Chapter 33
[But I’m was about to leave soon.]
Jian Mo’s message came again quickly.
Shi Xiaowang’s smile froze, his lips pressed into a straight line.
Uncle Ye glanced at him but didn’t speak.
He could probably guess what Jian Mo had said.
[But I’ll be home in a little while. Can you wait for me?]
[I haven’t had lunch yet. We could have a meal together—you haven’t tasted the food I cook yet.]
[Is that okay?]
Looking at the messages arriving one after another, Jian Mo struggled unusually.
He didn’t want to disappoint Shi Xiaowang, but it was also difficult to explain Jian Da Meow’s whereabouts. Using excuses like sending him to the research institute for a checkup too often would inevitably worry Shi Xiaowang.
After struggling for a while, Jian Mo sighed and compromised.
It wasn’t entirely because he was afraid of upsetting Shi Xiaowang—he suddenly realized he actually looked forward to it. He wanted to meet Shi Xiaowang as Jian Mo, not as Jian Da Meow.
Although, in a way, they spent every day together, for some reason, seeing Shi Xiaowang’s messages stirred a sense of longing in him, as if they hadn’t seen each other for a long time.
Before he could even send a “fine,” Shi Xiaowang sent another message:
[It’s alright, sir. If you’re busy, you don’t have to wait. There will be other chances.]
Jian Mo paused, and the smile on his lips faded.
[Fine.]
Though just a second apart, the same word carried a completely different tone now.
Leaning against the table with his eyes downcast, Jian Mo felt a belated regret.
If only he had sent it a bit earlier.
Shi Xiaowang in the hovercar was also frustrated.
He had seemed a bit overbearing just now. Would Jian Mo think he was immature…?
Otherwise, why had Jian Mo paused so long before replying…
But after the frustration came an irresistible complaint:
Why hadn’t he said earlier that he was going home!
Uncle Ye glanced at Shi Xiaowang, who was sulking while staring out the window.
He shook his head with a helpless smile.
These two, if even one of them weren’t so considerate and polite, they wouldn’t still be stuck in the same place now.
Returning to the greenhouse, only Jian Da Meow lay sprawled on the floor, looking listless.
The chicks ran happily inside the incubator, with water and boiled corn grits in the feeding boxes.
Shi Xiaowang stared at the corn grits, surprised. He had assumed Jian Mo would at most feed the chicks some nutritional supplement.
He actually cooked for the chicks?
His lips pouted high, and he finally couldn’t hold it in.
He pounced on Jian Da Meow, venting all his frustration.
“Jian Da Meow! Why is your master so annoying! Why didn’t he wait for me! He cooked for the chicks but didn’t make a meal for me! Not only didn’t he cook for me, he even looked down on my cooking!”
Shi Xiaowang was angry, aggrieved, and inexplicably jealous.
He was jealous of newly hatched chicks.
All Jian Mo’s fault!
Jian Da Meow, squashed like a little dog, looked innocently with big eyes.
When had he ever disliked Shi Xiaowang’s cooking?
This was slander…
The lion was wronged but said nothing.
He picked up the person on his back and headed downstairs.
The sudden feeling of weightlessness made Shi Xiaowang instinctively wrap his arms around his neck.
“What are you doing? Where are you taking me?”
In the small dining room downstairs, Shi Xiaowang froze again.
Four hot dishes were laid out on the table—all his favorites and dishes he often made himself.
Next to them was a note:
Try the meal I made. Though not as exquisite or delicious as yours, it is still edible. Next time, I hope to taste your cooking. Sorry for leaving in a rush; please don’t be mad.
Shi Xiaowang looked at the note and the dishes, unable to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.
Joy surged in his heart, tinged with an inexplicable shyness.
The emotions were overwhelming, leaving him momentarily at a loss.
All Jian Mo’s fault!
So he went back and pounced on Jian Da Meow again, muttering under his breath:
“Jian Da Meow, your master is really annoying…”
Annoying again? Jian Da Meow twitched his ears, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
It had to be said—Jian Marshal had real talent in cooking.
The dishes were not merely “edible”—they were delicious.
Satisfied, Shi Xiaowang sent Jian Mo a message, trying to persuade him to open a restaurant.
Jian Da Meow, lying nearby, swished his tail.
—Sure, you be the boss, I’ll cook.
Shi Xiaowang squinted and replied casually:
—You can be the boss too; I’ll be the boss n—
He stopped mid-word, suddenly realizing what nonsense he was saying, and hurriedly deleted it.
Fortunately, he hadn’t sent it…
Jian Da Meow glanced at him and then at the stir-fried peppers on the table, slightly puzzled.
After tasting them, they weren’t very spicy—so why was his face red?
Uncle Ye, glancing at Shi Xiaowang’s lightbrain screen, cleared his throat to hide a smile.
“Young Master, go rest. I’ll clean up the rest.”
Over at Meng Zhan’s side, they quickly retrieved the terminal information of Xu Qingluo’s parents. However, the last known location showed no trace of them, and no other information could be found.
While rare, this situation was possible. They were likely caught in a wormhole during a jump, which disrupted their communication devices.
As long as the terminals were still with them, it was possible to decode the signals—but it would take time.
So Xu Qingluo was placed in the back mountain planting area under Han Ling’s care to manage the flower-growing section.
Though only in the back mountain, being in the research base meant her lightbrain communications were restricted, and even leaving or broadcasting required multiple approvals.
Shi Xiaowang assured Xu Qingluo that he would take care of her grandfather.
Since the chicks hatched, Shi Xiaowang had been feeding them crops he cultivated himself to test the purifying effect of cleansed plants. He recorded the chicks’ pollution levels daily.
Once out of the incubator, the chicks were free to run anywhere.
However, from Shi Xiaowang’s observation over the past few days, the chicks liked Jian Da Meow the most. Whenever he went downstairs, a trail of chirping followed him.
Jian Da Meow was troubled.
Besides the noise, he feared stepping on one accidentally.
In contrast, the chicks were reckless, jumping at him whenever they could, tiny feathered balls charging like firecrackers.
Until Jian Da Meow gave in and lay down, letting his long mane become a natural nest and mini playground.
Watching Jian Da Meow tormented by the chicks, Shi Xiaowang sympathized, patting his fur while grinning mischievously.
“You laid the eggs, your master delivered the chicks, and now it’s your turn to raise them. Since you’ve worked so hard, the chicks will take your surname—from Jian Da Mao to Jian Wu Mao.”
Jian Da Meow gave a helpless look.
Thanks…
Shi Xiaowang laughed while measuring the chicks’ pollution levels.
In his data, other crops only suppressed pollution, consistent with Meng Zhan’s previous results.
The biggest difference was with catnip.
The chicks loved the catnip leaves, and in the past two days, they had nearly stripped two of them bare.
Shi Xiaowang found that they had a slight purifying ability. The pollution, previously just suppressed, was slowly being neutralized. Weak, but real.
He immediately reported this to Meng Zhan, who, likely busy, did not reply.
Seeing Jian Da Meow yawn, Shi Xiaowang casually pointed the pollution scanner at him.
“Drop your weapons! Surrender immediately! Don’t blame me if I’m not polite!”
Jian Da Meow tilted his head arrogantly.
“Come on, try me.”
Shi Xiaowang narrowed his eyes and snorted.
“Bang! Jian Da Meow! You’ve been sedated—”
Before he could finish, the scanner emitted a sharp warning.
Jian Da Meow’s pupils shrank, and his lazy demeanor vanished instantly.
The high pollution value displayed on the screen was shocking; Shi Xiaowang didn’t react at first.
Beside the analysis device, one of the chicks had jumped onto the table and was pecking at the buttons.
“…Jian Da Meow? You…”
Shi Xiaowang stared at the near-crazy data on the screen, incredulous, and looked at Jian Da Meow.
“How could you…”
Meeting Shi Xiaowang’s gaze, Jian Da Meow folded his ears back and instinctively took two steps back.
“Jian Da Meow, come here.”
Shi Xiaowang extended his hand with the scanner.
In all this time, he had never measured Jian Da Meow’s pollution—even teasing him earlier didn’t involve turning on the device.
No wonder Meng Zhan wanted to check Jian Da Meow, no wonder Jian Mo didn’t want him to raise him, no wonder Jian Da Meow always looked drowsy…
If not for today’s accident, how long would it have taken him to realize Jian Da Meow had such severe pollution?
Jian Da Meow stayed still, unusually hesitant.
He didn’t know what Shi Xiaowang was thinking or how much to confess.
Would Shi Xiaowang link him to Jian Mo… or not?
“Jian Da Meow! Come here!”
Shi Xiaowang suddenly raised his voice, trembling with unease.
Caught off guard, Jian Da Meow looked at him with a complex expression. Seeing Shi Xiaowang’s reddening eyes, he furrowed his brow, sighed lightly, and walked over.
Shi Xiaowang said nothing more and re-scanned him.
The warning blared again; the readings were still near-crazy.
He had seen such values only once before—on Major Xin at the research institute.
Jian Da Meow’s readings were even higher.
Shi Xiaowang bit his lip, staring at the screen, motionless.
He could almost burn a hole through it with his gaze.
Finally, when Jian Da Meow placed his paw on Shi Xiaowang’s knee, worried and helpless, with a tearful tone, he asked:
“What’s wrong with you…”
