Volume 1 / Chapter 29: Sūtáng, the Bed-Cuddling Kitty

The crisp autumn night air was still a little chilly. A cold wind rustled through the open window, sweeping into the room. But once the window was closed, the air felt stuffy and oppressive.

So, Mò Xuěyáo had no choice but to leave the window open and let the autumn breeze flow in freely.

She herself was bundled up tightly in her quilt, exposing only a small part of her face to breathe in the fresh night air.

It was already late at night. Through the window beside her bed, she could see the sky glittering with stars and the faint glow from the few apartments in the complex where the lights were still on.

In 1999, it wasn’t common for people to stay up late unless they worked night shifts. Most families turned off the lights before ten o'clock.

Even Xuěyáo, a high school student, had finished her homework by nine and was now comfortably lying in bed.

And she had been lying there for over an hour.

Sometimes it was perfectly normal to have trouble falling asleep.

There were nights when exhaustion made it hard to fall asleep. Other times, it was just the body being too restless and alert.

Right now, Mò Xuěyáo had one thought circling in her mind: I want to cuddle Sūtáng again—maybe even fall asleep hugging it.

But Mom would never allow that. When she went to bed, the little tabby cat had been left outside in the living room.

What a pity.

Sure, she’d been holding it while doing homework, but it still didn’t feel like enough.

Such a quiet, well-behaved kitten—it was practically a living plush toy. No matter how much you petted it, you never got tired of it.

With her heart itching like a cat’s paw was scratching it, Xuěyáo finally couldn't resist anymore. She quietly peeled back the edge of her comforter and slipped out.

“Achoo!”

The cold air hit her, and she immediately sneezed. Her smooth, round legs—neither slender nor stick-thin—trembled slightly in the chill.

Truth be told, stick-thin legs couldn’t compare. Legs like hers, with a soft, full curve, felt far more comfortable—especially when used as a lap pillow.

Only elementary school kids liked “chopstick legs.” Real men should appreciate thighs with a bit of plush to them!

She was wearing a pair of summer shorts from her elementary school days—originally long enough to cover most of her thighs, now reduced to borderline hotpants. Still, they were soft and comfortable enough to sleep in.

Though Xuěyáo wasn’t entirely used to wearing a triangle-cut pair of undies inside, with boxer shorts outside...

But this was something her mom insisted on. Like it or not, she had to follow it.

Tiptoeing toward her bedroom door, she nervously tapped her big toes together. Her pink toenails faintly reflected the moonlight filtering in from the window.

“Creak~”

She pushed the door open just a crack, peeking into the hallway. She was checking to see if any lights were on—either in the living room, bathroom, or kitchen.

Once she confirmed the coast was clear—no lights, no sound—she quietly opened the door a bit wider and padded out softly.

She had no idea where Sūtáng might be.

Cats, after all, loved squeezing into corners and hard-to-reach places.

And since Xuěyáo didn’t dare turn on the lights for fear of waking her mother, she had to feel her way through the darkness.

Unfortunately, the living room didn’t even have a window, so she had to rely on the faint moonlight spilling in from the kitchen.

At that moment, Xuěyáo wished she had night vision like a cat.

Just then, she felt something soft and fuzzy brush against her leg.

Looking down—sure enough, it was Sūtáng!

The kitten’s long tail swayed slightly as it lifted its head, its whiskers brushing gently against her ankle.

“Shhh—” Xuěyáo placed a finger to her lips, making a gesture the kitten probably couldn’t understand. Then she quietly retreated back into her room.

Sūtáng trotted close behind, slipping in through the crack in the door and into the bedroom.

“Hehe~ Sūtáng~”

Once she’d shut the door, Xuěyáo relaxed completely. She scooped the cat up into her arms and nuzzled into it, stroking its fur for a good ten minutes until she started shivering from the cold and reluctantly crawled back under the covers.

At night, Sūtáng seemed to go out of its way to stay quiet. It hadn’t made a single sound since she found it.

When Xuěyáo slipped back under the blanket, Sūtáng hopped lightly onto the bedside table.

“Sūtáng~?”

Xuěyáo tried to reach out and pet it, but the cold air made her retreat instantly back into the warmth of her quilt.

The cat pawed curiously at the alarm clock but seemed to lose interest quickly. Then it turned and leaped onto the bed.

As its tiny body padded across the blanket, the soft thumps were strangely distinct.

It padded toward the foot of her bed—and then licked the sole of her foot.

“Pfft—!”

Xuěyáo clamped her hands over her mouth, trying not to laugh aloud.

“Stop it! That tickles—”

As if understanding her, Sūtáng stopped licking and began to squeeze its way into the quilt.

But since Xuěyáo hated the cold, she had wrapped herself up tightly—leaving very little space for it to slip inside.

Kind of embarrassing, really. She supposedly had some Russian blood, so she shouldn’t be this sensitive to cold.

Her dad wasn’t afraid of the cold at all—even though he’d been born in southern China.

Her mom, on the other hand, came from a long line of southerners and couldn’t handle the cold at all.

Maybe Xuěyáo had inherited her mom’s cold-sensitive genes.

“Eh? Want to come in?”

She giggled from the tickling sensation of cat fur and loosened a bit of the blanket so Sūtáng could wriggle in.

Once inside, it immediately began climbing up her leg.

Maybe because it was still small, it didn’t extend its claws—its soft paws left a strange, ticklish sensation wherever it stepped.

They say humans love cute animals because of some deep-seated maternal instinct.

Which might explain why girls usually liked adorable things more than boys did.

“No way this is maternal instinct overflowing…” she muttered to herself as she waited for Sūtáng to crawl its way up.

And it did—until it reached her chest, where it lay down and stopped moving.

“Hmm…?”

Xuěyáo gently stroked its fur. The kitten responded by licking her palm.

Well, her chest was being used as a pillow now… but at least it was warm. Not a bad way to fall asleep.

So she closed her eyes in peace.

That night, she had a strange and amusing dream. In it, she was cuddling Sūtáng while sleeping—and in that dream, she had another dream where she was cuddling Sūtáng while sleeping.

It was like a dream version of a Russian nesting doll.

When she fell asleep, barely any lights were on in the apartment complex. And when she woke up, the sky was just beginning to brighten. Apart from a few street lamps still glowing, most homes remained dark.

“Yaaawn—”

She felt oddly exhausted after that sleep.

She’d dreamed of sleeping all night, yet somehow woke up feeling more tired than before.

Hugging Sūtáng, she yawned and shuffled out of her room.

It was still very early—her mother wasn’t even up yet.

She only saw her dad washing up in the bathroom.

“Huh, getting up to use the bathroom?” he asked, his mouth full of foam.

“Nope…” Xuěyáo rubbed her eyes.

“I’m still sleepy, but I couldn’t sleep anymore. My whole body just feels tired.”

“What’s wrong? Feeling pressured? Trouble keeping up in class?”

“No… the schoolwork’s not that hard.” She yawned again.

“I dunno, maybe it’s because I slept with the cat…”

“I figured. I didn’t see it this morning—so you took it!”

“Ahem! It climbed in on its own!”

“Right. Because cats can phase through doors now?” her dad chuckled.

“No big deal. Just make sure you both stay clean, that’s all.”

“Got it~ Hey Dad, what time is it now?”

“4 AM.”

“So early?!”

“Shhh—quiet. Don’t wake your mom.”

He smiled.

“I’ve gotta head out early to help with deliveries. If I’m late, I lose the job. Takes about 20 minutes to get to the wholesale market by bike.”

“Do you wake up this early every day?” Xuěyáo asked, eyes falling on the strands of gray in his hair.

“Of course.”

“Then… I want to head to school early today, too.”

“Huh? Why so early? The sun’s not even up.”

“It’s kind of up.”

“Barely. The sun hasn’t risen yet.”

“It’s rare—I just want to try it once.”

“Don’t fall asleep in class, though.”

“It’s fine. I can nap at school, too.” Xuěyáo answered breezily.

“Alright then. Want to head out with me?”

“Sure. Um… what about breakfast?”

“Ah, since it’s a rare occasion, of course your old man’s treating you to breakfast.”

“Yay~” Xuěyáo’s eyes lit up. Compared to the same old home breakfasts, anything sold outside felt like a gourmet treat.

“Then go wash up. I’ll wait.”

“Okay! Three minutes!”

“Nope. Wash properly.”

Her dad put on his fatherly tone.

“Didn’t I always finish in three minutes before…”

“You’re a girl now. At least take five minutes.”

“Tch.”

Clicking her tongue, Xuěyáo headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Afterward, she returned to her room to change into her school uniform.

She paused for a moment, then chose the brand-new set they had just been issued the day before.

The winter uniform—both the skirt and jacket—was fairly thick.

Since there was an outer coat, she could wear whatever she wanted underneath.

So, she picked a plain black cotton T-shirt for the top.

For the bottom, she slipped on a pair of glossy black tights. Finally, she slung on her schoolbag—ready to go.

The long socks from yesterday had already been tossed into the wash by her mom. With her hygiene obsession, there was no way she’d allow anyone to wear socks for more than a day.

“Not bad—new uniform?”

Her father looked her up and down and nodded approvingly.

“Yup. It’s warmer.”

“Still wearing a skirt in winter?”

“Seems like it.”

“Too cold.”

He frowned.

“When it really gets cold, forget what the school says. Just wear pants.”

“Deal!”

Xuěyáo nodded enthusiastically—she really didn’t want to wear a skirt.

“If the school calls home, you’ll handle it?”

“Of course I will. Alright, let’s go!”