Chapter 175: Xiao Si
Winter nights were quiet and cold. When Gu Qinghuan and Wang Jia’an arrived at Mingde’s school gate, only the streetlights were on inside.
The security guard on duty spotted her and greeted warmly, “Xiao Gu, what brings you back to school? Forgot something?”
“Uncle Liu, hello! I’m here to take the calico cat home!” Gu Qinghuan said energetically.
Uncle Liu knew she had a student union office and that calico cat—he had seen it during his patrols.
“Oh,” he nodded, then looked at Wang Jia’an. “You’re Xiao Gu’s father?”
“Yes, my surname is Wang, Wang Jia’an,” he replied politely. “Sorry to trouble you at this hour.”
“No trouble at all,” Uncle Liu waved it off and pressed the switch to open the gate wide enough for the electric bike. “Go get the cat. Need any help?”
“No need, we should be able to catch it. Thank you, Uncle Liu,” Gu Qinghuan said, then guided her father toward the student union office.
The office had a keypad lock, so there was no worry about being locked out. As they entered the hallway, the motion-sensor lights flicked on.
Wang Jia’an looked around, nodding repeatedly. “Mingde really has great facilities.”
Gu Qinghuan opened the office door, turned on the lights, and immediately saw a mottled ball curled up in her “dog nest.”
Wang Jia’an saw it too. “Oh, sleeping quite comfortably.”
Gu Qinghuan checked the automatic feeder—empty—so she unplugged it, poured the remaining kibble into a storage bag, and packed it together with the cat’s usual treats.
While she was doing that, Wang Jia’an cleaned the scratching board to make it easier to take along.
Hearing the noise, the calico cat stretched, got up, and padded over, sitting beside Gu Qinghuan, watching her sleepily.
She signaled her dad to close the doors and windows, then took out a carrier, opened it, and tossed in a few freeze-dried treats the cat liked, waiting for it to go inside.
The cat flicked its ears, stared at her for a moment, then leisurely walked into the carrier—without even eating the treats—and curled up to sleep again.
Wang Jia’an carefully lifted the carrier. “Quite heavy—at least five kilos, right?”
“It was weighed during spaying—about six kilos,” Gu Qinghuan said, letting out a big sigh of relief.
Maybe it still remembered the last trip to the vet, since it entered the carrier so willingly.
Otherwise, even with her dad’s help, catching such a big cat wouldn’t have been easy.
Wang Jia’an carried the carrier in one hand and the scratching board in the other, while Gu Qinghuan held the bag. Even loading everything onto the electric bike took some figuring out.
“After the New Year, we’re buying a car!” Wang Jia’an declared. “At least one with a trunk!”
Gu Qinghuan hugged the scratching board, holding the bag in one hand. The carrier was placed on the footrest in front, and she had to suck in her stomach, relying on her dad’s back to keep everything steady.
Thus, the two returned home in grand fashion. The cat remained quiet the whole way.
As soon as they entered, Gu Haiyan took the scratching board. “You brought this back too?”
“It likes this. Having something familiar will help it settle,” Gu Qinghuan said.
Gu Haiyan agreed, placed the board in the prepared study, then carried in the carrier and let the cat out.
The calico cat darted out, rushed into a corner, and looked around wide-eyed. Spotting the familiar scratching board, it jumped onto it and scratched vigorously.
Gu Qinghuan set down two ceramic bowls—one with kibble, one with water—then closed the door.
New environment—better let it adjust first.
Gu Haiyan asked, “Have you thought of a name yet?”
“Not yet, I’ll think about it,” Gu Qinghuan said, unsatisfied with the few names she had in mind.
After a busy evening, the family went to rest.
The next morning, as Gu Qinghuan stepped out of her room, her foot touched something fluffy.
She froze, looked down—and locked eyes with the cat.
She pulled her foot back. “Mom! The cat got out!”
Gu Haiyan came out of the bathroom, toothbrush in hand. “It got out last night—opened the door itself. Very smart.”
“Your dad already bought deworming medicine this morning and used it. No issues, so we just let it roam.”
From the living room, Wang Jia’an called, “Huanhuan, what do you want for breakfast?”
Gu Qinghuan glanced at the cat again, carefully stepped over it, and hurried to the living room. “What do we have?”
On the table were two packs of frozen food—dumplings and soup buns.
“Dumplings! Let’s make pan-fried dumplings with egg!” she chose immediately.
Wang Jia’an put the soup buns back in the fridge. “Alright, go wash up.”
He heated oil, fried the dumplings until golden, added starch water halfway up, covered and simmered, then poured in beaten egg. Once set, he sprinkled sesame seeds and scallions—done.
After washing up, Gu Qinghuan poured warm water and waited. Suddenly, a mottled blur jumped up beside her—it was the cat.
She blinked. Where did your sense of distance go now?
Feeling awkward under its gaze, she tentatively offered her cup. “Want some?”
The cat lowered its head—and drank.
Gu Qinghuan went numb, holding the cup still until it finished. Turning, she saw Gu Haiyan filming.
“Mom, what are you doing?”
“Sending it to Grandma. New family member—of course we report it,” Gu Haiyan said.
Gu Qinghuan set the cup down, deciding it now belonged to the cat.
She reached out tentatively. The cat glanced at her, then turned its head, allowing her to pat it briefly before slipping away.
Being able to touch it at all was already a win.
The dumplings were ready—a big plate. The three sat and ate while chatting.
Thanks to night classes, Wang Jia’an’s cooking had improved—the dumplings were neither burnt nor undercooked, and the egg layer was soft and tender.
Gu Qinghuan happily crunched away—until something tugged at her pant leg. Looking down, the cat was preparing to jump onto the table.
“Wait, wait!” Wang Jia’an quickly placed a dumpling on a small plate for it.
Though feeding human food wasn’t ideal, at least this wasn’t dessert.
But the cat only sniffed twice, then turned away, pawed the floor, and walked off.
The family stared at each other.
Gu Qinghuan spoke first, “I’ve decided on a name—Xiao Si.”
“Which ‘Si’?” Gu Haiyan asked.
“Si as in reckless and unrestrained,” she said. “And it’s the fourth member of the family.”
Wang Jia’an popped the dumpling into his mouth and voted in agreement.
Gu Haiyan nodded. “Alright, good name.”
With its personality, there was no hope it would come when called anyway—just having a name was enough.
With the name decided, Gu Qinghuan finished breakfast and saw Xiao Si lounging by the window in the sun.
She crouched beside it and said seriously, “Xiao Si, you can’t freeload here. If there are cockroaches or spiders, that’s your job.”
Xiao Si flicked its ears. From experience, it recognized the first few sounds as its name.
Even if it didn’t understand, it remembered.
