Chapter 190 Squeeze
Pipa vaguely remembered hearing a strange cat meow before she fell into a daze.
Why is it considered strange? ...The key is that it's too standard.
Similar to—
You know perfectly well that cats meow, but if a cat actually meows three times clearly and distinctly in front of you, you might feel like you're being treated like an idiot.
Even more remarkably, after hearing that strange cat meow, the first thought that popped into Pipa's mind was, "It's the Lantern Festival... The Lantern Festival is here..."
My later memories are all blurry and confused.
Pipa seemed to see Yuanxiao, then it seemed to see a white shadow that had returned, and then it saw Yuanxiao transformed into a human form somewhere between a child and a teenager.
But the only thing that remained unchanged from beginning to end was those eyes that shimmered with a dark, eerie green light in the darkness, their beauty almost eerie, as if they possessed a captivating magic.
Pipa dazedly sank in until the other person placed their palm on the side of his neck. The hand was smooth and cool, which should have been a source of comfort for the child who was currently radiating heat.
But the sudden, passive sensation of having his neck grabbed from behind instantly transported him back to that summer afternoon—
The old village chief, who should have left after receiving the red envelope, quietly walked to his side, silently watching his every move, and then, with a tone of caring for a junior, uttered a series of offensive words with a smile.
At that time, Pipa tried hard to suppress her anger, thinking only that she could endure it for a while and that things would be peaceful, without wanting to offend the most authoritative person in the village.
Unexpectedly, as the old man was speaking, he grabbed the child's shoulder with a rough, large hand, and his thick knuckles, which smelled of pungent smoke and alcohol and a strong odor of sweat, casually slipped inside the child's collar.
At that time, Pipa was completely stunned.
He couldn't quite understand why the other person would do such a thing. He just felt an instinctive resistance, along with an indescribable sense of disgust—
Pipa wanted to run away, but his inexplicably stiff limbs and the adult's hands, like pincers, turned him into a wooden statue, pinned to the spot, besieged by fear and shame...
Then his father appeared and interrupted everything.
Pipa was finally able to escape that suffocating confinement, flee from the courtyard, and hide in her mother's arms.
Later, he saw his mother crying in the vegetable garden. He panicked and was so eager to comfort her that he forgot about what had happened before.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, at least on the surface, for a long time, Pipa had almost forgotten about that incident.
Although after that, apart from his failed escape, he never stepped out of his own yard again, and would always find an excuse to hide in the house as soon as he knew the village chief was approaching.
This may be a subconscious self-preservation mechanism.
Pipa refused to think too much about what might have happened if his father hadn't intervened that day.
perhaps……
It was all just his own cowardice at work; he was worrying unnecessarily.
However, after so long, when someone pressed her neck from behind again, even though the touch didn't seem particularly aggressive, Pipa still instinctively felt resistant, and a chill ran down her burning back.
Pipa could barely open her eyes, only knowing to wave her hands forcefully to dispel the cold, nightmarish shackles that clung to her, whether real or illusory.
As it turned out… his supposedly powerful strike was actually incredibly weak. He was caught in an instant.
In her haste, Pipa swung her sword a second time, and this time she didn't miss... Along with the strange sensation of hitting something smooth and soft, Pipa seemed to hear a very faint "smack".
My palm rested on a smooth surface, and I could vaguely feel the gentle undulations beneath.
My heavy mind was completely stuck.
Is that... a piece of meat?
Why does this shape look so much like—
Before he could investigate further, the thing under his palm suddenly retreated. Pipa was so confused about what he had just photographed that he didn't pay any attention to the other side's movements.
His outstretched hand met empty air, and his body, which had been leaning forward, lurched forward as well. If someone hadn't grabbed him by the back of his collar, he probably would have fallen flat on his face.
In the midst of the panic, his hands instinctively searched for support.
As a result, I touched something unexpected.
It was long and thin, furry, like a cat's tail, and... it was something he was familiar with.
"...Lantern Festival?"
A hoarse, unbelievable voice squeezed out from his burning lips and tongue.
The moment the words left his mouth, Pipa felt the tail he was holding tremble, whether from his words or from the instinct he felt when he was caught, he didn't know.
After a while, just when Pipa thought she was just daydreaming.
A soft meow came from the darkness.
Hmm... it really is the same as what I just heard, a strangely stiff cry.
Pipa couldn't help but think that this was probably why Yuanxiao never spoke in front of him; it sounded really strange.
However, the thought that Yuanxiao, who had disappeared all night, was actually right beside her now filled Pipa with both joy and anger...
Damn it, the other person has no idea what kind of mess they went through tonight.
And it all started with Yuanxiao's sudden late return home.
—No, judging from the current situation, it seems that Yuanxiao intends to stay out all night.
Thinking of this, Pipa unconsciously tightened his grip on the cat's tail, until he felt the tip of the tail shrink back and wrap around his hand, perhaps because it hurt.
The loquat then loosened its grip, but didn't let the tail go... It was the only thing he could hold onto at that moment.
Moreover, besides Yuanxiao and him, there was clearly a third person in the cave.
Pipa guessed it was the white figure she'd seen before. So, it finally came back...?
He thought about it vaguely, and his heart sank.
The last 'powerful strike' had exhausted Pipa's last bit of strength. He didn't know what the white figure wanted to do, but he felt more at ease knowing that Yuanxiao was by his side.
So he started to stroke the other's tail down little by little, trying to pick Yuanxiao up from the ground.
A short breath seemed to echo in the darkness, the sound so close it was practically touching his scalp.
Pipa was stunned for a moment, and that was all it took to be stunned.
The cat's tail, which had been grasped, slipped away from his hand like a nimble little fish.
Pipa instinctively reached out to grab it, but as soon as she raised her hand, her wrist was grabbed.
—It's that white figure.
Previously, Pipa's hand had been grabbed by the white figure, and now both of her hands were under the other's control. However, this meant that the clamp on the back of her neck was gone.
In other words, the loquat's head is free.
In other words, the loquat can also use its head...
Before the Lantern Festival, I hadn't noticed it, or perhaps I was too used to life as a cat and didn't think the tail behind me was anything superfluous, until it was held in Pipa's hand.
Hearing a child mumble their name unclearly, you know that the other person has probably misunderstood.
I was thinking of turning the situation around and letting Pipa know that she really was Yuanxiao, so that she would feel at ease and would obediently let go.
To make the meow sound more realistic, he even adjusted the distance between them.
Unexpectedly, after confirming Yuanxiao's identity, the little rascal not only didn't let go, but actually tightened his grip even more.
Others may not know the special importance of a tail to a cat, but does Yuanxiao not know it herself?
That grab really hurt him.
Fortunately, the loquat seemed to realize this as well. It was willing to loosen its grip, but it was unwilling to let go. Not only did it not let go, it also continued to feel down the joints piece by piece...
This time, Yuanxiao really couldn't hold back anymore.
If the previous blow was pure pain, it was still within a barely tolerable range.
It's a bittersweet feeling now, the warm palms slowly and gently squeezing downwards, a sensation that's both painful and itchy, tingling and numb, and it seems they're about to reach the very end...
Yuanxiao finally couldn't help but gasp.
Taking advantage of the moment when the loquat was startled by the sound, Yuanxiao quickly pulled her tail back and hid it behind her back.
And yet again... just in time, she pulled away the other person's hand that was reaching out to find the cat and grasped it in her palm.
--joke.
Yuanxiao sighed inwardly, relieved that it was a close call. In his current state, he was not someone you could just touch casually. Even if he was willing to repay her with his body, it would still be another five, six, seven, or eight years, right?
Before Yuanxiao could truly breathe a sigh of relief, a fluffy head bumped right in front of him.
Saying it was a collision might not be accurate.
Although Yuanxiao suspected that the little devil had indeed planned it that way from the beginning, she couldn't stop him from having both hands under her control, and she was already delirious from the fever.
So this seemingly effortless collision caused the other person to crash directly into Yuanxiao's arms.
—How should I put it?
Yuanxiao, her face flushed, hesitated, thinking it somewhat like throwing herself into someone's arms...
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