Chapter 29: The First Step to an Identity Reveal
After finishing his snack, Bai Tuanzi ran out to watch TV, just in time for his favorite cartoon. Lin Xia and Tang Yinlang continued to busy themselves with cooking.
“Alright, we can start bringing the dishes out,” Lin Xia announced. With a soup, three meat dishes, and two vegetable dishes ready, he and Tang Yinlang began carrying them to the table.
“Awoo?” It’s time to eat! Who’s going to take An’an to wash his paws?
“I’ll take you.” Tang Yinlang set down a dish, then scooped up Bai Tuanzi and headed to the bathroom to wash his hands.
Lin Xia watched them with a smile, thinking how harmonious the scene of the man and the tiger cub looked. But that faint, strange feeling crept into his heart again.
There it was, that odd sensation!
What exactly was so strange about it? He felt like something was off, but after thinking it over, he came up empty. He temporarily pushed the thought aside and went back to the kitchen for the remaining dishes.
When Lin Xia came out, Tang Yinlang was just emerging with the newly clean-pawed Bai Tuanzi. Suddenly, it hit Lin Xia like a bolt of lightning, and the expression on his face froze.
He knew what was strange. The sense of dissonance that had been bothering him came from Tang Yinlang and Bai Tuanzi. To his astonishment, Lin Xia realized that Tang Yinlang seemed to understand what Bai Tuanzi was saying!
Back in the kitchen, Lin Xia hadn’t specified which pastry Bai Tuanzi wanted, yet Tang Yinlang had brought out the exact water chestnut cake he was craving. And just now, it happened again. The moment Bai Tuanzi mentioned washing his hands, Tang Yinlang had immediately picked him up to do so. Before Lin Xia had even said a word, Tang Yinlang already understood Bai Tuanzi’s meaning.
Of course, it was possible that Tang Yinlang had just guessed what Bai Tuanzi wanted to do. But how could he be so coincidentally right every time? It was highly likely that Tang Yinlang could understand Bai Tuanzi’s words—or, to take it a step further, that Tang Yinlang was also from a different species!
At this thought, a crack seemed to appear on Lin Xia’s frozen face. Fortunately, he recovered quickly, resuming his smile before Tang Yinlang or Bai Tuanzi could see. His mood lifted immensely. If Tang Yinlang really was from another species, then most of his worries would vanish. As someone who was also different, Tang Yinlang would surely be able to accept Bai Tuanzi.
Although Lin Xia suspected Tang Yinlang was not human, he couldn’t be certain yet. But that was okay. He could observe him carefully in the days to come.
With most of the dishes on the table, Lin Xia went upstairs to call Xiao Cangshu down.
Xiao Cangshu’s room was right next to Lin Xia’s and Bai Tuanzi’s. He kept it neat and tidy, and the new things Lin Xia and Chen Mingzong had bought for him were all arranged in an orderly fashion.
He still had the habit of sleeping with a light on. The warm, yellow glow illuminated his gentle, fair-skinned face, giving off a cozy feeling.
“Xiao Cangshu, wake up. It’s time for dinner.” Pushing back the reluctance to disturb his sleep, Lin Xia gently pinched Xiao Cangshu’s nose.
“Lin-ge…” With his nose pinched, Xiao Cangshu woke up quickly, staring at Lin Xia with a dazed expression. Lin Xia could almost read the words “Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?” in his groggy eyes.
“Time to get up and eat,” Lin Xia repeated with a smile.
“Okay.” Xiao Cangshu rubbed his nose, embarrassed. It seemed like he had slept for a long time; the numbers on his alarm clock had changed significantly. He hadn’t helped with anything today, and the thought made him feel ashamed.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Xia helped smooth down a tuft of hair that was sticking up from his long nap.
“I’m sorry… I over… slept… didn’t help…” Xiao Cangshu said in a low voice, hanging his head in shame.
“It’s okay, don’t overthink it. This is your home. You can sleep as long as you want, no one will blame you,” Lin Xia said, patting his head comfortingly.
“I…” This happy life felt as beautiful and fragile as a dream, like a lovely bubble that could be popped at any moment. Xiao Cangshu trod carefully every day, terrified that one wrong move would make Lin Xia dislike him and send him away.
“The baby and I both really like you, so don’t you worry. This will always be your home, and we will always be your family.” Lin Xia understood Xiao Cangshu’s lack of security. It pained him to see the boy working so hard just to prove himself. He wondered if Xiao Cangshu had always been like this, working diligently just so his family wouldn’t dislike him.
“Mmm…” Xiao Cangshu muffled a sound as he buried his head in Lin Xia’s chest. He understood what Lin Xia meant and knew he wouldn’t be abandoned.
“Alright, let’s go down for dinner.” Lin Xia gently patted his back, soothing him like a small child. In moments like this, Xiao Cangshu was just like Bai Tuanzi after a nightmare, in need of an adult’s comfort.
By the time Lin Xia and Xiao Cangshu finally made it downstairs, Tang Yinlang and Bai Tuanzi were already waiting. With everyone present, it was time to eat. Bai Tuanzi, who had just had a snack to tide him over, seemed to have completely forgotten about the water chestnut cake. The delicious aroma made his stomach rumble all over again.
“Awoo!” An’an is so hungry, I could eat a whole chicken leg in one bite!
Lin Xia and Tang Yinlang reached for a chicken leg at the exact same time. Lin Xia smiled and lowered his chopsticks, feeling even more certain about Tang Yinlang’s identity.
Tang Yinlang placed the chicken leg in Bai Tuanzi’s bowl, then put a piece of meat in Lin Xia’s. He acted as he always did, completely oblivious to the fact that Lin Xia had already uncovered his secret.
“Awoo!” Watch An’an perform the one-bite chicken leg swallow!
The one-bite chicken leg swallow was a frequent dinner table performance by Bai Tuanzi, though it had never once been successful.
“Awo…” Bai Tuanzi took a huge bite with all his might, but alas, the chicken leg was too big. He only managed to get halfway through.
“Awoo…” A miscalculation… An’an will definitely get it next time!
The little cub’s goofy antics made the three of them want to laugh. So as not to embarrass him, they had to suppress their chuckles.
After dinner, the group watched TV together for a while. When it got late, Tang Yinlang returned to his house next door, and it was time for Lin Xia and the others to shower and sleep.
“Good night.” Just before bed, Lin Xia received a goodnight message from Tang Yinlang.
“Good night,” he replied, his heart feeling as if a honey jar had been overturned—sweet and bubbling with a little flutter of joy.
Is this what it feels like to be in love? he thought. It’s even more intoxicating than wine…
After resting for several days straight, Lin Xia felt his bones turning lazy. If he didn’t reopen the shop soon, his hands would get rusty.
And so, Wuyu Pet Shop was back in business.
During the Spring Festival period, the shop offered big discounts on all products. Many customers who were still on holiday received the news and flocked over with their beloved pets to buy, buy, buy!
“Uncle Wang!” A middle-aged man with stark white hair walked into the shop. His hair was so eye-catching that Lin Xia noticed him the moment he looked up.
“Morning, Xiao Xia!” Uncle Wang greeted Lin Xia with a smile, holding a cute Pomeranian.
“I’m here to buy some dog food and toys for Xiao Mei. Have you gotten any new stock in recently?” Uncle Wang asked with a hearty laugh.
“Yes, we have a new line of chew gels and bone treats. They’re on the innermost shelf,” Lin Xia said. He knew Uncle Wang preferred to browse with Xiao Mei on his own without a guide, so he didn’t accompany him.
“Great.” Uncle Wang chuckled and carried Xiao Mei towards the shelves to pick something out.
“Lin-ge, Uncle Wang really spoils Xiao Mei, doesn’t he?” Wang Ziyu said, watching with envy as Xiao Mei snuggled and acted cute in Uncle Wang’s arms.
Sob, sob, I want a beautiful little dog like that too.
A little dog? For some reason, Wang Ziyu’s mind drifted to Li Hao’s husky, Weifeng, and he couldn’t help but shiver. Never mind, I’d better get a small, cute cat instead.
“He does,” Lin Xia said, his gaze thoughtful as he watched the man and his pet walk away.
Uncle Wang was a local resident, probably only in his late thirties or early forties. By age, Lin Xia shouldn’t have called him “uncle,” but his full head of white hair made it feel strange not to.
“Just call me uncle!” he remembered Uncle Wang saying cheerfully when they first met.
It seemed like Uncle Wang always had a smile on his face, free of worries and troubles. But that wasn’t the truth. Lin Xia could sense the lingering sadness hidden beneath that smile.
Uncle Wang used to be a firefighter. He had served this district for a long time, performing countless good deeds. Many people had been helped by him, and his name was always on the list for the “Most Beautiful Firefighter” award each year.
But such an outstanding firefighter had retired early, which many people found to be a great pity. It was because of a tragic event: his only daughter had drowned while swimming outdoors. By the time he rushed to the scene, his vibrant, lively daughter had become a cold corpse. According to people who were there that day, the always-smiling Uncle Wang had held his daughter’s body and wept with gut-wrenching sorrow. In between his sobs, he had choked out, “I saved so many people… but I couldn’t save my own daughter…”
The devastating blow caused his hair to turn white overnight. He resigned from his job as a firefighter and chose to retire early. If he hadn’t, he would have been promoted around that time.
After leaving the force, he and his wife opened a repair shop. They lived a simple, quiet life, and he remained as warm-hearted as ever, always willing to help neighbors in need. But the smile never returned to his face—until he adopted Xiao Mei.
It was Uncle Wang’s wife who had brought Xiao Mei home from Wuyu Pet Shop. Xiao Mei’s arrival brought joy back into his life, and the smile finally returned.
…
“Uncle Wang is raising Xiao Mei as if she were his daughter,” Lin Xia explained, seeing Wang Ziyu’s puzzled expression.
“Raising her like a daughter, that’s amazing,” Wang Ziyu remarked, unaware of the story behind it. It was just a simple observation to him.
After Xiao Mei came into Uncle Wang’s life, she was so well-behaved and intelligent, with a personality that reminded him of his daughter, that he began to dote on her as such. He provided her with the best of everything—the best food, the newest toys.
Uncle Wang’s kindness to Xiao Mei was, in truth, a way of compensating for his daughter. When his daughter was still alive, he was often too busy with work to spend time with her. He had missed out on so much of her life, and by the time he wanted to make up for it, the chance was gone forever. He transferred his guilt and regret onto Xiao Mei. By giving her the best of everything, he was also comforting himself.
Uncle Wang and Xiao Mei quickly picked out their items and came to the counter to pay, both radiating a cheerful energy. Lin Xia took out a bag of pet biscuits he had prepared and gave it to Uncle Wang to take home. After thanking him, Uncle Wang left with Xiao Mei on his small electric scooter.
“Lin-ge, why do I feel like something’s a little strange?” Wang Ziyu said, looking perplexed.
“What’s strange?” Lin Xia asked.
“I just feel like Uncle Wang’s smile is a bit fake.” After saying this, Wang Ziyu made a zipping motion across his lips, indicating that he was just curious and not trying to gossip behind someone’s back.
“Is that so?” Lin Xia’s gaze drifted into the distance. The little black electric scooter moved further and further away from the pet shop, eventually shrinking to a tiny dot before disappearing at the intersection…
Author’s Note: We’re going the healing route now…
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