Xia Yan's Birthday

Many people say that withdrawal symptoms after traveling are extremely severe.

Hua Xin initially scoffed at the idea that so many people were jumping on the bandwagon.

It's just a trip, isn't it? Everyone has to go to work or school anyway. Apart from a few people who travel specifically for freedom, it's impossible to keep traveling like this forever. In the end, we still have to return to normal life. What kind of withdrawal symptoms could there be?

But once the novelty wore off and the time spent enjoying time together in foreign lands with Xia Yan disappeared, Hua Xin now truly felt what a world of difference it was.

The scenes from before, at the foot of Mount Fuji, Tokyo Skytree, the seaside train, and even the time Xia Yan and I squatted by the roadside eating convenience store food at night, all seem so vivid in my mind...

As the afternoon drew to a close, the only respite from the sweltering heat was the air conditioning in the shop. Once you stepped through the door that separated the shop from the outside world, all that remained was a scorching heat that was enough to bake you alive.

August is the most painful and nostalgic time of the year.

It is the season I miss the most in the cold winter, but once it gets hot, I forget what I used to hope for and can only look forward to winter coming quickly and summer passing quickly.

But for Hua Xin, it didn't matter whether it was a cold winter or a hot Xia Ji, because as long as she lay in bed and covered herself with a blanket, she would drift off into a sweet dream.

What's truly exhausting is the longing for a more comfortable life.

"Well..."

Hua Xin lay sprawled on the table with her head down, looking like a lazy bum. The soft, melodious music in the shop allowed her to relax, which was a rare treat. There were almost no customers left, and the Hachimi had all stopped working and were lying around like her, looking like maids in a maid café, relaxing in the break room after a long day of work with a group of otaku.

Hua Xin didn't actually feel any aversion to this job.

After all, when she was on the verge of starvation and almost died, it was Sister Li Xue's salary that saved her life. Moreover, she had weekends off every month, and her job consisted of simply feeding the Hachimi and explaining the price list to customers as a waitress. In her spare time, she could relax and earn more than 7,000 yuan a month...

You couldn't find it even with a lantern.

Hua Xin, captivated by the air conditioning, had the idea of working with Sister Li Xue at the cat café until retirement.

"Xiaohua, you can go home now."

"OK!"

Compared to Sister Li Xue's still lively voice, Hua Xin sounded rather weak and listless, only regaining some vitality after hearing the words "get off work".

She seemed to still be immersed in the days she spent traveling with Xia Yan in Japan. Although it was only a few days, it was so unforgettable that even photos and videos on her phone couldn't make up for it. Instead, it made her miss it even more.

Let's travel to other places together next time we have the chance, but it should be at least next Xia Yan.

Those were the last days they could be free and wild.

After all, their carefree university years are coming to an end, and they'll soon be facing the worries of their graduation thesis and finding a job.

But when it's time to leave work, Hua Xin is fully revitalized!

Today's closing time seems to be much earlier than usual. Perhaps it's because the weather is so hot that there are far fewer customers out shopping. It's only 3 PM and there are already hardly any customers left. (Since the closing time is quite flexible, Sister Li Xue it's closing time, then it's closing time.)

Hua Xin slowly sat up, and finally picked up Chun Cha had grown quite a bit, and petted her hard. Although her mother was a Ragdoll cat, she did not inherit any Ragdoll cat features and was a very standard Chinese Li Hua Cat.

Chun Cha exposed her belly to Huaxin's legs, making gurgling sounds in her throat. She didn't seem scared at all and trusted Hua Xin completely.

Actually, it's not just Hua Xin; many of the guests who have come recently have also really liked it.

However, compared to Chun Qiu, Chun Cha's personality seems to be more like that of a Ragdoll cat.

Very clingy, yet not aggressive, and most importantly...

It can't breathe on itself yet.

Hua Xin, whose equipment consisted only of a cell phone and an umbrella, didn't need to pack anything else. She simply took off her work clothes as usual, rolled a lint remover on her short-sleeved shirt, and waved to Sister Li Xue, who was scolding Hachimi for spilling a customer's coffee not far away.

See you tomorrow, Sister Li Xue!

See you tomorrow!

Sister Li Xue, who was inflicting both mental and physical damage on the employee who couldn't speak human language, quickly changed her expression again. She dangerously imprisoned Hachimi in her arms, then kept sliding a fragrant cat treat up and down around his mouth without feeding him.

Hearing her colleague's pitiful cries behind her, Hua Xin couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like if Xia Yan cooked a lot of delicious food but then tied her to a chair so she could only look and not eat.

A moment of silence.

Upon opening the door, a wave of intense heat instantly swept over her, and the illusion of coolness brought by the air conditioning vanished without a trace. Hua Xin gently lifted the parasol to barely block the intense heat from hitting her skin.

However, unlike her usual route home from work, today Hua Xin was eating an ice pop she had just taken from the store while looking at her phone and waiting for a reply, instead of heading towards the subway station.

"Sister Hua Xin... Sister-in-law!"

Hua Xin put down her phone, then twitched her lips. When she looked up, she indeed saw that familiar, lively figure under the sun. She waved and called out:

"Come here quickly, Xiao Fen, it'll be dried soon."

Xia Fen seemed completely unaffected by the hot weather, her mood remaining cheerful. She quickly hurried under Hua Xin's parasol and said with a grin:

"Let's go, sister-in-law. It's rare to have time to go shopping with sister-in-law Hua Xin..."

Although, both nominally and in terms of relationship, Xia Fen, as Xia Yan's blood-related sister, could easily call her sister-in-law -in-law, the fact remains that they were good friends before...

That sounds a bit awkward.

"Can I still call you Sister Hua Xin?"

Hua Xin finally couldn't hold back and blurted out, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Absolutely not. My sister-in-law is my sister-in-law, and Sister Hua Xin is Sister Hua Xin. They are not the same."

"..."

Hua Xin clearly didn't want to discuss this matter any further, because the two of them obviously had a purpose in getting together.

Three days later is Xia Yan's birthday.