At three in the morning, Song Xinmin finally finished tidying up the basement he had just rented.
The small single room, simply decorated, was clean and tidy when he entered with the key, containing only a simple bed and a small table with chairs. Though sparsely furnished, it was more satisfactory than he had imagined. Now, it was completely packed with the belongings he had brought.
Not only was the bed now made with bedding, and the table covered with daily necessities, but the most eye-catching feature was the wall by the bed. He had hung a dense grid of iron shelves there, with photos of various sizes clipped on using small clothespins. The pictures were mostly landscapes or animals, with only a few portraits, and even those were predominantly shots of backs, distant views, or body parts.
These were his favorite selections from the photos he had taken over the years traveling north and south. Some had even helped him win prize money in photography contests, which was what allowed him to continue his journey.
Just then, a chilly night breeze blew in through the only small window, causing the photos on the wall to rustle softly and making him shiver all over.
"Gurgle..." His stomach seized the opportunity to protest.
"Now's not the time for daydreaming. It's time to work and save up travel funds again," he muttered with a bitter smile, rubbing his stomach. He quickly got up, stepped onto a stool, and fastened the window latch that hadn't been closed tightly.
Since the room was a basement, the window was naturally very low relative to the ground outside. Through the security bars, Song Xinmin's eyes could just make out a bit of the night scene outside: a clean, pretty narrow courtyard paved with strip-shaped wooden planks. Using the faint light from the streetlamp outside, he adjusted his angle to peer further. To the left, he spotted a row of square flower beds, but there were no flowers, only what seemed to be some small grass seedlings. Looking to the right, he could see a very atmospheric set of wooden table and chairs.
Song Xinmin could instantly imagine how pleasant it would be on a fine, sunny day for the courtyard's owner to sit there drinking tea and reading a book, enjoying leisurely moments in this narrow yard.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared on the wooden plank floor—something had landed on the courtyard's glass ceiling, its silhouette cast by the outside streetlamp. The movement startled Song Xinmin, and he instinctively crouched down, looking upward. He only caught a glimpse of a fluffy figure, tail swishing, stepping off the glass and leaving.
"Oh, it's just a cat..." Song Xinmin sighed in relief and sat back down on his bed. Reminded by that cat, he recalled something from earlier in the day.
When he had finished viewing the place, signed the contract with the landlord, and was leaving, he had seen a newly posted help-wanted advertisement at that cat café.
Thinking about the dangerously low funds in his pocket for next month's rent, and recalling all the odd jobs he'd taken over the years for travel money, Song Xinmin instantly made up his mind: he would go check it out tomorrow.
Lin Lan, sleeping at home on the third floor, was completely unaware that an applicant would come for the job tomorrow. Right now, she just felt a bit of tightness in her chest and faintly heard some noise in her ears, which gradually roused her already half-asleep consciousness.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a Ragdoll cat sitting on her chest, tilting its head and staring straight at her. The seven-month-old large kitten had absolutely no sense of its own weight, almost crushing its own poop-scooper and making it hard to breathe, still thinking it was the tiny cutie that could once be cradled in one hand.
"Blue Treasure," Lin Lan said weakly, "why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you doing sitting on me and staring?"
"Meow," the Ragdoll cat called out to her sweetly and adorably, its voice very coquettish and pleasant, but the content could have made Lin Lan furious. (Mom, you haven't moved for a long time. I thought you died, so I came to check on you.)
"Get down." Hastily shooing away the silly cat that was good for nothing but looks, Lin Lan looked utterly weary. "I'm sleeping, not lying still dead. Don't you get tired from being cute and playing with customers all day?"
"Meow!" (Not tired at all! When I'm sleepy, I just curl up on those people's laps and close my eyes. They all stop moving and let me sleep!)
Lin Lan: "..."
Her fellow humans really had no backbone when faced with feline charm! Being used as a human heating pad and thinking it's a bestowed favor—too disappointing.
Just as she was left speechless, the handle of the closed door suddenly jiggled, the door cracked open a slit, and a white cat slipped in, hopping onto the bed with familiar ease.
Lin Lan wasn't the least bit surprised by this commotion and even spoke directly to the cat: "Back so late? Where did you go wandering in the middle of the night again?" She tapped the white cat's little head and continued lecturing, "Let me tell you, Snowflake, the weather forecast says it might snow in the next couple of days. You're not allowed to go out anymore. If you come home with muddy paws and annoy your grandma, don't blame me for not pleading on your behalf."
The white cat, Snowflake, lowered its head and rubbed against Lin Lan's hand, meowing ingratiatingly: "Lan Lan, I went to play at the Cat Boss's place. It has lots and lots of cats there."
"Oh." More playmates, already so happy it forgot home?
Just as Lin Lan was about to tell Snowflake to rein in its wandering heart, remember its identity as a house cat, and not get led astray and become wilder, Snowflake called out to her: "Meow!" (Lan Lan, some other cats there said they also want to come to your territory to hunt. They asked me to ask if you want them?)
She paused: "You mean, some non-pet cats, little strays, also want to come over?"
"Meow!" (Yes! Some cats from the Cat Boss's side secretly came here to check it out. They found that all the cats in your territory have managed to hunt cans from humans. They said they can do it too.)
They even did covert reconnaissance? These cunning little felines.
After a moment's thought, Lin Lan understood why. When she first proposed having cats come work with her, the stray cats—or rather, the Cat Boss—had been wary. On one hand, they didn't dare fully trust her, a human; on the other hand, they didn't believe she could actually successfully help cats get food.
Now that the tea house was up and running with good business, those pet cats sent as scouts were thriving there, getting whatever they wanted, served by people, never cold or hungry. The Cat Boss had relaxed and agreed to let some of the little cats who had long wanted to follow Lin Lan come over.
These cats naturally wouldn't be expensive pedigree pets, but rather Chinese garden cats—what Qian Xuan had blurted out upon seeing Snowflake: "moggies."
But anyone in the country who has raised such cats knows that moggies are very smart, robust, easy to care for, versatile in both gentle and fierce roles, capable of being both sweet and sassy. They can be affectionate and catch mice—they're a wonderful cat breed. Especially the Li Hua Mao (Dragon Li), it's the only Chinese native cat breed internationally recognized for competition. Purebred Li Hua cats command high prices abroad too; it's just that locals don't think much of them since they're everywhere.
Lin Lan was happy to take in a few more native cats for the tea house. But just like a boss hiring employees, there were certainly hiring conditions.
"A few can come, but Snowflake, you have to tell them: my territory only accepts the cutest little kitties in the eyes of two-legged creatures."
Boss Lin was very pragmatic in this regard. After all, running a shop was a business; cute cats were what attracted more customers to buy cans, right?
"Meow!" "Meow!" At this moment, both Sapphire and Snowflake chimed in together. To Lin Lan's ears, their cries translated into meanings like (I'm the prettiest!) (I'm beautiful in both human and cat eyes!).
"Yes, yes, you're all beautiful, the cream of the cat crop!" Feeling that she wouldn't get any sleep if this conversation continued, Lin Lan scooped up one cat in each arm and placed them on either side of her pillow. "Now, right this minute, go to sleep. If you wake me up again, you'll both be sleeping in the living room tomorrow, no more coming in here."
Ah, the eldest son-cat and second son-cat of the Lin household were just too clingy.
Heeding the warning, the kittens didn't dare cause any more trouble. They obediently curled up into two little balls and soon started purring softly. Lin Lan also gradually fell back asleep to the sound of this dual purring.
A new day arrived, the weather somewhat gloomy, but fortunately it didn't look like it would snow.
At half past nine, Lin Lan went downstairs, opened the rolling shutter door, let the cats into the teahouse, and began her simple routine cleaning. Just then, the basement tenant she had briefly met yesterday pushed the door open and walked in.
"Hello, are you still hiring for a full-time position here? I can work until after the New Year, and I can even continue working through the holiday without going back home."
This was a determined person in need of money, so much so that they were willing to skip celebrating the New Year just to work and earn more.
Although she hadn't expected the teahouse's first full-time employee to be her own tenant, Lin Lan still carefully verified the other person's identity and background.
Song Xinmin, 24 years old, a graduate from a prestigious university. His main profession was a wandering photographer, currently at a stage of fame somewhere between completely unknown and slightly recognized—well, the kind that leaves a bit of an impression in the circle but not a particularly strong one. So, he was in a lean period and couldn't rely on his main profession for income.
It was said he was currently traveling across the country to gather inspiration and improve himself, while also quickly finding a suitable shop for a one-to-two-month full-time job whenever he was short on money. Once he saved enough travel expenses, he'd hit the road again for his "cultivation journey."
No wonder he looked so down on his luck. Turns out he was a dream-chaser who had given up a stable life for his aspirations.
Lin Lan admired and even felt a bit envious of such people, but she would absolutely never follow their example. She was an ordinary person through and through. Now that she had a shop to run and cats to pet, her life was quite carefree. She didn't need any poetry or distant horizons.
Now that she had someone who could help her until after the New Year, Lin Lan decided not to nitpick about this tenant-employee's habit of working for at most two months before moving on.
"Alright then, that's settled." Looking at the ID card, diploma, and even some of his own photographic works he had earnestly handed over—as if seriously applying for some white-collar position at a newspaper or magazine—Lin Lan was both amused and exasperated. "Let's be clear first, the salary and benefits are all on the poster. I won't give you any extra subsidy just because you're my tenant. The wage I pay you is your wage, and the rent you pay me is rent. They're separate matters and won't be mixed up."
"I understand. Doing otherwise would muddle the accounts." Song Xinmin smiled, completely in agreement. "After all, the rent for the apartment and the teahouse's expenses are two completely different things."
The new guy was quite sensible. Lin Lan nodded in satisfaction. "Well then, Xiao Song, here's the shop apron for you. From now on, it's your first day at work. I'll teach you some of the shop's procedures for serving customers and the precautions for taking care of the cats."
The prestigious university graduate learned these things quickly. With Lin Lan demonstrating at most twice on the spot, he got the hang of it. Thanks to his rich part-time work experience, he was even more adept than Lin Lan at greeting customers who entered the shop, and he was equally efficient at his tasks, living up to his reputation as a seasoned part-timer. He single-handedly took care of almost all the morning chores, except for making the tea snacks.
Lin Lan deeply felt the convenience of being a boss. Hiring an employee was indeed a most brilliant decision.
On a weekday, there weren't many customers at the cat cafe. Song Xinmin also felt his new job was quite easy and deeply believed that his decision to apply to this shop was equally brilliant. Especially since the shop provided a lunch meal, which really saved him his biggest daily expense.
Eating the home-cooked meal brought down from the landlord's place, Song Xinmin felt he absolutely had to take good care of all the cats in the teahouse, or he'd really feel unworthy of this salary and benefit.
During the lunch break shift change, Lin Lan told Xiao Song she would be away for an hour or two and asked him to watch the shop. He agreed readily but was also a bit puzzled. "Where are you going, Boss?"
He received an answer that left him confused: "Probably to pick up a few cats."
Pick up a few cats? Where from? And what kind?
This confusion didn't last long before Xiao Song got his answer. The boss returned with three stray cats: an orange tabby, a black-and-white cow cat, and an American Shorthair.
He could understand the last one, the American Shorthair, as it was a quite popular pet cat breed. But was she really bringing the first two, the local moggies, back to the teahouse?
As a new employee who had just arrived, Xiao Song didn't voice his question out loud. He silently watched as the boss took the strays to a nearby veterinary clinic and brought them back an hour or so later.
When he finally saw the two local cats cleaned up and groomed, even Song Xinmin had to exclaim, "These two moggies are really beautiful!"
First was the orange tabby. It wasn't entirely covered in orange and yellow tabby stripes; its neck and limbs were covered in white fur. Particularly the inverted triangle of white fur from its neck to its chest, coupled with four snow-white paws, made it look like a handsome gentleman wearing a white neckerchief and white gloves.
It wasn't at all the chubby type people often talked about. Instead, it had a sleek physique and a handsome posture. Sitting upright in the cage with its head held high, it looked both dashing and elegant.
The cow cat's coat pattern was no less striking than those of pet cats on the market. Its fur was jet black, with a snowy white belly and paws. The most distinctive part was its head: the black covering from the tips of its ears to the corners of its eyes resembled the mask worn by the superhero Batman, leaving only a small inverted V of fur around its nose. The black and white were clearly demarcated, making it exceptionally pretty.
At the moment, it was staring with round eyes, tilting its head to examine everything outside the cage, and occasionally meowing at the boss as if asking questions, much like a curious baby. This reminded Song Xinmin of the rumor that cow cats were the Huskies of the cat world.
The last one, the pet-bred American Shorthair, didn't need much description. Its cuteness was already universally acknowledged, especially those "full eyeliner" eyes that even girls would envy—many people wished they were born with such perfect, permanent makeup. With its silver tabby stripes and two front paws in "white glove" color, it was the calmest of the three cats, currently lying on its side grooming itself.
"Beautiful, right?" Lin Lan gently tapped the cage, speaking to her employee as if showing off.
"NICE! Great eye, boss!" Song Xinmin praised. It wasn't easy to find such good-looking ones among a bunch of stray cats.
However, as feral cats, they might not be suited to staying in a teahouse. Just as Xiao Song was about to ask this question, the sound of a truck engine came from outside the door.
A moving company's container truck stopped at the entrance of the small building.
Getting out along with the movers was the wealthy, beautiful young woman who had rented a suite yesterday.
"It's her." As strangers who had both gone to the agency looking to rent, Song Xinmin certainly remembered her. He was deeply impressed by her boldness yesterday when she agreed to the rent without a single word of haggling. Compared to his own experience of wearing out his lips just to get a little more discount, Xiao Song felt quite sour about it.
Lin Lan glanced at him but said nothing. She stepped forward closer to the main door and peered outside.
The girl had changed her outfit again today, wearing a brown-red leather coat. She was pulling a small 20-inch suitcase with one hand, while her other free hand pointed towards the staircase as she spoke to the movers. Her voice could faintly be heard.
"It's on the second floor... the set furthest to the left... follow me... I'll tell you where to put things..."
Her tone carried a hint of unconscious willfulness, typical of a spoiled rich young lady.
Why would she come to live here right before the New Year?
