Seeing Song Yunshen leading his girlfriend towards the cat café entrance, Song Jiaxuan Jia Xuan turned to a nearby waiter and said, "My brother brought his friend in to play for a while, is that alright?"
"Of course, no problem," the waiter quickly replied. "I'll go and serve him."
"Okay, thank you." Song Jiaxuan smiled slightly and followed the waiter to the door.
At this moment, Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo had already pushed open the door and entered, arriving at the fence gate inside the cat cafe.
Song Yunshen looked at Song Jiaxuan inside and asked with a curious expression, "Sister Xuanxuan, what are you doing here? Why are you at the cat cafe all by yourself?"
Song Jiaxuan wasn't in a hurry to explain. She gestured with her chin, indicating that they should follow the waiter's instructions. "You two come in first."
Xia Yunuo followed beside Song Yunshen, her head slightly lowered shyly. She took the initiative to greet Song Jiaxuan, mimicking Song Yunshen's way of addressing her, saying, "Hello, Sister Xuanxuan, I'm Song Yunshen's classmate."
"I know you." Song Jiaxuan smiled slightly, her eyes curving into crescents as she looked Xia Yunuo up and down. " Yaoyao mentioned you to me before, and she said you were especially beautiful. Now that I've seen you, I can confirm she wasn't wrong."
"Sister Xuanxuan, you're too kind. It's not that exaggerated at all," Xia Yunuo modestly in a low voice, her cheeks flushed.
At this moment, Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo had already disinfected their hands and put on shoe covers. The waiter opened the gate and let the two in.
"The cats in this shop are quite well-behaved." Song Jiaxuan led the two towards the seats inside. As they passed an orange cat, she reached out and picked it up. The big orange cat didn't struggle and let her carry it to a seat. "You two can also bring one to play with."
Hearing Song Jiaxuan's words, Xia Yunuo was immediately tempted, but she first turned to look at Song Yunshen, asking for his opinion with her eyes. Seeing Song Yunshen nod with a smile, Xia Yunuo couldn't wait to run to the French window where she had been and hugged the little calico dog that she had thought was particularly beautiful.
Little Sanhua struggled slightly, rolled over in Xia Yunuo's arms to find a more comfortable position, and then let her hold her securely.
Xia Yunuo had never been so close to a cat before. Holding the little calico cat in her arms, a satisfied smile immediately appeared on her face.
Song Yunshen, who was not far away, waved to her. Xia Yunuo quickly walked over, picked up Xiao San Hua, and sat down next to Song Yunshen.
"What would you like to drink?" Song Jiaxuan handed the menu to the two of them. "Let's order a drink, and you can give your feedback while we're at it."
Seeing her actions, Song Yunshen raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'giving feedback'?"
Inviting them for drinks would be perfectly normal, but specifically asking for their feedback carries a deeper meaning.
Song Jiaxuan smiled slightly and simply said, "You guys order first, then we'll talk."
Song Yunshen turned to look at Xia Yunuo, nodded to her, and then ordered a coffee for himself. Seeing this, Xia Yunuo ordered an ice cream milk tea.
After receiving the order, the waiter immediately went to prepare it for the two people.
Song Jiaxuan didn't explain further, but simply lowered her head and ruffled the head of the big orange cat in her arms, stroking it as she pleased.
Seeing that she wasn't in a hurry to speak, Song Yunshen didn't press further. He turned to look at the calico kitten in Xia Yunuo's arms and reached out to scratch its chin. "It's so well-behaved," Xia Yunuo couldn't help but say. "I usually don't dare touch stray cats, afraid of getting scratched."
"Then you can touch it to your heart's content today," Song Yunshen said with a smile.
A short while later, the waiter brought two drinks to them.
Song Yunshen picked up his cup of coffee, took a sip, savored the taste, and then commented, "It's alright, nothing special, not bad at all."
With one arm around Xiao Sanhua, Xia Yunuo used her other hand to pick up the milk tea she had ordered and took a small sip.
"How does it taste?" Song Jiaxuan asked.
"It tastes pretty good," Xia Yunuo replied softly, not seeing anything wrong with it.
Song Jiaxuan nodded slightly, rested her chin on her hand, glanced around the cat cafe, and then asked, "So what do you guys think of this place?"
Upon hearing her words, Song Yunshen immediately realized what she meant and couldn't help but ask, "Sister Xuanxuan, you're not going to buy this cat cafe, are you?"
"You're quite clever," Song Jiaxuan said with a smile. "The owner of this shop is a friend of your brother-in-law. He's going to work out of town soon and can't manage it anymore, so he's looking for someone to sell the shop."
"After your brother-in-law saw it, he asked me about it. I was quite interested, so I came over to take a look."
"I didn't expect to run into you two." Upon hearing this, Song Yunshen became interested and started chatting with Song Jiaxuan.
"How much would it cost to take over this store?"
"Two or three hundred thousand," Song Jiaxuan said. "That includes the entire shop's renovation, equipment, the cats, and the contract that already covers a quarter's rent. He's in a hurry to sell; otherwise, it wouldn't be this cheap."
Xia Yunuo, unable to get a word in edgewise, obediently remained quiet, sitting there petting the cat while listening to the siblings chat, but once again she was shocked by the financial situation of Song Yunshen's family.
Although I had visited Song Yunshen's relative's shop a few times before, we had never discussed it in such depth, including the expenses required to open the shop.
Hearing Song Jiaxuan casually utter the number two or three hundred thousand, Xia Yunuo still felt a tightness in her heart, as if a heavy mountain had instantly pressed down on her.
Such a huge sum of money, if it were in their family, would be at least several years' salary for Yan Zhenxia.
Unless the four members of their family work without eating or drinking for four or five years, they probably won't see such a large sum of money in their lifetime.
But for Song Yunshen's cousin, it seemed effortless; it was just a matter of opening her mouth.
Thinking of this, Xia Yunuo dared not interrupt, and her petting of the cat became even gentler and slower, as if afraid of disturbing their conversation.
"Why are you suddenly interested in cat cafes? Aren't you busy enough with the pet hospital?" Song Yunshen asked again.
"I've been trying to conceive for the past few months, and your brother-in-law won't let me work at the hospital anymore," Song Jiaxuan said with a sweet smile. "But I'm bored, so he thought he'd let me find something easy to do." "I have to talk to my brother-in-law about this. How can he spoil you like this? What if he spoils you rotten? He should invest that money in me instead," Song Yunshen said seriously, his face stern.
"You're always so mischievous." Song Jiaxuan chuckled and rolled her eyes at him before continuing with her plans, "The pet hospital occasionally receives stray cats that people have taken in, and they also have free adoption events, but the publicity is limited."
"So I thought about taking over this cat cafe, which would also provide a place for those stray cats."
"If a customer really takes a liking to it, they can apply for adoption, which would be killing two birds with one stone."
Song Yunshen also thought it was good.
[If this works out, I can bring Xia Jinshu and Xia Kening to come and play next time.]
Another place I usually frequent for freebies has been added to my list.
Hearing his thoughts, Xia Yunuo bit her lip, feeling a little upset again.
What the heck...
They even planned to bring their older and younger sisters along.
Xia Yunuo glanced at Song Yunshen, then immediately looked away. After a moment's thought, she realized that she was the first one there, earlier than her sisters!
This time I finally took the lead.
Thinking about it this way, Xia Yunuo's mood changed from gloomy to partly cloudy, and then immediately brightened up.
Song Yunshen and Song Jiaxuan chatted for a while longer. Around 11 o'clock, Song Jiaxuan got up and said she needed to use the restroom, telling them to stay and do whatever they wanted.
Song Yunshen didn't stand on ceremony with her. After watching his older sister leave, he got up, grabbed a big black cat, and played with it in his arms for a while.
Xia Yunuo, holding her little calico cat, joined Song Yunshen, and the two chatted while petting the cat.
"Did Sister Xuanxuan work at a pet hospital before?" Xia Yunuo asked in a low voice, full of curiosity.
"I guess so," Song Yunshen said with a laugh, "I don't know if being the boss's wife counts as a job."
"She owns a pet hospital?" Xia Yunuo exclaimed in surprise, "That's amazing!"
"My brother-in-law also opened the pet hospital for her," Song Yunshen explained. "They both studied veterinary medicine in college; my brother-in-law was her senior."
"The two of them were flirting during college, and got married after graduation."
"My sister didn't want to stay at home all day as a housewife, so she volunteered to open a pet hospital. My brother-in-law contributed about 70% of the money, and my aunt contributed the remaining 30%."
Xia Yunuo looked enlightened, then asked, "What about your brother-in-law? Didn't they both graduate with degrees in veterinary medicine? Doesn't your brother-in-law work at a pet hospital?" "He went back to inherit the family business right after graduation," Song Yunshen said. "My brother-in-law's family makes cat food, and of course, they also make other pet-related products. It's quite a large business in Linhang City."
Upon hearing this, Xia Yunuo fell silent.
Those rich kids are really despicable! They just keep talking about inheriting the family fortune. What can she say? She can only wish Sister Xuanxuan and her husband a long and happy marriage and many children.
"A cat café is a business after all, so the cats here aren't really well cared for." Seeing that she couldn't find a way to respond, Song Yunshen simply changed the subject, scratching the chin of the big black cat in his arms, and said, "If you have the chance in the future, I'll take you to Sister Xuanxuan's house. She has seven cats, all of them are so shiny and well taken care of."
When Xia Yunuo heard him mention this, she immediately showed interest and nodded, "Okay, okay, what kind of cats does Sister Xuanxuan keep?"
"Let me think... Oh right, I remember taking photos during Chinese New Year, let me find them for you."
The two chatted for a while longer, until Song Jiaxuan returned from the restroom, at which point they ended their conversation and sat back down.
It was already noon, Xia Yunuo felt increasingly excited as she thought about going to eat all-you-can-eat barbecue with Song Yunshen.
But then she looked at Song Jiaxuan sitting opposite her, suddenly realized something, and became shy again.
[I finally managed to have dinner alone with Yunshen today, but his sister happens to be here too. Should I invite her to join us?]
It's not that I don't want to treat his sister to dinner, it's just that it's rare to have a chance to go out alone with Yunshen, and I'd rather eat with just the two of us.
[But shouldn't we at least ask? Otherwise it feels so impolite. Sister Xuanxuan invited us to the cat cafe, so it's only right to ask.] Song Yunshen, who was standing next to Xia Yunuo's thoughts.
He thought for a moment, and was about to say something, when Xia Yunuo, who was next to him, gritted her teeth and spoke to Song Jiaxuan opposite her:
"Sister Xuanxuan, we're planning to go for an all-you-can-eat barbecue later, do you want to come along?"
Seeing this, Song Yunshen raised an eyebrow, afraid that his older sister would agree immediately, so he said first, "Let's talk about it next time. It's rare for us to come out, so don't come and join in the fun, sister."
Upon hearing this, Song Jiaxuan rolled her eyes at him, then smiled and said to Xia Yunuo, " Yunuo, but let's call it a day today, otherwise someone might get mad at me."
Xia Yunuo blushed a little at what was said and subconsciously glanced at Song Yunshen next to her. As a result, she met Song Yunshen's gaze and immediately lowered her head shyly.
"I'm not in a hurry," Song Yunshen said, pursing his lips.
Someone else is in a hurry, okay?
"Anyway, forget it for today, I have things to do." Song Jiaxuan waved her hand and said, "I already had lunch with the cat cafe owner today, and your brother-in-law is coming later too. I just came to check on the cat cafe's business beforehand."
Xia Yunuo breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Song Yunshen responded, relieved, and continued to pet the cat with Xia Yunuo.
The three chatted for a while longer until Song Jiaxuan received a call from her husband. She got up to say goodbye, and Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo followed suit, leaving the cat café together. They parted ways at the entrance. "Stop looking," Song Yunshen patted Xia Yunuo's head and said with a smile, "Once my sister takes over this cat café, she'll give you a permanent free pass. You can come whenever you want."
Xia Yunuo turned her gaze away from the little calico cat, and upon hearing Song Yunshen's words, she pursed her lips. "How could I possibly accept this? Sister Xuanxuan bought the cat café to make money, how could she give it away for free?"
"You'll definitely be coming with me, right? The landlady's brother is coming over to visit, do you think the waiters would dare charge him?" Song Yunshen patted his chest and said, "You don't necessarily want to sneak in by yourself, do you?"
"Of course not," Xia Yunuo said softly, blushing slightly.
The two chatted as they arrived at the entrance of the self-service barbecue restaurant. Xia Yunuo took out her phone, opened the pre-purchased coupon for two people, had the waiter scan the code, and then smoothly led Song Yunshen into the restaurant.
The thought that she was the one paying for it made Xia Yunuo extremely happy and cheerful.
[Hehe, today it's my turn to pay! I've been waiting for this day for so long, it's finally here!]
Listening to Xia Yunuo's inner thoughts, Song Yunshen looked at her strangely, following behind her, somewhat amused and exasperated. He wondered, what was there to be happy about?
Song Yunshen baffled that spending money on her had actually given her pleasure. He wondered if all girls these days were like this.
Song Yunshen might not understand, but for Xia Yunuo, this matter was indeed of great significance.
Since the two became acquainted at school, it has always been Song Yunshen who has been the one making all the sacrifices.
Although Xia Yunuo occasionally wanted to repay him in some way, it always ended up being nothing more than buying him a bottle of iced tea or lending him her completed summer homework to copy, which was far less than the help Song Yunshen had given her. This made Xia Yunuo feel that the scales between them were never balanced, always tilted, which made her feel very uneasy and even gave her a vague sense of guilt and inferiority.
When she discovered that Xia Jinshu was tutoring Song Yunshen and even cooking dinner for him, and that Xia Kening was going to Song Yunshen's house every day to play games with him, she only dared to silently complain in her heart, but never dared to say anything to Song Yunshen in front of him.
Part of the reason behind this stems from a deep-seated inferiority complex within her.
So when she finally earned her first paycheck, the first thing she thought of was to treat Song Yunshen to a meal.
It was as if only after she paid for Song Yunshen's meal that she finally felt she could hold her head high in front of Song Yunshen, and that she wouldn't always have to be so cautious.
After the two sat down, they first scanned the QR code to order a bowl of spicy chicken noodles. Then Song Yunshen stood up and said, "Let's go see what we want to eat."
Xia Yunuo obediently got up and followed him, curiously looking around.
This was her first time eating at an all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant. Although she had specifically checked the guide beforehand to avoid embarrassing herself due to some common sense issues, Xia Yunuo was still a little embarrassed when she actually got there.
"You can take as much meat as you want here, as much as you want," Song Yunshen said, leading her to the self-service area. "You can also help yourself to drinks, and as for condiments, you can mix your own to make whatever flavor you like."
Xia Yunuo followed closely behind Song Yunshen. Following his instructions, she took two plates of meat, prepared the seasonings, returned to her seat, and then ran over to get the drink she wanted.
A few minutes later, the two sat back down and began grilling and eating.
The two of them each took a pair of tongs and worked together to place the prepared slices of meat onto the grill. Soon, the aroma of meat filled the air. While eating the grilled meat, Song Yunshen looked at Xia Yunuo across from him and couldn't help but recall the scene when he, Xia Jinshu, and Xia Kening had come here to eat grilled meat before.
In comparison, having barbecue with Xia Jinshu was the least troublesome, because Xia Jinshu always liked to take care of everything and wouldn't let him touch the tongs. Xia Jinshu did all the grilling, and Song Yunshen could just eat.
As for Xia Kening, Song Yunshen always treated her like a little sister who hadn't grown up yet, so when he brought her to eat barbecue, he was the one who did most of the grilling and didn't let Xia Kening touch the tongs much.
When it came to Xia Yunuo's side, the two were equally matched, each taking a pair of tongs and working together to grill the meat.
But it wasn't a case of you grilling yours and I grilling mine; instead, we always put the meat we grilled onto each other's plates.
Xia Yunuo lowered her head and ate the meat that Song Yunshen and handed to her. She dipped it in the sauce and stuffed it into her mouth, finding it exceptionally delicious, and a sweet smile appeared on her face.