Ch3 - Decision

Human acquired successfully, proceeding to fatten him 

Editor: Vez 

Before the Dragon Li cat could struggle again, the doctor quickly treated his left paw and pinched the cat’s neck with a smile. “This boy is fine. A little on the thin side but still a healthy one. Is he a stray cat? Do you need me to chip him for you?”

Xin Qin was caught off guard. He had not thought this far. He was not the kind who held special affection for pets. His last cat, Coffee, was left to him by his grandmother. Coffee was a very docile female Persian cat. Because of her age, she was sensible and never caused trouble. It took little to no effort taking care of her. However, if he was to adopt this Dragon Li cat, it would be by his own will. He didn’t think of himself as a responsible individual to be entrusted with something, especially a life. It was completely absurd with his current disorganised lifestyle.

However…Xin Qin unconsciously lowered his head and looked at the Dragon Li cat that had accidentally crashed into his life. The cat was probably still angry with him judging by its refusal to look at him, but the Dragon Li cat’s body was pressing tightly against his arm. That cat was very fluffy and warm. Xin Qin was lost in thoughts. 

When Dr. Yu did not receive an answer, she looked up in puzzlement before subconsciously turning her attention towards the fiddlings of  the Dragon Li cat. The dirty cat was dispiritedly licking his fur on his forearm. Dr. Yu got the silent message and then suggested, “Oh, if you plan to not keep him. Why don’t you bring him back in two weeks after his paw is all better for a fix? Male cats can live longer when they are neutered.” 

Xin Qin nodded. In the wild, survival is much more in favour of neutered male cats. They act more peacefully and are less likely to get involved in disputes over territory or reproduction. Regardless of his decision, he would choose to fix the cat. He reached out to poke the Dragon Li cat’s round head and the cat looked up at him curiously before he meowed at him. The cat’s call was soft and pleasant. Do you want a home? Xin Qin thought. Or do you prefer a free life?

During their talk, a burst of laughter came from the door. Turning towards the sound source he saw a long-haired beauty in a floral dress step in. She was quite tall and had a friendly smile. In har arms rested a big tuxedo cat. The newcomer Xin Qin perceived was the owner of this clinic, Dr. Dai. The cat in her arms was the clinic’s mascot and treasure: Dai Mochi, a five-year-old black and white bicolor cat. Today, instead of wearing her evening shift outfit, the doctor was dressed in an everyday outfit, looking like she was about to head out. She only stopped by since she recognized Xin Qin and greeted him kindly, “I haven’t seen you in a while, how is Coffee? Would you be bringing her for a checkup? It’s best to have regular checkups.”

Coffee had passed away peacefully, hardly any suffering as it was in her sleep and the people in the clinic had not heard of the news yet. Xin Qin flattened his lips before forcing out a smile. “Coffee is gone. Thank you for taking care of her all these times.”

Dr. Dai and Dr. Yu were stunned for a moment. Although they wanted to express their condolences, the joy of life and sorrow of death were part of being alive. They changed the topic and chatted about something else. Dr. Dai noticed the Dragon Li cat lying on the operating table and exclaimed, “Have you decided on your new cat already?” She leaned down and studied the cat. Mochi in her arms also opened his eyes and gazed at the Dragon Li cat. Having smelled the scent of the same kind, the Dragon Li cat also raised his head and glared at Mochi. His limbs began to tense up. 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

“Lfs, ralcxs ygja!” Zbmtl yfujc ribkis, tlr fsfr oeii bo yjcafg. “Tbe’gf j gfjiis vlgas mtliv.”

C-Ol yjgfv tlr affat, oilqqfv bnfg ogbw tlr bglulcji islcu qbrlalbc jcv rja eq ibbxlcu vlgfmais lcab atf ylu mja’r fsfr. “Qtb vb sbe atlcx sbe jgf! Dflcu atlr lwqbilaf.”

Ktlr vlv cba jcufg Zbmtl jr tf mbcalcefv ab wfbk, “Qts vlvc’a sbeg tewjc ygert sbeg tjlg? Glv sbe jrrewf mbcagbi bnfg jc lcmbwqfafca tewjc?” 

“Of course not!” A-Li screamed, “My human is very good! He is the best human in the world!”

Whilst the lively conversation between the two cats continued, a sign of activity appeared. “Hey, hey, hey! Don’t fight.” Dr. Dai thought the two cats were not getting along so she moved sideways and held Mochi away. “Mochi, what’s the matter with you? Are you bullying the cat? Do you not want your can?”

Mochi yawned and meowed back, “I am not bullying him. We are actually having a pleasant time chatting. Meow! And of course I want my can.”

A-Li gawked in surprise, “Hey, you know what that human is saying?!” 

Mochi heard he was being addressed, poked his head past Dr. Dai’s shoulder and squinted at A-Li, proudly swishing his tail. “Of course. I have a college degree. I even passed level six of human language.” Then he proceeded to proudly shake his whiskers. 

College? Human language? What is that? A-Li dazedly tilted his head. 

Mochi felt pleased with his educational background, but when he found he had lost his audience’s attention, his joyous mood was replaced with annoyance and he added, “Let me tell you, although there are a bunch of college students running around Maochun City, don’t go thinking attending college is an easy thing. I’m actually a Summa Cum Laude graduate. This is a great honour that is very rare, given to only one out of ten thousand cats. The Cat Education Association even asked me to be a permanent member.”

A-Li tilted his head even more. “Meow, I don’t understand what you are talking about. What is this college? What does an association mean?” 

Mochi did not expect that, using his two forepaws, he stood up using Dr. Dai’s shoulder as support, he looked back and analysed A-Li’s shocked self. A moment later, he meowed out in laughter without warning. “Hahaha! So you are an illiterate cat! Hahaha!”

Because Mochi laughed too wildly, Dr. Dai frowned and patted his head, using force to press the cat back into her arms. Mochi immediately pulled back, squeezed his head away from the crook of his human’s arm and continued, “Alas, where are you from? You are not a Maochun City cat right?”

A-Li instinctively sensed that the big monochrome cat was laughing at him and flattened his mouth, refusing to answer. Xin Qin had gone to get medicine and A-Li was beginning to feel bored. He turned around and lay down. Curling up into a fluffy ball, he closed his eyes and went to sleep. 

When Dai Mochi did not get the response he was waiting for, he was so anxious that he kicked his leg. “Hey, say something! Where are you from? Have you really never attended school? Ey, why are you not talking? This is killing me, meow!” 

Dr. Dai was very annoyed by his antics so she placed him on the top of a cage on the side. She tapped his nose and warned, “Dai Mochi, listen carefully. Do not bully the Dragon Li cat. Watch it or I will spank you!”

Mochi shrunk his head back, avoiding Dr. Dai’s finger as much as possible and perfunctorily responding, “Meow meow, I will not bully, I promise.” Seeing that her cat was behaving himself, Dr. Dai stopped her glare and scratched the Dragon Li cat’s head before heading out. 

A-Li violently shook his head, raised his back paw and scratched the place touched by Dr. Dai. Mochi sat comfortably in a loaf, attempting to find a topic to provoke the other cat to talk. However, A-Li was determined not to talk to the irritating big cat. No matter how Mochi meowed, he refused to respond. 

Upon returning with the bag of medicine, Xin Qin gently stroked the back of the Dragon Li cat’s back as he asked. “Does it still hurt? We can go home in a minute.” The Dragon Li cat turned over and looked at him. Although he was a dirty cat, Xin Qin still found this cat to be a beauty. Oh, that was wrong. The doctor just confirmed that this Dragon Li cat was a male. A very handsome cat.  

A-Li raised his head and narrowed his eyes to focus on his human. Although he did not understand what the human was saying, he found it pleasant. He waved the tip of his tail and could not resist giving a sweet meow back. 

Watching them from above, Mochi meowed out in laughter. A-Li turned his head and glared at him in annoyance, but noticing his own action, he lowered his head again. Mochi watched the whole thing and called out, “Hey, little Dragon Li. Do you want to know what your human is saying?”

At first A-Li did not want to pay attention to the mean cat, but hearing this, he stood up unknowingly. “I could also understand him?”

“Of course.” Mochi showed that inexplicably proud look again. His golden eyes were full of laughter. “Tell me about yourself first and then I will tell you how to learn human language.” 

A-Li hesitated as his tail twitched. 

“Hey, if you don’t believe me, why don’t you go and inquire about it? No cat in Maochun City has not heard of this Dai Mochi. Although I have not got the wisdom of five cars, understanding human language is nothing too difficult.”

Dai Mochi spoke quickly, with a sharp and rapid voice. A-Li did not understand some of the words, but he understood the key point. Cats can learn to communicate with humans! The past A-Li might have been dismissive, but the current A-Li…He looked up at his human again. 

Xin Qin thought the Dragon Li cat had quickly made a new friend. He smiled and patted the cat’s head. “Mochi is the clinic’s mascot. We can come see him next time.” 

If only I could understand his words. 

A-Li raised his tail, looked up at Mochi with determination and meowed, “I want to learn. I want to be like you. Please tell me about this college you speak of!”

Mochi happily stood up, turned a few circles and exclaimed, “Okay! But it is late. Your human wants to take you back. I will be waiting for you here on your next visit.”

A-Li’s eyes squinted in joy as he sincerely replied, “Thank you.” 

“Not at all!” Mochi purred out a series of chuckles. “I love mentoring others!”

Xin Qin wrapped the Dragon Li cat again with the scarf, held the cat in his arms and bid goodbye to the clinic’s doctors and nurses. It was deep into the night as cold winds blew. Thousands of lights scattered into this windy night, like swaying stars. The cat in his arms suddenly purred, like a small heater. 

Xin Qin smiled. 

He had decided. He would raise a cat that completely belongs to him and only him.