9
Điềm Điềm’s death left me devastated for days.
Its owner was so cold and heartless, completely indifferent to life.
People like that always remind me that I have to be extremely careful when finding new homes for the other cats and dogs.
A lot of cats and dogs were outraged when they heard Điềm Điềm’s story:
“Dog God, please send Điềm Điềm’s owner to hell!”
“I’m so mad! I want to go take a dump in front of Điềm Điềm’s owner’s house!”
“I heard that person just got another cat. We have to find a way to get it out of there. With an owner like that, it’d be better off living on the streets!”
…
Suddenly, Little Cat messaged me: “I’m about to send Điềm Điềm’s owner to another world to be punished.”
“Please help find a new home for her cat, Mom.”
I asked, curious, “What world? How will she be punished?”
“An eye for an eye. Let her experience what it’s like to be abandoned and wander around like a pet.”
Well, well. Dao Ba the Wanderer really was mysterious and formidable.
I quickly shook off my heavy mood and got back to spaying and neutering the stray little ones and finding them new homes.
Before spaying or neutering them, I always gave them a health check.
Stray cats and dogs usually have some kind of health problem.
Fortunately, donations from kindhearted people were enough to examine and treat them.
I had great confidence in my skills.
Whether cat or dog, once they left my veterinary clinic, they’d be healthy and full of life.
But this time, I had a difficult case on my hands.
Poor Big Orange, the “Cat Boxer,” had a malignant tumor that needed to be surgically removed to prevent it from spreading.
The surgery was fairly risky, and Big Orange was anemic.
That meant I needed a blood supply on hand.
As soon as he heard that, the Greyhound I’d just examined eagerly raised a paw. “Me, me! My dad takes me to donate blood all the time!”
His previous owner had used him as a “blood-drawing machine” to make money.
In the end, when there was nothing left to squeeze out of him, his owner couldn’t even be bothered to spend money feeding him well, and dumped him in the suburbs to die.
When I found him, he was lying in the grass, barely alive. If I hadn’t gone to bury Điềm Điềm that day, he might have died there without anyone knowing.
Looking at his frail, skinny body, I frowned in sympathy:
“First, your body can’t handle donating blood anymore.”
“Second, you’re a dog and he’s a cat. You’re different species, and your blood types aren’t compatible.”
“Third, that man isn’t your dad anymore. You need to rest and recover now, and forget about him.”
Some dogs are so foolish.
Even after their owners hurt them, they still remember the good times.
I posted on the forum, hoping lots of brave cats would come donate blood to help “Cat Boxer” Big Orange.
Even more cats than I’d expected came to donate blood. There were even a few dogs, including “No-Poop Ambassador” Xiang Xiang.
Xiang Xiang and Big Orange had never gotten along. Whenever Xiang Xiang escorted me home, the two of them would trade a few insults.
Hearing footsteps, Big Orange cracked open his eyes. “Cats are the ones donating blood. What’s a dog doing here?”
Xiang Xiang held his head high with pride. “I have a rare blood type. You never know, I might be useful!”
“You idiot.” Big Orange still couldn’t resist teasing him, but his voice was soft as a pillow. “Think it through next time, okay?”
Xiang Xiang flicked his ears and tilted his head from side to side. “A snack? Where’s the snack?”
Big Orange chuckled, then drooped again.
He tried to rally and looked at Xiang Xiang seriously. “Xiang Xiang, if my surgery goes well, let’s stop arguing from now on. It’s exhausting.”
Xiang Xiang blinked in confusion. “Did we really argue? Weren’t you just trying to talk to me but too proud to admit it, so you pretended?”
Big Orange looked a little guilty. He raised a forepaw, then gently tapped Xiang Xiang on the forehead. “You’re so full of yourself.”
“All right, you silly Xiang Xiang. I admit our parents really did love you more back then.”
Xiang Xiang lowered his head, his voice growing soft. “Our parents are gone. I just want you to be healthy, Big Orange.”
“We only have each other now.”
“You’ll always be by my side, right?”
So the two of them, who seemed like they couldn’t stand each other, had actually been bound together for a long time.
The surgery was a success.
As soon as he woke from the anesthesia, Big Orange raised his paw to high-five Xiang Xiang.
Nearby, the Greyhound was so moved that he ducked his head and sobbed. “So cats and dogs really can share such a deep bond…”
There they were, a cat and a dog sharing their feelings, while you sat there laughing and crying at the same time.
I led him away, carrying a basketful of cats who’d donated blood. “Come on, it’s time to eat and get your strength back!”
Before the meal, the cats and dogs all shouted together, “Long live our adoptive mom!”
I laughed and patted each of them on the head.
What was there to be happy about?
These brave little ones deserved to be rewarded.
10
Over time, my one-person operation grew into a thirty-person organization, attracting many more kindhearted people to join us.
Thanks to our outreach efforts, more and more people wanted to adopt stray cats and dogs.
To make sure they wouldn’t be mistreated, we carefully looked into everyone who applied to adopt.
The most important requirement was good character:
Were they compassionate, patient, responsible, and kind…?
After an adoption, we made regular visits.
Love works miracles.
We saw with our own eyes how these stray little ones gradually healed when they were surrounded by love, no longer looking as sad and exhausted as before.
Looking at them now, you’d never guess they’d once roamed everywhere, enduring wind and rain.
I, the “Boss of the Underworld,” was trying to bring these wild little ones back to the straight and narrow.
Even after finding families of their own, they still liked to gather on the forum and chat.
Every day when I opened my messages, they were filled with the little ones’ whispers:
“Adoptive Mom, my new home is really close to the hospital. I’ll come visit you often!”
“Adoptive Mom, are you in Beicheng today? I saw you! You were riding a three-wheeled bike with two older sisters. You looked so cool!”
“Guess what I’m doing? My new owner took me on a trip! I secretly prayed to the Bodhisattva, asking that Adoptive Mom stay happy and safe for eighteen lifetimes.”
Countless messages showed just how happy they were now.
The wild, tough look they’d once had was gone. They were no longer cold or prickly…
I felt so comforted.
This was how they were always meant to be.
Private messages kept pouring in, more and more each day.
The number of strays had dropped noticeably.
Now, only seven little ones were still waiting to be adopted.
They’d been wandering for too long and had too many problems.
Maybe they were too old, too frail, or simply not friendly toward people.
They weren’t the first choice for people looking to adopt. No one picked them first.
So all I could do was try to love them as much as I could.
To let them know there were still people in this world who loved them.
Even though some of them had been hurt by people before, and even hated people.
They could still tell love from hate, and they were still willing to follow me to work and then back home.
Another new year was just around the corner.
I gave the remaining cats and dogs a good bath, planning to take them home to celebrate New Year’s Eve together.
It was their first time in my home, and they seemed a little shy. They sat quietly on the floor without running around or making a fuss.
I was busy in the kitchen, preparing food for the cats and dogs.
As for myself, I’d ordered a really extravagant takeout meal.
It wasn’t that I was too cheap to buy them food—their meals were plenty meaty.
It was just that… I was such a terrible cook, even I didn’t want to eat my own food.
They were the only ones who never complained and always cheered me on.
“Adoptive Mom, your cooking is delicious!”
“Mmm, it’s even better than… ct, and not as sticky as ct.”
“I want another bowl!”
Go ahead and eat as much as you want!
Happily, I filled their bowls again, my eyes full of affection:
“Don’t eat too much, okay? I’ll open some pâté for you later, too.”
They smacked their lips as they ate, looking so adorably goofy it was hilarious.
I knew perfectly well they didn’t usually eat like this.
They were pretending on purpose, just to make me happy.
And I truly loved these little things they did for me.