After the Mid-Autumn picnic lunch that day, they headed home in the afternoon. The Curly-Haired Old Cat was still guarding Jiang Xiaoyu, refusing to leave. Wan Keyao frowned and pulled out his phone, threatening, “You won’t leave? Fine, I’ll call Jiang Fenghua and tell her you don’t want to see her anymore!” What nonsense! If he didn’t go home and kept loafing around at Ye Qingxu’s place, how was he supposed to find excuses to bring the old cat to see his wife and kids?
Wan Qianli’s whiskers bristled in anger, but in the end, he had no choice. He propped himself up, licked Jiang Xiaoyu’s head, and rasped, “Grandpa… come again.” Speaking was very taxing for him. Afraid he’d strain himself, Jiang Xiaoyu clawed at the ground to let him lean against him and obediently hummed in agreement.
“Good baby.” The old cat reluctantly nuzzled him again before signaling Wan Keyao to pick him up and take him away.
That Mid-Autumn evening, Jiang Xiaoyu called Jin Ge. Master Jin was still his usual carefree self: “Not going. You and your dad reunite—what fun would I be crashing? Your master’s wife and I are celebrating together.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xiaoyu pursed his lips, even more worried. “You’re just gonna stay in the cemetery?”
“Yeah, it’s great—no one to fight me for mooncakes.”
Jiang Xiaoyu’s eyes reddened a bit. Normally, they each celebrated Mid-Autumn on their own without issue. But this year was different. Having tasted the warmth of family, Jiang Xiaoyu felt heartbroken leaving Jin Ge all alone. He wanted to persuade him more, but he knew once Jin Ge decided something, not even nine donkeys could drag him back, so he said no more.
“Then after the holiday, I’ll bring you mooncakes.”
“Good.” A lazy chuckle came from the other end. “The meat ones, yeah?”
Jiang Xiaoyu agreed.
—
The five-day holiday passed in leisurely bliss, a beautiful time Jiang Xiaoyu had never experienced before. But on the penultimate day, as the break neared its end, the Colorful Civet Old Cat passed away.
Jiang Xiaoyu curled up beside the Colorful Civet Old Cat, surrounded by a bunch of cats and dogs all looking sorrowful.
The Colorful Civet Old Cat could no longer move, its eyes half-open with no spark left in them.
“Baby…”
Jiang Xiaoyu choked out, “I’m here.”
“You have… a dad now. Cat… at ease.” After saying that, it was like it had fulfilled a wish—its expression peaceful as it departed.
Jiang Xiaoyu couldn’t believe it. His mouth gaped wide, paws shoving at the Colorful Civet Old Cat’s body nonstop. Tears and saliva soaked his fur and poured down.
Infected by Jiang Xiaoyu, Ye Qingxu’s eyes misted over as he looked at him. “The Colorful Civet Old Cat went to cat heaven. You still have your dad—Dad will always be with you.”
Jiang Xiaoyu stared unblinkingly at the old cat’s body, as if confirming whether it’d lift its head again. Only when he realized it truly wouldn’t respond did he lie back down beside it.
But seconds later, huge teardrops surged even more fiercely from his cat eyes, streaming over his already drenched cheeks and soaking the old cat completely.
Ye Qingxu felt like he couldn’t breathe. He stroked the little cat’s convulsing body as it cried. “Cry it out. Have a good cry.”
The pack of cats and dogs cried alongside Jiang Xiaoyu—they’d lost a companion too.
After a long time, the sobs quieted. Exhausted, Jiang Xiaoyu slumped softly against the cushion, watching as Ye Qingxu placed the Colorful Civet Old Cat into a cardboard box.
Silence enveloped the room, making the doorbell chime piercingly clear.
Ye Qingxu applied a cold compress to his eyes, then patted Jiang Xiaoyu before getting up to answer the door.
Ye Lian stood there, holding a gift box in one hand and cradling a bunch of orchids in the other. His sharp observation caught Ye Qingxu’s slightly swollen, red eyes and subdued demeanor. His smile faded as he asked seriously, “What happened?”
Ye Qingxu led him inside and said softly, “The Colorful Civet Old Cat passed away.”
Ye Lian nodded in understanding, handing the flowers and gift to Ye Qingxu before sitting beside the filthily tear-streaked Jiang Xiaoyu. “You okay?”
Jiang Xiaoyu’s big cat eyes were now swollen like walnuts. He got up and pressed his face against Ye Lian’s thigh. “It was with me for almost ten years.”
Ye Lian stroked Jiang Xiaoyu’s body, his heart softening as he listened to him talk.
He talked until he had no strength left, then Ye Lian flipped him over and held him close. “Uncle knows an institution that can cremate animals and turn the ashes into diamonds. Shall we send it there?”
Jiang Xiaoyu nodded. Without making him wait, Ye Lian took him and Ye Qingxu straight there with the Colorful Civet Old Cat’s body.
Before the cremation, Jiang Xiaoyu hugged its now-stiff body and whispered in its ear, “Thank you.”
—
After the Colorful Civet Old Cat passed, Jiang Xiaoyu was listless. To cheer him up, Ye Qingxu decided to take him to visit the Ye Residence.
It was the last day of the holiday. Before heading out, Ye Qingxu pulled out the gift Ye Lian had brought yesterday. “Wanna see what it is?”
Jiang Xiaoyu perked up a little, watching Ye Qingxu unwrap it.
“Is this a toy?” Ye Qingxu held up an orange-and-white little cat doll with stubby legs and blue eyes. Press its tail, and it’d belt out a gruff, off-key song.
Jiang Xiaoyu cracked a smile and hugged the doll, fiddling with its short legs.
“There’s another one.” Ye Qingxu smiled and pulled out a black big cat doll. This one had no voice function but looked majestic and cool.
Jiang Xiaoyu pawed the air a few times, a bit embarrassed. “I’m already so grown up… how come he’s giving stuff like this.”
He grumbled, but he clutched the dolls tightly, unwilling to let go. He’d never had these in his childhood—in a way, these were his first toys.
Ye Qingxu’s heart softened. “Shall we go? Dad carries you in cat form?”
Jiang Xiaoyu shook his head, went into the bathroom, and shifted back to human form. Ye Qingxu handed him clothes. Seeing the kid’s eyes still puffy, he applied an ice pack until they looked less awful, then led him out.
At the Ye Residence, they discovered they weren’t the only visitors today. Chen Yiqu was in the courtyard directing something. Hearing the doorbell, he turned and froze upon seeing Ye Qingxu and Jiang Xiaoyu.
The old steward’s face was stern. Jiang Xiaoyu awkwardly looked away, about to say they’d intruded, when Chen Yiqu shifted his gaze to Ye Qingxu. “Welcome. You must be Mr. Ye, the little cat’s father.”
Ye Qingxu smiled and nodded, following Chen Yiqu’s gesture inside. Jiang Xiaoyu was a bit stunned. As he passed Chen Yiqu, he heard, “Look at those eyes of yours, swollen to hell. Hold on, I’ll grab some ointment.”
Jiang Xiaoyu scratched his head, finding the old steward kinda cute.
Sure enough, the Ye Residence had guests today—a man who looked about forty or fifty, with an extraordinary bearing.
Ye Lian stood to introduce them. “This is Mr. Ye Qingxu and his son Jiang Xiaoyu. This is my third brother, Ye Yuzhi.”
Ye Qingxu handled such occasions smoothly, shaking hands with Ye Yuzhi and addressing him as “Mr.”
When it was Jiang Xiaoyu’s turn, he remembered Ye Lian calling him “third brother” and blurted out without thinking, “Third Brother.”
Ye Yuzhi responded readily, then glanced at Ye Lian with teasing eyes. Ye Lian remained outwardly calm but was inwardly delighted—this kid’s reactions were always so unexpected.
“Not wrong to call it that.” Ye Yuzhi smiled, shaking Jiang Xiaoyu’s hand meaningfully.
For the first time, Ye Qingxu felt a headache over the kid’s muddled ways. Ye Lian smiled, pulling Jiang Xiaoyu to his side and patting his back. “Go find the Husky and Yan Feilang—they’re in the courtyard.”
Jiang Xiaoyu belatedly realized his slip-up. Blushing, he glanced at Ye Qingxu, saw his dad’s reassuring look, and turned to leave.
Chen Yiqu stopped him at the door to apply the ointment—cool relief on his eyes—before he entered the courtyard.
The courtyard’s lotus-filled vats had been cleared out. The Husky stood at the bottom of one, head poking out, howling something to Yan Feilang. Spotting Jiang Xiaoyu approach, it stared at him with sage-like eyes, surprisingly alert. “You look familiar!”
Jiang Xiaoyu bit back a smile and petted its head. “I’m Little Black Cat.”
The Husky paused, dog face deep in thought. “Why can’t that dog turn human! Dogs wanna turn human too!”
The question was too complex to explain. Jiang Xiaoyu said, “As long as you eat and drink every day, happy as can be, you’ll turn human.”
The Husky bought it.
Yan Feilang raised a brow without speaking, thinking this guy was really something.
Jiang Xiaoyu chatted with Yan Feilang and finally learned that both Chen Yiqu and Liu Qingqing were shapeshifters.
“The butler’s original form is a big rooster, and Aunt Qing is a brown bear.”
Jiang Xiaoyu mumbled, “No wonder… I was wondering why I could hear a rooster crowing every day before dawn.”
The Husky snorted, clear disdain in its three whites of the eyes. “The dog told you already! It’s the old man calling!”
Jiang Xiaoyu felt a bit socially dead. He realized that he’d been flaunting his shapeshifter identity around their home before, but in truth, the whole family had known all along.
He cursed Ye Lian in his heart as an old bastard—doing it on purpose just to watch him make a fool of himself! With that thought, he itched to grab the guy, pinching his fingers in his palm over and over. Yan Feilang couldn’t help but shed a tear in pity for Ye Lian’s face that might get scratched up. He cleared his throat and said, “Want to head inside? Lunch is almost ready.”
Jiang Xiaoyu nodded, but in the end, he didn’t get to eat this meal. Before he could even enter the house, he received a call from Zhou Xu’s grandma.
“Officer Jiang, do you have time right now?” The elderly woman’s voice sounded a bit at a loss.
Jiang Xiaoyu thought something had happened. He signaled Yan Feilang to go in first, then stepped aside and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Granny Zhou’s tone was urgent. “I’m out with Yangyang—the little dog I adopted from you. I was shopping outside and passed a meat shop. It suddenly refused to move and started barking madly at the inside. It’s usually very obedient and never acts like this before, even passing by. I’m a bit worried if there’s something wrong with that shop.”
He could even hear the Yellow-White Patch’s furious roars mixed in with the old woman’s voice. Jiang Xiaoyu said, “Don’t worry. Put your phone on speaker. I’ll calm it down.”
“Okay, okay.”
Granny Zhou placed the phone in front of the dog. As Jiang Xiaoyu’s voice came through, the Yellow-White Patch’s furious roars turned into aggrieved whimpers. “Boss, the dog’s companion is inside.”
Jiang Xiaoyu couldn’t speak to it directly and could only offer simple words of comfort. “Good dog, shh—”
Fortunately, the Yellow-White Patch was clever and knew its boss was different from ordinary people. It woofed sadly and said, “The dog knows this shop usually sells dog meat too, but the dog never saw live ones before. Today is different. The dog saw one just like itself—not a stray dog, but a kin just like the dog.”
A kin just like the Yellow-White Patch? A Beagle? An experimental dog?
Jiang Xiaoyu’s breathing grew tight. He was still thinking about how to probe without giving anything away when the Yellow-White Patch’s barks suddenly turned shrill. “Bad people!”
Right after, a rough and unfriendly male voice bellowed in anger, “What are you filming, you old hag?”
At the same time, the phone transmitted Granny Zhou’s pained cry as she was shoved, and then the call cut off.
