Chapter 134: Little Mimi, Big Mimi—Everything Can Be Mimi!

Liu Dazheng not only came to visit the patient but also brought his latest research.

A small amount of the yarn that Zhou Sinian had given him remained, which he had skillfully twisted into the shape of plum blossoms and tucked into a tung-oil-coated bamboo vase. The centers of the blossoms were meticulously accented with yellow, giving them a wild, natural beauty when arranged in the vase. One had to admit, Liu Dazheng’s aesthetic sense was truly on point! If Ming Dai had seen this in her past life, she definitely would have bought it.

However, the plum blossoms looked strangely familiar. Ming Dai glanced at the sweater Zhou Sinian was currently knitting; the cuffs featured two identical plum blossoms! So, was there a sequel to the gift of yarn? Ming Dai was even more confused. If the basket last time was a coincidence, how could one explain these plum blossoms? How on earth did they possess such a telepathic connection—a "yarn connection"? Yarn wasn't exactly a telephone line!

While Ming Dai stood there full of question marks, Zhou Sinian and Liu Dazheng were already deep in conversation, discussing how to iterate on the integration of yarn and weaving techniques. Ming Dai finally understood: they wanted to create a unique piece of art that combined yarn and weaving in a way that could be disassembled.

She immediately thought of the crochet craze her grandmother had been obsessed with in her past life—back then, every piece of furniture in the house had been "clothed," and it was so dense that even Ming Dai’s notebooks had covers. She shared this idea with them, and under their eager gazes, she contributed a pair of cotton gloves and a crochet hook.

Both men were remarkably dexterous. After unraveling the cotton thread to experiment, they quickly mastered the crochet technique and crafted an exquisite lace border tailored to the vase's size. Zhou Sinian, in particular, split the already fine cotton thread into even thinner strands; the resulting lace looked like a layer of sheer, delicate tulle draped over the vase, adding an even more ethereal, hazy beauty to it.

The final product was stunning. Once adorned with their crochet work, the vase looked as if it were wearing a lace evening gown, possessing strong aesthetic value even by modern standards. Ming Dai wanted it for herself! Ultimately, the vase was kept, and Zhou Sinian insisted on gifting it to Ming Dai. She placed it in her room with great joy and gave Liu Dazheng two pairs of gloves and a hook, encouraging him to keep exploring.

As they parted, Zhou Sinian and Liu Dazheng exchanged "homework" and agreed to meet at Liu's house once Zhou's cold had cleared. Watching their lingering, friendly interaction, Ming Dai thought that the saying, "When God closes a door, He opens a window," was truly accurate.

After seeing them off, Ming Dai headed to her bedroom instead of Zhou Sinian's. On the heated brick bed, the kitten lay quietly in its basket, a tiny, fluffy bundle of extreme cuteness. Seeing Ming Dai enter, it lifted its head and let out a soft, milky meow that went straight to her heart. Her original plan to raise a dog had been shattered by the pack of wolves Zhou Sinian had brought in, but she decided that raising a cat wasn't bad at all.

As she doted on the kitten, Zhou Sinian leaned against the doorway, peeking inside. Ming Dai beckoned him over. He hesitated for a moment before approaching, sitting as far away from the kitten as possible.

The brick bed was warm, so Ming Dai took the kitten out to play. She had already checked it; aside from being overly thin, it had no fleas. Feeling the warmth of the bed, the kitten became more active, crawling about and meowing. Every time it meowed, Zhou Sinian flinched. Ming Dai felt a bit helpless watching such a large man be terrified of a cat smaller than his palm.

"Zhou Sinian, this is the 'little tiger' I found to help you overcome your fear!"

Zhou Sinian frowned as he looked at the overly lively kitten. "Ming Dai, this doesn't look like a tiger."

Ming Dai took out a charcoal pencil and drew the character for "King" on the kitten's forehead. "It looks like one now, doesn't it!"

Zhou Sinian stared at the kitten with the "King" mark on its head for a long time in silence. "Uh, if you say it looks like one, then it does."

Ming Dai nodded with satisfaction. "Cats and tigers are both felines, commonly referred to by humans as 'kitties'! It’s just that tigers are big kitties, and ours is a little kitty. You just need to adapt. Once you dare to hold the little kitty, you won't be afraid of the big ones anymore. They’re all kitties anyway, it’s the same thing."

Zhou Sinian was dizzy from Ming Dai’s "kitty" logic, but looking at the meowing kitten, he nodded hesitantly. Ming Dai looked at him. "Shall we try it then?"

With that, she nudged the kitten toward him. The kitten, perhaps hungry, crawled straight toward Zhou Sinian upon seeing him. Because it was still thin and frail, its footing was unstable, and it tumbled over from time to time. Even so, Zhou Sinian was terrified. He scrambled back to the corner of the wall, piteously calling out to Ming Dai, "Ming Dai, Ming Dai, no! Take it away!"

Ming Dai watched as the kitten tumbled again. "It's fine, Zhou Sinian. Look, it’s not even as big as your palm; it won't bite."

Zhou Sinian couldn't hear a word she said. Seeing the kitten closing in, he pushed off with both hands and leaped up, driven by a tiny kitten to squat atop the storage cabinet.

Ming Dai: ...... The cabinet was certainly high quality.

"Ming Dai! Help! Help!"

Zhou Sinian was up there calling for help, while the kitten was down below meowing for food. The room was suddenly very lively. In the end, Ming Dai carried the kitten away, rescuing Zhou Sinian from the brink of a breakdown. This time, he refused to go near the cat at all, standing far away. Ming Dai had no choice but to take him and the cat into the space; the kitten was hungry, and they needed to eat too. Since the kitten was still young, Ming Dai found a wet nurse among her flock of sheep.

Watching the kitten eat with its head buried in the bowl, Ming Dai found it adorable, while Zhou Sinian internally screamed that it was terrifying. Because the kitten had gotten goat milk all over itself, Ming Dai suggested giving it a bath and invited Zhou Sinian to join. Zhou Sinian, who usually loved bathing animals, shook his head firmly this time.

Ming Dai did it herself, specifically using a rose-scented body wash, betting that Zhou Sinian wouldn't be able to resist. Sure enough, as she bathed it, Zhou Sinian wandered over to watch from a distance. Although he didn't reach out, he was much calmer.

After the bath, Ming Dai placed the person and the cat on the grass outside, laying down a small blanket for the cat to sunbathe. She instructed Zhou Sinian to watch it and forbade him from entering the house until its fur was dry. Before he could refuse, she went inside to cook dinner.

After Ming Dai left, Zhou Sinian watched from afar as the kitten licked its fur on the blanket. Its little pink tongue flicked, and its paw pads were soft and rosy. It smelled of roses and actually seemed a bit cute. Gradually, he lowered his guard and stood by the blanket to sunbathe as well.

Alas, good things never last. The kitten seemed to take a particular liking to Zhou Sinian; taking advantage of his distraction, it crawled up his pant leg. By the time he noticed, its sharp claws were already hooked into his trousers, and it was climbing up!

"Ahhh!! Ming Dai! Help me!!"

Zhou Sinian was too scared to move. He wanted to shake it off but feared hurting it and making Ming Dai angry. He wanted to go inside to find her, but the cat’s fur wasn't dry, and she had forbidden him from entering!

In the end, he had no choice but to run across the grass with the kitten still attached to his pants, hoping it would lose its grip. Unfortunately, while the kitten was small, its claws were sharp, and it held on tight, refusing to let go.

Inside the house, Ming Dai heard Zhou Sinian’s "cheerful" shouting and thought, *Hmm, they are getting along quite well!*

Eventually, Zhou Sinian circled the small pasture a dozen times with the kitten, but couldn't shake it off. The kitten was quite stubborn; even when it was jolted so hard it spat up milk, it refused to loosen its grip. The sheep and the other animals watched the human running in circles, feeling a bit dizzy. The silly roe deer, however, was unexpectedly excited, running alongside Zhou Sinian from across the pasture fence.

When Ming Dai finished dinner and came out, what she saw was a panting, exhausted Zhou Sinian, a kitten that refused to let go even while spitting up milk, and a row of roe deer asleep on the ground.

????

What on earth was going on?!

My dear readers, for the sake of my hard work, please add this book to your bookshelf!