Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

That night, before going to bed, Shen Qingyi still locked the little sparrow in its cage. Although it gave her a look of fiery passion and looked utterly dejected when entering the cage, Shen Qingyi pretended not to see it. After locking the cage, she went to wash up and get ready for bed.

The next day was Sunday, and Shen Qingyi still stayed home all day. When she was hungry, she ordered takeout. The rest of the time, she was busy restoring the “Old Stories of Longcheng.” The book was incredibly old, and there were many missing pages. The restoration was not easy for Shen Qingyi. Afraid of damaging it or not restoring it properly, the work took longer than she expected.

There was a small tissue box on Shen Qingyi’s workbench. The little fat bird was curled up inside, fast asleep. Its round little body was puffed up, making Shan Ling look even chubbier. Whenever Shan Ling’s head was tilted, Shen Qingyi would reach out a finger to straighten it so it wouldn’t fall out of the box.

In this way, one person and one bird spent a peaceful and uneventful weekend.

On Monday, Shen Qingyi had to get up and go to work. She wore a black dress and her hair was casually draped behind her. Her face was already beautiful without much makeup. Her pure black eyes made her look even more exquisite and beautiful.

“Chirp~”

Shan Ling hopped around in the cage, watching Shen Qingyi pack her things and pick up her car keys. Are you leaving already? Shan Ling happily rubbed her claws. She would be able to transform today. Although she was sad to see Shen Qingyi go to work, Shan Ling wanted to transform even more. After all, the flowers and plants on the balcony that had been her companions for a week also needed her care.

Before she left, Shen Qingyi turned to look at the little sparrow and decided to walk over.

“Chirp, chirp.”

Shan Ling moved to the side of the cage, step by step. She tilted her fluffy little head to look at her, with a look on her face that seemed to say, Why aren’t you leaving yet?

Shen Qingyi didn’t know why, but she suddenly had a strange feeling. She looked at Shan Ling in the cage and reached out a finger to touch its little feathers.

“I’m leaving,” Shen Qingyi said in a low voice. “I’ll bring you some mealworms when I get back tonight.” She found that the little fat bird especially loved eating bugs. The bag of dried bugs she bought last time had been completely eaten. She would buy some more on her way home from work today so that the little creature wouldn’t be hungry.

Shan Ling chirped twice and rubbed against Shen Qingyi, looking reluctant to see her go.

Shen Qingyi watched it rub against her finger and finally let out a soft laugh. She said, “Then, I’m leaving.”

After Shen Qingyi left, Shan Ling could only helplessly rub her claws on the perch. Half an hour later, she was certain that Shen Qingyi wouldn’t suddenly come back. Shan Ling then moved to the cage latch and used her little black beak to skillfully open the cage door. As the cage opened, Shan Ling fluttered her little wings and flew out. The next second, she landed in the living room and turned into a human.

Her long black hair was a little messy on her head. Shan Ling reached out to straighten her hair and helplessly brushed it behind her. Shan Ling was 20 years old and a little adult fairy. She had a slender figure and fair skin, with a pair of bright black eyes. If Shen Qingyi had come back now and seen her, she would have been surprised because Shan Ling looked exactly like the girl she kept seeing in her dreams.

Shan Ling’s bare feet touched the floor. She felt a little uncomfortable being naked. When she was a bird, it was fine not to wear anything since her feathers were thick, but as a human, being bare made her feel a little embarrassed.

I have to find something to wear.

With that thought, Shan Ling quickly went to the bedroom. She remembered Shen Qingyi had many clothes. She opened the closet and casually found a nightgown to put on. Shen Qingyi was half a head taller than her, and the nightgown was already very loose, so it was a bit big on Shan Ling. But at least she could wear it.

After living here for more than a week, Shan Ling also knew what was in the house. Although it was her first time transforming here, she still skillfully found the indoor slippers and then went to the bathroom to fix her messy hair, tying it into a bun.

“Flowers, I’m here!”

Shan Ling was in a good mood. She happily ran to the balcony to see the wilting flowers and plants. She squatted in front of the flower rack, looked at their wilted state, and felt a pang of heartache.

“I’ll loosen your soil first and then water you.” Shan Ling rolled up her sleeves, took the little shovel from the flower rack, and started working. When she had finished serving the flowers and plants she had been thinking about, she watered them.

“Drink plenty of water. You’re so dehydrated.” Shan Ling stood with her hands on her hips next to the flower rack and said, “I’ll come and water you whenever I’m free from now on. I hope you can be strong and bloom beautifully by next spring.”

The flowers and plants couldn’t answer her, but Shan Ling didn’t care.

After taking care of the flowers, Shan Ling started cleaning the apartment. She tidied up the bed that Shen Qingyi hadn’t made and took the clothes from the washing machine to hang them to dry. The ingredients in the fridge were bought by Aunt Jiang on Saturday. Shen Qingyi wasn’t good at taking care of herself, let alone cooking, so the vegetables in the fridge looked like they were about to go bad.

Shan Ling thought about it and decided it would be a shame to let them go to waste, so she cooked a meal.

Seeing the apartment become clean and tidy again, Shan Ling was in a great mood. At noon, she soaked some millet for herself and, out of selfishness, added a few mung beans, then happily turned back into a little fat sparrow and started to eat.

‘Have you heard?’

Just as Shan Ling was happily eating, she heard two birds land outside on the balcony. They chatted, ‘There’s a new ginger cat in the neighborhood. It loves to eat birds. It’s already eaten three today.’

Shan Ling looked up when she heard this. She flew out of the cage and landed on the edge of the balcony, looking at the two birds through the glass.

‘Huh?’ One of the birds saw Shan Ling and asked, puzzled, ‘Who are you? We’ve never seen a little sparrow of your color before.’

‘I’m not a little sparrow,’ Shan Ling explained. ‘I’m from the Northeast.’

‘No wonder we haven’t seen you. But why are you in there? Are you being kept as a pet?’

Shan Ling wasn’t sure if she counted as a pet, but she tentatively admitted it. Seeing Shan Ling nod, the two birds looked at her with pity. ‘Birds belong in the sky. It must be so painful to be locked in a cage. Don’t you want to get out?’

‘Yeah, the sky is so big. It must be so boring to be in a tiny place.’

Shan Ling didn’t think so. She shook her head and said, ‘No, I really like it here.’ Since they had different perspectives, the two birds didn’t say anything else. They just looked at Shan Ling and said, ‘In that case, you should stay in the cage. You probably won’t run into that bird-eating ginger cat. You’re so lucky.’

Shan Ling wanted to ask more about the new bird-catching ginger cat in the neighborhood, but the two birds flapped their wings and flew away.

…

In the coffee shop, a few customers and some gentle music were the usual state of affairs. As it approached noon, Nuonuo was still on her phone behind the counter, thinking about what to order for takeout. Unfortunately, Nuonuo had been working here for almost half a year and was tired of all the nearby takeout. Everything seemed bland now.

Nuonuo held her head in her hand, aimlessly scrolling through the takeout app, and mumbled to herself, “Why are there no new restaurants?” When the last two customers finished their coffee and left, the shop was completely empty.

Nuonuo casually ordered her usual fried noodles. After placing the order, she came out to clean the tables and took the cups to the back to wash them. Just then, Nuonuo heard footsteps from upstairs. She quickly wiped the cups clean and walked out, just in time to see Shen Qingyi coming down the stairs. She greeted her enthusiastically, “Manager, what are you having for lunch? Have you ordered takeout yet?”

Shen Qingyi still had a calm expression. She said serenely, “I’m not hungry. Don’t worry about me.”

“Oh.” Nuonuo was used to her manager’s cold attitude. She saw the empty coffee cup in her hand and asked, “Do you want a refill?”

Shen Qingyi shook her head and said, “Just get me a glass of warm water.” Nuonuo quickly took the cup and went to the back kitchen to get some water. When she came out, she saw Shen Qingyi sitting at a table closest to the counter, seemingly on the phone with someone.

“Yes, the book is more damaged than I thought. There are missing pages and a lot of bug damage. Although it’s clear the original owner tried their best to preserve it, the book is just too old. I may not be able to send it to you this week.”

Nuonuo brought a glass of water to Shen Qingyi and quietly put it down. Shen Qingyi took a sip of the water and said calmly to the person on the phone, “Give me one more week.”

“Alright,” the person on the phone said helplessly. “I hope Miss Shen can restore the book soon. It’s really important to our family. One more week is the absolute limit. I hope you can speed up. It doesn’t have to be perfect.”

Shen Qingyi was silent for a moment. She looked at the clear warm water in the coffee cup and suddenly asked, “Miss Chen, do you know what story that book tells?”

The other end of the phone was quiet for a moment, then she laughed helplessly. “Yes, I do.”

“That ‘Old Stories of Longcheng’ was written by an elder in our family’s genealogy. Before I sent it to you, I already knew it was a plagiarized novel. But even so, it is still very important to our family.”

The woman on the phone said to Shen Qingyi, “Miss Shen, I have entrusted you with restoring this book, so please don’t look at it through colored glasses. Time is running out. I can only give you one more week. I hope you will have it restored by next Monday.”

Miss Chen said in a low voice, “I really don’t have much time left.”

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