When Song Xinmin returned to the shop, his expression was heavy, weighed down by his mood.
"What's wrong?" Lin Lan couldn't help but ask with concern, seeing his face. "Did Cat Boss give you a hard time today?"
Xiao Song, who was helping the shop owner tidy up the teahouse to close, shook his head. He initially didn't want to speak, but upon seeing his boss who was fluent in 'cat language', he seemed to think of something and turned to Lin Lan. "Boss, is it possible to persuade a cat to leave its original home?"
Song Xinmin told Lin Lan everything he had seen and heard while following Cat Boss during the day. Soon, Lin Lan, who had taken on this plea, began to wear the same troubled expression.
All the way until closing the shop, going upstairs, and returning home, she was lost in thought as she pushed the door open and entered.
In the living room, the heated floor mat previously used for the cat colony was still in its place, not put away. After all, even though all the teahouse cats had been moved to their new home and didn't need it anymore, freeing up the space for people to use was just as well.
Just like now, Grandma Lin was sitting on it, using the large mat as a floor mat, sewing quilts and bed covers on it.
The elderly lady held a long quilting needle, stitching up and down along one corner of a cotton quilt, gradually securing the duvet cover to the cotton filling. Every now and then, she would run the needle point through her hair before making the next stitch.
On the brown duvet cover with peony patterns, a pure white cat lay on its side, occasionally stretching out a paw trying to catch the needle and thread moving up and down in Grandma's hands.
"Why are you suddenly sewing the quilt, Grandma?" Distracted by this scene, Lin Lan temporarily forgot about the matter of the empty-nest tabby cat. "Weren't all the quilts washed before the New Year?"
"You'll have to ask your dad about that," Grandma Lin replied without looking up. "He can't even drink tea at home without accidentally spilling it all over the quilt. If he doesn't find something for your mom and me to do at the start of the New Year, he probably feels uncomfortable all over."
Hearing Grandma's answer, Lin Lan then noticed the sound of a hairdryer coming from her parents' room. She moved to peek inside and saw her dad sitting in the room, holding a hairdryer to manually dry the damp cotton quilt batting.
Over on the balcony, the washing machine beeped, signaling the end of its cycle. Her mom, standing right beside it, opened the door, pulled out the duvet cover, also looking quite annoyed. "Day in and day out, you can't even walk properly at home. Watch TV if you're watching TV, drink tea if you're drinking tea. Why do all three things at once? You tripped and fell on the bed, fine, but you had to fling the cup onto it too. If it were up to me, I'd really let you sleep under that damp quilt tonight!"
The more she talked, the angrier she got, finally raising her voice to berate someone in the room.
Soon, Lin Lan saw her dad's expression visibly wilt even more.
The tense atmosphere at home didn't affect Snowflake, who was rolling around on the new duvet at all. The big white cat lay stretched out on its side, extending its little paws, having a great time playing along with Grandma's flying needle.
Coincidentally, the spot where Grandma needed to stitch next was right where the cat was lying. Snowflake, completely unaware, continued being a roadblock. Grandma grabbed a corner of the quilt and gave it a clever shake, flipping the troublesome white cat over to the other side.
Lin Lan's previously somewhat heavy mood lifted instantly at this moment. She stepped forward with a smile, picked up the cat, moved it to the sofa behind her, and patted its little head. "Snowflake, don't get in Grandma's way while she's sewing the quilt."
Grandma looked up briefly. "It's fine. It's not the first or second time it's been in the way." She was completely accustomed to the kitten's mischievous rhythm. "But you, you didn't look too good when you came in. Did something unpleasant happen at the shop again?"
As soon as Grandma Lin said this, both of Lin Lan's parents at home also looked over with concern. Running a teahouse was different from running a tobacco and alcohol shop; dealing with customers was much more troublesome, and some difficult tea guests were hard to handle. Although their daughter had never once complained or vented to them, how could the elders not pay any attention at all?
"Nothing's wrong at the shop," Lin Lan quickly said. "It's Xiao Song. He took three days off to go out and take photos for inspiration, right? After coming back, he told me about something he encountered today. On a street in the back alleys of our urban village, an old man passed away, but the cat he raised is still in that old house..."
She briefly recounted what Song Xinmin had seen. After listening, the elders at home also fell into a moment of silence and sighed.
"When people get old, there's nothing to be done," Grandma Lin sighed. She herself was someone with half her body already in the earth, and having cats at home, she felt this even more deeply. "It's just pitiful for that cat, foolishly waiting there."
"Didn't the old man's children take the cat back to care for it?" Lin Lan's mother couldn't help but ask.
Lin Lan shook her head. "They didn't care at all. The neighbor, an old man, said they held the funeral, locked the door, and left. When asked if they wanted to take the cat to look after, they directly replied it was just a rescued stray anyway, and once no one was in the house to feed it, it would naturally know to run off."
"What nonsense!" Lin Lan's father couldn't help but curse. "Looking after their own father's cat for a bit would kill them?!"
"On one hand, no one took it away. On the other hand, the cat itself refuses to move," Lin Lan said helplessly. "Knowing that family really intended to let the cat fend for itself, the neighbor, the old man, wanted to take it in. But it just huddles inside the old house and won't come out. Every day at the usual time, it waits behind the window by the main door, waiting for the old man to go out and then come back opening the door at the usual time, just like before."
The house fell silent again. Lin Lan's mother couldn't help but sympathize. "That poor little cat. These silly, foolish things, how are they supposed to live without people?"
It seems that whether it's cats or people, the more loyal and devoted they are, the more foolish they truly appear, even though everyone knows in their hearts that's not really the case.
"Maybe... it really is just foolish..." Lin Lan sighed, thinking of Xiao Song's distressed plea for help. How could she bear it either? The person is gone, but the cat also needs to look forward.
Just then, a meow broke the somewhat heavy atmosphere in the room.
"Meow—" (Lanlan, it's not foolish at all! Because that's its home!)
Lin Lan looked at the sofa in surprise. The big white cat lying there was meowing at her.
"Meow—" (Just like here is my home, I want to guard you all here. You better not run off again!)
It meowed, having already jumped off the sofa. First, it rubbed against her, then rubbed against Grandma, Mom, and Dad, one by one.
"Why the sudden affection?" Lin Lan's mother picked the cat up into her arms, her tone feigning annoyance, but her hands lovingly stroked its fur again and again. "Hungry again? A little male cat being so good at acting cute and sweet, who taught you that?"
Snowflake lay sprawled across Grandma's arm. The familiar scent of family gave it a great sense of security. Being petted by Grandma, its eyes narrowed and its tail swished contentedly.
"Ah..." Looking at this scene, Lin Lan seemed to suddenly realize something.
For Snowflake, these people were the existence it knew from the moment it opened its eyes. This home where they lived was also the territory it guarded, and everyone within this territory was the object of its watchful care.
Just like when she went to work in the magic city, every time she returned, Xuehua tried to keep her with food. Each time, it was Xuehua making an effort for this home.
If no one was left in this home, it would do the same thing as that calico cat.
It wasn't just due to loyalty and enduring affection; there was another important reason.
The next day.
"Xiao Song, I'll go with you to Backstreet Alley today." In the teahouse, after finishing the opening preparations, Lin Lan took off her uniform apron and spoke to Song Xinmin, who was about to leave to continue filming Cat Boss. "I actually have something to discuss with Cat Boss too. Resolving the follow-up issue with that calico cat sooner will bring peace of mind sooner."
Song Xinmin naturally wouldn't refuse. Having worked at the Cat Teahouse for so long, while he hadn't become a full-fledged cat lover, he had developed quite a fondness for cats and certainly didn't wish that calico such an end.
"The boss is the boss, coming up with a solution so quickly!" He didn't skimp on his praise.
"Don't rush to compliment yet. Let's see if we can solve it today." After explaining everything to Wang Jiayi who was minding the shop, and telling the young lady she could ask her parents in the tobacco and alcohol department for help if needed, Lin Lan shouldered her bag and went outside with Song Xinmin, heading towards the abandoned houses in the morning chill.
First stop: find Cat Boss to understand the calico's specific situation.
"Aowuuu... (Before it was taken in by the two-legged, it followed me. The two-legged who raised it left and hasn't come back, so I occasionally bring some food over.)"
In the abandoned house where the stray cat colony lived, the large tabby with white paws sat on a high perch, conversing with Lin Lan who had come to inquire.
"I see." Lin Lan suddenly understood. No wonder Cat Boss specifically went to look after it; it was a former underling.
The next second, she was startled by the cat's following words.
"Waaoo. (I know. That old two-legged isn't coming back.)"
Lin Lan's face showed astonishment, her surprised expression reflected in the tabby cat's calm golden pupils.
"Aowu. (If you can help it find another two-legged to adopt it, I can make that two-legged with the little box over there stop moving around and hold the box steady when it's pointed this way.)"
Lin Lan glanced back at Song Xinmin standing not far behind, fell silent for a moment looking at the "little box" in his hands, then turned her head back.
"Alright, I'll do my best." Lin Lan nodded firmly. "You're looking out for your underling like this, and I certainly can't let my employee miss out on benefits either."
The deal was struck. Cat Boss led Lin Lan and Song Xinmin once again to the empty house where the calico lived.
Along the way, Lin Lan also asked Cat Boss many questions about the calico.
Upon arriving at the destination, she didn't ask Cat Boss to lure the calico out of the house. Instead, following Song Xinmin's direction, she went and knocked on the door of the elderly neighbor next door.
Elderly people usually wake up early. Lin Lan knocked, and soon someone answered—precisely the elderly neighbor who had spoken with Song Xinmin the day before.
"Hello, sir. Sorry to bother you. I was the one yesterday..." Lin Lan, standing at the doorway with Xiao Song, directly stated her purpose. "From what you said, it seems you actually want to take the calico in and care for it, right? We also can't bear to see that cat trapped in the empty house. If you want to adopt it, we can help."
With the groundwork of having met Xiao Song the day before, although the neighbor, Old Man Jiang, was a bit bewildered to be visited first thing the next morning by two well-meaning people, he was very happy to receive them after they clarified that they didn't want money or goods, had identified themselves as being from the nearby urban village, and were definitely not scammers.
"I do want to adopt Qiuqiu," the old man sighed, sitting in the dining room and looking towards the neighboring old house. "Qiuqiu was a stray kitten Old Man Li from next door adopted two years ago. Its personality is so endearing, especially attached to Old Man Li. Now that Old Man Li is gone, and his children refuse to care for the kitten, I really hate to see such a good cat go to waste. But Qiuqiu is stubborn! No matter what I say or what food I use to lure it, it just won't leave the house. It only meows at me through the window."
Lin Lan listened and nodded. "So, Uncle Jiang, you and Uncle Li were quite close, right? You must know a lot about him and Qiuqiu?... A lot? That's great! Please tell me all about it!... Oh, did you two ever exchange gifts?... You did? Perfect!"
After gathering all the information, Lin Lan came out of Old Man Jiang's house. She summoned Cat Boss, who was lurking in some corner, and asked it to go to the empty house and call the calico out.
This series of actions left Song Xinmin, who had watched the whole thing, utterly confused about what the boss was doing. But he didn't have time to ask. Ordered to watch from Old Man Jiang's doorway, he already saw the calico being lured out of the empty house by the lead cat.
The next moment, he saw the boss walk towards the calico: "Qiuqiu, Uncle Li sent me to check on you."
