The high fever of internet fame lasted for about two months. Under Shopkeeper Lin's passive resistance of absolutely refusing to put on cat performances, the situation finally became less exaggerated.
Although the customer flow had doubled compared to before the fame, it was much better than the period when the place was packed every single day.
It was at this time that Shopkeeper Lin suddenly realized she just wasn't the type of person destined for a super powerful golden finger. Just this small ability to communicate with cats, which drove this level of situation, already made her feel exhausted. Even if she were given some world-changing capability, it would be a waste.
Well, ultimately, it was because she lacked nothing, so she simply had no urgent motivation to want anything.
"Sigh... Time flies, it's already summer, and Gentleman has been gone from the teahouse for two months." Stroking the Ragdoll cat that brushed past her legs, Shopkeeper Lin, now in short-sleeved summer wear instead of long-sleeved spring clothes, looked around the interior of the shop. It just so happened there were no customers at the moment, so she was free to muse. "Indeed, the teahouse feels a bit off without an orange cat. I need to ask the cat boss to introduce some new cats."
"Boss, you make it sound like the imperial palace is about to start recruiting new concubines," Tang Xiaoya, who was feeding the Maine Coon not far away, couldn't help but tease. It was the weekend, so the teahouse's only part-timer was of course here to work. Besides, the weather was getting hotter and hotter, and it was cooler to stay in the teahouse.
Lin Lan glanced at her and fired back: "I'm like this partly thanks to you people. Look at you, and then look at Jiayi." She pointed at Tang Xiaoya and the Maine Coon, then at the young lady who was putting a pink collar on a Chinchilla cat. "One after another, you come to my shop saying you're here to work, but in reality, you all have your eyes on my cats. The day a person quits is the day I lose a cat. And you have the nerve to tease me about planning to expand my 'harem'?"
The two girls in the shop were taken aback for a moment, then thought about it and realized it was true, making them both laugh.
"Lanlan, why don't you just set a new rule: anyone who wants a cat must work in the shop for two months first?" Wang Jiayi, from behind the water bar, released the Chinchilla and went to catch the lively and active Xiuqiu. Holding the cat in her hands, she wiggled its little paw at Lin Lan. "That way, you can properly observe whether they can be a good poop-scooper."
Just as this impractical suggestion was about to earn a glare from Shopkeeper Lin, Song Xinmin beside her protested: "Boss, I'm innocent! I'm here purely for the wages, not for the cats." He was a wandering photographer, sometimes so poor he could barely support himself. How could he afford to keep a cat?
"Hmm, you didn't take a cat away. You're just the guy who came, took a bunch of cat photos, won a big prize, and is about to run off."
"I haven't left yet!" The young photographer, teased about winning an award for his 'cat pics,' said with a wry smile. "I promise I'll stick it out until the end of this month before I go."
Just then, the bell on the door jingled. Miss Wei, carrying a cat backpack, pushed the door open and entered the teahouse.
"Lanlan, I'm here to deliver a cat!" After disinfecting and entering the main hall, Cat Grandma placed her backpack on a table and pulled out a small gray-and-white kitten. Already three months old, its fur pattern distribution was exactly the same as its mother Niannian's, like a miniature version. Held in its grandma's hands, it meowed incessantly.
"Wow, thank you for specially bringing it over!" Lin Lan hurried over to take the kitten, her face full of apology towards Miss Wei. "I'm sorry, we agreed I'd come pick up the kitten after two months, but I got so busy I forgot..."
Suddenly becoming an internet-famous shop had kept Lin Lan as busy as a dog. It was only recently that things had settled down a bit. How could she have had time to think about the kitten?
"I know," Wei Yan smiled at her. "I was really startled seeing the situation at your shop recently. I knew if you took it back, you wouldn't have time to take care of it properly, so it was better to keep it with me a little longer."
Lin Lan was instantly touched. What a kind and considerate Cat Grandma.
Cat Grandma was now smiling as she watched Lin Lan gently stroke the kitten. "Lanlan, have you thought of a name for it? My colleagues at the company already named all the other kittens."
"This little kitten will be called Bubble from now on," Lin Lan said, pinching the kitten's pink paw pads and thinking for a moment. "Wait, you said your colleagues named the other kittens? You ended up giving the cats to your colleagues after all."
"I did," Wei Yan sighed. "My Heihei, Baibai, Huahua, and Xiao Ju were all snatched away by those shameless guys. I fought tooth and nail only to keep Yinyin for Niannian to raise."
Shopkeeper Lin wasn't fooled: "What benefits did they promise you?"
"Ahem, just half a year's worth of snacks from each of them, plus they helped take care of the kittens and served Niannian during her postpartum period."
...Well, a good deal. No one lost out, from the cats to the humans.
Wei Yan left after delivering the kitten; Niannian and the other kitten were still at home.
No sooner had Miss Wei pushed the door and left than the Bengal cat Gray flashed past overhead, stepping along the ceiling-mounted cat climbing frame.
Seeing it, Shopkeeper Lin suddenly remembered something else and looked at the young lady. "By the way, Jiayi, calculating the time, the college entrance exams should be over. What's the word from Brother Yi?"
It was June. The grueling national college entrance exam period was coming to an end, and scores were mostly out. Seeing this cat reminded Lin Lan of the related matter.
Brother Yi, the young man who had sent the Bengal cat for 'reform' and boarding, was now done with his exams. It was time to discuss Gray's ownership.
Had the boy changed his initial decision? Did he say he would come take it home?
Faced with Lin Lan's question, Wang Jiayi paused first, then subconsciously took out her phone. "Well... how to put it... His exam scores are out, good enough for his ideal university. But as for the Gray he sent over..."
Shopkeeper Lin raised her hand: "Get to the point."
"The latest message he sent me says he's going to university and probably can't take it with him. And from the sound of it, his parents don't want to take it on either."
"Didn't you tell him Gray has recently become willing to let strangers hold it?" Lin Lan couldn't help but ask. After months of gradual influence, the Bengal cat's bad temper of scratching anyone on sight had been worn away. Tempted by unlimited dried fish treats, it was now willing to lower its dignity and let tea customers hold it for a while. The young lady had been sending videos to the high school student every now and then. Yet, even as he became a college student, he hadn't changed his mind.
The young lady was already typing a message quickly on her phone. After a short while, she received his latest reply. She sighed after reading it, looked up, and relayed to Lin Lan: "Little Yi transferred the boarding fee over. He said thank you, Lanlan, for changing Gray's violent temper. He thinks it's quite nice for Gray to stay at the teahouse."
This statement completely settled the matter's tone. The other party sent a payment for the Bengal cat's 'reform,' and along with it, essentially gave the cat to the teahouse.
The scene suddenly fell quiet.
Although everyone had this premonition when the high school student first brought the cat, when the ending really turned out this way, Lin Lan still felt a bit wistful. "Gray and Brother Yi really had no fate..." Then she looked up. "Jiayi, tell Brother Yi I accept the Bengal cat, but forget about the money. Refund it to him."
Since the cat is staying, the boarding arrangement is no longer valid.
"Alright, I'll reply to him." Wang Jiayi, who had been thinking the same thing, immediately sent the message.
Tang Xiaoya couldn't help but glance at the shop owner, then looked over at the Bengal cat lounging on the cat tree. She knew about this cat—based on its pedigree and appearance, it could fetch a six-figure price on the market, a pet truly only affordable for the wealthy. And now, these rich people had sent it over, only to abandon it just like that. What's more, the shop owner had refused what was surely a substantial reward without a second thought. As a hardworking office drone, watching this, she felt nothing but envy.
"Cut it out. Weren't you out looking at apartments for two or three weeks straight last month?" Shop Owner Lin directly called her out. "Soon-to-be homeowner, you'll be taking my big cat away before long."
Everyone else in the shop immediately joined in the teasing.
"It won't be that soon!" Tang, who had just paid the down payment and evolved from an office drone to a mortgage slave, blushed a little. "Even though it's a ready-built apartment, it's just the bare shell. The renovation and airing out to disperse formaldehyde alone will take at least half a year or more. It's still early."
The teasing only lasted a few sentences before everyone went back to their own tasks. Lin Lan, holding the newly arrived kitten Bubble, entered the separate room. She soothed the little one, who was feeling anxious after being separated from its mother, and only left after seeing it settle down to eat and drink.
Just as she stepped out, the bell on the door chimed again. Looking up, Lin Lan couldn't help but smile.
"Fengyang, you're here?" She went forward to greet him with a smile. "Here for tea this time, or is there more business?"
"Mostly here for tea." The young man, his face slightly flushed from the sun outside, expertly disinfected and entered the shop, grinning at her. "I just took Xingxing to the pet groomer's for a bath, so I thought I'd drop by for some tea and hang out."
"Xingxing? Dogs and cats are really different, needing baths so often." Lin Lan sighed, thinking of that Border Collie. "If only all cats were as well-behaved as dogs during bath time."
"The cats in your shop are already very well-behaved. Other places are full of cats that scream like they're being slaughtered during baths." Cheng Fengyang casually picked up the conversation as he found a seat and sat down, looking around the shop. Seeing there were no customers, he smiled. "Looks like the hype has finally died down, the foot traffic is back to normal. No need for me to help out anymore."
"Don't even remind me, it was exhausting." Lin Lan brought over some iced tea and sat down opposite him, waving a hand as if recalling an unbearable past. "I never thought much of internet-famous shops before, but now that mine has become one, I find it even more annoying and tiring. I can't even be bothered to read those online comments. I don't know what some people find to criticize about my shop. They're miles away, yet they act like they have clairvoyance, nitpicking everything wrong with the place."
"Getting popular means getting haters, it's normal." Cheng Fengyang laughed. "My company has the best reputation in West City, and we still get bashed by some people. It's just that kind of mentality. Best not to take it to heart."
Lin Lan sighed wearily. She was just about to say she only hoped not to attract any more weirdos when the doorbell chimed once more. She instinctively turned to look, and her smile instantly froze upon seeing the newcomer's face.
"Lanlan, what's wrong?"
Another unfamiliar male customer entered through the pushed-open door. Cheng Fengyang didn't pay much attention at first, assuming it was just another tea enthusiast drawn by the shop's online fame. But when he saw Lin Lan's previously cheerful face turn cold, he realized something was wrong.
His expression turned serious as he tried to get a better look at the stranger, but Lin Lan, sitting across from him, had already shot to her feet. With a frosty expression, she walked over.
The man had also spotted her. After surveying the teahouse environment, as if confirming something, he glared angrily at Lin Lan. "Lin Lan, you bitch, you've really ruined me!"
