Chapter 63 There are cats and dogs
Ling Shen and the others didn't stay in the bookstore for long; they had to return to the Ling family's house to have dinner with their parents. After bidding farewell to everyone in the bookstore, they walked down the alley. The spring breeze swirled willow catkins, rustling them on the bluestone pavement.
Suddenly, Su Nian stopped abruptly.
"Meow~" "Awoo~"
A sharp, faint cry emanated from the overgrown holly bushes at the corner of the alley, piercing Su Nian's eardrums like a fine needle. He turned half a circle, his eyes sweeping across the damp base of the wall, the musty smell of rain-soaked dead leaves still lingering at the tip of his nose.
"A Shen, did you hear any sound?" Su Nian stood on tiptoe and looked into the bushes, the ends of her hair brushing against Ling Shen's chin.
Ling Shen shook his head, the clatter of his leather shoes over gravel drowning out his faint sobs. Su Nian, however, seemed to be drawn by invisible threads, crouching down and pushing aside the branches and leaves clinging to the spiderwebs.
"Look." Su Nian's voice was very low, but it trembled slightly with excitement. He half-knelt on the ground, not even noticing that his pants were stained with mud.
Deep in the bushes, a white puppy the size of a palm curled up in a ball of fur. Blood scabs mixed with mud were clotted on its hind legs, and every whimper was accompanied by a faint twitch.
A black kitten, no longer than a palm, was standing in front of us with its back arched. Its amber pupils shrunk into vertical lines, the fur on its neck exploded into a fluffy ball, its claws dug deep into the rotten leaves, and it let out a hoarse growl.
"This little thing is still protecting it." Ling Shen's suit pants wrinkled when he squatted down, and his fingertips unconsciously stroked the trouser line.
He looked at the kitten, whose tail was trembling but who was still stubbornly blocking the puppy with her whole body, and a soft laugh escaped from his throat, with a subtle touch of emotion.
Su Nian stretched out her hand tentatively, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'll take you to see a doctor, okay?" Her fingertips hovered half an inch away from the kitten, rising and falling gently with her breathing.
As if pulled by some invisible force, the little black cat's ears twitched, its flared fur gradually smoothing out. Cautiously, it took a half step back, nuzzling the puppy's trembling nose. Its pink tongue licked the clotted blood around the wound, its tail unconsciously circling the puppy's body.
"Can we adopt them?" Su Nian raised her head and looked at her lover behind her. The pleading in her eyes made Ling Shen's heart soften.
"Then let's make it clear first, they are not allowed to enter the bedroom." Ling Shen turned his eyes away, not looking at his lover's watery eyes.
Ling Shen brushed off the fallen leaves on his knees, his leather shoes making a crisp sound on the stone pavement. "I'm going to buy a flight case. You wait here."
Leaving Su Nian there, Ling Shen went to a nearby pet store, bought an airline box to house the two little ones, and went straight to the pet hospital.
"Oh, they are so small, and one leg is injured?" The pet doctor carefully took the two little ones out of the airline box.
The little black cat sensed a strange breath, and its originally smooth fur stood up again. Its vigilant eyes were fixed on the pet doctor in front of it.
Su Nian gently touched its back with her fingertips and said, "Don't be afraid, we will treat the puppy's injuries and it will be healed soon."
"The puppy seems to be suffering from hypoglycemia and a little dehydration. Its hind legs were injured, but it's nothing serious," the doctor said after a careful examination. "The kitten isn't in any serious condition, just a little malnourished. It's probably been taking care of the puppy and hasn't eaten much itself."
When Su Nian heard this, her eyes instantly turned red. She reached out and gently touched the little black cat's head: "How come you are so sensible? You are so young too."
Ling Shen watched from the side, quietly took out his cell phone from his pocket, and sent a message to his assistant, asking him to prepare pet supplies and nutritious food and send them home.
The doctor gave the puppy a nutrient solution, bandaged the wound, and fed the two little guys a special nutrient paste. After the little black cat finished eating, it immediately ran to the puppy and licked its ears, as if to comfort it.
Su Nian looked at this scene and couldn't help laughing: "Look how close they are. They will be a family from now on."
After taking care of everything, Ling Shen carried the airline box, and Su Nian followed beside him, and the two slowly walked out of the pet hospital.
"A Shen, let's give them a name."
Ling Shen lowered his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed out loud, "The puppy is so timid, so let's call him Shuangshuang. The little black cat is so fierce and always gets angry easily, so why not just call him Zhazha?"
Su Nian looked at the two little guys in the cage, one timid and the other fierce, and the scene of them relying on each other in the alley flashed through his mind - Zhazha was obviously skinny, but he still hunched his back and stood in front of the shivering Shuangshuang.
The name seemed random, but it was actually quite fitting. He chuckled softly, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
"Dad, Mom, we're back." Su Nian got out of the car first and walked towards Ling's father and mother who were sitting in the courtyard drinking tea.
Ling's father was adding water to the purple clay teapot, and the aroma of tea mixed with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus wafted to the face; Ling's mother stood up from the rattan chair when she heard the sound, and her eyes were immediately attracted by the aviation box shaking in Ling Shen's hand.
"What is this?" When Ling's mother got closer, Zhazha suddenly let out a short "meow", which scared her so much that she took a step back.
Ling Shen proudly placed the box on the stone table, the metal lock making a crisp sound. "The little animals I adopted are called Shuangshuang and Zhazha."
Father Ling burst out laughing. "What kind of name is that? It sounds both cowardly and aggressive. Who came up with it?"
"I came up with it. Isn't it nice?" Ling Shen raised his head with a look of pride on his face.
Father Ling couldn't help but laugh even louder, "Hahaha..."
Ling's mother felt a little helpless as she wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. "Can't you give it a nice name? When you were little, you named your stuffed bear 'Da Hui', and now you're still so casual when naming your cats and dogs."
She squatted down and looked at the puffed-up fur tenderly through the cage, "But this little guy really looks like a little firecracker."
"I think it's okay, it sounds nice." Su Nian looked at Ling Shen who was a little doubtful of himself, reached out and held his hand, and spoke in his defense.
Ling's father choked on a mouthful of tea and coughed speechlessly while dragging Ling's mother into the house. "Let's go... cough cough... these two are the same..."
Su Nian's ears turned red with embarrassment, and she glared at Ling Shen who was obviously watching the fun beside her. Ling Shen suddenly put his arm around Su Nian's waist and pulled her into his arms.
The evening breeze blew up Su Nian's hair. He muttered with red ears, "You always take advantage of me." But the person holding him chuckled, and his warm breath swept across his ear: "It was obviously you who protected me first."
Su Nian was too lazy to refute Ling Shen's shamelessness. Anyway, such things had happened too many times since they got married, and he had long been accustomed to Ling Shen's acting like a spoiled child in front of him.
In the flight case, Zhazha had curled up in a ball and fallen asleep, with Shuangshuang carefully resting his head on his back. Under the warm yellow light of the restaurant, the aroma of food mixed with the laughter of the crowd drifted far and wide on this spring night.
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