The Cat Who Farms in the Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland – CH44

Chapter 44: Human Form

Xia the cat felt a fiery sensation where Kong Zhi was massaging his stomach, and that heat spread upwards, reaching his limbs and causing his bones to ache.

Ever since he had turned into a cat, he hadn’t turned back into his human form, and he didn’t know how to change back.

But now, with this sudden sensation, he instinctively knew that this was the feeling of transforming back into a human. He stretched his body, preparing for the change.

Just as his body reached its limit of stretching, Kong Zhi’s hand paused, and he looked down at him.

Xia the cat’s emerald eyes met Kong Zhi’s gaze, and only then did he realize what was happening. Completely shocked, he let out a startled “Meow!” and rolled off Kong Zhi’s lap, landing on all fours with a thud.

Kong Zhi reached out to catch him, but Xia the cat had already scampered away, sprinting into his room and slamming the door shut behind him with a loud thud.

Xia Huo Qu, hearing the noise from the kitchen, walked out a few steps and asked in confusion, “What happened?”

Kong Zhi paused, his hand still hovering in the air before pulling it back. “Xia Lu Nong ran into his room.”

“Mm?” Xia Huo Qu knocked on the door with wet hands, “Xiao Nong?”

“Meow!” Xia Lu Nong pressed his paw pads against the door, refusing to let him in.

Xia Huo Qu was puzzled but didn’t push, “Call us if you need anything.”

“Meow.”

Xia Huo Qu stood outside for a moment, but there was no further sound from inside.

Yan Xi Nian walked over, “Xiao Nong has eaten so many bamboo worms, he should be able to change back into human form.”

Xia Huo Qu finally understood why his brother was in such a hurry and couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Inside the room, Xia Lu Nong heard what Yan Xi Nian said, and his suspicion was confirmed. He dragged his tail around the room, feeling the burning sensation in his stomach grow more intense. Without hesitation, he pushed off with all four paws and leapt onto the bed.

He originally planned to lie down and transform back, but once he got to the bed, he realized that Kong Zhi had already slept there. The pillow still had Kong Zhi’s clothes beside it, and the bed was filled with his scent.

Xia Lu Nong circled the bed twice, but the discomfort in his stomach soon overwhelmed him. He collapsed onto the bed, lying on his side, focusing on the warm sensation flowing through his body.

At the moment he centered his thoughts, he suddenly felt pain in his hands and feet, like cramps. He gritted his teeth, trying to endure the strange sensation, and let out a muffled groan.

That groan wasn’t the whimper of a cat—it was a human sound.

Xia Lu Nong was startled and instinctively looked down, only to see bare hands and feet instead of his usual furry limbs.

What?!

Xia Lu Nong’s eyes widened in shock. Had he transformed back already?

He really had.

Xia Lu Nong sat up, touching his body to check if everything was intact, especially his hands. He clenched his fists, delighted to have his nimble fingers back.

Excited, he jumped off the bed and was about to rush out to tell his brother the great news. But when he got to the door, he suddenly realized he wasn’t wearing any clothes.

As a cat, his fur had provided enough coverage, but now, as a human, he needed clothes.

He looked around the room in desperation and quickly realized that because the room had been given to Kong Zhi, most of his personal belongings, including his wardrobe, had been moved out by his brother for Kong Zhi’s convenience.

A miscalculation.

Xia Lu Nong rubbed his forehead. He should’ve gone to his brother’s room earlier.

“Knock, knock,” Xia Lu Nong knocked on the door from inside, awkwardly calling out, “Brother?”

Xia Huo Qu, still nearby, responded quickly, “Xiao Nong, have you transformed back?”

Xia Lu Nong gave a small, embarrassed “mm” and said, “Brother, can you bring me some clothes?”

Xia Huo Qu remembered the room situation and quickly replied, “Wait a moment.”

He went back to his room, grabbed a set of clothes from head to toe, and knocked on the door, handing the clothes through the crack.

Xia Lu Nong breathed a sigh of relief, quickly dressed, and opened the door, feeling a bit awkward as he faced his brother and the others.

In the dim candlelight, their expressions were hard to make out.

Xia Huo Qu patted his shoulder. “It’s good you could change back.”

Yan Xi Nian chuckled, “No more discomfort from overeating, right?”

Xia Lu Nong, much more shy in his human form, mumbled, “Mm.”

Xia Huo Qu suggested, “Everyone’s had a long day. Let’s get some rest.”

“Sounds good,” Yan Xi Nian said. “Kong Zhi, you can sleep in Xiao Nong’s room, and Xiao Nong can sleep in your brother’s room. What about you, Xia Huo Qu? Do you want to sleep in my place? I’ve got an empty guest room.”

“Let’s figure it out tomorrow. We’ll manage for tonight,” Xia Huo Qu replied, giving him a friendly shove. “Go get some rest.”

Xia Lu Nong turned to Kong Zhi. “I didn’t mess up the room much, so you can go ahead and sleep there.”

Kong Zhi nodded.

As he headed towards the room, Xia Lu Nong, feeling a bit shy, called out, “Um, thanks for everything these past few days.”

“No problem.”

Everyone then retired to their rooms.

Xia Lu Nong, now lying beside his brother, finally felt fully relaxed.

Xia Huo Qu asked, “What’s going on with your powers? Why is it so hard to turn back into human form?”

“I don’t know either,” Xia Lu Nong said, frustrated. “I’ve been in cat form for so many days, but I’ve never felt that heat in my stomach before, let alone the urge to stretch.”

After successfully transforming back, Xia Lu Nong realized that turning back into human form was actually quite simple—just as natural as yawning or stretching.

Xia Huo Qu pressed on, “What about your abilities? Weren’t they related to boosting plant growth and making predictions?”

“I’m not sure,” Xia Lu Nong replied, feeling a bit embarrassed by how little he knew. “I can’t control it. Sometimes thoughts just pop into my head, or I see flashes of images, but it’s not something I actively do.”

Xia Huo Qu didn’t push further, instead patting his brother on the back. “Get some sleep.”

Xia Lu Nong slept deeply and woke up the next morning still in human form.

He got dressed and went outside to find that everyone else was already up. Kong Zhi was in the yard pulling weeds. Seeing Xia Lu Nong, he greeted, “Morning.”

Xia Lu Nong smiled, showing his pearly white teeth. “Morning! How’d you sleep last night?”

“Not bad,” Kong Zhi replied. “Brother Huo and brother Yan went to a meeting. Breakfast is on the table; we’ve already eaten, so you can help yourself after washing up.”

“Another meeting?” Xia Lu Nong muttered, heading inside. He saw sweet potatoes and plain porridge with pickles laid out for breakfast, and his appetite instantly diminished.

He grabbed his cup and squatted under the eaves to brush his teeth, watching Kong Zhi at work.

In one corner of the yard, a tall tree still stood, with pumpkin and winter melon vines climbing its trunk. Both plants had already begun to flower, with the bright orange pumpkin blossoms looking especially enticing.

After Xia Lu Nong finished brushing his teeth, he walked over to check, “The pumpkin flowers on this vine are blooming quite a bit. We can pick some to stir-fry for lunch.”

Kong Zhi nodded, “Mm.”

“The winter melon looks good too, but we should prune a few. Hey, Kong Zhi, come take a look—are the loquats fruiting?”

The loquats were planted next to the big tree. They had planted three in total, and now they only reached thigh-height, but their leaves were lush. It was the first time Xia Lu Nong had noticed any fruit.

He bent down to inspect the loquat leaves closely and soon found a few small loquats, though there weren’t many. Only the middle and left trees had two or three fruits each, and it wasn’t clear if they would grow big.

Kong Zhi came over for a glance and nodded.

Xia Lu Nong didn’t mind his indifferent response and happily spun around in the yard.

The yard was already starting to show signs of a fruitful harvest.

In addition to the pumpkins, winter melons, and loquats, strawberries, watermelons, and muskmelons were also in bloom, with small white and yellow flowers hidden among the green leaves, filling Xia Lu Nong with joy at the sight.

By the holidays, the yard would surely be overflowing with ripe fruits.

After circling the yard, Xia Lu Nong finally stopped in front of the strawberries.

He noticed that the strawberries had already formed small green berries, and feeling a craving, he reached out to use his ability to speed up their growth.

With just a little push, by tomorrow they could be enjoying large, juicy red strawberries.

Thinking of this, Xia Lu Nong swallowed in anticipation.

Just as he was about to act, a hand suddenly reached out and gently grabbed his wrist. “What are you doing?”

“Huh?” Startled by the cool hand on his wrist, Xia Lu Nong turned and explained, “I was just going to use a bit of my ability.”

Kong Zhi released his wrist, “Still thinking of overexerting yourself?”

“Hey, just a little won’t hurt,” Xia Lu Nong said, rubbing his wrist with his other hand, though his voice lacked confidence.

Kong Zhi gave him a calm look and didn’t try to stop him further.

After a moment of thought, Xia Lu Nong realized it wasn’t a good idea and stood up, saying, “Alright, I’ll rest for a few days.”

Kong Zhi went back to weeding.

Xia Lu Nong watched him for a bit, then went inside to eat breakfast.

The food in the dining hall was as bad as usual.

Xia Lu Nong forced himself to swallow a few bites before tidying up the dishes and washing them. Then he stepped outside again and asked Kong Zhi, “Did my brother say what we’re doing today?”

“No.”

“Oh. Should we go check the field then? We just set up the tomato seedlings yesterday, and the eggplants, beans, peppers, and peanuts all need attention.”

Kong Zhi listened quietly.

Xia Lu Nong didn’t mind his silence and continued counting on his fingers, “There’s still space next to the peanuts where we can plant another row. After we finish with the field, we can trade some garlic from Old Liu and plant it. We shouldn’t waste the ridges, either. I saw a lot of people planting soybeans on their ridges yesterday; we can do the same and harvest whatever we can.”

After reviewing his plans, Xia Lu Nong felt more settled. He turned to Kong Zhi and said, “These things don’t require too much effort, so we can still go out and gather supplies. When we’re tired, we’ll come back and take care of the garden. You help me, and we’ll split the harvest.”

Kong Zhi looked at him calmly, “I might not stay.”

Xia Lu Nong was counting on his fingers when he suddenly froze, stunned by the comment. “Huh?”

Kong Zhi glanced at him.

Still in shock, Xia Lu Nong asked in confusion, “What do you mean? You’re not staying? Are you planning to join the Seed Project or look for someone or fulfill a goal?”

“Neither.”

“Then why say you might not stay?” Xia Lu Nong’s heart sank, feeling a wave of disappointment. He had thought they were close after enduring so much together, and this response stung deeply. “Do you not like us?”

Kong Zhi opened his mouth, as if he wanted to explain.

Xia Lu Nong, feeling frustrated, continued, “You’ve been calling me ‘Xiao Nong.’ I thought we were close, and even though you called me that without asking, I didn’t correct you.”

Kong Zhi: “…”