Chapter 93: Meow
After enrolling in kindergarten, Jing Zhi and Jiang Suifeng took Jing Mimi to a music studio and signed him up for instrument and vocal lessons. He had classes on weekends and went to kindergarten on weekdays.
Although the tasks were a bit heavy, Jing Mimi loved music very much, enjoyed it, and didn’t feel tired.
The first time he played a complete piece, the first time he recorded a song properly in a recording studio, the first time he stood on a small stage to play and sing… improving day by day, he felt satisfied and proud.
Before moving, Jing Mimi often went to Uncle Zhu’s house opposite to sing the new songs and tunes he learned to them. The old cat Moon always curled up beside him listening to him hum.
The move was at the beginning of the following year. It was delayed a bit due to decoration and airing out, but it went very smoothly. The new house was big and beautiful, completely belonging to them.
Jing Mimi had his own room in the new house. There was a big bed in the room, enough for him to sleep from childhood to adulthood.
According to custom, there would always be a banquet for housewarming. Jing Zhi and Jiang Suifeng found it troublesome, so they only invited close relatives and friends for a meal, including the Wang family.
Jing Mimi excitedly invited Wang Qiuqiu to stay overnight at his home that night.
After moving, their homes were very close, and visiting was more convenient.
The soft big bed was completely enough for two little cubs to roll and jump around at will. There was also a large rocking bamboo chair on the small balcony attached to the room. Pulling open the curtains, they could sit on the bamboo chair to sunbathe and watch the moon.
Whether little humans, kittens, or puppies, they all liked this kind of thing.
On the night of the move, Jing Mimi and Wang Qiuqiu sat on the bamboo chair watching the night sky for a long time and whispering for a long time.
Jing Mimi said: “Brother Qiuqiu, I’m so happy.”
Wang Qiuqiu said: “Me too.”
After a while, Jing Mimi asked: “Will we always be happy like this?”
When he was a kitten, Mimi never considered such questions. The kitten’s brain capacity was too small to think too much, only knowing that the present happiness was good enough.
Now that he had died once and come back as a little human, he cherished every minute and second of the present extraordinarily, and inevitably felt a bit worried about gains and losses, afraid of separation again.
Wang Qiuqiu nodded, giving a firm affirmative answer: “Yes.”
However, death is always a compulsory course in life.
Two years later, Jing Mimi and Wang Qiuqiu graduated from kindergarten successfully and were about to enter elementary school, becoming big children.
It was also in this year that they experienced the first death and separation after rebirth.
It was the passing of the old cat Moon.
When they first met Moon three years ago, it was already twenty years old. In these three years, Moon’s body became more and more aging. Zhu Shan and Tian Yuan had already prepared for separation at any time.
Because of moving, Jing Mimi could no longer see the old cat Moon directly by pushing open two doors every day. He could only be taken there by his papas occasionally on weekends.
Especially in this year, visibly, Moon’s life was flowing away rapidly.
In the last month of Moon’s life, Jing Mimi went to see it almost every weekend, grooming it, holding it to sunbathe, accompanying it, and singing to it.
Moon always curled up quietly beside him. Due to aging, its fur became dry and sparse, and its voice became hoarse and weak, moving its body slowly to get closer to Mimi.
On the day Moon passed away, Jing Mimi was in class at the kindergarten. He would graduate from the senior class soon and cherished the last kindergarten time very much.
As soon as school was over, Jing Zhi and Jiang Suifeng took Jing Mimi to the Zhu family, and Wang Qiuqiu’s family also went with them.
On the way, the adults told them the news of Moon’s death early, letting them prepare in advance.
Jing Mimi, who was swinging his legs, quieted down instantly, and his whole person became wooden.
The expression on Wang Qiuqiu’s face also subsided, and he quietly held his small hand.
For the last part of the journey, the atmosphere in the car was silent.
Jing Mimi lowered his head, wondering what he was thinking.
He called the Cat God in his mind.
The Cat God responded, but said: “Mimi, I’m going to pick up Moon and take it to Planet Meow.”
Jing Mimi gave a dull “Mmhmm” in response in his mind, and then fell completely silent.
Finally arriving at the familiar community, Jing Mimi was carried out of the car by Papa, nestling in Papa’s arms, his small hand clutching the clothes on Papa’s chest tightly, his lips pursed very tightly.
The door of Moon’s house was open. The house they originally rented opposite already had new tenants. The couplets were replaced with the zodiac of the new year, and the door was closed.
Moon lay motionless in the cat nest. Zhu Shan and Tian Yuan surrounded it, sobbing uncontrollably, but after seeing the group arrive, they quickly adjusted their emotions and wiped away the tears on their faces.
Seeing the cat in the cat nest, Jing Mimi carrying a small schoolbag couldn’t hold back anymore, burst out a sad whimper, and cried loudly “Wah.”
Bits and pieces of the past three years were vivid in his mind.
The first meeting, Moon startled Jiang Suifeng.
The family went over to knock on the door only to find it was an elderly Chinchilla cat named Moon. It was old and looked a bit scary, but it was a very gentle cat.
After learning Moon’s age, Jing Mimi called it “Grandma Cat” politely and obediently, with a posture of Little Mi greeting Grandma Mi, showing extra respect to Moon.
After that, Mimi would go to the opposite side to play with Moon from time to time, and every time Uncle Zhu Shan and Auntie Tian Yuan would give him a bottle of lactose-free milk to drink.
…
Jing Mimi reached out his small hand while crying, touching Moon’s fur.
Dry, no longer rising and falling with breathing, body temperature fading.
Moon really left.
Would never open its eyes to look at him again, meow at him with a hoarse voice, never move slowly close to him, never listen to him sing again…
Jing Mimi’s tears fell even harder.
Different from the passing of the kitten Mimi three years ago, death befell himself at that time, and he was the one leaving alone. Now, death befell the cat beside him. Facing death and separation as a living person for the first time, he experienced a different kind of powerlessness and sadness.
Maybe he still had a chance to meet Moon on Planet Meow through the power of the Cat God, but it was different after all.
In the real world, they could never reunite again.
Wang Qiuqiu’s eyes were also red-rimmed, but he raised his arm to wipe them, trying hard to hold back, holding Mimi tightly with the other hand.
He had actually faced many deaths. When he was a police dog, there were sacrifices in the police force from time to time, especially those anti-narcotics police officers. He would be sad and reluctant, but having experienced too much, he was stronger than Mimi and could control his emotions not to vent through tears.
Moreover, Moon died of old age at the end of its life span, accompanied by family, without any pain.
He felt this was the most perfect and happy ending for Moon.
…
In a place invisible to everyone, the Cat God descended quietly, explaining the existence of Planet Meow to the soul of the Chinchilla cat floating in mid-air.
The Chinchilla cat Moon was very calm. After listening, it readily accepted the Cat God’s invitation to take it to Planet Meow. Although there was inevitable reluctance in its eyes, birth, aging, sickness, and death were the laws of nature. It had lived long enough, and resistance was useless.
Three years ago, the Cat God told Jing Mimi that Moon was also going to Planet Meow.
Jing Mimi asked the Cat God, would Moon have any wishes?
The Cat God said, ask it then.
Jing Mimi murmured: If only I could help it fulfill it while it’s alive.
The Cat God encouraged: You can try.
Now, the Cat God asked Moon: “Do you have any wish you want to fulfill? My kitten messenger can try to help you fulfill it.”
Moon looked at Tian Yuan, looked at Zhu Shan, then looked at Jing Mimi, Wang Qiuqiu, and his parents, and answered slowly: “I want Mimi to stop crying; his eyes are going to swell from crying.”
The Cat God: “…”
The Cat God sighed secretly.
This was the first wish about the kitten messenger himself.
It’s just a pity that this wish probably couldn’t be fulfilled. It didn’t even dare to tell Mimi, afraid Mimi would cry even harder.
The Cat God: “Tears are too hard to control; this wish cannot be fulfilled. Do you have any other wishes?”
Moon thought for a moment, shook its head, and said: “No more.”
Once it had a big wish—hoping Mom and Dad could reconcile.
This wish was fulfilled while it was alive.
“It’s okay, let me look at them again.”
“Okay.”
The Cat God stayed quietly aside, not rushing to take it to Planet Meow.
…
Zhu Shan and Tian Yuan buried Moon next to their daughter’s grave, wishing they could accompany each other.
They lost the sun (Zhao Xi – Morning Sun), and lost the moon, leaving only each other for company.
But looking up, they could always see the sun and the moon, as if their daughter and cat were still accompanying them.
Jing Mimi cried until tears gathered at his chin, dripping down like a rain curtain, wetting a small patch of soil. Jing Zhi and Jiang Suifeng just wiped a little off for him, and tear stains appeared again.
Many kittens sat around the cloud TV on Planet Meow, looking at the scene inside worriedly.
The Cat God looked at the many similar new wishes received one after another and sighed deeply.
“Hope Mimi stops being sad.”
“Hope Mimi stops crying.”
“Hope Mimi becomes happy.”
All related to the kitten messenger.
…
When he went back at night, Jing Mimi’s eyes were swollen. His mood was very low, and he couldn’t muster up energy for anything, like a wilted little flower.
Jing Zhi and Jiang Suifeng applied compresses to his eyes and coaxed him for a long time, but with mediocre results.
Wang Qiuqiu simply stayed overnight at Mimi’s house to accompany him.
After moving, the two children visited each other more and more frequently.
Late at night, after washing up, Jing Mimi and Wang Qiuqiu sat on the bamboo chair watching the moon together.
Today happened to be the fifteenth, and the moon was round, illuminating everywhere brightly.
Jing Mimi was somewhat silent, and his eyes were uncomfortable, but fortunately, he stopped shedding tears.
Wang Qiuqiu spoke abruptly: “Mimi, how did you die before?”
Jing Mimi was stunned, not expecting him to ask this question suddenly.
He had actually told Wang Qiuqiu long ago that the kitten Mimi died of illness. Didn’t know why he asked again.
But Jing Mimi still repeated it to him.
Wang Qiuqiu asked again: “It must have been very painful before dying, right?”
Jing Mimi was stunned again and nodded dully.
Being tortured by pain all the time was certainly very painful. The final euthanasia was a relief for the body, but on the spiritual level, the kitten Mimi didn’t want to leave his papas even if it was painful.
Wang Qiuqiu: “Me too. Because of the root of the illness left during the police dog period, it became more and more painful as I grew older.”
Jing Mimi had also heard Wang Qiuqiu talk about Police Dog Qiuqiu’s past experiences.
The last mission Police Dog Qiuqiu participated in was search and rescue after an earthquake. After working continuously for nearly half a month, rescuing many humans, he was too tired to stand up, and his body was left with scars and illnesses. He could never run fast again, and his reaction ability was not as good as before, so he could only declare retirement.
Fortunately, Mom and Dad adopted him, allowing him to spend the rest of his dog life carefree in the estate.
Wang Qiuqiu: “What about Moon? Does Mimi think Moon was in pain?”
Jing Mimi fell into a long silence now.
Moon died of old age because it was too old, without any pain before death.
Heard from Uncle Zhu and Auntie Tian that they were preparing ingredients for dinner when Moon suddenly meowed loudly. Sensing something wrong, they ran to its side together. Moon looked at them for the last time and closed its eyes forever, as if that meow used up its last bit of strength.
Said goodbye, no pain, left accompanied by the most important family members.
Moon should have no pain.
He didn’t receive any wishes about Moon from the Cat God either.
Moon might… have died happily.
Can death be happy too?
Jing Mimi at this age couldn’t understand life and death very well yet, but his heart felt inexplicably better.
At least Moon’s death wasn’t as painful as the kitten Mimi and the puppy Qiuqiu.
Wang Qiuqiu kicked the ground, using the force to make the bamboo chair rock, and continued: “Moreover, Moon should be able to see you on Planet Meow. It definitely doesn’t want you to be sad all the time.”
He wanted to say this sentence a long time ago, but with others present, he couldn’t find a chance.
Now was a very good opportunity.
“Moon…” Jing Mimi murmured, his body swaying gently with the bamboo chair. He looked up at the clear full moon, and the full moon was also looking at him.
He discovered long ago that no matter where he went, walked, ran, or jumped, the moon was always where he could see it when looking up.
Is Moon watching him on Planet Meow now?
Will Moon also think he is a crybaby?
Did Moon meet cats it knew before on Planet Meow?
Having lived so long, it must have many stories to share with the cats on Planet Meow.
Next time the Cat God took him back to Planet Meow, he also wanted to hear Moon tell him stories personally.
…
That night, the two little guys didn’t sleep all night, chatting about everything under the sun, watching the full moon, waiting for the sunrise tacitly.
As the horizon turned pale, the moon’s light began to fade, fading until only a thin outline remained.
This outline was also disappearing quietly.
Goodbye, Moon.
