I Can Talk to Cats C6

Chapter Six: Cat Meows (Part Two)

Translated by Lime

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In this chapter, Lin Lan fully realizes that she is able to understand cats, and we finally meet Snowflake! Again, the actual meaning of the cats will be (in parentheses). Also keep in mind that Wang Xiuzhi = Mother Lin and Lin Youyu = Father Lin.

Please keep in mind that chapters 6-8 have not been thoroughly edited or re-translated yet so there will be mistakes.

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On the first day back home, Lin Lan realized that she was able to understand the language of cats.

And it was already determined that this wasn’t an illusion.

When normal people would encounter this scenario, they would think ‘Why?’ or ‘How could this have happened to me all of a sudden?’ Lin Lan was no exception.

After recalling her experiences in the recent past, Lin Lan remembered that on her trip to Greece, there were the stories about the Greek gods, the wishing pool of the moon goddess, and the joking legends of the locals. Finally, she thought of when she said goodbye to those two stray cats at the front of the hotel.

It was true that when she got into the car, the two cats meowed at her.

She had this special ability the last day she left Greece, and it was most likely because she had made that wish at the moon goddess’ wishing pool the day before.

That day, she had dropped the coin, and the spirit answered her wish.

… The whole situation sounded like nonsense. If it didn’t happen to her, Lin Lan would have only regarded it as a random internet paragraph joke.

But now the internet joke had become true.

This was the first time she realized, and covered her stomach with grief.

“It’s a big loss!” Lin Lan’s face filled with remorse, “If I knew earlier that my wish would really come true, I would never have made that wish!”

Her appearance was exactly the same as Father Lin when he sighed about the high-end buildings in the street right across from them.

Look at what she missed! This loss was more than one billion yuan!

Thinking more and more, Lin Lan’s heart ached. She turned to the snack shop with a distressed look and picked up a shopping basket and quickly filled it up.

She needed a large amount of cola, potato chips, and candies in order to comfort her heart.

As the owner of the building’s daughter…bah, the landlord’s daughter, the shopkeeper recognized Lin Lan and gave her a discount. Lin Lan smiled and thanked her.

“Did you request a holiday in order to come home?” The shopkeeper asked before Lin Lan left.

“No, I resigned.” Lin Lan stopped and turned back. Sooner or later, everyone in the building would know anyways, so it was better to just be upfront about it. “I’ll find another job here. I won’t keep running away to larger cities.”

The shopkeeper was stunned at hearing these words, and then nodded vigorously, saying, “You should have done this from the beginning, how could it be so easy in a different city. Your mom used to talk to me about this, but now she doesn’t need to. Those youngsters who went to go work in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, how many of them grew up there? Are most of them not going home still? Like I said, being at home is the best. Lan Lan, staying here and finding a job is more convenient. If you start dating here, no one will dare bully you.”

The shopkeeper’s words came out nonstop, but in the end, they were genuine.

Lin Lan just smiled and didn’t speak again, carrying her bag out the shop.

After she arrived back at her family’s shop, she put her snacks on the glass counter, and Wang Xiuzhi who was sitting there watching a drama, turned her head around suddenly. When she saw that it was just Lin Lan, she scolded, “Stupid girl, you almost scared me to death.”

“I was bringing some yummy snacks for you.” Lin Lan tilted her head to see the drama on the tablet seeing as her mother was watching it with interest. She saw that Mother Lin was watching 《The Temptation to Go Home》that was pretty popular a few years ago.

Hearing her daughter’s words, Wang Xiuzhi looked up and saw the bag of snacks. She ruffled through the pile, and took two bags of sunflower seeds. She tore open a bag and said, “Did you go to Old Chen’s store? Besides, you bought so many. Are you planning on just staying inside the next few days?”

While she was talking, Mother Lin skillfully ate the sunflower seeds. Without turning her head, she spit the shell of the sunflower seed into the garbage bin below accurately, her eyes not leaving the tablet at all.

“I want to rest for a few days. The more I think about my situation, the more flustered I feel.” Lin Lan was flopped on the counter, and asked her mom jokingly, “Mom, if you could have gotten 20 billion yuan, but didn’t realize the opportunity and only received 1 billion yuan, would you be sad?”

“It’s hard to do anything,” she said, “I can’t even smile in time.”

“What?” Lin Lan asked, “Why? The amount has already shrunk so much, would your heart not hurt?”

“Where, what, and why?” Mother Lin glanced at her impatiently, and replied to her daughter’s unreasonable question, “Getting a benefit in the first place is the source of satisfaction. It’s good to have something and here you still want to have all of it. You really are just like your greedy dad, can’t be happy with knowing you could have more.”

“How can this be greedy!?” Lin Lan was unconvinced, “It was my opportunity in the first place, isn’t it natural to want all of it?”

“Who are you going to blame for not taking that opportunity? This is called the consequence of your own actions.” Wang Xiuzhi rolled her eyes at her daughter and shooed her away, “Go away, go upstairs and eat your snacks, stop distracting me from my show. The best part is just about to happen now!”

Lin Lan: “…” Is this really the way to treat your daughter that just came home from a lovelorn relationship? This kind of mother is really close to me…

With no choice but to carry her snacks and go upstairs, Lin Lan went upstairs, and since nobody was home, she went directly to her room.

Although she was away from home frequently, Lin Lan’s room had been maintained very well by her family. The bedding had been changed already and put back onto the bed.

In the afternoon, the sun shone into the room through a window, making Lin Lan notice a picture frame on her desk.

It was a family photo that was taken last year. Her parents, grandmother, and Lin Lan were all facing the camera. In the photo, she was holding a beautiful, chubby, white cat, who was the only family member that did not face the camera. Instead, he opened his mouth and yawned. The picture showed his sharp teeth and his tongue.

Lin Lan saw this picture from afar, and couldn’t help but smile. Suddenly she thought that it wouldn’t be so bad to know what Snowflake would be saying. At least, she would have another conversation partner at home.

When she stepped forward, her foot accidentally hit something.

Looking down, she saw an unsorted pile of specialties from Greece.

Lin Lan smacked her head: “I almost forgot to give Aunt Yu her gifts!”

Uncle Yu was kind enough to help her out so much. Now that she was back home, she should give them some presents.

When she was in Greece, Lin Lan had already sorted out their presents. After cleaning up her appearance, she went to the second floor with a bag, and knocked on the Yu family’s door.

As today was the weekend, Uncle Yu would probably come back a little late, but Aunt Yu and Ling Ling were still there.

The front door opened, and a fourteen year old girl looked at her in surprise: “Older sister Lan Lan, I haven’t seen you for a long time! Come in, come in!” This was Yu Lingling.

After the girl gave Lin Lan her slippers, a rougher voice echoed, “Come in, come in!”

Hearing the voice, Lin Lan smiled as she said, “Listening to that sound, I can tell that Xiao Kui is still so energetic.”

“That’s for sure.” The girl’s lip curved and peered back at the voice, saying, “My mom serves that bird like she does an elderly uncle, and if it wasn’t a bird, and was a human instead, I’d think for sure that she gave birth to it.”

Before her voice died down, a scolding voice from Aunt Yu exclaimed: “What did that darned girl just say!”

Lin Lan saw Aunt Yu coming to the entrance with a large parrot on her shoulder. It screeched, “What did that darned girl say! What did that darned girl say!”

It was like a repeater of human speech, but full of ridicule.

“This stupid bird!” Yu Lingling waved her fist full of hatred at the parrot, “Today’s nut snack is gone!”

The yellow crested cockatoo was the type of bird. Except for the yellow crown at the top of its head, the rest of its feathers were white. That’s how these birds got their name. They can live up to twenty to fourty years in the wild, and around seventy to eighty as a pet.

Well, that is to say, if you don’t die of anger first.

Six years ago, Aunt Yu brought him home from the bird and flower market. The bird had a crude and simple name, Xiao Kui.

Aunt Yu spent a lot of effort to be able to raise it. She even went to the Forestry Bureau in order to get an official permit.

It was probably due to the pampering and cherishing by Aunt Yu, but Lin Lan’s impression was that this bird was rather low profile. He would eat sunflower seeds while watching TV with his owner. He would also hang around her whether it was for fun or to make a report. For example, Yu Lingling didn’t complete her homework, and was secretly playing on her phone instead. Another time, Uncle Yu didn’t hand over all the money from the shop, and made a secret stash. This caused the father and daughter to behave a little more, and the parrot could be considered the real bully of the Yu household.

Of course, Lin Lan thought that the most powerful part of this bird was that he could read faces and know who is easy to provoke and who isn’t.

“Beauty! The beauty has come!”

When the parrot saw Lin Lan standing at the entrance, he immediately stopped bothering Yu Lingling who was still confronting him. The yellow crown on the top of his head stood up, and the appearance of his spread out wings were very similar to the primary school students that held bouquets at events: “Welcome! A warm welcome!”

Seeing this, Aunt Yu burst out in laughter: “After not seeing you for such a long time, Xiao Kui is very enthusiastic to see you! It’s different when you have taken care of him!”

When pets are raised at home, it is inconvenient for the rest of the family sometimes. For example, when the Yu family goes back to their hometown, or have a special occasion where they can’t bring the bird along, they must send him to the Lin family to take care for a while. So, Lin Lan is not only familiar with the bird, but also an old acquaintance.

As for what this arrogant bird experienced in the Lin family, and why he was so obedient towards Lin Lan, was something that was unknown to the Yu household, just like the mysterious smile that she had on.

“Hmph, a*s-kisser.” Yu Lingling scolded her family’s bird.

At this time, Aunt Yu glared at her: “Have you finished your homework yet?”

The junior high school student shrunk her neck in and stuck her tongue out, before running backwards. The mother of the bird wouldn’t tolerate someone scolding it.

“Aunt Yu, I’m here to thank you.” Lin Lan handed her the gift bag with a smile, “Thanks for Uncle Yu’s help a while ago. These are gifts for you, Uncle Yu, and Lingling. All of them are special souvenirs from Greece, please accept them.”

“This matter isn’t worth all this.” Aunt Yu refused. She heard from her husband about Lin Lan’s situation. “You were being bullied outside, and Old Yu was able to help out. This is what he should have done. Besides, you were the one who paid for the car rental. Old Yu didn’t do anything. We shouldn’t receive anything from you.”

“Don’t say it like that, Aunt Yu. If it wasn’t for Uncle Yu’s help, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. If I tried to go rent a car like that, I wouldn’t be able to.” Lin Lan pushed the gifts into Aunt Yu’s hands. “Besides, they’re all small presents, so don’t refuse anymore. By the way, I also bought a gift for Xiao Kui. Why don’t you see if he likes it?”

“Wow, even Xiao Kui gets a present?” Even though the student had slipped away earlier, she really didn’t go to do homework, and came back again. She grabbed the bag from her mother’s hands and said, “I want to see!”

Yu Lingling took the bag and ran further inside. The parrot that was perched on Aunt Yu’s shoulder fluttered after her exclaiming, “I want to see! I want to see!”

Seeing the virtuous actions of her children, Aunt Yu stopped refusing, and invited Lin Lan into the living room. When she went into the kitchen to prepare tea and snacks, Yu Lingling had already found the present for the parrot.

It was a small necklace that could be hung around the neck of the parrot. The necklace featured a thin Greek-styled disk that was very light. Xiao Kui’s name in Chinese was engraved onto the front, and the address and contact information of the Yu family were laser-printed on the back.

“It’s a pet tag!” The girl exclaimed. The parrot was a little uncomfortable at first after putting it on, but after flapping its wings and pecking at it with his beak, he was fine with it, finding that wearing the tag did not hinder its movements at all.

The white cockatoo began to screech: “Pet tag! Pet tag!”

Seeing that Xiao Kui didn’t dislike the pet tag, Lin Lan smiled and asked, “Xiao Kui, have you thanked me yet?”

“Thanking the beauty! Thanking the beauty!” Xiao Kui once again raised its yellow crown and flapped its wings back and forth to express its joy.

The last action of the parrot caused the living room to be filled with laughter.

At sunset, the Lin family’s shop closed, and Lin Lan went to the activity center to pick up her grandmother. Father Lin also went home after playing chess.

When their dinner ended, tens of thousands of lights were already lit in Xicheng.

Lin Lan went back to her bedroom and got into her bed after washing up early. Just like countless young people today, lying in bed does not mean immediately going to sleep. 

While she lied in bed and browsed online at random, Lin Lan recalled what she learned about her power.

This afternoon, she went to the pet clinic downstairs after delivering the gifts to the Yu family. She knew the veterinarian, who also took care of Snowflake. There, you were able to get vaccinations for your pet, or buy nutritional creams.

Originally, Lin Lan had wanted to go in and find another cat to test out her ability, and the cat that was screaming about her owner giving her an injection earlier was just leaving the clinic. She heard the car purr in the bag. In her head, she received: (Sh*t shoveler, if you don’t open two fish cans for me to coax me when we get home, I won’t forgive you). When Lin Lan heard these words, she immediately turned and left.

“It’s still so meaningless and strange.” Lin Lan rubbed her chin, and contemplated, “In those novels, the protagonist usually has the ability to see through gambling stones, or has a spirit spring that can magically grow crops. Why is it in my case I get such a useless power?”

_{(T/N: ‘Gambling stones’ is a tag that is pretty popular among Chinese webnovels. I’m not exactly sure what the English term is, but these novels focus around the protagonist acquiring the ability to judge if a stone has valuable jade inside or not. Usually you would not be able to tell exactly what was inside and if there is rare jade inside, you would be able to make a fortune, thus ‘gambling stone’. This is the term if you are curious: ‘穿越赌石’.)}

What’s the benefit in being able to understand the language of cats? Command the meow-speaking beings to rule the world?

Lin Lan thought about how adorable and neurotic cats were to her after raising Snowflake, and immediately took back her words. 

They were cute and cuddly and needed to rely on humans in order to sleep for half a day. 

Her imagination began to wildly make her think about all sorts of things, and Lin Lan finally fell asleep.

In her dream, she seems to have become a cat again, surrounded by countless meow-speaking beings. Everyone is lazily basking in the sun and it is warm and comfortable. Lin Lan and the cats don’t want to get up, so they cuddled together and slept soundly.

When she opened her eyes, it was already morning.

Because Lin Lan slept very early yesterday night, she woke up very early, and none of her family members had awakened either. 

On the weekends in the Lin family, the first person to wake up would go out to buy breakfast for the whole family in the snack bar on the first floor. Lin Lan, who is used to this rule, got up early for the first time in a while, and went out to buy breakfast.

Lin Lan got dressed and opened the door, wanting to tiptoe quietly outside, but her foot kicked something. 

Neatly placed at the entrance to her room, were a half eaten chicken leg, a small piece of bacon that was stolen from who knows where, and a packaged candy that she had accidentally kicked.

Lin Lan’s lips thinned, and finally realized: “I forgot about this…”

Snowflake’s welcome gift.

The cat that was sleeping in the cat’s nest in the corner rushed out to meet his owner when he heard the signs of movement at Lin Lan’s door. The white cat was strongly built. His fur was fluffy, clean, and appeared to have a healthy sheen. He trotted over to his owner.

“Snowflake.” Lin Lan helplessly told him, “Next time don’t leave me these presents, I have no use for them.” She really couldn’t use it.

The white cat didn’t listen to her. It even took the candy that was knocked away and put it back in front of Lin Lan. Then he squatted down, and pleaded with her golden eyes. 

“Miaow—” (Lan Lan, Lan Lan look!)

“Miaowow—” (There’s food here already, don’t go hunting outside anymore!)

Lin Lan had a bitter smile.

The cat is a kind of clingy and independent creature, and in their eyes, the purpose of the early departure and late return of their owners is to hunt for food. They are also used to humans disappearing for a long time. From their perspective, going out to hunt is dangerous, and they could be killed at any time. If the other party comes back, it means that they were successful at finding food. If they don’t then…

Lin Lan slowly squatted down, and picked up the cat in front of her. She didn’t move for a long time.

After being able to understand the language of cats, she realized that the actions of humans had been misunderstood like this.

Then the gifts were not to celebrate her return home, but to tell her to stop going out to hunt.

“I won’t go.” She hugged the cat, and felt that her nose was so sour that she would burst into tears. “I won’t go in the future.”

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