Chapter 28 – Being Pick Up
Xia Lu Nong panted as he finished an entire bowl of tomato fish head soup, patting the bowl’s rim with his paw, looking up at his brother with his bright green cat eyes, signaling he wanted another bowl.
His brother reached out a large hand, easily picking him up and gently rubbing his belly.
The little cat’s belly was too thin.
With just a gentle rub, the soft and elastic belly was filled with food, almost bursting.
He felt uncomfortable from the rubbing, extending his paw with its soft pads to push his brother’s hand away, looking up to meet his brother’s gaze, “Meow.”
If he rubbed anymore, he would throw up.
Xia Huo Qu looked down. “You know you’re full, but still want to eat?”
The little cat rolled in his palm, looking up again to meow, “Meow.”
Not too full; he could still manage another bowl if he tried.
Xia Huo Qu gently pushed the little cat away, moving him about twenty centimeters sideways, away from the tomato fish soup. “Go play.”
The cat’s paw pressed on the table, making a faint “slip” sound as it rubbed against the surface, and the cat’s face was full of resentment.
Xia Huo Qu remained unmoved.
Xia Lu Nong wasn’t sure what came over him at that moment. He looked at his brother’s calm face, and on a whim, his body leaned to the side, and the whole cat flopped onto the table, belly up, paws curled as he gazed at his brother. “Meow.”
The act of being cute came so naturally.
Then, he clearly saw the corner of his brother’s mouth twitch.
“Pfft—” Yan Xi Nian, standing nearby, stifled a laugh, but when the little cat looked over at him, he tried to put on a straight face, struggling to hold back his laughter.
Xia Lu Nong was dumbfounded for a moment, then quickly realized what he had done.
A huge wave of embarrassment washed over him, and in a flash, he flipped over, jumped up, and darted off the table. In the blink of an eye, he sped into the room, bumping his head under the bedside table before scrambling into the drawer with a thud.
He hadn’t even caught his breath yet when he heard Yan Xi Nian’s laughter explode outside: “Hahahahaha!”
The laughter was so loud it seemed like it would bring down the ceiling.
The little cat knocked his head against the cold drawer interior, his face flushed with a mixture of shame and anger. He just wanted to hide away.
That night, after his foolish display, the little cat didn’t step out of the drawer once.
Fortunately, his brother was considerate and didn’t push him.
It wasn’t until early the next morning that he finally swaggered out with his tail held high, acting like nothing had happened, walking slowly toward the kitchen.
A fresh smell of blood wafted to his nose, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of chopping.
As he entered the kitchen, the first thing he saw was a chopping board full of ribs, neatly arranged with a layer of pinkish meat clinging to them, looking extremely fresh and tempting.
His brother was chopping ribs, and a small basin next to him was already half full.
Xia Lu Nong’s mouth began to water. He took a few steps forward and called up to his brother with a tilt of his head, “Meow?”
“Awake?” Xia Huo Qu glanced down at him, “Ribs for breakfast today?”
Xia Lu Nong had no objections. He rubbed his head against his brother’s pant leg, “Meow.”
Why so many ribs?
His brother didn’t get his meaning and nudged him away with his foot. “Go play. I’ll finish chopping and then join you.”
Xia Lu Nong, feeling a bit dejected, spun around in circles for a while before running out and struggling to drag back some paper and a pen from under the coffee table.
His brother finally understood that he had something to say, took the paper and pen from him, and patiently asked, “What’s wrong?”
Holding the pen awkwardly in his mouth, Xia Lu Nong scrawled: [Ribs, expensive, too many.]
“This is a rare batch of good ribs, so I got a bit more,” Xia Huo Qu said. “Besides, they weren’t that expensive.”
Xia Lu Nong looked up, his green eyes locking with his brother’s, his furry face full of concern. He lowered his head again and wrote: [Are we not living frugally?]
Xia Huo Qu finally realized what was bothering him. “They really weren’t that pricey,” he explained, “the medicine you brought back are worth quite a bit. We only traded two bottles of vitamins and two bottles of calcium tablets for these ribs.”
In all the recent chaos, Xia Lu Nong had completely forgotten about the medicine.
Hearing his brother mention it, he glanced at the pile of ribs and remembered the size of the vitamin bottles they had found earlier. A bottle only had sixty tablets, and the calcium tablets weren’t even large.
The deal seemed too good to be true.
Seeing Xia Lu Nong deep in thought, Xia Huo Qu gave him a gentle nudge. “Alright, go play. I’ll steam some ribs for you today.”
Xia Lu Nong didn’t want to play; he only wanted to watch the ribs turn into delicious steamed ribs.
He glanced around, took a running start, and with ease, climbed up the side of the cupboard, perching on top, his paws tucked under him as he watched his brother from above.
Xia Huo Qu saw that he had no intention of going out to play and didn’t push him further. He grabbed a large chopping knife and continued chopping the ribs, cleaning them thoroughly before putting a large plateful aside. He added salt, soy sauce, and wine, mixing everything together before getting ready to steam them.
“Meow meow!” Xia Lu Nong called out anxiously, his paws moving nervously as if preparing to jump down, but then hesitated, finding the ground below a bit too high for comfort.
His paws tested the edge again and again, but he just couldn’t bring himself to jump, so he kept meowing in frustration.
Xia Huo Qu, noticing his distress, washed his hands and dried them on his apron, walking over with open arms to catch him. “What’s wrong?”
“Meow.” The little cat jumped into his arms and pointed with his paw toward the paper and pen—he needed to write something.
Xia Huo Qu rubbed his head gently, carried him over, and handed him the paper and pen.
The little cat grabbed the pen and, with great effort, wrote: [Must marinate, too dry!]
There was a big exclamation mark after “dry,” showing just how serious he was.
Xia Huo Qu finally remembered and smiled. “You want the ribs to be marinated first? Alright, we’ll marinate them a bit before steaming.”
The little cat looked up at him, then wrote again: [Add powder!]
He meant to write “taro powder,” but “taro” was too complicated to write.
His tail flicked in irritation, betraying his frustration.
Fortunately, his brother understood what he was looking for and brought over the spice box.
Ever since Xia Lu Nong had started cooking at home, he’d gathered a lot of spices, and taro powder was one of them.
This taro powder was made by washing and grinding sweet potatoes from the base, stored in the spice box in a soft, light gray color. It wasn’t much to look at, but it worked well, similar to cornstarch.
After his reminder, Xia Huo Qu added a spoonful of taro powder and asked with a smile, “Is that enough?”
The little cat stretched his neck to take a look, nodded, and continued writing: [Spicy]
So, Xia Huo Qu added a few pieces of dried chili.
The little cat wrote again: [Garlic]
He wanted him to crush some garlic.
Even though Xia Lu Nong had turned into a small kitten not much bigger than a fist, he had his brother running around following his instructions.
Xia Huo Qu did as he was told.
When the little cat had finished writing, he dropped the pen from his mouth, yawned, revealing his two sharp fangs, and let out a sigh.
This whole session of giving directions had exhausted him. Meow.
His brother finished marinating the ribs and set them aside. After washing his hands and drying them, he came over and rubbed the kitten’s head, “Thanks for your hard work.”
The kitten looked at his brother, stretched out his four paws, and flopped onto the paper, lying flat in a relaxed manner.
Over the past few days, he hadn’t grown much. When the kitten lay down, his body was still smaller than an A4 sheet of paper. His soft white belly was next to the crooked large characters he had written, creating a striking contrast.
Seeing this, Xia Huo Qu couldn’t help but smile. He rubbed the kitten’s soft little belly before turning back to marinate the other ribs and prepare the side dishes.
Yan Xi Nian walked in from outside and immediately noticed the familiar posture. His mind flashed back to the events of yesterday, causing the corners of his mouth to curl up. But after receiving a death glare from the kitten, he barely held back his laughter.
The kitten had already embarrassed himself enough yesterday. He flicked his tail and continued lying serenely on the paper, with no intention of getting up, not wanting to make things harder for himself.
His brother gently picked him up, along with the sheet of paper, and placed him aside.
Yan Xi Nian covered his mouth with his fist and asked, “Are we having steamed ribs for breakfast today?”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “And I’ll make some scrambled eggs with tomatoes as well.”
Xia Huo Qu wasn’t the best cook, but he was quick and efficient. He grabbed a few tomatoes and, with a few quick chops, had a large bowl of diced tomatoes ready.
Yan Xi Nian grabbed one of the uncut tomatoes and took a big bite. The sweet, juicy flesh exploded in his mouth, making his mouth water.
He gave the kitten a thumbs-up, but the kitten wasn’t paying him any attention. Instead, his focus was entirely on the pot.
The fire had already been lit, and the flames were roaring under the stove, with a faint smoke drifting toward the kitten’s nose. Soon, the water in the pot began to boil, and the rising steam carried the rich aroma of the ribs, swirling around the room.
Smelling this fragrance, Xia Lu Nong felt at peace. Before he knew it, his eyelids drooped, and his little belly gently rose and fell as he fell asleep on the paper.
When he woke again, his brother was by the stove, cooking the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and Yan Xi Nian was sitting by the stove, casually feeding the fire while chatting with his brother.
Their voices were soft, blending with the sound of cooking into a gentle background hum, like the sound of rain, lulling him back to sleep.
Xia Lu Nong scratched his ear with his paw and dozed off again.
In his half-asleep state, the aroma of ribs wafted through the air, making his dreams particularly pleasant.
“Time to eat.”
His brother’s voice woke him, and when Xia Lu Nong opened his eyes, the food was already on the table.
His brother lifted him, paper and all, and carried him to the table. He put the paper and pen on the coffee table and placed the kitten in front of a bowl of ribs. “Eat up.”
Cats can’t eat hot food, so the ribs had already been served out and cooled for him.
Xia Lu Nong glanced at his two brothers, who had already picked up their chopsticks and started eating. He then leaned forward to bite into a rib.
His brother had chopped the ribs into rather large pieces, so when he picked one up, it was heavy enough to throw his balance off, causing him to stagger across the table.
Still, he didn’t give up and kept gnawing at the rib.
His sharp teeth sank into the meat, and soon he tasted the juicy tenderness. The flavor was rich and savory, completely different from what he was used to.
The kitten squinted contentedly, licking his lips, and a blissful expression spread across his furry face.
His two brothers watched from the side, their smiles widening at his lively reaction.
After savoring the first bite, Xia Lu Nong eagerly bit into the rib again. But soon, he made a shocking discovery: he couldn’t tear the meat off!
“Meow meow meow?!”
What’s going on?!
His little face was filled with disbelief.
How could he not tear off the meat, even though the ribs were steamed to be incredibly tender?!
Unwilling to give up, the kitten tried chewing from different angles, gnawing from this end to that, even tilting his head to get a better bite. But no matter what he did, he just couldn’t pull the meat off.
He stared at the rib in his bowl, his eyes filled with frustration. His teeth ached, but he still wanted to keep trying.
When he finally looked up for help, he noticed that both of his brothers were struggling to hold back their laughter, their faces twitching from the effort.
Catching his gaze, Xia Huo Qu cleared his throat and said, “I forgot to shred it for you. Why don’t you have some scrambled eggs while I take these back to cut them into smaller pieces for you?”
He quickly picked up the bowl of ribs and hurried to the kitchen.
The kitten saw it clearly—the moment his brother turned away, a smile broke out on his face!
“Meow,” the kitten whimpered weakly, his call lacking energy.
Where was the brotherly love?
Yan Xi Nian was still sitting at the table. Xia Lu Nong turned his hopeful gaze to him, seeking some comfort.
Yan Xi Nian, still covering his mouth to stifle his laughter, gave him some scrambled eggs and said, “When you grow bigger, it’ll be easier.”
“Meow!” Xia Lu Nong thought bitterly. Even his brother Xi Nian was laughing at him!
Right now, he wasn’t looking forward to growing bigger; he just wanted to know when he’d be able to return to his human form and avoid this miserable life.
Being a cat was too hard.
After breakfast, Xia Huo Qu was ready to take Xia Lu Nong to the fields to retrace the steps of what had happened the day before.
Yan Xi Nian, with nothing else to do, said, “I’ll come with you. Are you adding fertilizer today?”
“We’ll have to see if we can get some from the canteen. All the vegetables are fruiting now, and we need fertilizer to ensure a good harvest.”
Even with their powers, the vegetables still needed proper care, like water and fertilizer.
Xia Huo Qu was worried that the tomato plant from yesterday, which had suddenly produced so many fruits, had exhausted its potential. If they didn’t fertilize it in time, it might stop producing altogether.
Yan Xi Nian said, “I’ll ask the canteen to set some aside for us. That should be enough.”
With the crops in their growth phase, if they didn’t speak up and ask for it, there was no guarantee they’d be able to get fertilizer later.
Xia Huo Qu agreed. “Alright, let’s go together then.”
Today, Xia Huo Qu specially wore a light sun-protective jacket with a hood, and the little cat nestled inside the hood. This way, it wouldn’t be surrounded by people at the base and wouldn’t have to walk by itself.
Yan Xi Nian, carrying a load of fertilizer in a basket, followed the two brothers to the field.
Yesterday, Xia Huo Qu had already weeded the field, leaving it clean except for the crops and the dark brown soil.
The two brothers and the cat stood on the edge of the field and immediately noticed a peculiar tomato plant standing out.
This tomato plant was like a tree!
Its massive branches spread wide, even blocking sunlight from the tomatoes on either side!
Not only was this tomato “tree” enormous, but the most striking feature was the large tomatoes hanging from it.
These tomatoes were as big as apples, fully ripened, and their bright red color contrasted vividly against the green leaves, making for a festive sight.
Xia Lu Nong widened his cat eyes, paws gripping the edge of the hood, standing on his hind legs to peer at the huge tomato.
Was his ability really this powerful?
Yesterday, the tomatoes had only ripened, and the plant hadn’t grown this large!
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian were equally astonished.
“Wow,” Yan Xi Nian said, looking at Xia Lu Nong. “Xiao Nong, your ability is really something.”
His gaze turned to the surrounding crops, finally resting on a patch of rice.
If this ability were used on the rice, how much more could it yield?
“Meow,” Xia Lu Nong agreed, his eyes also turning to the rice field beside them, filled with imagination.
Xia Huo Qu took the little cat out of the hood, holding him up to eye level. “This ability is amazing, but are you feeling any discomfort?”
“Meow.” The little cat shook his head, indicating he was fine.
With a serious expression, Xia Huo Qu said, “We’ll experiment again today, but if you feel unwell or unable to continue, we’ll stop immediately.”
“Meow.” Got it.
The little cat was placed on the ground.
He ran around the field and finally settled in front of a pepper plant.
Sitting down in front of the plant, he closed his eyes and imagined the peppers on the plant all turning red, ready to be used for stir-fried dishes, boiled fish, spicy chicken…
Wait—no, he couldn’t think too much, or he’d start drooling again!
He licked his lips, pulling his thoughts back.
This time, perhaps because he was intentionally imagining it, he could clearly feel changes in his body.
It was as if something was flowing out of him, perhaps energy or something else. When he opened his eyes again, he felt a bit tired.
The ability seemed to have been used, so now it was time to observe the pepper plant.
The two brothers and the cat stared intently at the plant.
After a while, Yan Xi Nian suddenly pointed at a small white bud among the leaves. “Look, that flower is about to bloom!”
All six eyes turned to the small bud.
The simple white bud gradually grew, silently blossoming. As the petals thinned, a small green pepper appeared at its center.
The process was slow, and their eyes grew tired from staring.
Xia Huo Qu concluded, “It looks like we won’t see the results until this afternoon.”
“I agree. Let’s come back later. In the meantime, we should bury the fertilizer,” Yan Xi Nian suggested, looking down at the little cat sitting under the pepper plant. “Tired yet? Can you do another one?”
The little cat shook his head. “Meow.”
Very tired, no more for now.
His eyelids were already drooping.
Xia Huo Qu scooped him up, removed his sun-protective jacket, and laid it under the tomato plant. He gently rubbed the little cat’s head, feeling a bit sorry. “Rest for a while. We’ll take you home for a nice meal after we finish burying the fertilizer.”
“Meow.” The little cat rubbed against his brother’s hand, softly agreeing.
Xia Lu Nong was exhausted and soon dozed off under the tomato plant.
The sunlight, filtered through the tomato branches, left specks of golden light on his body, highlighting the beauty of his silver-gray fur.
Xia Huo Qu glanced down and saw his little brother sleeping, his pink nose twitching slightly, his soft paw pads stretched out beside him. The sight almost melted his heart.
While burying the fertilizer, Xia Huo Qu deliberately started at the far end, digging large, deep pits to prevent any unpleasant smells from reaching his little brother.
Xia Lu Nong slept all morning, then had lunch and continued sleeping.
In the afternoon, when they returned to the field, the pepper plant had indeed turned red.
The variety they planted was “Erjing Tiao,” and the red peppers stood out against the green leaves, looking incredibly enticing.
Xia Huo Qu picked one and held it in his hand. The pepper was longer than his palm, plump and smooth, with a substantial weight.
“Meow.” The little cat smelled the fresh, green spiciness from the pepper stem and rubbed against his brother’s leg, urging him to keep picking.
The two brothers picked the peppers, filling half a basket.
Yan Xi Nian weighed it and said, “At least three pounds.”
A single pepper plant producing three pounds in one day was quite remarkable.
Yan Xi Nian asked, “Xiao Nong, can you still use your ability?”
Xia Lu Nong tried to sense it and shook his little head. He felt extremely tired, with an odd emptiness in his body, as if something couldn’t be summoned anymore.
If he forced it, he felt he might get hurt.
Xia Huo Qu thought for a moment and said, “Xiao Nong is still small in this form. I think this ability will grow over time, and its range will expand.”
“We just don’t know when he’ll grow,” Yan Xi Nian said, rubbing the little cat’s head. “Xiao Nong’s ability is quite powerful, so we should keep it somewhat secret, not let everyone know.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded. “We need to figure out how to use it properly. Not using it at all would be such a waste.”
The little cat meowed twice in response.
His brother scooped him up, smiling. “Looks like you’re worn out for today. Let’s head home.”
Yan Xi Nian followed behind the brothers. “It’s a good thing Xiao Nong’s ability is confirmed. Let’s open a bottle of wine and celebrate when we get back.”
“Alright, we can’t cook this pepper well enough ourselves. Let’s send it to the cafeteria and let them make something like stir-fried ribs or stir-fried pork. Xiao Nong, what do you want to eat?”
“Meow.” Anything is fine, as long as it’s meat.
Since Xia Lu Nong was still small in his cat form and couldn’t handle too much spice, the cafeteria made stir-fried ribs, boiled fish, and stir-fried pork with just a bit of chili.
Even with only a little, the three of them could taste the rich and authentic spicy flavor of the peppers ripened by Xia Lu Nong’s ability. The heat carried a sweetness, making the quality exceptional.
Being a little cat with sensitive taste buds, Xia Lu Nong loved the flavor. He hissed softly while devouring the food, almost to the point where his nose was about to run.
By the end, he had to lick some cold water to ease the burning sensation in his mouth.
Even then, he stubbornly pawed at his bowl, wanting to continue eating.
His brother picked him up by the scruff of his neck and looked him in the eye, stopping him. “Alright, that’s enough. If you get diarrhea in your cat form—”
His brother narrowed his eyes, a hint of threat in his gaze.
“Meow.” The little cat looked back at him, pitifully trying to act cute, but his brother was unmoved and set him down on the floor.
After being placed down, the little cat’s eyes stayed fixed on the food on the table. He wished he could turn back into his human form and enjoy the feast.
For the next few days, Xia Lu Nong continued experimenting with his ability.
He was almost certain that his power was related to plants, but it was still weak, and it seemed he could only affect one plant at a time, like a tomato or pepper.
For example, the grapevine in the yard barely grew despite his efforts, let alone producing any sweet grapes for him to eat.
After using his power, there also seemed to be a cooldown period. After the first and second times, he needed about three days before he could feel anything again when using his ability.
After this round of experiments, the little cat became disheartened. He had initially thought he’d developed some incredible power, but now it seemed rather ordinary.
His ability was so limited, and his animal form was still so small. He felt far from as impressive as his big brother, which left him quite frustrated.
The combination of exhaustion from experimenting and disappointment in himself left the little cat feeling down and lethargic.
When his brother saw that he wasn’t even eating his favorite fish balls, he became worried and took him to see Dr. Ou.
Dr. Ou hadn’t expected to see them again so soon and asked with concern, “What’s the matter?”
“Xiao Nong doesn’t seem to be feeling well. I’m worried he might be overexerting himself with the experiments.”
Dr. Ou’s face showed concern, and she immediately said, “Let me take a look.”
After checking the sluggish Xia Lu Nong, she transferred some of her energy to him. “There’s nothing wrong. He’s probably just tired, and with the heat, he’s feeling a bit uncomfortable.”
Xia Lu Nong was a forest cat, covered in a thick layer of soft fur that looked quite majestic, but it wasn’t very comfortable in the summer heat.
When he stayed outside for too long, he even had to pant with his mouth open to cool down.
“Meow.” The little cat rubbed against Dr. Ou’s hand, expressing his gratitude for the energy she had given him.
Dr. Ou, surprised she could understand his “cat language,” smiled. “You’re welcome. Just take it easy and train your ability gradually. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be as good as your brother and Captain Yan.”
“Meow.” Xia Lu Nong looked up at her, wondering if Dr. Ou’s ability had also started out weak like his.
Though she didn’t understand his exact thoughts, she could guess. “Both physical strength and abilities can improve with training. Since your animal form is still small, you probably have a lot of potential. With proper training, you should be able to develop your power fully. But I don’t know much about this area. If you’re interested, you might want to ask around at the White Building.”
Xia Lu Nong knew about the White Building, which was where the scientists lived, but his brother wasn’t too fond of scientists and rarely let him go there.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Thank you, Dr. Ou. We’ll think about it.”
Dr. Ou smiled kindly. “It’s entirely up to you.”
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