Wen You Ning returned home.
The sky had completely darkened.
“Meow~”
The little tabby cat, waiting by the door, sat on the shoe cabinet, tilting its head and reaching out its paw to scratch at the door handle.
“I’m back.”
Wen You Ning scooped up the little tabby and walked into the kitchen.
“There aren’t any bowls for animals at home, so you’ll have to make do with a plate for now.”
Before she left, she had placed a deep bowl of water on the floor.
The water level had visibly decreased.
Wen You Ning opened the cat food and poured some onto a plate.
“Time to eat.”
Since sticking to Wen You Ning, the little tabby had only drunk a bit of water.
It was hungry.
The cat food was high quality, releasing a strong meaty aroma as soon as the bag was opened.
The little one circled the plate twice.
It scratched at the ground with its front paws a few times before finally lowering its head to pick up the food, crunching away.
After much effort, the little tabby was finally eating.
Wen You Ning stretched lazily.
“Still missing a litter box…”
She could buy one at the pet hospital.
Even if the quality wasn’t great, it wouldn’t be too bad since it was a visible product.
But the price…
According to that pet hospital’s price list, a litter box that costs around thirty or forty yuan online would be at least a few hundred there.
And that didn’t even include the cat litter.
Since she planned to go to the market tomorrow, she could buy everything she needed from the pet supplies store there.
For tonight…
Wen You Ning searched around the house.
She was looking for an old blanket or thick clothes—anything absorbent.
She didn’t find any clothes, but she did come across a bag of absorbent pads in the storage room cabinet.
The packaging still had dried mud on it.
It was probably meant for gardening.
There weren’t any flowers in the house.
Perhaps all of them had died, and these leftover absorbent pads had been tossed aside, gathering dust.
“Perfect.”
Wen You Ning took out all the absorbent pads.
When spread out, they made a layer about three or four centimeters thick.
She placed them in the corner, with the edges pressed against the wall.
“The bathroom area is ready.
Come check it out and get familiar with it.
Leave your scent here.”
The little tabby had just finished eating and was lying on the floor, licking its fur.
Its tongue was still sticking out when it was suddenly picked up.
Its paws stepped onto the unfamiliar soft pads.
It sniffed around curiously.
Wen You Ning rubbed the kitten’s head.
“Good girl.
Just for tonight, and then I’ll upgrade you to a deluxe bathroom.
I’ll get you an extra-large litter box where you can run around inside.”
For animals, learning to use a designated spot as a toilet was difficult.
Some pets needed professional training to learn.
But Wen You Ning was different.
She didn’t need to repeat the process over and over again.
She just had to say it once.
Seamless communication with animals—this was Wen You Ning’s advantage.
The little tabby obediently meowed.
Wen You Ning had been exhausted all day.
Thinking about how she had to wake up early the next morning, she yawned and headed to her room.
She took a quick shower, dried her hair, and curled up in bed, sighing in satisfaction under the air conditioning.
“Goodnight, little one.”
Since the little tabby hadn’t been bathed yet, it was cruelly denied the right to sleep on the bed.
It lay outside the bedroom door, pressing against the gap, and let out a soft response.
“Meow…”
The next day.
The morning light was faint.
Summer mornings had the most comfortable temperatures of the day.
Wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt, one could still feel a slight chill.
A steady stream of people jogged along the streets.
The freshest vegetables in the city were found in the morning markets.
Wen You Ning brought a phone stand with her this time to make her setup look more professional.
Is this what 5 AM sunlight looks like?
Haven’t seen it in ages.
Can someone tell me why the special notification for this stream sounded like an alarm with vibrations?
Good morning, streamer!
Are you out for a morning jog?
Wen You Ning wore a smartwatch that matched her phone brand.
She didn’t have to keep looking down at her phone.
The streaming assistant displayed the scrolling comments automatically.
“Yes, I’m heading to a farther market today to buy ingredients for homemade cat food.
I’m jogging there as well.”
She had also brought a large shopping bag.
Before leaving home, she had withdrawn the funds from her streaming platform.
The money had already been deposited.
After taxes, it was enough to cover her expenses for the day.
But looking at the beautiful morning sunshine, Wen You Ning decided not to take a taxi.
She would run there and take a ride back when the weather got hot.
The market was far from the city center.
Most large wholesale markets were located there.
Wen You Ning asked, “Anyone want to join a voice chat?”
Viewers who sent paid gifts at the same level or higher could apply for a chat connection.
No one applied for a paid chat request.
But quite a few people had sent gifts yesterday.
It was probably too early.
Students were in school, workers were at their jobs, and night owls had just gone to bed.
Aside from a few scattered comments, no one requested a chat.
“Alright.
If anyone wants to join later, just send a request.”
Wen You Ning wasn’t in a hurry.
With money in her pocket, she could take her time.
She stopped by a street stall to buy a bun on the way.
From a distance, the bun stall was nowhere in sight, but the aroma of freshly steamed buns filled the air.
With the first bite, the soft bun skin was soaked with the juicy meat filling.
Even without biting into the meat, it was already delicious.
“Mm, this bun is really good.”
Wen You Ning took her breakfast and switched from jogging to walking.
“Look, this whole street is lined with breakfast stalls.”
Many students in school uniforms and office workers were queuing up.
Holding her selfie stick, Wen You Ning spun around, keeping the camera angle low to avoid capturing people’s faces.
The lens briefly swept past a nearby alley.
There, someone was crouching on the steps, holding a tiny kitten in their hand.
The kitten looked no bigger than a palm.
Its fur was sparse, indicating it was only a few days old.
The boy holding the kitten looked young and was still wearing a school uniform.
As Wen You Ning approached, she heard him say, “Here, isn’t it time to feed it?
It’s been crying the whole time.
Why aren’t you taking care of it?”
The newborn kitten hadn’t even opened its eyes yet.
All it could do was cry, its tiny voice sounding surprisingly strong—not like it was starving.
The boy was earnestly trying to hand over the kitten.
On the steps, an orange tabby cat sat in confusion, staring at the kitten below.
It lifted its head, then lowered it again.
The boy looked back at the orange cat and urged, “Don’t just stare.
Feed it milk.
It’s hungry.
Look at it wriggling—it looks like it’s about to pass out.”
The orange cat blinked.
“Meow…”
“Me? Me??”
“It can’t feed the kitten.”
Wen You Ning stepped forward and took the tiny kitten into her hands.
“Where did you find this kitten?”
The boy said, “I picked it up right here.
Isn’t this orange cat its mom?
Why can’t it feed it?
A kitten this small shouldn’t be weaned yet.”
Wen You Ning: “…”
She found the situation both amusing and exasperating.
“Of course not.
This orange cat is barely a month old.
It’s still just a little boy.”
The boy: “???”
Pfft Hahaha!
This is like handing a lost baby to a passing elementary school kid.
Orange cat: I don’t know either!
I haven’t even been weaned yet, and you want me to feed a baby?
Kid, a few weeks ago, this orange cat was wriggling on the ground just like this kitten.
Good intentions, but hold on before acting on them.
The boy scratched his head.
Realizing his mistake, his face turned slightly red.
“Really?
When I picked up the kitten, I saw the orange cat nearby and thought it was the mother.
So, what do we do now?”
Having given the kitten to the wrong parent, the boy felt guilty.
But…
“It’s almost time for class.
Our teacher takes attendance during morning study sessions.”
He hesitated, wondering if he should bring the kitten to school.
If the teacher found out, it would probably get confiscated.
“We should return the kitten to its nest.”
Wen You Ning could hear the kitten’s thoughts.
It was constantly crying for food.
A kitten this small would be hard to raise at home.
Moreover, its strong cries meant it wasn’t underfed.
It was obviously well cared for by a mother cat.
Since it hadn’t been abandoned, taking it home wouldn’t be wise.
The boy kept glancing at his watch.
He clearly didn’t have time and was in a rush to leave.
But he was also worried about leaving the kitten behind.
“I read online that if a kitten is taken away from its nest, the mother won’t accept it back.”
Wen You Ning said, “If it gets human scent on it, the mother might reject it.”
In some cases, the mother might even move the rest of the litter away, leaving only the kitten that had been touched.
She gently patted the kitten’s back.
Noticing the boy’s concern, she reassured him, “Don’t worry.
I’ll explain everything to its mother.
I’ll tell her that the kitten got lost by accident.
If I persuade her, she should take it back.”
Besides, since she had been holding the kitten for a while, her scent had likely covered up the boy’s.
The mother cat wouldn’t be alarmed by her presence.
Hearing that, the boy nodded.
“Then I’ll leave it to you, big sister.”
He politely thanked her.
After speaking, he adjusted his backpack straps, turned around, and was about to leave.
But suddenly, he froze mid-step.
Wait
Explain?
Explain to who???
Realizing something felt off, the boy turned back in confusion.
“Huh?”
Was it because he was just a kid that he couldn’t understand what adults were saying?
School hadn’t taught him this yet.
Hahaha, the streamer is even tricking elementary schoolers now!
Keeping up the act!
I just checked the stream title.
If you can really convince the mother cat to take the kitten back, I’ll send you a gift!
“Really?”
Wen You Ning’s sharp eyes caught that premium comment.
Right after she spoke, a gift animation appeared on the screen.
Premium User: Down payment.
“Deal.
Thanks for the gift, boss.”
Wen You Ning snapped her fingers.
She turned to the orange cat.
“Little Orange, do you know where its nest is?
I’ll trade you two cat treats for the answer.”
This orange cat had been wandering the area.
It should know which nearby cat had given birth recently.
Since the kitten had been found here, the nest couldn’t be too far.
“Meow…”
The orange cat turned and started climbing the stairs.
“Follow me.”
Wen You Ning followed immediately.
The boy looked at his watch.
After hesitating for a moment, he decided he couldn’t just leave.
He hurried after them.
“The book says mother cats are very aggressive right after giving birth.
If you get too close, it might attack you.
Big sister, be careful.
Don’t get too near the nest.”