat food. When you come back in a few days to pick him up, remember to ask me for them. I’m afraid I’ll forget to give them to you.”

Lin Yibing was even more shocked. “Why did you even buy Tangyuan cat food?!”

That brand of cat food was not cheap. It was almost fifty yuan per jin.

Xie Zhitang said, “I happened to see it, so I bought it.”

Lin Yibing said, “Director Xie, you really are too kind.”

Not only had she taken the initiative to help take care of him, she had also paid for the boarding and grooming fees, gone to see Tangyuan every day, and now she had even bought cat food for him.

This, this, this… if it were allowed, she wanted to have Tangyuan kowtow to Director Xie on the spot and call her Auntie!

.

There were no customers in the shop right now, only Xin Geling. She came to the display cabinet and first looked at Tangyuan, who was still wearing an Elizabethan collar. He did not seem very energetic. His balls were probably still hurting.

She then looked at the other boarded cats. There was a beautiful ragdoll cat, as pretty as a fairy, sitting nobly in the display cabinet and meeting her eyes through the glass door.

Its owner had to go on a business trip for a few days, so she had temporarily boarded it here.

According to the time, its owner should be picking it up today.

The thought had just fallen when a couple came in. “Hello, I’m here to take Niuniu home.”

Xin Geling knew they were the owners of this ragdoll cat. “Okay, please wait a moment.”

After saying that, she went to take out the cat carrier and the remaining cat food stored here, then picked up the ragdoll cat and placed it into the carrier.

Its owner looked around the shop and picked up some cans and snacks from the shelf. “How much are these?”

“Please wait a moment.”

Xin Geling calculated the total for them, accepted the payment, and watched them leave with Niuniu.

“Take care. Welcome to visit again next time,” she said calmly.

The shop became quiet again. Xin Geling looked toward that shelf and stepped forward to tidy it briefly. Some cans were gone, and she needed to note them down and report it to remind the owner to restock.

According to her boss, this shop had originally only done pet grooming. Later, when customers had more needs, he bought a display cabinet. At the end of the year, many people wanted to board their cats.

Every customer who came to have their cat groomed had the habit of buying things on the way out. So the owner also set up a small shelf and stocked some commonly used cat supplies, canned food, cat food, and so on.

This was one of the main sources of income for Maochong Grooming.

Xin Geling looked at the tiny kitten. Her smoky black fur was so dark that if the lights were turned off, they probably would not be able to find her.

“Tangtang.”

“Meow~” Tangtang stretched her front paws forward, lowered her head, lifted her little butt, lazily stretched, and yawned.

It was almost time to get off work. Xin Geling prepared goat milk powder water for her and laid out a thick layer of cat litter before feeling at ease enough to go home.

When she returned to the residential complex, she saw Ms. Lin downstairs sorting cardboard. Xin Geling called out to her, then crouched down to help sort it together.

“Geling, you’re off work?”

“Mm.” Xin Geling helped her break down a cardboard box, flattening it and stacking it together.

“Mom already made dinner. Go upstairs and eat first.” Lin Huailan picked up a piece of cardboard and tore open the edge with her bare hands. Unexpectedly, she was stabbed in the hand by a staple along the edge.

Lin Huailan hissed on the spot and lifted her thumb to look. It was bleeding.

Hearing the sound, Xin Geling put down the cardboard in her hands and stepped forward to take her hand. “How were you so careless?”

Hearing her daughter scold her, Lin Huailan did not feel sad. Instead, her heart softened completely. “Ah, I forgot to wear gloves.”

“Go upstairs first and stop the bleeding.” Xin Geling brought her home, took cotton, disinfectant, and a bandage from an old cookie tin, and cleaned the wound for her.

“All right. I’ll go deal with the cardboard downstairs. You rest at home.”

Xin Geling looked helplessly at Ms. Lin, then turned and went downstairs to quickly handle the cardboard and carry it up to the third floor.

By the time she finished, it was already eight. After eating dinner, Xin Geling planned to go for a night run. These days, she had only been running in the morning because she had work and was afraid it would affect her condition at work. She had thought she would adapt for a while before adding night runs.

Now that she had worked for three or four days, she had more or less adjusted.

The night on Linzhang Street was filled with the smoke-and-fire air of everyday life after the daytime clamor. The busiest period had slowly passed, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the street.

The fried rice noodle vendor finished frying the last portion, screwed the gas canister shut, and put out the [Read on BaiLianTales]flame. After the black wok that had been tossed back and forth was washed, it gleamed with oil.

The vendor slowly pushed his little cart back.

Some pushed their carts back downstairs under their residential buildings, while others pushed them back into their shops.

As the grilled sausage vendor packed up his stall, he asked the barbecue stall owner beside him, “I heard you’re leaving? Not doing this anymore?”

“Yeah. Going back to the countryside next month.”

“Not coming back?”

“Not coming back.”

“Then what about all this stuff?”

“Sell it secondhand. What else can I do?”

Xin Geling wore a black tank top and put on her earphones, jogging forward.