Chapter 64. At this moment, she missed him more than ever before. ...
Su Cheng's face was deathly pale, her lips trembled slightly, but she couldn't make a sound.
At the entrance of the shelter, several puddles of disgusting excrement stood out conspicuously.
The rainwater kept washing away the filth, and the murky, dirty water flowed down the steps, emitting a pungent stench.
"I...I'll go get the tools to clean it up." Lin Yang's voice trembled, clearly stunned by the scene.
Su Cheng finally came to her senses and quickly squatted down to pick up the thin blanket that had been soaked by the rain.
As her fingers touched the cold rain, she suddenly remembered something, stood up, and called out to Lin Yang, "Wait, don't go in yet!"
"What if this excrement carries a virus?" She hurried after him, her voice urgent. "I'll call Wu Xin and ask her to settle the kittens first, then bring out the cleaning tools."
Raindrops pattered against the eaves of the covered walkway. Su Cheng folded her dripping umbrella and retreated to a corner with Lin Yang to wait for Wu Xin.
She carefully folded the coral fleece blanket and temporarily placed it on the mottled windowsill.
In the humid air, she held her breath, her voice extremely low, "Do you think it could have been done by that cat abuser from before?"
"It's definitely that beast!" Lin Yang pinched her nose and frowned, fanning herself with her other hand. "Even if it were a stray cat or dog passing by, it's impossible for the whole family to come here to relieve themselves at this time, right?"
As he spoke, his voice rose eight octaves, "And this is the first time in all these years that the shelter has encountered such a disgusting thing. I don't even know whose interests they've threatened."
Su Cheng's expression hardened.
Lin Yang's words woke her up. If everything had been peaceful before, the only recent change was her increasingly popular video account.
She certainly understood the principle that a tall tree catches the wind.
Therefore, whether she's shooting videos or doing live streams, she's always careful with her words and actions, and she always thoroughly investigates the product background before accepting any promotions, only collaborating with truly reliable brands.
Her videos mostly feature funny daily life of cats, with an overall lighthearted and heartwarming style. Even when promoting the concept of "adopt, don't shop," she uses a gentle and persuasive approach. Logically, she shouldn't have caused such resentment towards the rescue center.
Is it because she insisted on promoting "adopt, don't shop" that those businesses that make money by selling pets felt that their path to wealth was blocked, and that's why they came to cause trouble?
But she only has over 200,000 followers, not even a minor internet celebrity. Is it really necessary for people to abuse cats and throw excrement into animal shelters?
That's outrageous.
"My God! What's that pungent smell?" Wu Xin, carrying a mop in one hand and a bucket of water in the other, had just stepped out the door when she was overwhelmed by the acrid stench and stumbled backward. "I thought the cats hadn't buried their poop, so I changed their litter..."
Before he could finish speaking, a gust of wind blew over with an even stronger stench.
She peered ahead and saw several puddles of filth slowly dissolving in the rainwater on the steps. Her stomach churned instantly. "Ugh... Who the hell did this?!"
Suppressing the urge to vomit, Wu Xin rushed to the connecting corridor and stuffed masks into the hands of Lin Yang and Su Cheng.
The three men put on rubber gloves and began cleaning efficiently.
Lin Yang carefully scooped up the sticky filth with a trash shovel and threw it hard into the black garbage bag.
Su Cheng gripped the mop tightly with both hands, bent over and pushed and pulled hard, cleaning the stains on the floor little by little.
Wu Xin ran back and forth between the steps and the water basin, using buckets to fetch clean water and carefully washing the ground.
The rain grew heavier, and the icy rainwater mixed with sweat streamed down Su Cheng's arms.
Finally, after cleaning, Wu Xin grabbed an air freshener and sprayed it wildly at the door. The refreshing lemon scent finally overpowered the nauseating stench.
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief in unison, looked at each other's disheveled appearance, and smiled helplessly.
Only after their entire bodies were thoroughly disinfected did they dare to step into the office.
Despite her exhaustion, Su Cheng didn't sit down immediately. Instead, she found the cat's caretaker who was grooming the cat and instructed him, "There have been cat abusers around here recently. Don't let the kittens out to the garden for the next few days. Keep them all indoors."
She sneezed, her voice slightly hoarse, "Everyone should also undergo thorough disinfection before entering the house to avoid bringing the virus to the kittens."
After giving all the instructions, Su Cheng finally couldn't hold on any longer and slumped into her office chair as if all her energy had been drained.
Her arms hung limply at her sides, and she couldn't even be bothered to move her fingers.
"I'll go buy a security camera right now and install it right at the front gate," Lin Yang said as he opened his phone and swiped to find nearby electronics stores.
Su Cheng sniffed and forced herself to sit up straight. "We must buy the night vision model, so that even if he sneaks in at night to cause trouble, we can still record everything clearly."
The rescue station has been plagued by a series of malicious incidents. First, there were sick cats that had been deliberately abused and abandoned. Then, someone threw filth at the entrance. All signs indicate that someone has their eye on this place.
Wendy had just checked the accounts with her. Although various pet hospitals offer certain discounts on treatment for stray animals, the treatment fees, rent, utilities, cat food, medicine, and other daily expenses are making it difficult for the rescue station to maintain its hard-won profit.
The current situation is indeed passive; the shelter is completely exposed, while the person who caused the trouble is hiding in the shadows.
Su Cheng's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, her brows furrowed. "I really can't understand it. What good would it do that person to destroy a shelter?"
“It might just be a psychopath.” Wu Xin tore open a bag of potato chips, dragged over a chair and sat down next to Su Cheng. “Some people are unhappy with their own lives, and when they see stray cats receiving care and rescue, their minds become twisted, and they feel they have to destroy these little guys to feel good.”
Su Cheng sneezed again, her fingers rapidly tapping on the keyboard, searching for effective ways to curb animal abuse and malicious abandonment.
But the search results made her heart sink.
Even acts of abuse that cause serious social impact can only result in a few days of administrative detention at most; and there are very few restrictions on abandonment behavior, with public condemnation being almost the only weapon available.
“What good are a few words of abuse? They only provide a temporary thrill, but they won’t change anything.” Wu Xin stared at the words “public condemnation” on the screen and curled her lip. “The damage those kids have suffered is irreversible.”
Su Cheng's thoughts returned to the notice that Lin Yang had suggested earlier.
She knew in her heart that such notices would not have any effect on those heartless perverts, but they might be able to change the minds of some people who were momentarily confused and wanted to abandon their children.
However, every word of this notice needs to be carefully considered. If any sentence is said inappropriately and is taken out of context by someone with ulterior motives, it could cause more trouble for the shelter.
Su Cheng knew very well that, according to the rescue station's principle of "life first," if they found a sick cat at the door, they would still treat it without hesitation.
But true kindness is not about endless compromise. If we accept everyone without question, the already meager resources of the shelter will soon be depleted.
At that time, not only will they be in danger of being rescued, but other stray animals that could have been saved will also lose hope.
Those who maliciously abandon others test the conscience of kind-hearted people with cruelty, but every difficult "no" is to protect the possibility of saying "yes" for more people.
After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, she finally decided to "do good deeds and not worry about the future."
What needs to be done now is twofold: first, to install surveillance cameras as soon as possible to preserve evidence; and second, to try to awaken the remaining conscience of those who abandoned their pets.
Although I don't know how effective it will be, I should still give it a try.
Su Cheng carefully considered each word as she typed it into the computer screen:
"Dear friends, thank you for your concern for the well-being of stray animals."
This rescue station is dedicated to helping stray animals regain a new life.
If you are unable to continue keeping your companion animal due to difficulties, please understand:
Abandoning animals causes them immense trauma.
Owners have a responsibility to be fully accountable for the lives they choose.
It is recommended to first try contacting relatives or friends to adopt it, or to find a new home for it through formal channels.
Currently, the shelter is facing a severe shortage of cages and funds.
Every animal that is carelessly abandoned may cause another stray cat in dire need of rescue to lose its chance of survival, or even force an animal undergoing treatment to stop taking its medication.
Life is precious; we refuse to abandon our children.
Su Cheng handed the drafted notice to Wu Xin, "Can you take a look and see if this is appropriate?"
Wu Xin took it and read it carefully. Her eyes lit up. "It's very well written! It expresses a willingness to help and clearly explains the consequences of abandonment. It will definitely be a good dissuadement."
Su Cheng smiled with relief. She rubbed her sore shoulders and then printed out several more notices. She carefully sealed both sides of the A4 paper with transparent tape to make it waterproof, preparing to post them in the most conspicuous place on the outer wall of the rescue station later.
To enhance the warning effect, she also followed the example of shopping malls and created an eye-catching warning sign: [24-hour monitoring area, please behave properly].
"Here, have something to eat." Wu Xin held out potato chips to feed Su Cheng, but pulled her hand back in surprise the moment she touched her arm. "Su Su, why are you so cold?"
"Maybe it's because I've been in the rain for too long." Su Cheng rubbed her sore nose, her voice a little muffled.
Looking at her thin tank top, Wu Xin recalled her busy figure in the rain just now and said worriedly, "You're wearing so little and working in the rain, you'll easily catch a cold."
Wu Xin patted Su Cheng on the shoulder and took the tape and notices from her hands. "Give these to me, you should go home and rest!"
After a busy day, Su Cheng returned home to find the sky already dark.
She sat in front of the computer, feeling her head heavy, as if it were filled with lead.
The footage she took when she took the kitten to the vet during the day was still lying on her computer. She originally planned to edit a video to speak up for the little guy, but her fingers hovered over the keyboard without moving.
A voice kept swirling in my mind: Would doing this backfire? Would that cat-abusing pervert become even more ruthless because of her speaking out?
Looking at the empty white wall in front of her, Su Cheng suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
At this moment, she missed him more than ever before.
If Jiang Muzhou were here, that would be great.
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