Chapter 279: Sound in the Kitchen
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After leaving from her clinic, Sun Xiaomeng had been walking for a while before she lowered her head and realized that she was only wearing the white gown outside, because she left hastily and forgot her coat. The wind was blowing hard and her white gown was stuck close on her body. It was so chilly that she felt like her whole body was being poked by numerous needles.
She buttoned up the white gown, but it was useless, because white gown wasn’t designed to shield off the cold.
Should I go back and grab my coat?
She hesitated for a few seconds. She turned around and found that she had walked over 50 meters away from her clinic, making it troublesome to go back and forth.
Most importantly, the automotive part shops near her clinic were starting to open up shop. The bosses and employees wearing dirty uniforms were pulling up the shelter doors for their business today. Their stares made her uncomfortable, for she had heard them whisper behind her oftentimes. If she went back to the clinic to grab her coat, she would have to suffer even more uncomfortable staring.
Forget it. She decided to walk faster, hoping she would feel warmer.
The rising sunrays made her plain black hair look like the popular mix of flaxen and claret, and she seemed more fashionable.
Unlike what she expected, she felt even colder, probably because she was walking against the wind.
She recalled that when Zhang Zian entered the clinic, he took off his coat. He wore so little, only a jacket and a leisure shirt, and he didn’t seem cold. Sun Xiaomeng wore a sweater inside her white gown, but she was really freezing.
Suddenly, the sound of firecrackers was heard from the left side across the road, so she and other pedestrians stopped and looked in that direction.
It was a small restaurant opening for business, and they were burning non-smoking electronic firecrackers. Sun Xiaomeng remember that that site had belonged to a fruit store before. She hadn’t noticed it for a while, and as it turned out, the store had been transferred. It didn’t matter anyway. She didn’t like eating in small restaurants because she thought they had poor hygiene. She usually bought lunch boxes from supermarkets and reheated them in microwaves. Though lunch boxes were not necessarily delicious, at least they were clean.
There were few customers at the new restaurant, which was understandable, because it was too early for meals.
Sun Xiaomeng walked faster because she could see the Amazing Fate Pet Shop. She was dashing towards it so that she could escape from the cold wind.
Just then, two vehicles stopped at the gate of the pet shop, and a few men got down from the vehicles. Among these men, she recognized one was Guo Dongyue, mainly from his iconic ponytail.
Seeing that the shutter door of the pet shop was still closed, Guo Dongyue was confused. He walked towards the gate and saw it was indeed locked. He frowned and sensed that something was wrong. He took out his cellphone to make a call.
“Hey!” Sun Xiaomeng shouted.
But the men were talking loudly and Guo Dongyue didn’t hear her shouting, or he had heard it but wasn’t sure she was talking to him.
Sun Xiaomeng remembered that she didn’t have Guo Dongyue’s phone number, or else she could have called him. She trotted and shouted again, “Hey, Guo Dongyue!”
Guo Dongyue heard the shouting this time, and he looked where the sound came from and recognized her.
She raised her hand and waved, hoping he could see the keys in her hand and would understand that she was going to open the door for him.
Guo Dongyue understood. He put down his phone and said something to other men.
They talked and then pulled out all kinds of renovation tools from the vehicles.
Half a minute later, Sun Xiaomeng finally arrived at the gate of the pet shop.
“Humph! Luckily I arrived in time.” Sun Xiaomeng exhaled, and her breath froze white in the air. She didn’t feel free cold anymore because of her quick movements.
Guo Dongyue looked behind her, “Where is Zhang Zian?”
“He’s at my clinic. There’s a customer there who wants to buy pets.” Sun Xiaomeng used the keys Zhang Zian gave her to unlock the door.
As soon as the door was unlocked, the men came up and helped her pulled up the shutter door. They brought the tools inside the shop and looked around.
Fina stood up from its rack on the cat tree and looked at these strangers majestically. Because Fina’s tail had disappeared, Snowy Lionet also woke up from its infatuated state. Snowy Lionet turned around and saw the strangers were stinky men, so it said to Fina, “Your Majesty, these are construction workers. We should go upstairs so that your fur doesn’t get dirty from the dust.”
Affirming that the men had no vicious intent, Fina jumped down from the cat tree, cast them a warning look, flicked its tail and went upstairs, with Snowy Lionet following it.
Old Time Tea drank up the tea in its teacup, turned off the TV, put the teacup upside down to prevent dust from falling into the cup, and went upstairs too.
The construction workers brought by Guo Dongyue felt very surprised that these cats acted like they understood what was going to happen and they just left the site by themselves. Having seen what Richard could do, Guo Dongyue didn’t feel very surprised anymore.
Sun Xiaomeng kept looking for Galaxy as soon as she went into the pet shop. To her disappointment, Galaxy was not on the first floor. Only an American Shorthair was sitting in the corner.
“Why is there an American Shorthair?” She felt very strange. The pets at Zhang Zian’s shop should have been moved to her clinic temporarily, so what was the deal with this American Shorthair? Besides, all the pets for sale were babies, but this American Shorthair was fully grown. And judging from its appearance, it was not a cat from her family’s breeding base.
She went over and held up the American Shorthair and made a quick examination of its body— it was quite healthy, with no symptoms of any injuries.
“They are making renovation here, let me bring you upstairs.” She held it in her arms and walked upstairs.
It was the first time Sun Xiaomeng came to the second floor of the pet shop. When she was there, she looked around and wasn’t sure where she should put the American Shorthair…
“Pot! Pot! Pot, bowl, basin!”
“Still can’t remember? Pot, bowl, basin!”
“Poot…Boo…”
What?
Why was someone talking there?
If she remembered correctly, Zhang Zian’s parents had passed away, and she had never seen anyone other than Zhang Zian who lived in that shop. Were his relatives or friends visiting or staying overnight? That did not make sense. If his friends and relatives were there, why would he lock the door and ask her to open the door? And wouldn’t it be dangerous if the shop was on fire while it was locked from outside?
Could it be… thieves?
Unlikely. Thieves would have heard the sounds from downstairs.
The sound came from the kitchen.
The kitchen door was half closed. She hesitated, and could not decide whether she should go in and check.
At that moment, Galaxy showed up from somewhere. It turned around and looked at her as if implying something to her, and then it struck out its claw and pushed open the kitchen door.
