The Girl and the Cat

Qin An gently set Yuko down. She was still incredibly weak and could barely stand without his support.

“Oh! Big brother, welcome back.”

Qin Chan heard the door and came bouncing out, lowering her head like a charging little bull, ready to throw herself into Qin An’s arms.

Qin An pressed a single finger against her forehead to stop her. “I’m all wet. Let me change clothes first.”

“No way!” Qin Chan looked up and finally noticed the dripping wet girl standing beside him.

“Oh! Big brother brought a girl home to spend the night! I’m telling big sister. I’m telling auntie. Big brother, you’re a bad guy.”

“Xiao Chan, wait…”

Qin An could only watch as Qin Chan ran off to summon the two biggest troublemakers in the house.

“Big brother, you…”

At first, Qin Yage thought Qin Chan was joking. When she saw the truth, she didn’t cry, but her teeth were clenched.

Qin An knew that if he couldn’t explain this clearly, he’d probably have to kneel on a washboard, a keyboard, and a remote control tonight. No, maybe all of them twice.

“Our little An-an has finally reached that age. He’s growing up. I can die without regret now.” Qin Yuqing instantly shed theatrical tears, wiping the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. Her acting could easily win an Oscar.

“You’re An-an’s classmate, right? Go take a hot shower first. If An-an dares to bully you, big sister will help you sort him out.”

Qin Yuqing took Yuko’s hand and led her toward the bathroom. Her smile was exactly like a welcoming older sister.

“Meow~”

“Ah! A little kitty! Xiao Chan loves kitties the most!” The moment Qin Chan saw the black cat in Yuko’s arms, her eyes lit up with the joy of finding a new playmate.

The little black cat was startled by her loud voice. Its fur stood on end, and it quickly hid in Yuko’s arms, refusing to show its head.

Qin Chan grinned like a little devil. “Once you’re all clean, I’ll play with you!”

“Big brother, don’t you think you should explain what’s going on?” Qin Yage tapped her foot impatiently.

“Um, can I change clothes first?”

“No!”

Why do they have to be so in sync!

After signing many unequal treaties of future chores, Qin An finally got to go back to his room and change into clean, dry clothes.

He briefly explained the girl’s story, skipping most of the details. To sum it up in one sentence: he had found a homeless classmate and a stray cat.

“Big brother, you’re getting more and more hopeless. If you keep this up, I won’t dare let anyone at school know you’re my brother.”

Qin Yage put her hand on her forehead and sighed, acting as if Qin An were a problematic child. “Big brother bringing a girl home late at night is definitely planning to do something weird. Auntie’s romance manga are full of stories like that!”

Wait, I haven’t done anything! And what kind of weird ideas has Yuqing-jie been teaching the kids? She’s still just a child!

“Big brother, you can’t just pick up girls and bring them home!” Qin Chan pointed at Qin An’s forehead with her little finger and demanded, “Where are my Magical Girl cards? I’ve been taking really good care of big sister!”

Crap!

Qin An, who had been completely calm a moment ago, broke out in a cold sweat. He had forgotten to buy her cards.

In the bathroom, Yuqing helped Yuko into the warm bath, her artistic eyes immediately scanning Yuko like a potential model. “Excellent posture, great proportions. You’d make a perfect manga heroine!”

She playfully nudged Yuko’s cheek, causing the girl to blush in embarrassment.

“Good face, good skin, nice figure, and plenty of room for growth. A great prospect.”

“Um…” Yuko said weakly.

“You can call me Yuqing-jie.”

“Um, Yuqing-jie… can you all see me?”

“Silly girl, of course we can see you. We’re not ordinary people!”

Qin Yuqing lightly tapped her head, then pulled her into a tight, comforting hug. The poor black cat, caught in the middle of their sudden chaotic embrace, struggled to breathe. It let out a distressed meow and quickly leapt onto the bathroom floor, but the wet tiles were too slippery. Its claws couldn’t get a grip, and it slid across the floor like it was ice-skating, bumped into the wall, spun around dizzily a few times, and collapsed.

“Looks like this little one is a bit silly too.” Qin Yuqing picked the cat up, holding it gently to her chest as she stroked its wet fur.

Qin An was used to the strange noises coming from the bathroom. Qin Yuqing was very beautiful, but at home, she dressed completely sloppily. Sometimes after washing her hair, she wouldn’t even bother combing it, letting her long hair stay in a messy bundle on her back. Yet, that didn’t diminish her natural charm at all.

Outside, however, she was professional, generous, and proper. It was said that many people wanted to pursue her, but she ruthlessly rejected them all. Based on Qin An’s expert judgment, this woman was simply too focused on her manga to care about romance.

Qin An picked up a spoon and took a sip of the soup. The flavor was just right. After getting caught in the cold rain, drinking hot ginger soup was definitely the right thing to do.

After her bath, Yuko looked much more energetic. Not exactly radiant, but some color had returned to her pale cheeks.

The little black cat, carefully washed and dried by Qin Yuqing, had become much fluffier too. Its fur was smooth and carried a faint scent of pet-safe disinfectant. It seemed Yuqing had been very thorough.

Qin Chan immediately spotted its small figure. This time she was smarter, having heard her brother say the kitten hadn’t eaten yet.

She took out the chocolate her brother had bought her. This was her ultimate treasure. Even if her big sister wanted some, she wouldn’t give it up.

She placed the chocolate in front of the black cat. The black cat tentatively touched it with its paw, sniffed it, then turned and walked away without hesitation.

“Xiao Chan, you idiot. Cats can’t eat chocolate.”

“Why not? Chocolate is so delicious!”

“Well…”

Qin Yage was at a loss for words. She only vaguely remembered her brother saying that chocolate was toxic to animals.

“Why? Why?” Qin Chan wouldn’t let it go. She was now a curious little girl with a million questions.

“Well, because chocolate is for people to eat, so cats can’t eat it.”

Qin Yage snatched the chocolate from the floor. A perfect excuse to confiscate it.

“Big sister, give it back! That’s for the kitten, not for you! If you eat it, you’re worse than a kitten!”

“Hmph!” Qin Yage snorted and tore open the wrapper in the next second.

“Big sister, give it back!”

Then the two sisters started playing a frantic game of tag around the living room.

“Be careful, you two,” Qin An warned, holding a bowl of steaming ginger soup.

These two crazy girls, Qin An could only sigh inwardly.

Yuko was wearing one of Qin Yuqing’s spare nightgowns, but Qin Yuqing’s voluptuous figure was nothing like hers. It was like a child wearing an adult’s clothes. What was originally a knee-length dress turned into a long gown on her, and the neckline hung quite loose.

“Drink some ginger soup to warm up first.”

“Thank you.”

The soup was hot and comforting. This house was small, but incredibly cozy. The people were noisy, but deeply caring.

“Big brother, don’t stare!” Qin Yage immediately noticed her brother’s gaze drifting toward Yuko’s oversized pajamas and quickly covered his eyes. She couldn’t let her guard down for a second!

These girls trying to get close to big brother are getting more and more numerous. Hmph, wait until next year when I enter big school. Then we’ll see how you find new friends, and how they try to approach you. A little sister is her big brother’s best shield.

“An-an, aren’t you going to cook something for your future sister-in-law? Oh, and make a steamed fish too.”

“What? Future sister-in-law! No way! Big brother can’t get married!”

Two voices spoke simultaneously, their outraged frequencies perfectly in sync.