“Since Cat doesn’t know how to choose either, let’s just have half of each.”
Su Li spoke, not hesitating much over the matter.
She saw Cat looking embarrassed and wanting to back away, so she took the opportunity to grab Cat’s hand to keep her from feeling too shy.
After all, Cat had to get used to being by her side.
“Okay,” Cat said in a weak voice, lowering her small head. “Su Li, Su Li, I’ll take you to the place where I live!”
Cat was even too embarrassed to call the place where she lived her Home. After all, that place didn’t look like what a Home should be.
“Mm-hmm, I’ve wanted to see Cat’s Home for a long time now.”
Cat lowered her small head, and Su Li followed behind her. Not much time passed before the two of them arrived outside an Underground Room in an Old Residential Area.
Cat was a bit distressed. She walked very, very slowly, for fear of having to pull back the covering cloth in a moment.
“How about we finish breakfast out here, okay?” Cat looked at Su Li and spoke, worried that a musty smell would waft out of the Underground Room and ruin Su Li’s appetite.
“Okay.”
The two of them found a step. Seeing Su Li about to sit down, Cat quickly spoke up: “Su Li, Su Li, wait for me for a second.”
As she spoke, she hurried toward the Underground Room. If she sat directly on the ground, her Clothes would get dirty. She didn’t want Su Li to visit her only to end up with dirty Clothes.
Cat ran back to the Underground Room where she lived and looked around the Room.
There was nowhere to sit; even the Chair was broken. She was afraid that if Su Li wasn’t careful, she might get hurt.
So, Cat could only dismantle the small Bed she had pieced together from cardboard and planned to use the cardboard as a cushion for Su Li to sit on.
Seeing Cat hurry back with sweat covering her forehead again and pink strands of hair sticking to her cheeks, Su Li approached her and stood on her tiptoes to tuck the hair behind Cat’s ear.
She noticed that Cat’s pant legs were soaked with Water because she had been in such a rush, and she realized there might be a lot of standing Water in the Underground Room.
And Cat had always been living in such a damp environment.
“Do you have any work to do today?”
Cat closed her eyes obediently as her hair was tucked back, her cheeks turning slightly red. Hearing Su Li’s question, she quickly shook her head.
“Lately… there hasn’t been any work to do lately,” Cat spoke sheepishly. She didn’t know if saying this would make Su Li worry. But if they were Friends, she shouldn’t hide things from her.
“That’s okay. In that case, it’s the perfect time to look at the job I’m going to introduce to you.”
Su Li spoke, and while Cat was getting the cardboard, she divided their Breakfast into two portions and handed one to Cat.
“You just exerted yourself, so take a breather before eating.”
Cat looked at the Xiao Long Bao and half of a Jianbing Guozi in her hands and nodded obediently. Since Cat didn’t eat, Su Li naturally didn’t eat either. She handed the Water to Cat and let her catch her breath first.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here. I can teach you anything you don’t know.”
Seeing how Cat’s small hands were tightly clutching the bottle, and the Breakfast, still looking nervous, Su Li said comfortingly.
“I—I believe Su Li! Since Su Li says I can do it, then I—then I definitely can!”
Cat clenched her small fists and spoke to cheer herself up. She had to study hard so she wouldn’t hold Su Li back.
“Cat can definitely do it.”
Su Li stood on her tiptoes and rubbed Cat’s small head.
The two of them sat on the steps and ate Breakfast. After Cat finished, she took the trash from Su Li’s hands and threw it into the Trash Can. Then, somewhat nervously, she led Su Li to her little nest.
“Be careful, there’s a lot of Water. Whenever it rains, the Water piles up at the door and doesn’t flow anywhere else.”
There was a hint of embarrassment in Cat’s voice. Su Li felt especially heartbroken seeing her take out her Cell Phone to use as a flashlight.
“Thanks to the Cell Phone Su Li gave me, I’m not afraid no matter how dark it gets! But my eyesight is actually very good, you know, especially at night. Even when the light from my old phone was very faint, I wouldn’t step in puddles.”
Cat spoke happily, as if she were sharing a little secret with her Friend.
“Cat is so impressive,” Su Li complimented her.
Indeed, her Cat was very impressive. In the past, even with the lights out, Cat could run to her side and lean into her arms.
“I’m not that impressive.”
Cat decided not to tell Su Li that she used to be a Cat.Although… although it wasn’t quite right to hide things from a Friend.
But… but she always felt it was something quite fantastical. Especially since Miss Cat’s Pooper-Scooper had once said that sometimes you couldn’t tell your secrets even to the most important person.
Although the Pooper-Scooper always secretly told his secrets to her. Perhaps it was because, in the Pooper-Scooper’s heart, she was a Little Kitten, not a person.
‘If Su Li knew I used to be a Cat, she would definitely be shocked, right?’
Cat thought to herself. Looking at the accumulated Water in front of her, she said, “Su Li, Su Li, be careful. Don’t let the Water splash on you. It would be bad if your Clothes got dirty.”
As she spoke, she walked ahead to demonstrate for Su Li.
‘If only I could have gone out and picked up a few more stones yesterday. Then Su Li wouldn’t have to be so careful following behind me like this.’
She wasn’t detailed enough when she observed the Pooper-Scooper back then.
She only remembered that the Pooper-Scooper crossed puddles like this, but she hadn’t learned the Pooper-Scooper’s attentiveness.
“Did you always go Home and go out like you were on an adventure, Cat?”
Cat was stunned for a moment upon hearing Su Li’s words, but soon a smile appeared on the corners of her mouth.
“Mm-hmm! It’s like this every time I go out.”
For some reason, as she laughed, she felt her nose tingle.
“It’s okay. You won’t have to take such risks in the future.”
Hearing Su Li’s words, Cat didn’t quite understand, but she didn’t ask further. Su Li followed behind Cat and entered the Room.
The space in the Room wasn’t very large. Even though both of them were very thin, it still felt a bit crowded.
Su Li noticed that even the Bed Cat slept on was missing a piece.
That cardboard must have been what Cat hurriedly took from the Bed when she rushed home, just to keep Su Li’s Clothes from getting dirty.
‘This silly Cat.’
Su Li sighed. Looking at Cat, who stood before her with her small head lowered in embarrassment like she had done something wrong, Su Li rubbed her small head again.