Although opening a shop was already planned, it's not something that just appears out of thin air with a single word.
Not to mention the need to knock down walls and carry out various renovations after securing the storefront, or the significant time spent running around to obtain various business licenses later on. Even now, there's still a month to wait for the two current tenants to vacate the premises.
Lin Lan had plenty of time to find suitable kittens, but first, mastering the craft of making tea snacks and dealing with the eight cats at home were naturally more pressing matters.
Lin Lan intended for all seven cats, except for Snowflake, to become members of the teahouse, so some basic training was essential.
After obtaining her parents' approval, she went upstairs to her new room. The sparsely furnished, empty space had a sunny room designated as a rest area for the cats. Besides cat beds and a cat tree, there were various small toys scattered on the floor for the cats to play with.
Today, Snowflake was out with the Cat Boss, so only the seven kittens were in the room. The black mother cat lounged lazily on the highest perch of the cat tree, basking in the perfect sunlight outside, her tail swishing leisurely—clearly in a very relaxed mood.
But the kittens on the floor were not nearly as calm and quiet. After three months, kittens' bodies noticeably strengthen, and they become curious about everything in the world. Unless they're sleeping, they're constantly exploring and playing.
These youngsters were naturally quite lively.
Like right now, among a pile of little black cats was a Ragdoll cat. Some were happily chasing a ball of yarn.
Almost as soon as the door made a sound, all the cats in the room alertly looked toward the entrance. When Lin Lan's figure appeared, except for the steady black mother cat, all the kittens swarmed over.
"Meow meow!" (Mom, mom!) As the only long-haired cat in the bunch, and currently the single spot of white amidst the sea of black, Sapphire happily dashed toward Lin Lan. However, her speed was much slower compared to the older little black cats. Before she could pounce forward, not only was she left behind by the little black cats, but she also tripped and fell.
"Meow meow meow!" "Mew!" (Lan Lan, Lan Lan! You're here!) N
The little black cats that reached her feet first kept calling out to her, their kitten voices rising and falling in succession.
"Just came to see if you little ones have been very mischievous." Amused, Lin Lan picked up the slowest-running Ragdoll and placed her on her lap. Already crouching to talk to the kittens, she looked at them. "I just sniffed the air in the room; there's no strong smell, meaning everyone has learned to use the toilet. You're all very impressive!"
Any cat owner knows that cat waste has a strong odor. Before getting used to the smell, cleaning the litter box can cause various discomforts.
When Lin Lan first raised Snowflake, it was the same. Being a complete novice, she dutifully served as the white cat's litter scooper for a while.
But her mother, Wang Xiuzhi, absolutely hated that smell. Unable to bear it any longer, she took the cat to the bathroom and stubbornly taught it how to squat on the toilet.
Since then, the family never bought cat litter again, and aside from the bathroom, that subtle odor was gone from the house.
Lin Lan deeply admired her mother for this. At the time, she would never have dreamed this was possible. So now, when Sapphire joined the Lin household, Lin Lan only needed to say a word to Snowflake, and the white cat obediently taught the now-healthy little Ragdoll how to use the toilet.
"Meow! Meow aow—!" (Mom, mom, I taught them! I taught them how to use the toilet!)
The Ragdoll cat lying on her lap looked up at her, meowing continuously to claim credit. As a large breed cat, a three-month-old Ragdoll was already comparable in size to the five-month-old little black cats around her. Its long fur, meticulously groomed, hung loosely and fluffily on its body. Its beautiful, seemingly artificially polished blue eyes stared intently at her, and its little pink mouth emitted a cooing kitten voice—truly lethally adorable.
"Sapphire, you're amazing!" Lin Lan couldn't help but stroke its little head. The feeling was fantastic, and suddenly she had a strange premonition—
When the cat teahouse opens, Sapphire, who will have grown even bigger by then, might just become the top cat attraction inside.
Ahem, better not think about that too much. It's still early for all that.
"I have something to tell you," Lin Lan said, looking at the kittens sitting neatly in a row before her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the black mother cat trotting over with cat-like steps. "It's about future hunting."
Hunting! Foraging!
The most important keywords in a cat's life were mentioned. Many cats' tails instinctively stood up, and their little ears perked up sharply.
"Ahem!" When the mother cat also sat down, looking at her very seriously, Lin Lan cleared her throat, making her expression and tone a bit more solemn. "To obtain more cat food, cat cans, and tastier dried fish, little cats, I need your help!"
The afternoon sun was perfect. At the abandoned residential area, a group of stray cats still lay on the rooftops, lazily sunbathing.
"Meow oow—" (So you want me to help you find other cats that look like the ones on here?)
On the ground, the Cat Boss stood on a color-printed sheet Lin Lan had brought out. It had photos of various expensive pedigree cats. Getting closer, one could still smell the fresh ink from the recent printing.
"Yes, you and your companions must have seen similar ones among these cats, right? Generally, they have experience living with humans and can better help me obtain food from other humans. In return, I will adopt them and care for them until they pass away from old age." Lin Lan repeated the spiel she had given the black cats earlier in the small building to the Cat Boss now that she was out at the usual spot. "If possible, I'd actually really like you all to come too. The promise is equally valid."
The Cat Boss refused without a second thought: "Wah aow!" (Not going into two-leggers' houses! I don't want to be locked up!)
Truly a free spirit who loves liberty!
However, having anticipated that the Cat Boss wouldn't agree, Lin Lan wasn't surprised. She nodded, dropping that topic, and mentioned another condition: "If you help me find the cats pictured here and convince them to come with me, I'll reward your group too. For every little cat you bring, I'll give your cat colony three large bags of cat food. The pile of food would be about as big as that mound of dirt over there."
Pointing to a pile of discarded bricks in the corner of the abandoned house's wall, Lin Lan gestured for the Cat Boss.
Unsurprisingly, the tabby cat agreed. Having a two-legger actively providing food was much safer than leading other cats to sneak into houses to steal food.
Life for stray cats isn't easy.
Not only is there the risk of being discovered stealing food and then beaten or even killed, but there's also the possibility of eating poisoned food and dying on the way. Plus, sometimes when rummaging through roadside trash bins, they have to fight stray dogs for food... These are all dangers stray cats face, and it's easy to lose their lives.
For cats that can be adopted by humans, food is never a worry, nor do they need to fear wind, rain, or endure bitter cold. On snowy winter days, they can comfortably watch the outside world through the window from a heated room—undoubtedly a life of ease and happiness.
However, for stray cats like the Cat Boss, who prefer the outdoors, they would never retract their claws and resign themselves to being confined just for food and so-called safety.
But even if it was unwilling, there would always be other feline companions who were willing. Besides, it wasn't like the Cat Boss could always successfully find food every time.
The conditions Lin Lan proposed were actually beneficial for the cats. As long as the kittens listed on the paper could be sent to Lin Lan to raise, the other cats unwilling to be kept indoors could also receive food. The Cat Boss simply couldn't refuse.
"Then it's settled. When the kittens on the list appear, you can either have the cats come themselves or notify Snowflake so I can come pick them up. Either way is fine." Lin Lan finalized the deal. "Oh, right, the weather is getting colder lately, and Winter Begins is coming soon. Is your living spot still warm enough? Do you need me to make some simple cat shelters and bring them over? This time, besides cat food, I also brought some old clothes. Whoever wants them can drag them away."
Winter supplies were, of course, needed. The Cat Boss would take as much as Lin Lan gave. Every winter took the lives of many of its companions; stray cats who couldn't accumulate enough fat to withstand the cold simply wouldn't survive until spring.
"If the winter gets too harsh, you can come find me. I have an empty room, big enough for all of you." After a flurry of activity, Lin Lan, holding Snowflake to say goodbye, instinctively reached out to pat the tabby cat's head but was deftly dodged. She waved awkwardly, "Ah, sorry about that, force of habit."
The tabby cat didn't speak, just sat quietly watching her. Lin Lan somehow knew it wasn't angry.
Waving to the stray cat colony, Lin Lan walked back holding the white cat.
Since it was her second trip back, Lin Lan, now familiar with the route, didn't take the same path as her first visit. She knew where the shorter shortcuts were. Cat paths were indeed faster, but those were for cats; humans didn't have the ability to scale walls and leap over eaves like them.
Knowing the way well, Lin Lan only needed to turn two corners and cross a sports square before she could see her own small building on the opposite street.
It was 3 PM. As Lin Lan crossed the square, she noticed there weren't many people. Remembering it was only Thursday, it made sense; the place would be truly crowded on Saturdays and Sundays.
Because she was walking while holding a cat, passersby occasionally cast curious glances her way. Some cat lovers even seemed tempted by Snowflake in her arms, but ultimately, no one actually reached out to pet it.
Snowflake rested quietly in Lin Lan's arms. Snuggled against its owner's embrace, the white cat felt perfectly secure and calm, completely unafraid of the people coming and going around them.
However, Lin Lan, holding it, thought of a problem: it seemed like quite a while since she last measured Snowflake's length and weight. The same went for the kittens she brought back—none had been recorded. She really should keep proper records.
Once home, Snowflake proactively jumped down from Lin Lan's arms. The familiar environment relaxed it completely. Since the other kittens had been moved to the new house, only Snowflake, as the first cat and eldest of the Lao Lin family, remained in the place it had lived for over four years. Although the Lao Lin family also doted on the more beautiful and adorable second cat, Sapphire, Snowflake ultimately held the highest status.
Nearly five years old, this adult cat had a very stable temperament. It had quickly accepted that other kittens were now part of the household, avoiding any terrible clashes between the original resident and newcomers.
Smiling, Lin Lan watched the white cat start amusing itself in the living room, then entered her own room. She walked to the desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a leather-bound notebook.
This notebook clearly had some years on it; Lin Lan had bought it four years ago. Not knowing how to care for a cat back then, she had specifically gotten a notebook to record Snowflake's data. It also contained standard data copied from other sources, like what weight corresponded to a healthy cat of a certain length, and so on.
"How heavy was it again? Lately, to cater to the kittens' tastes, I've changed a lot of the cat food recipes. Snowflake has been eating quite a bit of that too. It did feel a bit heavier today." Flipping through the leather notebook, Lin Lan held it with one hand while the other, out of sheer habit, reached under the desk and pulled out an empty plastic bag hanging there. Without even looking, she tossed it into the living room, then returned to sit on the bed, browsing through past records.
A few minutes later, faint rustling sounds of plastic came from the living room, which soon stopped.
Lin Lan immediately got up from the bed and walked out of the room, still holding the notebook. On the open floor of the living room, a cat had crawled into the previously empty plastic bag. Lin Lan used her free hand to pick up the bag and casually placed it on the electronic scale by the entrance.
The scale quickly displayed: 【4.5KG】
"Last time, it was 30 cm long and weighed 3.8KG. It really has gained some weight this time." Lin Lan swiftly recorded the data. "Good, all within the normal range. No need to fatten up or slim down."
The whole series of actions was so habitual that she only realized what she'd done after finishing. "Holy crap!" she exclaimed.
"I don't need to trick it onto the scale like before anymore!" Looking at the cat still sitting contentedly inside the plastic bag, Lin Lan clutched her head. "I can already talk to it! I could have just asked! Why go through all that trouble!"
The white cat in the bag, completely unaware of her meltdown, was still having a great time inside and called out to her: "Meow—" (Lan Lan, so fun! Do it again!)
You silly cat!
After realizing her mistake, Lin Lan didn't repeat it when later measuring Sapphire and the black cat family's length and weight. However, Snowflake, following at her heels, brought the plastic bag along to the new house, which led to the kittens scrambling over each other to jump inside.
Lin Lan, who could translate their meows, heard a chorus of "Haha, so fun!" and looked at the little black shapes visible through the plastic bag, unable to suppress a deadpan expression.
A bunch of easily kidnapped little dumb cats!
Since she was going to open a tea house, she naturally needed to learn the skills for making tea and snacks as soon as possible. After settling the matter of acquiring cats, Lin Lan went to Little Zhang's milk tea shop the next day to start learning.
Little Zhang's skills at making things weren't great, but he was surprisingly methodical when teaching, making it much easier for Lin Lan to learn. In one day, she had already learned how to make several types of milk tea.
She couldn't help but inwardly marvel: only after trying it herself did she understand why milk tea shops were everywhere—learning it really didn't require much skill. She estimated that in less than three days, she could master all the milk tea recipes this shop offered.
While Lin Lan was absorbed in learning how to brew milk tea, Little Zhang was left dumbfounded and utterly astonished.
Why was it that even though he had taught her the milk tea steps hand-in-hand, the landlord's daughter could make a cup that tasted so much better than his!?
"Boss, give me a strawberry bubble tea and a matcha milk green tea!" Outside the shop, a customer on an electric scooter made an impromptu stop. "Make them cold, not hot!"
Little Zhang instinctively took the two cups Lin Lan had just finished preparing, sealed them, and as requested, inserted a straw into the matcha milk green tea before handing it over.
The customer took a sip and was very satisfied: "It's really delicious, my wife wasn't lying! Boss, you've improved the recipe, it tastes much better than before. I'll definitely come again next time!"
With that, he rode off on his electric scooter, seemingly in a hurry to deliver the remaining cup to his family.
Little Zhang, who hadn't had a chance to explain from start to finish: "..."
He looked somewhat sorrowfully at Lin Lan, who was still mixing milk tea behind him, and received her exasperated yet amused look. "Why are you looking at me? Don't you know exactly how I make the tea? I've taught you the ratios of fruit syrup and milk how many times, and you still can't get it right. What am I supposed to do?"
Making milk tea that's passably decent is easy; making it just right to please a discerning palate is hard. Clearly, Lin Lan had the knack, while Little Zhang did not.
So, Little Zhang was upset but helpless.
The person behind him continued to twist the knife: "I've pretty much learned the milk tea. Teach me how to bake cakes and waffles tomorrow."
Setting aside Shopkeeper Little Zhang's heart-wrenching journey for now, Lin Lan, who picked up the pastry lessons with great ease, received a message from the cat boss two days later. They had found the cat she wanted and had already persuaded it to go home with her.
"Really? Two of them? That's wonderful, thank you!" Giving the messenger stray cat a cod stick as a reward, Lin Lan didn't ask for details. She just grabbed the pet carrier she had prepared earlier and ran out.
"Lan Lan, where are you going?" Wang Xiuzhi happened to see her daughter rushing out like a whirlwind and asked in confusion.
But by then, her daughter was already far away, leaving only the loud echo in the stairwell: "Going to pick up the cats!"
It was the weekend, and many people had come to the square for a stroll or to play.
Cheng Fengyang, holding a dog leash, strolled along with his sister Cheng Xingyu, who was carrying her daughter.
His sister was currently lecturing her five-year-old daughter: "You were the one who kept pestering to come out and play, and now you're the one asking to be carried. Li Mengmeng, you're a big girl in kindergarten now. You have to keep your word, understand?"
As if the little girl would listen.
Cheng Fengyang pretended to look around, inwardly criticizing his sister's parenting lines.
Sure enough, the little girl remained unmoved and even tightened her arms around her mother's neck. "No, no, I won't get down! Mom, my legs are tired, I need Mom to carry me!"
"Your legs are tired?" Cheng Xingyu was almost amused by her daughter's stubbornness. "It's fine, you won't be tired once you run around a bit."
Her daughter wasn't fooled: "Mom, it's not just my legs, my feet hurt too."
Cheng Fengyang's stomach ached from holding back laughter, nearly bursting out, and he earned a fierce glare from his dear sister.
"Mom's tired from carrying you too. Let your uncle carry you." Cheng Xingyu made as if to hand the 40-pound burden in her arms to her brother.
"No way, I'm still holding Xingxing!" Cheng Fengyang immediately refused and quickly diverted the trouble. "Hey, Mengmeng, look over there! Someone's blowing bubbles, so many bubbles!"
The little girl's attention was instantly captured. Following his pointing finger, she soon saw a toy stall not far opposite. The vendor was selling long stick bubble wands, and with a flick of the wrist, a multitude of bubbles flew out from a row of holes.
"Wow—" Without anyone saying anything, the little girl broke free from her mother's embrace and toddled towards the toy stall on her short legs.
Although the problem of the child refusing to walk was solved, Cheng Xingyu felt no gratitude towards her brother and even glared at him again. "Why did you point that out to her? She'll just start clamoring to buy something again!"
Buying things wasn't the main issue. The problem was that shortly after buying it, the little girl would lose interest and toss it aside.
This was what adults found most troublesome and, so far, most unsolvable.
“What's the big deal? It's not expensive anyway. Just buy it for the kid if she wants it.” A single dog doesn’t understand the pain of parents with kids, speaking lightly and dismissively.
Cheng Xingyu just sneered. "Fine, then you, her uncle, can buy it for her."
He'd buy it then, it was a ten-dollar matter at most.
Later, just as her mother predicted, Uncle bought his niece a bubble wand. The niece held it in her hand, swung it maybe three times to make bubbles, and the next moment was captivated by a slowly approaching parent-child electric car.
"Mom, mom! I want to ride that!" Shoving the bubble wand into Cheng Xingyu's hands, the little girl dashed off towards the car.
The mother remained calm throughout, expressionlessly stuffing the bubble wand back into her brother's hands. "You bought it, you can play with it yourself." Then she chased after her daughter.
Left behind, Cheng Fengyang looked at the bubble wand in his hand, utterly amused and exasperated. So, in the end, he had bought a toy for himself?
In the distance, his sister was already driving the little car around the square with the child, completely ignoring him. Cheng Fengyang first looked down at the dog leash in his hand. At the other end, a clean and beautiful Border Collie was wagging its tail at him. After over a month of treatment, the Border Collie Xingxing's butt injury and fur had fully healed, and it was willing to go out and play now.
Seeing its owner staring, it wagged its tail and barked a "Woof!" at him, but its eyes were fixed on the bubble wand in his other hand.
"You want to play with this?" Noticing the dog's gaze, Cheng Fengyang shook the wand.
The dog's tail wagged even more happily.
The early winter sun bathed the square in warmth. People strolled about comfortably in its light. On the broad square, a young man in casual clothes ran laughing, swinging a bubble wand. Countless colorful bubbles streamed out in the wind from his running. Behind him, a Border Collie ran, occasionally chasing the bubbles. The man and the dog were having a great time.
This was exactly how he looked—grinning, running, jumping, and teasing the dog—when he was met head-on by Lin Lan, who was cutting across the square carrying a cat carrier.
