bayedsolid Chapter 1212 Wife
Chapter 1212 Wife
Ever since I met Aunt Wang Cuihua on moving day, my life has been like a comedy on fast-forward, filled with unexpected surprises every day. Before, in my rental apartment, my daily routine was a routine of going from work to home, as dull as a glass of water. But since moving into this old building, Aunt Wang has been like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, stirring up my ordinary days with a buzz of excitement, filling the air with the scent of joy.
Take Monday morning, for example. I woke up ten minutes earlier than usual, hoping to get to the office early and avoid the morning rush hour subway. As I walked out of my office door, backpack on my back, I saw a familiar figure squatting under the old locust tree at the entrance, a sausage in hand, chattering to a cat.
I knew it was Aunt Wang Cuihua without even looking. She wore a light purple short-sleeved shirt and gray sweatpants, her hair tied into a ponytail with a black rubber band, looking incredibly energetic. She squatted on the ground, leaning slightly forward, her eyes gleaming as she stared at the calico cat in front of her. Her tone was as gentle as if she were coaxing a child: "Mimi, why weren't you here yesterday? Did Aunt Zhang from the building next door feed you? Let me tell you, the cat food she buys is the cheapest and not very nutritious. My ham sausage is better; it's got meat in it and tastes delicious!"
The calico cat was about six months old, its markings all jumbled together, yellow, black, and white, as if someone had casually splashed paint on it. It was clearly accustomed to being fed by Aunt Wang, showing no fear at all. It lowered its head and nibbled on the sausage, occasionally raising it to rub the back of Aunt Wang's hand, making a purring sound.
Aunt Wang was so happy when it rubbed her that her eyes narrowed into slits. She fed the sausage in her hand more diligently: "You are so good and obedient! Come here every day from now on. I will save delicious food for you every day and make sure you are fat!"
I walked over with a smile and greeted her, "Good morning, Aunt Wang! Are you here to feed the cats again?"
Aunt Wang looked up and saw me, and immediately smiled warmly. She pointed to the calico cat at her feet and said proudly, "Xiao Xia, look how cute this cat is! I plan to adopt it and let it keep me company. I've even agreed to name it 'Hua Hua'. What do you think?"
Looking at the cat with its messy markings, I couldn't help but think, "Huahua" is such a simple and direct name, just like Aunt Wang's personality—no beating around the bush at all. I smiled and nodded. "That's a good name. It suits him perfectly."
As soon as I finished speaking, I saw Aunt Wang pull out a palm-sized notebook from her pocket. The cover of the notebook was red and a little worn, and it looked like it had been used for many years. She opened the notebook, and it was filled with densely packed words, with neat and beautiful handwriting. She pointed to one of the lines and said to me excitedly: "Xiao Xia, look, I have planned everything for Huahua. Every morning at seven o'clock, I feed it a sausage; at twelve o'clock noon, I feed it a small bowl of cat food; at six o'clock in the evening, I give it some dried fish to supplement its nutrition. On weekends, I have to give it a bath and comb its hair. If the weather is good, I will take it to the community to bask in the sun."
I leaned over to take a look. The notebook not only listed feeding times and types, but also notes like, "Choose chicken-flavored ham; Huahua doesn't like beef-flavored ones," "Soak cat food before feeding; it's good for Huahua's stomach," and "The bath water temperature shouldn't be too high or too low; 38 degrees Celsius is ideal." Seeing her earnest expression, I couldn't help but smile. "Auntie, your plan is even more detailed than my work schedule! I've never even planned my own diet this carefully."
Aunt Wang raised her chin proudly, a look of pride on her face. "Of course not! Having a pet means you have to be responsible. Since I've decided to adopt Huahua, I have to take good care of her and not let her down. When I was a physical education teacher, I was always very responsible towards my students. Now, I have to show the same dedication to taking care of Huahua!"
Touched by her earnestness and enthusiasm, I nodded and said, "You're right. Raising a pet does require care. With you taking care of Huahua, she's sure to be very happy."
After chatting with Aunt Wang for a while, it was almost time to go to work, so I said goodbye to her and hurried to the subway station. On the way, I was still thinking that with an interesting neighbor like Aunt Wang, my future life would definitely not be boring.
I thought Aunt Wang's adoption of Huahua was a heartwarming and interesting little thing that would add some joy to our lives. Unexpectedly, the next day, Huahua triggered a "community pet missing case" that caused an uproar in the entire community.
I worked overtime until around 7:00 PM that day and dragged myself home exhausted. As I reached the door to my apartment building, I saw a group of people gathered there, chattering about something. Curious, I walked over and squeezed through the crowd to see Aunt Wang, pacing anxiously, rubbing her hands together and muttering, "Where's Huahua? Where's my Huahua? Where on earth did it go?"
Her hair was a little messy, her forehead was covered in sweat, and her face was anxious and worried, with a hint of bloodshot in her eyes. It was obvious that she had been searching for a long time. Around her were several elderly ladies who usually danced square dance with her, and they were all chattering and giving her advice.
"Cuihua, don't worry. Huahua might have gone to the next building to play. Let's go there to look for her." said an old lady in a blue short-sleeved shirt.
"I think it might have been taken away by a young person who likes cats. Huahua is so cute, there must be someone who likes it." Another old lady wearing glasses continued.
"No, no," another fatter old lady shook her head. "Huahua is so shy. She won't let anyone touch her except Cuihua. How could she possibly go with anyone else? I think she might be sleeping in a corner. Let's look for her carefully."
Aunt Wang became even more agitated when she heard what they said. "Impossible! I locked it in the house when I went out to buy groceries this morning, and the windows were closed tightly. How could it have escaped? Something must have happened to it!"
At this moment, Aunt Wang suddenly saw me. She walked up to me quickly as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw and held my hand tightly. Her hands were very cold and were still shaking: "Xiao Xia, are you off work? That's great, please help me find Hua Huabei! I left it at home when I went out this morning, and it disappeared when I came back! I searched the whole house but couldn't find it.