Chapter 005 Snow Treasure

Yang Tao hissed, signaling them not to move.

"This white cat is very fierce. It's not okay to steal the cubs in front of it. It would be bad if you get bit. Otherwise, let's forget about it today. I'll find a chance to bring it to you later."

Yuan Ming had no objection: "Okay."

Ji Qingyue didn't respond, and focused on the white cat on the wall that was on the verge of rage. After a while, he made a meowing sound that simulated a cat's meow, and slowly moved to the wall.

Yang Tao was a little worried: "Be careful, Brother Yue, this cat will bite."

Yuan Ming frowned, but didn't stop his actions. He watched him quietly. If the white cat really got angry and hurt people, he would pull people back in time.

"Meow~good boy~"

Ji Qingyue finally walked to the wall and slowly stretched out his hand.

The white cat stared at his hand, blinked, and its fur drooped down, and it called softly.

Ji Qingyue curled the corners of his mouth, put his hand on its head, and gently smoothed its fur. Yuan Ming looked at this scene, exhaled, and relaxed.

On the stone bench in the yard, Yang Tao took a teapot and poured three bowls of water. Looking at the white cat sleeping soundly with its front paws on the back of Ji Qingyue's shoes, he exclaimed in amazement: "Dabai has been in our family for almost two years, and I have never seen it so close to anyone." There was a hint of sourness in his tone.

Ji Qingyue still had the little white cat on her knees. The kitten was taken out of the nest in front of her mother. She probably felt safe and was not afraid of people at all. She was very well behaved.

Hearing this, Ji Qingyue pouted in disgust: "You gave me such an ugly name. It's good enough that you don't tease me. How can I be nice to you?"

Yang Tao scratched his head. What's wrong with Dabai? It sounds nice and easy to remember, which is very consistent with the physiological characteristics of white cats.

Based on the sad naming experience of the kitten's mother, Ji Qingyue was determined to give the kitten an elegant and profound name. So, the couple went straight into the study when they got home, spread a piece of white paper on the table, and began to brainstorm.

Yuan Ming was not enthusiastic about this, but he was willing to play with Ji Qingyue, so he simply gave up the place to him and went outside to make a nest for the kitten.

The cats in the village are half domesticated and half wild. They sleep at home obediently during the day, and no one knows where they run to at night. Moreover, they often hunt, so it is inevitable that they are stained with dirt. It is impossible to sleep in the bed with them.

Yuan Ming found the old shirt at the bottom of the box and laid it on the bottom of the bamboo basket. He added a sheet stacked in two or three layers on top for easy cleaning.

Their house is made of stone, which is much stronger than wooden houses and earth houses. However, after a long time, there will inevitably be rat holes, especially in the firewood room where sundries and hay are piled up.

Yuan Ming stood beside the pile of firewood. The ground was flat and half a person's height, just enough to put down the bamboo basket.

After choosing the place for the cat's nest, Yuan Ming was about to go out when he heard Ji Qingyue running over in a hurry, shouting as she ran: "Husband! I know what to name the kitten! Let's call it Xuebao!"

Upon hearing the name, Yuan Ming was shocked, and his eyes gradually became blurry, and a vague shadow condensed.

That was in his previous life, when he had just passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar.

It is said that high school is like riding a horse in the spring breeze, and seeing all the flowers in Chang'an in one day. However, Yuan Ming, who was sitting on a tall horse at that time, was not happy at all. He bit the soft flesh of his cheeks tightly, and a faint fishy smell flowed between his lips and tongue.

In the palace examination, he performed exceptionally well and the emperor was very pleased. He appointed him the number one scholar and also assigned him a teacher.

That man was none other than Yuan Ming's biological father, Yuan Shanxi, the right prime minister of the dynasty.

Yuan Ming wanted to eat his flesh alive, but at this moment he could only kneel down respectfully in front of him.

It was also on this day that his husband, who had accompanied him to Beijing to take the exam, told him that she was pregnant. Yuan Ming still remembers his ecstatic mood at that time. A ray of sunlight shone down and dispelled all the unhappiness in his heart, and he hugged Ji Qingyue into his arms.

In the next few days, he had not yet taken up his post at the Hanlin Academy. He lived with Ji Qingyue in a small house that rented for one or two silver coins a month. That was the happiest time in his life. Without the pressure of exams, they temporarily forgot about hatred and lived like a normal couple.

After dinner one day, Ji Qingyue suggested giving the child a nickname.

"Why not call him Xuebao?" Ji Qingyue looked up at him: "It happened to snow on the day when the pregnancy was diagnosed, and it was the first time in my life that I saw such heavy snow. I hope our child's heart is as pure as snow."

Yuan Ming naturally agreed to him and gently stroked his belly, which had not yet shown its pregnancy: "From now on, you will be called Xuebao."

Unfortunately, the world is unpredictable, and their long-awaited Xuebao did not even have the chance to be born.

"Husband, husband..." Ji Qingyue waved her hands in front of his eyes: "What are you thinking about? Don't you like this name?"

The quiet husband in the memory and Ji Qingyue in front of him slowly overlapped and became one person. Yuan Ming's throat was slightly stiff, and he hugged him tightly. After a while, he said, "I like this name, but I hope this is the name of our future child. Let's name the kitten separately."

Ji Qingyue was stunned. After a moment, her face flushed and she stammered, "What child? We just got married, don't talk nonsense, my husband."

Yuan Ming smiled and said, "I heard that it is not easy for boys to conceive. They need to work harder than girls to get pregnant. You wasted a lot of time last night. You must cherish it tonight."

As he spoke, his lips had already touched Ji Qingyue's face, and his warm breath gently brushed across her cheeks, causing shivers.

Ji Qingyue hurriedly pulled away and whispered, "I still have to prepare dinner for the kitten, so I won't tell you anymore."

He hurried to the door, then stopped again and said, "Then the name Xuebao will be kept for now. The kitten will be called Rongrong from now on, which means the snow is melting."

Yuan Ming lowered his head and smiled, "I heard everything clearly."

The kitten was weaned, but its teeth had not grown yet, so it couldn't eat hard food. Ji Qingyue tore the steamed buns into small pieces and put them in the vegetable soup to cook into a paste, without adding salt and dripping two drops of oil, and then poured it into the kitten's special small bowl.

While Ji Qingyue was busy, Cao came in and saw that he was wasting flour and oil for a cat. She just frowned slightly and said nothing.

Yuan Ming knocked on Cao's door, and when he entered, he saw her embroidering under the dim oil lamp.

"It's so late, don't embroider, it's not good for your eyes." Yuan Ming sat down on the other side of the table and used a wooden stick to pick up the wick, making the light brighter.

Cao sighed, "How can I not embroider? I haven't collected enough money for next year's tuition, plus the daily expenses, the gap is still quite large."

Yuan Ming asked, "Qingqing and I didn't tell you that we brought a cat back without permission, you won't be angry, right?"

Cao glanced at him and put down her needlework: "Yue Ge'er is a city dweller. When I married him, I didn't think of asking him to help me with work. As long as he can take good care of you, I will be satisfied. But he's only been married for one day and he's already clamoring to raise a cat. It's okay to raise one, but he's also specially lighting a fire for the cat in the middle of the night. It's really a bit too much."

"Mother misunderstood." Yuan Ming grabbed her hand: "Raising a cat was not Yue Ge'er's idea. I've been under a lot of academic pressure recently. I heard from my classmates in the academy that raising a furry pet by your side and playing with it from time to time can relieve stress and relax. I mentioned it to Yue Ge'er, and he took it to heart."

Cao was a little unconvinced: "Really?"

"Of course. Yue'er used to be the son of the county magistrate. He had everything he wanted. How come he is suddenly so interested in wild cats in the countryside? Isn't it to please me, his husband?"

Upon hearing this, Cao no longer had any doubts. After thinking for a while, she said, "Yue'er is really sincere to you. This noble boy who has never done any housework is willing to work in the fields with me. Although he can't do much, at least his intention is there. You have to treat him well."

Yuan Ming smiled: "Of course."

When they came out of Cao's room, Ji Qingyue had already fed the cat and pulled him into the kitchen. Yuan Ming took the initiative to walk to the stove and wash the pot of cat rice, and said by the way: "Mom said that the kitten will be able to eat a pot of rice with us next month, so you don't have to trouble yourself to make a fire again."

Ji Qingyue paused in drinking water and asked nervously: "Is Mom unhappy?"

"How could that be?" Yuan Ming's expression did not change. He washed his hands and said: "Mom also likes kittens, but she has been busy raising me these years and has no energy to take care of them. Now that you have brought one back, she doesn't say it, but she is very happy in her heart."

Ji Qingyue smiled: "That's good."

Yuan Ming wiped his hands and walked to his side: "If Yue'er feels guilty, there is something that can make Mom happier."

Ji Qingyue pricked up her ears.

Yuan Ming raised the corners of his mouth, leaned down, picked him up, and said softly: "Give birth to Olaf soon, mother will be happy."