Page Fifty-Four: Huangfu Zhen
[November 22, Friday, 17:52]
“Aaaah! What is this…”
As soon as I got home, I was shocked by the sight in the yard. The greenery carefully tended by Brother Zhu for several months had been roughly cleared away, replaced by a strange structure.
Covering about ten square meters, it was built from stacked boxes with an entrance about half a person’s height at the bottom. However, the outer side was made of transparent glass panels, allowing it to open like a cabinet door. The entire structure was nearly half a floor high, with multiple small platforms inside for the cats to stand on. Soft LED lights were installed at the top, and there were two wooden posts bound with thick hemp ropes in the center. On the left side, there was an external feeding trough. Thanks to its suspended design and drainage system, the box would not flood, nor would it be submerged due to water accumulation on the ground.
It looked quite unique but somewhat affected the lighting in the Entrance Hall.
“…This, this must be the Cat House that was mentioned before?”
“That’s right!”
Proud foreman Little Qinglan stood with her hands on her hips, proudly presenting the structure. “We transported it here by truck from the workshop this afternoon. After the task to build the cat house was assigned, the props team managed to create this multi-functional box cat tree in just two days. Since there were no conventions during winter, they had nothing else to do and threw themselves into making it… so they went overboard, causing the budget to explode.”
Everyone at the Witch Workshop is talented, and they don’t need to work regular jobs.
Due to her petite frame, Little Qinglan climbed inside to give the tour.
“Free entry and exit, not only does it have rain protection and wind shelter, but you can also prepare cat food here. Although it looks like wood, it’s actually made of hard fiberboard with wood grain, which is difficult for cats to damage. If they want to sharpen their claws, there are hemp rope posts provided… How do you like it? Isn’t this what Orange envisioned for a cat hotel?”
The ten-square-meter立体 space could accommodate over twenty cats, enough for most of the village’s stray cats.
Excited, Orange’s tail curled as she playfully squeezed into the cat house and hugged Little Qinglan tightly.
“Thank you, Sister Qinglan! Or should I call you Sister Qinglan now?”
With a lewd grin unbecoming of her age, she lunged into Orange’s prematurely mature chest and started petting her, saying, “Then I’ll call you Sister Orange! Hehehe—”
Seeing the two inside the cat house, Mom couldn’t help but smile foolishly.
“Oh, it seems we need to prepare some cat food.”
Orange inside the cat house said, “I’ll take care of the cat food! I raised money through online donations!”
“Online donations?”
Xiao Hai Tang explained with crossed arms, “I wanted to test Orange’s abilities, so I asked her to try. After posting pictures of the village’s stray cats online, she actually raised some money… No wonder she’s my sister, such strong initiative!”
Damn, this woman is still competing with me for a sister. Now that Mom’s phobia is cured, I need to find a way to bring Orange back…
Just then, an unfamiliar brown sedan parked at the yard entrance.
Xiao Lei asked, “Hmm? Who’s here?”
A maturely dressed lady stepped out of the driver’s seat, looking to be in her thirties. She carried a handbag and pushed open the iron gate, walking straight towards me.
“Are you Xiao Kai… Xiao Lingmeng?”
Her voice wasn’t loud but clear.
Despite my confusion, I responded.
“Yes, I am. May I ask who you are?”
A voice came from above.
“Mom!”
Looking up, Linhua was leaning against the balcony railing, supported by Cherry Sauce, waving at us.
“You finally arrived!”
Lin’s mother, which means… aunt!
————–
“Your background, Huaying told me everything… Sorry, because of Big Brother and Father’s irresponsibility, you suffered.”
This lady is Huangfu Zhen.
Brother Zhu’s sister and Lin’s mother… strictly speaking, she is also my second aunt.
Unlike Lin’s slightly frivolous personality, Aunt Zhen seemed very intelligent. Her words conveyed a warm kindness, though she clearly had many grievances with Master and Brother Zhu.
Growing up under Grandma’s influence, it’s strange if she didn’t have any resistance.
I asked, “So, where did Mrs. Huaying… Aunt know about me? From Sister Fei?”
Linhua, holding a thermometer, leaned on Aunt Zhen, who gently patted her daughter’s hand.
“She said Sister Fei? Oh, you mean Jing Sheng now.”
When mentioning Sister Fei, Aunt Zhen narrowed her eyes with an ambiguous smile.
“But no, your story was told to her by Mother on her deathbed, then Huaying relayed it to me.”
Principal Huangfu… Grandma?
Mom took the thermometer out of Linhua’s mouth and sighed in relief after checking.
“36.7 degrees, good, the fever has subsided.”
“Miss Xiaowei, not just the child, you’ve worked hard all these years too…”
Understanding Mom’s identity, Aunt Zhen felt a certain guilt, but Mom’s good nature meant she wouldn’t complain.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s all in the past. Look, I’m fine now! As long as you compensate this child, I don’t mind being both father and mother. So Xiao Kai, let’s start anew?”
I pointed out, “Mom… but you’re hugging Cherry Sauce, and I’m here.”
Mom held onto Cherry Sauce stubbornly, “Oh, it doesn’t matter! Xiao Ying is also my daughter, and you two are inseparable now, right?”
Dad lived a miserable life but unexpectedly had a broad-minded heart. The seventeen years she spent in fear were surely not easy to let go.
“You two have such a close relationship, unlike Linhua, who wasn’t close to me until she became a little girl.”
Linhua pouted, “Even if I wanted to get closer to you back then, you would have rejected me. Don’t forget why I moved out!”
Because of cross-dressing, Linhua’s relationship with her parents wasn’t great, even the plan to go to Thailand during summer break was secretly arranged by her.
Aunt Zhen didn’t respond to Linhua but looked at me.
“Xiao Kai, you are undoubtedly part of the Huangfu family. If you wish, we welcome you back anytime. Mother always mentions you, something even Linhua hasn’t experienced.”
Linhua seemed displeased and whispered, “Mom, if Kai returns… she and I will become legal cousins.”
“But you two are already cousins.”
Aunt Zhen’s reaffirmation made Linhua anxious. She struggled to sit up and stared at her mother.
“Mom, you know what I mean. Only if things stay the same will I have a chance to marry Kai!”
Xiao Lei stretched her neck and shouted, “No eating alone!”
Linhua continued, “I want to share Kai with the idiot and also with Liuliu. I know it sounds greedy, but I love them all! For this purpose, I can even like the idiot!”
“Your thoughts are unrealistic. Legally and ethically, it doesn’t make sense…”
Aunt Zhen disagreed with Linhua and added, “And think about how Grandma feels. She wants to bring this granddaughter home.”
A grandson.
But the atmosphere made it hard for me to correct her.
“Aunt Zhen, I like Linhua… and also Xiao Lei.”
“Mmm? Woof!”
From disappointment to joy, the fool’s psychology is too predictable.
I continued, “Although I haven’t figured out how to deal with their feelings, the affection is genuine. After all, I was the first to confess to her. If Linhua doesn’t want me to come back, then I won’t… But I’ll still acknowledge Grandma!”
Cherry Sauce lay in Mom’s arms and said, “Almost becoming a deity, why worry about laws and ethics? If everyone is a believer of Xiao Kai, shouldn’t we just live in harmony?”
Aunt Zhen obviously couldn’t accept such unconventional ideas, sighing and shaking her head.
“I don’t know about deities, but as mortals, we need to consider the issue of continuing the lineage. We can’t let the Huangfu family die out, right?”
“Deities need to continue the lineage to inherit the altar…”
Cherry Sauce said, raising her thumb.
“But after becoming a deity, Xiao Kai could give birth to Linhua’s children. Having a whole litter isn’t a problem!”
“…What?”
Cherry Sauce’s shocking statement genuinely surprised me.
“What’s surprising? As long as you’re willing, you could have a child with each believer.”
“Am I some kind of breeding machine?”
Xiao Lei raised her hand again, “Me! I also want Chairman to give birth to a whole troop of monkeys for me!”
“I can’t give birth to monkeys!”
The long-awaited sarcastic comment landed on the fool’s head. Then I addressed Aunt Zhen, “Though it’s inappropriate to say this in front of you, I don’t want to disappoint any of them. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about Linhua… When we found out we were siblings, I was confused for a while. I felt that my feelings of love had turned into familial affection, and our originally incomplete relationship had become that between cousins.”
Aunt Zhen asked, “Isn’t that true?”
Looking at Linhua, she frowned slightly, her mischievous side completely hidden in front of her mother.
“No, this desire to be with someone is love! I like having her by my side, I like the scent of her shower gel, I like her clever tricks, I like her thoughtful moments. I like Linhua, no matter what our final relationship becomes, I like her… and also Xiao Lei.”
“Mmm! Woof!”
“Seriously, you always add Xiao Lei in situations like this! The mood is ruined… Ah!”
While Linhua was still angrily talking, I reached out and pulled her beside me.
“So, Aunt Zhen, can I be with Linhua? Even if it’s too early for high schoolers to talk about marriage, we will definitely develop a deeper relationship.”
