Chapter 10
After saying this, the old man seemed to be in a state of panic. I, who reacted the fastest, couldn't help but wail in my heart: No way, I just convinced myself to live with you, and you turn around and leave here?
"Why so sudden?"
"This may seem a little sudden to you, but it's something I've thought about carefully."
Li Ying'an smiled and said, "From the first day I arrived, I said I should find a good career while I'm still young. I've been thinking about it these days, and the more I think about it, the more I feel that I should use my age to go out into the world and work hard, rather than being confined to here. Although I'm not well-educated and going abroad is a fantasy, our motherland is so big, and if I work hard and save some money, I can still travel all over the beautiful land of our motherland and see the world."
"So now that spring has come and the weather is no longer cold, I want to leave."
Li Ying'an is like a bird, ready to spread its wings and fly in the spring.
From the beginning, the old man hadn't wanted Li Ying'an to be stuck in the scrapyard for long. As Li Ying'an had said, he should have ventured out while he was still young. Now that Li Ying'an had spoken again, even though they had been together for a month and both considered each other family, the old man had no choice but to let him travel.
"Since you want to leave, I won't stop you and will even support you." The old man seemed somewhat relieved by Li Ying'an's decision. "But you have to wait here for me first."
After saying that, the old man stood up and walked towards his house.
In an instant, Li Ying'an and I were the only ones left in the slightly damp and dark room. Naturally, Li Ying'an turned his head towards me.
He closed his legs, which were originally open, stretched out his arms, smiled, and made a flattering invitation to me.
I stared at him for a moment. He was indeed very patient and didn't withdraw for a long time, but I still played a trick on him. I just didn't want to do what he wanted. I turned my face to the door and raised my head proudly.
Then, Li Ying'an laughed: "You little bastard."
I looked back at him and called out unhappily, "Meow."
It wasn't that I protested the name, though it certainly sounded unpleasant. I spoke to Li Ying'an primarily to ask him where I'd sleep if I left today. Was I going to have to sleep on the streets on my first day with him?
I stood up and jumped onto Li Ying'an's legs. I looked up at Li Ying'an, who couldn't understand what I meant and couldn't respond to me. In the end, I curled up in a ball and lay there in frustration.
Li Ying'an saw my behavior and thought it was probably me expressing my displeasure at him calling my name, so he smiled and stroked my fur, jokingly saying, "You little brat, you're still not happy?"
I ignored him and just lay quietly on his legs, breathing slowly, feeling his warm hands touching my back.
"So you've decided to live with me from now on?"
I didn't act like a human like before. This time I just showed my claws and scratched Li Ying'an's pants in response.
Fortunately, Li Ying'an seemed to understand what I meant.
"Then I'll give you a name." Li Ying'an paused for a long time before asking, "Are you good at catching mice?"
I glanced up at him unhappily—
Li Ying'an underestimated the fighting ability of a tabby cat.
I wanted to raise my arms and flex my muscles: Power!
Li Ying'an had a certain understanding of the Tabby Cat's strength. He asked himself and answered, "It should be quite formidable. In the past, all the mice in the village were caught by the wild Tabby Cat. I'm sure you'll be catching mice one after another in the future. How about you take my last name, and... Li Lao Shu?"
I raised my claws and slapped him hard. When Li Ying'an was wondering about the pain, I glanced at him with a fierce look.
Damn it, what parent would give their child the name of their enemy? Aren’t you being a bit irresponsible?
Luckily, Li Ying'an had some good sense. Perhaps because he saw my displeasure, or perhaps because his conscience had been awakened, he shook his head and said, "That doesn't sound very nice. So, what should I name you?"
The air suddenly became quiet, and in the silent space, the breathing above the head could be clearly heard.
I wagged my tail, trying to disturb Li Ying'an and break the silence. But Li Ying'an seemed to misunderstand my meaning. His hands were stroking back and forth, and in his eyes, my tail wag seemed to mean that I was very comfortable.
So I decisively stopped wagging my tail, and Li Ying'an also paused for a moment, and I felt that his hand was not moving.
"I've always been curious about your yellow hair. I didn't expect that from where I stand today, it actually looks like maple leaves." Li Ying'an's tone rose with a hint of pride, as if he had discovered a treasure. "It adds such vitality to the hair, like a tree growing into a towering tree, sprouting and growing branch by branch... one by one. Mimi, I think I've found a nice name for you. Would you like to hear it?"
I grunted a few times, rolled over on his legs, then turned sideways, wagging my tail and looking at him expressionlessly.
"You should take my last name, so your name should be Li Youzhi."
Li Youzhi. Again as in "again," and branch as in "branch."
Li Ying'an said that cats have nine lives, like a tree that is burned through by wildfire but still stubbornly sprouts. He hopes that I will be like the tree, or like this name, carry forward the nature of a cat and never be cowardly.
Even if you fail, there is still a chance to try again.
When I heard his words, I felt that he was naive and ridiculous.
No living creature has multiple lives. Cats, like humans, only have one life. The so-called nine lives is just a fabrication to deceive people. Opportunities don't just appear when you see them. In this world, in this society, we always value speed, ruthlessness, and precision. What you can't grasp is definitely firmly grasped by others.
Of course, there is hope.
What you lose doesn't mean others have it.
So if you fail, trying again is also a solution.
But, I always feel that this name does not just represent me.
My vision suddenly rose, and I felt a soft yet strong support under my armpits. The person holding me was very careful, and I didn't feel any pain during the ascent.
He was a powerful and warm person, and seemed to have me at the center of the whole process, taking my immediate feelings into consideration. So after he easily flipped me over, even when we glared at each other, I didn't get angry or struggle, but instead remained completely calm.
I was not distracted because I was confused, but because I was attracted to the other person.
What fascinates me is still those light grey eyes.
Our close gaze made me fall completely into those misty eyes, my half-real reflection emerging from the depths of his pupils. Those eyes were like raindrops hitting a broken, old windowpane, blurry and weathered, but undeniably, a lasting tenacity flashed through them after a blink.
His eyes were so beautiful. If the gaze of the boy I'd locked eyes with in the park was cold and tranquil, then Li Ying'an's eyes were empty and quiet, so quiet that they seemed unreal. I suspected he must have a story, and his personal experiences were undoubtedly like his eyes: gray and pale.
"Well, is this a nice name, Mimi?"
My distraction was brought back to me by Li Ying'an's question, so I began to struggle in his arms until he let me go, put me back to my original position, and then repeated the stroking action.
I didn't reply to him. On the surface, it seemed like I agreed, but in fact, I was complaining that he had chosen a name but didn't use it, which seemed unpleasant.
"Ignore me?" Li Ying'an was still teasing me, scratching my head and poking my butt from time to time. Finally, he annoyed me and I slapped him away with my claw. Then he muttered to himself, "Uncle told me before that tabby cats have bad tempers and don't easily recognize their owners. So do you dislike the name I gave you, or do you hate me for restricting you with a name? But don't worry, I gave you a name to call you home for dinner, not to treat you as my little pet. How about being friends with you?"
His words made me look up at him. I looked into his sincere eyes and always felt that his words were not false.
I don't really care about names; when I was serving Empress Wuqing, I was called Little Li. There were many different cats around Empress Wuqing, but there was only one of each. I was fortunate to be the luckiest of them all, a colorful cat, happily accompanying her.
Now, this happiness is still there, but the person I am with is no longer Wuqing, but someone as gentle as Wuqing.
I don't know how many times I was secretly happy in my heart, but my face remained calm, and I even licked my fur as if nothing had happened.
Li Ying'an saw my behavior as being in keeping with a cat's arrogance. He couldn't help but tease me again, jokingly saying, "Haha, so cute. You're a childish cat."
...childish people.
When the old man came back, the house was still as quiet as usual, but it was filled with a joyful atmosphere compared to before.
I noticed the old man was holding a plastic bag, but he didn't explain it immediately. Instead, he changed the subject and asked Li Ying'an to stay for lunch. After Li Ying'an declined several times, he couldn't resist the old man's kindness and finally had no choice but to stay.
Only after hearing Li Ying'an's personal answer did the old man return to the main topic.
He lowered his head and opened his red plastic bag layer by layer, revealing the hidden contents before us.
They were obviously some red bills, a few hundred-yuan bills.
Things had come to this point, and the old man's meaning was obvious. Li Ying'an quickly refused without waiting for the other party to speak.
"Uncle, if you give it to me, I will never accept it!"
The old man choked on the words he wanted to say. He didn't expect Li Ying'an to be so quick-witted. Not only did he expose his purpose, but he also used a tough tone to ruthlessly block him.
But the old man was still wise. Having made his decision, how could he back down? He grabbed Li Ying'an's hand without question. When he saw him retreat, he simply let go and walked over to the packed luggage and stuffed it in. "This is your wages. There are so many months in a winter, so I can only give you a thousand yuan. Keep it. It's not much, and I'm embarrassed!"
The wife says she is right, the husband says he is right. Everyone has his own legitimate reasons for shirking responsibility, and Li Ying'an is no exception. He has been giving the old man twenty yuan a day because of what he said on the first day at the scrap yard. This is a settled agreement, and he must not go back on his word. Even if he is given more, he insists on not taking the money.
Unexpectedly, the old man immediately caught up with him and said, "This is the money for you. It's exactly one thousand yuan!"
"So you usually—"
"Those few dollars are just pocket money!" The old man immediately stopped Li Ying'an from speaking. "Just keep it if I give it to you. If you don't, I'll think you look down on this thousand dollars!"
The accusation was so serious that Li Ying'an was speechless. Given his current situation, he might need the thousand yuan, but his conscience was too much for him to bear the consequences.
"We agreed on it at the beginning. I have no complaints about your providing food and accommodation. Besides, this is your hard-earned money..."
The old man actually said: "It's not my hard-earned money."
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