Chu Tingwu turned off the alarm clock.
She opened her eyes, lying in bed, took two deep breaths, and then said, "The cat you simulated is quite clever, it even knows how to argue with me."
System: "Hehe..."
Chu Tingwu: I'm not complimenting you!
The panel in front of her clearly displayed Chu Tingwu's achievements from last night—
[Cat Language: lv3]
[Balance Ability: lv3]
[Jumping Ability: lv2]
Arguing with a cat is too childish.
She still chose to argue with the cat.
Cats aren't actually talkative creatures. Rather than language, they usually communicate more with body language—
When Chu Tingwu's skill upgraded to lv3, she basically mastered all cat dialogue languages. Advanced skills must combine expressions, body language, and scents to express richer content.
She even learned a local cat dialect for insulting other cats, which was very layered and could really provoke cats. No cat could resist it... but because of the system's design, they couldn't appear on her exercise route, so Chu Tingwu often argued with those virtual cats while hanging in mid-air avoiding capture nets.
Actually... it was quite stress-relieving.
After mastering it, she could "meow" a long sentence without thinking, conveying her thoughts to those cats in the dream course. This was probably the effect of the lv3 skill.
The balance ability advanced faster than the jumping ability. She guessed it might be because the environment itself limited practice—
Although cats are suitable for indoor living, a more complex and spacious environment can also raise cats that are better at parkour.
After practicing in the dream classroom, she could actually perform those movements in reality... but in reality, there were no big cats to support her when she made mistakes.
Chu Tingwu asked the system, but the system only said gently:
"You can judge for yourself how to do it, but I suggest you progress step by step."
It seemed to believe that she could become an excellent little cat, just temporarily unfamiliar with her own power.
After some thought, Chu Tingwu stood in the courtyard, took off her shoes again, and let her bare feet naturally touch the cool bluestone ground.
Facing the second floor, she leaped up suddenly, her body relaxed and stretched as she rose into the air. Almost the next second, her feet touched the soil on the roof. She landed on her forepaws, very steadily, without wobbling or feeling any pain.
The second floor was originally an attic, half of which was turned into a garden, and the other half was converted into a small badminton court. A broken shuttlecock was stuffed in the cracks of the garden soil. The flowers had withered, but the wind blew, making Chu Tingwu's hair flutter.
She picked up the shuttlecock, then jumped from the roof to the wall, and then back to the ground from the wall.
It could still be used after washing.
-
Today, Chu Tingwu didn't ride her bicycle but jogged to the Little Sun Rescue House.
Considering it was her first day, it might be better to have someone familiar show her around, so Hang Ling waited for her at the rescue house.
"We have rescued thirteen adult cats and twenty-six kittens here. Kittens are much easier to adopt out than adult cats."
"Do you know why? When kittens are just two weeks old, if they interact more with people and are taught how to live with humans, they become cats with 'cat manners', more suitable for adoption. But if adult cats have been stray since birth, rather than being abandoned pets, they're already used to outdoor life and are more aggressive. It's better for them to be released back to the wild."
Hang Ling led Chu Tingwu into the rooms where the kittens and adult cats lived. The kittens would meow softly, while the adult cats, if you didn't approach them, would just huddle in the corners of their cages, observing the newcomer, very aloof, not saying a word.
But Chu Tingwu thought this was fine.
... Much easier to deal with than in the dream classroom.
Without Hang Ling's introduction, she could now actually discern by sight which of these cats were friendlier, just shy, and which were more fierce, disliking all approaching humans.
Hang Ling looked at Chu Tingwu, seemingly expecting her to meow a few times and produce some shocking effect, like turning all the unfriendly cats into affectionate and clingy ones.
However, she was disappointed. Chu Tingwu just looked around and then fixed her gaze on cage 355.
Among all the adult cats, only 355 suddenly stood up when Chu Tingwu appeared, pushing its head towards the cage door trying to get out.
"Don't rush, don't rush, I'll unlock it for you," Hang Ling approached 355, waved her hand to signal it to back off, then opened the cage wearing gloves. "Chu, can you put that collar on 355—"
The calico cat elegantly jumped to the ground, looked up at its large kitten, then bared its teeth slightly, making a calm calling sound.
Chu Tingwu meowed once in response, this call had no content, just expressing affection.
So when she crouched down, 355 obediently lay on her shoulder, and Chu Tingwu put the collar on it.
This collar had a tracking chip, after all, 355 was too smart. If let out of the cage, even though it was just to move around in the living room, it might still escape.
Hang Ling watched their interaction with some envy—after all, seeing a cat that dislikes her being affectionate with someone else still made her envious of this special constitution and cat-calling skill—then she beckoned Chu Tingwu to come out: "Lizi takes care of the kittens, Da Yu takes care of the adult cats. Usually, you don't need to go in, just take good care of 355, and it's best if you can help teach her how to use the litter box, how to eat at fixed locations and such... these still need some training, we'll help too."
"Then, you need to pour food for the cats in the living room, change the cat litter, and if they knock something over, help clean up, that's all. Just play with the cats during your time, it's okay to use your phone too."
Hang Ling called out to the cats in the living room. Compared to the rescued cats, they had obviously been trained, removing most of the stray cat habits, and then adopted by the staff and kept at the rescue house.
Hang Ling joked: "You're now a staff member too, and 355 is the cat you adopted, that's why she can come out of the cage."
Chu Tingwu: ... In the system's view, I'm the one being adopted.
There were four cats in the living room: an orange cat, a beautiful long-haired calico, a cow-patterned cat missing a front leg, and a short-haired calico that looked quite old and not in good spirits.
They all stayed high up, looking at Chu Tingwu with judging eyes, while 355 in Chu Tingwu's arms flicked its tail and arched its back somewhat impatiently.
Chu Tingwu didn't say anything.
The more you understand cat "language", the more you realize that internal communication among cats doesn't really need language.
System:
"Besides, no matter how much you imitate, you still smell like a kitten. They won't pay attention to you."
Chu Tingwu: Shut up.
She turned to ask Hang Ling: "I brought ingredients to make cat food. Can I make some for 355?"
Hang Ling hesitated for a moment: "We've never used the kitchen here... How about this, I'll take you across the street to borrow a kitchen, and help you check the cooking."
The rescue house was actually in a residential area. Being able to keep cats here meant they got along well with the nearby residents. Hang Ling quickly borrowed one—she was so agreeable, actually because the image of this little sister Chu Tingwu in her eyes was quite intriguing—
"Chu" said it was her first time raising a cat, yet she could soften a fierce stray mother cat into a house cat just by imitating kitten calls, not at all like a novice. Despite her young age, she had a very calm demeanor, sometimes even making Hang Ling a bit scared. She dressed simply but was actually quite wealthy, and there was no way to refuse adoption using the "underage" reason.
She always managed to tread right on the boundary between acceptance and rejection, making people can't help but wonder: What else don't I know about you?
Wonder how well she can make this cat food?
Hang Ling: "By the way, Chu, can I take a video of you making cat food?"
Chu Tingwu nodded, there was nothing to refuse about this.
The neighbor across from the rescue house was a college student who occasionally cooked. His family bought the house for him here. He had adopted a black cat from them, and sometimes when he overslept, he let the cat come over for food on its own. Now he readily lent out his kitchen. While Chu Tingwu was cooking, he squatted at the edge of the kitchen in his slippers, poking his head in to watch.
"Sister Hang, which is better for cats - homemade cat food or commercial cat food?" the college student asked.
"There's not much difference actually," Hang Ling said while filming a video. "Homemade cat food is certainly more refined, with fresh ingredients that cats like. But people buy commercial cat food for convenience. These days, even humans eat fast food. Not everyone has time to cook for their cats every day, but we can't say they don't love their cats just because they spent money on cat food."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but sniff the air.
It smelled delicious.
There seemed to be a lot of meat... Was that just how good cooked meat smelled?
Hang Ling and the college student both stared at Chu Tingwu's pot, watching as she calmly tore the meat into strips, added a small amount of seasoning, and continued to simmer it. She then chopped the vegetables on the side, steadily bringing the knife down on the cutting board amidst the rising white steam. With each chop on the board, the aroma from the pot seemed to become more enticing.
The college student quietly took a step back and wiped the corner of his mouth.
Hang Ling switched the hand holding her phone and couldn't help but lean closer to the pot.
"When will this be ready?"
Chu Tingwu lifted the lid and sniffed: "It can be served now to cool down."
Cats' tongues are sensitive to heat.
The college student raised his hand: "Um... cats are sensitive to heat, but I'm not really. How about I taste test it for the cats?"
He had seen all the ingredients go into the pot with his own eyes. What was wrong with cat food? It looked healthier than what he usually ate! The smell was so tempting, he was really curious about the taste!
As it was her home, Chu Tingwu, under Hang Ling's watchful eye, scooped a spoonful for him - about half a bowl - and gave Hang Ling half a spoonful. She then stirred the cat food with a spoon, making sure the temperature was just right: "I'll go feed 355."
When she looked up, both of them had already finished what was in their bowls.
Chu Tingwu: ==
Hang Ling: "The flavor is quite mild... but it's really tasty. It's chopped quite finely so it's easy to eat quickly."
The college student was straightforward: "I think the cats eat better than I do. Can I save a bit for my Jing Jing?"
His black cat, Jing Jing, was pacing back and forth outside the transparent kitchen door, trying to squeeze its head through the narrow gap, its paws making a scratching sound against the glass.
Chu Tingwu: "...Use a small bowl, otherwise 355 won't have enough to eat."
After dividing the food, she carried the bowl back to the rescue room, with Hang Ling following behind, filming with her phone. She watched as Chu Tingwu entered and immediately held the bowl high—
Just as Hang Ling was wondering why, she saw that the four cats in the living room - the tabby, the long-haired calico, the tuxedo, and the short-haired calico - all changed from their previous indifferent attitudes. They jumped down from the sofa, chairs, table, and cat food cabinet, gathering around Chu Tingwu's feet with meows. The tuxedo even stood up on its hind legs to paw at her pants, completely shameless.
355, arriving a step later with water still on its chin, growled impatiently and swatted the tuxedo down with one paw.
Hang Ling, who had been filming and laughing, now called out to the tuxedo's owner: "Lizi, come quickly and break up the fight—"
355 was quite fierce, and the tuxedo was very lively. She worried they might get too rough.
Just then, a yellow and white blur flashed before her eyes, causing her to let out a short "Ah!"
While the two humans were distracted by the quarreling cats, the lone orange tabby had somehow climbed onto the table and was now leaping towards the outstretched cat bowl. If it landed successfully, the bowl would certainly be knocked over, spilling cat food all over the floor.
...And they'd have to wash the cat too.
This half-second actually passed very quickly. Hang Ling could already imagine hearing the "bang" of the cat food spilling, but it didn't happen—
It was as if Chu Tingwu had taken half a step back before the orange tabby could pounce. Her left arm raised with extreme precision, effortlessly catching the overweight tabby by the neck, then supporting its hind legs and tucking it under her arm.
The formerly aggressive cat now only let out pleading "meow meow" sounds.
Next, Hang Ling saw her gently use her leg to separate the fighting cats. Just as Lizi came out, she grabbed the tuxedo by the scruff of its neck, lifted it up and gave it a little shake before putting it back down. The tuxedo stood dazed for a second, then ran back to the sofa with its tail tucked in.
Finally, facing the two calicos trying to approach, Chu Tingwu gently bared her teeth and made a purr-like short sound from her throat.
All four cats lay down, licking their lips. She put the bowl down, allowing 355 to eat.
When Lizi, the tuxedo's owner, came out, she only saw the tortoiseshell cat numbered 355 eating contentedly, while the other four cats... were gathered around the new little sister, licking her fingers.
Lizi: "Weren't they fighting? What are you filming?"
"Shh," Hang Ling continued to squat, "I'm filming material that could go viral!"
