Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

After telling the story from the book, Shen Qingyi’s cup of tea was nearly empty again. Perhaps because she had talked a lot, her health wasn’t great, but her mood was much more comfortable than before.

Talking is a human instinct. Spilling emotions that have been bottled up for a long time is more effective than any medicine.

Shan Ling tilted her head, looking at Shen Qingyi. She noticed that the other’s face was pale with a hint of sickness, so she went closer, feeling a bit heartbroken. She picked up a strand of Shen Qingyi’s long hair with her little black beak.

You should rest. When you’re sick, you need to sleep well. How can you keep working?

Shan Ling ‘cheeped’ twice, grinding her little claws in frustration. She was already fully recovered. If she wasn’t afraid of startling Shen Qingyi, she would have transformed into a human to take care of her properly.

Shan Ling had many siblings in her village. According to the village chief, they were a special minority group, so they weren’t restricted by family planning policies. They could have as many children as they wanted. Shan Ling’s family had three children, and she was the youngest.

But even as the youngest, Shan Ling would proactively do chores and take care of her family, especially those who were sick. She was a very empathetic little bird.

“Cheep cheep.”

Shan Ling told Shen Qingyi: There should still be some porridge in the rice cooker. Go to sleep after you eat. Maybe a good night’s sleep will make you better tomorrow.

Shen Qingyi gently stroked the chubby little bird’s plump body, feeling it was genuinely worried about her. She glanced at the digital clock on her desk. It was already past eight in the evening.

“Time really flies,” Shen Qingyi said softly. “I’ll go warm up the porridge. Let’s call it a day for work.”

Shan Ling nodded.

Shen Qingyi paused in surprise. Why did the bird nod in agreement with me?

She looked at Shan Ling’s beady black eyes, her own eyes flickering. “Little Chubby?”

Shan Ling tilted her head, not making a sound, just looking at her in confusion.

Was it a hallucination?

Shen Qingyi suddenly found herself amusing. Why would she think a little sparrow could understand her words? She must be delirious from the fever.

After finishing the leftover porridge from lunch, Shen Qingyi didn’t have the energy to do anything else. The nightmare she had yesterday left her with a lingering fear. She hadn’t had one in years, and she hadn’t dreamt of that scene in a very long time, but a phone call with Shen Hongjun yesterday had changed that.

Shen Qingyi felt a silent bitterness. Shen Hongjun had given her a life of comfort and abundance, but he had also completely cut her out of his life.

In the face of so much criticism, Shen Hongjun ultimately chose to abandon her and remarried, starting a new family. The crisp voice on the phone yesterday was Shen Hongjun’s daughter, a little girl who had just started elementary school.

Shen Qingyi had seen her before. She didn’t look like Shen Hongjun at all but was very similar to his young wife.

That beautiful woman was only a few years older than Shen Qingyi herself.

Everyone said that the richest man in the East City, Shen Hongjun, had a perfect family and a happy marriage, and that he loved his wife and daughter very much, making him a rare good man.

Every time Shen Qingyi saw a report about Shen Hongjun, she would calmly scroll past it. She didn’t resent him, but she also had no intention of interfering with his ‘happy and perfect’ family life.

Shen Qingyi went to bed before nine o’clock. Shan Ling nestled in her cage, dozing off, her fluffy head bobbing up and down. Listening to the constant patter of rain outside the window also made her sleepy.

Before falling asleep, Shan Ling suddenly remembered why Shen Qingyi had said that Old Stories of Longcheng was plagiarized. It was almost identical to a novel written by a British author that Shan Ling had read in the town.

In that novel, the male protagonist abandoned his wife and child to pursue the life he longed for and also married a new wife in a foreign land.

In the end, the protagonist died contentedly after fulfilling his dream, which perfectly aligned with the story of ‘Mr. Chen’ in Old Stories of Longcheng.

Shan Ling wasn’t sure. Was it a coincidence, or was it truly plagiarism, as Shen Qingyi had said?

…

The next day, due to the drop in temperature, it was a chilly 12 degrees Celsius in the morning. Even Shan Ling felt cold, curling up into a shivering ball, trying to keep warm.

After a day of rest, Shen Qingyi’s fever was gone. She woke up early to find Shan Ling curled up into a little white ball in her cage.

“Cheep cheep!”

I’m freezing to death!

Shan Ling saw Shen Qingyi and didn’t want to move. She just stayed in a round little ball and told her: My winter feathers haven’t grown in yet. Why is winter here already?

In Shanque Village, Shan Ling lived as a human. After all, it was modern society. Except for the little sparrows who couldn’t transform, everyone found a human form more convenient. So, it had been a long time since Shan Ling had shivered from not having enough winter feathers.

Shen Qingyi brought a towel and arranged it in Shan Ling’s nest, which made the little chubby ball feel a bit more comfortable.

Wuwuwu, so cold.

Shan Ling wiggled her little bottom and buried her head into Shen Qingyi’s palm: Are you going to work today? Can’t you stay home with me?

Shen Qingyi noticed she was cold and gently stroked Shan Ling’s shivering body. “Do you want to come to the cafe with me?”

Shan Ling’s head shot up. Her shiny black eyes seemed to glow as she ‘cheeped’ excitedly at Shen Qingyi: Can I? Can you take me? I want to be with you all day!

Actually, Shen Qingyi regretted saying that as soon as the words left her mouth. She had never had a pet, much less taken a pet to her workplace.

But seeing the little chubby bird happily burrowing into her palm, Shen Qingyi couldn’t help but feel a rush of affection.

So what if I take my pet to work? It’s not a big deal.

“You can come, but you have to behave,” Shen Qingyi pushed Shan Ling gently, putting her back into the cage and latching it. Only then did she pick up the cage with the bird inside.

Shan Ling was overjoyed. She had been cooped up in the apartment for a week and was finally able to go out.

“Cheep cheep cheep~ Cheep cheep cheep~”

Shan Ling got into Shen Qingyi’s car and watched her place the cage on the floor of the passenger seat. Shan Ling couldn’t see anything from that angle, but seeing Shen Qingyi made her happy.

Throughout the drive, Shen Qingyi listened to Shan Ling’s cheerful chirping, which sounded like singing. Occasionally, she would glance at the little creature, and Shan Ling would obediently raise her head and ‘cheep’ at Shen Qingyi.

It was impossibly cute.

The drive was smooth. When they arrived at the cafe, it was already busy.

“Busy” really just meant Nuonuo was cleaning by herself. The first thing she did every day was to clean the cafe, wiping down the sofas and tables that had been vacant for a long time and then watering the plants by the door.

Dingling—

Nuonuo instinctively looked up and shouted at the door, “Welcome~”

But when she saw Shen Qingyi, she greeted her warmly: “Good morning, manager! What’s that in your hand… a bird?”

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