Chapter 61
Lu Yichuan got out of the car, carrying the cat, leaving the grasshopper behind for Li An to dispose of.
Jiang Heng kneaded Lu Yichuan’s shoulder, noticing the dirt marks on his black suit with a twinge of guilt. “Did I get your clothes dirty?”
The man carried the cat to the bathroom for a bath and, hearing this, held him up to the mirror. “You noticed, huh, little dirty cat?”
Bits of grass and dirt were tangled in the kitten’s long fur, the once pristine white and silver now dull and gray, dark smudges on his little face, making him look like a stray.
Lu Yichuan tested the water temperature, placed the cat in his special little basin, and started taking off his jacket.
Jiang Heng paddled around in the water, watching as the man removed his jacket and tie, folded up his sleeves, and walked towards him.
Warm water poured over him, his fluffy fur flattening against his skin, making him look much smaller.
He braced himself against the edge of the basin with his paws so Lu Yichuan could bathe him more easily, describing his day’s adventures with dramatic flair.
“The cats Big White and Little Black gave me are so disobedient! I told them to catch rats, but they all ran off to play! No ambition at all!”
He presented his left side to be scrubbed. “But the foxtail grass field outside the construction site is so big! So much foxtail! And the grass is so soft, it doesn’t hurt at all to roll around in it!”
He presented his right side to be scrubbed. “But I’m a big cat now, rolling around is for kittens, not for me. I’m the only one who’s serious about catching rats!”
Lu Yichuan picked a piece of grass off his fur.
“Rongrong is not afraid of rats?”
He presented his back to be scrubbed, grumbling, “I’m a cat, how could I be afraid of rats? Lu Yichuan, only scaredy-cats like you are afraid of rats.”
The man raised an eyebrow and flipped Jiang Heng over.
Little Jiang Heng covered his front with his paws. “I can handle this part myself.”
Lu Yichuan chuckled and let him be, watching as he scrubbed his own belly.
After he was done, Lu Yichuan changed the water.
It took three rinses before the water in the basin was finally clear.
Jiang Heng stood on the counter, letting Lu Yichuan wring the excess water from his fur before blow-drying him. The man held his tail, water dripping onto the floor, then wrung out the water from his belly…
Jiang Heng sighed. “I feel like a towel, being twisted and squeezed like this.”
“Mm-hmm,” Lu Yichuan said casually. “A very…dense towel.”
That single comment made Jiang Heng jump. “I told you, I’m just fluffy! Fluffy, not fat!”
Lu Yichuan chuckled, pinched the fur on his leg, and placed him in the pet dryer. “Alright, stay here and dry your fur. I’ll go make dinner. What do you want to eat?”
Jiang Heng, his fur still damp, politely requested, “I want braised beef brisket with tomatoes.”
“Can you accept…fewer tomatoes?”
Jiang Heng twitched his tail, a barely perceptible flick, then, as the dryer roared to life, he dramatically flailed his paws and made faces, acting like a deranged concubine banished to the Cold Palace, his expression so exaggerated that anyone seeing it would suspect Lu Yichuan of cat abuse.
By the time Lu Yichuan finished preparing the beef brisket, Jiang Heng’s fur was dry, and after being brushed meticulously, he was once again a dignified, beautiful cat.
Little Jiang Heng, having played all day at the construction site, fell asleep as soon as he finished eating.
Lu Yichuan, after finishing his work, returned to the bedroom, glanced at the sprawled-out cat, pulled it back onto the bed, and went to take a shower.
After his shower, he didn’t leave the bathroom immediately but instead leaned against the wall, looking at the finger bone in his hand. As usual, he took a needle and pricked his fingertip, drawing a drop of blood.
The bright red droplet trembled on his fingertip, then fell onto the bone.
The moment the blood touched the bone, a faint hum filled the air, and the bone in his hand pulsed with a faint red light, no longer cold and hard, but warm to the touch, as if alive.
Lu Yichuan stared at it for a long time, then let out a slow breath.
Jiang Heng was pulled out of bed by Lu Yichuan early the next morning.
A thin mist still clung to the mountains in the early morning, the sun just rising, the dew still lingering on the leaves, the air damp and cool.
Lu Yichuan’s pants were damp from the dew as he stood with Jiang Heng in front of the abandoned mountain god’s shrine.
The rising sun cast a golden glow on the man’s tall, straight figure.
As the sun climbed higher, he bent down and slowly knelt, taking the finger bone from his pocket. “I’ve nourished the bone, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Jiang Heng peeked out from his arms and froze when he saw what was in his hand.
“Lu Yichuan, what is that?”
Lu Yichuan didn’t answer, his eyes fixed on the shrine.
As a breeze rustled past, he heard the familiar sigh in his mind, and then the finger bone in his hand floated upwards.
Jiang Heng, seeing the strange object, hid deeper into Lu Yichuan’s arms.
But no matter how hard he tried to hide, the bone, as if with a mind of its own, floated towards him, stopping in front of his forehead.
Jiang Heng watched as it hovered there for a few seconds, as if examining him, then suddenly shot towards him, disappearing into his head.
He felt a buzzing sensation in his brain, his mind blank for a few seconds before he finally regained his senses.
Lu Yichuan held his head, his eyes filled with concern. “What’s wrong? Do you feel unwell anywhere?”
It took Jiang Heng a few moments to recover. Thinking of what had just happened, he shook his head numbly. “No, just felt a bit…dazed for a few seconds.”
Lu Yichuan examined him carefully. “Does anything hurt?”
Jiang Heng shook his head again.
He snuggled against the man, his heart racing. “What was that?”
Lu Yichuan didn’t answer, just bowed respectfully towards the shrine, then carried Jiang Heng down the mountain.
Halfway down, Jiang Heng suddenly asked, “Lu Yichuan, was that…a bone?”
The man’s footsteps faltered.
“Mine?”
Lu Yichuan didn’t have to answer; his expression gave him away.
“When?”
After a moment of silence, Lu Yichuan finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
“The day of the accident.”
Jiang Heng was speechless.
He thought, what must it have been like for Lu Yichuan to witness his accident? They had been so close, yet he hadn’t even been able to see him one last time.
How had he painstakingly collected his fragmented remains from under the car? How had he, from the mangled flesh and blood, clung to that finger bone like a lifeline?
He had died, died without warning, leaving Lu Yichuan alone to suffer for four years.
Jiang Heng thought, if it had been him, if Lu Yichuan had died, how could he have endured four years of such hopeless grief?
The kitten lowered its head, tears silently falling.
Lu Yichuan clumsily wiped his tears, the warmth of them against his fingertips making his heart clench.
“Don’t cry, Rongrong. I didn’t mean to keep it from you, I was just afraid you would think I was…crazy.”
He remembered the looks in Jiang Zhuo and Song Zhang’s eyes, he didn’t want Jiang Heng to look at him like that.
“Lu Yichuan…” Jiang Heng grabbed his hand. “Were you…very sad then?”
Lu Yichuan’s hand rested on his soft fur. He closed his eyes, suppressing the emotions welling up inside him. “It’s all in the past.”
“We’re fine now.”
He paused, then couldn’t help but ask, “Rongrong…do you think I’m crazy for doing that?”
Jiang Heng sniffled. “But if you hadn’t kept that bone fragment, I wouldn’t be able to become human again. It’s a good thing, why would it be crazy?”
He thought, if it had been him, he might have done something even crazier.
Others couldn’t understand Lu Yichuan’s pain, yet they judged him from their moral high ground.
He said, “If anyone is crazy, it’s those people judging you.”
Lu Yichuan stroked the kitten’s head. The sun rose, illuminating their path down the mountain.
…
“Lu Yichuan…”
Jiang Heng paced back and forth in front of the mirror. “It’s been several days, why haven’t I turned human yet?”
It was the day before the start of the new semester, and Lu Yichuan was packing his things. They wouldn’t be staying in the dormitory at night, but Jiang Heng would be spending his days there, so most of the things were his.
Hearing his question, Lu Yichuan looked at the kitten turning around in front of the mirror. “The mountain god said it will happen when you’re…fully grown.”
Jiang Heng retorted, “I’m already an adult!”
Lu Yichuan put a toy mouse in his suitcase. “Jiang Heng the human is an adult, but Jiang Heng the cat is not.”
Jiang Heng flopped onto the floor and sighed dramatically. “Then how much longer?”
Lu Yichuan packed his small clothes into the suitcase. “Isn’t being a cat good enough?”
“It is good, but I can’t do anything! I don’t want to be taken care of by you forever, I want to do something!”
Lu Yichuan closed the suitcase, the sound of the zipper echoing in the room, then said casually, “Don’t worry, you won’t be carefree for much longer.”
Jiang Heng looked up at him, confused.
“I’ve ordered some study materials online. They should be arriving soon.”
“Study materials? What kind of study materials?”
Lu Yichuan carried the cat to bed and said slowly, as he tucked him in, “Including, but not limited to: Five Years of Gaokao, Three Years of Simulated Exams, Tianli 38 Practice Tests, Wang Houxiong’s Complete Textbook Guide…”
Jiang Heng: “…”
“Wait…” He sat up abruptly. “I’m still a cat! You’re making a cat take the Gaokao?”
“You’ll definitely be fully grown by next July or August. Although it’s been four years, and the exam format might have changed, the basic knowledge is still the same. Take advantage of the fact that it hasn’t been long since you graduated, and your mind is still…fresh, and start reviewing.”
After a moment of thought, Lu Yichuan added, “You can’t exactly hire a tutor in your current state, but don’t worry, I’ll teach you.”
The man lowered his eyes, looking at Jiang Heng, a glint of academic ruthlessness in them.
Jiang Heng: “…”
Jiang Heng wished he could go back in time and slap himself for saying he wanted to do something.
Serves you right for speaking without thinking!
