Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Shen Qingyi looked at the little chubby sparrow in her hand, who was stomping its feet and craning its neck to look up at her. Although she couldn’t understand what the little creature was saying, Shen Qingyi could tell it was angry.

But what could a little bird possibly be angry about?

Shan Ling stood on Shen Qingyi’s finger and scratched her hand with its claws. However, a little sparrow didn’t have much strength, so it felt more like a tickle.

You kept me cooped up all day. I was so bored.

Shan Ling looked up at her, puffed up with anger. Don’t you know that a little bird will die without companionship?

A rare hint of tenderness flickered in Shen Qingyi’s eyes. She reached out and gently stroked Shan Ling’s little head, asking softly, “Are you hungry?”

When Shan Ling heard this, she let out an embarrassed ‘chirp’ and rubbed against Shen Qingyi’s finger. She gently pecked at her finger with her little beak and chirped softly.

Yes, I’m hungry. The food you left today wasn’t enough.

Shen Qingyi knew by the little chubby bird’s weak voice that it wanted to eat. She put it back in its makeshift nest and got up to prepare some food for it.

Shan Ling saw her leave and quickly flapped her wings, landing on her shoulder and tilting her head to watch her.

What are you going to feed me? Is it millet again? The millet is a bit hard. Can you soak it in hot water for me? It’s tastier that way.

Shen Qingyi had no idea what Shan Ling was asking for. She took out a bag of birdseed she had bought, opened it, and poured some into a small dish.

“Chirp, chirp?”

Shan Ling’s eyes lit up when she saw the grains and grass seeds. Without Shen Qingyi’s invitation, she flew to the coffee table and started to eat with two chirps.

While the little chubby bird was eating, Shen Qingyi tidied up the birdcage. The cage was made of iron wire. Although it was simple, it was quite pretty. It was also just the right size for the little chubby bird. Shen Qingyi put all of Shan Ling’s things from yesterday inside. She figured it would feel more at ease with some familiar items.

When Shan Ling had eaten her fill, she found Shen Qingyi tidying up on the balcony. So she spread her little wings, flew over, and landed steadily on Shen Qingyi’s shoulder.

“Are you full?” Shen Qingyi turned to look at the little chubby bird. She had thought that something so small would be afraid of people, but after only one day, it was already flying to her. It was really cute.

“Chirp, chirp?”

What are you doing?

Shan Ling looked at the familiar object in front of her, tilted her head, and asked, Is that a birdcage?

“This is a birdcage,” Shen Qingyi said to Shan Ling. “You’ll be living here from now on.”

“Chirp, chirp!”

Shan Ling was so angry she stomped her feet and used her little beak to peck at Shen Qingyi’s hair near her temple. You can’t lock me up. Although you’re the one raising me, my soul is free. You can lock up my body, but you can’t lock up my heart!

Shen Qingyi saw that it seemed happy and reached out to grab it. Shan Ling was not convinced. She lifted her little head and chirped twice in protest.

Shen Qingyi saw that it didn’t want to go in and said to it nicely, “I’ll let you out when I’m home. When I’m not, you’ll stay in the cage so you don’t cause any trouble.”

Shan Ling tilted her head and thought about it. When Shen Qingyi is not home during the day, I can just get out. When Shen Qingyi is back at night, I can also get out. So it’s the same as now.

And I get three free meals a day. Not a bad deal.

While the little chubby bird was lost in thought, Shen Qingyi put it in the cage. There was new food and water in the cage, so it was quite comfortable.

Shan Ling hopped around in the spacious birdcage, very satisfied with her new home. She turned to look at Shen Qingyi, who was still standing there watching her. She hopped to the edge of the cage, thought for a moment, and then tilted her head and plucked a feather from her chest, sticking her little head out.

“Chirp~”

Shen Qingyi watched as the little chubby bird plucked a feather from itself, then craned its neck to look at her. She subconsciously reached out her hand. The light, white little feather floated gently into Shen Qingyi’s palm, tickling her.

Shan Ling blinked her black eyes and said to Shen Qingyi, “I won’t let you raise me for nothing. Although I can’t turn into my human form yet, I will be able to in three to five days. When that happens, I’ll earn money for you. You can keep this feather for now as my IOU.”

Shen Qingyi stared at the feather, a little dazed. When she searched online for “what it means when a bird gives you a feather,” the results were all similar. Some said it was the bird expressing love and that giving a feather to its owner meant it trusted them deeply. Others said it was the bird trying to court her, that it saw its owner as a love interest, and that birds use feathers to decorate their nests. Giving a feather to a love interest meant it wanted to build a nest with them.

Looking at the search results, Shen Qingyi couldn’t help but touch her chin. Her eyes couldn’t help but glance at the small white feather next to her.

This little chubby bird must really like me…

…

Shan Ling was curled up in her little nest. The soft towel smelled like her, making it very comfortable. She had already taken a nap, and now she was trying to get up, struggling to open the latch on the birdcage door. With her little thin legs, she held on to the cage, using her beak to pry the latch open little by little. With a crisp ‘click,’ the birdcage door was easily opened by Shan Ling.

The little chubby creature, now free, immediately flapped her wings and flew up. This was the second time she had done this, so she was more familiar with the layout. Shan Ling quickly found Shen Qingyi’s bedroom and landed on her headboard. She secretly glanced at the alarm clock. It was 1 a.m., when people were fast asleep.

Shan Ling thought about it on the headboard. When she woke up today, she found herself in her little nest, and Shen Qingyi had already left. Fortunately, she had earned over four hours of merit overnight, so it was a good haul. If she could earn another four or five hours tonight, that would be even better.

Shan Ling flapped her wings and landed, curling into a little ball on Shen Qingyi’s chest. Her little head drooped, and she was about to fall asleep. Before she fell asleep, Shan Ling thought that she must not sleep too soundly this time. Otherwise, if she was discovered and the birdcage was open, she would be in big trouble.

That night, Shen Qingyi didn’t sleep soundly. Question: what are the chances of dreaming about the same girl for two consecutive nights?

In her dream, Shen Qingyi looked at the girl sleeping on her chest. The other person’s eyes were still closed, as if she were in a deep sleep. Her steady breathing caused her body to rise and fall rhythmically. The girl’s skin was fair, and she had a beautiful face. Her pair of pink lips was mesmerizing.

Shen Qingyi was pressed down by her all night until the alarm clock rang, and she groggily opened her eyes. The sunlight of the early morning streamed in through the window, full of life. Shen Qingyi lay in bed, vaguely thinking that when the alarm clock rang, she had heard the sound of flapping wings. But now, she heard nothing.

The coffee shop wasn’t busy, so Shen Qingyi wasn’t in a hurry to get up. She slowly folded her quilt, washed up, and planned to toast some bread for breakfast. She put two slices of toast in the machine and then walked to the balcony to check on the little chubby bird.

Shan Ling was curled up in her little nest. When Shen Qingyi got closer, she looked up obediently.

“Chirp, chirp.”

Good morning~

Shan Ling’s black eyes were incredibly cute. Now that she had curled up into a little ball, she was even more adorable, looking obedient and easy to handle.

Shen Qingyi reached out her finger and stroked its soft feathers through the cage. She said to it, “You’ll have to stay here for one more day. I’m off tomorrow, so I can let you out to play then.”

Shan Ling rubbed against Shen Qingyi’s finger and chirped obediently twice. Can I have a little more food today?

Shen Qingyi said, “I’ll prepare more food for you today. You seemed hungry yesterday.”

Shan Ling nodded. She was indeed hungry.

When Shen Qingyi saw the little chubby sparrow nod, she was surprised. Could this bird understand what I’m saying? Shen Qingyi was startled by her own thought. How could a bird possibly understand her? It must be that the little creature wanted to rub against her and just happened to do it when she was talking.

After playing with Shan Ling for a while, she added more food and water for it, and even a few sunflower seeds that birds love to eat. Only then did Shen Qingyi go back to make her own breakfast.

At 9 a.m., she left on time. This was her last workday. The coffee shop was closed on weekends. Although a coffee shop that was closed on weekends sounded ridiculous, Shen Qingyi didn’t open it to make a profit. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be selling coffee for over two hundred yuan a cup. She just felt it wasn’t good to stay at home all day, so she might as well find something to do. Opening a coffee shop was a good choice. Shen Qingyi also loved drinking coffee, and the quiet and beautiful environment was conducive to her reading.

In short, she was never short on money.

When Shen Qingyi left the house, Shan Ling lifted her head from her food. She was so full that her little belly was sticking out. She smacked her lips, hopped to the front of the birdcage, and expertly opened it before flying out.

By my calculations, it’s been three days since I’ve rested. I should be able to turn back into my human form, right?

Shan Ling thought about this and tried to make an effort, but something was always missing, leaving her without the strength. After a few tries, Shan Ling gave up. It seemed she would need to recuperate for a few more days before she could transform. Back in her village, she had always had good food and drink and had never been this hungry. Since she left the village and came to the city, Shan Ling’s life had been very difficult. At first, she still had some money to buy food and drinks. She had even rented a basement to live in. She had thought she could accumulate some merit and go back soon, but she had ended up reverting to her original form.

Shan Ling sighed softly. Luckily, she had a good attitude. Now that she was living with Shen Qingyi, she had someone to look after her. When she could turn into a human, she would think about what to do with her life then.

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