Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Cat (Final)

As Yang Runxian arrived at the market, she wandered around, buying everything she needed, and was ready to head home.

However, at the market exit, she ran into a familiar face. They exchanged greetings and started chatting. Before long, they found a shady, open spot and stood chatting.

Lost in the lively conversation, Yang Runxian completely forgot about the soup simmering in her kitchen.

She had originally calculated that a short trip to the market would take no more than ten minutes, while the soup would need to simmer for forty or fifty minutes before it might dry out.

Yet she hadn’t expected to run into a familiar face and get so carried away with talking that she forgot all about it.

Time flies when you’re chatting, and it was that familiar face who suddenly said, “Oh my, it’s already eleven-thirty. We should head back; just in time to cook a meal and eat. Let’s call it a day and catch up another time.”

As soon as the words were said, Yang Runxian’s face changed dramatically.

“What happened?”

Yang Runxian’s face turned ashen, and she started trembling as she shakily pulled out her phone, hands trembling as she scrolled through the contacts to dial her daughter Xiao Han’s number.

“Yang Runxian, what’s wrong?”

The call had barely connected, and Yang Runxian couldn’t wait any longer. She sprinted towards the residential complex, tears streaming down her face, “I left home without turning off the stove, I don’t know how things are now, Xiao Han is still asleep, I don’t know if she noticed.”

If Xiao Han noticed, everything would be okay.

But what if she was sleeping too deeply to realize there was soup simmering in the kitchen?

Two hours had already gone by; if Xiao Han hadn’t noticed, Yang Runxian didn’t dare to imagine what might happen.

The familiar face was stunned for a moment but quickly set aside their own things and ran after Yang Runxian.

The call still had not connected, and Yang Runxian was growing increasingly anxious.

The market was very close to the residential complex, and she made it into the complex within two minutes, swiftly arriving at her own building, instinctively looking up as she approached.

She counted to her own floor, looking towards where the kitchen would be, and finally exhaled a sigh of relief; it didn’t look like there was a fire or smoke coming out.

Perhaps Xiao Han noticed?

Seeing the familiar face had followed her, Yang Runxian gratefully said, “Maybe Xiao Han noticed.”

But without a call from Xiao Han or seeing her, she couldn’t be at ease, so she rushed upstairs, all the way up to the sixth floor in one breath.

The familiar face followed quickly, keeping pace right behind Yang Runxian.

Upon reaching the front door and seeing nothing unusual, Yang Runxian let out another sigh of relief, quickly opened the door, and pushed it forcefully.

The kitchen was right at the entrance, the door usually closed, looking undamaged.

She pushed it open with a force, the door banging against the wall, but she couldn’t care about that.

Upon seeing the scene in the kitchen, she took a deep breath.

The soup pot was burned pitch black like charcoal, and the whole kitchen was filled with the smell of burning.

It didn’t seem like anything had been turned off in time.

Indeed, it was not someone who turned off the stove, but a cat that managed to put it out.

Yang Runxian looked at the familiar tabby cat sitting on the stove, with a fire extinguisher lying next to it, which made everything clear.

Her eyes reddened. If it weren’t for this cat, she really didn’t know what might have happened today.

She had heard people say this cat was very intelligent, and she hadn’t expected to be lucky enough to receive its help once.

Yang Runxian wiped away her tears; she truly couldn’t imagine what might have happened if Xiao Huahua hadn’t been there.

The house getting burned wouldn’t matter, but her daughter Xiao Han was still at home.

If the place caught fire, blocking the door, how would Xiao Han escape?

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became.

“Xiao Huahua, thank you, really, thank you.”

“I’ll never leave the stove on when I go out again; from now on, I’ll always turn it off.”

This time Xiao Huahua provided timely help, but they couldn’t count on being that lucky each time, could they?

Ah Chen observed that Yang Runxian had learned her lesson, nudging the fire extinguisher towards her as a warning.

Then, she turned and hopped out through the kitchen window, swiftly heading up to the rooftop to find a spot to lie down.

Faintly, she heard Xiao Han’s voice coming from the sixth floor, “Mom, why are you crying? Oh, and why did you call me earlier? I was in the bathroom without my phone, didn’t hear it.”

“Xiao Han…”

Yang Runxian explained what had happened earlier, particularly emphasizing the tabby cat in the complex known as Xiao Huahua.

Xiao Han was deeply moved, having an inkling that without Xiao Huahua, she might not have survived.

Soon after, the mother and daughter were carrying various freeze-dried and canned cat foods, calling out “meow” all around the complex.

Ah Chen found it amusing, humans always acted in a similar manner.

After watching them search for a while, she finally jumped down and sauntered around in front of them.

Perhaps as they gradually became familiar, they put down their things and stepped aside.

Seeing Ah Chen dragging things away, they smiled happily. Someone saw and came over to chat, learned about the tragedy that almost occurred at Yang Runxian’s home today, and couldn’t help but sigh. They became even more curious about this spiritually rich stray tabby cat in their community.

“Have you noticed that the cats in the community are very disciplined?”

“I noticed too, Xiao Huahua seems to be their leader.”

“These cats are well-behaved, many people in the community have taken some home to raise. Apart from Xiao Huahua, the other kittens are very friendly, each more charming than the other.”

“I also have two cats, haha, and they were personally delivered by Xiao Huahua, two kittens, probably not Xiao Huahua’s, estimated to be born by other cats.”

“I also have cats.” Jiang Tianqi continued, “Also kittens delivered by Xiao Huahua, a black cat, an orange cat, and another tabby cat.”

Of course, she most wanted to raise Xiao Huahua, but unfortunately, Xiao Huahua was too smart to allow anyone to keep her.

Ah Chen heard their discussion and didn’t care.

The number of stray cats in the community had decreased significantly, only a few freedom-loving senior cats remained. Those she could send to people’s homes, she did. These cats, which she had trained, were each cuter and more charming than the last. The families she selected already liked cats, so when they encountered these adorable kittens, of course, they raised them.

These few elderly stray cats didn’t want to have kittens anymore either. For stray cats, giving birth is also painful, but many times it’s a natural instinct that can’t be controlled. So, after consulting them, Ah Chen helped them get spayed.

As for when she leaves here, if stray cats in the community increase again, that’s something that can’t be helped.

That day, Ah Chen came to a house on the seventh floor.

This family had just moved in; it was a single mother with her five-year-old son.

It’s the depths of winter now, and today the weather was very cold.

Liu Rujun estimated business wouldn’t be good, it was too cold outside, so she didn’t bring her son along, planning to come back after setting up her stall for a while.

She didn’t expect business to be quite good, while her son waited for her to return, he opened the window and stared down, not knowing that there was something wrong with the window, and he fell down.

She received a call from the property management, left behind her stall and customers, and rushed to the hospital.

The child fell on his head and couldn’t be saved.

The commissioned cat hadn’t interacted much with Liu Rujun, but the other party liked cats. Within a few days of moving in, seeing the commissioned cat sleeping in a cold place, she gave it a warm old pillow as a cat bed.

When Ah Chen jumped on the window’s edge, the child had already opened the window, leaning out, and Ah Chen pushed him back with her paw.

The child was obviously a bit confused, standing there staring back at Ah Chen.

He tried to look out again and was once again pushed back by Ah Chen with her forehead.

When Liu Rujun returned, she saw her son staring at a tabby cat outside the window.

Seeing her return, Ah Chen pushed the window with her paw, and the window fell inward into the house.

She pointed at the five-year-old child, saw the frightened look on Liu Rujun’s face, was satisfied, and turned to leave.

This young mother should pay more attention in the future.

Afterward, Liu Rujun went to the community to find the cat with cat treats, met those who knew the tabby cat, and heard many stories about this spiritual cat, feeling both fortunate and fearful.

“The window was broken, if it weren’t for Xiao Huahua, my child might have fallen. That day when I understood Xiao Huahua’s intention, I broke out in a cold sweat, we were lucky to have Xiao Huahua.”

“Yes, we’re lucky to have Xiao Huahua, otherwise I would have died long ago,” Jiang Tianqi said.

Zheng Hongfeng nodded in agreement, “I owe my old life to Xiao Huahua.”

“My family of six was saved by Xiao Huahua,” Jiang Yingfeng said. Their family had actually moved to a better community but often came back to visit Xiao Huahua.

“Lucky to have Xiao Huahua, otherwise my house might have burned, and who knows what would have happened.”

Seasons changed, year after year passed.

Jiang Tianqi bought a house, a new car, and had a home of her own.

Zheng Hongfeng was taken care of by her children.

Jiang Yingfeng’s family remained harmonious and happy.

Nie Han graduated and got a very good job, but Yang Runxian still lived in this community.

Liu Rujun and her son still lived here; she continued to set up her stall, and the child was soon entering junior high. As he grew up, he understood that it was the cat that saved his life, and he often searched the community for Ah Chen with cat treats.

For humans, a cat’s lifespan is short.

Under normal circumstances, a little over a decade is the limit, and even the longest-lived ones usually only live around twenty years.

As for stray cats, they usually only live a few years.

Ah Chen was naturally not an ordinary cat. She had been in this world for twenty-two years, and when she left, the child who almost fell had already grown into a young man.

Everyone she had helped looked at the tabby cat that would never wake up again and cried uncontrollably.

They bought a grave for the tabby cat, laid fresh flowers, and also brought a banner they had long wanted to give.

Though Xiao Huahua was gone, she always lived in their hearts.

She was a legend, a legend in their lives.

They thought the tabby cat was too spiritual, yet they didn’t know that it was the seeds they themselves planted that bore this fruit.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep