Returning downstairs, Cat looked up and saw the succulents Su Li kept on the balcony swaying gently in the breeze.
Cat looked up at their window and suddenly noticed the sky was as blue as a piece of freshly wiped glass.
She quickened her pace toward the building entrance. The bag in her hand bounced along with her, emitting a sweet fragrance.
This time, Cat tentatively took the elevator, and it wasn’t as scary as she had imagined.
By taking the elevator, the stairs that usually took a long time to climb were bypassed in an instant.
Plus, she could set her purchases on the floor so they wouldn’t strain her hands.
“I’m back~”
Mimicking the way her Pooper-Scooper used to come home, Cat spoke after opening the door with her key.
She had actually wanted to say those words for a long time.
In the past, every time she heard her Pooper-Scooper say that, she knew he was back and wanted to happily pounce into his arms.
No, Cat could sense it the moment the Pooper-Scooper used the key to open the door.
“Welcome home.”
Su Li sat up from the sofa and helped Cat lift the bags, placing the vegetables and fruits into the refrigerator one by one.
“How much was it? I’ll reimburse you.”
“No, there’s no need. I bought these for you, Su Li! You don’t need to reimburse me. It’s a thank-you gift for you,” Cat spoke softly, refusing Su Li’s request to send a WeChat Transfer.
If Su Li sent her money again, the gift would lose all meaning.
Su Li looked at the various fruits and then at Cat. Realizing this was Cat’s sincere gesture, she didn’t press the matter further.
“Okay.”
“I’ll set up a computer in your room later. Your room will be your workspace from now on. Is that okay?”
Su Li looked at Cat as she spoke. With a computer, Cat could watch videos to study instead of staring at a tiny cell phone screen.
“Okay! Thank you for the trouble, Su Li!”
Cat whispered, “Actually, next time you can wait until I’m here to set things up, Su Li. That way, I can help you.”
Su Li nodded.
“I’ll go cook then!” Cat spoke happily and took out the vegetables she planned to use for cooking.
She earned thirty-three yuan for cooking a single meal; three meals a day meant earning 100 yuan.
However, Cat wanted to save money for Su Li.
If she made a lot of food at noon, Su Li could spend less on her.
But she felt a bit guilty about making Su Li eat leftover rice.
Cat soon had an idea. If she made extra food, she would eat the leftovers herself and give the freshly prepared meal to Su Li.
But then Su Li would have to pay for another meal’s labor.
Cat felt conflicted. She wanted Su Li to have fresh meals but also wanted to save her money.
Even if the money she saved Su Li came out of her own wages, she was more than willing.
But there didn’t seem to be a good solution. Su Li didn’t want to lower her wages either.
Cat stopped overthinking and stood on her tiptoes to open the refrigerator.
The light from the cold compartment illuminated her sparkling eyes.
She had only used a refrigerator at the convenience store before.
There hadn’t been one where she used to live.
Just using a refrigerator was a source of great happiness for Cat.
Tomatoes were huddled like red lanterns in the crisper drawer, and round eggs were lined up in two rows.
She carefully lifted out the ribs Su Li had bought.
Droplets of water condensed on the cold plastic wrap, leaving damp marks on her palms.
“The carrots can be cut into star shapes!”
She hummed an advertisement song often played in the convenience store while the knife danced lightly on the chopping board.
Although such things were meaningless to most people, her Pooper-Scooper used to do it.
Now that she was doing it herself, she felt as if her life suddenly had much more to look forward to.
Cat suddenly remembered that Su Li had taken two extra helpings of the lettuce with oyster sauce last time, so she quickly pulled out the fresh bok choy from the glass container.
As the garlic cloves snapped open under the back of the knife, a cloud outside the window happened to drift past the range hood’s vent.
If Su Li went to school in the future, she could prepare a bento for her to take.
It seemed that someone of Su Li’s age should be going to school for classes.
However, she heard that schools had dining halls, so Cat didn’t know if Su Li would eat her bento.
After all, if a bento sat for a long time, it wouldn’t taste as good by lunchtime as it did when it was fresh.
Cat felt a bit regretful. It would be great if Su Li could have a hot meal at school too.
She wondered what the food in the school dining hall tasted like.
‘I wonder if I still have the opportunity to go to school,’ Cat thought to herself.
But it was okay even if she couldn’t.
After all, even though the Pooper-Scooper hadn’t gone to school, he had still become an incredible person.
The rice cooker sputtered with steam. When Cat lifted the lid, the aroma of rice wafted over her face.
She used a wooden spoon to fluff the grains and prepared a large, full bowl of rice for Su Li.
While the sugar vinegar ribs bubbled in the clay pot, she set aside a spoonful of sauce to taste and suddenly added two more pieces of rock sugar.
Standing on her tiptoes, Cat stacked the sugar vinegar ribs into a small mountain.
The dark brown meat was coated in a glistening, amber-colored syrup.
She specifically piled all the pieces with cartilage on Su Li’s side, leaving only two bare ribs in her own bowl.
The braised prawns curled into crescents on the plate, their shells fried to a glossy golden brown.
When Cat used a toothpick to remove the veins, her fingertips got stained with a bit of red oil, which she rubbed onto her apron, leaving several orange marks.
She secretly arranged the five largest prawns into the shape of a flower and hid them beside Su Li’s rice.
Steam puffed from the steamer, where a pale yellow egg custard wobbled gently.
Cat used a toothpick to draw a crooked little cat head on the surface.
The eyes, made of sprinkled green onions, looked watery in the mist.
She crouched down and blew gently on the bowl, afraid the surface of the custard might wrinkle.
The lettuce with oyster sauce was so green it looked like it could drip water, the leaves neatly arranged into small fans.
Cat fried the minced garlic until golden before drizzling it over the dish.
The savory aroma wafted from the kitchen into the living room.
Finally, the plate of vinegar shredded potato was sliced as thin as strands of hair.
The pale yellow potato shreds were piled into a bird’s nest shape, with a soft-boiled fried egg nestled in the middle.
The edges of the egg white were fried into a lacy border, while the yolk hung in the center like a miniature sun.
Looking at the meal she had meticulously prepared, a satisfied smile appeared on Cat’s face.
She couldn’t wait to see Su Li’s happy expression when she saw the food.
Last time, Su Li had treated her to a delicious meal; this time, she wanted to treat Su Li too.
“Su Li, Su Li, are you done?”
“Dinner is ready!”