sjar Chapter 476 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (87)
Chapter 476 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (87)
He Yan seemed to have something left unsaid.
Lu Liruan looked at her in confusion. He Yan thought for a moment, then lowered her voice and said to Liao Tingyuan and Lu Liruan, "Our volunteers have gone there to look for them several times, but we haven't found the kittens. We can only hope... that they have run off somewhere else."
He Yan seemed to be comforting himself: "After all, stray cats have a wide range of activity. They may have found a rescue and feeding point elsewhere, so there is a high possibility that they will stay there."
“We considered this when we removed the feeding area, hoping that the stray animals here could go elsewhere.”
"What's wrong?" Lu Liruan already had a guess in her mind.
"Have you heard about that cat abuse incident that was all over the internet a while ago?" He Yan pursed her lips. "I won't show you the photos, I'm afraid it will scare you." She was thinking of the two of them.
Lu Liruan tugged at Liao Tingyuan's arm, then feigned concern: "It seems I saw it, but what does this have to do with our rescue efforts?"
"The person who abused the cat was somehow identified and their address was found. It's not far away, the director of a pet hospital. Some of our volunteers have even treated their cats and dogs there... Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine."
He Yan frowned, and as he spoke, he unconsciously touched his arm.
That's right...
Lu Liruan understood perfectly that this place, which should be dedicated to treating and saving the lives of animals, was actually being treated so cruelly by the director behind the scenes.
What was he thinking when he received those anxious people who brought their pets to the vet? Just thinking about it makes one feel extremely uneasy.
No wonder the other veterinarians at that pet hospital were implicated and couldn't continue operating.
“Although it’s uncertain, it seems he lives in your neighborhood…” He Yan’s voice lowered, and seeing Lu Liruan’s surprised expression, he quickly continued, “I only heard about it. These things are uncertain, so don’t worry about it! Even if he really is, after being exposed like this, he probably won’t dare to do anything anymore!”
Seeing Lu Liruan looking like a well-behaved girl, He Yan quickly comforted her.
But Lu Liruan was surprised to find that the place where the male homeowner lived had also been exposed... Wouldn't that affect the female homeowner and the child?
Is it really possible for someone to find my home?
"I wonder where he continues to live?"
"I don't know... I guess you can't post your home address anymore, that would be a crime." He Yan shook his head.
Lu Liruan breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He Yan took Lu Liruan and Liao Tingyuan to see the kittens and puppies in the rescue center. The room was very clean, with almost no odor. The cats and dogs were all kept clean by the volunteers, and the sick ones were separated from the healthy ones.
It's clear that this isn't some organization putting on a show to grab attention, but one that's genuinely doing rescue work.
Lu Liruan saw a kitten that looked very much like the little tabby kitten she had seen in the space, and it was just as affectionate. Lu Liruan put her hand through the gap in the cage, and it meowed softly and came over to rub against Lu Liruan's fingers.
"It's a little over five months old. It's a kitten we rescued from the neighborhood next door. It had feline distemper when it was young, but thankfully it survived," He Yan explained to Lu Liruan, seeing that she liked it.
When Lu Liruan finally left the rescue center reluctantly, more than an hour had passed... Lu Liruan was wearing a white top today, just like Liao Tingyuan.
When they came out, both of them were covered in fur of various colors... black, yellow, white...
Liao Tingyuan pulled Lu Liruan aside and patted her for a while, but found that it was of no use.
"We'll have to go back and use tape to stick it off, right?" Lu Liruan was more experienced.
Looking up, I saw a helpless expression on Liao Tingyuan's face.
Oh, right... Liao Tingyuan might be a little bit of a germaphobe.
His house was always spotless. Not only did he clean his own house, but these days, he also went down several times to clean Lu Liruan's house thoroughly. When Lu Liruan went back to get her things, she discovered for the first time that the tiles in her kitchen were so shiny they were practically glowing...
"Teacher Liao... is it really necessary to be so serious? The way you've tidied up makes me feel pressured to even go inside." Lu Liruan stood outside the kitchen, munching on a pear that Liao Tingyuan had just bought, while pointing and commenting.
What kind of pressure are you under?
"If I were cooking, I'd get nervous if a drop of oil splattered on the counter..." Lu Liruan complained, feigning innocence after getting the benefit.
"Hmm..." Liao Tingyuan responded indifferently, without even turning around to look at Lu Liruan.
Lu Liruan pressed her advantage: "What if I feel pressured, Teacher Liao?"
Lu Liruan is a typical example of someone who makes trouble out of nothing, chatting idly even when there's nothing to talk about. The key is that Liao Tingyuan is the kind of person who always has something to say and something to answer. Even if it's a boring question or a boring conversation, he will respond. This makes Lu Liruan like to flirt with him whenever she has something to say.
Especially when Liao Tingyuan was busy, the busier Liao Tingyuan was, the more Lu Liruan liked to chat with him...
At first, she felt a little guilty, thinking that she hadn't been able to help Liao Tingyuan much. But later she found that even if she tried to help, Liao Tingyuan would treat her like a child and coax her aside, not wanting her help.
At the time, Lu Liruan thought Liao Tingyuan was embarrassed to use her, but later she found out that Liao Tingyuan was dissatisfied with her hands-on skills.
When Liao Tingyuan passed by a while later, he unconsciously tidied up the place she had tidied up again.
Lu Liruan thought to herself: Then next time, just do it right the first time...
With this in mind, Lu Liruan became very lazy and relaxed from then on.
Liao Tingyuan sighed and did not answer Lu Liruan's question.
Lu Liruan followed him around like a shadow, circling behind him. Liao Tingyuan even felt tripped up by her constant presence...
He straightened up slightly, glanced at her, and said softly, "You won't feel any pressure."
"Because you don't cook."
Lu Liruan: ...
She pursed her lips, took the pear, and went back into the house.
"Teacher Liao, I don't think you can keep pets." Lu Liruan saw that Liao Tingyuan was still a little uncomfortable even though they had walked halfway, and he was tugging at the animal fur on his body little by little.
After listening to Lu Liruan's words, Liao Tingyuan couldn't tell whether she felt regret or was unhappy.
After thinking for a moment, he gave a compromise answer: "If you really like it..."
At this moment, Liao Tingyuan himself did not realize why Lu Liruan wanted to keep a pet and why he had to compromise.
Couldn't Lu Liruan keep her pet in her own house?
After all, they are still... currently living together only temporarily because of space constraints.
However, neither Lu Liruan nor Liao Tingyuan realized this problem at the time. Once this space ended, Lu Liruan could return to her room downstairs without any pressure.
They were still discussing back and forth...
Lu Liruan shook her head: "I don't really want to keep pets. I just like them, but if you ask me to take on the responsibility of a life..." Lu Liruan shrugged: "I don't think I can definitely afford it."
Lu Liruan has always been a child who lacks a sense of security.
If she were to use a metaphor, Lu Liruan would feel like a kitten that has never been taken care of.
Although her parents loved her very much, they didn't give Lu Liruan any sense of security.
She not only has to take care of herself, but also has to shoulder the responsibilities of her family.
It's fair to say she was exhausted. Even with her optimistic personality, she couldn't avoid talking about this difficult experience or say she didn't feel the suffering.
Liao Tingyuan noticed what Lu Liruan was thinking and patted her head: "If you like, we can volunteer when we have time."
Just before leaving, Liao Tingyuan donated 2000 yuan to the relief organization's account.
Lu Liruan originally intended to donate as well. Although they came here to investigate, the work attitude of everyone in the relief organization, as well as He Yan's sincere enthusiasm for his work, moved them.
Liao Tingyuan stopped her, waved his phone, and indicated that he had donated his share along with Lu Liruan's.
Lu Liruan pouted, wanting to donate some more herself, but Liao Tingyuan stopped her from using her phone.
"Keep it to buy food for yourself," Liao Tingyuan whispered, and Lu Liruan felt her defenses crumble.
In the end, Lu Liruan obediently put her meager savings back into her pocket.
He Yan heard that they wanted to go back and think about it, but didn't say anything. Instead, he was very grateful for their visit today.
They are also welcome to volunteer later...
"If you're willing to come and help, that would be wonderful. I don't know how to thank you enough!"
"It's nothing..." Lu Liruan said a little embarrassedly, "We just wanted to do what we could to help."
He Yan escorted them out of the courtyard.
After returning home, Lu Liruan sat on the sofa and gulped down half a bottle of cola. Although the cats and dogs were adorable, she quickly went to the bathroom to take a shower before feeling much better.
When Liao Tingyuan came out of the shower, he saw Lu Liruan sitting cross-legged on the sofa, looking deep in thought.
Her hair wasn't completely dry, and water dripped from the ends, soaking her thin white T-shirt and revealing a hint of her skin underneath.
Liao Tingyuan quickly looked away, went to the bathroom to get another dry towel, and wrapped it around Lu Liruan's head.
"Go change your clothes."
Lu Liruan was confused, thinking that she had gotten the sofa cover wet, and moved forward a little embarrassedly.
As a result, the area around the clothes became even more obvious...
She winked apologetically at Liao Tingyuan, "I'll change the sofa covers later."
"It's alright..." Liao Tingyuan sighed, not knowing how to say it directly, so he could only avoid the question.
Lu Liruan sensed something was wrong and blinked as she watched Teacher Liao's seemingly flustered figure disappear into the distance.
Something's not right.
Liao Tingyuan was busy in the kitchen for a while. When he came out again, Lu Liruan had changed her posture and her hair was half-dry.
"Teacher Liao, our trip there today has confirmed our previous suspicions. That's why the feeding equipment and other supplies for the rescue team were all removed."
Lu Liruan thought about what He Yan had said today and sorted it out little by little.
"Therefore, the activities carried out by the rescue organization here are also related to this space, so we must also take these related matters into account," Liao Tingyuan continued.
The two of them reached a consensus on this.
“Hmm.” Lu Liruan opened her phone’s notes app. She had been writing down all the random thoughts that had come to her mind recently, and then analyzing the clues from them.
“We’re just one step away from finding the source of the infection. All the clues related to the space should have been pieced together by now…” Lu Liruan also recorded what had happened today.
"The source of infection should now be in a few places. We've ruled out the room where the male homeowner and his accomplice were, because we can no longer enter that room, which essentially negates that answer for us."
Lu Liruan was thankful that when she was in the space, she had acted without thinking and pointed at a dead cockroach to see if it was a source of infection, thus wasting an opportunity.
“It’s impossible for our family to be involved either.” Lu Liruan wanted to say that although this place was also affected by the space, the place where the two of them lived had nothing to do with this event.
“We’ve walked through the corridor so many times, there’s nothing there at all.” Lu Liruan had also observed carefully.
Liao Tingyuan nodded in agreement. Seeing Lu Liruan's serious expression, he didn't interrupt her, but instead gently guided her to continue thinking independently through affirmation.
Lu Liruan was unaware that she had completely taken the lead in their conversation and discussion, and she had gradually become accustomed to it rather than relying on Liao Tingyuan entirely.
"Then all that's left is the yard and the room where the lady of the house and the children live."
Lu Liruan was initially worried that the source of the infection might be at the pet hospital.
But that day, she and Liao Tingyuan went there again.
Although it was also affected by the space, the pet hospital was now deserted, with "For Rent" signs posted at the entrance. Everything inside had been cleaned up, with things thrown away and things sold.
Just to be on the safe side, Lu Liruan also consulted the female doctor on WeChat, who confirmed that nothing of value had indeed been left behind.
Therefore, that place can basically be ruled out.
"The remaining area isn't small, but it's not insignificant either." Lu Liruan scratched her head. "Teacher Liao, where do you think the possibility is greatest?"
Lu Liruan tilted her head and went to ask for help...
Liao Tingyuan raised an eyebrow: "Let's go take a look again tonight."
"It can only be this way."