Chapter 6

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When Wen Youning returned home, night had fully fallen.

“Meow~” The little tabby cat waiting by the door sat on the shoe cabinet, tilting its head and pawing at the door handle.

“I’m home,” Wen Youning said as she scooped up the tabby and walked into the kitchen. “There’s no bowl for pets here, so you’ll have to make do with a plate for now.”

Before leaving, she had placed a deep bowl of water on the floor, and the water level had clearly dropped.

Wen Youning opened the cat food and poured some onto a plate. “Eat first.”

Since sticking to Wen Youning, the little tabby had only drunk some water and was clearly hungry. The cat food was of high quality; just opening the bag released a strong meaty aroma. The little creature circled the plate twice, scratching the floor a few times with its front paws before lowering its head to crunch down on the food.

After some effort, the little tabby finally had its meal.

Wen Youning stretched and said, “Still need a litter box…”

These items could actually be bought at a veterinary clinic, and even the cheapest wouldn’t be terrible since they were straightforward products. The problem was the price—according to that clinic’s price list, a litter box that sold online for thirty or forty yuan would cost several hundred there, not including cat litter.

She planned to go to the market tomorrow, which was a bit far, where there was a pet supply store. She’d get everything needed then.

As for tonight...

Wen Youning rummaged through the house, looking for something absorbent like an old quilt or heavy clothing. She didn’t find any clothes but came across a bag of water-absorbing mats in the storage room cabinet. The packaging was still smeared with dried soil, likely used for gardening.

There were no plants in the house, probably all dead, so these unused mats had been tossed aside and left to gather dust.

“Perfect for now,” Wen Youning said, taking all the mats out and laying them down to a thickness of about three or four centimeters, placing them against the wall in a corner. “Litter box is ready—come get used to it, catch the scent.”

The little tabby, having finished eating, was lying on the floor licking its fur when suddenly it was scooped up. Its paws landed on the unfamiliar soft mat, and its nose sniffed around.

Wen Youning gently rubbed the kitten’s head. “Good kitty, after tonight you’ll get an upgrade—your very own deluxe bathroom, a big one where you can run and play.”

Training pets to use a designated toilet spot was difficult; some needed professional training.

But Wen Youning was different—she didn’t need repetitive training, just a single word was enough.

Her ability to communicate effortlessly with animals was her advantage.

The little tabby obediently meowed.

After a long day, Wen Youning, thinking about getting up early tomorrow, yawned and headed to her room. She rinsed off casually, dried her hair, and nestled into bed under a light blanket in the air-conditioned room, letting out a contented sigh.

“Good night, little one.”

The tabby, not yet bathed, was cruelly forbidden from getting on the bed. It lay just outside the bedroom door, pressing close to the gap and softly meowing in response.

---

The next day.

The morning light was faint.

Summer mornings were the most comfortable time of day, sometimes even a thin short-sleeve shirt could bring a slight chill.

Joggers passed by in waves.

The freshest produce in the city was found at the morning market. This time, Wen Youning had brought a phone mount to look a bit more professional.

[Is this the sunlight at five in the morning? Haven’t seen it in ages.]

[Can someone tell me why the alert sounds like a vibrating alarm whenever the stream starts?]

[Good morning, streamer! Out for a morning run?]

Wen Youning wore a smartwatch of the same brand as her phone, so she didn’t have to crane her neck to check it. The live-stream assistant showed comments scrolling by automatically: “Yes, today I’m headed to a farther market to buy ingredients for cat food, and to go for a run.”

She also brought along a large-capacity shopping bag.

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Before leaving this morning, Wen Youning had withdrawn money from her streaming account, which had already arrived.

After taxes, the amount was enough for her day’s expenses. But seeing such a fine morning, she chose not to take a taxi.

She would run there and, if it got hot on the way back, she’d take a ride.

The market was far from downtown; large produce markets and wholesale markets were generally located there.

Wen Youning asked, “Anyone wants to connect live?”

Fans who had sent paid connection gifts of similar or higher value could apply for a live connection.

No one requested paid connections, but many had sent gifts yesterday.

It was probably still too early; students were in school, workers at their jobs, and night owls just going to sleep. Aside from a few scattered comments, no one wanted to join the live.

“Alright, if anyone wants to join later, just apply.”

Wen Youning wasn’t in a hurry. With money in her pocket, she felt confident to take her time.

Passing a street vendor, she stopped briefly to buy a steamed bun.

Far away, though she hadn’t seen the stall, the scent of buns filled the air.

The bun’s soft skin soaked with the juicy meat filling—delicious even without biting into the meat.

“Hmm, these buns are good,” Wen Youning said, deciding to walk instead of running after breakfast. “Look, so many breakfast vendors on this street.”

Many students in uniforms and office workers queued up.

Wen Youning twirled her selfie stick low to avoid capturing people’s faces, the camera panning to a nearby alley where a boy squatted in front of some stairs, holding a tiny kitten.

The kitten was smaller than a palm, its fur thin and sparse, seemingly only a few days old.

The boy looked young, still in his school uniform.

Wen Youning approached and heard him say, “Here you go. Shouldn’t you feed it milk? It’s been crying nonstop. Why aren’t you doing anything?”

The kitten’s eyes were still closed, only mewing loudly. The small voice sounded strong, not like it was starving.

The boy was trying to push the kitten forward.

On the steps, an orange tabby sat confused, staring at the kitten below, then looked back up.

The boy made eye contact with the tabby and urged, “Don’t just look, feed it! It’s hungry. Look at how it’s struggling—it looks like it’s about to give up.”

The orange tabby blinked. “Meow…”

‘Me, me?’ it seemed to say.

“It can’t feed it,” Wen Youning said as she picked up the kitten and cradled it in her hand. “Where did you find this little one?”

The boy replied, “Right here. Isn’t that orange tabby its mother? Why can’t it feed it? Such a tiny kitten shouldn’t be weaned yet.”

Wen Youning sighed with a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Of course not. That orange tabby looks only about a month old. It’s a young male cat.”

The boy was speechless.

[Haha—Found a baby on the street and handed it off to a passing yellow-haired elementary school kid.]

[Orange tabby: I’m not ready either. I’m still weaning, and now a kid wants me to feed a baby.]

[Kid, that orange tabby was just struggling on the ground a few weeks ago, just like this kitten.]

[Good intentions, but maybe hold off for now.]

...

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The boy scratched his head, realizing his mistake and blushing a little. “Really? When I found the kitten, I saw the orange tabby nearby and thought it was its mother. So what should I do now?”

The boy felt guilty for mistaking the kitten’s parent, but…

“It’s almost time for class. Our teacher takes attendance during morning study.”

He hesitated about bringing the kitten to school.

If the teacher found out, the kitten would probably be confiscated.

“Better to return the kitten to its nest,” Wen Youning said, hearing the kitten’s persistent cries. Such a small kitten wouldn’t survive well if taken home.

Moreover, the loud mewing showed it was well cared for—not abandoned or neglected. Taking it home wasn’t wise.

The boy glanced at his watch several times, clearly in a rush but reluctant to leave the kitten behind. “I read online that if you put a kitten back too far from its nest, the mother won’t feed it anymore.”

Wen Youning explained, “If the kitten smells like humans, the mother might abandon it. She might even carry off the other babies and leave this one behind.”

She gently patted the kitten’s back and reassured the worried boy, “Don’t worry. I’ll explain to its mother that the kitten got lost by accident and persuade her to keep feeding it.”

Since she had held the kitten for a while, her scent should cover the boy’s, so the mother cat likely wouldn’t reject her.

The boy nodded. “Thank you so much, miss.”

As he said this, he shifted his backpack and turned to leave but suddenly stopped.

What? Explain what?

Explain to whom???

He realized something was off.

He blinked and looked back, “Huh?”

Maybe he was too young to understand these adult words?

They hadn’t taught this at school yet.

[The streamer’s even tricking elementary school kids now, haha, character intact.]

[I looked at the stream title—if you really convince the mother cat to take back the lost kitten, I’ll send you a gift!]

“Really?” Wen Youning’s eyes caught the member comment.

Immediately, a gift animation appeared on the screen.

Member: [Deposit.]

“Deal. Thanks for the gift,” Wen Youning snapped her fingers and asked, “Orange tabby, do you know where its nest is? I’ll trade you two cat treats for the info.”

The orange tabby was a stray around here and should know who had kittens nearby.

Since the kitten was found here, the nest shouldn’t be far.

“Meow…” The tabby turned and climbed the stairs.

‘Follow me.’

Wen Youning followed, and the boy glanced at his watch, hesitating but ultimately following as well. “The books say mother cats are fierce right after giving birth. If you get too close, she might attack. Be careful, miss, and don’t get too close to the nest.”