A faint sound came from inside. At first, Shen Fenghua thought she had misheard, but when the second sound came, she was convinced that there really was something in her long-abandoned bungalow.

He and Li Yanran exchanged a glance, and he saw shock in each other's eyes.

Following the sound, they finally found a bright yellow kitten in the kitchen stove.

Upon discovering the stranger, the kitten trembled with fear, seemingly possessing an extremely docile nature. Consequently, when Shen Fenghua reached out and grabbed it, it didn't experience the slightest resistance.

Li Yanran rarely encountered such a well-behaved kitten, and for a moment, she felt it was amazing, "It is very well-behaved."

“Who says otherwise?” Hearing Shen Fenghua’s delighted tone, Li Yanran paused, surprised, and asked, “You like these little trinkets?”

Shen Fenghua held the kitten in front of her, examining it carefully, her eyes shining brightly. "Hmm, I like it."

She has always been powerless against anything fluffy.

"Why haven't I seen you before..."

She only said half of what she wanted to say, leaving the rest to Li Yanran to swallow alone.

Yes, back when I lived at the Shen family's house, I really did keep a cat. I wonder what those Shen family members were saying behind my back.

Seemingly sensing Li Yanran's thoughts, Shen Fenghua lovingly placed the kitten on her lap and explained, "I'm not afraid of them gossiping."

Over the years, she has heard plenty of rumors and gossip, and she is no longer afraid of them.

Mainly...

Shen Fenghua said with some regret, "Back then, I didn't even have a home of my own. It was so pitiful to have a kitten. If I went to work and that bitch Shen Huixiu bullied the kitten at home, I wouldn't even know."

Keeping cats in the Shen family's home is bad for the cats.

She felt that given the Shen family's cold-blooded nature, it wouldn't be surprising if they killed the cat.

But now things are better; she has her own home and wants to give the kitten a home too.

The kitten was yellow and white with wet eyes. It didn't resist at all when Shen Fenghua held it in her hands, only meowing incessantly.

“I’ve made up my mind,” Shen Fenghua said, her eyes shining. “From now on, it will be called Dahuang! The first original resident of No. 22 Wutong Street!”

He proudly announced Dahuang's name, leaving Li Yanran speechless. Judging from his solemn expression just now, she thought he was going to come up with some amazing name.

That's it?

rhubarb?

It's not that Li Yanran is bragging, but if Shen Fenghua just stood on the street and howled "Big Yellow" a couple of times, a whole bunch of cats and dogs would come out, all of them Big Yellow.

"Alright, whatever makes you happy. So, are you taking the cat back with you?" Shen Fenghua looked at the kitten with bright eyes. "No, let it stay here. I'll find an old piece of clothing in my collection that I don't wear anymore to make a nest. As for the rest, we'll talk about it when I move over."

After preparing the nest, she also provided a small water bowl and a small food bowl. As long as the animals were fed well, she didn't believe that Dahuang wouldn't be able to see reality.

Running? That's impossible. I'll just lie flat and let her touch my belly.

Shen Fenghua had made up her mind, and Li Yanran naturally wouldn't object. After taking a quick look around, the two closed the door and left, turning back every few steps.

Dahuang was probably only recently weaned, as the kittens on its body were sparse. Watching Shen Fenghua gradually walk away, it tilted its head and stared for a while before meowing softly.

Then she sat down obediently and waited without moving.

With the arrival of Dahuang, Shen Fenghua's desire and urgency to move into the courtyard reached its peak.

After lunch, she grabbed her tools and rushed to a nearby alley. She called over five or six aunties and grandmas, and they agreed that she would give each of them ten orange candies after they helped clear the weeds from the yard.

Since we're just killing time anyway, and we can earn ten yuan worth of orange candy in an afternoon to sweeten the kids' mouths, no one would refuse.

The aunties and grandmas brought their own tools and worked enthusiastically. They also supervised their companions, keeping an eye on both speed and quality. Otherwise, what if the girl tried to cut back on the orange candy?

Upon seeing this, Shen Fenghua was delighted.

Goodness, this saves me a lot of trouble.

She ran to the kitchen with practiced ease, found Big Yellow in the kitchen, lured it out with food, and while it was out, Shen Fenghua built it a very simple little nest.

A water bowl was also set out, and the kitten wasn't shy at all. After eating its fill, it followed Shen Fenghua closely.

As soon as Shen Fenghua went out, her appearance was noticed.

"Oh my, where did this little kitten come from? It's quite cute." The aunt with the blue headscarf's eyes lit up. In the instant she met Shen Fenghua's gaze, they confirmed to each other that they both loved cats.

"A cat?" Another person who had come to join the fun saw the cat and immediately became disgusted. "This thing is filthy, covered in fleas. You should throw it away right away."

Shen Fenghua: "???"

Hearing such self-righteous words, Shen Fenghua was stunned. Who was this person with such a big face?

This is our own home; it's not up to an outsider to make the decisions.

Before Shen Fenghua could even begin to criticize, a sudden commotion nearby drew all of her attention.

"Cats are dirty?" The aunt with the blue headscarf seemed to have heard something extraordinary. She was so shocked that her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "Aunt Yaozu, I'm not trying to be mean, but this little kitten is probably cleaner than all your kids."

Shen Fenghua's gossip radar instantly went off. Goodness, another one with a story.

"It's hot now, and boiling a kettle of water doesn't take much effort. You should at least clean the child up properly. From a distance, your child looks no different from a coal miner." It wasn't that the aunties were being mean, but the child was just too dirty to look at. A perfectly good child had been raised to be so filthy.

Everywhere you can touch the outside is unbearable to look at; it's pitch black and terrifying.

Seemingly recalling the miserable state of her child, the aunt said with lingering fear, "If this kitten has fleas, then your child is like a person growing on those fleas."

Yaozu's mother: "..."

His face instantly turned as red as a tomato, a result of being specifically named and criticized, leaving him thoroughly embarrassed.

Shen Fenghua couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Auntie, you really know how to talk." She insulted someone without using any vulgar language.

After finishing speaking, Shen Fenghua said seriously, "This Yaozu's mother, the cat is mine. Whether it's dirty or not is none of your business. Mind your own business."

"You brat, how dare you speak to your elders like that!"

The aunt with the blue headscarf must be quite formidable. She had just been criticized for a long time without daring to utter a single word. Now, she had only said one sentence and was about to be attacked. How could Shen Fenghua endure this?

He's just a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong.