"Oh my goodness, what are you doing?"
Zhao Jiujiu hugged one of them, while the other became restless. After all that fuss, she was exhausted.
Meow~
Er Mao knew he couldn't reason with this great-aunt, so when she wasn't looking, he jumped out through a broken glass hole in the kitchen.
Damn, it took me ages to find this exit.
Zhao Jiujiu didn't notice at first, until Er Mao started meowing outside, then she noticed.
Er Mao did it on purpose. As soon as she opened the door, she darted up the osmanthus tree in the yard.
The few cats in the house took the opportunity to sneak out through the crack in the door.
"..." Zhao Jiujiu looked at the yard full of furry creatures and panicked. She didn't dare to go forward and chase after them. She was the only one at home at the moment. There were gaps in the fence outside. She was afraid that if she got anxious, these little brats would run even faster.
"Er Mao, be good, come down quickly..."
Er Mao looked down at her, meowing.
We're going to find our mother and grandmother!
Zhao Jiujiu couldn't understand what they were meowing about, so she could only rack her brains to coax them: "How about your great-aunt goes whack-a-mole with you? I'll cook you some fish porridge."
Er Mao wasn't in a good mood. After meowing at people for a long time, all he heard was this, and he was so angry that he didn't want to say anything more. He jumped from the osmanthus tree onto the fence.
Zhao Jiujiu was almost in tears. These bastards looked small, but when they really ran, how could she outrun four legs, no, twenty legs, with just two legs!
"Hey, what are you guys doing all of this for no reason?"
Seeing that she was really anxious, Da Mao hesitated for a moment, but still walked up to her, looked up and meowed at her.
Zhao Jiujiu squatted down and picked her up. "Da Mao, you're the best girl. Keep an eye on your little sisters, okay? Don't let them run around everywhere. Your great-aunt is really alone..."
Before she could finish speaking, a childish voice interrupted, "Grandma, Little God Aji misses his mom too..."
"Who? Who's speaking?" Zhao Jiujiu looked around, and when she saw the child next to Simao, she jumped up in fright. "You...where did you come from?"
Ah Shu was a little embarrassed, her little face flushed, and her little ears twitched restlessly. "I...I am Ah Shu..."
Zhao Jiujiu patted her chest. It wasn't that she was slow to react, but that she hadn't seen the kitten turn into a human since Ah Shu arrived. She had only heard her father mention it once the first day.
"A-Shu?" Zhao Jiujiu was still a little incredulous. She looked him up and down, then remembered something and quickly looked around. Luckily, there were no outsiders. She carried Da Mao in one arm and pulled A-Shu with the other, and hurried into the house. Only then did she dare to continue looking at him with peace of mind. She touched his face and pinched his ears, looking amazed. "This really can't go back?"
Ah Shu blushed even more and lowered her head unconsciously. "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Auntie."
Zhao Jiujiu shook her head. She didn't find it funny, but she felt a little melancholy. This child's ears and tail couldn't be retracted. It would be so strange if someone saw it.
"Sigh..." Thinking this, she couldn't help but sigh, "You do look quite cute, but... you can't let anyone else see you like this..."
"I know," Ah Shu said sensibly, as if she knew what she was going to say. "Don't worry, Auntie, I was just anxious. I also wanted to tell you that the little gods miss the back of the mountain..."
Zhao Jiujiu patted the big fur in her arms, "I knew it. Usually when Qiuqiu and the others are home, you don't bother her. But today, after only two hours out, she's already complaining about missing her mother and grandma..."
As she muttered to herself, she took out her phone and called Shen Wuqiu three times in a row, but no one answered. She then called Su Yunzhi, but she still didn't answer. So she patiently persuaded the children, "Mom and the others are probably busy. They should be back soon. Let's just wait at home, okay?"
Meow~
Zhao Jiujiu asked Ashu, "Did they agree?"
Ah Shu looked obedient and said, "They said no."
"..." Zhao Jiujiu blinked and muttered, "What if that doesn't work?"
Er Mao was an impatient person. Seeing that she couldn't reason with her great-aunt, she swooped down and jumped over the fence.
"Er Mao..." Zhao Jiu Jiu was really anxious now and rushed over, only to find that San Mao had squeezed through the gap in the fence.
"Alright, alright, I'll take you there." Zhao Jiujiu compromised.
With five little ones, Zhao Jiujiu couldn't hold them all, so she came up with a solution: she put a large headband around each of the little ones' necks and then used a ribbon to hold them together.
This is like walking them like dogs.
"Meow~" The furry creatures couldn't stand this insult and protested in unison.
"There are cars coming and going on the street outside. It would be so dangerous if I didn't hold your hands. This is for your safety. Listen to me, if you want to find Qiuqiu, you have to go like this..."
For their mother's sake, the little furlings finally gave in, and even Ah Shu obediently turned back into a little calico.
Although the little ones agreed to wear the hair accessories, they are too agile now, and with their boundless curiosity, they run around everywhere as soon as they leave their house.
They hadn't gone far, and the hair ornament around Simao's neck was still there.
Fortunately, these kids were quite well-behaved. Even when their hair ornaments fell off, they didn't run around. When Zhao Jiujiu called out to them, they obediently ran back to put their ornaments back on.
"Oh my, Aunt Wuqiu, you really have a lot of free time."
"Are these all cats? This is the first time I've ever seen someone walking their cats around."
...
Once they reached the main street, passersby started making jokes.
Zhao Jiujiu was both nervous and embarrassed, afraid that these little rascals would not behave as expected and would run away if she was not careful. She did not dare to say much to everyone, but after saying goodbye, she led the group of kids forward.
"The lives of the rich are indeed different..."
“That’s right. I heard my third sister say last time that those cats drink goat’s milk.”
"So what if you're rich? You still don't have any grandchildren to take care of, so you just keep a cat as a treasure..."
As for these sarcastic comments, Zhao Jiujiu had walked far enough away that she didn't hear them. In addition, cars were passing by on the road from time to time, so she didn't dare to get distracted.
As they passed the village committee, Shen Yan and his group had just finished a meeting and were coming out. They heard that Shen's father was drying fish, and Secretary Cao and the others said they wanted to go and see him. When they saw Zhao Jiujiu, Shen Yan greeted her. When he heard that she was also going over, he warmly opened the car door for her, saying, "We were just about to go and see him too, let's go together."
Zhao Jiujiu looked at the five children she was leading, a little embarrassed, "It's not far, I'll walk there..."
Before she could finish speaking, Er Mao jumped into the car on his own and then, taking the initiative, meowed at them, "Meow~"
"..."
"Looks like your little kittens want to come with me." Seeing this, Shen Yan couldn't help but chuckle. He glanced at Si Mao, the chubby little ball, struggling to hang on the footrest, and casually lifted her up. "Get on."
Zhao Jiujiu was extremely embarrassed and got out of the car feeling very awkward. She pulled all the girls onto her body, afraid that they would dance and run around in the car and cause trouble for others.
Shen Yan saw it in the rearview mirror and smiled. "This car is quite old, so you don't need to be so nervous. However, this is the first time I've seen such a group of cute and well-behaved cats. I remember Wu Qiu also picked up a white cat before, and her white cat was a bit fierce."
this……
Zhao Jiujiu was even more embarrassed, while the kittens were very excited, meowing in agreement. Sanmao, the little white cat, even jumped out of Zhao Jiujiu's arms and went straight to the passenger seat, where it sat down and meowed at Chen Yan.
"Sanmao, what are you doing..."
"It's nothing." Shen Yan smiled and glanced at Sanmao again. "Indeed, kittens are cuter. You look quite similar to Wuqiu's big white cat, but you look much cuter."
"Meow~" Sanmao was very satisfied.
Shen Yan found it a bit magical and said to Zhao Jiujiu, "I feel like these cats can understand what I'm saying."
Zhao Jiujiu: "Maybe... it's because we raised them well."
"They're really well cared for." Shen Yan even took a moment to stroke Sanmao, finding her texture pleasant. He stroked her again, then, as if remembering something, added, "You just called her Sanmao? Why do you give them such strange names?"
"...Hmm...There might be too many, so this is easier to remember."
Shen Yan nodded his chin. "It's indeed quite easy to remember. By the way, when I went to see Wu Qiu yesterday, I saw her busy at the reservoir. The children were being taken care of by her... um... her in-laws?"
Zhao Jiujiu glanced subconsciously at the few furry children in her arms, blinked, and nodded, "Yeah, I've been busy lately, so I sent the kids to the Gu family's place."
“Wuqiu, put it down too…” Shen Yan smiled, then continued, “However, her in-laws look quite young, so they should be able to take good care of the child.”
"Hmm..." Zhao Jiujiu felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, and regretted getting on the bus. She was really afraid that she might accidentally let something slip.
Fortunately, it didn't take long to get to the activity center in Linjiawan; they arrived in just a few minutes.
As soon as they got out of the car, the few furry kids darted towards Chen Wuqiu, meowing.
Zhao Jiujiu chased after her, and as soon as she saw Shen Wuqiu, she quickly said, "I can't help it, you guys don't answer the phone."
Shen Wuqiu was also at a loss when she saw these emerging hairs. She quickly took off her gloves and touched this one and then that one.
"Oh my, where did this little kitten come from?"
"It must be Wu Qiu who raised them. Look how close they are to her."
"Sigh, it's true that comparisons are odious. Look at our Wuqiu, she's beautiful, capable, and even her cat is so unique..."
...
Most of the people who come to buy fish are women. They gather in groups of two or three and already have endless gossip to share. When they see these little fish, they can talk for ages.
Shen Wuqiu pretended not to hear. Her feelings at that moment were complicated. Although seeing her tough little one appear in public made her nervous, after not seeing him for a few hours, feeling his enthusiasm and dependence on her gave her a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction as a mother.
Zhao Jiujiu looked at the mother and daughter, who seemed to have been reunited after a long separation, and felt both amused and annoyed. She walked over to them and whispered, "How about I help you? You go back first?"
Shen Wuqiu looked at the group of furry children and was also a little worried. "Didn't Auntie complain about the fishy smell?"
"What can we do if they don't like it?" Zhao Jiujiu pretended to sigh, then added, "By the way, if anyone asks about the baby, just say that Lingyu's parents are taking care of him."
Shen Wuqiu nodded. This was the same thing she said when people asked her these past few days. Otherwise, who would have four children to take care of and still have the whole family out working? She added, "You really don't mind the fishy smell? Those dying fish over there need to be dealt with quickly."
"Wow, that's really strange..."
As they were talking, they heard someone sighing over the fish shed.
Shen Wuqiu and Zhao Jiujiu looked over when they heard the news and saw Er Mao there as well.
It was right next to my feet just a moment ago.
Shen Wuqiu looked around and, sure enough, Er Mao and San Mao had already run away.
These two troublesome things.
Shen Wuqiu quickly went to the fish shed and picked up Er Mao.
As soon as she picked it up, an old lady said to her, "Wuqiu, your little kitten is really amazing. The fish I wanted just now kept shaking its head and tail and jumping around, and I couldn't catch it no matter what I did. But your little kitten slapped it with its paw, and the fish immediately became docile."
As the old lady spoke, she reached out and patted Er Mao's head, saying, "This little cat looks so majestic, just like a little tiger."
Shen Wuqiu didn't know what to say, "He's just too mischievous."
"Meow~" Er Mao was uncomfortable being carried by her mother and kept meowing.
The old lady was getting anxious. "Don't lift her like that. Cats don't like being lifted like that."
Shen Wuqiu was extremely embarrassed and quickly put her down, then changed the subject, asking, "Is your fish scale ready?"