Dad had hidden his secret stash quite cunningly. The latex pillow had holes on both the front and back. He had placed the money in the holes on the back, so it wouldn't poke him while he slept. Mom would never think to look for it there even when tidying up the house.
But he forgot that pillowcases need to be changed even for latex pillows after using them for a long time. Looking at the small holes that filled most of the pillow, it was obvious that Dad had been saving this money for quite a while. Now that it had been discovered, not only was his "treasure trove" emptied, but he would also have to face the unknown storm later.
No way, no way. Dad loved her so much. She couldn't let him fall into such a predicament!
"Mom, well..." Lin Lan carefully started speaking, trying to soothe her mother's mood with words. She was afraid that her mother would suddenly explode in silence and rush downstairs to confront Dad. "About this money..."
Wang Xiuzhi, who had been keeping her head down and silent, looked up at her daughter and then smiled. "Do you think I'm going to quarrel with your dad?"
"No, no..." Lin Lan awkwardly denied.
Wang Xiuzhi, however, was calm and composed. She placed the pillow core on her lap, casually picked out a few more small holes, and in a blink of an eye, four or five hundred - yuan bills were unfolded, stacked together, and put into her pocket. She didn't touch the remaining pink notes. Not only didn't she take them, but she also picked up the pillowcase that had been thrown aside earlier and put it back on.
While Lin Lan was completely confused by this series of actions, she heard her mother continue to instruct, "Lan Lan, the pillowcase and the sheets aren't dirty yet. Let's just change the quilt cover."
As she spoke, she rearranged the pillow on the head of the bed.
Her mother's completely unexpected reaction left Lin Lan completely dumbfounded. "Mom, why don't you take all of it? Why do you still...?"
"Silly girl." Wang Xiuzhi looked back at her. Seeing her daughter's confused face, she laughed even harder. "For men, they'll feel suffocated if they don't have a little money on hand. Let him hide it if he wants to. When it comes to marriage and living together, as long as it doesn't involve principles and bottom - lines, it's okay to turn a blind eye to some things."
Hearing what her mother said, Lin Lan remembered that although her parents often bickered, they rarely had real serious arguments. She couldn't help but nod in agreement. It seemed to make sense. If a couple haggled over every little thing, it would indeed be quite tiring. As long as they didn't go too far, they could live in harmony.
This was the life wisdom of someone who had experienced it. The more Lin Lan thought about it, the more she admired her mother. At the same time, she felt relieved and glad that her dad had escaped this disaster.
Just as she was about to compliment her mother with a smile, she heard her mother then lower her voice and say, "You have to pretend not to know about this kind of thing, understand? Take a few bills every few days like this, and you'll have a continuous and steady supply. If you take it all at once, there won't be any more later."
By the end of her speech, she even held up her index finger to signal for quiet. Then, she smoothed out the bedsheet that was originally meant to be washed. This way, when the person who had hidden the private savings came back and saw that the quilt cover had been changed, they wouldn't suspect that the secret stash had been discovered, and would still quietly add more money to it later. Anyway, given her husband's rather careless nature, he wouldn't remember how much money he had stuffed in, one or two bills at a time, after a long while.
Watching this seamless, cloak - and - dagger operation, Lin Lan was gobsmacked. "Wow, Mom, you're amazing!"
The whole morning just slipped by in a daze.
Lin Lan was standing on the balcony, staring blankly at the high - end residential complex across the way while absent - mindedly stroking the catnip leaves with her right hand when her mother's slap brought her back to her senses.
"Didn't you say you'd make cat food for Xuehua?" Wang Xiuzhi, holding a spatula, handed her an apron. "You're in charge of this today."
Most people are enthusiastic about new things they first actively want to try, and Lin Lan was no exception. Four years ago, when she brought Xuehua home, it was her first time wanting to keep a cat, and she had put in a great deal of effort.
She had bought some well - known brand - name cat foods on the market, like certain well - known brands. In the early days of being a cat owner, these foods had indeed helped her raise Xuehua well. But as she got more experienced in cat - raising, influenced by the thrifty ideas of her grandma and mom at home, who would often say, "This cat food costs more than what we eat. We might as well buy groceries and make it ourselves," she actually started making cat food on her own.
Xuehua is just an ordinary Chinese rural cat. It's good - looking and not fussy about food. It actually ate even more heartily after the family switched to homemade cat food, which left a very good impression on the Lin family, who were also new to pet - raising.
Making cat food was one of her specialties. When she was a college student with winter and summer vacations, Xuehua often got to eat the cat food she made. But after she graduated and went to work in Shanghai, she didn't have much time and could only make it occasionally.
In the kitchen, her mother had already prepared all the ingredients for the cat food, such as chicken breast, fish, chicken liver, hard - boiled eggs, and broccoli. Lin Lan just picked up the kitchen knife and got to work.
She sliced and diced on the countertop, steamed the chicken and fish on the stove and then mashed them, dried the chicken liver in the oven and ground it into powder, saying it would be a natural food attractant. Then she added other nutritional powders and mixed them all together, busily working non - stop. Wang Xiuzhi stood beside her, watching. The elaborate steps of her daughter's cat - food - making method made the middle - aged woman frown. "No wonder that little Xuehua likes the food you make better. You're even more meticulous than when you're cooking for people."
Although Wang Xiuzhi also used these ingredients to make cat food, the level of refinement was no match for what her daughter was doing.
"After all, it's a cat. Its stomach can't be compared to a human's," Lin Lan replied without looking up. "If we pay more attention to the cat food, Snowflake will be in better health. It's always better than having to take her to the pet hospital and spend money every now and then."
"Well, that's true," Wang Xiuzhi said, recalling a young girl on the fourth floor who also had a pet cat, a rather valuable British Shorthair. Doctor Liu at the downstairs pet clinic said that a cat of that breed could cost at least 5,000 yuan. The cat looked quite chubby, with a big round face and fluffy cheeks. But the girl was often seen carrying the cat to the clinic. No one knew how much money she had spent on treating the cat. "Cats can be more expensive to treat when they're sick than humans. Fortunately, Snowflake is a domestic cat. She rarely gets sick and is easy to take care of."
Although the family could live comfortably on the rent from the small building, living a proper life didn't mean squandering money.
Hearing her mother's muttering, Lin Lan could only smile helplessly. Her parents and grandmother had all lived through hard times. So even though the rent had increased several times with the economic boom and the family's financial situation had improved significantly, they still maintained the habit of being thrifty.
As a result, even though Lin Lan was a second-generation landlord, there wasn't much difference between her and children from ordinary families when she was growing up. The only difference was that her parents were more generous when she wanted to buy something reasonable. As she grew up, her values had been firmly established. Even though her parents gave her a generous monthly allowance, she didn't squander it. She just liked to plan her shopping and spending.
The only crazy and impulsive thing she had done was breaking up with her ex - boyfriend last month.
In one go, she had spent nearly 70,000 to 80,000 yuan. Apart from renting a car and hiring people to act, most of the money had gone towards a limited - edition luxury windbreaker.
It was fun to show off for a moment, but it was a financial disaster.
She'd put that Chanel windbreaker up for sale on the second - hand website in a while. She'd heard that limited - edition luxury items could sometimes be sold for more than the original price. Maybe she could make up for all her previous losses.
While thinking about these things, Lin Lan had already made five days' worth of cat food. She took out a portion for today and sealed the rest in boxes and stored them in the refrigerator.
When Lin Lan was almost done with the cat food, Wang Xiuzhi came over to make lunch for the family and directed her daughter to continue helping. With the mother - daughter duo working together, lunch was quickly ready.
At mealtime, Lin Youyu and Grandma Lin came home right on time.
"Wow, steamed perch today!" Lin's father said with a big smile when he saw the dishes on the table. "You're so nice, Lanlan's mom. You've cooked my favorite dish today!"
"Humph." Lin Lan's mother just let out a snort of laughter. "Just eat."
Lin Lan, sitting beside her with chopsticks in hand, gave her father a subtle look. The quilt covers were still hanging out on the balcony to dry. He didn't associate it with anything at all and had no idea which of the Mao Zedong bills from the pillowcase was used to buy this fish.
Grandma Lin sat down and couldn't wait to share what she'd seen on her way back. "I just passed by Doctor Liu's clinic. I saw that girl Qian Xuan running in a hurry with her cat in her arms. From afar, I heard her push open the door and shout inside, 'Doctor Liu, my Niu Niu has a high fever again. She's vomiting and coughing up blood. Please take a look at her quickly!' I wonder how much money she'll have to spend this time."
"Qian Xuan's cat is sick again?" Lin Lan was taken aback upon hearing this. "I remember hearing that one of her British Shorthairs got feline infectious peritonitis right after I came back from Shanghai last time. It took a lot of effort to save it."
"Yeah. To treat that feline infectious peritonitis, that girl spent seven or eight thousand yuan in a single month," Wang Xiuzhi chimed in. "Rare - breed cats are really unaffordable. They're too delicate and cost too much money."
"British Shorthairs generally have good physical constitutions," Lin Lan immediately said. "Many families that keep pet cats like to choose this breed. It's a cat breed that has been well - tested in the market."
"Then she must have been scammed by the cat dealer and bought a sick one," Lin Youyu casually remarked. "Girls like you are the easiest to be deceived."
Was it just an illusion? Lin Lan always felt that her father's words carried a hidden meaning. But seeing his nonchalant look, she didn't respond. Instead, she deftly changed the topic. "Maybe she was negligent in other aspects. When it comes to rare - breed cats, the most popular one right now is the Ragdoll. They're beautiful but very delicate. I've heard they have sensitive stomachs. A pure - bred one costs at least five figures."
"Humph. It's not as good as Xue Hua, which can catch mice," Grandma Lin scoffed. In the old lady's mind, cats that couldn't catch mice were all good - for - nothings.
Lin Lan kept silent. According to the information she'd seen online, Ragdolls were useless except for their good looks. They would definitely not meet the old lady's standards.
But they were really beautiful.
In this era where appearance is everything, being good - looking is enough.
After lunch, Lin Lan wasn't forced by her mother to do chores like clearing the table and washing the dishes. Xue Hua, that cat that loved to wander around, wouldn't come back until dinner time. With nothing to do, Lin Lan thought of Qian Xuan's British Shorthair. After some thought, she went downstairs and headed to the nearby pet clinic.
This pet clinic opened here three years ago. The owner, Doctor Liu, is a young man under thirty. When he's at work, he wears a white coat and thin - framed glasses, looking very gentle and refined. If it weren't for the fact that he runs a pet clinic, people might even believe he's a doctor treating humans.
When Lin Lan pushed open the glass door and entered, she saw that Qian Xuan was indeed still there. Her British Shorthair cat had already been put into the pet carrier, and she was talking to Doctor Liu at the moment.
"It's acute gastroenteritis. After getting the anti - inflammatory injection, don't feed it or give it water for at least 6 to 8 hours. Its stomach and intestines are very fragile now and need rest, not food. After you get home, you also need to keep it warm. It's best to use an electric blanket for it and let it rest in a confined space for a while," Doctor Liu was giving instructions to the cat owner, being very meticulous. "After 8 hours, if it doesn't vomit anymore, give it warm water and liquid food that can replenish energy. Then you can feed it some digestive paste to condition the cat's stomach... If there are any other problems during this period, you can come to me right away."
"Okay, okay!" Qian Xuan tightly held the cat carrier and nodded repeatedly, with a face full of gratitude. "Thank you, Doctor Liu. I was really scared when I saw it vomiting and coughing up blood. It had just recovered from feline infectious peritonitis a few months ago... I've been so careful."
By the end, this girl in her early twenties looked extremely dejected.
"Some things can't be avoided just by being careful," Doctor Liu could only console her like this. When he caught a glimpse of Lin Lan out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly changed his tone. "But maybe it's because you've been raising your cat too delicately, making it too pampered and having a low immune system. Maybe you can learn from Lin Lan's family and raise your cat more casually. Her cat, Xuehua, is raised very well and rarely gets sick throughout the year."
Hearing this, Qian Xuan frowned instinctively. "But Xuehua is a Chinese rural cat. Its constitution is different from my Niu Niu's."
Lin Lan immediately got annoyed. Her lips tightened, and she was about to retort. Doctor Liu, who quickly sensed something was wrong, spoke up first. "Don't say that. Whether it's a Chinese rural cat or a British Shorthair cat, they are all delicate little animals and good companions for human families. Xuehua has the best temper among all the cats I've ever seen. It also has a very beautiful appearance. If it weren't so common in China, it would also be a very excellent pet cat. The value of a pet cat's companionship can't be measured by money. If the more expensive one is the best, then that seal - point Ragdoll in the cage over there might look down on all the cats here."
Although the words were euphemistic, the meaning was quite clear. Qian Xuan, who also realized that her words were inappropriate, blushed a little at this moment. This girl was quite straightforward. She immediately apologized to Lin Lan: "Sorry, Lin Lan. I spoke out of turn and said something unpleasant. I, I don't mean to look down on Xuehua. It's just, just..."
"It's okay. I understand," Lin Lan reached out to stop her explanation. "It's always true that 'the monks from other places chant scriptures better'. I also quite like British Shorthairs and American Shorthairs. It's just that they're really not as easy to take care of as my Xuehua. It's normal for their constitutions to be a bit weaker compared to native cats. What you said isn't wrong."
Qian Xuan felt even more embarrassed and murmured another "sorry". Lin Lan politely smiled and replied with a "it's okay", then turned to look at Doctor Liu. "I only came here because Grandma mentioned it and Qian Xuan's Niu Niu was sick, so I wanted to inquire about the situation. Now that everything's fine, I'll leave. Doctor Liu, you're busy."
After saying that, she turned around and left, leaving Qian Xuan looking embarrassed.
This person had come specifically to care about the kitten's condition, but she, the cat owner, had managed to drive the person away.
Doctor Liu helplessly shook his head. "I was originally going to introduce you to Lin Lan to learn some tips. The homemade cat food in her family is quite good. Maybe if you change Niu Niu's cat food, it might get sick less often."
Only then did Qian Xuan understand what the doctor meant, but she was still too proud to admit it and stubbornly mumbled, "Maybe it's just that Xuehua has a good constitution."
Doctor Liu didn't say anything this time. He greeted the girl and continued with his own work. Although his clinic was small, his business was okay. There were quite a few pet owners in the urban village and the high - end residential area opposite. There were always people willing to spend money on their pets and come to his clinic.
As for Lin Lan, as soon as she stepped out of the clinic, she dropped the fake smile on her face and looked really annoyed.
Bah! So what if it's a native cat! Did it eat your rice or drink your soup? Just because it's expensive, do you really think it's noble!
With Niu Niu's delicate nature, Qian Xuan would have a hard time in the future!
Recalling what happened in the clinic, when Lin Lan heard Niu Niu's weak meow in the cat carrier, even when it was sick, it was still so haughty, "Servant, you actually let that human give me another injection. It hurts so much! I'll break your favorite cup when we get home!" Lin Lan didn't feel any sympathy at all. The owner was just like the cat. Let this one - person - one - cat pair continue their love - hate relationship.
Her Xuehua was still the best!
Facts have proven that some kittens can't stand being talked about. Just as Lin Lan was about to go to the grocery store to have a chat with her mother who was running the shop and complain to her about the ungratefulness of her good deed, a white blur darted out from the roadside green belt and rushed towards her in a flash.
"Meow!" (Lanlan!)
When the meow sounded towards her, Lin Lan was startled. Taking a closer look, it was her own white cat meowing urgently at her.
"Meow-ow-ow, meow-ow-ow!" (Lanlan! Over there, there's a little kitten over there! It's about to die! Lanlan, save it!)
Snowflake led the way in front, and Lin Lan trotted after it across the road and arrived at the opposite community. Just when she thought Snowflake wanted her to go inside, the white cat turned another corner and started running along the green area outside the community.
As a high - end community, apart from the beautiful scenery inside the wall, there was also a well - built small green park outside the wall. Besides the running track for joggers and the pavilions for rest, the well - arranged greenery was also indispensable.
It was in the bushes of one of the morning - exercise small parks that Lin Lan finally found the "dying kitten" Snowflake had mentioned.
"So tiny!" It was even smaller than Snowflake when she first picked it up. Maybe it was less than two months old. It was dirty all over and had ugly ringworm on its body. Its fur was tangled and it was lying there weakly, only a faint meow could be heard.
"Meow... meow..." (Mom... Mom...)
The immobile kitten was instinctively calling for its mother, but...
Lin Lan looked around. There was no sign of the mother cat at all, and it didn't seem like it had just run out of its nest.
"Meow - meow - ow - ow!" (Lanlan, it has no mother! I smelled the scent. Its mother died a long time ago!)
Five minutes later, they were back at the pet clinic.
"The situation is not good. This little kitten is about one and a half months old. It's malnourished and has a weak stomach. Besides the ringworm, it also shows symptoms of feline herpesvirus. Judging from its breathing, there might also be a problem with pneumonia." Doctor Liu gently held the kitten, frowning. "A more detailed diagnosis requires further examination."
"So... can it be cured?" Holding Snowflake in her arms, Lin Lan was also worried.
"I can't guarantee that." Doctor Liu shook his head. "But one thing is for sure. It'll cost a lot of money to treat it. It'll definitely be in the four - digit range."
This was something pet doctors usually asked in advance.
Is it worth saving a stray kitten picked up at random, which is ugly and dirty, and there's no guarantee it can be cured?
If it were in the past, Lin Lan might really hesitate. But now...
"Meow... Meow..." (Mom... Mom...)
Lin Lan couldn't help but hug Snowflake tightly in her arms and said, "Yes, we'll treat it! I'll spend the money on the treatment!"
