Chapter 46: What a Beautiful Bird, Molly
“Awoo!”
The little white dumpling fished a box of candy out of the cabinet, “pried” it open with his claws, and counted. There were three left. These were the sweets Tang Yinlang had left for him. Tang Yinlang had promised that by the time the fifteen candies in the box were finished, he would be back.
“Awoo!” Papa, there are three left! If An An eats one now, there will be two left!
The white dumpling picked up a candy in his mouth and brought it to Lin Xia to be peeled.
“Uncle Tang will be back in two or three days to play with the baby,” Lin Xia said as he unwrapped the sweet. It was a fruit-flavored soft candy, hard at first touch, but it melted delightfully as you chewed. “Yesterday, Uncle Tang said things were going smoothly on his end and he’d be back on time.”
“Awoo!” Really? An An misses Uncle Tang so much! The white dumpling used his tongue to sweep the candy from Lin Xia’s hand, chewing it with loud, happy smacking sounds.
“Really,” Lin Xia replied with certainty, stroking the dumpling’s head. That was exactly what Tang Yinlang had told him on the phone yesterday.
During the days Tang Yinlang had been away from Jiangcheng, they had called or messaged on WeChat every single day. Rather than fading, their feelings had only deepened through the longing of separation.
“Awoo!” Receiving a definite answer from Lin Xia, the white dumpling wagged his tail in pure joy.
Lin Xia smiled, scooped up the white dumpling, and headed out to the pet shop. The little hamster had been picked up by Chen Mingzong for treatment, so it was just the father and son walking together today.
“Awoo!” Papa, look! There’s a big brother with red hair ahead, and he has a parrot standing on his shoulder!
The white dumpling’s gaze was drawn to a man not far ahead of them. He was impossible to miss, sporting a head of fiery red hair with a green budgerigar perched on his shoulder. Red and green… it was certainly an eye-catching combination.
Lin Xia felt like he had seen that budgerigar before; it looked very familiar. However, many people kept parrots, so he couldn’t recall exactly who it belonged to right away.
“Mmh,” Lin Xia noted. It was hard not to notice the guy. Aside from the fiery red “explosion” hairstyle, he was wearing a T-shirt printed with the slogan, “If I were a DJ, would you still love me?” paired with ripped jeans. He was a quintessential “non-mainstream” emo kid. Lin Xia wondered which family had produced such a character.
In comparison, Meng Zheng being a grown man who loved selfies didn’t seem like much of an issue at all.
“Awoo?” Is that big brother going the same way as us? The white dumpling watched the “Explosion Head” brother continue straight ahead, seemingly taking their exact route.
“Seems like it.” Lin Xia had a hunch they would meet soon, and sure enough, he was right.
Explosion Head arrived at the pet shop a few steps ahead of Lin Xia. Wang Ziyu had already opened the door, and the budgerigar on the man’s shoulder flew right in, acting as if it owned the place.
“No wonder it looked familiar!” Lin Xia carried the white dumpling into the shop just as the parrot flew over to him.
“Hello!” the parrot squawked at Lin Xia.
“Hello, Molly!” Seeing the budgerigar up close, Lin Xia finally remembered. This bird’s name was Molly, the pet of a high school teacher who lived nearby. The teacher didn’t live in this exact neighborhood, so he didn’t visit often, which explained why Lin Xia hadn’t immediately recognized him.
“Guan guan ju jiu, on the river isle… The fair maiden, a gentleman’s desire…”
True to form for a high school literature teacher’s parrot, the bird began reciting poetry more fluently than most students.
“Yo, this fat bird actually knows people here?” Explosion Head asked in surprise, watching Molly greet Lin Xia.
“You’re the fat bird!”
Molly was indeed plump, but she hated being called fat, even by her junior owner. Not only did she clap back verbally, but she also flapped over and pecked him.
“Molly, I was wrong!” Explosion Head surrendered immediately, showing absolutely zero backbone.
“Hmph!” Molly huffed and flew back to Lin Xia’s side.
“What is Molly here for today?” Lin Xia stroked Molly gently, and the bird nuzzled her small head against his palm.
“Oh right, the note is here.” Explosion Head pulled a slip of paper from his pocket—instructions from Molly’s owner—along with a pet shop membership card.
“Teacher Luo sent you, right?” Lin Xia took the note and saw Teacher Luo’s name.
“That’s right. He asked me to bring Molly to buy bird food, and also…” Explosion Head couldn’t remember. He scratched his head vigorously, compressing his fluffy hair significantly in the process.
“It’s fine, it’s written on the note.” Teacher Luo probably knew Explosion Head wasn’t the most reliable courier, so the note was very clear. It detailed exactly what to buy, which brands, and the quantities. All Lin Xia had to do was grab the stock.
“That works. I’ll sit for a bit; sorry to trouble you to get it!” Explosion Head was the type who made himself at home anywhere; he found a comfortable spot to sit without needing an invitation.
“I know! I know!” Molly wasn’t a first-timer; she knew where everything was. Lin Xia followed Molly to help her gather the items.
After collecting everything on Teacher Luo’s list, Molly picked out a few things she wanted for herself, and soon they were ready to check out.
“The total is three hundred and six. After the discount, it’s two hundred and seventy-five,” Lin Xia said with a smile.
“Okay!” Explosion Head dug into his pockets to pay… and dug… and dug. But after half a day of searching, he couldn’t produce a single cent.
“Idiot, forgot money again!” Molly scolded him instantly.
“I…” Explosion Head’s face turned beet red. It was humiliating to constantly forget his wallet and come up empty-handed.
“Alipay and WeChat work too,” Lin Xia said, saving him from his embarrassment just in time.
“Oh, oh, right! Alipay.” Explosion Head was incredibly relieved he hadn’t forgotten his phone, otherwise, his reputation would have been completely ruined.
“Biscuits! Biscuits!” Molly hadn’t forgotten the treats Lin Xia used to give her. They tasted great, and every time she visited, Lin Xia would gift her a pack of delicious pet biscuits.
“I remember. Molly hasn’t been here in a long time, so I’ll give you two packs of small biscuits today—but don’t eat too many at once, okay?” Even without the reminder, Lin Xia remembered. Generally, when customers spent money at the shop, Lin Xia would give away homemade pet biscuits. It was one of the reasons the pets loved coming here.
“Thank you!” Seeing Lin Xia pack the two bags of biscuits, Molly flew a happy circle around him.
“You’re welcome. Take care.”
Only after seeing off Explosion Head and Molly did Lin Xia have time for other tasks.
“Brother Lin, that guy just now was… really cool…” Wang Ziyu struggled to find the right adjective.
“Why? You want to get an afro too?” Lin Xia saw Wang Ziyu’s eyes shining and thought he was tempted.
“No, I’m just nostalgic for my lost youth,” Wang Ziyu said, shaking his head. “When I was in middle school, I was just like that. I loved all that ‘non-mainstream’ stuff. Once, my buddies and I agreed to get afros together. Somehow my mom found out, dragged me back from the barbershop, and beat me up. Sob sob sob…“
Seeing Explosion Head had triggered memories of Wang Ziyu’s emo middle school era. He had been so sentimental back then, not the goofball he was now.
“Young man, have you changed the cat litter?” Lin Xia ruthlessly interrupted Wang Ziyu’s trip down memory lane.
“Pfft!” Wang Ziyu clutched his wounded heart and scurried off to serve the cat masters.
“Awoo…” Papa, Uncle Tang is ignoring An An…
While Lin Xia worked, the white dumpling sat on the counter, trying to chat with Tang Yinlang. They usually had awkward but cute conversations on WeChat every day. But today, the white dumpling had sent many voice messages, and Tang Yinlang hadn’t replied to a single one. The little tiger was disappointed.
“Uncle Tang might just be busy. He’s in the US right now, remember? He’ll reply when he has time,” Lin Xia said, patting the dumpling. Two days ago, Tang Yinlang had mentioned he needed to go to the US for two or three days before returning to Kyoto, and then back to Jiangcheng. He had even asked if Lin Xia wanted him to bring anything back.
“Awoo!” An An understands! The white dumpling pushed the phone aside and sprawled into Lin Xia’s arms for comfort.
“Baby can try calling Uncle Tang,” Lin Xia suggested, rubbing the cub’s head. The white dumpling hugged Lin Xia with his short little legs.
Actually, the white dumpling’s legs weren’t short relative to his body proportions, but to Lin Xia, everything about the white dumpling was small and stubby.
“Awoo!” An An can’t disturb Uncle Tang! The white dumpling was very sensible and didn’t want to interrupt Tang Yinlang with a call; sending WeChat messages was enough.
“So good.” Lin Xia kissed the white dumpling on the cheek. The cub shyly buried his head into Lin Xia’s chest.
“Awoo!” Papa kissed An An again!
“Don’t suffocate yourself.” Lin Xia lifted the shy tiger out and took him aside to groom him.
He used a special pet grooming comb, brushing with a specific technique and gentle force.
The white dumpling enjoyed the grooming, letting out little “ji ji” snorting sounds of contentment. After Lin Xia finished brushing his back, he flipped him over to brush his front.
As he brushed, the white dumpling’s eyes suddenly went wide, looking shocked.
“Awoo!”
It turned out Lin Xia had brushed near a sensitive area.
“Should I keep brushing here?” Lin Xia asked mischievously, seeing the shy little tiger.
“Awoo!” Papa, don’t brush there! The white dumpling’s face flushed red, though luckily his fur hid the blush.
“Is the baby shy? But Papa gives you a bath every night anyway!” Lin Xia teased.
“Awoo!” The white dumpling covered his face with his paws. I’m dying of shame! Papa is so mean!
Lin Xia suppressed a laugh and finished grooming him. As soon as it was over, the white dumpling scrambled away on his short legs to put distance between himself and Lin Xia—who could blame him, when Lin Xia kept teasing him?
Watching the white dumpling scurry away as if his paws were greased, Lin Xia chuckled, picked up a magazine, and stopped teasing him.
Relieved, the white dumpling settled down and opened the phone to see if Tang Yinlang had replied. To his disappointment, there was still nothing.
All day long, there was no news from Tang Yinlang. Even when Lin Xia tried calling, the phone was off. The white dumpling was sullen all day, guarding the phone and waiting for a message.
Lin Xia felt a twinge of jealousy. He felt that the relationship between the white dumpling and Tang Yinlang was exceeding his expectations; he really didn’t know what kind of love potion Tang Yinlang had fed the little guy.
But with absolutely no news from Tang Yinlang all day, Lin Xia didn’t have the heart to be jealous. He began to worry. Tang Yinlang wasn’t the type to make people worry; surely he would send a message even if he was busy? Lin Xia was filled with anxiety.
After coaxing the sullen white dumpling to sleep, Lin Xia found he couldn’t sleep himself. He held his phone, hoping to see a notification from Tang Yinlang.
But Lin Xia was destined to be disappointed. By the time he finally succumbed to exhaustion and drifted off, there was still no word.
In the middle of the night, the white dumpling had a nightmare. Without even opening his eyes, he began to cry, “Awoo, awoo.” Lin Xia quickly gathered him into his arms, patting his back to soothe him. Smelling Lin Xia’s familiar scent, the white dumpling slowly stopped crying and fell back asleep.
Author’s Note:
Little tiger crying softly, curled up in Papa’s arms and refusing to come out.
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