Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Shen Qingyi had a dream. It was a gray-and-white, three-story building. On the shaded side of the old building, monstrous plants grew, covering the entire dark side. The gray wall paint was old and distorted, like an aged photograph, showing the marks of time.

In that three-story building, Shen Qingyi kept running. She didn’t understand what she was running from. Although she was escaping, she was determined to open every door she saw. The doors were very strange, like the old iron doors of a prison. They had air vents made of thumb-thick steel bars, and a small gap at the bottom, just a hand’s width high, where food trays were passed through.

Every time Shen Qingyi opened a door, she would see a dimly lit room. The gray walls were wrapped in sponge. Other than an iron-frame bed, there was nothing else.

“Mom!” Shen Qingyi called out unconsciously. Almost every room had the same setup—empty, gray, and almost devoid of color. Something was chasing her. Shen Qingyi didn’t dare to look back. She could only run down the long corridor, opening the empty rooms again and again, as if she were in a ghost maze. The corridor had no end, and the rooms she opened were always empty.

But in the next second, Shen Qingyi found herself tied to the iron-frame bed. The restraints tightened layer by layer, almost crushing her internal organs. She was in pain and despair. All she could see was the gray-and-white ceiling, and she couldn’t even let out a moan. Maybe I’ll die soon, just like my mother, dying like that in the middle of a crowd…

Shen Qingyi lay on her back. She could feel something disappearing from her body. A string in her mind was slowly being pulled away. She knew that once this string completely left her body, she would become that woman. The woman who was just like her, tied to the iron-frame bed.

Just then, Shen Qingyi suddenly felt a weight on her chest. Something on her chest seemed to restore a trace of her consciousness. She painfully looked at her chest and saw the girl she had been dreaming about for a week straight.

Unlike before, when she saw her in her sleep, the girl had always been with her eyes closed, quietly lying on Shen Qingyi’s chest, her steady breathing brushing against Shen Qingyi’s skin, quiet and beautiful. This time, Shen Qingyi saw her eyes. The girl had a pair of bright eyes. Her black eyes seemed to glow. Her long, thick eyelashes were like a small brush, as if a blink could create a gust of wind.

“Are you feeling very unwell?”

The girl leaned forward slightly. Only then did Shen Qingyi realize that she wasn’t wearing any clothes. Her fair skin, black hair, and warm body all gave Shen Qingyi a strange feeling. The girl didn’t seem to be shy. She moved forward, lay on Shen Qingyi’s shoulder, looked at her, and said softly, “Don’t be afraid. You’re dreaming.”

Shen Qingyi’s eyes trembled slightly. The sharp pain on her body suddenly disappeared, replaced by the girl’s body temperature. That’s right, I’m dreaming. Shen Qingyi looked at the person in front of her as if enchanted. Only in her dreams could she see her.

“Just sleep well. Everything will pass,” the girl said softly, hugging Shen Qingyi. “I’m with you.” The girl’s voice was clear and bright, like the warm sun in winter, breaking through the dark clouds and bringing light.

…

When Shen Qingyi woke up, her mind was buzzing, as if a dozen stereos were playing different songs, making her brain hurt. She let out a heavy breath, which made her feel a little better. She only felt that her chest was a bit heavy. She looked up slightly and was surprised to find her little fat chick lying on her chest. Maybe the little fatty had been eating well lately, as her weight had soared. Now she felt quite heavy pressing on Shen Qingyi’s chest.

How did she get out?

Shen Qingyi lay back down and covered her eyes with the back of her hand. She wondered if she had forgotten to close the birdcage last night. She didn’t know how long it had been sleeping on her. This bird was so clingy, it wouldn’t even let her sleep alone. Shen Qingyi felt both helpless and comforted. She still remembered what the girl she had been dreaming about had said to her last night. Now that she thought about it, it was quite magical. She had a nightmare, but it was resolved very quickly. According to her past experience, Shen Qingyi would be trapped in that nightmare for a long time until she was physically and mentally exhausted before she could wake up. This time, it was all thanks to that girl…

Shen Qingyi opened her eyes, thinking of the person in her dream. She thought if she had the chance, she would still want to meet her. But it was better not to scare her. She shouldn’t mention that she had been dreaming about her for a week straight. It was too creepy.

Shen Qingyi lay in bed, feeling weak all over. She guessed she might have a fever. She hadn’t been sick in a long time. This time it seemed to be a low-grade fever.

Shan Ling woke up not long after. She opened her eyes and saw that Shen Qingyi had put her in the warm blanket and was now getting up and leaving. She stretched and then continued to lie in the blanket to sleep. She had spent a lot of effort comforting Shen Qingyi last night. She had been up until the early morning and couldn’t wake up early to go back to her cage.

But Shan Ling thought to herself while sleeping, that Shen Qingyi’s nightmare last night was really scary. Shan Ling had never seen anyone have a nightmare like that. Not to mention the cold sweat, her face was also pale, and most importantly, her whole body was tense. Her breathing seemed to have stopped. It scared Shan Ling so much that she turned into her human form and comforted her for a long time.

A meal’s kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring. Besides, Shen Qingyi could also give her merit. Shan Ling burrowed into the blanket and slept soundly, thinking that she was a really good fairy.

Shen Qingyi didn’t think so much. She didn’t connect what happened last night with the little fat bird that only knew how to eat and chirp. After checking her temperature, she found that she indeed had a low-grade fever. Shen Qingyi’s face was not good as she looked at the digital thermometer in her hand. She didn’t know what she was thinking. After a long time, she put the thermometer back, took out her phone, and sent a message to Nuonuo.

[I’m not feeling well today, so I’ll have to trouble you to look after the shop.]

It was around 9:30 a.m. Nuonuo was probably on the subway and replied in seconds. [Okay, Manager. Are you not feeling well? Do you want me to come see you after work?]

[No need. I’ll be fine after some rest.]

Shen Qingyi didn’t reply after that. She went to look for the fever reducer in the medicine box. When she picked it up, she found that it had already expired. Helpless, Shen Qingyi had to buy some medicine online. While waiting for the medicine, she went to the kitchen to boil some water.

The ‘whirring’ sound of the kettle woke up Shan Ling, who was sleeping in. She peeked out of the blanket, looked at the messy sheets and duvet cover, and thought that when Shen Qingyi left for work today, she would take them off and throw them in the washing machine to wash them, otherwise they would smell of sweat.

Thinking this, Shan Ling was also a little hungry. She fluttered her wings and flew out of the bedroom, searching for Shen Qingyi all over the house. Shen Qingyi stood on the balcony, and when she saw Shan Ling searching for her like a clingy little puppy, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Come here, Little Fatty.”

Shen Qingyi sat on the chair on the balcony and waved at Shan Ling. The little sparrow quickly flew over and landed on her hand.

Hmm, why are you a little hot?

As soon as she landed, Shan Ling keenly noticed that Shen Qingyi’s temperature was not right. It seemed a little higher than usual. If she weren’t so careful and attentive, she wouldn’t have noticed. Shan Ling’s eyes fell on the small round table in front of her. She found a glass of water and the fever reducer that had just been delivered. She hopped down, gently pecked at the box of fever reducer, looked up at Shen Qingyi, and asked, Are you sick? Is it because you had a nightmare last night?

Shen Qingyi had just taken the medicine and wasn’t feeling very well. She lazily sat on the chair and felt that this little fat bird seemed to be worried about her.

“Are you hungry?” Shen Qingyi gently rubbed Shan Ling with her warm finger, propping her head up with one hand. “I’m not feeling well today. I’ve already had the store send your snacks over with a delivery service. You can have them in a little while.”

Shan Ling looked at her worriedly. You’re sick, so you should rest. I won’t starve to death if I skip a meal.

Shen Qingyi stroked the soft and fluffy little fat bird in her hand, her eyes lowered.

After getting food ready for Shan Ling, Shen Qingyi went back to sleep as the medicine started to take effect. Shan Ling found that Shen Qingyi was sleeping soundly and was no longer having a nightmare, so she quietly made a pot of porridge for her, calculating that it would be ready by noon.

Shan Ling didn’t dare to transform casually. Other than making the porridge, she didn’t dare to run around all day. She obediently stayed in the cage to catch up on sleep.

Around two in the afternoon, Shen Qingyi came out of the bedroom. She saw the warm porridge in the rice cooker. She didn’t say much and just took a bowl and slowly ate it.

After a nap, Shen Qingyi felt much better. Although she still felt a little uncomfortable, it wasn’t a big problem anymore. The savory and fragrant lean meat porridge made Shen Qingyi’s appetite much better. She didn’t know when Aunt Jiang had come and why she hadn’t woken her up. But it was also possible that she was sleeping too soundly and Aunt Jiang didn’t want to disturb her.

However, this porridge was indeed much tastier than the meal Aunt Jiang had made last time, which made Shen Qingyi have a thought that it would be nice if Aunt Jiang could make it for her every day. But this was just a thought.

After Shen Qingyi finished eating, she tidied up the dishes and sent a voice message to Aunt Jiang. “Aunt Jiang, thank you for the food you made for me. You don’t need to take money from my dad anymore. There’s a wallet in the TV cabinet with the money I usually use for groceries. Use the money from there next time.”

Aunt Jiang looked at the voice message that Shen Qingyi had inexplicably sent. For a moment, she didn’t understand what she meant. She thought she was probably thanking her for the food she made last Saturday. But so many days had passed. Why was she thanking her now?

Aunt Jiang was confused but still replied, “Okay. If you like it, I’ll make it for you more often in the future.”

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