Chapter 95 A Farewell Gift for Aunt Li
His pupils were an unusual pure black, unlike most people's slightly brown eyes, which made his gaze appear exceptionally calm.
Looking closely, there seemed to be a sense of understanding and composure in his eyes, which made Shi Wan feel a chill run down her spine as if she had been electrocuted.
She stared intently into Xinglin's eyes, and sensed a faint hint of surprise and helplessness flickering within them.
"Did I... wake you up?" he asked, his slightly hoarse voice gentle and pleasant in the night breeze.
The sound traveled through the air and rang directly in her ears, clearer and more unsettling than ever before.
The realistic sound and touch shattered Shi Wan's illusion that this was a dream.
She took a deep breath, stared wide-eyed at the person so close to her, her heart pounding, unsure whether she was surprised or delighted.
“Star…Starfall?” She finally found her voice, her voice trembling with disbelief and still hoarse from sleepiness, “You…how could you…”
She wanted to ask why you came out.
Do you already have a physical form?
Xinglin looked at her, who was so shocked she was almost petrified, and the helplessness in his eyes seemed to deepen slightly.
He didn't answer immediately, but instead carried her steadily toward the bedroom, his voice still calm and gentle.
“You just fell asleep,” he stated the obvious fact. “Sleeping here will make you catch a cold, and you’ll have a headache tomorrow.”
His tone was too natural, as if he had just done something perfectly normal.
But for Shi Wan, it was as if she hadn't answered at all.
She was gently held in Xinglin's arms. Her mind was still in turmoil, but her body was already stiff, and she didn't know where to put her hands and feet.
Shi Wan could feel the undeniable strength and warmth emanating from his arm, and she could also smell his cool yet reassuring scent. Her mind remained in a state of chaos.
Xinglin gently placed her on the soft bed in the bedroom and pulled the blanket over her. The whole process was smooth and natural, as if it had been rehearsed countless times.
He stood by the bed, looking down at her, his eyes, as deep as the night sky, appearing exceptionally profound in the dim light.
"Get some rest," he said, his voice as soft as a night breeze. "Leave the store data and manufacturer information to me, I'll handle it. You've been working too hard these past few days, don't overwork yourself."
After saying that, he didn't linger and turned to leave.
His figure appeared as silently as when he arrived, blending into the light and shadow of the living room before disappearing from sight.
The bedroom fell silent again, leaving only Shi Wan alone. She lay on the soft bed, her heart still pounding.
She raised her hand and looked at her fingertips, as if she could still feel the slightly cool touch of his clothes and the sense of security brought by his steady arm.
It's not a dream.
Xinglin really did appear.
This realization, along with the immense sense of relief he brought from his earlier words "I will handle it," and the shock emanating from his deep eyes, stirred up a tidal wave in her heart.
She pulled the blanket up to cover her face, her eyes wide open in the darkness, unable to calm down for a long time.
She didn't sleep very well that night, but it wasn't too bad either.
When I woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
Shi Wan lay in bed, nestled in the soft blankets, staring at the ceiling, feeling as if everything from last night had been a dream.
She pulled her phone out from under her pillow; she didn't know when it was already charging.
Her phone was quiet, without the flood of messages she expected. She rolled over, clutching the oversized custom-made glutinous rice ball pillow from the bed, and started scrolling through her message list.
Su Qing sent some messages asking for product feedback, and the store staff also sent some feedback from customers on site. After receiving the modification suggestions, the embroidery factory sent new design drawings.
She saw her reply, which was concise and clear, just like Xinglin's usual style.
It's not a dream...
Shi Wan turned off her phone and stared blankly at her pillow.
Tangyuan hopped up from the foot of the bed and carefully climbed onto Shi Wan's body, stepping on the soft blankets. Its four paws were like steel bars, pressing down on Shi Wan, causing her so much pain that she almost couldn't breathe.
"Tangyuan, you're going to stomp me to death!" She pretended to be angry and shoved Tangyuan into her arms, then started to rub the kitten, making Tangyuan hug her hands and kick its legs hard twice.
Tangyuan's little fish headgear has been replaced with a Snow White-style scarf, also crocheted. Aunt Li has given Tangyuan a new outfit again.
Shi Wan lingered in bed for a while before getting up to wash up. She brushed her teeth and walked around the room before going to the cat villa via the connecting corridor.
There were still quite a few kittens lying in the cat villa, lazily crowding in front of the large window, stacking themselves like a game of Jenga, waiting to bask in the sun.
Shi Wan carried a large bag of cat food to refill the cat bowl. The cat food made a crisp sound as it fell into the ceramic bowl, attracting some of the alert cats to turn around and look.
So Shi Wan was surrounded by soft cats again.
The meows, as sweet and coquettish as clips, rose and fell, each one vying to express its longing to Shi Wan.
She's been spending a lot of time at the store these days, and many of the kittens miss her.
Oreo and Nao Nao, who are especially close to her, would practically climb on her and rub against her.
Kittens also like to be petted.
It's like a person petting a cat.
Shi Wan was forced to accept the furry children's enthusiastic confessions while holding a toothbrush in her mouth, and finally went back to rinse her mouth, covered in fur and covered in dirt.
After everything was settled, she strolled over to the shipping warehouse.
Aunt Li and Lin Xiaomei are packing the packages to be shipped today. The goods that are wholesaled to the suppliers do not go through the warehouse in Zone 1, so their workload has not changed much.
The two sat together amicably. When there were orders, they would tacitly separate to pick up and pack the items. When there were no orders, they would tidy up the goods in the warehouse and arrange them neatly.
Whenever Aunt Li has free time, she takes out yarn and crochet hooks from her little bag, puts on her reading glasses, and crochets new little hats and scarves for Tangyuan.
Lin Xiaomei was reading and doing exercises on the side, occasionally getting up to move around and pouring a cup of hot water for Aunt Li and herself.
Just as Shi Wan arrived, an order came in. She could hear Aunt Li's cheerful laughter from afar. When she got closer, she saw several small heads peeking out of the window facing the street.
Upon seeing someone approaching, it vanished in a flash.
Shi Wan squinted and saw clearly that they looked like a few children.
Aunt Li turned around, saw her coming, and greeted her with a smile, "Boss Shi is here!"
Lin Xiaomei smiled shyly and greeted her, "Good morning, President Shi."
Shi Wan smiled and said, "I just came to check. I'm not too busy today, so I came to see if you need any help."
"No need, we can do this ourselves. Otherwise, with such a good salary, we can't just sit around doing nothing."
Aunt Li quickly sealed the package, while Lin Xiaomei swiftly affixed the shipping label and placed it in the parcel box waiting to be shipped.
As they were talking, Shi Wan caught a glimpse of several small heads slowly rising from the window, curiously peeking at her.
Shi Wan suddenly felt a strange sense of mischief. She pretended not to notice them and continued talking to Aunt Li. Suddenly, she turned around and met the eyes of the children.
Upon realizing they had been discovered, the children gasped in surprise and then scattered like a flock of sparrows, chirping as they ran away.
Aunt Li was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.
Boss Shi is just a kid too.
Shi Wan coughed awkwardly, pretending nothing had happened, and asked, "Where is that child from? Why isn't he in school?"
“Those are kids from nearby villages. They’re on holiday and like to run around and play. Sometimes they’ll come over and watch us work from the window,” Aunt Li explained. “They just want to see the farm’s cats. They’re just staring at them longingly, but they don’t dare to ask to come in. I thought they were all pretty well-behaved, so I didn’t chase them away.”
As she spoke, Aunt Li suddenly became a little nervous, "Oh dear, is what I did wrong? Did I violate that confidentiality rule? How about I tell them not to look next time, and just tell them to go back and do their homework?"
Shi Wan hadn't thought of that; she was thinking about something else. "That's not what I meant, Aunt Li. Although it's not a main road outside, there are still cars coming and going. The children are still young, and what if something happens to them while they're running around? For their safety, don't let them lie here and watch; it's quite dangerous."
Aunt Li thought about it and agreed. "You're right. I'll call them home to do their homework next time."
The main problem was that the village children were used to running around and playing, and she had seen it so often that she unconsciously overlooked this point. Luckily, the boss reminded her, otherwise, if something had really happened, she wouldn't have been able to live with herself.
Seeing that there was nothing else, Shi Wan prepared to leave. Before leaving, she placed the bag she was carrying on the table next to her. "Aunt Li, remember to take this with you when you get off work. It's a thank-you gift for you."
Aunt Li was a little confused, "A thank-you gift? What thank-you gift?"
"You made so many little clothes and hats for Tangyuan, which was a lot of work and strained your eyes, so I bought you a small neck and shoulder massager. It's quite useful. Remember to use it often after you get home. There are pictures in the instruction manual, so it's very easy to operate." Shi Wan had bought the massager a while ago, but the express delivery hadn't arrived yet. When it did, she was busy with things at the store, and by the time she remembered it, Aunt Li had already left work.
I finally had some time today, so I quickly brought it over to give to her, otherwise I would have forgotten.
Aunt Li was taken aback for a moment, then looked a little flustered. "Oh dear, this little thing doesn't need a thank-you gift at all. You're being too polite with me..."
"I just thought Tangyuan was such a well-behaved and beautiful cat, so I thought I'd make some little things for her. I can't take these, they must be expensive! You should take them home and use them yourself. I've been so busy these days, you'll definitely need them too..."
Aunt Li talked on and on for a long time, and Shi Wan listened patiently, feeling a warm and tender feeling in her heart.
"Aunt Li, please don't be so polite with me. If you don't knit for Tangyuan anymore, I won't give it to you. But if you do knit for Tangyuan again in the future, please accept it." She genuinely wanted to give it to her.
The old lady was always busy, keeping the warehouse spotless and taking good care of Tangyuan. Every kitten that came to the warehouse received Aunt Li's care, sometimes being groomed, sometimes given treats. Even Shi Wan had been fed by Aunt Li a few times, all of which were homemade pickles and sauces, which tasted especially good with white porridge.
Aunt Li had been with her for a long time, and she had long regarded Aunt Li as one of her own.
Aunt Li sensed her sincerity and stopped refusing. A little embarrassed, she said, "Then I'll accept it. Thank you, Boss Shi. I'll bring you some pickles next time. Didn't you say you liked that pickled cucumber? I'll make extra and put it in the refrigerator so you can eat it whenever you want..."
When Shi Wan left, Aunt Li couldn't hide the smile on her face.
She walked slowly along the farm path.
The trees, grass, and flowers planted over the past six months have grown lushly, and the gradually warming spring temperatures have brought forth vitality, making the farm very beautiful.
There was a cat lying down every ten steps along the road, and when she passed by, they would eagerly turn their bellies up to tempt her.
Shi Wan was in a good mood and accepted all the offers, enjoying the touches to her heart's content.
Finally, she arrived at the hydroponic greenhouse, stood in front of the lush, vibrant grass, took a deep breath, and felt its rich fragrance.
Just as she was planning when to harvest a batch and send it to Cat Planet, and to develop the rest according to Cat Planet's needs, the leaf beside her swayed gently.
She heard Xinglin's hesitant voice.
"Shi Wan, I... I may have to leave for a while."
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