Cat was wearing a light pink cotton dress, the collar embroidered with two little cat paws that looked like balls of yarn.
The hem of the skirt ended just past her knees, revealing calves wrapped in snow-white stockings.
On her feet were the canvas shoes Su Li had bought for her, the soft, flat shoe fronts each sporting a pair of perky yarn cat ears.
She had her hair in a slightly lopsided ponytail, the hair tie decorated with a knitted strawberry pendant that swayed back and forth on her shoulder as she walked.
Truthfully, Su Li knew exactly why she and Cat walking together drew the attention of others.
After all, she was well aware her own appearance was quite striking. Adding Cat into the mix, it was only natural they’d attract glances from passersby.
If it were just her, she wouldn’t pay any mind to the looks from others. But with Cat by her side, it was understandable if Cat felt a bit shy.
“After all, our Cat is very cute. It’s perfectly normal for her to attract attention.”
Su Li said calmly. Cat, in response, lowered her small head a little sheepishly.
As they walked, Cat chattered to Su Li about what she had learned at home today and shared some idiom stories.
Even though Su Li had heard these stories many times before, she listened patiently as Cat recounted them to her.
Right now, Cat was like a child who had just learned something new at kindergarten, eagerly wanting to share it with her parents.
Moreover, Su Li could sense that Cat, in order to tell her these stories, must have listened to them more than once and had patiently committed them to memory.
Listening to Cat narrate the idiom stories made the walk to the dining hall seem less long than it used to be.
The two soon arrived at the dining hall. Because Su Li had slipped away early, classes weren’t out yet.
Not too many students had gathered inside.
Su Li and Cat found a seat by the window and sat down. Cat happily placed the bento box on the table and took out the meal she had prepared for Su Li.
When she lifted the lid, steam mixed with fragrance wafted out.
The top layer held stir-fried tomato and eggs, a bright red dish with cubed tomatoes nestled among golden scrambled eggs, the sauce pooling in a sweet-and-sour little puddle in the corner of the lunchbox.
Next to it was neatly arranged shredded pork with green peppers, tender strips of green pepper snuggled against browned shreds of pork, specks of oil still glistening on the minced garlic.
The second layer held several pieces of pan-fried ribbonfish, the skin crispy and golden brown, sprinkled with finely chopped green onion.
The belly meat, where the bones were particularly troublesome, had been carefully deboned, the white fish flesh exuding the aroma of salt and pepper.
Beneath that lay stir-fried water spinach, the leaves a glossy, dark green, the garlic stir-fried to a light golden hue.
The soup was in a separate small round container.
Lifting its lid revealed cubes of dou fu floating among egg drop flowers, nori drifting on the surface like black silk, dried shrimp scattered like stars among the chopped green onion, the savory scent threading through the white steam straight into one’s nose.
Seeing the expectant look in Cat’s eyes, Su Li pretended to swallow hard.
She could imagine the scene of Cat meticulously preparing this meal at home.
This meal must have taken Cat quite some time.
It was filled with Cat’s heartfelt effort.
“So fragrant.”
Su Li said softly. Cat’s face immediately broke into a happy smile.
“Su Li, Su Li, I’m glad you like it.”
Cat happily arranged the dishes on the table, then handed Su Li the chopsticks and the container of rice.
“Su Li, Su Li, is the rice enough for you?”
“If it’s not enough, I can give you some of mine.”
Worried Su Li might go hungry, Cat looked at her with watery eyes and asked with concern.
If she went hungry, it was fine.
After all, when she got home, she could always eat some bread to fill her stomach.
But for Su Li, it wouldn’t do.
Su Li still needed to keep studying. She couldn’t go hungry.
She had to make sure Su Li ate her fill.
“It’s fine, this is plenty. Besides, Cat made so many dishes. I doubt we’ll finish them all. We can have the leftovers for dinner tonight.”
“We can finish it!”
Cat said with utmost seriousness. She had prepared the portions based on Su Li’s appetite.
It was precisely so Su Li could have a hot meal every time.
“If we don’t finish it… tonight… tonight I’ll eat it myself. I’ll make something else for Su Li then!”
Cat said very quietly. She wasn’t sure if eating leftovers would embarrass Su Li.
Fortunately, no one else could hear their conversation.
“No need for that. We share the good and the bad together.”
Su Li said calmly, already starting to quietly taste the food Cat had made.
“We share the good and the bad together.”
Cat murmured softly, glanced at Su Li, and also began to eat slowly.
It wasn’t long before the sound of footsteps began to echo through the dining hall.
Cat’s ears twitched slightly. Watching the crowd start to pour into the dining hall, she felt a bit nervous.
It suddenly occurred to her that if Su Li had been in class, perhaps right now Su Li would be among this jostling crowd in the dining hall.
Maybe Su Li wouldn’t be able to find a seat and wouldn’t get to eat.
“Su Li, Su Li, from now on… from now on, I can save a seat in the dining hall and wait for you after class.”
Cat said, looking at the crowded dining hall.
Now that she remembered how to get to the dining hall, she could come and save a seat for Su Li in the future.
Once she saved a seat for Su Li, then Su Li wouldn’t have to worry about not having a place to eat.
“That’s fine. If Cat wants to eat with me. It’s just that doing so might be a bit more tiring for you. I can give you a raise.”
“It’s not tiring, not tiring at all!”
Cat quickly shook her head. She suddenly felt that if she saved a seat for Su Li and ate with her in the future, it would be a bit like waiting for her poop-scooper to come home from work.
Only now, ‘getting off work’ had become ‘getting out of class.’
Cat was already starting to look forward to it.
The feeling of spotting Su Li in a crowd at a single glance—that made her very happy.
“Su Li, you don’t need to give me a raise. I… I’d feel a bit embarrassed.”
“After all, the salary Su Li gives me is already very high, and I haven’t done much.”
Cat said, somewhat abashed.
She felt like she had spent the whole morning doing her own things and hadn’t really done any of the work Su Li had assigned her.
It wasn’t that she was unwilling to do it, but the tasks were just too simple.
To use the words of a colleague she’d met during a previous part-time job—she was slacking off too much.
Cat felt a bit guilty holding onto this salary.
“Don’t worry. Has Cat forgotten how much money she’s already earned for our company?”
Hearing Su Li’s words, Cat thought seriously, but she felt it couldn’t really be calculated that way.
Yet, she didn’t know how to convince Su Li otherwise. Su Li was too clever.
In the end, Cat could only stuff a few mouthfuls of rice into her mouth.
Su Li was too clever.
She didn’t know how to persuade Su Li. She could only think of ways to buy Su Li more fruit to eat.