Chapter 4, "The Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother"

When Jiang Sui returned to the fifth floor, she heard the kitten meowing again.

This time she heard it clearly; the sound was coming from Ji Jingyu's house.

The kitten inside must have heard its owner's footsteps, because its meows became more urgent and sweet.

"Ji Jingyu, you have a cat at home?"

Jiang Sui is now calling his name more and more naturally.

"Um."

She said with a hint of envy, "That's wonderful. I love kittens too, but unfortunately my dad is allergic to their fur, so he can't keep one."

"Um."

This too?

It's as if he knew about this.

Jiang Sui couldn't help but complain in her heart.

People who were worried about their ice cream melting and were in a hurry to get home suddenly stopped rushing inside once they reached their doorstep.

Jiang Sui glanced at him. "Aren't you going home?"

Could it be that, like her, he doesn't have a house key?

“I’m waiting for Teacher Su to come up; her things are still with me.”

So that's how it is.

Jiang Sui replied, "Then give it to me. Ice cream won't taste good if it melts."

Ji Jingyu didn't continue the topic. Instead, she looked up at the stairwell and said calmly, "Teacher Su is coming up."

Jiang Sui's attention was immediately diverted.

"Mom, I'm so thirsty and tired. Can I go home and get some water?" She wasn't lying. She had indeed suffered a lot on her way from the entrance of the residential complex to the fifth floor.

Jiang Sui is still young, and her deliberately lowered voice makes her sound delicate and aggrieved, which would make anyone feel sorry for her.

Su Yinian neither agreed nor disagreed. She walked up to Ji Jingyu, took the shopping bag from his hand, and thanked him again: "Thank you, Xiao Jing."

The door that Jiang Sui had been longing for finally opened.

Su Yinian went into the house first, and Jiang Sui quickly followed, dragging her suitcase, afraid of being left behind.

After stepping into the house, Jiang Sui turned around and peeked out, "Ji Jingyu."

"Um?"

"Thank you for today. I'm going home now." Jiang Sui looked at him, her voice rising slightly at the end. "I'll come to your house to play with your kitten next time."

She didn't seem to need a response from Ji Jingyu, and turned back after speaking.

Ji Jingyu stood quietly in the corridor, her thick, long eyelashes drooping slightly, casting a dark shadow on her lower eyelids.

Time seemed to stand still.

After a while, I heard him respond with a soft "okay".

—

Jiang Sui stood in the entryway, curiously looking around her mother's house.

It's a standard three-bedroom apartment. Although it can't compare to Jiang Sui's home in Licheng, it's enough for an ordinary mother and daughter to live comfortably.

Su Yinian's home, like herself, is warm and bright, with a sweet fragrance filling the air.

The interior design style appears simple yet has a strong sense of line. The overall color scheme is warm, with a light-colored carpet laid between the off-white sofa and coffee table, which feels soft and fluffy to the touch.

On the natural wood dining table sits a glass vase with an glacier pattern, containing several sprigs of lantern lilies; their bright, warm orange color adds a splash of color to the home. In the corner, a woven flowerpot holds a Monstera deliciosa, its vibrant green dazzling, refreshing and beautiful.

The living room connects to a small balcony, and the not-so-large space is filled with green plants.

A summer breeze swept by, creating ripples of deep green water.

Jiang Sui fell in love with this home at first sight.

She took off her shoes and was about to walk in barefoot when she saw Su Yinian bend down and take a pair of light yellow slippers out of the shoe cabinet in the entryway.

"Thank you, Mom."

Su Yinian seemed very uncomfortable with this title. Every time Jiang Sui called her that, she looked extremely awkward and didn't know how to respond to Jiang Sui.

But Jiang Sui adapted very well.

She kept asking questions.

"Mom, can I have a key to the house?"

She doesn't want to experience being locked out like she did today a second time.

"Mom, where do I sleep?"

"Mom, I want to choose a room that's closer to you."

"Can't we go to this one over there?"

"Mother……"

Su Yinian was so distracted by her repeated calls of "Mom" that she was in a daze. By the time she came to her senses, Jiang Sui had already obtained the spare key to the house and was making her bed in the guest room.

The sky-blue four-piece bedding set features delicate, skin-friendly fabric printed with cartoon animal patterns.

"Was this prepared especially for me?"

As soon as the question left her mouth, Jiang Sui regretted it.

Su Yinian didn't even know she was coming, so how could he have prepared these things for her in advance? But these are clearly styles that a young girl would like.

"...These are for the students who come to me for tutoring."

Su Yinian paused in making the bed and gave a brief explanation.

“I don’t use things that other people have used.” Jiang Sui’s face fell, and as if in a fit of pique, she squeezed out a dry sentence, “I’d rather sleep on the sofa.”

Her gaze fell on her feet, so even her slippers were hand-me-downs?

Jiang Sui forcefully kicked off her slippers, standing barefoot on the floor, feeling both angry and aggrieved, her eyes reddening.

Why is it that even strangers can receive her mother's love, while she can only use what others have left over?

Su Yinian: "..."

This temper is just like Jiang Yunzhao's.

“These are all new. That student… had something come up and didn’t come to stay anymore.”

"Really?" Jiang Sui asked, half believing it.

"real."

After hearing Su Yinian's explanation, Jiang Sui was still unhappy and muttered, "If she's going to have tutoring, why does she have to stay overnight? Doesn't she have her own home?"

—

The guest room windows were open for ventilation, and the occasional summer breeze that drifted in, along with the chirping of cicadas, caused the curtains to sway slightly.

Su Yinian made the bed and left. She had her own things to do and couldn't stay around Jiang Sui all the time.

Jiang Sui didn't bring much luggage, and she wasn't in the mood to unpack it, so she just piled it all up in a corner.

This room is clearly unoccupied.

Apart from a bed and a row of cabinets, there was nothing else.

It was as if she were just an uninvited guest who came to stay for a few days, not worth the trouble.

Jiang Sui kicked off her slippers, sat cross-legged on the bed, and couldn't resist calling Jiang Yunzhao.

"Dad." The moment Jiang Yunzhao answered the phone, Jiang Sui could no longer suppress the grievances she had been holding back for so long.

"What's wrong, baby?"

Jiang Yunzhao was still busy; he could faintly hear others reporting their work to him over the phone.

"She doesn't like me at all."

Both father and daughter knew perfectly well who "she" referred to.

The first thing they said to her was to leave, that the slippers were for someone else, and the guest room was for someone else... If she hadn't insisted on staying, she probably wouldn't have even been able to get into the house.

Jiang Yunzhao waved for his subordinates who were reporting to leave before continuing his conversation with Jiang Sui.

“Sui Sui, you can’t think like that. Mom is definitely the person who loves you the most in this world.” He emphasized again, “She loves you even more than Dad.”

Jiang Sui had heard these words countless times since she was a child, which is why she felt even more wronged, as reality was not like that at all.

"But……"

Jiang Sui was about to say something when Jiang Yunzhao interrupted her, "Sui Sui, you can't doubt your mother's love for you."

Not long after Su Yinian became pregnant, he was locked up at home, and he endured the entire long pregnancy alone.

Fear, anxiety, sadness, and humiliation and coercion from the outside world—if it weren't for loving this child, Jiang Sui would never have had the chance to be born.

Perhaps realizing that his tone was too serious, Jiang Yunzhao softened his tone a bit, "Sui Sui, Mom might not be used to it right now, you have to give Mom time to adjust."

It would be unbearable for anyone to suddenly see a child who was taken away at birth and then reappear in front of them.

Jiang Sui's appearance was like a pebble thrown into a lake, disrupting Su Yinian's peaceful life and turning everything into an unknown.

"Okay." Jiang Sui poked hard at the pattern on the blanket. She had been using this reason to convince herself since earlier, "I won't be angry with Mom."

"Hmm, Sui Sui is such a good girl."

"Knock knock".

There was a light knock on the door twice.

Su Yinian stood a few steps away from Jiang Sui, close but not overstepping the boundaries, and asked, "What would you like to eat tonight?"

"I'm fine with anything, I like anything my mom makes."

Jiang Sui, who had just been throwing a tantrum, was immediately appeased by those words.

“Year after year…” A hoarse, tense voice came from the hands-free phone.

Su Yinian's face suddenly turned pale, and his eyes were filled with panic, as if something terrible would crawl out of there at any moment.

Even after so many years, she immediately recognized Jiang Yunzhao's voice.

The air seemed to freeze.

A strange atmosphere.

Silent parents.

Feeling somewhat lost, Jiang Sui jumped off the bed and ran out of the room without even putting on her slippers.

He left only the words, "You guys chat, I'm going downstairs to wander around and get familiar with the area."

—

Jiang Yunzhao knew he shouldn't have made a sound.

He had been patient for so long, but all his efforts were in vain at this moment.

After a long silence, Su Yinian finally broke the deadlock.

"Come and pick up the child within three days, tomorrow..."

There was no sound from the other end of the phone; it was so quiet that only the other person's breathing could be heard.

Each word fell into Su Yinian's ears, filled with despair and oppression.

“You must take her away, I…” Su Yinian gritted his teeth, “I won’t care about her.”

“I have already arranged for Sui Sui to transfer schools. She is your child, and she will always be by your side.”

Jiang Yunzhao's response not only failed to comfort Su Yinian, but instead pushed her to the brink of collapse.

"I swore before that if I ever get entangled with you again, may I die a horrible death." Su Yinian's tone was almost pleading. "Please, for the sake of our past... please stop bothering my life."

"Just give me a little more time, and my family can..."

"But I don't believe you."

Su Yinian's voice was very soft, yet it was like the frost of winter, choking Jiang Yunzhao's remaining words in his throat.

When Su Yinian heard the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground on the other end of the phone, his heart skipped a beat.

At twenty, she could say without hesitation that she loved Jiang Yunzhao, but now she begins to doubt whether they were ever truly in love.

Otherwise, how could one say hurtful things so easily?

Her voice was soft and slow, and she emphasized each word, trying to persuade Jiang Yunzhao as well as herself.

"Please let me go."

—

Jiang Sui didn't want to go shopping; she just didn't want to disturb Su Yinian and Jiang Yunzhao.

She planned to stand at the door for a while before going home.

As soon as she closed the door, she felt something furry gently bump against her calf.

Jiang Sui looked down and met a pair of big, round, amber eyes.

The "culprit" was a chubby orange cat with a small, round silver tag around its neck that gleamed in the sunlight.

After making eye contact with Jiang Sui, the little guy didn't run away but instead squatted down right next to Jiang Sui, its snow-white tail tip swaying lazily behind it.

"Kitty!"

Jiang Sui happily squatted down and tentatively reached out to scratch the other person's chin.

Her movements were a little clumsy, but Daju didn't dodge. Instead, it nudged its head forward, closed its eyes contentedly, and made a gurgling sound in its throat.

It clearly enjoyed Jiang Sui's touch.

The orange tabby is very well cared for; its fur is smooth, soft, and quite substantial.

It has a very affectionate personality. Whenever Jiang Sui touches it, it whines happily and rubs its little head against Jiang Sui's thigh, being incredibly sweet.

"Whose kitten are you?"

Jiang Sui knew that Ji Jingyu's family kept cats. She looked up and saw that the door was open a crack.

This little guy is most likely his.

Jiang Sui was surprised that Ji Jingyu, who seemed so aloof, had a cat that was surprisingly outgoing.

Despite being complete strangers, it acted with unprecedented familiarity.

Who wouldn't love such an enthusiastic kitten!

Jiang Sui cupped Da Ju's chubby little face in her hands and coaxed, "How about I take you to buy snacks later?"

Meow~

While they were playing around, the door opposite opened.

A tall and slender figure walked out from there.

Hearing the noise, Jiang Sui and Da Ju both looked up at the person who had come.

—

From Ji Jingyu's perspective, both the person and the cat stared wide-eyed at him, the uninvited guest, with a humorous sense of tacit understanding.

It's strangely cute.

Cats are.

People even more so.

A hint of a smile flashed in his usually indifferent dark eyes.

But he quickly returned to his usual aloofness and introversion, as if the previous emotional changes were just an illusion.

Jiang Sui was completely unaware. She remained in her original position, looked up at the other person, and asked excitedly, "Ji Jingyu, is this your cat?"

"Um."

He bent down and patted Da Ju's head. His cool, pale fingertips accidentally brushed against Jiang Sui's hand, causing Jiang Sui to instinctively curl her fingers.

Ji Jingyu paused for a moment, "I'm sorry."

"It's nothing." Jiang Sui didn't care; all her attention was on the cute little guy. "Ji Jingyu, what's its name?"

"tadpole."

"ah?"

Jiang Sui looked at Ji Jingyu with an expression that said, "I didn't hear what you said."

"It's called a tadpole."

As if to prove that Ji Jingyu was not lying, Da Ju immediately straightened its back and meowed in response to Ji Jingyu after hearing the word "tadpole".

Jiang Sui: "..."

I didn't realize that Ji Jingyu was such a naming genius.

She couldn't help but mutter to herself.

This perfectly good kitten has been given such a... indescribable name. Won't it get laughed at by other kittens when it goes out?

Perhaps because Jiang Sui's facial expressions were too easy to read, Ji Jingyu offered a few more words of explanation.

"We found the tadpole in the grass outside the community. We suspected it had gotten separated from its mother, so we named it that."

"The Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother?"

Ji Jingyu nodded, "Although we didn't find its mother in the end, everyone was used to calling it by this name, so we didn't change it."

This name has a very special meaning for them, and Ji Jingyu never thought of changing the tadpole's name.

Jiang Sui never expected that the chubby little cat in front of her had such a difficult past. She patted its little head hard and said, "Poor thing."

But the person in question didn't care at all, carelessly licking their own pink little paw pads.

"Ji Jingyu," Jiang Sui called him again.

The boy had already straightened up, put his hands in his pockets, and looked down at her with a superior air.

As the sun gradually slanted, its shadow completely enveloped Jiang Sui's small figure, like a confinement or protection, creating an indescribable sense of beauty.

Jiang Sui is really fair-skinned. When she lowers her head to play with the tadpoles, her slender neck is like a piece of mutton fat jade with a warm and lustrous sheen, so beautiful that it is impossible to look away.

Ji Jingyu's eyes darkened, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he responded in a low voice, "Hmm?"

Jiang Sui curved the corners of her mouth into a sly smile, like a cat's, then beckoned to him with her slender white index finger, "There's something I want to ask you..."

A note from the author:

Xiao Ji's Diary:

Using a kitten as an assistant can make things twice as easy.