Chapter 211

Zheng Tan lay on the sofa in the room with a bamboo mat, yawned, turned over, and looked at the calendar hanging on the wall in the living room.

It's July now; Xiao Youzi and Jiao Yuan have been busy with final exams lately, summer vacation is coming up, and to have a better summer break they've been putting in extra effort to get good grades.

As for the college entrance exam, it ended long ago; two weeks ago Zheng Tan went out for a stroll, passed by the construction site, and saw Zhong Yan—he seemed in good mood, likely did fairly well; perhaps this was his most relaxed exam in years, no need to hide his talent or worry about anything else, just try his best.

By the end of June the exam scores had already been released; I don't know how he did, but lately Zheng Tan hasn't gone far, basically just loafing around campus.

Everyone in the building knows that Er Mao's cat Hei Mi is about to give birth to kittens, but cats aren't like dogs and are wary of people, so no one visits often; they just occasionally buy something for Hei Mi to eat—Jiao Ma does that, bringing something every few days.

Zheng Tan has only gone over once recently, and that was with Jiao Ma; Hei Mi's condition is fine, but Er Mao is a wreck—nervous, with dark circles; I don't know what he's anxious about, but if his wife gives birth, will he stay anxious for ten months straight?

Wei Leng and Qin Tao have come over a few times, but didn't go inside; Er Mao wouldn't let them in, instead they'd go out to find a place to eat and chat, so as not to disturb Hei Mi.

Zheng Tan was wondering when Hei Mi would give birth when his ear twitched and he looked toward the door.

"Black Coal, go out and get something to eat!"

It was Er Mao knocking. During this period, whenever Wei Leng came over he didn't go to Er Mao's place, but would invite Er Mao and Zheng Tan to chat in the woods not far from Dongqu Dayuan; each time they brought some snacks, and the woods had stone tables and stools—aside from the bird droppings, it was quite comfortable to sit.

Zheng Tan and Er Mao left the building; Wei Leng was already waiting outside, just like before, holding a bag with some snacks and also some iced beer.

Arriving in the woods, they wiped the bird droppings off the stone bench, and the two of them plus the cat sat down.

Wei Leng set out disposable paper bowls, placed the cold cuts on them, and also the sliced duck bought from a shop near the school gate. She's finally engaged, planning to hold the wedding this October.

"Decided? When I have time I'll first prepare a big gift. Oh, and I'll also buy a pair of mandarin duck ornaments to give you." Er Mao said.

"No, don't send mandarin ducks. I saw a report recently saying mandarin ducks actually change partners, not the lovely image people have." Wei Leng replied.

"Then I'll just get you two little figurines instead."

"Not bad either. Hey, by the way, hasn't your cat Hei Mi given birth yet?" Wei Leng asked, looking at Er Mao's exhausted, sleep-deprived state.

"I've been annoyed too—wasn't it supposed to be two months? It's already been two months and still nothing; I called the vet at the animal hospital, and he said some cats do indeed deliver a bit late, over a week later is common; just the other day a friend's cat there gave birth after sixty-five days of pregnancy."

Wei Leng pursed his lips, still thinking Er Mao was too nervous—it's just a cat, is it really worth this?

"Don't be smug in your heart; when your wife has a baby you might not be any better off than me." Er Mao said.

"That's my wife, of course she's nervous—yours isn't even your wife, is it? Look at your demeanor; if others found out they'd be shocked silly, I didn't even know you liked cats so much." After a pause, Wei Leng added: "You've become a cat slave."

Er Mao snorted twice, gave no explanation, and just ate and drank in silence there.

Zheng Tan squatted nearby, eating while listening to their chat. When they talked about what to do with the kittens once they're born—send them away or keep them? Er Mao hadn't decided yet, but he'd definitely not sell them or give them to a pet center; he'd see later: "If the kittens grow up and Hei Mi wants to drive them out of the house, we'll talk about it then; if not, I'll keep them all."

"Tch, with your tiny place you still want to keep three cats? Aren't you tired of the hassle?" Wei Leng didn't think it was a good idea; besides, not every cat is like this black one in front of you. If the three cats start fighting, it'll be enough to annoy Er Mao.

After finishing eating and drinking, the afternoon sun was still blazing; Wei Leng went back to the company—he had business nearby and dropped by to visit and chat.

Knowing Hei Mi's due date is approaching, the Jiao family's most anxious is Jiao Ma, who goes every day to ask about Hei Mi's condition. Zheng Tan, when at home, also listens for movement on the third floor; if it's the same as usual, he guesses she hasn't given birth yet.

Days passed, Er Mao's anxiety grew; he'd run to the study every so often to check, couldn't focus online, called the vet several times a day, even had a vet come over to check—but as soon as that vet stepped onto the doorstep, Hei Mi bared her teeth, and Er Mao promptly shoved him out. Still, that vet was genuinely skilled; although he hadn't observed Hei Mi long, he could tell there was nothing serious—just a few days later, a few days later, as long as the cat was healthy.

After a few more days like that, Er Mao woke up in the morning to urinate, still not fully awake; having stayed up too late watching a horror movie to distract himself, he couldn't get up and was awakened by a full bladder.

He staggered to the toilet, finished, then habitually headed toward the study. Every morning after urinating he must glance at the study; otherwise, even if Er Mao kept lying in bed he'd struggle to fall asleep again.

However, upon looking, Er Mao's half-open eyes, still groggy, widened straight away.

By the dim light filtering through the curtains, Er Mao saw a small lump in the nest that differed in color from both the nest and Hei Mi.

Holy shit!

Er Mao was fully awake now.

He cautiously approached the nest; after taking one step, he thought of something, tiptoed back, ran to his room to fetch the gloves he'd prepared earlier, and returned to the study.

Hei Mi was probably tired, lying there asleep; sensing Er Mao's approach, her ears twitched, she opened her eyes a slit, glanced at him, then went back to sleep—unlike some cats that stay wary of their owners. This relieved Er Mao. Indeed, she's his "little lady."

Er Mao cautiously reached out to touch the kitten; seeing Hei Mi show no other reaction, he boldly scooped the little one up for a look—no missing limbs, looking healthy. The two soft, furry little ears hadn't stood up yet, reportedly they'd do so in about three weeks. The eyes were still closed, needing about a week to open. It was a tortoiseshell cat, with more black and yellow fur on its back and a whiter belly.

Er Mao couldn't tell the sex, let alone of such a tiny kitten, but he'd heard that tortoiseshells are almost always female. Well, Hei Mi had gained a daughter. After closely examining the tiny bundle in his palm, he remembered there should be another one, and gently set this kitten down.

He'd read that if a kitten picks up human scent, the mother cat might consider it foreign and refuse to nurse, possibly even biting or killing it; so Er Mao had prepared gloves beforehand—one to keep his scent off the kitten, the other to avoid passing his germs to the cat, since he usually neglects personal hygiene, so he thought it best to be careful. When setting it down, he also gently rubbed the kitten against Hei Mi so that even if it retained his scent, it would pick up the mother's scent as well.

After placing the tricolored kitten down, Er Mao looked into the nest; he hadn't noticed before, but now saw that the second kitten's fur was similar to Hei Mi's—black and white patches—only the distribution of the black and white areas differed slightly.

Er Mao gently picked up this kitten; it was also healthy, except…

Looking at this kitten's face, Er Mao's mood suddenly soured.

This black-and-white kitten has a black mole on its mouth, and a peanut also has a yellow mole in the same spot; the only difference is color, but looking at this little rascal makes Er Mao think of its disgraceful father.

Although he didn't really want to see that mole on the kitten's mouth, Er Mao carefully put the kitten back beside Hei Mi, stroked her for a moment, and got ready to leave.

He remembered again when he got up that he hadn't been there when Hei Mi gave birth the previous night, so he didn't know which kitten was born first, and thus which one was really the elder.

He took a look, and Er Mao felt the two were about the same size, so size couldn't be used to judge.

Thinking about the black-and-white spotted kitten's mole on its mouth, Er Mao decided this one was Xiao Mi, the tricolor one was Da Mi. Having made the decision in his heart, Er Mao watched the black-and-white kitten nursing, thinking: "How did you just grow an extra mole? It would be better without a mole; learn anything, don't learn from your dad who has a mole."

Leaving the study, Er Mao was still excited inside, and he turned back to look at the study again. Having heard that newborn kittens are somewhat afraid of light, the curtains in the study were drawn, which should be fine.

Zheng Tan heard the unusual commotion from Er Mao's place that same day; normally at this time Er Mao would still be sleeping his nap, not so diligent as today, so he guessed the kittens must have been born, but he only went downstairs with Jiao Ma to have a look the next day.

Jiao Ma didn't go into the study, just took a look at the doorway. Hei Mi is still wary of anyone other than Er Mao; even Zheng Tan can't think of approaching the nest—if he gets close, it bares its teeth and growls low. In the short term, Hei Mi won't let these two kittens leave its sight; basically they only move around near the nest. Er Mao moved the cat bowl to the study, so that Hei Mi wouldn't wander around; at most it would only leave briefly to defecate or stretch its legs, and wouldn't go far.

When Zheng Tan saw the mole on the mouth of that black-and-white kitten, he was delighted inside; the mole had grown just right! Just like its father.

Xiao Youzi and Jiao Yuan also wanted to come see the kittens, but Jiao Ma said to wait a while longer; for now it's better not to disturb them.

When Zheng Tan went with Jiao Ma to look again a week later, the two kittens appeared much sturdier than at birth, their fur much thicker, their eyes opened a little but not fully.

Zheng Tan noticed that both kittens' eyes were gray-blue; from listening to Jiao Ma and Er Mao chat, he learned that newborn kittens' eyes are like that at first, and only begin to change color around three weeks after birth, which will be their permanent eye color. (To be continued..)