amber
Life in the new home is gradually getting back on track.
Qingran adapted to the new environment quickly, especially showing great enthusiasm for the park downstairs, which was full of shady trees and lush flowers.
Every evening after dinner, if the weather was nice, she would grab Qi Shuo or Tan Huaiyu's hand and beg them to go "adventure" in the park.
That evening, the setting sun painted the sky a warm orange-red.
Qingran finished her meal early and looked at Qi Shuo, who was clearing away the dishes, with bright eyes. Her little face was full of anticipation: "Brother, let's go to the park, to see the flowers and the birds!"
Qi Shuo had just washed and dried his hands when he saw his sister's excited expression, and his heart had already softened.
He glanced at the beautiful weather outside the window, then at Tan Huaiyu who was dealing with emails in the study, and called out, "Huaiyu, want to go for a walk together? To digest our food."
Tan Huaiyu looked up from behind the computer, rubbed his slightly sore temples, glanced at the time, then looked at Qing Ran who was looking at him expectantly, and smiled: "Okay, wait two minutes for me to save the file."
"Yay! Brother Yu is going too!" Qingran clapped her hands happily and ran to the entrance hall, clumsily but diligently changing into her favorite bunny sneakers.
The park is right next to the residential area; you just walk along a quiet, tree-lined path to get there. At this time of day, the park is quite crowded, with elderly people taking a stroll, children playing and chasing each other, and young people jogging.
Qingran was like a bird released from its cage, running wild as soon as she entered. But she was very well-behaved, always remembering to hold her brother's hand. Her little head kept turning left and right, full of curiosity about everything.
"Brother, look! Yellow flowers!"
"Brother Yu, there's a butterfly!"
"The birds are singing!"
She chattered away, her clear, childlike voice sounding especially pleasant in the evening breeze.
Qi Shuo and Tan Huaiyu each held her hand, their pace unconsciously slowing as they savored this rare and heartwarming moment with their child. The setting sun cast long, intertwined shadows of the three of them.
As they walked along a gentle slope covered with daisies and wildflowers of various colors, Qingran's attention was drawn to several white butterflies fluttering about.
She let go of Qi Shuo's hand and cautiously, tiptoed, approached the butterfly, wanting to get a better look.
Qi Shuo and Tan Huaiyu exchanged a smile and let her go, following her at a distance, their eyes gently following her figure.
Just then, a burst of children's shouts and bicycle bells came from not far away. Several teenagers rode past on their bicycles, creating a gust of wind.
Qingran seemed startled and instinctively ducked into the flower-lined path beside her. Qi Shuo and Tan Huaiyu's view was briefly obstructed.
After the children had passed, when Qi Shuo looked up again, his heart skipped a beat—
The spot where Qingran had just stood was now deserted.
"Ranran?" Qi Shuo's heart skipped a beat, and his voice involuntarily rose.
Tan Huaiyu immediately sensed something was wrong, his expression changed slightly, and he quickly walked to the flower bed: "Qingran?"
There was no response. Only the rustling of the wind through the leaves and the faint sound of voices in the distance.
"Ranran! Stop playing hide-and-seek with your brother, come out now!" Qi Shuo's voice was filled with obvious anxiety. He quickly searched around the flower bed, but he couldn't find the figure wearing the light yellow jacket anywhere in sight.
A familiar, chilling panic gripped his heart instantly. Although reason told him that they were in a park and Qingran had only run away for a moment, the shadow of fear he had once lost still made his hands and feet go cold instantly.
"Let's split up and search!" Tan Huaiyu was slightly calmer than him, but his speech was also much faster. He pointed to a fork in the road, "You go that way, I'll go this way, keep in touch by phone! She shouldn't have gone far!"
The two immediately split up, searching quickly while calling out Qingran's name in hushed tones, trying to find her but also afraid of disturbing the child who might be hiding somewhere.
The park is neither very big nor very small, and the view is easily obstructed, especially behind some bushes and artificial hills.
Qi Shuo's heart clenched tighter and tighter, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He forced himself to calm down and analyzed where Qing Ran might have gone—she liked flowers and small animals, and might have been attracted by something…
By the way, deep inside the park, near the wall, there's a small, relatively secluded area with lots of roses planted there, and stray cats occasionally appear... Qingran has shown a fondness for kittens before.
Qi Shuo immediately changed direction and walked quickly towards that area, while dialing Tan Huaiyu's number and briefly explaining his guess.
The further they went, the fewer tourists there were, and the lighting became somewhat dim. Qi Shuo's heart was in his throat, and he involuntarily held his breath.
Just as he rounded a dense wall of roses, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Not far ahead, in the hollow of the gnarled roots of an old locust tree, a small, pale yellow figure was squatting with its back to him, its shoulders shrugging.
It's Qingran!
Qi Shuo's heart, which had been in his throat, suddenly dropped halfway, but then jumped back up again—was she crying? Was she hurt? Or frightened?
He quickened his pace, walking briskly while trying to make his voice sound calm and gentle: "Ranran?"
Upon hearing the sound, the small figure crouching down trembled and slowly turned its head.
The last rays of the setting sun pierced through the gaps in the leaves, falling on her upturned face. There were no tears, no fear.
Qingran's eyes shone brightly, and her face even carried an expression that was a mixture of excitement, caution, and boundless affection.
In her arms, she held a furry, dirty little thing tightly and carefully.
It was a kitten. Very small, probably only one or two months old, its white fur covered in dirt, its coat a dull gray, speckled with grass and mud.
It was pitifully thin, you could almost feel its bones, nestled in Qingran's small arms, looking exceptionally frail.
But her eyes were large and beautiful amber in color. At this moment, she was looking at Qi Shuo timidly and making a soft, almost inaudible "meow" sound.
Qingran's eyes brightened when she saw Qi Shuo, but she tightened her grip on the kitten, as if afraid her brother would chase it away. She called softly, with a hint of nervousness and pleading, "Brother..."
Qi Shuo squatted down to be at eye level with Qing Ran.
He first carefully examined Qingran to make sure she wasn't injured, only that her clothes had some mud on them, before he breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, his gaze fell on the trembling kitten.
"You found it?" Qi Shuo asked softly, afraid of disturbing the two people, one big and one small.
Qingran nodded vigorously, her little face flushed slightly with excitement: "Yes! It's hiding here, meowing so softly, so pitiful... Brother, can't it find its mother? It's so cold, it's shivering..."
As she spoke, she pulled the kitten closer to her chest, trying to warm it with her own body heat.
The kitten seemed to sense the kindness, or perhaps it was too weak, because it didn't struggle. It just meowed again and stuck out its pink little tongue to lick Qingran's fingers.
At this moment, Tan Huaiyu also arrived. Seeing this scene, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and then his gaze was drawn to the little thing in Qing Ran's arms. "This is..."
"Ranran found it." Qi Shuo explained simply, looking at his sister's hopeful and loving eyes, and then at the dirty but pure-eyed kitten nestled in Ranran's arms, a soft spot in his heart was gently touched.
He remembered a long time ago, when he and Qingran were young, they had fed a stray kitten together. Later, the kitten disappeared, and Qingran was sad for a long time. After that, life became difficult, and they were too busy to take care of themselves, so they never thought about keeping a pet again.
"Brother, let's take it home, okay?" Qingran looked up, her big amber eyes filled with pleading. Her gaze was almost identical to the kitten in her arms—wet, brimming with complete trust and longing. "It's so small. It'll be scared and hungry all alone here… Ranran can share her milk with it, she can play with it… Please, brother…"
Her voice was soft, tinged with tears, not from fear, but from boundless pity for this vulnerable life.
Qi Shuo didn't speak, but simply reached out and gently rubbed the kitten's dirty head with the back of his fingers.
The kitten flinched slightly, but didn't run away. Instead, it tilted its head back and rubbed against his fingers. The touch was soft, delicate, and trembled slightly.
He looked up again at Tan Huaiyu. Tan Huaiyu was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and they both understood what was in each other's eyes—reluctance, and a hint of consideration for "responsibility."
But in the end, Tan Huaiyu's gaze fell on Qing Ran's protective posture as she tightly hugged the kitten, and then he looked at the tenderness unconsciously revealed in Qi Shuo's eyes, and nodded gently.
Having another little one simply means more responsibility and more expenses. But seeing the pure and fervent light that has rekindled in Qingran's eyes, seeing her unreserved love for another vulnerable life, it all seems worthwhile. Perhaps, this is also a form of healing.
Qi Shuo took a deep breath, and when he looked at Qing Ran again, a gentle yet firm smile appeared on his face. He reached out, not to hug the kitten, but to ruffle Qing Ran's hair.
“Okay,” he said, his voice steady and reassuring, “we’ll take it home.”
Qingran's eyes lit up instantly, as if they were filled with stars. She was so happy she almost jumped for joy, but afraid of scaring the kitten in her arms, she just hugged it tightly, her little face pressed against its dirty fur, and said softly and excitedly, "That's great! Kitten, you have a home now! Brother and Brother Yu have agreed to take you home!"
“However,” Qi Shuo added, his tone becoming more serious, “if you bring it home, you have to take good care of it, feed it, clean it, take it to the vet, and love it like family. You can’t just abandon it. Can Ranran do that?”
"Yes! Ranran can do it!" Qingran immediately puffed out her chest and loudly promised, her eyes extremely serious.
"Then let's take it to the vet for a check-up, okay? It looks like it needs help," Tan Huaiyu suggested gently, already taking out her phone to search for nearby vets.
"Mmm!" Qingran nodded vigorously, picked up the kitten and stood up carefully, as if she were holding the most precious treasure in the world.
Qi Shuo also stood up and naturally extended his hand: "Come on, let your brother hold you for a while, you hold your brother Yu's hand."
Qingran hesitated for a moment, looked at the kitten in her arms, then at Qi Shuo's broad palm, and carefully handed the kitten over.
The kitten seemed a little uneasy and struggled slightly in Qi Shuo's hands, but Qi Shuo's movements were steady and his palms were warm, which quickly calmed it down.
Tan Huaiyu took Qingran's small hand in his hand and used his other hand to brush the grass clippings off her clothes.
The last rays of the setting sun cast long shadows of the three people, along with the dirty little white cat in Qi Shuo's arms.
On the way back, Qingran kept excitedly talking about the kitten's future—she wanted to buy it a beautiful little house, delicious cat food, and toys that make noise…
Qi Shuo and Tan Huaiyu walked side by side, listening to Qing Ran's joyful voice and looking at the fragile yet tenacious little life in their arms. A strange, warm, and fulfilling feeling welled up in their hearts.
"Let's give it a name?" Tan Huaiyu turned her head and looked at the kitten in Qi Shuo's arms. The kitten seemed extremely tired, curled up in Qi Shuo's warm embrace, already purring softly. Its large amber eyes were half-closed, like two warm little lamps in the dim light.
Qi Shuo lowered his head, looking at those amber eyes that remained clear and bright even in the twilight, thought for a moment, and said:
"Let's call it Amber."
Simple and clean, like its eyes, and like this unexpected, warm sunset.
"Amber?" Qingran repeated, then laughed, her voice clear and bright, "That sounds lovely! Little Amber! From now on, you'll be our family's Amber!"
The kitten seemed to understand, or perhaps it simply rubbed comfortably against Qi Shuo's hand and let out a longer purr.
As dusk settles and the city lights begin to twinkle.
The three people, along with a newly joined kitten named Amber, walked together toward the warmly lit place called home.
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