An hour later, the thoroughly cleaned Bengal cat was brought out.
After a bath, a meticulous grooming session, and even a trim around its paw pads, the little cat's appearance had reached new heights. Its beautiful leopard-spotted fur shimmered under a stray beam of sunlight from outside, captivating the cat-loving patrons who had been watching the whole time.
Then, it was placed inside a cage in a separate room.
"Stop staring. Do you need to get scratched a few more times before you give up?" Lin Lan warned the eager crowd, represented by Wang Jiayi. "Even if this cat didn't scratch, it would need to be isolated for a week first. Besides, aside from me, it's willing to bite anyone."
Enchanted by its looks, everyone instantly recalled the cat's ferocity. Their hopes dashed, they went back to minding their own business.
"Lanlan, can I take a few photos to show Yi Xiaohang?" the young lady asked.
Lin Lan told her to go ahead. Although the high school student's earlier words had implied he might not want the Bengal cat anymore, he hadn't explicitly said he was giving it up. If the kid later said he would take the cat back, that would be the best outcome for everyone.
With permission granted, Wang Jiayi happily went into the small room to take photos of the cat and send the message. Seeing that the teahouse was quiet, Lin Lan slipped into the display window area, settled into the recliner there, pulled out her phone, and started reading a novel.
This action of hers immediately alerted some observant cats. Almost as soon as she sank into the recliner, Lin Lan felt a weight on her lap. Sir Orange, the ginger cat, had jumped up and, familiar with the routine, settled comfortably against her stomach.
Lin Lan glanced at him but said nothing, simply adjusting her posture. She scooped the cat up a bit higher, gave him a couple of strokes, and continued scrolling through the novel. Soon, another cat jumped onto her legs, occupying the space from her thighs to her knees—forming a perfectly round ball as it curled up.
Later, two or three more cats came to sleep on the soft cushion placed at her feet. One human and several cats basked in the afternoon sun within the display window, a sight that filled the cat-loving patrons in the teahouse with envy.
"Weren't these cats supposed to be here for us?" Tea Customer A complained jealously, slapping his thigh. "Boss, isn't it a bit much for you to hog five of them all by yourself?"
"Exactly! You cats, do you still want your canned food or not?" Tea Customer B chimed in, glaring.
Tea Customer C, however, remained calm and rational, gently stroking the Abyssinian cat on his lap. "Oh, give it a rest, you two. There are only a handful of customers in the teahouse right now—less than one hand's worth. Did you really expect to monopolize all the cats? And maybe let go of the cats you're holding before you complain about the boss?"
The other tea customers immediately hugged their cats tighter. No way! They had lured these kittens over with canned food fair and square. They weren't letting go!
Ignoring the greedy cat lovers in the main hall who wanted to have their cake and eat it too, Lin Lan was already deeply engrossed in her novel. This book, titled "Heaven-Defying Consort: The Prince's Chase for His Wife," was really good. The pacing was tight, the plot gripping, making it impossible to stop reading chapter after chapter. For the past few days, Lin Lan had been exclusively following this one story, having read hundreds of chapters with no end in sight.
Wait, she had read hundreds of chapters and it still wasn't finished?
Having focused solely on reading without checking anything else, Lin Lan immediately navigated to the novel's table of contents. The tiny scroll bar, still positioned near the top of the screen, made her eyes widen. She pressed the bar and scrolled down rapidly. When she saw the latest chapter marked "Chapter 1873" at the end, she almost dropped her phone.
An ultra-long serial. Better not mess with that.
Just then, a black cat sleeping at her feet suddenly meowed. (Lanlan, someone you know is looking for you.)
Lin Lan looked down. It was the little black cat Mowu giving her a heads-up. Outside the display window, a bouncing figure ran past her view and then turned into the teahouse entrance.
"Lanlan Jie!" It was Yu Lingling, pushing the door open excitedly. "I finished all my winter break homework! I came to hang out with you!"
After a busy week, the middle school student began her homework-free revelry... Wait, stop that "A Bite of China" narrator voice in my head!
The bell behind the door hadn't finished ringing before the girl expertly pulled out some paper bills and coins, slapping them on the water bar counter. "One strawberry coconut jelly milk tea, please!" Then she ducked into the display window area where Lin Lan was.
Being small, the middle schooler didn't feel crowded at all in the tiny display window nook. She reached out, picked up the silver shaded cat sleeping at Lin Lan's feet, cradled it, and grinned at her.
"Lingling, you're not here to hang out with me, but with my cats, right?" Lin Lan smiled, looking at the young neighbor girl.
"Otherwise, it's just watching TV at home or arguing with Little Kui. That's boring too," Yu Lingling stuck out her tongue, not hiding her true motive. "So I came down to play with your cats! ... Huh? Lanlan Jie, you read novels too?"
Lin Lan noticed the girl's eyes fixed on her still-open phone screen and suddenly had an idea.
"Lingling, do you read them too?"
"Of course I do! Back in my hometown, there's no Wi-Fi, only mobile data. Reading novels uses the least data," the girl replied honestly, holding the cat. "What kind are you reading, Lanlan Jie?"
"A fantasy romance novel. Do you want to read it? It's really good." With a few taps, Lin Lan handed her the phone, her attitude very kind as she saw the girl's keen interest.
Yu Lingling took it, glanced at the novel's synopsis, and immediately looked intrigued. She flipped to the beginning of a chapter and, just like Lin Lan, was instantly hooked. But before she could finish half the chapter, a call came from the water bar: "Strawberry milk tea is ready!"
The girl responded but was reluctant to put the phone down.
"Go get your milk tea first. I'll lend you the phone; just give it back when you leave."
The neighborly older sister instantly provided the perfect solution. Yu Lingling smiled happily. "Thank you, Lanlan Jie!" Holding the phone and the cat, she cheerfully went to get her milk tea and found a spot to read the novel.
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate..." Interrupted by Yu Lingling, Lin Lan didn't stay lounging. After coming out of the display window area, she was stopped by Song Xinmin. "Letting a student read novels and all..."
"Give her a break. She just finished her winter break homework; it's fine to relax a little." From this sentence by her employee Xiao Song, one could guess how this prestigious university graduate had spent his own middle school years. Lin Lan looked at him with a touch of sympathy. "She won't start ninth grade until after this summer break. A year is plenty of time to push for a good high school."
Song Xinmin felt uneasy under the shop owner's gaze and inexplicably didn't dare say more.
At five o'clock in the evening, the teahouse closed on time. Having sat there reading the novel for two hours, Yu Lingling reluctantly returned the phone. "The novel is so good! But it's so long, there's still so much I haven't read."
"It's fine." The neighborly older sister remained warm and gentle. "I've already purchased the entire book. I'll lend you my account so you can finish reading it at home."
The girl's disappointed face instantly vanished. "Lanlan Jie, you're the best! I love you so much! School starts in a few days; I can definitely finish reading it all by then!"
"That's really great." Lin Lan also smiled. "I was just worried I wouldn't have time to finish the whole book. Remember to give me a detailed rundown of the plot after you're done."
"No problem, leave it to me!" The middle schooler indicated she was quite fond of this task and readily agreed without a second thought.
The young girl bounced away happily, saying she was going home to find her tablet and continue reading the novel, leaving Song Xinmin, who had witnessed the whole exchange, speechless as he looked at the shop owner.
The boss was basically tricking a kid into being her novel class representative, waiting for the child to summarize the entire story for her.
Ignoring her employee's subtly accusatory gaze, Shopkeeper Lin continued speaking.
"Oh, right, Xiao Song, tomorrow I'm going to deliver food to Boss Cat's territory. Can you come along and help?"
The previously stern-faced employee Xiao Song instantly beamed with a bright smile: "Yes, Boss! No problem, Boss!"
It's perfectly normal for a student to read novels during their holiday. The boss was just being kind. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement, completely fine.
The next morning, Song Xinmin happily followed the boss to visit the stray cats again, his beloved DSLR camera hanging around his neck and a backpack full of cat food on his back.
Their departure from the teahouse, however, meant Cheng Fengyang arrived to find no one there when he came looking for someone.
"Went to feed stray cats?" Cheng Fengyang was somewhat surprised to hear the news from Wang Jiayi, who was left minding the shop. "Did they say which area?"
"This... I don't know." The young lady shook her head. Although she had deliberately rented a place in the urban village, she had never dared to venture into the deeper parts of it. To this day, unless going to a large mall or hotel, she hardly ever wandered around outside. "But Lanlan said they'd be back in at most two hours. If you're not in a hurry, you could wait here?" After all, he was a familiar face who often came to help at the shop.
She only muttered the last part to herself, carefully observing the slightly disappointed young man before her, her curiosity barely concealed.
Hearing they would be back in at most two hours, Cheng Fengyang thought about it and decided to stay. This Spring Festival holiday had already been quite disastrous for him, with injuries to either his eyes or his leg, causing him to miss many opportunities to spend time with Lin Lan. Now, his company already had sporadic tasks calling him back occasionally. Once things got busy again later, he'd have no time.
"Are you a good friend of Lanlan's?" Just as he was lost in thought, a question brought him back to reality. The young woman behind the water bar looked at him curiously. "Lanlan said you live right across the street. Have you known each other since you were little?"
No, we only met last autumn. Though that's what he thought, Cheng Fengyang coughed and gave an ambiguous answer, making it sound like both yes and no.
His hesitant attitude made the young lady sense something was off. Just as she was about to gleefully pry for some gossip, she suddenly remembered Tang Xiaoya's "Little Ming's Grandma's Ninety-Nine Theories." Instantly, her gossipy heart shrank back, and her expression returned to neutral. "So, Mr. Cheng, what did you come to see Lanlan for this time?"
Right. Since they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, and especially since she had previously explicitly avoided romantic topics, he couldn't come looking for her too frequently. As a result, Cheng Fengyang now racked his brains for excuses every time he came over. After Lin Lan clearly stated she didn't want to deal with romance in the short term, using "coming to help at the shop" as an excuse didn't feel quite right anymore. He now had to find excuses from other angles.
Last time, he used the excuse of taking his dog to the pet clinic for grooming and a bath, and brought some frozen fruit along. This time...
"My company received several furniture brands' online prize draw event invitations. I got a few entry slots and thought they might be useful for running a teahouse, so I came over!"
Prize draws... what a clumsy excuse.
When Lin Lan returned with her employee Xiao Song, she heard Cheng Fengyang, who had come over, say exactly that to her.
"Of course I wouldn't bother you with just any ordinary prize draw. The prizes from this brand company are quite good this time. Even the lower-tier prizes start at five hundred yuan, so it's still a good deal." Cheng Fengyang hurriedly defended the prizes' reputation. "If my company weren't the best interior design firm in West City, we probably wouldn't have gotten these entry slots."
It sounded promising, but Lin Lan wasn't moved. "You could give these slots to your family too."
"It's not a guaranteed win." Cheng Fengyang smiled. "Besides, my family doesn't need these things. On the other hand, if you win a table or something here, you could put it in the teahouse. Or, it would be fine to place it in that empty room upstairs."
Since he put it that way, Lin Lan didn't refuse further. Under Cheng Fengyang's guidance, she opened the corresponding website, entered her account, and started the draws.
She had five chances in total. Lin Lan drew "Thank you for participating" three times. The other two winning draws yielded a coat rack and a Japanese kotatsu table.
The coat rack was nothing special, but the Japanese kotatsu table immediately piqued the interest of the young people.
Anyone who has watched Japanese dramas or anime has seen this peculiar piece of furniture with a blanket attached in a compartment under the table. The table has a built-in electric heater. Once turned on, it becomes very warm when you stretch your legs underneath and cover them with the blanket.
"This looks really fun!" Wang Jiayi became excited and turned to ask Cheng Fengyang, "Mr. Cheng, how long until the prizes arrive?"
"It's local shipping. Prizes drawn before 5 PM are shipped the same day." Cheng Fengyang explained, then added, "Miss Wang, since you're Lanlan's friend, you can just call me by my full name. No need to be so formal."
Hearing this, the young lady didn't agree immediately. Instead, she glanced at Lin Lan. Seeing that she wasn't bothered by his attempt to get closer, she then smiled and agreed: "Then, Cheng Fengyang, you can call me by my full name too."
So, Lanlan and this Cheng guy definitely have something going on, but she absolutely would not gossip or meddle.
"So, it could arrive as early as today?" Song Xinmin, who completely missed this subtle detail, kept his focus on the table. After getting a positive answer, he directly surveyed the teahouse's layout. "Boss, when the table arrives, should we just place it directly on the soft seating area?"
Lin Lan also looked around and nodded in agreement: "Yes. There's an outlet right by the soft seating area. We can just plug it in and use it."
The four of them chatted in the teahouse for a while until lunchtime arrived. When Lin's mother came to deliver lunch and saw Cheng Fengyang was also there, she immediately went back to add another portion of food and brought it over.
Thus, Cheng Fengyang, who had come under the pretext of delivering prize draw entries, managed to share a meal of the Lin family's home-cooked food at noon, and the atmosphere was quite cheerful.
After discussing the arrival of the new table, Song Xinmin took advantage of the break to focus on fiddling with his DSLR camera. Following the boss to feed the stray cats in the morning, he had indeed seen Boss Cat again. He also got a definitive answer from the boss, who was fluent in 'cat language'—the lead cat agreed to let him take photos, but it wouldn't deliberately stop and pose. If he wanted pictures, he had to seize the right moment himself.
The young photographer felt this was more than enough. Even if he wanted the cat to stop and pose, he wouldn't know how to instruct it. Besides, deliberately staged photos couldn't compare to natural candid shots.
At four in the afternoon, Lin Lan's two prize draws were delivered. She directly gave the coat rack to Cheng Fengyang—his household could definitely use it—while the kotatsu table was quickly moved to its designated spot.
The pale yellow solid wood tabletop paired with a light purple floral-patterned quilted border gave off a fresh, cozy style that actually fit the teahouse quite well. The young people plugged it in and started using it right away.
"Wow, so warm!" Wang Jiayi took off her shoes and slid her legs inside. The toasty warmth felt incredibly comforting on her slightly chilly feet. The thick, floor-length quilt, which she tucked under her arms, was also wonderfully snug. "I bet this table will become the most popular one among the customers!"
It was simply too eye-catching and practical. Sitting under such a table in winter would be absolutely wonderful!
"It really is nice. Perfect for one person on each of the four sides," Lin Lan agreed, trying it out herself.
"Though we have to be careful not to get milk tea or anything else on the quilt," Song Xinmin pointed out a practical concern. That would indeed be a headache if it happened, especially in a teahouse serving drinks and snacks.
"No problem," Cheng Fengyang waved off their worries. "The cover can be removed and washed. It's made from fabric that cleans easily."
The young people discussed how the teahouse patrons might react to this table, but none of them expected it would be popular for more than just its warmth.
It wasn't until the next day, when the first group of customers eagerly approached the table, lifted the quilt, and—before they could even sit down—got quite a startle. Inside, keeping themselves warm in a "farmer's squat" pose, was a whole litter of cats, their eyes shining like a pair of high-beam headlights.
