Just like this, Chu Jiao became He Sinian’s companion, keeping this little boy company as they wandered around all the bustling streets every day, begging to support their livelihood.
With Chu Jiao’s company, He Sinian’s mood improved day by day, and his entire person became more and more cheerful. At the same time, because Chu Jiao’s cleverness and quick-wittedness were so adorable, his daily income had also improved every day.
“Kitty cat, let’s have a big meal tonight!”
Once the curtain of the night descended, He Sinian counted the money he had made during the day, and smiled while planting a kiss on Chu Jiao who he was carrying.
Cats grew up much quicker than humans did, so in just three short months, Chu Jiao ’s figure has more than doubled in size as compared to the beginning, and He Sinian who was originally able to hold her with both hands in the beginning, now had to use both arms for support.
Chu Jiao was too lazy to respond to him since she didn’t hold much hope towards the meal He Sinian had mentioned.
The so-called big meal that He Sinian was implying, was to go to a cheap fast food restaurant and order a bowl of rice with beef brisket with tomato sauce.
During the first few months of He Sinian’s new life, he was all alone and was even incapable of gathering the required amount of money prescribed by Brother Long every day, so he was only able to scrape leftovers as meals. Even if he were able to gather enough money for the day, it would only be enough for just a bowl of vegetables and a piece of bread. That was why, in He Sinian’s eyes, having meat to supplement his rice bowl was already considered an incredible feast.
Chu Jiao squatted on a stool beside him, waiting for her own ‘big meal’ which consisted of—a plate of dried fish.
The wife of this fast food restaurant’s boss was kind and also liked cats. Although He Sinian had only been here a few times, each time she did not show contempt towards the dirty appearance of the cat and was instead extremely enthusiastic. Not only did she fill the rice bowl to the brim, but from the second time they visited onwards, she even especially prepared a small dried fish for Chu Jiao, using the remaining unsold fish from the store.
When the lady boss saw that they had visited again this time, she brought out the usual two bowls of seaweed egg drop soup, which had golden egg pieces floating in the bowl. The pieces were so big that Chu Jiao and He Sinian simultaneously gulped unconsciously.
“Thank you, Auntie.” He Sinian thanked her politely, and Chu Jiao also said ‘Meow’ in response.
Now that the meal had been served, He Sinian grabbed chopsticks and wiped out the large bowl of rice with the tomato sauce away like a tornado. He only reluctantly left behind five pieces of beef in the bowl which he slowly and unhurriedly chewed bite by bite in the end until there was none that was left.
Chu Jiao bowed her head like a lady, allowing the attractive smell of fish to linger under the tip of her nose.
After turning into a cat, she had noticed that her preferences in food had changed. In the past, she didn’t like to eat fish at all, but now, it had actually become something that she ate with gusto.
She came into this world, ate well, slept soundly, and her appetite grew better and better. As a result of these, her body seemed to have grown in size. It had obviously only been a few months, but she already looked like a cat who was one or two years old.
Chu Jiao didn’t care too much about this because she was more concerned with how to rescue He Sinian from the pits of hell.
Chu Jiao recognized that Brother Long must be the little leader of this gang. Their daily work consisted of training new people, then collecting money and distributing meals. Several young children who had just been abducted were originally disobedient at first but after going through his training, they slowly became ‘sensible’.
Brother Long was a person with a glib tongue. Towards children who still couldn’t distinguish right and wrong, he would slowly distort their three perspectives and brainwash them into becoming obedient ‘machines’. For older children who already had preconceptions of basic moral values, such as He Sinian, he would draw a big cake and deceive them by saying that as long as they were obedient and worked hard by gathering enough money, they could redeem back their freedom.
Chu Jiao knew that such a ‘big cake’ was only drawn to scam these children, but with her current identity and body today, she was unable to expose those lies, so she could only watch He Sinian hold such expectations, and strive hard to make money every day.
Actually, at times.
It was always better for people to hold certain expectations.
After eating, He Sinian took Chu Jiao to the overpass, and on their way, He Sinian was strangely talkative.
“Kitty cat, wait until I earn enough money and we can finally go back home.” He tried to recall a hazy picture of home in his mind as he was speaking and gave a brief account on how his bedroom seemed to appear. “Let me tell you, my home is very big. There’s two floors to it as well as a big garden.”
“By then, you will have to sleep with me, okay? The bed in my room is especially soft. The pillows are made up of buckwheat done by mother, and the feeling of the pillow makes it so that when my head touches the pillow, I can immediately fall asleep, haha.”
Chu Jiao raised her head in his arms and listened quietly to He Sinian’s unfettered imagination.
She saw her little boy smiling happily, his eyes twinkling with stars.
“Meow~”
Chu Jiao’s heart turned soft as she answered him on the inside. Alright.
However, at this moment, Chu Jiao failed to realize that there would never come a day where this promise would be fulfilled.
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