The two-legged creature behind the cat boss... wasn't that referring to her? Why did she suddenly have the illusion of becoming a behind-the-scenes boss?
When she saw that tabby cat again, the cat boss brought her two more pet cats.
"Meow..." One was a silver shaded British Shorthair, naturally blessed with eyeliner-like markings. Its large, round eyes looked particularly endearing when they gazed at you, though it was a pity it was filthy.
"Miao..." The other was a blue-and-white Munchkin cat. Just saying 'short legs' might not be vivid enough, but mentioning its other nickname, "sausage cat," should give a basic idea—exceptionally low clearance, but it could run quite fast. Of course, currently, it was also filthy.
"Alright then. You've taken the initiative to pledge allegiance and are determined to follow me, is that it?" Having done this before, Lin Lan took the cats in without a second thought and promptly gave them new names on the spot. "You'll be called Marshmallow, and you'll be Sausage."
The stray pet cats had no objections. They had been wandering outside for a while, and the harsh winter made them long only for the warmth of a human home. Their old owners didn't want them anymore, so having a new home and new names given by someone who could understand their speech made them quite happy.
The cat boss, however, had something to say: "Wao—" (Actually, originally, we came across another one. My underlings found it near here, but it didn't agree to come.)
"Oh? There's actually a stray pet cat with that much backbone?" It was very difficult for housecats, raised by humans without survival skills, to live safely as strays, especially during a deadly winter. Lin Lan suddenly felt a bit curious.
"Miao-a—" (It's very large, with long, thick fur. It looks and acts quite fierce. It probably can survive the winter.)
"I see." Lin Lan thought about cats with those characteristics but couldn't immediately figure out the breed. She didn't dwell on it. "If it's unwilling, let it be. After all, a forced melon isn't sweet."
The cat boss didn't give vocal feedback, but judging by its tail-swishing motion, it strongly agreed with Lin Lan's statement.
After saying goodbye again, the small building's pet clinic received new business that very day.
"A silver shaded and a sausage cat! Lin Lan, your luck at finding cats is truly unbeatable!"
Doctor Liu, who had once again followed the standard procedure for the two strays, looked at the now clean and beautiful pet cats before him, unable to hide his surprise and amazement.
In just over three months, she had picked up six stray pet cats. Plus, someone in the neighborhood had given her an Abyssinian. Even ignoring her background of owning a building, just showing off the cats she had online would make a bunch of people proclaim her a rich lady.
"It's a pity most of these cats are already neutered. Otherwise, when your cat cafe opens, you could make quite a bit just from selling kittens." Speaking of this, Doctor Liu felt a bit regretful.
"Having the cats is enough. They're basically free kittens I found. I don't ask for more than that." Lin Lan was more philosophical. She didn't have to worry about the major expense of rent; she just needed to ensure her income and expenses balanced so she wouldn't operate at a loss. Making more or less profit was secondary.
"That's true." Doctor Liu also realized this and couldn't help but chuckle.
With new cats arriving home, the third-floor Lin residence, which had already become a cat house, once again appraised the newcomers. The chubby, round faces (after fattening up) of these two cats were very much to the elders' taste. Especially the extremely low-clearance Sausage cat, which was very popular and practically got petted by all three adults in turn.
"They're a bit skinny, though. The fur looks thick, but you can feel the bones." After petting them, the elders gave this evaluation. "Lan Lan, feed them more this month. What kind of sausage cat has no meat on it?"
Lin Lan: "..." That makes perfect sense.
And so, while adapting to their new environment, the two new cats also entered a supplemental feeding and weight-gain plan.
Because they were gathering for winter warmth, all the cats had been moved from the new house to the old house. To prevent the kittens from having too much energy at night, the family would play and romp with them for a while before bedtime. Well, after all, whether human or cat, tiring themselves out like this always made it easier to fall asleep—or once the humans were dead asleep, they wouldn't hear the cats causing a ruckus.
Like right now, her parents and Grandma Lin were using teaser wands to play with the kittens, while Lin Lan casually threw a yarn ball towards the group of adult cats.
With their superior dynamic vision and agile skills, Snowflake and the black cat family reached out their paws and caught the bouncing ball every single time.
"Nice catch! Impressive!" The Lin family audience on the side cheered and applauded.
When it came to the prized pet cats, the Siamese Jintan and the Abyssinian Pudding also caught it easily with their slender, elegant figures. The British Shorthair Gray and the silver shaded Marshmallow also hugged the ball steadily with both paws. Even the extremely low-clearance Sausage managed to pounce on the yarn ball with its short little legs.
But when it was the turn of the only two long-haired cats in the house, the Ragdoll Sapphire and the Chinchilla Silver...
"Are you two... practicing catching yarn balls 100% with your heads?"
After seeing the ball hit their heads for the Nth time, Lin Lan finally couldn't help but deadpan.
"Or did you two really put all your skill points into looks? How did you manage to throw away all the essential cat skills like mid-air flips and landing on all fours, high-speed drifting and instant braking?!"
Her parents and grandma beside her were almost laughing themselves silly. How could two cats that looked so pretty be so silly?
"With skills like that, they'd definitely starve if they had to catch mice." Having seen many beautiful cats by now, Grandma Lin had changed a lot of her old views. Wiping away tears of laughter, she reached out and picked up the seemingly wronged Ragdoll cat, placing it on her lap. "Luckily you're good-looking. These days, good looks can put food on the table. At least that kept you from starving."
Just as the Lin family was enjoying the lively scene, there came a series of urgent knocks at the door: "Uncle Lin! Aunt Lin! Are you home? Please, I need your help! A huge cat got into my apartment, it's terrifying!"
The person who came up seeking help at night was a single female tenant from the second floor, surnamed Wei. Due to frequent overtime at her company, she often left early and returned late, sometimes even sleeping at the office directly.
The time was 9:30 PM.
After a busy day, this workaholic dragged her exhausted body and mind back to her peaceful rented room. Just as she was about to go to the kitchen to fix something to soothe her growling stomach, she had an unexpected encounter with a large cat that was stealing food inside.
At that moment, the large cat had a square piece of ham in its mouth—one she had forgotten to put in the fridge yesterday—and Miss Wei was frozen in the pose of having just switched on the kitchen light.
Two seconds later, Miss Wei let out a scream and slammed the kitchen door shut with a bang, trapping the cat inside.
"That cat is huge! Its fur is all black, messy, and tangled, looking both dirty and terrifying!" Miss Wei, thoroughly frightened, expressed that she didn't dare open the door again. "Uncle Lin, isn't your Lin Lan very good at raising cats, and don't they listen to her well? Can you help me get it out? When I ran out, I could hear that stray cat scratching at the kitchen door, and it knocked over so many things inside. It's so scary!"
By the end, she was almost in tears.
After hearing this, the old Lin family's expressions immediately turned serious. As landlords, it was their duty to help their tenant solve difficulties in the apartment, especially for a young woman living alone.
"I understand, I'll go with you right now to take a look," Lin Youyu agreed on the spot.
"Dad, I'll go with you!" Lin Lan naturally wouldn't let him go alone and immediately followed. "I brought a thick padded coat. We can use it to wrap the cat up when we catch it."
Lin Youyu, who initially wanted to object, looked at the thick garment she had grabbed and said nothing more, simply nodding in agreement.
"Be careful, you two. If that cat is too wild, just let it run around for a bit and then try to shoo it out the door. It's not worth getting scratched and needing shots," Wang Xiuzhi cautioned from behind.
Father and daughter both acknowledged her words. Just as Lin Lan was about to step out the door behind her father, a meow came from the black cat behind her, causing Lin Lan to pause.
"Mo Mo, do you want to come with us?"
When Lin Lan asked in surprise, not only the black cat Mo Mo but also its five kittens came forward, meowing at her.
Hearing the kittens' cries, Lin Lan first frowned, then her expression softened. "Alright then," she said helplessly, "if you want to come, you can all come together."
Miss Wei had only heard rumors before about how the landlord's daughter's cats were very intelligent and obedient. Seeing it with her own eyes, she truly understood the meaning of "seeing is believing."
Under the bright light of the stairwell, she walked ahead, occasionally glancing back curiously. There, two rows of black cats followed neatly at Lin Lan's heels, quiet and very well-behaved.
In the evening light, the black cats, which should have seemed eerie, appeared calm and composed, like a small army guarding their owner.
Before she knew it, they had reached their destination, just one flight of stairs away. Miss Wei opened her apartment door, ushered the humans and cats into the living room, and then pointed fearfully at the tightly closed kitchen door. "It's... it's in there."
Crash!
The sound of something like a plate or bowl shattering.
"Grrrrowl—Meeoowwwl!" Then came a threatening yet panicked cat cry from behind the door, a hair-raising sound like a baby's wail in a horror story.
"Eek!" Miss Wei was frightened again, shrinking her neck and taking a few more steps back.
But to Lin Lan, that cry meant—"Help! Let me out! I don't want to be in here, let me out now!"
A classic case of human and cat scaring each other.
Lin Lan understood what was happening but didn't dare act recklessly. A frightened cat or dog could be very dangerous.
But letting it continue its rampage wasn't an option either.
Splat!
Another sound of something being spilled.
"My rice! It spilled my rice!" Miss Wei let out a wail of despair. She was distraught. "Oh my god, how long is it going to take me to clean this up!"
More than the financial loss, the cleaning labor awaiting her after work clearly filled the young woman with despair.
Lin Lan felt they couldn't wait any longer.
Without waiting for her dad to object, she used the padded coat as a shield, approached the door, and called out, "I'm coming in!" Then she twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.
"Meeoowwwl!" (Stay back, stay back, stay back!) The cat inside let out a series of frightened, retreating cries.
As the door opened, the scene of devastation inside was revealed to the three of them. A bowl was broken, soy sauce and rice were mixed together, spilled all over the countertop, and dripping onto the floor. Shards of plates and the soy sauce bottle were scattered everywhere. A spice container lay upside-down in the corner of the cabinet.
A super-sized cat, about one meter long from nose to tail, was huddled in a corner. Its long, dirty fur was standing completely on end, and it was hissing frantically towards the doorway.
Even Lin Youyu, the only adult man present, was startled. This cat was simply too big, exceeding his understanding of normal cat sizes. No wonder Miss Wei was so terrified by a single cat. He'd be nervous too—it looked particularly fierce and formidable.
"Miss Wei, how did such a big cat get in here?" Lin Youyu couldn't help but ask.
Miss Wei stammered, "I... I left the sliding door on my balcony open. I didn't think a thief could get up here, but I never imagined..." Just because people couldn't get up didn't mean cats couldn't.
It was truly an unexpected disaster.
"What should we do?" Miss Wei was on the verge of tears again. "If it keeps causing damage in there, how much longer will I have to clean up!"
So all you care about is the cleaning afterward? Lin Lan thought to herself.
Just then, the six black cats behind her suddenly darted into the kitchen. Hearing the big cat's threatening hisses at Lin Lan, the black cats automatically interpreted it as a challenge and immediately launched an attack.
"Mo Mo!" By the time Lin Lan tried to stop them, the fight in the kitchen had already begun.
Thus, the kitchen was filled with the non-stop sounds of cats fighting—growls, hisses, and a series of clatters and crashes.
A few minutes later, the one-meter-long big cat was lying obediently on the floor. Surrounding it were the black cats, either grooming each other or licking their own paws, forming a watchful circle that pinned the big cat firmly in the middle.
Lin Lan, however, was heartbroken. She had her mother bring down two cat carriers from upstairs—one for the big cat and one for the six black cats—and took them all back for examination and cleaning.
With so many glass shards on the floor, she didn't know if any of them had been cut during the fight.
"Mom, dear, you should have seen it! Those cats of Mo Mo's are incredible! That one-meter-long big cat was surrounded by them and subdued in minutes, completely docile!" In the living room of the old house, Lin Youyu was boasting to Wang Xiuzhi and Grandma Lin about what he had just witnessed.
In the next room, Lin Lan was applying antiseptic to the injured black cats.
"Fortunately, the wounds aren't deep. We'll go to Doctor Liu's tomorrow for a check-up to make sure everything's okay," she said, stroking the black mother cat's head. "Next time, don't fight so recklessly. You scared me to death."
The black cat just looked at her gently and meowed, "Meow—" (I have to protect Lan Lan.)
"You little thing!" Lin Lan was both annoyed and touched. "I understand. I won't make you worry like that next time."
After tending to the black cats' injuries, Lin Lan walked out of the room and saw her father approaching. "Lan Lan, is your black cat army okay? What should we do with that dirty big cat? Keep it locked up for now?"
"Black cat army... Dad, you really have a knack for nicknames," Lin Lan said, amused and exasperated. "Also, that big cat isn't an ordinary cat. It's a Maine Coon. Adults of that breed are generally over a meter long. And it only looks dirty because its fur is so long. This breed is known for being very gentle. Don't be fooled by its appearance."
"Gentle?" Lin Youyu recalled the mess in Miss Wei's kitchen, the way it had hissed at Lin Lan, and then its fight with the black cats. He simply couldn't connect any of that with the word "gentle."
"It's a cat that was abandoned by humans, and it suffered some hardship before that," Lin Lan patiently explained. "Although it wasn't done by the owner themselves, it was done by the owner's family. Later, because of it, the owner abandoned it very far away, precisely so it couldn't find its way back."
Remembering the snippets she'd heard when the cat hissed at her and fought with the black cats, Lin Lan felt a pang of sympathy for it.
The Abyssinian cat before was like this, and now this Maine Coon was too.
They were both excellent, gentle, and well-behaved pet cats, yet they suffered greatly because of human family conflicts. This Maine Coon had even lost its trust in humans because of it.
She now realized this Maine Coon was probably the pet cat the cat boss had mentioned before, the one that had refused her offer. Now that they'd crossed paths, she couldn't just ignore it.
"I'm going to give that cat a quick clean and apply some medicine."
As she spoke, Lin Lan walked towards the Maine Coon locked in the cage, intending to get it out.
Lin Youyu was startled. "What if it scratches or bites you?"
"It won't." Lin Lan signaled for her dad to relax and pointed at the black cats already following at her heels. "With them here, it won't dare."
Lin Youyu: "..."
Just as Lin Lan said, with six black cats staring it down in unison, the large Maine Coon, freshly beaten up, didn't dare move a muscle. It allowed Lin Lan to fuss over it however she pleased.
As Lin Lan meticulously cleaned the glass shards from its long fur and treated the several bleeding wounds with antiseptic, the large cat's body slowly relaxed from its stiff state.
"We'll just do a preliminary treatment for you today. Tomorrow, I'll take you to see the vet."
Since being abandoned, the Maine Coon hadn't been treated so gently by a human in a long time. Ever since it became dirty and ugly, most humans who saw it reacted like that previous person had.
The large cat turned its messy head, only its pair of beautiful golden eyes looking over. The distinctive tufts of fur on the tips of its triangular ears gave a slight tremble.
"Meow." (Human, what do you want?)
Its tone was full of wariness.
Lin Lan, however, curved her lips into a smile that looked a little wicked.
"Little kitten, you don't think you can just leave this building after the scene you caused today, do you?" Not minding the dirt, Lin Lan reached out and stroked its head. It was a silver grey tabby Maine Coon. Even filthy, one could vaguely imagine how majestic and imposing it would look when clean and tidy. As long as it didn't make its gentle meowing sounds, just lying there casually with its aloof expression would be enough to make a crowd of people swoon and scream.
A good wash, and it would definitely be a keeper.
The Maine Coon sensed trouble. It instinctively tensed its body to run, but the six black cats surrounding it were faster. They all glared at it threateningly; if it dared try to leave this human, they would dare pounce on it together.
The one-meter-long large cat, now thoroughly afraid of being ganged up on, immediately caved and lowered its head, submitting to the petting.
The human's laughter continued by its ear. "You don't know that this building is under the protection of me and my cats, do you? Daring to sneak in to steal food, do you know what the consequences are? And the things you knocked over before, the wasted food, do you know how many cans that translates into if converted to cat food? Little kitten, you're in debt now, understand? You can't leave here until you've paid off the cans you owe."
That's right. Using the damage to property as a reason for compensation, Lin Lan was making the large cat work off its debt in her tea house.
Upon understanding what it would have to do under this human's command, the Maine Coon immediately refused. "So you're making me sell my feline charms to humans? I won't do it!"
"Nonsense! We are a legitimate private enterprise with all the proper procedures. The little cats inside are all legal workers, receiving monthly dried fish commissions and canned food bonuses!" Lin Lan was instantly displeased and gave its head a light tap. "Until the debt is fully repaid, a designated cat will be keeping an eye on you. Escape is impossible. After seeing the vet tomorrow, you'll go through cute training with the others. Once we open for business, you start work!"
