Cat Demon Raising Manual - Chapter 9

Sunflower Community sounded like a standard residential area, but it was actually a cluster of self-built rural houses. Wan Jinhua had bought a two-story western-style house years ago, a common style among local residents in the town, affordable and aesthetically pleasing. Perhaps due to Wan Jinhua’s foresight, Mingxi High School relocated nearby not long after, and the area grew increasingly lively, complete with all necessary public facilities.

As a small city, it lacked the exclusivity of more developed regions, and the locals were warm and simple. Wan Jinhua often strolled around the square, where she found like-minded friends and quickly blended in with the longtime residents.

The elderly woman had lived a relatively easy life. Aside from her husband passing away early and her son and daughter-in-law dying unexpectedly, she had always found joy in her own way. Unlike some who grew older without gaining wisdom, she was well aware of her relatives’ indifference and selfishness. Before they could react, she took her savings and fled with her only beloved granddaughter, Wu Wei.

With money, leisure, and a clever granddaughter, life was good.

Her little western-style house was full of life. One section of the yard was a vegetable patch, another a garden, while the second-floor balcony was adorned with pots of succulents. The walls were draped with vibrant roses.

Wan Jinhua glanced at the wall clock, it was already six. In the past, her dear granddaughter would have been home long ago.

The ticking of the second hand echoed annoyingly in the empty living room. Just as Wan Jinhua couldn’t take it anymore and stood up, she heard her granddaughter’s cheerful voice outside the door.

“Grandma, I’m home!”

Wan Jinhua’s lips curved into a smile as she hurried to greet her granddaughter, but her attention was immediately captured by a little creature.

“Where did you find such a pretty furball? So adorable!” In an instant, Wan Jinhua forgot all about her treasured granddaughter, her trembling hand reaching out to pet Hua Wangxuan.

Sensing no ill intent from the woman and catching the comforting scent of food about her, Hua Wangxuan wisely let out a soft “meow.”

“Oh, you sweet thing, you must be hungry! Grandma will get you something to eat.” Wan Jinhua was instantly won over, her heart blooming with delight.

“Grandma, it was bitten by a stray dog. Do we have any anti-inflammatory medicine at home?” Wu Wei, completely ignored as she parked her bicycle, couldn’t help speaking up.

“Oh no, what happened? Who hurt it? How awful!” Sure enough, Wan Jinhua noticed the crimson stain on Hua Wangxuan’s leg, her eyes filled with pity.

“It’s badly injured. What if it doesn’t recover? Let’s take it to the vet for a check-up.” Wan Jinhua immediately made up her mind, energetically pulling Wu Wei along to find a pet clinic.

Wu Wei stared in disbelief, tossing her backpack inside before grabbing a cornbread bun on the way out.

After Hua Wangxuan received a vaccine shot and its right leg was bandaged up like a drumstick, Wan Jinhua splurged on a heap of pet supplies. Wu Wei, chewing on her dry bun with a blank expression, watched her grandmother beam with excitement.

Then, the elderly woman, the young girl, and the plump cat returned home. Wan Jinhua reheated the dishes and spent hours on the phone with her friends, boasting about the beautiful little cat now part of their family.

As Wu Wei ate her meal, she glanced sideways at Hua Wangxuan. Wan Jinhua had even set up a chair for the cat, which now lay beside them, contentedly eating canned meat from its own bowl.

Somehow, the girl and the cat seemed oddly alike.

After finishing her meal, Wu Wei wiped her mouth roughly with a tissue, tidied up her own bowl, and then glanced at Hua Wangxuan’s bowl. Her wild, thick eyebrows twitched slightly in surprise.

“Why are you eating so slowly?”

“Oh, our little kitten is a girl with refined table manners,” Wan Jinhua instinctively defended.

Wu Wei curled her lips, feeling her status in this household plummeting rapidly. She had unwittingly invited a wolf into her home.

Hearing this, Hua Wangxuan responded with a soft meow, which made Wan Jinhua beam with affectionate delight.

“Eat up, sweetie. You need to grow strong.”

While this scene was filled with warmth and harmony, a storm was brewing elsewhere.

Lin Zhixuan opened the door, placed her things on the cabinet, and slipped into her slippers. An unusual silence hung in the air, making her uneasy.

A sense of foreboding washed over her. She hurried to the storage room where Hua Wangxuan usually stayed, but there was no sign of the cat. Calling out “Mimi,” she frantically scanned the room with her eyes.

She checked the bathroom, the kitchen, and the bedroom.

Noticing a small lump under her blanket, Lin Zhixuan’s tense expression softened slightly, and the corners of her lips began to curl into a smile. But the moment she lifted the covers, her smile froze on her face.

The cat wasn’t there either.

A growing sense of panic welled up inside her. She searched every corner of the house, her hair disheveled and beads of sweat forming on the tip of her nose. Suddenly, a thought struck her like a lightning bolt.

She rushed to the balcony, only to face the worst-case scenario.

The window was open, and the wind blowing in rustled the leaves of the spider plant hanging on the wall.

Mimi had run away.

Lin Zhixuan stood there, lost and bewildered. For the first time, her clear, shallow eyes felt dry. Unconsciously, she bit her lip and closed her eyes.

Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.

Pulling herself together, she politely gave the fish she had bought to her next-door neighbor and ordered an extra-spicy mala tang for herself.

When the delivery arrived, Lin Zhixuan ate without tasting anything, her face expressionless. Her lips were stained red from the chili, and her cheeks flushed bright crimson. Her usually calm, clear eyes, like a cold pond, now glistened with unshed tears.

Her fingers trembling slightly, she set down her chopsticks, went to the bathroom to wash her face, and then couldn’t hold back a dry heave.

Her face turned deep red, and even her ears flushed a vivid shade of pink.

After making a mess of herself, Lin Zhixuan stared at her reflection in the mirror for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.

She quickly tidied her appearance and slammed the door shut behind her.

Lin Zhixuan didn’t understand why she had invested so much emotion in this cat. In the past, she would have simply accepted the fact that the cat was gone and moved on.

But now, she felt an inexplicable determination. She had to find it, she couldn’t just be abandoned by a cat without reason.

Yes, she felt abandoned by a cat.

It wasn’t that she had kept a cat; it was as if the cat had kept her.

She had long grown accustomed to loneliness, but this silly cat had disrupted her equilibrium.

Clenching her fists, Lin Zhixuan searched the area for any sign of Mimi, stopping everyone she met to ask, “Have you seen a long-haired calico cat?”

Some people seemed to recall her description and pointed her in a direction. Lin Zhixuan followed every lead, mustering the courage to approach strangers despite her usual reticence, repeating the same question over and over.

As night deepened and the sun disappeared completely from the sky, Lin Zhixuan had found nothing.

Her throat was parched, and a blister formed anxiously on her pretty lips.

This place isn’t that big, where could the cat have gone?

Returning home once more, Lin Zhixuan’s eyes and brows seemed to dim. For the first time, she forced herself to lie on the bed despite her mysophobia.

That familiar discomfort rose in her throat, she was having an allergic reaction again.

Cat fur lingered on the pillow and inside the quilt.

But the mischievous little kitten that caused her allergies was nowhere to be seen.