Cultivating Immortality by Raising a Cat (GL) Chapter 58

On an early summer night, a light breeze slowly scattered the warmth of the day. At this hour, there was even a faint chill in the air.
Lin Mianmian carried the hot water into the room to bathe. The courtyard, which was usually full of little animals squeezing and rubbing against each other, now looked a little lonely after all the bustle.
A-Bai glanced at the plump yellow cat curled under the corridor, rubbed her paws together, and hopped onto the cat climbing frame in the courtyard.
What was so fun about this kind of thing, where one could only jump up and down?
While no one was around, A-Bai jumped back and forth on the cat climbing frame once. Then, losing interest, she hopped back to the ground.
So boring.
A-Bai could not help turning her gaze back to the only cat left in the courtyard, the yellow one.
Speaking of this, Yuan Zhaoyang’s taste really had problems. Even if she wanted to find a cat to pretend to be in love, showing Lin Mianmian an independent side that might leave at any time so Lin would be prepared for separation, there had clearly been so many cats nearby to choose from. How had she chosen this yellow one that was almost fat enough to be round? And Lin Mianmian had actually believed it.
A cat demon with questionable taste and a girl madly devoted to cats. They were honestly rather well matched.
Thinking about it, the past half a year or so had, more or less, made up for that time back when Yuan Zhaoyang had still been a little milk cat, short on food, clothing, and care. But Lin Mianmian’s true feelings had not exactly been thrown away for nothing either. That Ice-Glass Illusion Fruit was worth at least fifty high-grade spirit stones.
When she thought of it like this, it was hard to say who owed whom during this stretch of time.
A-Bai only hoped that after Lin Mianmian successfully drew spiritual energy into her body this time, Yuan Zhaoyang could smoothly form her core too. Then this cat-raising scam would have a perfect ending.
Under the night sky, a little rabbit smoothed the fur on her ears while letting her thoughts wander everywhere. She could not help feeling that she really was a good rabbit who worried over people, cats, and the whole world.
Inside the room, Lin Mianmian did not care that she was still wet and sticky. After heating the water, she first prepared a basin of warm water for the little calico.
The calico looked at Lin Mianmian, shook out her fur, and, without waiting for anyone to urge her, walked gracefully into the basin. She settled down until her whole body was soaked in the warm water, with only her cat head left above the surface.
After so many months, Lin Mianmian had long since understood her little calico’s strange points of shyness and stubbornness.
For example, bathing the cat. The first time, Lin Mianmian had not understood the situation. The moment she reached out, she was beaten for it and splashed in the face with water. After that, Lin Mianmian learned her lesson. She only needed to provide bathwater. Every time, the little calico would obediently enter the basin and soak herself. When she was done, she would even use her paws to rub her fur. She was so smart it was almost unreasonable.
There was no special pet shampoo here. There was only some saponin powder for people, and some simple soap-like little blocks. They were a little rough. Even people felt dry after using them. Lin Mianmian worried that if she used them on the little calico, the cat might lose fur, or suffer some other harm. So she had never used them. She only heated water on fine days and let the little calico soak by herself.
Fortunately, the little calico loved being clean. Most of the time, she obediently stayed on the bed. Even if she did not bathe, she looked very clean. After soaking in warm water every now and then, she always smelled sweet and never stank.
Lin Mianmian really had not expected that right before the little calico was about to be sent away, she would end up stinking.
Lin Mianmian crouched down and gently stroked the soft fur on the little calico’s head. “I dragged you into smelling bad today. Should I add a little saponin powder and help you scrub? Otherwise, tomorrow, when you reach… your new home, it won’t be good if your first impression is being stinky.”
The calico soaking in the basin lifted her head. She saw Lin Mianmian’s serious, gentle gaze, mixed with some hard-to-name reluctance and sadness.
It was only the end of a lie. Why did she have to look like that?
Yuan Zhaoyang felt a dull, blocked ache in her heart. Without realizing it, she turned her eyes away and stopped meeting Lin Mianmian’s gaze.
“I’ll take that as agreement.” Lin Mianmian rubbed the little calico’s head, feeling quite moved. “I can finally help my little Rice Ball bathe.”
Little rabbit, well done!
Wait… who agreed?
And what was with that tone of yours, sad but a little eager?
Yuan Zhaoyang gave a start and stood up in the water basin, but all she saw was Lin Mianmian’s back as she went to get the saponin powder.
So this was the rhythm of having one last great battle before parting?
In the courtyard, A-Bai had grown bored waiting. She had taken several skewers from her golden bell and was gnawing on them. Before she finished even one chicken wing skewer, Yuan Zhaoyang’s voice transmission arrived.
For the sake of ten bowls of small wontons…
A-Bai silently added a note to Yuan Zhaoyang’s debt, put the unfinished skewers back into the golden bell, and wiped her mouth.
Lin Mianmian had just picked up the saponin powder when she heard a knock on the door.
“A-Bai? We’re not done washing yet. Wait a little longer. Oh, right, there are some bean buns in the kitchen. Senior Sister Zihui sent them over with the ingredients last time. Xiong Lanlan made them. If you’re bored, you can go eat some first.”
As Lin Mianmian spoke, she turned to walk back toward the calico.
Bean buns made by Xiong Lanlan. A-Bai, who was knocking on the door, paused midair with one paw. She thought back for a moment. Yes, she had eaten those before. They seemed pretty good.
In that instant, the bid from inside rose to fifteen bowls of small wontons through voice transmission.
What was the rush? It was not as if she had said she would give up rescuing Yuan for bean buns. In Yuan Zhaoyang’s heart, was she the kind of rabbit who only knew how to eat and did not know what friendship was?
A-Bai complained in her heart, but somehow, her knocking slowed a little.
In just a few breaths, the bid climbed to thirty bowls of small wontons.
A-Bai knew when to stop. She slapped the door at storm speed and added her voice. “Mianmian, I just remembered. I have something that removes stink. One sprinkle and it works. Come get some.”
Lin Mianmian, who was already on her way to open the door, quickened her steps.
The door opened.
The calico lying in the warm water basin softly let out a breath.
“Here.” A-Bai patted a bottle out of the golden bell. “Sprinkle some on you and your cat. A little is enough.”
“What is this?” Lin Mianmian pulled out the stopper and smelled it. There was a faint bamboo fragrance. It looked like water.
“A Hundred-Clear Solution for removing odors. I made it for fun. You can drip two drops into your bath basin, soak casually, and the smell will be gone.” A-Bai’s eyes turned, as if she had only just seen what Lin Mianmian held. “Huh, is that saponin powder? If you use the Hundred-Clear Solution, you don’t need that. That stuff causes shedding, especially after rubbing.”
As she spoke, A-Bai seemed afraid Lin Mianmian would not understand. She lifted her left paw and tapped the fur on her right paw.
Yuan Zhaoyang was speechless.
She only wanted to ask: couldn’t A-Bai just repeat the words Yuan had transmitted to her? Every time A-Bai added a line on her own, did she not feel it was abrupt and easy to suspect?
Lin Mianmian looked back at the calico, then turned to look at A-Bai. “This…”
Yuan Zhaoyang was speechless again.
See? Wasn’t that suspicious? Why mention shedding for no reason? And why specially say “after rubbing”? Fine. So was she exposed now?
“This… practice really does bring true knowledge.” Lin Mianmian sighed. “A-Bai, it must not be easy for you. So rabbit demons need baths too.”
Yuan Zhaoyang had nothing to say.
A-Bai said, “Cat fanatic, you really can do it.”
She had happily brought the Hundred-Clear Solution to save the cat, only to feel completely extra. What was this?
“Is this bottle expensive?” Lin Mianmian asked seriously. “Can you let me put it on credit and give me the whole bottle? I can have little Rice Ball take it with her. Then she won’t have to fear losing fur in the future.”
A-Bai looked at Lin Mianmian, then at Yuan Zhaoyang, and suddenly felt very tired.
No matter what, with A-Bai’s help, the calico finally avoided the fate of being scrubbed by Lin Mianmian. After soaking in the Hundred-Clear Solution, Lin Mianmian and the calico no longer smelled at all. They even carried a faint bamboo fragrance. They smelled simply wonderful.
A-Bai could not help showing off to Yuan Zhaoyang. “See? The things I carry are useful after all. You said you wanted something to remove odors, and I had something to remove odors. Let’s see if you still say I always tinker blindly and neglect proper work.”
Yuan Zhaoyang, who was being wrapped in a big towel and wiped again and again by Lin Mianmian, gave her a look that saw through everything. “I asked you for it because I knew you had it. Did you think that every time you secretly ate something and came back after wiping yourself with this, I knew nothing?”
A-Bai froze. “Then why did you never say so?”
“Knowing things by scent is convenient. Why expose it?”
Yuan Zhaoyang lazily stretched a paw in Lin Mianmian’s arms. Lin Mianmian quickly wrapped the wet paw in the towel.
“No wonder! No wonder every time I secretly ate something and came back, you always found an excuse to stuff me with things from Qingxin Hall! I thought I had tricked you every time, and I even felt a little guilty, so I ate all of it!” A-Bai pointed angrily at Yuan Zhaoyang. “You scheming cat!”
“A-Bai, earlier you said you sent all those little animals to places farther from the Five Elements Sect and found kind people to raise them. Then tomorrow, what kind of household do you think would be better for Rice Ball and Fried Dough?”
Lin Mianmian was carefully drying the little calico through the towel, her eyes full of love for her little cat. She did not notice that the little white rabbit had already started fighting with the little calico.
“Speaking of this, I keep feeling uneasy. What if the new family doesn’t treat Rice Ball well? What if they like her less and less as they raise her? Then what will my little Rice Ball do?”
This cat who tricked rabbits into eating plain boiled meat would never be liked by anyone!
Still angry, A-Bai heard Lin Mianmian ask this and let out a cold laugh. “I plan to send her to a family that runs a restaurant. That kind of family needs cats most to catch mice. She can eat mice every day and save her new owner money on food. Naturally, the new owner will like her.”
Lin Mianmian looked at the little white rabbit in shock. After a long while, she stammered, “You… you’re joking… right?”
Of course A-Bai was not joking. If she really could send this awful fellow away, she would send Yuan to the harshest restaurant family possible and let her try eating strange things every day.
A-Bai puffed out her angry cheeks and was just about to keep going when Yuan Zhaoyang’s voice transmission arrived in time.
“You really scared her. Extra dishes. Stop scaring her.”
A-Bai stared at Lin Mianmian. The person before her was a girl of thirteen or fourteen, not yet fully grown. Her eyes were wide and filled with fright. Her little face had gone pale, and with her half-loose hair still wet and dripping, she looked truly pitiful and miserable.
Tch. If you have time to wipe the cat again and again, why not spend some time drying your own hair first?
“Cough…” A-Bai had not expected that her angry complaint about Yuan Zhaoyang would frighten Lin Mianmian. She grew a little awkward and turned her face away. “Of course I was joking.”
But Lin Mianmian did not relax just like that.
Originally, she had wanted to keep the little calico in the outer valley. She had not expected so many things to go wrong. Now she had no choice but to find the little calico another owner. Ever since matters had developed this way, Lin Mianmian had been deeply worried about the little calico’s future. After being frightened by A-Bai, she felt even more uneasy.
Even though A-Bai then described many households that all sounded like fairly good choices, Lin Mianmian still felt unsettled.
A-Bai, who had accidentally made Lin Mianmian shrink back again, began to panic. Even though she did not want to bow her head to that annoying cat, she now had no choice but to send Yuan Zhaoyang a look for help.
While A-Bai and Lin Mianmian were talking, Yuan Zhaoyang had thought about many things too.
Compared to A-Bai, who could only judge Lin Mianmian’s thoughts from her tone, Yuan Zhaoyang, whose fur was being rubbed dry, could more directly feel the rise and fall of Lin Mianmian’s emotions.
After considering it for a long while, Yuan Zhaoyang sent A-Bai a voice transmission with her own suggestion.