Chapter Eight: The New Member, Maruko!

Qin Xuan didn’t return until a little after one in the afternoon. When he opened the door, he found Liu Ruoxi and Qin Lin’er sitting on the sofa, watching the television—which was a rare enough event in itself—and munching on spicy duck necks, their hands gloved.

Yet neither of them acknowledged his arrival, leaving Qin Xuan at a loss.

With a loud bang, Qin Xuan slammed the door shut. Still, the two girls continued gnawing on their duck necks, treating him as if he were invisible.

A question mark seemed to float over Qin Xuan’s head.

He silently stepped in front of the television, blocking their view, and reached for the plastic container holding the duck necks.

Liu Ruoxi rolled her eyes and raised her hand as if to swat him, but Qin Xuan was quick. “Hey, too slow!”

“Who are you, anyway?” Qin Lin’er shot him a glare, her tone sharp.

“I’m your big brother,” Qin Xuan answered, squeezing himself down between the two of them on the cramped sofa. It was one of those tiny couches—fine for two, but three was a squeeze. Luckily, none of them were overweight, so it was just barely manageable.

He promptly picked up the box from the coffee table and started picking through it.

Qin Lin’er, her expression dark, asked, “Where did you run off to?” She leaned in and sniffed at his shirt. “You even had hot pot? With what little vixen?”

Qin Xuan: What’s with this superhuman nose?

He lifted his T-shirt and sniffed; sure enough, the smell of hot pot clung to him. But…

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Qin Xuan explained. “I just went to Sister Qin’s for a meal.” He recounted the story, though in keeping with his promise, he left out anything involving Sister Qin and Yang Sheng.

At the mention of this, both Qin Lin’er and Liu Ruoxi fell silent.

After a long pause, Liu Ruoxi spoke up with a huff. “Men just don’t know how to cherish what they have! Anyone can see Yang Sheng’s a scumbag!”

Qin Xuan: She’s spot on.

“Alright, enough,” Qin Lin’er waved away the heavy mood. “Sister Qin’s older than us—she doesn’t need us to worry about her. We should trust that she can sort things out herself.”

“Right,” Liu Ruoxi agreed. “But as for you! Next time you go out, at least let us know. Don’t think you’ll get away with it again.”

“Huh?” Qin Xuan was baffled. “I need to report my whereabouts now? You’re afraid I’ll get lost?”

“You never know,” Liu Ruoxi answered, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Qin Xuan was speechless. “Alright, next time, I promise.”

“Hehe, open your mouth, I’ll feed you some duck neck,” Liu Ruoxi suddenly produced a piece from who knows where.

“I have hands,” Qin Xuan protested, raising them as proof.

“Hmm? Hurry up!” Liu Ruoxi threatened.

As the saying goes, oppression breeds resistance, but Qin Xuan’s resistance failed.

Obediently, he chewed on the duck neck Liu Ruoxi held out. It was five-spice and delicious, and he accidentally bit her finger in his enthusiasm. Even through the glove, he could feel the warmth.

A flush crept over Liu Ruoxi’s face, but she didn’t let go.

Not until Qin Xuan had gnawed it clean did she finally remove her gloves.

“That was disgusting!”

Qin Xuan wiped his brow. “With our relationship, how can you be so picky?”

“You’re not my boyfriend! Of course I mind,” Liu Ruoxi shot back.

Qin Xuan fell silent. True—once Liu Ruoxi had a boyfriend, would they still be so close?

His thoughts drifted to Liu Qin and Yang Sheng. Childhood sweethearts? Who could say how things would end?

“By the way, what about your cat?” Qin Xuan suddenly remembered.

“No luck. Lin’er thinks you should come look with us,” Liu Ruoxi replied.

“I see,” Qin Xuan nodded. Though Qin Lin’er had always gotten better grades than him, when it came to decisions, he was still the final authority. “Let’s go check again tomorrow.”

The next morning, Qin Xuan was planning to sleep in when Liu Ruoxi’s kick sent him tumbling out of bed.

Dazed, Qin Xuan was at a loss: Isn’t sleeping in the hallmark of college life?

He wandered into the kitchen, intent on making some porridge for breakfast.

But, to his dismay, even after he’d finished cooking, neither of the girls had gotten up.

Quietly, he opened Liu Ruoxi’s bedroom door and found her sprawled out, still fast asleep in her pajamas.

Qin Xuan thought, You didn’t look like this when you kicked me earlier.

Feeling shortchanged, he took a few steps forward. Time for you to get a taste of your own medicine!

“Ow, damn!” Liu Ruoxi yelped as he landed a solid kick on her backside.

Wait, did she just say something so unladylike?

“Get up, it’s time to eat.”

“Huh?” Liu Ruoxi finally realized it was Qin Xuan who’d kicked her. Annoyed, she said, “Jerk, did you just hit me?”

“You just did the same thing. How does it feel?”

“I’ll get you for that!” Liu Ruoxi wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him down onto the bed.

Qin Xuan was caught off guard and suddenly found himself pinned beneath her, her warmth close enough to feel. Instantly, he was wide awake.

“Don’t make me use force. Do you want to eat or not?” Qin Xuan threatened.

Reluctantly, Liu Ruoxi let go, then immediately regretted it. “Wait, I didn’t even get to hit you!”

Watching Qin Xuan slip out the door, Liu Ruoxi felt like she’d lost a fortune.

Qin Xuan left the room, rubbing his nose, and went to wake Qin Lin’er. He was starting to feel he had a knack for being a father.

At the breakfast table, Qin Xuan looked at the bleary-eyed Qin Lin’er on one side and the vengeful Liu Ruoxi on the other, and sighed quietly.

After the meal, the three of them decided to visit a cat café.

Qin Lin’er’s eyes practically lit up green with excitement at the sight of the cats scampering everywhere. She petted them while whispering to Qin Xuan, “Bro, what do you think about bringing one home?”

“But I think the cats here aren’t for sale.”

Sure enough, after asking the owner, Qin Lin’er learned that many of the cats belonged to their owners and were just here for “work.” She couldn’t help but sigh—Even kittens have to earn their own food these days.

The three of them idled away most of the day at the cat café, but left empty-handed.

On the way home, Qin Lin’er lamented, “Ugh! I just want a cat. Why is it so hard?”

Her complaint was overheard by an elderly woman approaching from the other direction.

“Young lady, are you looking to keep a cat?” the old woman asked.

Qin Lin’er looked at the silver-haired but spry grandmother before her, delight flickering in her eyes. “Yes, but we haven’t found one yet. Do you know where we could?”

“As it happens, my cat recently had too many kittens. I can’t keep them all, and was looking for someone to take them,” the old woman replied, sizing the three up.

They followed her to her home, which was in one of the old neighborhoods in the city.

Qin Lin’er’s heart melted at the sight of a tiny, just-born orange kitten, while the mother cat groomed herself nearby.

“This old cat’s been with me for years—my granddaughter gave her to me,” the old woman explained. Her surname was Shen, and the neighbors all called her Granny Shen.

“You like her? Then she’s yours,” Granny Shen smiled kindly at Qin Lin’er, reminded of her own granddaughter.

“Yes, I do!” Qin Lin’er nodded obediently.

In Shu City, it’s customary to give a red envelope when accepting a cat—not a large one, just for good luck. Qin Xuan was familiar with the custom and had already bought a red envelope at the supermarket earlier.

Granny Shen didn’t refuse.

The three of them stayed for a chat with Granny Shen until dusk began to fall. They left with a small carrying cage for the kitten, who slept soundly inside, while Qin Lin’er peered in with endless curiosity.

“Bro, will you name it?” Qin Lin’er gazed at Qin Xuan with hopeful eyes.

“Hmm…” Qin Xuan pondered, then said, “Why don’t you name it? Granny Shen gave it to you, after all.”

“Oh, alright.” Qin Lin’er looked at the orange kitten.

“I’ll call it Dumpling! Meatball!”