Chapter 76 Miao Ce Lands: From Basic Needs to Family Planning
The land in the planting area, frozen all winter, finally awoke with an almost joyous fervor in the warm spring breeze.
A group of furry figures, as busy as tiny robots, were working diligently there.
Shi Wan stood by the field, looking at the "Meow Meow Spring Ploughing Picture" in front of her, unable to suppress the smile on her lips, her heart softening completely.
The Mimi-brand cat-farmer tractor, also a treasure she redeemed from the system, was being driven by the majestic tabby cat DouDou, emitting a slight buzzing sound as it plowed straight furrows in the fields.
DouDou sat in the driver's seat, her cat face serious, her wide eyes fixed on the road ahead, her furry paws firmly on the steering wheel, looking just like a general commanding thousands of troops.
"Meow~" came a sweet, urging voice from the side.
The Ragdoll cat Mianmian was also squatting on the edge of the field, responsible for rummaging through the seeds in the basket next to her with her paws. When she saw DouDou plowing up in front of her, she skillfully picked up a few seeds and accurately threw them into the newly turned furrow.
Further away, several young and strong orange and white and black and white cats were working together to rub their bodies against a small roller, compacting the soil where the seeds had been sown.
They worked with great enthusiasm, their round bodies huddled together, the tips of their tails wagging happily. Occasionally, they would meow at each other for who had exerted more effort or who had slacked off, and angrily nudge each other with their furry heads, but they would quickly throw themselves back into the great task of compacting the soil.
"Alright, alright, this batch of seeds is planted. Everyone take a break and come to me to collect your freeze-dried seeds!" Shi Wan shouted.
As soon as the words were spoken, the cats, who had been working so seriously just moments before, instantly revealed their true colors.
DouDou was the first to jump off the tractor, walking with her perfect cat-like steps to Shi Wan's feet. She rubbed her head against Shi Wan's trouser leg, looking up at her expectantly, "You did a pretty good job, didn't you? Isn't it worth two servings of freeze-dried food?"
Mianmian slowly licked her paws, cleaning off the dirt, but her eyes glanced at Shi Wan's backpack where she had put the snacks, with a hint of reserved anticipation.
Shi Wan couldn't help but chuckle as she distributed the rewards one by one, patting one's head and touching another's chin.
Watching the cats feast around her, the sunlight shining on their glossy fur and reflecting a warm glow, she felt that there was no more healing scene in the world than this.
These cat-specific farm machines, redeemed from the system, are not only the right size but also greatly simplified in operation. Xinglin said these farm machines should have been developed by the cat planet.
Shi Wan became even more curious.
After feeding the cat, Shi Wan clapped her hands.
"Alright, my darlings, the planting task is complete! Now, it's time to fulfill another important responsibility of yours as the farm's founding cat!"
Upon hearing this, the cats sped up, devouring their freeze-dried treats in large bites, then smacked their lips and followed Shi Wan toward their respective production workshops.
After entering, the cats went to their respective posts as if they knew their way around.
The most crucial start button, of course, was handled by the most senior and composed clan leader, Tangyuan.
He stretched out his paw with pink pads, his expression serious, and pressed hard on the green button that was larger than his paw.
"Buzz—" The production line started up in response.
Throughout the rest of the workshop, the cats each performed their duties. Although there were bound to be times when they fought, groomed each other, or even slacked off, the production work proceeded smoothly under Xinglin's overall coordination and Shiwan's overall command, creating a sense of order that was both hilarious and heartwarming.
Shi Wan watched all of this with a sense of accomplishment.
This is not just about producing products, but also about creating a small, heartwarming miracle together with these furry friends.
In the afternoon, as usual, she buried herself in a pile of documents.
The computer screen was densely covered with various survey reports, records of public welfare activities, and technical documents about stray cat rescue and fixed-point feeding.
Su Qing's progress is going even better. She has already drafted a preliminary "Detailed Rules for the Use and Management of the Stray Cat Sterilization Fund" and is currently working intensively to screen and contact some reputable, technically skilled, and animal-friendly pet hospitals to negotiate cooperation prices and procedures.
In Su Qing's words on WeChat, "Don't worry, Mr. Shi, I will make sure that every penny is spent wisely, so that those little homeless children can live without worries from now on."
Shi Wan herself is mainly responsible for solving the problem of the stray cats' daily food supply.
She browsed almost all the feeding methods available on the market.
From the most basic method of placing food and water bowls at fixed points, to organized volunteers feeding the animals regularly, and then to some experimental smart feeding boxes...
Fixed feeding bowls are prone to contamination and attract insects and ants, and are greatly affected by the weather.
While volunteer feeding is a good idea, it is labor-intensive, difficult to cover all areas, and prone to problems due to unscientific feeding practices.
"Xinglin, what suggestions do you have?" she asked, rubbing her temples.
Data streams flashed rapidly on the system interface, and Xinglin's gentle and rational voice rang out.
"Based on existing data analysis, and considering factors such as concealment, sustainability, hygiene and safety, and controllability of feeding, we recommend using customized automatic feed dispensers for targeted and confidential feeding. This can avoid unnecessary attention, reduce food contamination, and allow for more scientific management by controlling the amount and timing of feeding through backend programs."
“Just what I was thinking.” Shi Wan’s eyes lit up. “Then, the next step is to determine the specifications and functions of this automatic grain dispensing machine, and then contact the manufacturer for a quote and to customize it.”
Over the next few days, Shi Wan and Xing Lin worked together, dividing the tasks.
Using its powerful data processing capabilities, combined with satellite maps of the surrounding area, heat maps of stray cat activity, and concealment requirements, Xinglin has initially identified a number of potential and safe deployment locations.
Shi Wan was responsible for liaising with several smart device manufacturers.
"Ms. Shi, the kind of outdoor automatic food dispenser you requested needs to be waterproof and bite-proof, solar-powered, remotely controlled by a back-end APP to adjust the feeding amount and time, and have a built-in monitoring camera to identify the number of cats to adjust the feeding... It also needs to be discreet enough, and its appearance should ideally be disguised as a rock or tree stump?"
The sales manager looked at the list of requirements sent by Shi Wan, his expression somewhat subtle. "This... the cost of customization might be relatively high."
“We can discuss the budget in detail,” Shi Wan said calmly. “The key is that the quality and functionality must meet the requirements.”
After several rounds of communication and comparison, they finally selected a manufacturer with strong technical capabilities and an understanding of animal welfare projects.
The other party provided a preliminary design plan and quotation based on the requirements.
Although the price was high, Shi Wan felt it was worth the money when she saw the grain dispensing machine on the design drawings, which was both efficient and full of natural camouflage.
After the plan and details were initially finalized, Shi Wan and Su Qing met in the office building to hold a small progress meeting.
Su Qing arrived first and was checking the hospital list on the computer. Xiao Zhang was temporarily in charge of the second ward for her. She would contact Su Qing if she encountered any problems that she couldn't solve. This was also a test of Xiao Zhang's abilities.
She looked up when she heard the sound; she still had faint dark circles under her eyes, but she was full of energy.
"You're here? Let me tell you, we've basically reached an agreement with three hospitals, who gave us a friendly price. There are two more that are still hesitating, but it's not a big problem; they're interested in closing the deal."
Seeing her high spirits, Shi Wan smiled and pushed a cup of brewed flower tea over to her, "Thank you for your hard work, President Su. Drink some water to soothe your throat. You've probably talked more these past few days than you have in the previous month."
Su Qing smiled, readily accepted the tea, took a sip, and then leaned closer to Shi Wan to tease, "What about you? How's that magic stone that automatically conjures cat food coming along?"
Shi Wan was amused by her and turned on the projector to show Su Qing the design drawings of the automatic grain dispensing machine, the distribution location map of Xinglin screening, and the communication records with the manufacturer.
“Look, this is our magic stone,” she said, pointing to the design drawings. “The manufacturer said they can make twenty units in the first batch and conduct a pilot test in our selected core area. The price is a bit high, but the functionality and concealment are unparalleled.”
Su Qing looked closely and said, "It's a very interesting idea and design. If it's placed in the grass or under a wall, you'll hardly notice it unless you look closely. It's practically a secret canteen for stray cats."
“Plus your sterilization fund,” Shi Wan interjected, “we’re doing everything we can to benefit stray cats, from basic needs to family planning.”
Su Qing was amused by her description.
The two discussed the details at length and finalized the division of labor for the next steps, including fund allocation, equipment supervision, and final location confirmation.
As the meeting ended, the sun was setting outside the window, casting a warm orange glow into the conference room and bathing everything in a soft, warm light.
"It feels so good," Su Qing stretched and looked out the window at the cats playing and frolicking in the open space. "It feels like we're doing something very meaningful, and this sense of accomplishment is what I've been pursuing."
Shi Wan nodded, her gaze gentle.
Yes, seeing these furry little lives able to live better lives because of their efforts brings a sense of satisfaction that no material reward can provide.
Just then, in this warm and peaceful moment, the sound of slightly hurried high heels came from outside the door.
It's Isabella.
Shi Wan and Su Qing exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.
On her previous visits, Isabella always arrived with her voice before she did, bringing all sorts of good news and cheerful energy.
But this time, the footsteps carried an unusual heaviness.
The door was pushed open, and Isabella appeared in the doorway.
She was still impeccably made up and dressed appropriately, but her brows were slightly furrowed, and she was tightly holding a tablet computer in her hand.
Her voice was also a few decibels lower than usual, "I hope I didn't disturb your Meow Project senior management meeting."
"Of course not, what's wrong? What happened? Why do you look so unhappy?" Shi Wan got up to greet her.
Isabella didn't sit down, but instead handed the tablet in her hand to Shi Wan, her tone serious.
"I have brought very bad news."
Shi Wan took the tablet, and Su Qing also came over.
The screen displays the page of an international news website, with bold, alarming headlines.
Globally renowned pet food brand Petraten is embroiled in a toxic cat food scandal, with reports of pet poisoning and even deaths in multiple countries!
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