Chapter 69: A Little Family’s Mid-Autumn Part 1

The self-proclaimed grandpa, Curly-Haired Old Cat, naturally sprawled beside Jiang Xiaoyu, draping his wide tail over Jiang Xiaoyu’s little belly where he was fumbling with the seatbelt.

Wan Keyao also sat next to Jiang Xiaoyu, boldly reaching out with his large hand to stroke the cat paw dangling at Jiang Xiaoyu’s side.

Jiang Xiaoyu wasn’t used to such intimate contact with unfamiliar people and instinctively dodged, curling up his paw and tucking it under Old Cat’s tail.

His heart was a bit chaotic. A cat who called himself grandpa had suddenly appeared. Even though Ye Qingxu hadn’t said it outright, his various behaviors had let Jiang Xiaoyu know that the Mr. Wan beside him was very likely his other father.

He still remembered the feeling when he first saw Wan Keyao—so imposing, his whole body screaming that he was someone at the top of another world. But now, he sat relaxed beside him, glancing at him one moment and at the driving Ye Qingxu the next, like a wolf contentedly guarding his territory after a hearty meal.

Jiang Xiaoyu slid down a bit, burying his face in Curly-Haired Old Cat’s tail.

Pine City’s autumn had just begun to lose its heat, with fat crabs full of roe and pristine osmanthus blossoms—the days Jiang Xiaoyu found the most lovable. It wasn’t hot then, so no worry about cats and dogs suffering heatstroke; it wasn’t cold, so no fretting over them catching chills.

Ye Qingxu must have done his homework ahead of time, pulling into a spot full of osmanthus trees in a very remote little park.

Old Cat was lifted down by the perceptive Wan Keyao. Ye Qingxu unbuckled Jiang Xiaoyu’s seatbelt, scooped him into his arms, and backed out of the car: “Go pick a tree you like, Daddy will spread out the picnic blanket.”

The cat outfit Jiang Xiaoyu wore today was form-fitting, covering his back and half his forelimbs with colorful striped rings, making him look like a cat-bug with a little round face.

Wan Qianli’s mind was foggy, but he instinctively knew this little cat shared his bloodline, the life he’d longed for so long. Thus, he stuck close to the kitten without leaving his side, dragging his weary body to follow behind him.

Jiang Xiaoyu walked a few steps and picked an osmanthus tree blooming with tiny yellow-white flowers, then squatted there waiting for Daddy to set things up.

Curly-Haired Old Cat got tired from walking and lay on the ground with eyes half-closed, resting. Jiang Xiaoyu scratched at the grass on the ground, his face showing clear hesitation. After a moment, he scooted closer and meowed: “Hello…”

Wan Qianli lifted his eyelids. His pupils were a beautiful color, but cloudy with age: “Baby, the cat is Grandpa.” He had no real cognition left; he only repeated this line whenever Jiang Xiaoyu spoke to him.

After just a few words, Jiang Xiaoyu felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He rubbed his cheek gland on Old Cat’s head and softly called out: “Grandpa.”

Old Cat rasped a hum in response, then closed his eyes and started purring contentedly.

Ye Qingxu watched the big and small black blobs from afar, his heart softening yet aching a bit. If his own parents were still around, wouldn’t Little Yu have even more love now?

Wan Keyao’s tall figure stood beside Ye Qingxu, staring unwaveringly at the two figures under the tree.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him walk this far. His spirit is getting worse and worse; he always curls up in one spot and dozes off. Sometimes I wonder if his human soul has already left, leaving behind just a thin, heavy cat shell. My mother always holds him, the two of them quietly staying together. I don’t like going home because the house is a tomb of silence. But now he seems alive, like his wandering soul has found its way back into his body.”

“Because of Jiang Xiaoyu.”

He lowered his gaze to Ye Qingxu’s tightly pressed lips, his low, husky voice calm: “Believe it or not, this child is my miracle.”

Ye Qingxu’s throat bobbed quickly. He couldn’t muster any rebuttal and just murmured lowly: “Go get the picnic stuff out.”

“As you command.”

Wan Keyao smiled.

—

Ye Qingxu brought a cat bed and placed it in front of Old Cat, saying softly: “Why don’t you go lie in the bed? The ground is cold.”

Wan Qianli lazily opened his eyes, glanced at the kitten playing on his phone nearby, then pushed himself up on all fours and walked over. He lowered his head, mouth opening, tentatively trying to grab the kitten by the scruff.

Jiang Xiaoyu had never experienced this before and shrank back his head, inexplicably scared as he called out: “Daddy…”

Ye Qingxu was a bit uneasy too: “You should let him go.” He was really worried this weak old cat couldn’t carry the kitten and would end up hurting himself instead.

But this old cat was stubborn even in his muddled state. Once he found the angle, he clamped onto Jiang Xiaoyu and shakily dragged him toward the bed.

Seeing the pleading look in the kitten’s eyes, Ye Qingxu guiltily turned away and rummaged through things: “Daddy will find your snacks for you.”

Wan Keyao had already set up the grill. Hearing the commotion, the perennial frown on his brow eased, and he quieted down completely. He took a drag from his cigarette, snapped a photo and sent it to Jiang Fenghua, then prepared to head over.

Remembering Ye Qingxu disliked the smell of smoke, and seeing the kitten frozen in Old Cat’s arms, worried about secondhand smoke harming the old and young pair, he stubbed out the cigarette, sniffed himself—no smell—and only then walked over: “This old guy’s stubborn as hell. Did he bite Little Yu and hurt you?”

Jiang Xiaoyu shook his head. Seeing Old Cat close his eyes to rest again, he wanted to wriggle out for his phone. But as soon as his paws poked out of the bed, his hind legs were yanked back by Old Cat. He could only keep his upper body sprawled on the ground and lower half stuck in the cat bed, playing on his phone in a somewhat awkward position.

Ye Qingxu’s brows and eyes softened, a smile tugging at his lips as he stroked the kitten’s head: “Want some cookies?”

Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu nod, he reached into the snack bag sideways and pulled out a palm-sized little box. Inside were a few small cookies he’d made following tutorials since yesterday afternoon, trying several batches until he finally succeeded. They were a bit burnt, but smelled pretty good. He hadn’t eaten a single one, placing them all in front of Jiang Xiaoyu.

Little Black Cat stared at the reply on his phone, absentmindedly picking up a piece with his paw and shoving it into his mouth.

One bite… He suspected the cookie was spoiled—rock hard… But seeing Ye Qingxu’s expectant face, he gnawed at it with his little sharp teeth, exerting all his strength to break off a tiny bit and swallow it down.

“How is it?” Ye Qingxu asked eagerly.

It scratched his throat…

Jiang Xiaoyu struggled to swallow, then calmly meowed: “Tasty.”

“Really tasty?”

Little Black Cat nodded against his conscience.

Ye Qingxu was overjoyed at the affirmation, hopping to his feet: “Daddy’s going to grill some chicken wings. We’ll have lunch soon.”

Wan Keyao had been silently watching over them from the side. Seeing Ye Qingxu excitedly leave the spot, he quietly leaned over and asked: “Is it awful? Your dad’s got no talent for cooking. Back in college, he boiled me some noodles and somehow turned a pot of soupy water into charcoal. Real talent.”

Jiang Xiaoyu cracked a grin at that, his face lighting up with amusement. But looking down at the remaining few cookies on the ground, he felt troubled again.

Wan Keyao coaxed: “How about I eat them for you? Won’t tell him. We’ll pretend you finished them.”

Jiang Xiaoyu sneakily glanced at his own daddy, then at the straight-faced Wan Keyao tricking the kitten, and without much hesitation, pushed the rock-hard snacks—tougher than compressed biscuits—over to him.

Man and cat cooperated seamlessly. By the time Ye Qingxu turned back holding the marinated chicken wings, all he saw was Wan Keyao’s face flushed red as he pounded his chest, looking like he’d been choked by something.

He eyed him suspiciously, then turned back with a smile to ask Jiang Xiaoyu: “Brush on some honey? I saw online that it makes them tender and delicious.”

Before Jiang Xiaoyu could respond, Wan Keyao chugged some water and stood: “My dear ancestor, just leave it there. I’ll handle it.”

Ye Qingxu’s face went cold, unwilling to relinquish, but not wanting to bicker in front of the kid, he let him snatch the skewers away.

Jiang Xiaoyu watched in a daze, finding that the tall, handsome, rugged Wan Keyao rolling up his sleeves to grill didn’t look out of place at all.

He lowered his head, unaware of the smile on his face as his paws tapped away, replying to Ye Lian: Daddy brought me for a picnic in the park.

Ye Lian, whose plane had just landed, replied instantly: What’re you eating?

Jiang Xiaoyu: Chicken wings, and meats and veggies and whatnot. Plus cookies that even a cat can’t swallow…

Ye Lian chuckled: Uncle’s back in a few days, bringing you a gift.

Jiang Xiaoyu blushed: Oh…

He kind of wanted to talk about last night but felt too embarrassed. After agonizing for a while, he gave up, pressing his chin to the ground and muttering to himself with meows: “Forget it, we’ll talk when you get back…”

Hearing the kitten meow, Ye Qingxu turned to look at him, his expression full of the happiness of watching over a child. Wan Keyao saw this and felt his heart soften like the meat under his hand marinated in kiwifruit juice—never to harden again.

“Want to understand kitten speech?” Wan Keyao asked, brush in hand as he spread sauce.

Ye Qingxu pulled his gaze from under the tree. Alone with him now, his voice turned cold: “How could I not?” When the kid was in cat form, he was clearly much more relaxed, chattering with cats and dogs. Every time Ye Qingxu stood by, he felt like he couldn’t fit in. How could he not want to? He dreamed of knowing everything about this child.

Seeing him bristle up again, Wan Keyao reminded himself to take it slow, then said: “There’s a research institute abroad founded by a Shapeshifter. He developed a potion—injected into direct blood relatives, it lets them understand Shapeshifter speech.”

Ye Qingxu froze, then quickly asked upon understanding: “You mean after I inject it, I can understand cat speech?”

Wan Keyao flipped the skewers in his hand and said, “Yes and no. After the injection, there’s a certain probability it will let you specifically understand Little Yu’s speech in his cat form. It doesn’t mean you’ll be able to understand cats in general.”

“Where do I get the injection?” Ye Qingxu’s voice was urgent. “Do I need to prepare anything?”

Wan Keyao soothed Ye Qingxu’s emotions and patiently explained, “That institution has a very high entry threshold, since it’s targeted at shapeshifters. When I first heard about it, I just thought of getting a shot to see if I could understand my dad. Only after digging deeper did I learn that cultivating the serum requires shapeshifter genes and blood. I was worried about his health, so I never took him there.”

“Will it harm Little Yu?”

“No, it won’t. It’s just drawing blood. You… if you want to try it, I can go with you.”

Ye Qingxu lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, “I need to ask Little Yu’s opinion first. If he’s willing, then I’ll get the injection.”

Wan Keyao solemnly agreed, and in his heart, he planned to get the injection together.

—