Nian Nian is about to have kittens.
Hearing this news suddenly, Lin Lan was first taken aback: "Wait... Nian Nian is having kittens, why come to me? I don't know how to deliver them."
At most, she had only raised a kitten for a little over a month—that was Sapphire. She'd never dealt with anything younger.
"Because I'm not sure if Nian Nian will give birth tonight or tomorrow morning. Dr. Liu said Nian Nian should be fine giving birth on her own and doesn't need any human intervention, but I'm still scared." Gripping Lin Lan's hand tightly, Miss Wei showed she was both nervous and terrified. "If she gives birth tonight, the clinic is closed, and I... I can't do it alone!"
Lin Lan: "..."
Understood. Essentially, the clinic confirmed Nian Nian could deliver the kittens completely on her own, so safely that she didn't even need to go to a 24-hour pet hospital. But Miss Wei, having zero experience, was so frightened she wanted to drag someone along to keep her company during the birth.
"I know I'm definitely troubling you like this, but among the people I know here, besides Dr. Liu, you're the one who understands cats the best." Knowing she was asking someone to stay up all night with her for the birth, Miss Wei felt deeply ashamed and embarrassed. Lin Lan was just her landlord and had no obligation to help to this extent. However, the socially awkward homebody couldn't think of any nice things to say and, after struggling, only managed these few sentences: "I-I can pay you! Or I can come here to help out during my time off too!"
"Huh——?" Having already recovered her wits, Shopkeeper Lin drew out the sound, deliberately frowning at her. "Why offer money or work? Can't you just give me one of the kittens as payment instead?"
Miss Wei was stunned for a moment, her blank look suggesting she had never even considered using a kitten as payment.
Cheng Fengyang, who had been watching from behind, couldn't help but chuckle. Seeing Miss Wei still looked dazed, he couldn't resist adding on Lin Lan's behalf: "What she means is, Lan Lan has already agreed to help you."
Wei Yan immediately looked as if she had been saved, nodding repeatedly: "I'll give you one. Lan Lan is so good at raising cats, any kitten coming here would definitely be well taken care of."
Cats usually have several kittens in a litter. Although it deviated from her original plan of keeping them all, if it was for Lin Lan, Wei Yan truly wouldn't be reluctant.
Lin Lan, who had originally just been joking, was taken aback by her quick agreement but soon smiled: "Then it's settled, okay? I get to pick one of Nian Nian's kittens to take."
"Settled. No going back." The programmer girl had her own little scheme too. "Actually, if you take one, Lan Lan, I can still ask you for advice later when raising the other kittens. That works out pretty well too." Even the straightforward one had her own ideas.
With the prospective cat grandma agreeing to gift a kitten, Shopkeeper Lin naturally didn't stand on ceremony, rubbing her hands together in anticipation of the likely delivery event tonight.
After completing the disinfection process with Cheng Fengyang, Lin Lan entered the beverage bar and personally made several cups of tea. She brought them over to share with her friends while they discussed the pregnant cat.
"What about Nian Nian? Did you leave her at home?"
"Mm, I originally thought about bringing her out to find you, but was afraid it might not be good for her, so I left her at home."
"Did Dr. Liu tell you the precautions for assisting Nian Nian during birth?"
"Yes, yes, I wrote them all down! And I bought all the necessary supplies long ago!"
Miss Wei took out the tablet she always carried in her bag and handed it to Lin Lan. The two girls huddled together, heads close, studying the electronic screen.
Although also sitting at the table, Cheng Fengyang, who couldn't get a word in edgewise: "..."
In the end, the young man could only helplessly pick up his cup and drink his tea. Later, he even grabbed a snow bun from the plate and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing heartily.
The tea was truly delicious, the pastries were truly tasty, but the topic was truly impossible to join.
Indeed, in a cat café, not talking about cats is a dead end.
Cheng Fengyang felt a bit down and casually picked up a Munchkin cat passing by their table, cuddling the shortest-legged kitten in the entire café into his arms.
Ah, I have to say, this feeling really couldn't be compared to that of the big dog at home.
Over here, Lin Lan and Wei Yan were discussing cat delivery, while Cheng Fengyang sat to the side holding a cat, looking somewhat forlorn. Near the beverage bar on the other side, Wang Jiayi and Tang Xiaoya, who was working a weekend part-time shift, watched the scene, stifling their laughter.
"So pathetic," the young miss whispered.
Tang Xiaoya rarely agreed: "Truly pathetic."
After serving them tea and snacks, they had become completely absorbed in the kitten matter, leaving the other person, who knew nothing about it, unable to even interject, and could only watch longingly while drinking tea and petting cats.
When Lin Lan finally snapped out of the discussion, she saw Cheng Fengyang sitting there, head bowed, playing with a cat. He was waving a cat teaser back and forth towards the short-legged cat lying on its back on his lap. The Munchkin cat, like a little dachshund, pounced left and right after the feather pendant with its short legs, completely engrossed in the game.
Lin Lan immediately felt sheepish: "Sorry, Fengyang, we got too absorbed in talking just now." They had chatted on and completely forgotten about the other living person present.
"It's fine, it's fine, your matter is more important," Cheng Fengyang waved his hand. "So you've decided to stay up for the delivery tonight?"
"Yes, it's all settled," Lin Lan replied. "You don't want to come too, do you?"
Cheng Fengyang was actually a bit tempted, but he shook his head regretfully: "Even if I went, I'd just be watching, unable to help. Plus, I have to meet clients at work tomorrow, so better not."
Showing up to meet clients with dark circles after a sleepless night would be a surefire way to lose the deal.
Tang Xiaoya shared this regret. Although she rented a place here, a working stiff with a job tomorrow really couldn't afford it.
"Me, me!" Wang Jiayi raised her hand high, ignoring the mix of disdain and envy from Tang Xiaoya not far away. "Take me along, Wei Yan! I can stay with you tonight too!" She was full of curiosity about kittens being born. If she had known earlier that Wei Yan was specifically waiting for Lin Lan for this, she would have volunteered to accompany her for the birth long ago.
"That's fine, Miss Wang can come too." Wei Yan didn't mind Wang Jiayi; they were somewhat acquainted, so she agreed just as readily.
And so, the birth companion trio was officially formed. As soon as they finished dinner that evening, they all gathered at Wei Yan's apartment on the fourth floor.
This was Lin Lan's second time visiting Wei Yan's home.
"There's a lot less stuff than last time," she couldn't help but remark, looking at the much emptier living room.
Miss Wei let out a weak, helpless dry laugh: "...can't be helped, we have a cat at home now."
Teacup assassin, ornament destroyer, miniature demolition expert... these titles all seem fitting for a mischievous house cat. Behind every cat owner with a simple, uncluttered home lies a history of inevitable, fruitless blood, sweat, and tears. Just like Miss Wei here, a thousand words ultimately condensed into just one forgiving smile.
"I understand," Shopkeeper Lin immediately dropped the topic.
Just as she was about to ask where the cat was, Miss Wei opened the bedroom door. Nian Nian, with her bulging belly, eagerly ran out.
"Meow——" (Yan Yan, where have you been gone for so long? My tummy hurts!)
The grayish-white long-haired cat rubbed against Miss Wei's legs, its tail held straight up, allowing others to immediately see the smudges of dirt near its rear.
"Ah, the fur on its bottom is a bit dirty!" Wang Jiayi, the last one to enter, immediately pointed at the cat and exclaimed, "Is it about to give birth?"
This was a sign that its water had broken.
Miss Wei immediately gently scooped up the cat and hurried towards the prepared birthing nest in the bedroom. Inside, she had already laid out pee pads as suggested in the guides, making it clean and convenient for the mother cat to give birth there.
She had prepared well and thought everything through, but when it actually came time for Nian Nian to deliver, the cat didn't obediently stay in the nest. Instead, it meowed, ran out, and jumped onto Wei Yan's bed.
"This...!?" Miss Wei was stunned and moved to pick the cat up. "Nian Nian, no, you need to give birth in the cat nest. You'll dirty the bedding here."
As she held the cat in her arms and was about to put it back into the nest, Lin Lan stopped her. Lin Lan directly took the pee pad from inside the cat nest and spread it on the bed, telling Wei Yan to place the cat there.
"Just let Nian Nian give birth here. That cat nest doesn't have your scent, its owner, so it feels very unsettled. Even if you move it several more times, it will end up having its kittens on your bed anyway."
Miss Wei: "...O-okay."
Once placed on the pee pad on the bed, Nian Nian indeed calmed down, only pacing restlessly on it due to the impending birth.
"Find a few more pee pads to lay out, so it doesn't dirty other spots while moving around," Lin Lan added upon seeing this. Wei Yan immediately ran to the living room to search for supplies.
Not long after, she returned carrying a pile of things: "Lan Lan, I brought other stuff too. See what we'll need right away?"
Besides the pee pads, she had also brought iodine, scissors, paper towels, disposable gloves, goat's milk formula, a syringe, nutritional canned food, and the like—all items Lin Lan had previously seen on the tablet's memo.
Lin Lan helped take a few things and assisted in spreading out a larger area with the pee pads. Afterwards, all three of them put on disposable gloves.
"Meow..." (Yan Yan, it hurts!)
During this time, the long-haired cat in a side-lying position sent a cooing signal to its owner.
Lin Lan reached out and patted the flustered Wei Yan: "Don't just stand there! Use the belly-rubbing technique to help the mother cat from the videos you watched before. Nian Nian is asking you to help with the delivery."
The dazed programmer girl was now like an abacus bead, moving only when prompted, her mind completely blank on what to do next.
Wang Jiayi, watching Wei Yan massage the cat's belly, thought for a moment and picked up the scissors and alcohol: "I'll disinfect the scissors. We'll need to cut the umbilical cords once the kittens are born."
"Then I'll go prepare warm water and the hair dryer. The tutorial said to dry the kittens immediately after washing them with warm water."
All three had tasks to do, and for a while, things proceeded in an orderly manner.
Just as Lin Lan brought over a basin and a thermos, Miss Wei's phone, left on the head of the bed, suddenly rang—a video call request popped up on the screen.
"It's my colleagues from work," Wei Yan said, tapping to answer. Instantly, several small video squares appeared on the screen.
[Wei Yan! We heard Nian Nian is giving birth today!]
[I saw your leave request for tomorrow—to help deliver kittens? How is Nian Nian now?]
[Wei Yan, show us Nian Nian!]
[You promised before that you'd give me one of Nian Nian's kittens!]
A bunch of plaid-shirted programmer colleagues squeezed into their respective video squares, clamoring to ask questions like a flock of ducks let out of a pen, all quacking at once.
"So noisy!" Granny Wei, who was in the midst of delivering kittens, shouted quite impolitely at the flock of ducks. "Nian Nian is in labor right now, all of you be quiet! And who promised to give you kittens? Dream on!"
The phone instantly fell silent. With Wang Jiayi's help filming, these programmers also got a view of the laboring mother cat. However, this silence didn't last long.
[I've seen that technique! There's a video in the cat birthing tutorial about that. Wei Yan, angle your stroking motion about 30 degrees lower, and use a bit more force, or you won't help push the kitten out.]
[Wei Yan, did you feed Nian Nian a nutritional meal? Giving birth takes a lot of energy.]
[I see it! I see it! A head... no, a leg is coming out! My kitten is being born!]
[Pfft! It's mine! I prepared special kitten formula a week ago!]
The three in the room: "..."
They were starting to understand why the usually mild-mannered Miss Wei became so short-tempered with her colleagues.
With these technicians noisily chattering through the screen, Miss Wei gradually shed her initial panic. Her blank mind began to refill with knowledge, and she finally started to proceed step-by-step as she had rehearsed in her head.
An hour later, the first kitten was successfully delivered under her increasingly skilled hands. She took the disinfected scissors passed by Wang Jiayi to cut the umbilical cord, then picked up the paper towels prepared by Lin Lan to wrap the kitten. Following the tutorial's instructions, she gently swung the kitten to clear amniotic fluid from its airways. Upon hearing the kitten finally let out a cry, Wei Yan knew she had successfully delivered it.
The newborn kitten was wet all over, its fetal fur slicked down like a little mouse. Wei Yan bathed it in warm water, then fumbled hurriedly as she carefully dried its fur with the hair dryer. Only then was the task complete, and she returned the kitten to its mother's side.
[A gray tabby! The father must be a brown tabby!]
Seeing the firstborn clearly, the video chat erupted again.
[Brown tabbies are good too. Look, the firstborn even has white 'gloves' on all four paws. It's still quite cute.]
[It would be even prettier with a white 'bib' on its chest, but it's fine without.]
Wei Yan ignored them and continued assisting with the delivery.
About another hour passed, and the second kitten was born.
It was a pure black kitten.
[Huh? Pure black!?]
[It's not impossible.]
[Pure black is nice too, just wonder if it's a long-haired like Nian Nian.]
The third kitten arrived after another hour's interval.
[Pure white?]
[This one's pretty. The third inherited its mom's white areas.]
[One black, one white, and one gray tabby. Interesting.]
If the second and third kittens only caused slight bewilderment among the programmers, the birth of the fourth kitten truly made them explode.
[Orange and white!? Am I seeing right? An orange and white!]
[We had gray and black before, and now suddenly orange pops out?]
[I can't even guess the father's identity anymore. Is it a gray tabby, a yellow tabby, or maybe just a pure white or pure black cat!]
Later, Nian Nian gave birth to two more kittens: one the same grayish-white as Nian Nian, and another a tortoiseshell calico. With that, the nearly six-hour-long delivery mission finally came to an end.
It was already well past two or three in the morning by now. Everyone watching the livestream was feeling tired, and those on-site assisting with the birth were even more exhausted.
The young lady was also yawning repeatedly, but like everyone else, while her body was weary, her mind was buzzing with excitement. Listening to the incessant mewling around her, she stared curiously at the kittens who had all returned to the mother cat's side to nurse hungrily. Their strikingly different coat patterns were impossible to ignore.
Not only were the programmers watching the video surprised, but Wei Yan and Wang Jiayi were also quite taken aback. They couldn't shake the feeling that there was something rather unusual about this litter of kittens.
"Actually, there's no need to be too shocked," Shopkeeper Lin said, wiping her hands with a towel and seizing the moment to explain to the onlookers. "A quick online search will tell you—a single female cat can become pregnant with kittens from multiple male cats at the same time, which can result in a litter with different coat colors. Of course, even kittens from the same parents have a certain probability of having different markings than their mom and dad. It's all perfectly normal, so just take it in stride."
Everyone: "..." The cat world is a messy place.
Shopkeeper Lin paid no mind to the shock she had just delivered. Her eyes were already back on the nursing kittens. Even though she wouldn't take a cat away before it was weaned, there was nothing stopping her from picking one out in advance.
Which little kitten, with which coat pattern, should she choose?
