Chapter 491

Chen Shu picked up the little cat-girl and placed her on his lap.

In terms of sensation, the little cat-girl seemed lighter than a human child of the same size; held in his arms, her body was exceptionally soft, and she emitted an indescribable yet pleasant scent—the same scent Taozi had before her Transformation, a marvelous fragrance that one could never tire of inhaling.

But now that Taozi had undergone Transformation, she would have to gradually become more reserved in the future.

The little cat-girl would eventually grow into a big girl.

Well, while she hasn't grown up yet, he would take a few more sniffs.

Chen Shu stroked her head, pinched her cheeks, squeezed her arms, played with her palms, and touched her ears and tail, while saying to her:

"I am Chen Shu."

The little cat-girl repeated after him, her voice soft and thin:

"Chen Shu~"

"I am the one who bought you, and I am the one who raised you; you can call me Dad."

"Chen Shu~"

"Forget it, call me whatever you like; anyway, Chen Banxia and I have always called Chen Jiaoshou 'Chen Jiaoshou'..."

"Chen Banxia~"

"This is Xiaoxiao."

"Xiaoxiao~"

"You can call her Sister Xiaoxiao."

"Xiaoxiao~"

The little girl stared blankly at him, blinking her eyes, feeling that something was not quite right.

Ning Qing also glanced at him sideways.

"This is Qingqing."

"Master~"

"?"

"Qingqing Master~"

"..."

Chen Shu pursed his lips tightly.

He then held the little cat-girl under her ribs, lifted her up, and placed her on the ground; seeing her run toward Qingqing, he called her back: "Come here, stand by this wall first to take a photo; I'll buy you a Dongzhou ID card, and from now on you'll be a foreigner... a foreign demon."

The little cat-girl looked back at him, stared at him for a few seconds, and then turned around to follow him over.

Taozi trusted him after all.

It was just that her posture when turning around was a bit awkward, and one could still vaguely see the shadow of a cat, unlike the crisp and clean turn of a normal person.

Following Chen Shu's instructions, the little cat-girl stood by the white courtyard wall, looking straight up at the camera.

"Don't tilt your head."

"Ao~"

The little cat-girl straightened her head.

"Don't twist your hands."

"Mie~"

The little cat-girl put her hands down, but didn't know where to put them.

Chen Shu fussed for a long time before taking a photo that met the regulations, cropped it slightly, and sent it to Daoist Huang via Feixin.

Chen Shu: 【Image】

Chen Shu: See if this works.

Chen Shu: Ning Taozi, date of Transformation, November 20, 5025; when I bought her, they said she was a White Spirit Lion Cat.

Huang Chu: Done.

Chen Shu: Many thanks, Daoist.

Huang Chu: I've said it many times, you and I are friends through life and death; besides, when I was in Nanzhou, I ate so many of your meals, there's no need to thank me for such a small matter.

Friends through life and death...

Chen Shu felt even more guilty.

When he turned his head again, the little cat-girl was still standing against the wall, not daring to run around, but she raised one hand to her mouth, stuck out her tongue, and licked the back of her hand; however, she immediately discovered that the texture was completely different from usual, so she couldn't help but stop, open her eyes wide, and carefully observe this hand.

So strange, lick it again.

So strange, observe it again.

Not until she noticed from the corner of her eye that Chen Shu was watching her did she confirm it, put her hand down, and continue standing properly, tilting her head up and staring at him with a pair of eyes shining like stars, as if asking, "Are we done?"

She didn't know how to speak either, how strange.

"Done."

Chen Shu said.

The little cat-girl was immediately relieved; she looked left and right, then quickly ran to the corner of the wall and started playing by herself.

Who knew what was fun about it; perhaps there was some bug in the grass, but in any case, she stood still, lowered her head, and stared curiously, as focused as if she were about to burrow into the grass—she often loved doing this before her Transformation; he didn't know why, but it looked strange after her Transformation.

The little girl also followed behind her, observing with her.

"..."

Truly a stupid cat.

Chen Shu shook his head repeatedly and walked over to sit beside Qingqing.

"A stupid person raises a stupid cat..."

Qingqing pursed her lips, pretending she hadn't heard.

……

For Xiaoxiao, these past few days were undoubtedly some very wonderful days.

First, she had finally gotten rid of being the shortest in the whole family, and by a lead of over half a meter over the last place—a joyous and congratulatory occasion.

Second, in this home, she was finally no longer the youngest; she had truly upgraded to being "Sister Xiaoxiao," having a little brat to take care of, and she had to teach her how to do this and that every day, filling her with a sense of accomplishment—a double blessing.

By comparison, the young girl wasn't even interested in her work at the research institute anymore; she went to work on time every day, and as soon as she got off work, she would fly home to educate the little cat-girl.

She had to teach her how to speak, teach her common sentence structures and efficient communication skills; she had to teach her how to eat with chopsticks, not to lick with her mouth, and not to grab with her hands; she had to teach her to wipe her mouth with a tissue after meals instead of licking her mouth with her tongue; she had to take her to buy pretty clothes, even though her own clothes were all bought by her brother-in-law and sister; she had to buy snacks for her in various ways, rotating through all kinds of flavors of potatoes and potato products...

Sister Xiaoxiao was patient and gentle, just like her brother-in-law had taught her when she was little, which gave her a strange sense of raising someone, allowing her to experience her brother-in-law's joy.

There was also a feeling that she was already an adult.

These feelings made her enjoy herself.

……

Before she knew it, the twelfth lunar month had arrived.

Chen Shu's cultivation was already approaching the peak of the Eighth Stage, his research on Space-Time Energy was progressing steadily, and his research into the principles of Spell Runes had not fallen behind either. At first, he felt this kind of life was a bit busy and too packed, which didn't fit his "salted fish" personality, but after getting used to it, it became fulfilling.

Not being a "salted fish" now was for the sake of being a better "salted fish" later.

"Ah..."

Chen Shu put on his clothes, pushed the window open, and leaned out.

The cold air of the winter morning immediately surged in, making him wake up quite a bit. He looked out intently; the first snow of the year had just fallen in Yujing last night, and the entire residential compound was filled with the sound of snow shoveling, echoing far into the air.

The little cat-girl was riding a bicycle outside in the courtyard. It was a very small bicycle, and when it was bought, it had a pair of training wheels, which had been removed by Chen Shu.

The young girl and Zhang Suannai were standing nearby watching.

As if sensing his gaze, the two turned their heads one after another to meet his eyes.

"Morning, Lao Chen."

"Morning, brother-in-law."

"Morning."

Chen Shu couldn't help but reveal a smile.

The little cat-girl riding the bike heard the sound, immediately squeezed the brakes to stop, looked up at him, blinked her big eyes at him, and followed suit by shouting:

"Morning, Uncle Chen."

"Morning."

Chen Shu's smile became even more radiant.

It seemed Xiaoxiao's education was still very effective.

Leaving the window open, he turned and went downstairs.

For breakfast, he made tomato and egg noodles. The little cat-girl held the chopsticks clumsily, yet she tried hard to learn the ways of higher life forms, eating them one pinch at a time, and quietly observed the higher life form's method, pulling over a tissue to wipe her little mouth.

Of course, not everyone was a higher life form.

For example, there was a human nearby whose name was the same as food, who just wiped her mouth with her hand; this kind of behavior... could at most be considered a medium life form.

After breakfast.

Chen Shu received the identification, passport, and other documents sent to him by Daoist Huang from Dongzhou. From today on, Ning Taozi was a Dongzhou demon. The permanent visa for Yiguo had not been processed yet; Chen Shu didn't ask the group leader for help, but instead used the connections of the Spirit Sect.

A legal identity was still very necessary.

"Look!"

Chen Shu handed the documents to Qingqing.

Qingqing glanced at them: "Didn't you say she was going to take your surname?"

"Oh, don't worry about those details." Chen Shu lay down on the sofa, wiggling like a maggot, and rested his head on Qingqing's lap, "Now we should discuss when to send Taozi to school."

"Up to you."

"But she's taking your surname."

"Isn't that also what you chose?"

"You..."

"Isn't that also what you chose?"

"……"

Chen Shu was speechless.

Just then, catching a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, he saw the little cat-girl walking over in loose clothes, holding a mug, looking straight ahead, walking directly to the water dispenser, and starting to draw water.

"……"

Chen Shu was even more speechless. He was silent for a moment: "Drink, drink. After the new year, I'll send you to school to end your carefree life..."

"Gulp, gulp."

The little cat-girl was focused on drawing water and couldn't hear anything.

---Author's Note---

Don't scold me for being short; it's all because of the nucleic acid tests...