canned herring
"Xiaoyun, go get something else." Shen Yi'an's slightly flustered voice came from behind.
Yun Jin stood at the edge of the platform, staring down at the bitter melon. A resolute glint flashed in her heterochromatic cat eyes. She took a deep breath, opened her mouth wide, picked up the bitter melon, and then used her hind legs to propel herself up onto the plank, heading towards the finish line.
Shen Yi'an's smile froze completely, and his outstretched hand trembled slightly: "Xiaoyun... shall we discuss this?"
But Yun Jin had already walked in with the strides of a victor, and it was clear that she was going all out.
Shen Yi'an laughed through his tears as he held up a bitter melon for the camera.
“Teacher Shen, bitter melon is also very delicious,” Ding Zhizi said with a smile.
After resting for a while, there was still time. Shen Yi'an squatted down to instruct Yun Jin, but Yun Jin wouldn't stop. With the idea of punishing Shen Yi'an properly, she got up and set off again.
Soon, a can of herring, gleaming dangerously in the pile of vegetables, caught Yun Jin's attention.
The "deathly aura" of the herring can hit Yun Jin precisely. Her beard trembled wildly, her whole face scrunched up, and just one sniff made her look twenty years older. Her right paw hung in mid-air, caught in a dilemma.
Yun Jin found it difficult to put her mouth down, and amidst the constant torment, the countdown reached its final moment.
"Time's up—" the host's voice rang out, and Yun Jin returned to the starting point, sprawled like a cat pancake, but her tail still stubbornly slapped the ground.
Lu Xuan was still cheering from the sidelines, feeling sorry that Yun Jin hadn't succeeded.
Ding Zhizi buried her face in Egg Tart's fur to suppress her laughter, while Egg Tart pushed her away with its paw in disgust. Cats are sometimes like that; they don't like people taking the initiative to get close to them.
Shen Yi'an breathed a sigh of relief, squatted down and poked her puffed-up cheek: "Did you have a grudge against me today?"
Yun Jin's voice cracked, and she meowed a few times.
The second to set off was Egg Tart. Egg Tart gracefully stepped onto the balance beam and soon arrived in front of the hanging basket.
She stopped in front of the canned herring, tilting her head curiously, her pink nose twitching slightly.
"Meow—it stinks!" Egg Tart instantly bristled, taking a step back and almost slipping off the wooden board. She stared incredulously at the can of herring, then turned to look at Yun Jin.
Yun Jin was nestled comfortably in Shen Yi'an's arms when she noticed Egg Tart's gaze. She yawned widely, her tail wagging in the air. She wondered, "What is Egg Tart doing? Does it like canned herring?"
Egg Tart just felt there was something fishy going on, either the can of herring or something else around there.
Thinking of this, despite the hellish stimulation, the egg tart stubbornly rummaged through the surrounding ingredients a couple more times, lifting up the lettuce leaves and rolling the carrots aside.
"Meow meow meow meow—there's nothing else."
The egg tart's tail swayed back and forth in confusion. Apart from that can of herring that exuded an aura of hell, there was really nothing here.
Ding Zhizi covered her face with her hands, her desperate eyes peeking out from between her fingers: "Egg tart! Stop smelling it! Come back now."
"Keep it up, Egg Tart, you can do it." The smile wouldn't disappear, it would just move to Shen Yi'an's face.
The countdown timer beeped more and more urgently, and Egg Tart started meowing anxiously.
"Meow meow—oh no, I almost forgot about this."
Amidst the deathly stench of the fermented herring, it suddenly noticed a piece of salmon sitting nearby, its translucent flesh gleaming enticingly under the spotlight.
"Meow meow meow meow—so this is what Yun Jin was looking for. But now it's mine."
The Ragdoll cat leaped back to the starting point and caught the salmon firmly in its mouth.
"Well done, egg tart." Ding Zhizi breathed a sigh of relief.
"So Xiaoyun was looking for salmon. I thought she liked canned herring," Lu Xuan laughed from the side.
"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you. You thought you were deliberately messing with me." Shen Yi'an held up the brocade and apologized sincerely.
Lu Xuan patted Shen Yi'an on the shoulder: "Hey, what bad intentions could a cat possibly have?"
Guoguo mimicked him on the shoulder: "Bad intentions! Bad intentions!"
Yun Jin wagged her tail guiltily. She had wanted to mess with Shen Yi'an, but she had only succeeded halfway.
"Xiaoyun, how could such a nice cat play tricks on people?" Ding Zhizi walked over carrying an egg tart.
Egg Tart nestled in Ding Zhizi's arms, chin held high, eyes narrowed into slits, looking extremely smug.
As they were talking, Bruce also set off.
Bruce excitedly rushed toward the widened dog balance beam, but his four legs moved independently, as if he were drunk. After only a few steps, he lost his footing and fell into the soft mat with a "thump".
It shook its head, its face covered in foam, looking completely bewildered: "Woof woof—what happened?"
On his second trip across the bridge, Bruce accidentally tripped over his own tail and fell off.
On his third attempt to cross the bridge, Bruce was distracted by staff halfway across and jumped off.
The owner on the sidelines was getting increasingly tense: "Stop playing, my little darling."
On the fourth attempt, Bruce suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He slowed down and focused intently on the bridge surface. Finally, he succeeded, becoming the first dog in the project to reach the basket.
With little time left, the audience erupted in cheers when it sniffed around for a while and finally picked up the vegetables.
Then, when Bruce suddenly shook his head, the broccoli disintegrated in mid-air, and green pieces rained down on the "audience".
Zhang Shuo's expression grew increasingly grim, and the camera tactfully zoomed out.
Yun Jin looked up but didn't see Yun Chen. She wondered where she had gone. Yun Chen had become busy at some point, and wouldn't tell her when she asked.
"Meow—why is my little sister not cute at all now that she's grown up?" Yun Jin wailed.
My stomach started growling loudly.
"What's wrong? Want some more cat treats?"
Shen Yi'an's voice came from above. Yun Jin looked up and saw him waving a new cat treat in his hand.
"Meow! — I want it!"
Yun Jin rolled over and stood up, temporarily putting her worries behind her.
Who cares, I'll eat first. She took a big bite of the cat treat with a "whoosh," her three-lobed mouth moving rapidly.
Cats can only channel their sadness into their appetite.
The Samoyeds, Siamese cats, Labradors, and others that followed all successfully completed their tasks, but they didn't create much of a spectacle.
During halftime, Yun Chen had not yet returned, so Shen Yi'an took Yun Jin back to the RV to rest.
Yun Jin lay in her light gray cat bed, her paws idly pawing at the feather toy beside her. The bells on the feathers jingled crisply in the quiet car.
What's going on today? First, I was attacked by bitter melon and canned herring, and then Yun Chen hasn't come to see me for so long. Isn't she afraid that Shen Yi'an will take me home?
Shen Yi'an sat cross-legged on the chair opposite her, a thick stack of envelopes spread out on his lap, containing postcards from all over the world.
Sunlight streamed obliquely through the car window, falling on the pages of paper. He used a knife to tear open a pale blue letter, and the scent of ink mixed with the fragrance of paper wafted out.
Yun Jin slowly got up, pretending to casually brush against Shen Yi'an's arm, and nestled her fluffy head into his arm, secretly glancing at the letter in his hand.
"Want to watch together?" Shen Yi'an chuckled and simply picked her up. Yun Jin's ears twitched, and she pretended to be unwilling as she snuggled up, but her tail quietly wrapped around his wrist.
The various handwritings recorded the thoughts of their owners.
The first letter was written on light blue paper, in elegant cursive script:
Professor Shen, I was admitted to the Journalism Department of University A this year and have finally come to your city. Yesterday, when I passed by the Central Square, I saw that the little black dog you once posted on Weibo was still there. If I meet Professor Shen on a street corner one day, I hope I can muster up the courage to say hello.
The second letter was a beige postcard, written in neat, legible ballpoint pen:
Two years ago at a coffee shop, the girl at the next table saw that my phone lock screen had a handsome picture of you on it, and we talked about "how can you be so handsome" until closing time. Now she's my best friend. It turns out that people who like you will inexplicably become like you.
The third letter was a postcard depicting Milan, with the words written in bold pencil handwriting:
As I was writing this postcard in front of the Milan Cathedral, a kitten jumped onto a bench. It reminded me of the variety show you're going to film. Thank you for your encouragement, which made me determined to pursue my dreams. I hope that one day you'll have the opportunity to wear the clothes I designed.
...
Yun Jin stared at the burning words, feeling a heavy weight in her heart.
Shen Yi'an's hand rested on the back of her neck, the movement gentle, but at this moment the touch made her feel uncomfortable.
Yun Jin felt that Shen Yi'an was deeply guilty. So many fans shared their lives and endless love with him, but Shen Yi'an was not as good as they imagined.
"Squeak."
Yan Fei pushed open the door and entered. "I brought the script. The director said you can take a look at it when you have time. The audition is next week."
He handed over the exquisitely bound, thick booklet, the words "Secrets in Spring" gleaming in gold lettering on the cover.
Shen Yi'an put down the letter and took the script.
Yan Fei took the opportunity to tidy up the scattered letters on the table. The papers that carried his thoughts were carefully gathered, put into a beige folder, and he took them away.
Shen Yi'an leaned back in his chair, the script spread out on his lap. He first sighed, then opened the script.
The rustling sound of turning pages mingled with the intermittent chirping of cicadas outside the window. Yunjin curled up in her cat bed, her tail tip patting lightly with each turn of the pages.
Sunlight streamed through the car window, casting dappled patterns on the floor, with countless dust particles drifting slowly within the beams of light.
Yun Jin recalled an afternoon at the orphanage.
Yun Jin was much more lively back then than she is now. She liked to show off in front of other children and would volunteer to perform.
She would stand on tiptoe on a "stage" made of old school desks, and each little audience member who came to watch the performance would be given a unique "ticket," which was made from glass candy wrappers that Yun Jin had saved up for a long time.
"Next, please enjoy 'Sleeping Beauty'," Yun Chen announced in a high-pitched voice.
When the performance reached its climax, the little boy playing the prince was unwilling to kiss Yun Jin. So Yun Jin suddenly sat up and pulled the prince towards herself, determined to make the climax a success.
The children and teachers below burst into laughter, and even the dust floating in the sunlight seemed to sway along with the laughter.
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