Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Because of the client’s matter, Shen Qingyi worked late for once. By five o’clock, she was the only one left in the shop. The private room upstairs was still lit with a dim, yellow light, looking a bit lonely in the dark night.

Shen Qingyi used tweezers to carefully clean the yellow stains from the book. Strictly speaking, she should have also dampened the pages and repaired them with the yellow pulp paper commonly used during the Republic of China era. However, since the client asked her to finish as soon as possible today, there weren’t so many rules. By the time the materials were all used up, it was already past eight o’clock in the evening.

As this was the only commercial street in the scenic area, there weren’t many people around at this hour. Even the neighboring CBD had gone dark. Most people had already returned home. Shen Qingyi packed her things and locked the door. She had originally planned to go to the pet market to buy some snacks for the little fat bird after work, but it seemed that was out of the question today.

The autumn evening breeze was very cool. Shen Qingyi opened the car window, and the refreshing wind rushed in. While driving, she could even feel a slight chill. On the car radio, the female host’s gentle and magnetic voice reminded drivers to pay attention to the weather. A new wave of cold air would arrive tomorrow and the day after, and the temperature would drop to around 10 degrees Celsius.

Unlike the rush hour, there wasn’t much traffic on the road at nine o’clock. Shen Qingyi got home a little before nine. When she turned on the lights, the first thing she saw was a clean and tidy shoe cabinet and a bright and clean living room. Shen Qingyi was slightly taken aback. After all, she was used to living a leisurely life alone. This was the first time she had come home to such a clean house.

What’s going on?

Shen Qingyi walked around the house to investigate. She even pulled open the fridge and saw two plates of food covered in plastic wrap. One was stir-fried meat with green peppers, and the other was a small bowl of fish with pickled cabbage. She glanced at the rice cooker on the stove and saw that it was indeed on ‘keep warm.’ When she lifted the lid, she saw that it was a single portion of rice.

“Chirp—”

Just then, Shen Qingyi heard a bird chirping. She closed the fridge door and walked to the balcony to see the little fat bird obediently standing on the perch, looking up at her.

Why did you come back so late today? Shan Ling tilted her head to look at her, walked two steps on the perch, and said, I thought you’d be back at six, so I made you dinner. It’s probably cold by now. I wonder if you’ve eaten.

Shen Qingyi looked at the white and chubby little bird. She opened the cage and let it hop onto her shoulder. Shan Ling rubbed against Shen Qingyi’s cheek and let out a content ‘chirp.’ If you’ve already eaten, then you can save it for tomorrow~

“Did Aunt Jiang come today?”

Shan Ling was slightly stunned. She looked up at her. Who?

Shan Ling immediately realized what she meant. She flapped her wings and chirped loudly. I made the food!

When Shen Qingyi saw the clean house and the food in the fridge, the first person she thought of was Aunt Jiang. Maybe she came over to clean while she was out and left her some food. Shen Qingyi’s expression was not good. Her face sank, and she seemed a little unhappy.

Shan Ling flapped her wings and didn’t dare to speak. She also noticed that Shen Qingyi’s expression was not good and began to wonder if she had done something unnecessary.

Shen Qingyi took out her phone and made a call. The other side took a long time to answer.

“Hello?”

Shen Qingyi asked in a low voice, “Did you ask Aunt Jiang to come to my house?”

Shen Hongjun was silent for a long time before he said calmly, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t need anyone to take care of me.” Shen Qingyi seemed a little anxious. She brushed away the stray hairs on her forehead. Her slender and beautiful eyebrows were impatiently furrowed, and her tone became harsh and dissatisfied. “After all these years, what’s the point of you suddenly doing this?”

“…No matter how you see me, you will always be my daughter.”

“Do you see me as your daughter?” Shen Qingyi asked him mockingly. “Or a monster?”

The man on the other end of the phone fell silent. Shen Qingyi also didn’t speak. The silence in the air was so heavy you could almost hear a pin drop.

“Aunt Jiang told me you got a pet?” Shen Hongjun changed the subject to something a father and daughter could discuss. He asked softly, “It’s good to have a pet to keep you company. At least it can make you happy.”

Just as Shen Qingyi was about to say something, she heard the crisp voice of a little girl from Shen Hongjun’s end. “Dad, have you seen my ballet skirt? I need to wear it for my school performance tomorrow.”

“You can ask your mom about the ballet skirt. See if she put it in your closet.”

“Mmm… Then I’ll go ask Mom later. Dad, are you on the phone? Who are you talking to?”

Shen Hongjun looked at his young daughter, reached out to rub her soft hair, and chuckled, “I’m on the phone with your sister.” When he turned back to talk to Shen Qingyi, he found that the call had already ended.

Shen Hongjun looked down at his phone. He then heard his young daughter’s chattering voice, pulling him to tell him about her performance tomorrow. He decided to put the matter of Shen Qingyi aside for now.

After Shen Qingyi hung up the phone, she seemed to be in the worst mood. She irritably threw her phone aside, went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and picked up the food, ready to throw it all away.

He had ignored her for so long, and now he was suddenly trying to show her kindness. Shen Qingyi remembered her mother, who had died in a pool of blood, and the more than a decade of being neglected. Each memory flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern.

Her mother wasn’t normal, so the child can’t be either.

How unlucky. How can a child be so unlucky?

It would be a good thing for our whole family if that woman died.

Shen Qingyi remembered standing in a dark corner of the room when she was young, listening to those adults whispering. Every word was like a curse. They treated her mother’s death as a blessing, and some even smiled. The blood on the road mixed with the dirt. The crimson mud was Shen Qingyi’s nightmare for a lifetime. Even though she was now well-fed and no longer had to worry about money, the nightmare never went away. Feelings that could be forgotten by time were not etched into the heart.

“Chirp, chirp, chirp!”

Shan Ling watched as Shen Qingyi was about to throw away the food she had worked so hard to make. She quickly flew up and flapped her wings, hitting Shen Qingyi’s head, and yelled at her fiercely! Don’t you dare! I made you food for the first time. How can you not even take a bite!

Shen Qingyi was hit by a little fat bird. Her wild emotions finally calmed down a little. That’s right. Although she hated Shen Hongjun, the food was made by Aunt Jiang. Why should she trample on an elderly person’s kindness?

Shen Qingyi stared at the food in her hand. After another kick from Shan Ling, she sighed helplessly and turned on the gas stove to heat up the cold food.

Seeing her do this, Shan Ling huffily flew back into the cage. Shen Qingyi glanced at Shan Ling, who had flown away. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with the little fat bird. It looked unhappy.

After the food was heated up, the whole house was filled with a fragrant smell, bringing a rare bit of life to the cold and empty apartment. She had expected the food to be as sweet as before. Shen Qingyi had even opened a bag of pickled vegetables, planning to eat them with the meal. But she found that this time, the food Aunt Jiang made was exceptionally delicious. It wasn’t too spicy or too salty. It had a sweet aftertaste that made her want to eat more.

After Shen Qingyi finished her meal, she re-wrapped the leftover fish with pickled cabbage and washed the dishes. By the time she was done, it was already 9:30. The little fat bird still seemed to be angry. She had locked herself in the cage and wasn’t making a sound. Shen Qingyi looked at the balcony and saw that it had its little butt facing her. She was throwing a tantrum.

Shen Qingyi thought her little fat chick was extra cute when it was angry. Why hadn’t she noticed it before? She walked over, reached out, and touched Shan Ling’s little butt. Shan Ling was startled. She immediately flapped her wings and flew up, looking at the woman in front of her in terror.

How can you touch my butt!

Shan Ling paced back and forth on the perch, both embarrassed and angry. I, I, I, I’m not that kind of casual bird! Although you gave me a place to live and food to eat, I’m not the kind of bird who will repay you by marrying you!

Those ancient stories where a poor scholar saves a little fairy and the fairy repays him with her body are not in fashion anymore! Times have changed!!!

Shen Qingyi didn’t have so many thoughts. She just wanted to tease the little fat bird, which was inexplicably sulking. She rubbed her finger against its cheek and said in a low voice, “I worked late today and didn’t have time to buy you mealworms. I’ll buy them for you tomorrow. Don’t be angry anymore.”

Shan Ling rubbed against Shen Qingyi, chirping unhappily. I’m not angry because of food. You just don’t understand me.

Of course, Shen Qingyi didn’t understand. She just gently stroked Shan Ling’s feathers, and her black eyes slightly darkened. Even a living creature could make her feel comfortable, so why did her own family make her so miserable?

She wasn’t in the mood to work anymore. Shen Qingyi washed up and went to bed early. She felt that the phone call with Shen Hongjun today had been exceptionally painful. It was like long-dormant still water was suddenly stirred up. The pain and the memories that were almost forgotten surfaced again. Shen Qingyi was like a helpless child falling into the water, able only to let the suffocating and painful muddy water drown her, enter her body, and drag her into the abyss…

Shan Ling was indeed a little unhappy today, so she didn’t open the cage latch that night for the first time. Even if she didn’t get any merit today, she wouldn’t sleep with Shen Qingyi! With that thought, Shan Ling curled up in her little nest and fell into a deep sleep.

But in the middle of the night, Shan Ling woke up in a daze. She heard Shen Qingyi’s painful moans from the bedroom, the kind of sound of being tormented by a nightmare, where even breathing was painful. Shan Ling opened one eye and then closed it, curling into a little ball, mumbling to herself, I said I wouldn’t go, so I won’t go.

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