Extra 5: A new Family Member
Yu Qinghuan adopted a little ginger cat.
One night when he came back from filming, he happened to meet this little creature. Being hit by a car, the kitten lied on the side of the road with a pool of blood beside it, looked like it was going to die.
Fortunately, Yu Qinghuan was a slow driver. Seeing the poor creature at first glance, he had no hesitation and rushed to take it to the hospital.
The kitten, however, left with only three legs after the serious injury even if it had been treated in time. Such a disabled stray cat would not be accepted by pet shops and few people were willing to adopt it.
It was a living creature, after all, Yu Qinghuan thought in his heart. Feeling he didn't have the heart to abandon the little kitten, he took it home. The day he found the cat was the sixteenth, so he named it 'sixteenth'.
Yu Qinghuan at first thought that stray cat would more or less act wildly when it was first taken to the home, so he had been ready for it. However, Sixteenth turned out to be a very gentle boy.
The cat was at ease at home. He rubbed up and down on Qinghuan lovingly every day, cute and clingy.
Huo Qu had no problem with the new member of their family, but he kept an alert eye on his two precious fish every day. When at home, he would keep the fish at hand, and when absent, he would lock the fish tank in the secondary bedroom for fear that they would become the relish of Sixteenth.
In fact, the kitten had no interest in those two fish. Yu Qinghuan doted on it very much. He usually not only gave it cans of various flavors but also took time to make cat food every week. One month after coming home, Sixteenth had grown double in weight.
Yu Qinghuan and Huo Qu had to work. So the two owners were not at home during the day. Worrying about Sixteenth, Yu Qinghuan installed video surveillance. During the breaks of filming, he could always take out his mobile phone to see the situation.
Sixteen had good characters. When it first came home, although unfamiliar with Yu Qinghuan, it did not show his claws to him.
After getting acquainted with Qinghuan, the kitten became more intimate to his owner. Every evening, once Yu Qinghuan didn't come back early, he would crouch by the door and waited all the time.
When he saw this scene on the mobile phone, Yu Qinghuan was so moved that he awarded an extra can to the cat when he went back that day.
With the coming of a cat to the family, not only Yu Qinghuan's responsibilities had become heavier, but also Huo Qu's household chores had become more. Huo Qu was a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. Since Sixteenth had much longer fur than ordinary cats, the season of fur loss was a disaster, making Huo Qu mop the floor several times longer. Yu Qinghuan felt very guilty and wanted to help him share some housework, but Huo Qu refused.
"You are already very tired." Huo Qu bowed his head and kissed him, twisting the cat fur collected from the ground into a small round ball. He revealed the dimples on his cheek, thinking secretly that Qinghuan could not mop the floor cleanly.
Yu Qinghuan was deeply moved by Huo Qu's words. He had originally agreed with Yu Xin to receive an advertisement, but he pushed off to set aside time for Huo Qu.
With each day passing, Sixteenth had become much bigger. When it weighed more than 8 kg, Yu Qinghuan felt something was wrong. In the beginning, he actually did not think much, after all, 'nine out of ten ginger cats were fat, and one crushed the bed'.
He only thought that maybe his inborn luck made him get the one that could crush the bed.
However, when Sixteenth was over 10 kg, Yu Qinghuan finally realized that something was wrong. Fearing that his cat would have physical problems for overweight, he rushed with it to the pet hospital. The result of this examination stated that Sixteenth was not an ordinary ginger cat, but a Maine cat, who could grow over 30kg!
Looking at the information on the inspection list and at Sixteenth rubbing his hand, Yu Qinghuan fell into a long silence.
A ginger cat that could grow to 30 kg? He thought it was time to take another advertisement.
Huo Qu had no special feeling for small animals, but he got along well with Sixteenth. It wasn't snobbery like ordinary cats but enjoyed staying with people like dogs. Even if Huo Qu did not pay much attention to him, it could still enjoy itself beside Huo Qu. When tired of playing, it would find a comfortable position or nested on Huo Qu's legs to sleep.
Qinghuan had to live with the film crew during filming, so the task of taking care of Sixteenth fell entirely to Huo Qu. During this period, the cat could not enjoy his father's loving feeding, but his dad Huo Qu controlled the time much more accurately than Yu Qinghuan, and could always feed him canned food as soon as he felt hungry. One person and one cat got along very harmoniously.
But, when Yu Qinghuan was not at home, the two always felt spiritless. Huo Qu would count the calendar while Sixteenth squatted at the door for longer.
The day Yu Qinghuan came back happened to be Saturday. Huo Qu got up early, got dressed and sat on the sofa, looking at the door. Sixteenth, as if felt something, jumped down from Huo Qu legs and walked up and down by the door. When Yu QingHuan opened the door, he almost stepped on its furry little claws.
"Are you waiting for me?" Yu Qinghuan put aside the suitcase. Without changing his shoes, he stretched out his hands and put Sixteenth into his arms and rubbed his pet. When he looked up, he found Huo Qu stared at him with bitterness.
Yu Qinghuan, "…"
He took off his shoes and walked over bare feet, carrying Sixteenth. He hit Huo Qu lightly with his shoulder and asked him intentionally, "What? Aren't you glad to see me?"
Huo Qu just held out his hands and held both of them into his arms.
Sixteenth was very cooperative and didn't move being held by them in the middle. Its fluffy big tail kept sweeping across Yu Qinghuan's arm, and occasionally Huo Qu's chin.
"One month and three days." Huo Qu buried his head in Qinghuan's neck and rubbed it again and again. With Sixteenth in their middle, he did not dare to hold Qinghuan with too much force. He said with a grievance, "I haven't seen you for so long." After a pause, he added, "And you turned to Sixteenth rather than me when you came home."
This man was jealous because of a little kitten! Yu Qinghuan reluctantly put the cat on the sofa, raised his head and kissed Huo Qu's lips. His voice contained joy that could not be concealed, "Then next time you run in front of Sixteenth, I will be the first to hug you."
The two made out for a while. Yu Qinghuan sat comfortably on the sofa, leaning against Huo Qu, with Sixteenth squatting on his legs, "What do you want for dinner?"
Huo Qu didn't speak. Hearing the word "eat", Sixteenth immediately jumped up, a pair of beautiful big eyes twinkled at Yu Qinghuan with expectation.
Yu Qinghuan realized that both Huo Qu and his dear pet had not tasted his cooking for a long time.
"How about chicken tonight?" The legs with skin and the tender breast could be given to Sixteenth, and the rest could be made into a braised chicken.
Huo Qu was not fussy about what he ate, he only cared about who he ate with. Hearing this, he immediately nodded, "Okay."
Yu Qinghuan went into the kitchen to cook. The other two circled around him. When he turned around, he either nearly stepped on Sixteenth or bumped into Huo Qu.
Yu Qinghuan rolled up his sleeves and turned to Huo Qu helplessly, "Take him out, don't delay my work." When the words fell, he was hugged by Huo Qu from behind. He was taller than Yu Qinghuan so he had to bow slightly with his chin happened to rub against Yu Qinghuan's ear, making him feel itchy.
Yu Qinghuan uncovered the pan, the smell of chicken made Sixteenth already could not wait. He 'meowed' and rubbed Yu Qinghuan's calf, trying to shine up to him.
"Have a taste?" Yu Qinghuan scooped up some soup with a shovel and handled it to Huo Qu after cooling it down. Huo Qu turned to avoid and kissed Qinghuan's lips when he was off guard.
"The soup spilled!" Yu Qinghuan tried his best to maintain the balance, gasping for breath. "I'll clean it up," Huo Qu replied in a low voice but deepened the kiss. These two were really troublemakers in the kitchen.
After the kiss, Yu Qinghuan drove them all out. Huo Qu did not dare to disobey, so he left to clean up Sixteen's long fur back and forth in the living room. As a cat, Sixteenth had good patience, it would not get angry even if the dinner was kept afar. The cat ran Huo Qu's mop with round claws scratching around.
Huo Qu carried Sixteenth to the sofa, but it jumped down again, completely without idea how many troubles he had caused for Huo Qu. Until Yu Qinghuan accidentally opened a small crack in the kitchen door, Sixteenth immediately ignored Huo Qu, dragging a big tail jumped into the kitchen.
Huo Qu, "…"
Huo Qu went to the bedroom expressionless with Qinghuan's suitcase to help him put his clothes. Yu Qinghuan cooked quickly. Half an hour later, the cat food and their supper were all ready.
Looking at the impatient Sixteenth stare at the cooking table with stretching legs, Yu Qinghuan smiled and touched its hairy head, "Go, call your dad to come over for dinner."
Sixteenth was like a stone, unmoved. His eyes were full of eagerness fixing on the plate of steamed chicken, which had been crushed to the pieces.
"Come on," Yu Qinghuan pushed it, unmoved by its soft 'meows'. Sixteenth dawdle for a while. Realizing the food was out of his touch, it could only reluctantly stepped with cat steps to the master bedroom.
Huo Qu had just packed the suitcase and was about to go out when he met Sixteenth who jumped in. Sixteen looked up at him, meowing. The cat was equal to the meal bell. This was a common rule in their home. Huo Qu understood its meaning instantly, bowed his head and said, "Good boy", and then entered the restaurant with the cat.
Yu Qinghuan had set the meal and the cat bowl was full of chicken. Sixteenth pounced on it, meowing and beginning to eat.
Yu Qinghuan smiled and pushed the rice bowl to Huo Qu, "Here you are."
Huo Qu pulled the chair to Qinghuan's side and sat down.
It was another winter, the cold wind howled outside, but the room was warm. Yu Qinghuan and Huo Qu had known each other for four years. The days went on so gently, but they remained the same as four years ago.
He was still too lazy to deal with housework, while Huo Qu was still poor at using chopsticks. However, they had a small family of their own, and their trophies and marriage certificates were placed in the most important place in the house. They also had a cat. In the future, they would have more love for each other over time.
The fresh and tender chicken satisfied their appetite properly, and Yu Qinghuan narrowed his eyes with satisfaction. Warm yellow lights poured down from his head. At his feet, shiny furry Sixteenth was eating while his favorite person was sitting next to him.
In this life, he became the one he wanted to be.