Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

  While the shoe store went through renovations, Zhang Zian had the idea to connect it to the pet store. That way, there was no need to head outside. However, he gave the idea up because there was no reason to go through all that trouble just for the 10 steps it took to get into the shoe store by going outside.

  The shoe store was slightly bigger than the pet store, and Zhang Zian hadn’t yet decided on how to better make use of the space. He had been thinking of bringing in new pets because the pet prices would drop to an all-time low, thanks to the Love Lovely Pets incident, but Zhang Zian hadn’t made up his mind on what breed to get.

  Zhang Zian went downstairs as he put on clothes. He tried to soften his footsteps so he wouldn’t disturb the elfins and animals that were still asleep, but the shutter doors made noise when he opened them.

  However, the shutter doors were nothing compared to the fireworks.

  The scent of gunpowder wafted through the air with the midnight breeze.

  As he stepped out the store, Zhang Zian realized that he forgot to get the keys to the shoe store, so he went back in to grab them. When he made it to the entrance of the shoe store, Fina was already getting impatient.

  “What took you so long?” Fina said discontentedly.

  Zhang Zian used his phone as a light source as he unlocked the door. He was just about to explain himself when he heard pecking from the bedroom window of the pet store. When he looked up, Richard had its face plastered against the glass. “Ga! You better stop taking your time!”


  Zhang Zian made a fist and thought, I’m going to hang you up for the whole night.

  He opened the door of the shoe store, and fumbled around for the lights, while Fina had sprung in the store.

  Zhang Zian didn’t have a cat’s ability to see in the dark, and he wasn’t familiar with the layout of the shoe store so he lagged behind.

  To maintain a dark, tranquil ambiance, the second floor had light bulbs of low wattage. If the lights were on, it wouldn’t bother the pregnant cats or those in labor.

  Zhang Zian made his way to the second floor. Even though he was anxious to check on the cats, he had to move around carefully. He saw Fina outside the delivery room.

  When he looked through the glass of the door, Zhang Zian saw a female cat roaming around restlessly, it sounded panicked. To prevent the pregnant cats from disturbing one another, every cat had its own compartment.

  Fina was annoyed with Zhang Zian so she glared at him and gestured for him to open the door.

  As Zhang Zian opened the door, a gush of hot air poured out. The temperature in the delivery room was high because newly born kittens needed to stay in a room of 30 degrees or higher to prevent their body temperature from dropping too low. These needs were prioritized during the renovation of the delivery rooms, so every compartment had a built-in electrical warmer in the walls.

  As the compartments weren’t that big, one electrical warmer was sufficient, and since they were built into the walls, it prevented the cats from burning themselves.

  There was also an outlet was reserved for the AC to keep the delivery room from getting too hot and stuffy during summer.

  As soon as the female cat saw Fina, it froze.

  Fina pointed to the cardboard box in the corner.

  With Fina around, the cat slowly calmed down and laid down in the cardboard box, cushioned with a small electric blanket.

  However, that was all Fina could do to help since she had never been in labor before. Fina’s calmness was a front, a forced pretense.

  Fina turned and glared at Zhang Zian. “What are you doing over there? Go do something! If anything goes wrong, I’ll hold you accountable!”


  Zhang Zian helplessly shrugged his shoulders, he had prepared all the necessary items for each room. Unless it was an emergency, it was best not to interfere with the delivery process and let the cat handle it alone. If a cat was able to safely deliver a kitten its first time, then the second time would go much smoother.

  However, it didn’t feel right for him to stand idly by, especially with Fina there. He grabbed the medical box that was in the corner and pulled out scissors, cotton gauze, rubbing alcohol, milk bottles, and sheep’s milk powder. Zhang Zian plugged in the electric kettle and started to boil water. He just had to pretend to be busy.

  The scissors and cotton gauze were for if it ended being a difficult delivery. The milk bottle and milk powder were backups in the mother didn’t have milk. Of course, it was best if the items weren’t put to use.

  Compared to dogs, a cat’s delivery process was much smoother and safer. Even if they had difficulties, they didn’t necessarily require a human to interfere.

  The cat laid on its sides and looked at Fina from time to time, as if Fina’s gaze made it feel at ease.

  There was a night light in the delivery room, so Zhang Zian was barely able to see that the cat’s contractions were getting closer and closer together.

  The cat started breathing faster.

  The water in the electric kettle was boiling, so Zhang Zian poured the water into a thermal bottle. He placed a thermometer inside and waited for the water to cool down to 50 degrees, then put the lid on.

  Fina nervously looked at the cat.

  All of a sudden, Fina cried out, “What is that? A rat?”


  Zhang Zian couldn’t see what it was talking about as he was too far, but he knew that there were no rats in the shoe store. Pest control had already stopped by during the renovations, fleas would have a hard time getting in here, much less rats. He got closer and noticed that there was a small black tail between the cat’s legs.

  “No, that’s the kitten’s tail,” Zian explained. “The kitten is about to be born.”