Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Aunt Jiang was meticulous in her cleaning. The originally messy living room and kitchen were instantly clean under her care. The takeout bags piled on the dining table were all cleared away, and the sofa was wiped down three times. The whole room was filled with the sound of the washing machine and the ‘whirring’ of the robotic vacuum cleaner.

Although Shan Ling had come into contact with many human things—in their Sparrow Village, electricity and telephones were common, and there were also various shops—they were not as numerous as in a big city. When she first came to this city, Shan Ling was almost dazzled. For example, Shan Ling had never seen the robotic vacuum cleaner that Aunt Jiang was using today. She only saw that it was also white and chubby. No one touched it, yet it would turn around on its own, sweeping and mopping meticulously and diligently.

Shan Ling was extremely curious. She stood on the edge of the cage, her eyes wide, watching the robot go back and forth. Her eyes were glued to it.

Aunt Jiang took out the washed sheets and duvet covers to hang them to dry. She found it funny to see the little bird hanging on the balcony, craning its neck to stare at the robotic vacuum cleaner. She couldn’t help but tap on the birdcage to tease it.

“Are you curious?” Aunt Jiang asked with a smile. “I wonder if you’re a good bird. I see some people can let their birds out to play in the house.”

Shan Ling finally moved her gaze away from the white and chubby robotic vacuum cleaner. She tilted her head to look at Aunt Jiang and chirped twice. Aunt Jiang reached out her hand. Shan Ling hopped over, gently pecked at her with its little black beak, and then tilted its little head to rub against her.

“Oh my!” Aunt Jiang was delighted and laughed in surprise. “So cute.”

Too bad it has to be locked in a cage no matter how cute it is.

Shan Ling stood bored on the perch, watching Aunt Jiang finish the housework and then start shopping for groceries and cooking. She was both curious and bored.

Around 11 a.m., Shen Qingyi came out of her study. The whole room was filled with the aroma of food. Aunt Jiang was an excellent cook. There were already two stir-fries and a soup on the dining table. She was still busy in the kitchen with the last dish, braised pork ribs. The sweet aroma, accompanied by the sound of the range hood, had a unique family flavor.

Shen Qingyi glanced at the dishes on the table. Lately, Aunt Jiang would come to her house almost every weekend to do some cleaning. The food she made was what she used to love as a child. A sweet and savory seaweed and egg drop soup, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and some king oyster mushrooms stir-fried with meat. These were all things Shen Qingyi loved as a child, but as she got older, she no longer liked them. There was even a bottle of fruit juice on the table, something she hadn’t drunk since graduating from university.

Aunt Jiang seemed not to have noticed this at all. She couldn’t be blamed, after all, Shen Qingyi had been away from that home for a long time. Aunt Jiang’s memory of her was still from before middle school. When the last dish of braised pork ribs was ready, lunch was complete.

Aunt Jiang saw that Shen Qingyi had come out and smiled. “Yi Yi, hurry up and wash your hands to eat. You loved all these when you were a child.”

“Aunt Jiang.” Shen Qingyi didn’t sit down. She watched her clean up the dining table and then said, “You don’t have to cook for me.”

Aunt Jiang was a little surprised and said awkwardly, “What, you don’t like what I made?”

“…No.” Shen Qingyi looked at her, watching the woman. She said calmly, “I’m just used to living alone. Tell my dad there’s no need to come here every week.”

Aunt Jiang smiled and said, “Mr. Shen is just worried that you’re not doing well by yourself. When you were in school, he didn’t care because you lived in the dorms and didn’t come home. Now that you’ve graduated for so long, you should go home more often.”

Shen Qingyi was silent for a while. She didn’t want to discuss her father with Aunt Jiang. She just frowned slightly. Aunt Jiang awkwardly wiped her hands on her apron. She remembered Shen Hongjun’s instruction to go along with Shen Qingyi and not to make her unhappy. Right now, Shen Qingyi was probably “unhappy.”

“I know, I won’t say these things anymore.” Aunt Jiang looked at Shen Qingyi helplessly and said softly, “But the food is ready. You should at least eat a little.”

Shen Qingyi didn’t object. She went to wash her hands, came back, and sat down to eat. Aunt Jiang, meanwhile, had already started packing her things to go home.

“Then I’ll be going.” Aunt Jiang held her faded canvas bag. She saw Shen Qingyi sitting quietly at the dining table, eating, and said in a low voice, “I’ll come again next Saturday.”

Shen Qingyi didn’t agree or disagree. She ate in silence until the front door closed with a ‘bang.’ The second Aunt Jiang left, Shen Qingyi couldn’t eat anymore. She casually put her chopsticks to the side, looking at the three dishes and one soup in front of her, lost in thought.

Shan Ling had been watching the two people’s conversation from inside the cage. She wasn’t sure why Shen Qingyi’s mood had suddenly turned sour, but she knew that the other person seemed to need company now.

“Chirp~”

When Shen Qingyi heard Shan Ling’s voice, she turned her head. She saw the little white fatty chirping in the cage, so she got up and let it out.

As soon as Shan Ling was free, she quickly flew to Shen Qingyi’s shoulder and nudged her with her little fluffy head, looking very clingy.

“Are you hungry?” Shen Qingyi looked at the clean food box and said helplessly, “You look so small, but you eat so much.”

“Chirp, chirp.”

Shan Ling didn’t get angry at being called a big eater. She rubbed against Shen Qingyi’s cheek and chirped softly in her ear, as if she were whispering.

That, that…

Shan Ling looked at Shen Qingyi, a little embarrassed, and asked softly, Can I also call you Yi Yi like Aunt Jiang from now on? It sounds nice.

Shen Qingyi held Shan Ling and turned to the kitchen to soak some millet.

Shan Ling rubbed against Shen Qingyi, her little eyes darting around. If you don’t object, then that’s what I’ll call you. Oh… to be fair, you can also call me Little Ling. That’s what my parents call me at home.

I’ll be able to transform in two days. I hope I don’t scare you when that happens.

Shan Ling rubbed her little claws and tilted her head to rub against Shen Qingyi. Humans are very fragile. What if I scare you? I have to come up with a good plan.

Since there were no outsiders, Shen Qingyi didn’t lock Shan Ling in the cage. She had thought the little fat bird would fly around wildly as soon as it was out of the cage, but she didn’t expect it to stick to her, not wanting to leave her shoulder for a second. Even when Shen Qingyi was working, Shan Ling would accompany her, not making a sound.

Meanwhile, Aunt Jiang had already returned to the Shen family home and was called into the study by Shen Hongjun. In the spacious and bright study sat a man in his forties or fifties. His hair was meticulously groomed, and he had a strong brow and clear eyes. Although he was getting on in age, you could still tell he was very handsome when he was young. The older man was in excellent health. His bright phoenix eyes were three parts similar to Shen Qingyi’s, but Shen Qingyi looked more like her mother.

Shen Hongjun looked at Aunt Jiang as she came in and said in a gentle tone, “You went to see Qingyi today. How is she doing?” This was a weekly report that Aunt Jiang had to give. Shen Hongjun sent her not only to clean and cook but also to observe his daughter’s recent situation.

“Yi Yi is still the same, locking herself in the study. She seems to have taken on a restoration job and is quite happy with it,” Aunt Jiang said. “She also got a bird. I don’t know the species. It looks like a little white sparrow, all round and chubby, and it’s so cute.”

Shen Hongjun looked at her with some surprise. “Qingyi got a pet?”

Aunt Jiang replied, “She said she found it outside and decided to keep it.”

“Is that so?” Shen Hongjun listened to some other trivial and ordinary things before dismissing Aunt Jiang.

…

The food Aunt Jiang made was too sweet. Shen Qingyi tried it twice but couldn’t eat it. In the end, she only drank a bowl of soup and ordered takeout.

Shen Qingyi lived a very casual life. Shan Ling felt that among all the humans she had met, Shen Qingyi was the one who lived the most freely. She ate whatever she wanted, bought whatever she wanted, had someone to clean her house, and had a job she loved.

Today was a very nice day, with bright sunshine and only a few white clouds floating in the sky, but Shen Qingyi stayed home all day and didn’t even step outside. Shan Ling looked at the weather outside the window and felt a little regretful. She could only watch the sun set and the moon slowly rise.

As night fell, Shen Qingyi was still working. Shan Ling ‘fluttered’ her wings and flew to her desk, landing on the book that Shen Qingyi had been working on all afternoon.

“Chirp, chirp.”

It’s already night. Aren’t you going to rest? It’s a rare weekend. Are you just going to stay in the study all day? You should at least watch some TV.

Shen Qingyi saw Shan Ling land on the “Old Stories of Longcheng.” Afraid that her sharp little claws would scratch the fragile paper, she quickly picked her up and moved her to the side.

“Stop it,” Shen Qingyi said to Shan Ling. “When I finish this page, I’ll go soak some millet for you.”

Shan Ling was jostled by her and rolled over, landing on her butt on the desk and not getting up.

“Chirp!”

Ouch!

Shan Ling fell on her butt and was about to flutter her wings to get up, but she thought better of it and unhappily looked up at Shen Qingyi, chirping at her twice. Shen Qingyi felt she might have actually hurt it and felt a little bad. She reached out and cupped Shan Ling in her hand.

“Did I hurt you?” Shen Qingyi tapped Shan Ling’s little head with her finger and curled her lips into a smile. “I’m so sorry.”

Shan Ling didn’t get angry. She was warm and cozy in Shen Qingyi’s palm. Shen Qingyi’s body temperature was very warm, and when she held Shan Ling, she could smell Shen Qingyi’s faint fragrance.

Since you apologized, I’ll forgive you.

Shan Ling tilted her little head to look at her, asking, “Can I not go back to my cage to sleep tonight? It’s so much trouble to open and close it~”

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