Over here, Tian Tian looked in the direction Chen Yan left with a hint of disappointment: "Oh, he's gone already?"
Fang Qiao joked, "Can't bear to part with that handsome young man?"
The little boy was indeed handsome.
"No." Sweetie shook her head.
She sighed and said, "I haven't been able to pet that cat yet. It's so chubby, its fur must be so soft and nice to touch."
Fang Qiao couldn't help but chuckle.
She's still just a kid; faced with a handsome young man and a chubby orange cat, she didn't hesitate to choose the chubby orange cat.
Sweetie sighed with regret because she couldn't pet the plump orange cat.
Fang Qiao looked on, wanting to laugh, and said, "There are quite a few palace cats in the Forbidden City. Let's walk a little further, maybe we can run into another one."
"Then let's hurry up and go!"
Upon hearing Fang Qiao's words, Tian Tian immediately perked up.
There are many palace cats in the Forbidden City, but not many are truly friendly. Most of the cats are adept at climbing and scaling the rooftops, and when they see people, they will look at them warily with their big, watery eyes and avoid them from a distance before they get close.
The only kitten that willingly rubbed against their legs and meowed ran away, grumbling and complaining, before Sweetie could even pet it, because they hadn't brought any food.
It's clear that kittens are quite pragmatic; if you don't give them food, they'll immediately turn on you and leave.
Sweetie looked at Fang Qiao with a pleading expression, on the verge of tears.
Fang Qiao was also helpless about this.
Fortunately, they still had some luck on their side.
Turning a corner, they encountered the handsome little boy named Chen Yan again on the passageway outside Jingren Palace.
He was carrying the big, fat cat named Little Orange in his arms, and he was coming from the north to the south.
Sweetie immediately beamed with joy and ran happily towards him: "Brother, what a coincidence, we've met again."
Chen Yan nodded politely to her: "Yes, what a coincidence."
"Brother, where are you going next?" Sweetie asked eagerly.
Chen Yan said, "I'm going to the watch shop."
"We want to go to the watch shop too, Auntie, right?"
Sweetie winked at Fang Qiao and whispered, "Auntie, let's go to the clock shop first!"
Sweetie's heart was completely captivated by the big orange cat; it was an open secret that everyone knew what she was up to. Fang Qiao naturally wouldn't expose her little scheme and nodded as instructed.
With Fang Qiao's cooperation, Tian Tian felt relieved and invited Chen Yan to come along: "Brother, brother, we're going the same way, let's go together."
Chen Yan hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."
Sweetie exclaimed "Yay!" and said, "Let's go then."
After walking for a short while, Tian Tian tilted her head and asked Chen Yan, "Brother, is the little orange heavy?"
Chen Yan shook his head: "It's alright."
After a while, Tian Tian asked again, "Brother, you've been holding Little Orange for so long, aren't your arms tired?"
Chen Yan: "Not tired."
After a long while, Tian Tian, still unwilling to give up, asked again, "Brother, are you tired now?"
After being asked three times by Tian Tian, Chen Yan finally understood what she meant: "You want to hug him?"
Sweetie nodded vigorously, looking at him expectantly: "Is it okay?"
Chen Yan hesitated for a moment and said, "It's possible, but he might be shy around strangers and not want you to hold him..."
Fang Qiao reminded, "Sweetie, the cat is shy and might scratch or bite you, so don't try to hold it forcibly."
"Auntie, I know cats can be shy around strangers. But I like him so much. Can I try first? If he lets me hold him, I'll hold him for a while. If he doesn't let me, I won't hold him."
Sweetie knew, of course, that the cat was wary of strangers and would scratch, bite, or claw at people, but she just loved Little Orange so much.
These are palace cats from the Forbidden City! I just can't help but want to hug them.
Fang Qiao instructed, "Then be careful, don't get caught, or you'll have to go to the hospital for a rabies vaccine."
"Yes, yes, I'll be careful." Sweetie nodded hurriedly, then turned to look at Chen Yan with hopeful eyes: "Brother Chen Yan."
Chen Yan couldn't bear to look into her big eyes, so he pursed his lips and said, "I'll find a clean, open space to put the little orange down."
"Yay!"
Chen Yan found a spot where the snow was relatively thin, swept it clean with his gloved hands, and then placed the little orange on the ground.
The little orange didn't run away after landing; instead, it lay down and rolled over on the spot.
His silly and goofy appearance almost melted people's hearts.
"Mimi~"
Sweetie tentatively reached out a hand and gently placed it on Little Orange's head, stroking it back along the direction of his fur. Seeing that Little Orange did not resist, but instead closed his eyes and made a 'gurgling' sound of enjoyment in his throat, Sweetie became bolder, stroked his head and smoothed his fur, and then scratched his chin.
Little Orange was so pleased with being pampered that she nuzzled against Sweetie's palm.
Sweetie looked up with a surprised expression: "He rubbed his hand against mine!"
Chen Yan smiled and said, "He likes you."
"Can I hug him now?"
Chen Yan nodded and said "Mm".
Sweetie immediately and carefully picked up Little Orange from the ground. She moved gently and didn't dare to use too much force, so much so that she couldn't even lift her head up.
She smiled sweetly to cover her embarrassment: "Um... he's a little heavy."
Chen Yan had carried Xiao Ju Zi the whole way, so he naturally knew how heavy Xiao Ju Zi was. Hearing this, he couldn't help but chuckle and say, "That's right, Xiao Ju Zi is a little heavy."
Sweetie's face flushed; she felt like she was being mocked.
No, I can't let Brother Chen Yan look down on me!
She needs to put in the effort! She needs to rise up!
She hugged Little Orange by the armpits and lifted him up from the ground, her little face turning red from the effort.
To her utter surprise, the cat was incredibly flexible; she picked up its front legs but not its hind legs, and ended up stretching it into a long 'cat strip'.
Sweetie was dumbfounded: "..."
"puff!"
With a few 'pfft' sounds, Chen Yan, Fang Qiao, and the others couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Sweetie covered her face, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground immediately.
Waaaaah, so embarrassing!
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