House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 414: So It Was All a Setup

When Yang Yi and Mo Fei arrived at the pet hospital, the three cats had already fallen into a state of unconsciousness. This pet hospital was quite large, with plenty of veterinary staff, so performing three surgeries simultaneously wasn’t an issue.

“How’s it going? When will it start?” Yang Yi asked Guo Ziyi in a low voice.

Although Mo Fei had raised cats when she was younger, this was her first time seeing cats under anesthesia. Looking at the three little British Shorthairs with their eyes wide open, appearing as if they had “died with unrest,” she was so startled that she shrank behind Yang Yi.

“It’ll start soon. The vet said we need to wait fifteen minutes for the anesthesia to fully take effect, and it’s already been twelve or thirteen minutes!” Guo Ziyi explained. He had already removed the floral mask, hat, and sunglasses, looking much less out of place now.

After confirming that the cats remained in an eyes-open state under anesthesia, Mo Fei finally felt relieved. She leaned in with Yang Yi and gently touched the still-warm Xiao Guai.

“Look at them, they look so fascinating!” Mo Fei whispered to Yang Yi, as if afraid the cats might hear her.

It truly was fascinating. They were all lying on their sides on the small white hospital beds, completely unconscious, with their tongues hanging out and their eyes askew.

“Let me show you something fun!” Guo Ziyi grinned mischievously, winking at Yang Yi and Mo Fei. Then he walked over to Duoduo and reached out to tug at her tongue. Just like putty, Duoduo’s pink tongue stretched out and then retracted slightly.

“Pfft!” Mo Fei couldn’t help but laugh. She called out, “Stop messing with them! They’re already in such a pitiful state!”

More than half an hour later, the surgeries for the cats were completed one after another. Although Yang Yi and Mo Fei were very concerned, they couldn’t immediately pick up Xiao Guai and the others. The vet had to use a specific holding technique to carefully place the freshly operated cats into the cat carriers they had brought.

Now, these little patients were treated very well. A layer of padding had been placed inside the cat carriers, and after they were laid inside, Yang Yi even covered them with soft blankets.

After a while, the effects of the anesthesia gradually wore off. Yang Yi and Mo Fei followed the vet’s instructions and gently blew on Xiao Guai and the others’ eyes. Gradually, Xiao Guai blinked, and his consciousness started to return.

Yang Yi and Mo Fei exchanged a glance, and suddenly, both of them begun to act.

“Oh dear, Xiao Guai, Duoduo, Xiao Hui! Dad and Mom finally found you! That heartless scoundrel kidnapped you…”

The “heartless scoundrel,” Guo Ziyi, had already slipped away. His part in the act was over, and now he was in a hurry to return to the coffee shop to share the good news.

No, more accurately, he was rushing back to show Ding Xiang and Yang Huan the funny photos he’d taken of the cats with their tongues hanging out—it was so funny!

It was unclear whether Xiao Guai and the others could understand, but in any case, Yang Yi saw that they only moved their eyes slightly and had yet to fully wake up from the anesthesia.

However, by this time, it was almost okay to take them home to rest and recover.

……

Xixi was picked up by her father and brought home. The little girl was very happy today because her friend had brought good news.

She had already told her father in the car, but she still couldn’t wait to tell her mother, “Mama, Zhaoyu’s papa is better now! Well, not completely better, but he can talk now and isn’t scary anymore!”

Mo Fei looked at Yang Yi in confusion, unsure what her daughter was talking about.

Yang Yi hadn’t mentioned it earlier, fearing it might affect Mo Fei’s mood. This woman was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and could easily be emotionally affected by such things. But now that it had come up, he told Mo Fei about Nan Zhaoyu’s father having a stroke.

“He almost died!” The little girl nodded vigorously and said sadly, “I was so scared.”

“Don’t be afraid. Didn’t Papa make a pinky promise with you?” Yang Yi smiled and patted his daughter’s back.

“Hehe, okay then!” Xixi didn’t show the same emotions as that night. She quickly cheered up and skipped happily to the living room.

“Just last Saturday night, she was still crying, worried that I might suddenly die too…” Yang Yi told Mo Fei about the time he and Xixi had “cried together,” Of course, he kept it brief and didn’t deliberately make it emotional.

Mo Fei sighed softly and said with a slightly heavy tone, “Just like the ‘Fairy Tale’ you wrote, you never know when someone might suddenly be gone. It scares me too.”

Mo Fei had seen the mini-movie “Fairy Tale” earlier than anyone else because after Yang Yi brought it back from Du Yuanlei, she wanted to see Xixi’s scenes. It could be said that she had watched this mini-movie countless times, almost memorizing the plot, but every time she watched it, she felt a deep sense of sorrow.

“Silly, what are you thinking about?” Yang Yi pulled her into his arms, stroked her hair, and smiled, “Xixi is four and a half, so it’s normal for her to think a lot. But how old are you? Why are you scaring yourself?”

However, Mo Fei lifted her head, pouting like a little girl, and said unhappily, “If I suddenly get sick and die like Xu Shishi, you must not mistreat yourself. Go find another woman, as long as she treats Xixi well…”

By the time she finished speaking, she looked as if she were about to cry.

Yang Yi tapped her forehead in exasperation and said, “Stop imagining these baseless things, and even planning my future for me? Instead of overthinking, think about how to live well and enjoy our lives together.”

“Woo woo, you’re going to find another woman and you’re hitting me,” Mo Fei put on an aggrieved expression.

Yang Yi was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh.

“And now you’re laughing at me…” Mo Fei sniffled, looking incredibly adorable.

“Who said I’m going to find another woman? Let me tell you, Baby… You are my one and only!” Yang Yi almost sang it out.

“You didn’t deny it earlier!” Mo Fei persisted, playfully hitting Yang Yi’s chest and pouting.

“Haha, so you were setting me up just now!”

While the two were flirting, Xixi ran over nervously. She didn’t pay attention to her parents awkwardly separating and anxiously tugged at her father’s shirt and said, “Papa, Papa, look! What’s wrong with Xiao Guai, Xiao Hui, and Duoduo?”

Xixi was referring to the three little British Shorthairs that had just woken up but still seemed affected by the anesthesia. They staggered around as if drunk, occasionally rolling over on the soft carpet.

Yang Yi followed Xixi over, checked on them, and, after confirming that there were no other issues, smiled and said to Xixi, “It’s okay. They’re just acting a little strange today. They’ll be fine by tomorrow!”

“Then… then, Papa, why are they wearing clothes?” Xixi asked in confusion, staring at the gauze wrapped around the cats.

Perhaps noticing their owners’ gaze, the cats all turned their heads to look over. Xiao Hui even lowered its head and let out a soft meow, looking a bit listless.

Duoduo, on the other hand, was more agitated. She clung to the cat tree’s post and let out a hissing sound that didn’t even sound like a typical cat meow.

“Well, that’s also because today is special, so they’re wearing them temporarily. They’ll be fine tomorrow.” Yang Yi could only brush it off like this—he couldn’t tell Xixi they had undergone spaying and neutering surgeries, could he? The little girl would definitely continue asking what spaying and neutering meant.

“But…” Xixi still felt her question hadn’t been resolved.

“No ‘buts.’ For now, just don’t play with them today. They’re a bit temperamental, and I don’t want you to get scratched.” Yang Yi gently held his daughter back and said softly.

This was also the advice given by other cat owners at the hospital. Perhaps due to pain, the lingering fear from being anesthetized, or the discomfort of the bandages wrapped around them, the three little British Shorthairs were behaving very differently from usual.

“Okay… but will Xiao Guai and the others be okay?” Xixi’s big eyes were filled with worry as she looked at her father.

“They will, they’ll be fine by tomorrow!” Yang Yi wasn’t entirely sure himself, but he spoke with confidence to reassure his daughter.