31 cat climbing frame
Inside the hotel, a dark gray suitcase lay wide open. Yang Xiao sat up, lost in thought, staring at the suitcase at the foot of the bed. She was leaving the city tomorrow. When would she finally muster the courage to return? She might have felt nostalgic, but honestly, the feeling of loss was greater. It turned out she was leaving in disgrace this time.
The phone on the bedside table suddenly rang. Yang Xiao picked it up and said in a hoarse voice, "Mao Mao? Are you still awake?" Then she picked up the mineral water on the bedside table and moistened her throat, fearing that Wang Ruopeng would hear something unusual.
"Of course not. After counting the days, you're finally coming back tomorrow. I'm so excited I can't sleep! The kids in my class have been causing me trouble again these past few days. I'm almost mad at you." Wang Ruopeng's voice sounded excited, with a soft kitten meow from time to time. "We miss you too, come on, let's video chat with our godmother."
Wang Ruopeng, as always, was efficient. He immediately sent the video call after hanging up. Yang Xiao wiped her face with a tissue and clicked "Agree." As soon as the call was connected, Wuwu's round, round face filled the entire screen. His smart, long hairs were visible, and he would occasionally bring his nose up to sniff the camera.
"Woo woo, have you seen your godmother? I'll buy you some cans when I come back." Yang Xiao found that humans were sometimes really strange. They were just experiencing dark clouds, lightning and thunder, but when they turned around and saw the kitten scratching the screen of the mobile phone, they were in a good mood and even couldn't help but make their voices more charming.
"Xiao, are you feeling unwell again?" Wang Ruopeng showed his face while hugging Wuwu. "Oh, don't hide it, I can see your medicine box." After saying that, he poked the bottom corner of the screen with his hand. It was the medicine box that was dented under the corner of the quilt. It must be that Yang Xiao was in a hurry to answer the phone and didn't cover it tightly.
"Are you feeling better now? I was so worried. If you're still feeling unwell tonight, give me a call. I only have classes tomorrow afternoon, so don't be afraid to bother me, okay?" Wang Ruopeng frowned, looking at Yang Xiao, whose eyes were bloodshot and face was haggard, with a look of worry on his face. Yang Xiao nodded, "It's okay, I'm much better now. Especially seeing Wuwu, I feel better."
After graduating from university, Wang Ruopeng found a job teaching chemistry at a high school. At the time, teaching positions at her school weren't fully filled, so one person was being pulled into several roles. She was also the homeroom teacher, teaching three additional classes. She worked from dawn to dusk, and her salary was repeatedly docked for failing weekly cleaning and sanitation inspections. She nearly quit, but then she burst into tears reading letters from students. She gritted her teeth and persevered until now.
"So, what's that kid in your class doing?" Yang Xiao changed the subject, took another sip of water, and started slurping and teasing. "Did they get caught passing notes during another teacher's class? Or did they get fined for not cleaning properly during the general cleaning?"
"No, no, no, this time it's even more exaggerated. Two kids in the class got into a fight in the dormitory. They were still doing it last night. On the one hand, I apologized to the parents, and on the other hand, I tried to appease the leader. It's terrible. Is this the education industry? Isn't this a service industry? Am I really a people's teacher?" Wang Ruopeng was furious when he talked about this. He said, "It's over, but the leader still has something to say. Hey, Xiao Wang, I handed this class over to you in the first place, and what have you done now? Oh my god, brother, I get up at 6:30 every day to watch those kids go to morning reading, and I can't go home until 10 o'clock after evening self-study."
"Poor cat, I'll make you something delicious to nourish you when I get back." Now it was Yang Xiao's turn to sympathize with Wang Ruopeng. Ever since they started living together, Wang Ruopeng had rarely slept in. As soon as she got up, Wang Ruopeng had already gone to work. After she came back from overtime and lay down for a while, Wang Ruopeng got up again.
"That's great. I want sweet and sour pork ribs. I'll go buy some after morning self-study tomorrow. If you want anything else, I'll buy some too." Wang Ruopeng pinched Wuwu, who was gurgling like a motorcycle in his arms. "Oh, right, I almost forgot that tomorrow is our little Wuwu's birthday."
Yang Xiao nodded and made a shushing gesture. "Yes, that's why I decided to rush back tomorrow. Let's do this secretly, without telling it. Let's make it a small cake. We also need to buy some tuna tomorrow."
Wuwu was a little three-leaved privet cat they encountered in the flowers downstairs on their second day of living together. It poked its head out from between the privets, tiny and thin, trembling with fear, meowing occasionally. When Yang Xiao was in Lu Town, Yang Quezi also had a cat. However, most cats in town were used to catch mice, living on a daily diet of human food and not very affectionate. After she moved into the Zhou family, she was adopted by another family.
A quick, short cry came from the flowers at her feet. Yang Xiao guessed it was hungry. Ruopeng and she bought some sausage to feed it. Seeing it shivering violently, her heart softened. After some discussion, they took the kitten home after its checkup and raised it. Ruopeng had also chosen the name Wuwu, so naturally, Ruopeng became the kitten's biological mother and Yang Xiao the cat's godmother.
In the early days, the couple had little parenting experience and were primarily spoiled, forcing Wuwu from the size of a fist to a plump little kid. Now that they've strictly controlled Wuwu's diet, the little kid has become slim and healthy. But while he's thinner, his face remains round, and he's become a bit of a follower.
Sometimes, when Yang Xiao got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, Wuwu would immediately fly out of its nest in the living room and force its way into the bathroom, leaving Yang Xiao in a state of both laughter and tears. Thinking of these moments, Yang Xiao felt very happy. Although her life was not smooth, these bumpy corners had given birth to colorful little flowers.
After hanging up the phone, Yang Xiao got up, packed her luggage, took a shower and went to sleep.
Summer mornings are always exceptionally bright. Before seven, it was already bright outside, accompanied by a burst of birdsong. Yang Xiao woke early, turned off the alarm, got out of bed, and opened the curtains. Downstairs, the sanitation worker in a bright orange vest had been sweeping fallen leaves for who knows how long. Even the garbage cart was covered with a thick layer of leaves.
By the time she finished washing up, packed her luggage, and went downstairs, it was just 7:15. She leaned against the elevator, watching the floor numbers tick by, thinking that her noon flight would most likely avoid Zhou Qi, who was coming to see her off, by going to the airport now.
She herself couldn't explain what kind of feelings she had towards Zhou Qi now. She felt angry, resistant, and subconsciously nervous, but there was also a small part of her expectation that she couldn't explain. Realizing this, she began to feel irritated again.
Yang Xiao dragged her suitcase out of the elevator and walked to the front desk. Just as she handed in her room card, she caught a glimpse of Zhou Qi sitting on the sofa waiting for her. When he saw her come out, he immediately stood up and took her suitcase. "Would you like me to take you there?"
Yang Xiao looked at the light blue stubble on his chin that was still unshaved, and looked away. "Aren't you going to force me to go?" After saying that, she pointed at the suitcase handle that he was holding tightly.
"Let's go." Yang Xiao didn't wait for his reply and walked out of the lobby first. "Wait for me at the door, I'll go drive." Zhou Qi followed behind her, dragging her suitcase down to the parking lot.
The wait for Zhou Qi was incredibly brief. Yang Xiao felt like she hadn't even felt the slightest hint of the pleasant, comfortable breeze of a summer morning before Zhou Qi pulled over. She got in the car and opened the window slightly, hoping to let in some fresh air to break the silence between them.
A cool breeze blew, gently caressing her forehead. She suddenly remembered the day Zhou Qi told her to bring a coat because it would rain in Chaoyang. "By the way, how did you know I was in Chaoyang? Did Brother Fang Qiu tell you? I don't remember telling him where I work." After Yang Xiao asked, Zhou Qi's hand on the steering wheel made some small movements, stroking the disc with his thumb.
"I visited you before." Zhou Qi didn't intend to hide it from her. "When you just moved." After hearing this, Yang Xiao turned her head to look at him. Her profile looked even softer in the morning light. "So, the green plants, roses, and cat climbing frame placed at the door were yours?"
Zhou Qi hummed, "Does Kitty like it?" Yang Xiao felt a little relieved and imitated his tone, humming. "What about you? Do you like it too?"
Zhou Qi changed the subject, and the subject unexpectedly became Yang Xiao again. Yang Xiao said nothing, looking out the car window. There, the sun had just risen, and the rosy glow dyed a few thin clouds red.
She didn't want to answer the question, her mind a jumble of thoughts. She recalled the mysterious appearance of items she hadn't purchased on the doormat, which she and Wang Ruopeng had each assumed belonged to the other. It wasn't until the day the cat climbing frame was installed that Yang Xiao realized, upon asking about it, that it wasn't Ruopeng's, nor hers.
Yang Xiao had considered the possibility that Zhou Qi had sent the package. But she suddenly grew timid, afraid to ask. She feared the embarrassment of receiving a negative answer, as if she had been expecting him to do so. So, she proactively avoided the question, contacted the courier with Ruopeng, and waited for the owner of the wrongly sent package to contact them.
During those few days, the two of them took turns tending to the potted plant and the nearly shrunken rose, then put the assembled cat climbing frame back into its box. Seeing how much Wuwu loved it, they immediately ordered another identical one. So now there were two identical cat climbing frames at home, for Wuwu to alternate between. Of course, Zhou Qi didn't know any of this.
"Thank you." Yang Xiao was silent for a while, then began to thank him for the cat climbing frame, green plants, and roses.
"Don't be polite. Are you feeling better today?" Zhou Qi prepared for a moment, then, seeing that she was in good spirits, decided to ask. He then took advantage of the red light to glance sideways at her. After not seeing her for three years, her hair had grown longer, her demeanor had changed a bit, but she had visibly lost weight.
"Not bad." Yang Xiao reached out and brushed away the hair that was blown into her eyes by the wind. "Are you going to recommend a psychiatrist for me next?" After saying that, she turned her head and met his gaze. Why did those eyes look at her so sincerely, yet they were wrapped in a layer of gauze that made it difficult to see clearly? "I'm seeing a psychiatrist and I'm actively receiving treatment."
"Okay. You can contact me if you need it. But I hope you don't need this help."
"I'll give you my good wishes."
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