Returning to Infancy with my Nemesis - Chapter 101
Time passed slowly but steadily, and as the end of their freshman year approached, Tang Mian and Fu Shizhao nervously sat beside their sister-in-law, gazing at her slightly swollen belly, feeling somewhat awkward.
Outside, snow was falling gently, while inside, the warm air from the heater created a cozy atmosphere.
“You can touch it. The baby kicked a little yesterday, but the movement was very gentle,” Jiang Tian smiled and said.
Tang Mian and Fu Shizhao exchanged a glance, still feeling hesitant.
Before they could make a move, Tang Sheng walked over and hugged his wife, skillfully pressing his ear against her belly.
She had been pregnant for more than four months now, adding a new joy to this year’s Chinese New Year celebration.
In the end, Tang Mian and Fu Shizhao gathered their courage and lightly touched their sister-in-law’s belly where the baby was nestled.
At four months, the baby’s movements were still not very active. They wondered what kind of baby they would see in another six months.
New life was truly miraculous, and for the two who had lived through a second chance, the feeling was even deeper.
If it weren’t for this new life, they wouldn’t have been able to experience such a heartwarming scene.
During the Chinese New Year, the nights were always lively. Taking advantage of a break in the snow, the two went for a stroll in the streets.
A long line of dragon dancers paraded from one end of the street to the other, and every tree was adorned with red lanterns, creating an atmosphere of lively reunion.
As they walked, they suddenly arrived at a familiar building.
It was their high school.
During the New Year period, there was no one in the school, and even the security guards were on holiday. The place was unusually quiet, with not a single footprint in the snow.
Just one year after graduating, the school hadn’t changed much.
Unfortunately, all the school gates were locked, so they couldn’t get inside…
Just as Tang Mian was about to hold Fu Shizhao’s hand and leave, Fu Shizhao suddenly smiled and said, “Follow me.”
Tang Mian, puzzled, was led by him to a small door. He watched as Fu Shizhao skillfully unlocked it with a metal key.
Suddenly, Tang Mian remembered that back in high school, before Fu Shizhao fell from grace, there was a time when he and Mu Zichen sneaked out of school together during evening self-study.
At that time, he thought it was Mu Zichen who had skipped class with Fu Shizhao. After all, Fu Shizhao had been nurtured by him since childhood and had always been “well-behaved,” so it was impossible for him to do such a thing. Looking back now, it should have been Fu Shizhao, this “troublemaker,” who influenced Mu Zichen.
“Let’s go in,” Fu Shizhao said calmly, his face devoid of any signs of embarrassment.
Tang Mian gave him a side glance and took his hand as they walked in.
It had been half a year since they last came here, and somehow, being here brought back a flood of emotions.
In two lifetimes, they had spent five or six years here, leaving behind countless memories. Even spending an entire day here wouldn’t be enough to revisit them all.
As they passed by the playground, Fu Shizhao suddenly let go of Tang Mian’s hand and ran a short distance away. He then walked back towards Tang Mian with an indifferent expression until he had passed by him completely.
Only then did he finally turn around, jogged back to Tang Mian, and asked, “Do I look like you from the last life?”
Tang Mian knew that Fu Shizhao was starting to “keep score” with him again, so he imitated Fu Shizhao’s actions from earlier and pretended to be the Fu Shizhao from the last life.
The ground of the school was covered in a thick layer of snow, and the two of them playfully reenacted scenes from their past lives amidst the chaos.
In the end, they smiled at each other, holding hands once again as they left footprints along the path.
It was already completely dark, and the streetlights in the school were not on. They wandered around the campus using their phone flashlights and the moonlight, but they didn’t dare to venture too deep into the darkness.
Tang Mian was somewhat afraid of the dark, although having Fu Shizhao with him eased much of that fear. But even Fu Shizhao didn’t want to keep him in a fearful environment for too long.
After a while, they decided to head back the way they came.
But just then, a soft and gentle sound suddenly caught their attention in the quiet winter night.
“Meow…”
In the tranquil night, the sound easily attracted the attention of the two.
“Mew…”
The calling sound continued, showing no signs of stopping, and each cry seemed to become more urgent, as if afraid that they would leave.
The two exchanged a glance and quickly followed the sound to its source.
Finally, in a corner of the hallway, they found a kitten.
It was a little tabby cat, probably only about a month old, palm-sized, and stumbling as it walked, probably from the cold.
There were no other cats or even larger animals in sight, just this one, all alone, huddled here.
Every winter is a grand farewell to life and death for stray animals.
Tang Mian carefully cradled it in his hands, clasping them together to share his body heat.
The kitten trembled in his palms, but didn’t struggle. It even curled its tail into the warmth of his hands.
Fu Shizhao took off his scarf and offered it for the kitten to rest on.
The kitten stopped crying and simply looked at them with its wet eyes, seeming to trust that they were good people who wouldn’t harm it. It greedily absorbed the warmth from within the scarf.
They hurriedly took the kitten home, not lingering outside any longer.
There was an old cage left over from Cotton Candy, who was now an old cat and was leisurely napping beside their parents on the sofa. Cotton Candy opened its eyes and flicked its tail upon hearing their return.
Since the kitten hadn’t been examined yet, they didn’t dare to interact with Cotton Candy too much, they just quickly explained it to their parents about where the kitten came from before heading upstairs.
Tang Mian held the kitten while Fu Shizhao carried the cage and some basic cat supplies.
Since it was the Lunar New Year, almost all the shops outside were closed, including the pet stores. They would have to wait until after the holiday for the pet stores to reopen and take the kitten for a series of health checks.
They prepared a bowl of warm goat’s milk for the kitten and placed it in the cage.
The kitten immediately sniffed the scent and eagerly lapped it up, seeming very hungry, both ears twitching vigorously.
Tang Mian reached out to touch the kitten’s belly.
It was indeed sunken, indicating it hadn’t eaten for a while.
Luckily, its body temperature had risen, and it wasn’t trembling anymore.
“Let’s keep it,” Tang Mian said.
Fu Shizhao nodded.
Since they had encountered it, it must have been fate, and now that they had brought it back, this little kitten seemed to have a good personality, and they couldn’t bear to send it away again.
The two of them took care of the kitten on the second floor until the end of the Lunar New Year, when they took it to the pet store for a full check-up. After cleaning its fur and giving it a series of intermittent deworming vaccines, they brought it back home, clean and healthy.
The kitten was in good health, aside from some malnutrition, there was nothing major wrong with it, and a little extra nutrition would fix that.
However, Cotton Candy didn’t get along well with it. Every time the kitten approached with its paws raised, Cotton Candy would run away, ignoring it.
As Cotton Candy had grown older, it preferred to stay by someone’s side or with Snowball, and wasn’t as active as before.
They didn’t let the kitten “disturb” Cotton Candy too much, always keeping it in the second-floor room, afraid of making Cotton Candy jealous.
After all, when Tang Mian and Fu Shizhao came back from the cat café in the past, Cotton Candy would sniff around them for a long time, and whenever friends’ cats or dogs came over, Cotton Candy would always attack them, regardless of their size or breed.
This time, Cotton Candy didn’t do anything to the kitten, just quietly watched them from the sidelines.
Although he didn’t want to face it, Tang Mian knew that Cotton Candy and Snowball were nearing the end of their time with them.
Ever since their first meeting in childhood, this day was destined to come.
They must have realized it too, which was why they were unusually quiet.
Tang Mian couldn’t help but feel a lingering sadness. He hugged Cotton Candy to his lap and gently groomed its fur, just like before, taking advantage of the winter break to spend more time with it at home.
He couldn’t take Cotton Candy with him; after all, this was where it had lived for over a decade, and his parents needed its company too.
Fu Shizhao noticed something was wrong with him, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he secretly contacted their foster father and had him bring Snowball over.
When Snowball arrived, Cotton Candy’s ears perked up, and it let out a “meow” toward Snowball, who dashed straight over, as if it were their first meeting all over again.
Not long after, while there was still some winter break left and before their budget was depleted, Cotton Candy suddenly brought home another kitten.
The yard at home was large, and Cotton Candy had unrestricted movement, but the perimeter was sealed off, so it couldn’t leave, ensuring its safety.
The new kitten was also pure white, but with short fur, not as fluffy as Cotton Candy’s.
Similar in age to the kitten they had found on campus, they were both about a month old.
Cotton Candy carried the kitten by the nape of its neck to them, placed it down, licked its fur once, then tilted its head back and let out a “meow.”
Tang Mian’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
Cotton Candy had been neutered when it first went into heat by their parents, so it couldn’t have kittens.
Cotton Candy had been pampered and raised by them since it was young, and was a proud and dignified cat. Sensing that its time was running out, it had found a new kitten that looked just like it to accompany them.
If Cotton Candy could speak, it would probably say—
“Get rid of that ugly thing. I’ve found you a beautiful kitten, though not as beautiful as me, and its fur is too short, but it’ll do.”
Even in the world of cats, the more colors the fur had, the more beautiful it was considered, but in Cotton Candy’s world, it was the most beautiful.
Tang Mian decided to keep the little white kitten and took care of it along with the little tabby.
The two kittens got along very well, sleeping together every day, grooming each other, and sharing the same toys.
Cotton Candy always watched the two kittens quietly with its tail raised high, perhaps thinking—how dare this little yellow fur be with my beautiful daughter. [fuming.jpg]
Tang Mian and Fu Shizhao named them together.
The tabby was named Chu Yi, and the white kitten was named Chu Shi. [T/N: Chu Yi = 1st day, Chu Shi= 10th day]
These names were based on the dates they first met.
Names, once given, forged unbreakable bonds.
Just like Cotton Candy and Snowball.
Closing their eyes, they could recall many memories simply by thinking of these two names.
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