Chapter 268: Your Cat Has Given Birth to Kittens

When Zheng Tan brought the kitten to that villa, the rain had already become somewhat heavy; Zheng Tan was already soaked with rainwater, while the kitten, held in Zheng Tan's arms, wasn't very wet and was in better shape than Zheng Tan.

Before renting out the house, Jiao Ba had installed a small ladder on the side; people couldn't use it to climb up because it couldn't bear weight, only able to support a cat's weight, and the ladder was also tiny, just right for a cat. At that time, Feng Bai Jin didn't pay attention either, and even remarked how kindly this family treated cats.

Zheng Tan usually didn't really rely on that small ladder; he could directly find a spot to climb up the wall to the attic, which was convenient, effortless, and free—he could go up however he wanted. But today, holding a kitten, it was inconvenient to climb the wall, so he went up via the ladder.

He opened a window of the attic, climbed in, closed the window to keep rain and wind out, and turned on the table lamp beside the window. Actually, it didn't matter if the lamp was on; Zheng Tan could adapt to the dark environment, but turning on the lamp beside the window was just to let the people downstairs know that the one moving about in the attic was Zheng Tan, not some other thief.

Zheng Tan remembered that the attic cabinet contained quite a few things that the old lady hadn't taken away, such as towels and the like.

The towels hadn't been used in a while, but they were clean; Zheng Tan pulled one out to wrap the kitten in, so it wouldn't get cold. Although the temperature wasn't low, the kitten was fragile and prone to illness.

The attic's wooden floor was clean, so Zheng Tan laid a few towels directly on it and placed the kitten there. The kitten kept meowing, and Zheng Tan didn't know if it was hungry or trying to express something else, so he looked around. On the attic's single bed lay a small tiger plush toy, which the old lady had bought intending to give as a birthday gift to a friend's child, but later, for some reason, she swapped it for another gift, leaving the tiger there; when she moved out, she didn't take it with her, and to her it held no special significance. Zheng Tan occasionally used it as a pillow when he came here.

Zheng Tan took the plush toy, which was almost as big as he was, and put it beside the kitten. Perhaps cats naturally feel close to soft plush, so the kitten crept over and even poked it with its paw.

The kitten's attention was diverted; it didn't meow much anymore. Zheng Tan then stood aside, holding a towel to wipe his feet. Along the way, his feet had gotten muddy, leaving muddy footprints on the floor. However, the aunt downstairs would come up tomorrow to clean. Jiao Ba had once said he'd pay a monthly cleaning fee, but that aunt refused it; in fact, the two uncles and aunt's wages from Feng Bai Jin's parents could easily outstrip several white-collar workers' salaries, so they didn't care about this cleaning fee.

When Jiao Ba rented the house, he had mentioned that Zheng Tan had stayed here for a long time. So he was quite familiar with the place, knowing how to open cabinets and windows; this was also a heads‑up given to Feng Bai Jin and the others beforehand, so they wouldn't be startled later seeing Zheng Tan turn on lights or open cabinets and such.

Feng Bai Jin stood at the mouth of the stairs leading to the attic; just a moment ago, after coming out to urinate, he suddenly heard a kitten's cry. He went to look, and saw that the light beside the attic window was on, indicating that the landlord's cat was currently in the attic—though that cat usually just slipped in through the window to sleep, and no one had heard of any kittens.

Although he wasn't hearing much kitten crying now, Feng Bai Jin remained curious; he quietly stepped onto the stairs, reached the attic room's door, and pressed his ear to it to eavesdrop, hearing another kitten meow. This time he was certain: there was definitely a kitten inside—surely not the cry of an adult cat!

After thinking it over, Feng Bai Jin came up with a possibility—the landlord's cat had given birth to kittens!!

But then he thought: Aunt Li goes up every day to clean and hasn't seen any kittens; could they have just been born today? Would a newborn kitten be able to meow like that? That seems unlikely, and it doesn't look like a newborn either. Maybe the landlord's cat actually gave birth earlier and has been hiding the kittens? Perhaps the landlord knows but has never said so, which is also why they don't rent out the attic?

Over there, Feng Bai Jin's imagination had run wild, his thoughts stretching who knows where.

Here, Zheng Tan had no idea he'd been labeled with several accusations; at the moment he was wondering how to deal with this kitten. Compared to the adult cats, this little guy is far too weak—he doesn't even know if it can survive—and Zheng Tan doesn't think he has the ability to raise a kitten. That leopard‑pattern cat really gave him a problem.

Since the leopard‑pattern cat must have had a reason for dragging the kitten out, Zheng Tan didn't send it back; maybe he'd leave it here for Feng Bai Jin and the others to help raise? Zheng Tan didn't know the tenants well yet, couldn't decide right away, and he also didn't really want to take the kitten back to the Jiao family—having him there was enough. But if there were no other option, Zheng Tan would truly have no choice but to take it to the Jiao family.

Zheng Tan now really wanted to slap himself in the face—such a misguided good deed!

While he was thinking, Zheng Tan heard a knocking sound at the door.

The door creaked open.

The attic room's door had always been unlocked, which also made it convenient for the downstairs aunt to come up and clean. Feng Bai Jin, driven by curiosity, twisted the lock and opened the door to peek inside.

In the attic room, to Feng Bai Jin it was rather dim, but since the room wasn't large, aided by the light from the window, he saw a black cat off to the side "playing with a towel," as well as a lump on the floor.

After examining it closely, Feng Bai Jin managed to find the kitten in that lump; there was no way around it—the tiger plush toy was blocking the light.

After seeing it clearly, Feng Bai Jin paused, then immediately turned and went downstairs.

"Aunt Li! There's a cat upstairs!"

"I know, it's the landlord's cat." Aunt Li was watching TV on the first floor.

"No, it's a tiny one, really tiny!"

"What's wrong? Could it be that the landlord's cat gave birth on the roof?" The uncle also stepped forward and asked.

"Definitely!" Aunt Li sprang up, ready to go upstairs to check, saying, "I've heard that after a mother cat gives birth, she likes to move her nest—no wonder I haven't found it before; I guess it's because of the rain, and she moved back."

The three, convinced they'd uncovered the truth, ran to the attic; at first Aunt Li worried the "mother cat" would guard its young, but seeing Zheng Tan show no reaction at all, she stepped forward to take a look.

"Oh dear, what a sin—this tiny cat is so skinny… the big cat is totally irresponsible!" Aunt Li said, still dissatisfied, glancing at Zheng Tan.

Zheng Tan: "……" What the hell is that look?! Is it an accusation? Its thinness is none of my business!

Meanwhile, the three were still gathered around the kitten chatting; the more Zheng Tan listened, the more wrong it felt. Upon realizing he was being "credited" with giving birth, Zheng Tan went into Spartan mode.

Damn it, that's not my seed! Even more, it's not something I gave birth to! I'm a male! A male!!

Too bad those three couldn't hear Zheng Tan's inner grievance being trampled by alpacas.

Although the kitten isn't particularly afraid of people, it still rejects unfamiliar‑smelling creatures, constantly crying and struggling when picked up; however, it probably wore itself out from all the fuss and is also hungry, so it has little strength left.

"Look at those teeth—already grown this much, must be over a month old, how was it raised? So skinny… I'll go whip up a bowl of egg custard!" Saying that, Aunt Li dashed outside.

Many people around here hire nannies. So, during her time living here, Aunt Li, when she went out to buy groceries or take a walk, often chatted with people and learned quite a bit. A couple of days earlier she had heard a nanny complain about looking after a kitten for her employer; Aunt Li hadn't paid much attention then, only remembering part of it. The kitten's food must not be cold, not hot, not hard, not dry. She recalled that person saying something like "**custard." She didn't know whether this kitten would eat it, but no matter what, it was worth a try—just one egg. Looking at how skinny this kitten is, sigh…

Soon Aunt Li brought up a bowl of egg custard, first dabbing a bit on the kitten's nose; it licked it off itself, and upon smelling the food's fragrance, its spirits lifted considerably.

"Looks like it does eat." Aunt Li happily scooped a spoonful of egg custard, tested its temperature, and brought it to the kitten's mouth; the kitten no longer struggled, just buried its head and licked the custard off the spoon.

Watching those three gathered around the kitten, Zheng Tan thought these tenants weren't bad; letting them raise it would be fine, saving him the trouble.

With the matter settled, Zheng Tan glanced outside—no rain—so it was time to head back; thus he opened the window and jumped out.

As Zheng Tan descended from the attic, he still heard the aunt downstairs scolding: "What kind of mother is this, leaving the kid here while she just runs off?"

He was so angry he nearly fell straight out of the attic window.

Damn it, I'm so wronged!

The next day, when Zheng Tan went to the lakeside villa, Aunt Li wasn't there; according to the uncle's account, it seemed they had taken the kitten to a pet center for a check‑up and picked up some suitable cat food and the like.

At the same time, in the old residential area, the family that owned the leopard‑pattern cat was preparing to move out.

"Where's the kitten?" the child's father asked.

"I don't know; yesterday I saw Da Hua drag the kitten out, and it came back alone at night. I went out looking around, didn't find it, guess someone picked it up." said the child's grandfather.

"That's fine; such a tiny cat following us would only suffer, and kittens aren't like adult cats—they're fragile."

"This kind of cat already has spirituality; it knows that taking the kittens along would bring great hardship, so it probably figured out a way to send them away." The child's grandfather sighed. That big cat was bought from a friend who runs an eatery; the family's child had taken a liking to the big cat, bought it home, and only then discovered the cat was pregnant with kittens. Unfortunately, due to the cat's physical condition and lack of proper care, three kittens were born but only one survived—though thin and tiny, the old man believes that kitten will surely grow strong someday.

The child's father doesn't really believe in spirituality one way or the other, but he doesn't say much—after all, not taking the kitten along benefits them, otherwise this journey would surely be a grueling ordeal. This time he plans to take the compensation money and go into business on the coast, bringing the whole family; the road won't be easy, and bringing a kitten would indeed be inconvenient. He had considered giving the kitten away, and yesterday he even mentioned it to a friend here, originally planning to give it over today while the two kids weren't paying attention, but he didn't expect the mother cat to drag it off herself. Today, when the kids at home asked, they said the kitten went with its father, and the two children even cried.

As the old minibus left the old district, inside, the leopard‑pattern big cat lingered by the rear window, gazing toward the old neighborhood until it could no longer see anything, then it turned back to its seat, following the motion of the child hugging it.

Chu Hua Da Xue.

At noon, Jiao Ba was riding his little electric bike, preparing to go home for a nap, when he was stopped by Feng Bai Jin, whom he happened to meet on the road.

Feng Bai Jin had originally wanted to call yesterday, but by the time he remembered it was already past nine, which seemed too late, so he didn't call; now that he ran into Jiao Ba, it was a good chance to talk.

Feng Bai Jin caught up on his newly bought electric bike, thought a moment, and said to Jiao Ba: "Teacher Jiao, do you know your cat has given birth to kittens?"

Squeak—

Jiao Ba was riding his electric bike; upon hearing that, he slammed the brakes and stopped there. (To be continued…)

PS: (5.26) Today someone again asked me when I'll be able to pay off my debt; I've decided to catch up on the missing chapters before the World Cup, otherwise I'd feel guilty watching the World Cup…

There are fourteen days left.