When Jin Miao arrived, Jin He had just returned from having a free meal next door, rubbing his stomach as he walked. He saw Jin Miao in the yard and let out a burp.
"Why are you here? Isn't the party the day after tomorrow?"
Jin Miao took a closer look and, wow, her brother's complexion was rosy and his face had gotten fuller; he must have been taking really good care of himself lately.
"It's cold outside, come in first." Jin He pushed open the door and saw some washed blueberries, grapes, strawberries and kiwis on the coffee table. Jin He sat down, forked a blueberry and ate it.
Jin Miao slowly put down his backpack on the coffee table. Only then did Jin He notice that Jin Miao was carrying a cat carrier. Inside, a tiny kitten, no bigger than a palm, was curiously looking at him through a small window. Its face was round and flat, and it looked adorable.
Jin He jumped to her feet, looking wary, and asked, "What are you doing?"
Jin Miao reached into the cat carrier and took the kitten out, letting Jin He pet it: "Xiao He's family's mother cat gave birth to a litter of kittens. All the other kittens were taken away, leaving only this one. Brother, come and hold it."
"Why!"
Jin He dodged behind the sofa in a flash: "You! You! Put it back right now! I won't keep it!"
"Hold it, it's so cute." Jin Miao hugged the kitten and leaned closer, saying, "It won't bite or scratch you. Look at it, isn't it adorable?"
"I can barely support myself, how could I possibly support a kitten?"
"It's very easy to raise. It's the most obedient one in the litter. It never goes near the mother cat when she's nursing. It only comes after the other kittens have finished eating. Look how thin and small it is from hunger."
"I won't keep it, you can take it!"
"Oh, why don't you hug it? It's so cute!"
After a brief standoff, An Yi came downstairs with an earphone around his neck. Jin He, who had been cornered, saw An Yi and clung to him like a lifeline: "An Yi! Someone wants to keep a cat in your house!"
An Yi looked over and met the gaze of the kitten. He frowned and asked, "Where did this kitten come from?"
"They were born to the mother cat in Xiao He's family." Jin Miao's smile faded. "Brother An Yi, can we keep them?"
An Yi, expressionless, gestured with his chin toward Jin He: "He's the one who decides."
"Ouch, bro~"
"Don't come any closer!"
"You're not afraid of cats, so why are you hiding?" Jin Miao raised the kitten's paw and waved it at Jin He. "Look, it's very sad because you rejected it."
"You, you put it back."
Seeing that her brother was really not interested, Jin Miao had no choice but to pout and put the kitten back in the cat carrier: "It seems that you are not liked by your brother. There is nothing I can do but take you back."
Jin He sat far away from them, arms crossed, watching them. The kitten seemed to understand, its big, bright eyes darting around anxiously, looking pitifully at Jin He through the small window.
Jin He silently looked away.
I don't want to raise one.
Jin He thought to herself.
"You sit there, let me listen to your heartbeat." Jin Miao, still wearing a stethoscope, probed Jin He's chest for a long time, her brows furrowed and her expression serious.
"What's wrong?"
Jin He wanted to laugh.
"Why are you still..." Jin Miao said with a bitter face, "You look much better."
"That's just because you've eaten enough. If eating enough could cure an illness, there would be no hospitals in the world."
"So no matter what, I'm still going to get stabbed here."
Jin Miao shook her head. She still didn't want to explain to her brother how open-chest surgery is performed. It would be a loss if he were scared to death right now.
It's not just a single cut; it's like having your ribs sawed open, at least six ribs. Once the anesthesia wears off, it feels like having a boulder broken on your chest.
Jin Miao left after a short while. Jin He saw her to the door and reminded her again that they should have dinner together the day after tomorrow. Jin Miao readily agreed. Then, as soon as her brother turned around and went home, she saw a cat carrier standing on the coffee table. The kitten inside kept scratching at the small window with its paws and meowing.
Jin He: "..."
"An Yi!"
He stood downstairs with his hands on his hips, holding a cat carrier, and called out, "Come here for a second!"
An Yi took off his headphones again, ran out of the composition room, stood in front of the second-floor railing, and asked him, "What's wrong?"
“You should send this cat back,” Jin He said. “I don’t want to keep it; what kind of burden would I want?”
The kitten understood and meowed sadly.
"Okay, I'm sorry, you're not a burden, but I don't have the time to take care of you right now. Go find an owner you like." Jin He shoved the cat carrier into An Yi's arms. "You decide what to do. I'm going to sleep."
An Yi turned his head and said "Hey".
"I think you could keep one. You could keep one to keep yourself entertained."
"I won't keep it." Jin He didn't even turn her head, and slammed the door shut with a "bang".
An Yi looked down at the kitten in his arms, opened the bag and let it out. The kitten meowed and rubbed against his chest.
“Your attempts to please me won’t work.” An Yi picked it up. “Can’t you tell who the head of the household is? You only have a long-term meal ticket if you keep him happy. I don’t need to teach you how to do it, do I?”
Meow~
The kitten meowed and lay down on the ground, looking very distressed.
"Come on, I'll take you out to get a shot and clean it up. You'd better behave yourself when you come back."
The kitten licked his hand, which was a sign that it agreed to his plan.
When Jin He woke up, he found a fragrant little cat in his bed, lying on his pillow and gently licking his face. Jin He felt ticklish and reached out to grab it.
The kitten meowed.
“I already told you I didn’t want to raise you.” Jin He reached out and squeezed its paw. “Little guy, you really came at the worst possible time.”
The kitten tilted its head and licked his palm.
Jin He sat up, reached out and scratched his chin, muttering, "What will you do if I die? You'll really become an unwanted kitten."
The kitten didn't understand what he said, and licked his fingertip with its wet little tongue.
"Then I'll help you find a reliable owner. It's fate that you came here. I'll find you a good owner so you won't have to worry anymore." Jin He reached out and scratched its belly again. "Hmm, how about this? I don't feel comfortable just abandoning you. I'll find you a good owner who will buy you canned food every day so you won't have to go hungry anymore. How about that?"
"Do you have a name? I'll give you one. Maybe your future owner won't like it, and we can change it later."
"Meow."
The kitten agreed.
"I'll call you Er Gou (Second Dog) then. A humble name is easier to raise."
Er Gou: "..."
"Okay, let's do it this way. Er Gou Er Gou, it's catchy."
Er Gou: "..."
This is a long-term meal ticket, I'll endure it! I'll endure it!
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