"By the way, Lanlan, do you remember what I mentioned to you before, about introducing some business to you?" Cheng Fengyang brought this up when they were almost finished eating.
"I remember." Lin Lan, who had enjoyed the meal, looked up at him. The smile that had been on her face since she sat down hadn't faded, and she teased him in a great mood, "So, do you have a cat to sell me, or is it some other cat-related business?"
"What cats could I possibly have?" Cheng Fengyang immediately shook his head. Taking care of a Border Collie was enough for him; he couldn't handle adopting new cats like Lanlan, who already had seventeen and still had the energy for more. "It's another kind of cat business. I wanted to ask if you'd be interested."
It had been over half a month since they last met, the day she won the kotatsu in the draw. Understanding his intentions, she didn't mind his approach at all. Life wasn't a TV drama; everyone had their own things to do. The fact that he focused on his own career first and then actively pursued the romance he wanted seemed like the right way to Lin Lan.
She herself had once been so blinded by so-called feelings and anger that she ruined her own achievements out of revenge. If not for accidentally gaining a "golden finger," or perhaps because she had relied on her parents as a safety net and given up on years of her own hard work, she definitely wouldn't be in such a leisurely state now.
His current approach was just fine, and Lin Lan was quite happy to interact with him this way.
"I need to know what the business specifically involves before I can tell if I'm interested," she replied with a smile.
"It's about a relative of my friend... well, strictly speaking, it's a situation with a client's family I once handled." Cheng Fengyang gave Lin Lan a brief explanation. "After they moved into their newly designed villa, their pet cat, which had always been very gentle and friendly, suddenly became irritable. It started scratching and biting people, and also urinating everywhere. Moving into a new home was supposed to be a happy occasion, but now, because of the cat's change, the whole family is very unhappy."
"Maybe the cat isn't used to the new, unfamiliar environment?" Lin Lan tilted her head in confusion after hearing this.
"No, it was perfectly fine for the first two weeks after they moved in," Cheng Fengyang shook his head. "After that, it just suddenly became more and more irritable for no apparent reason, biting and urinating everywhere. To say it turned completely vicious... when it calms down, it still rubs against people and acts affectionate like before. But when it actually gets someone to come over and pet it, it will suddenly scratch or bite. The family is at a loss. That cat has been with the client's family for six years; it's a beloved family pet with deep bonds. So, they haven't considered abandoning it, but after months of this, the family is physically and mentally exhausted. When I heard about this, they were already considering moving back to their old house."
"Didn't... they take it to a vet to check if it's sick?"
"They took it for a check-up as soon as it started urinating randomly. They also thought it might have caught some illness after two weeks in the new place, but the results showed it was perfectly healthy. That's why they're so puzzled," Cheng Fengyang answered. "After I learned about this, I recommended you to the client. I even sent them the video of you having the cats perform at the tea house. After seeing it, the family expressed hope that you could go and take a look. It would be great if you could solve the problem."
He said it lightly, but Lin Lan didn't think Cheng Fengyang just happened to find out and casually recommended her. She paused slightly before continuing, "Is there any related video for me to understand the situation better? Maybe I can spot something." Having the original audio with the cat's meows would be even better; she might figure out the reason right away.
"Uh, that... we really don't have one," Cheng Fengyang hesitated. "But my client's idea is that they'd prefer you to visit in person. Seeing the actual situation would make it easier to judge. You can't really tell much just by looking at a kitten through a screen, right?"
That was true too.
Lin Lan agreed to take on the job. Cheng Fengyang was very pleased, and they arranged to visit the client's house to see the cat over the weekend, a time convenient for everyone.
By the time they finished discussing this, the meal was also done. Lin Lan naturally called the server for the bill, and the two left the restaurant.
As they stepped out of the restaurant, the chubby calico that had been clamoring for big fish earlier was back lying on the cushion outside the display window, continuing to enjoy the warm midday sun.
Hearing the door's movement, it only twitched its ears and paid no mind, its plump body, like a water-injected sea cucumber, rising and falling peacefully in sleep.
What a clever and shrewd cat. It could distinguish the sounds from inside and outside the door. When guests entered, it got up and followed, knowing there might be fish scraps in the kitchen then. It remained indifferent to guests leaving, as there was nothing to gain.
Realizing this, Lin Lan couldn't help but smile again.
"What's up?" Cheng Fengyang looked back at her. "What about that fat cat?"
"Nothing," Lin Lan denied with a smile. "I just remembered that this time, having a meal with you went smoothly without any unexpected hitches. That's nice."
As soon as she said this, Cheng Fengyang instantly recalled the eye-watering pain from before the New Year.
"Please don't bring that up, it's all tears," the young man said, indicating the past was too painful to look back on, almost reflexively covering his eyes. "The end of last year was really unlucky. This year should be my turn for some good luck."
"Hahaha. Right, right, the bad luck was last year's business. The New Year should bring great fortune!"
The journey back was also pleasant, especially since their homes were only separated by one street. There was no situation where one had to go out of their way to drop the other off, making getting home straightforward for both.
On the street in front of the small building, the scene of Lin Lan getting out of Cheng Fengyang's car and waving goodbye was witnessed by her mother, Wang Xiuzhi, who was minding the shop in the small grocery store.
Watching her daughter head straight for her tea house with a smile on her face, looking in extremely good spirits, Wang Xiuzhi frowned and watched her push the door open and enter the shop.
Inside the Cat Tea House, business was as usual.
When Lin Lan returned, there were only a few customers in the shop as it was mealtime. Of the two employees, one was sitting behind the water bar watching a tablet, and the other was organizing various cat photos to decorate the photo wall.
"Back from your date?" Seeing Lin Lan return, Wang Jiayi behind the bar looked up and teased.
Lin Lan smiled openly. "Don't talk nonsense, it was just a meal." Then she headed towards the staff room. "I'm going to the back to sort out the accounts for February. I'll leave the front to you and Xiao Song."
"Okay, Boss Lanlan, no problem, Boss Lanlan." Missy playfully gave her a very informal military salute.
In the break room, Lin Lan kept a computer specifically for bookkeeping. Her tea house's operations were simple, so organizing the accounts wasn't complicated either. After deducting costs like utilities, supplies, consumables, and employee salaries, the remainder was the profit.
"Just so-so." After more than two months of operation, the teahouse was making a profit, but to say it had earned a lot would be a stretch. Furthermore, the surplus from these two months was practically insignificant compared to the renovation costs and cat care expenses Lin Lan had previously invested. It would likely take another year or two before she could break even and start seeing real returns.
Given this, "side business" like the kind introduced by Cao Yuze or Cheng Fengyang—referrals for external jobs—were indeed worth cultivating properly. If she could build a good reputation for those services, the speed of recouping her initial investment could be much faster.
Thinking this, Lin Lan began dragging her mouse and clicking rapidly. "Alright, alright, it's time to set up another ledger..."
Before she could finish her muttered sentence, a cat jumped onto the desk. It was the orange cat, Gentleman, who had squeezed through the gap in the door. He then plopped himself right onto the keyboard in front of Lin Lan, stretching his whole body into a bar shape that completely blocked the keys.
"Meow—" The pretty little orange cat struck a coquettish pose, extending a white-gloved paw to gently rest on the back of her hand, which was holding the mouse.
(Lan Lan, stop playing on the computer, come play with me!)
Lin Lan: "..." Not closing the door tightly just now was a real mistake.
With her proper work now impossible, Shopkeeper Lin ended up having to hold the orange cat and stroke its fur. "Don't come running in here next time, understand? So, how did today's 'friendly exchange' with Gray go?"
"Meow." (That cat is still the same, mostly ignoring the other two-legged creatures. But today, the female two-legged creature in the shop sneaked a pet while feeding him, and he didn't scratch her.)
So Missy ultimately couldn't resist the urge and reached out after all.
But that really was good news. It proved Gray was gradually lowering his guard around Jia Yi and the others who regularly fed him.
"Gentleman, have you found any poop-scoopers who want to take you home?" Stroking the head of the teahouse's number one schemer cat, Lin Lan asked him with amusement.
"Mrrow..." His voice noticeably dropped. (Not yet. None of the two-legged creatures who come in genuinely want to take me home.)
The longer Gentleman stayed at the cat teahouse, the more he understood. Don't underestimate the intelligence of a two- or three-year-old child; a cat's brain can absorb a lot of information too. Because of this, Gentleman no longer felt the same urgency he had on the first day of business, where he wanted to follow any two-legged creature who showed interest in him.
He had learned to distinguish which two-legged creatures truly loved cats and which ones just wanted a quick petting session to satisfy a whim. Like the little boy who said he wanted to take him home on his first visit, and also like Wang Jiayi and Tang Xiaoya, who stayed on to work for the cats.
But the more he understood, the more Gentleman sometimes felt the urge to try and steal a poop-scooper for himself. He had actually tried, but their reactions to him were just average, so the orange cat had no choice but to return to Shopkeeper Lin's side.
"Don't be a green-tea cat, Gentleman," Lin Lan said, rubbing his head. "A two-legged creature who likes only you is bound to appear. Don't rush. You're only two years old; you have plenty of time to wait for that person."
Gentleman was seeking a "one lifetime, one human, one cat" state. A two-legged creature like Lin Lan, who had a harem of three thousand cats (so to speak), was naturally immediately disqualified and could only be considered as providing shelter and meals.
For this reason, Shopkeeper Lin didn't tell the innocent little cat a secret: actually, poop-scoopers who keep cats are quite fickle. If it weren't for limited time and energy, they definitely wouldn't keep just one.
Given the right conditions, they would only keep more and more, collecting more adorable little kittens.
Like her.
And also like Missy, who, while declaring her true love for the Chinchilla, still couldn't help reaching out to pet the Bengal cat several times.
"Let's go out." Holding the orange cat, Shopkeeper Lin walked out of the break room. "In a bit, I'll put on an animal movie you all like on the TV. You might not understand the dialogue, but the actions of the cats and dogs on screen are still worth learning from."
The leisurely time at the teahouse passed in a flash, and soon, it was the weekend she had agreed upon with Cheng Fengyang.
Shopkeeper Lin was invited to go see someone else's fierce cat.
