Chapter 329 - 184: You Just Want to Touch My Feet, Don’t You? (Part 2)
Soon, exploring the room became their primary source of entertainment.
Naonao and San Geng, wearing their Elizabethan Collars, began to waddle clumsily across the floor.
Naonao curiously sniffed the corner of the wall, while San Geng cautiously approached the leg of the desk. Its little head bobbed up and down occasionally due to the collar, as if reacquainting itself with this safe space.
Shen Yuan stood in the study, his gaze never leaving the two little guys.
He was terrified they would jump around and tear their stitches, but he was also relieved to see them so full of life.
At least, for cats that had just undergone surgery, the two of them seemed to be recovering very well.
Just like Shen Yuan, Li Zhi’s eyes also followed the cats’ movements from time to time.
Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi and spoke softly, "Want to come see the cage for these two rascals?"
Hearing Shen Yuan’s words, Li Zhi was immediately intrigued.
Post-operative recovery was crucial for cats, so the cage Shen Yuan bought was of utmost importance.
Li Zhi wheeled her chair to the study’s doorway and saw the cage Shen Yuan had bought.
The moment she saw the cage, Li Zhi blinked, then looked at Shen Yuan with an expression of disbelief.
"Did you... make this yourself?"
To be precise, what Shen Yuan had bought wasn’t actually a cage, but rather a set of grid panels.
Shen Yuan had fastened these panels together in the space under his desk, enclosing a relatively low area that was perfect for the cats’ post-op recovery.
"Is it sturdy?"
Shen Yuan nodded. "I kept them in there for a while before they were neutered. They can’t break it."
Hearing this, Li Zhi was instantly relieved.
Shen Yuan turned his head to look at Li Zhi. "Li Bao, what should we do in a bit?"
Li Zhi shook her head slightly, her eyes fixed on San Geng as it wobbled around exploring the carpet. "I don’t know. Homework?"
Shen Yuan immediately shook his head. "Too tiring. We should rest instead."
The words had barely left Shen Yuan’s mouth when, before Li Zhi could even reply, he caught sight of San Geng wobbling its way to the edge of the bed.
The little guy’s hind legs were slightly bent, its head awkwardly craning upward. It was clearly itching to jump onto the bed.
From its posture, it was clearly trying to jump directly onto the bed.
"Hey! San Geng!" Shen Yuan shouted sharply, striding quickly toward the cat.
"Don’t jump!" Li Zhi cried out at the same time, her body lurching forward as if she was about to dive and stop it.
The sudden shouts startled San Geng, causing it to shrink back. The little furball tilted its head and stared blankly at the two of them, its Elizabethan Collar wobbling.
Naonao, meanwhile, was still sniffing the carpet nearby, completely unfazed by the two urgent shouts.
But while it might be deaf, it wasn’t blind, and the sudden commotion left it baffled for a moment.
Watching San Geng cowering on the floor, Li Zhi clutched her chest, her face a little pale. "You scared me to death... What if it tore open its stitches?"
With that, Li Zhi turned to Shen Yuan, adopting the posture of a strict mother.
"No, we have to lock them up. That was too dangerous just now. If we weren’t paying attention, it would have jumped up there!"
"You’re right, we should lock them up and make them stay put," Shen Yuan agreed with a nod. He bent down, gently lifted San Geng from under its front legs, and then nudged his foot in Naonao’s direction, motioning to Li Zhi.
"Here, you bring that one over."
Shen Yuan held San Geng under its front legs, letting its two hind paws walk on the floor, guiding the little troublemaker into the cage in a comical but safe manner.
Li Zhi copied Shen Yuan’s method and put Naonao inside as well.
After being settled inside, the two little guys just huddled for a moment before quietly lying down.
This was also thanks to Shen Yuan having acclimated them to life in the cage ahead of time.
This scene made both of them sigh in relief. Li Zhi whispered an admonition, "Genggeng, Naonao, be good now, okay? You’ll be fine after a few days of rest."
Shen Yuan stood to the side, watching the cats in the corner of the cage, a helpless smile playing on his lips.
"They probably won’t be this quiet at night."
"What are we going to do then?" Li Zhi asked worriedly.
Shen Yuan shrugged. "What can we do? We’ll keep them locked up. Even if they meow, we just have to keep them locked up."
"But will you be able to get enough rest?"
Shen Yuan wasn’t actually too concerned about getting rest.
He only needed five hours of sleep a day, so even if the cats woke him up at night, he didn’t think it was a big deal.
"It’s fine, no problem," Shen Yuan said with a smile. "Even if they’re noisy at night, I can just catch up on sleep during the day. Besides, you’ll be going home to rest, so they won’t bother you. You can take over watching them during the day."
What Shen Yuan said made a lot of sense, so Li Zhi immediately nodded.
"Okay, then I’ll go to sleep when it gets a bit later, and I’ll be in charge of keeping them company tomorrow morning."
Shen Yuan nodded. "So, what should we do now? Homework is off the table; we’re not allowed to bring it up."
Hearing this, Li Zhi let out a small yawn and leaned her body limply back against her chair. Her eyes, tinged with weariness, gazed at the two quiet kittens in the cage.
"Let’s just rest like this for a bit," she said, her voice soft and tired. "I’m a little worn out. I had classes during the day, and then the hospital this afternoon until now."
Shen Yuan nodded gently. "Then let’s rest for a while."
Even though the two of them hadn’t done much at the hospital, the constant worrying had been mentally draining.
As Shen Yuan finished speaking, Li Zhi slowly closed her eyes and leaned her head against the back of the chair, her whole body seeming to release its pent-up tension.
The room fell quiet for a moment, with only the sounds of San Geng and Naonao in their cage.
The girl’s weariness was written between her slightly furrowed brows.