Christmas Special – The Cat

2

This Christmas, Xiang Ning had planned to travel to Europe with He Rong, but they had already booked their tickets when their cat suddenly fell ill.

Lao San started vomiting early in the morning. Xiang Ning couldn’t figure out the cause, so he sent a message to He Rong and took the cat to the hospital. Lao San was listless and vomited twice on the way, making Xiang Ning even more anxious. The driver sped as fast as possible, and as soon as they arrived, Xiang Ning rushed into the hospital with the carrier.

After an X-ray, the doctor pointed to the stomach and said, “See that? There’s a piece of string. Do you know when it was eaten?”

Xiang Ning frowned, stroking Lao San’s head. “He was fine last night. He started vomiting at nine this morning. I don’t know where he got the string from.”

“Let’s induce vomiting.” The doctor prescribed some medicine, and the nurse administered it. Fortunately, after a round of vomiting, the string came out. Xiang Ning, feeling heartbroken, stroked the listless Lao San until it regained some energy before taking it home.

After this incident, Xiang Ning refused to leave the three cats behind for the trip, even though there was an aunt to take care of them. He just couldn’t feel at ease without seeing them. He Rong didn’t say anything, canceled the tickets, and when they got home, he comforted Lao San while holding Xiang Ning on his lap, whispering softly,

“Don’t blame yourself, okay?”

Xiang Ning sat on his lap, too preoccupied to feel embarrassed, just lowering his head and picking at his fingers. He Rong stroked his soft hair and continued, “It’s all over now. Lao San is strong and didn’t suffer too much. Just be more careful next time and keep the string out of reach.”

Xiang Ning nodded, but his mood remained low.

Lao San seemed to sense his feelings and meowed, rubbing against his legs. He Rong picked him up and placed him in Xiang Ning’s arms. “Maybe Lao San scolding you will make you feel better?”

Lao San obligingly circled around in Xiang Ning’s arms, meowed a couple of times, and then jumped out. He Rong pinched Xiang Ning’s nose and asked, “Feeling better?”

Xiang Ning laughed, but his mood was still low. He smiled slightly and tried to get up. He Rong, however, tightened his arms and kissed his forehead. “I’ll let you go when you smile.”

Xiang Ning rolled his eyes, grabbing his ears to force him to back off. “Let me go.”

He Rong hissed, letting go. Xiang Ning immediately sprang up, scooped up Lao San, and quickly entered the bedroom. He Rong chuckled, took a box from his pocket, and placed it at the bedroom door before going to the study to work.

Snowflakes began to fall outside. Xiang Ning woke up in the middle of the night to find the bed empty. He went out and saw a faint light under the study door. He quietly pushed it open and found He Rong had fallen asleep from exhaustion. He sighed, covered He Rong with a blanket, and left only a desk lamp on.

Outside, a layer of snow had settled. Xiang Ning quietly kissed He Rong and closed the door. He saw the three cats had been woken up and were meowing. He put a finger to his lips, shushing them, and stroked each of their heads, whispering, “Don’t wake Dad up, okay?”