Chapter 122 Special Dowry: Jin Dian's Mother Came with Sincerity and Dowry
Shi Wan followed the mountain breeze to the farm gate and couldn't help but laugh when she saw the girl carrying the cat.
This look is indeed familiar. Doesn't she often carry around glutinous rice balls like this?
"Hello!" The girl's eyes lit up when she saw Shi Wan. She gently put Jin Dian down from her shoulder. "I'm Lin Yao. This is my cat, Jin Dian. He's a Bengal cat. I came here because I heard your farm is looking for a Bengal cat, and coincidentally, I live nearby, so I came to check it out..."
"Hello Miss Lin, I am Shi Wan, the person in charge of the farm," Shi Wan said with a smile as she stepped forward. She took a special look at Jin Dian, who was now sitting gracefully at Lin Yao's feet. The leopard cat looked particularly energetic today, with a hint of nervousness in its emerald green eyes.
“We are indeed looking for a leopard cat because this leopard cat got one of our kittens pregnant, and the kittens have already been born…”
She glanced at the golden dot that had almost come closer, and then continued, "If nothing unexpected happens... it should be your dog... uh... actually, it's come by several times, and it's even brought Rou Rou fish and chicken legs a few times..."
Lin Yao was stunned. "I was wondering why the fish and chicken legs I bought had mysteriously disappeared! Turns out there was a mole!"
She picked up the kitten from the ground, whose ears had turned into airplane ears, and gave it a good rub.
"Just call me Lin Yao." But Lin Yao wasn't too surprised. She had always thought that Jin Dian had secretly eaten so much raw food and was worried that he would have indigestion. She never expected that he would use it to offer to others.
Then Lin Yao took out an exquisite cardboard box from her backpack. "These are pet biscuits I baked myself. I'm giving them to the little guys on the farm to try. Of course, people can eat them too. I use only the best ingredients."
Shi Wan took the box and could smell a faint aroma of milk and fish. "You're too kind. Please come in and sit down."
Lin Yao followed Shi Wan inside, carrying Jin Dian, looking around curiously as they went.
Having completed his guiding task, Shanfeng turned around and went to find Chen Xi to continue his patrol.
The two puppies, Xiao Dong and Xiao Xi, followed behind, curiously sniffing the scent of their new guest.
"These must be the puppies of that big yellow dog, right?" Lin Yao crouched down and tentatively held out her hands for Xiao Dong and Xiao Xi to sniff. "I've seen their videos on the farm account before, and they're even cuter and more spirited than in the videos!"
Xiao Dong cautiously sniffed her hand, then its tail suddenly started wagging wildly, and the whole dog became excited. Shi Wan guessed that it smelled the pet biscuits in Lin Yao's bag.
"Xiao Dong, be more reserved!" Shi Wan said, both amused and exasperated, pulling the overly enthusiastic puppy away. "It's like I'm not feeding you."
Lin Yao was amused and took out a small bag from her purse, poured out a few biscuits and gave them to the two puppies.
Xiao Dong and Xiao Xi immediately sat up straight and obediently waited to be fed.
"You've trained really well," Lin Yao praised.
"It's mainly thanks to Chen Xi and Shan Feng," Shi Wan said honestly. "I was only responsible for feeding them the good food."
Lin Yao became more and more surprised as she walked along.
The farm was completely different from what she had imagined. Although she had seen a few videos, she still thought it was just a corner that had been deliberately prepared for filming.
But that's not true at all; this place is just as beautiful as the video portrays.
It doesn't feel like a traditional farm, which is messy or dusty. Instead, it feels like a well-designed eco-park.
The clean gravel path is lined with well-planned greenery and flowers. The buildings in different areas are not exactly the same, but they are all in the same style. In the distance, you can see modern greenhouses and breeding areas, and even further away there is a small woodland.
The activity room is a beautiful house. You can see inside through the large floor-to-ceiling windows: cat trees, cushions, toys, and several kittens playing.
What impressed Lin Yao the most were the cats and dogs she encountered along the way. They were all clean and healthy with shiny fur. They were not afraid of strangers and would just look at them curiously before continuing to do their own thing.
“Your farm…” Lin Yao carefully chose her words, “is a little too perfect and harmonious.”
Shi Wan poured her a glass of water and said with a smile, "It was all taken care of slowly."
The two walked into the activity room, chatting and laughing.
After entering the kitchen, Jin Dian walked purposefully to the sample of Rou Rou's new cat food, sniffed it, then looked up at Lin Yao and meowed.
“He seems very interested in this. Can I let him try some?” Lin Yao said to Shi Wan. “Jin Dian is very picky about ingredients. The flavors he approves of are generally good.”
Shi Wan's eyes lit up. "That's perfect! I just made the first batch, Lin Yao, would you like to take a look?"
She handed over the sealed jar containing the new cat food.
Lin Yao took the jar, first looked at the color and uniformity of the granules, then picked up a few and smelled them. Finally, under Shi Wan's shocked gaze, she took one and put it in her mouth to taste it.
"You...you eat cat food?" Shi Wan was a little surprised. She would also try it, but usually just to test the taste and texture, unlike Lin Yao who swallowed it whole.
"Ah, I'm used to it." Lin Yao smiled sheepishly. "When I try out pet recipes, I often taste them myself. After all, if it's safe for humans, it's definitely safer for pets. Your recipe is very clean, the chicken and fish taste just right, and the ratio of oatmeal to pumpkin is just right. There are no random palatability enhancers added."
“You can have your formula tested and certified, and then make it into commercial cat food for sale. There are too few truly well-made postpartum lactation cat foods on the market right now.”
Shi Wan smiled and said, "I do have that plan."
She plans to start small, with limited pre-orders, using farm-raised chickens and fish, along with traceable feed, to ensure maximum freshness and nutrition, unlike mass-produced grains.
Lin Yao seemed very happy. "That's good. I'll order a few bags too. The stray cat shelter I've been sponsoring often has stray female cats, so this is really useful."
Shi Wan didn't say anything else, but asked for the contact information of a stray cat shelter, planning to visit it another day and do what she could.
"Oh right, we were having so much fun we almost forgot," Lin Yao slapped her forehead, "Can I see the kittens?"
The group of cats arrived at the warehouse compartment.
Rou Rou is lying on her side in the birthing room, nursing her four kittens.
In just one month, the kittens had grown quite a bit, turning into fluffy little balls of fur, their eyes now open, curiously observing the world around them.
As soon as Jin Dian saw the kitten, his emerald green eyes lit up noticeably.
But instead of rushing forward, he squatted a meter away from the delivery room and gently meowed.
Rou Rou looked up and saw Jin Dian, but remained unmoved, meowing softly before bending down to continue grooming the kitten.
"Wow! What a beautiful cat!" Lin Yao whispered to Shi Wan, "It seems my Jin Dian is a sucker for looks, finding such a beautiful wife."
Shi Wan smiled and nodded, pointing to the little leopard cat with golden spots on its markings, "That's Little Spot, the most mischievous one."
The little spot seemed to hear its own name, and crawled out of its mother's arms, wobbling as it made its way to the edge of the delivery room.
When it reached the edge, it saw the golden dot crouching outside, paused for a moment, and then curiously meowed.
Golden Dot's ears perked up instantly, and it cautiously leaned forward, gently touching Little Dot's forehead with its nose.
The little spot shrank back when touched, but soon curiously came back and stretched out its little paw to touch the golden spot's nose.
"They're communicating!" Lin Yao whispered excitedly, quickly taking out her phone to record this heartwarming scene.
Rou Rou watched the father and son interact without stopping them, and gently licked the other three kittens.
Tangyuan squatted at Shi Wan's feet, both satisfied and wary, the cat's left and right brains fighting each other, almost crashing.
At this moment, Lin Yao took out a sketchbook and pencil from her backpack and quickly began to sketch.
With just a few strokes, the heartwarming scene in the delivery room leaps off the page.
The chubby kitten's gentle expression, the moment when Golden Spot carefully touches Little Spot, and the way the other three kittens snuggle up to their mother.
"You draw so well!" Shi Wan exclaimed sincerely.
"It's an occupational hazard," Lin Yao said with an embarrassed smile. "I get itchy fingers when I see beautiful scenes."
"Oh, right," she remembered something, "Shi Wan, I have an idea. I want to create a series of illustrations set on a farm, with the theme of 'life and companionship.' Not just the kittens, but also the other animals on the farm, the plants, and even your daily work."
Her eyes lit up as she spoke, “These illustrations can be made into postcards, canvas bags, phone cases… as cultural and creative products for the farm. Of course, the farm takes the lion’s share of the profits, and I only take a small fee for my hard work, which I consider a dowry for the succulents.”
Shi Wan was somewhat tempted.
The farm has always had two fixed contracted artists, and over time there has been a slight sense of aesthetic fatigue and creative exhaustion. The influx of fresh blood can also bring a change of pace.
“I think we can give it a try!” she said readily. “But we need to discuss the details.”
"Great!" Lin Yao said happily. "From today onwards, I'll be the farm's contracted illustrator! I'll draw for a week first to get a feel for it."
As the two were chatting, Chen Xi walked in and said, "President Shi, Manager Su called and asked when the new product can be finalized."
“Let’s have a meeting in a bit,” Shi Wan immediately got into work mode. “Let’s set it in the conference room and check with Manager Su to see if she has time.”
“Manager Su is in Zone 2 this afternoon. She said she has time,” Chen Xi nodded. “Also, Master Sun said that a new batch of cat trees is ready and asked if you want to go take a look.”
"Go! Of course I'll go!"
Listening to this series of arrangements, Lin Yao couldn't help but exclaim, "Shi Wan, you've managed this farm so well!"
Shi Wan smiled and shook her head, "It's all the result of everyone's hard work."
She checked the time. "It's almost noon. Lin Yao, why don't you stay for lunch? Aunt Zhang in the cafeteria is a really good cook."
"Okay!" Lin Yao readily agreed, "Then I won't be polite!"
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