581. Going Back Home
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The next afternoon.
Lin Nan and Chen Yao had packed a suitcase full of clothes and random items.
Most of their stuff was left in the rental apartment, and just thinking about not being able to stay there for almost two months while still having to pay rent made Lin Nan feel a literal pain in her heart.
But they had too much stuff, and moving it all was just too much of a hassle.
In the cat bag styled like a Poké Ball, there was an extra stick stuck with glue. Chen Yao had skinned it, cooked it at high temperature, and disinfected it before tossing it into the cat bag, laying down a few paper towels at the bottom for good measure.
At that moment, Lemon was perched on the stick inside the cat bag, peering through the round transparent plastic, her little fluff on top standing straight up, looking cautious and curious about the setup inside.
This bird hadn’t even turned one month old yet; its feathers were still coming in, and sitting on the stick, it wobbled a bit. But hey, the daytime temperature was high, so she wasn’t worried about it catching a cold.
Originally, they just needed one suitcase for their trip home, but with the addition of a parrot, they ended up with two, one packed with a cooler and various parrot items, stuffed to the brim.
With the cat bag slung over her shoulder, Lin Nan was grinning ear to ear, clearly satisfied with the birthday gift from Chen Yao. She squinted and asked, “Is she standing steadily in there? She won’t fall, right?”
“Yeah, she looks pretty lively; she shouldn’t fall out,” Chen Yao replied with a chuckle.
Thank goodness Lin Nan bought a parrot; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known what to give her as a gift.
At first, jealous Chen Yao was a bit dismissive of Lemon, but now, he thought the little bird was getting cuter by the minute.
Lin Nan glanced at the time and said, “The ride should be here soon. Shall we head downstairs?”
It would cost a few hundred bucks for a ride back home, but for her new pet, Lin Nan had no choice.
After all, there was no option for checking in a parrot on the high-speed train. They had scoured the internet for info and found that most parrot owners preferred hiding their birds to sneak them onto the train.
Of course, Lin Nan wasn’t going to engage in such rule-breaking shenanigans.
Chen Yao grabbed a suitcase in each hand and headed out first, while Lin Nan clutched the cat bag behind her, walking gingerly as if she were carrying a ticking time bomb, terrified that any jostle might make Lemon tumble.
Once they made it out of the apartment, they reached a bus stop, where Lin Nan kept asking Chen Yao, “Is Lemon scared right now?”
“Judging by how her fluff is standing straight up, she looks a bit timid.”
“Then cover the bag with a coat or something!”
Not that you usually cared for me like this.
Chen Yao was feeling a bit envious of the little parrot but helplessly squatted down to grab a coat from the suitcase to cover the cat bag.
Yesterday, most students finished their exams, so today was the real start of summer vacation. A massive swath of students was gathering at the bus stop with their baggage, turning the already cramped space into a sea of humanity.
Lin Nan was anxiously waiting, but then a call came in from the ride-share driver, saying he was stuck at a nearby intersection.
Looks like they’d be waiting a while longer.
She and Chen Yao wandered into a nearby shop, ordered some snacks, and continued their wait.
“Look, Junhui’s here,” Chen Yao suddenly pointed at the chubby figure just arriving at the bus stop.
Following his finger, Lin Nan noticed that Tu Junhui was accompanied by a cute girl. “What a coincidence! Is Lin Kexin going home with him for the summer?”
“They’re supposed to be from the same hometown,” Chen Yao replied with a smirk. “What a nice timing I picked, huh?”
As he said that, he whipped out his phone and snapped pictures of Tu Junhui and Lin Kexin’s backs.
Lin Nan wasn’t into that sort of mischief, but they certainly didn’t look like a couple—more like bickering buddies throwing playful punches at each other.
But hey, it could also be interpreted as flirting.
“That guy says he’s not interested in women, but look at how happy he is hanging out with Lin Kexin! Way more cheerful than when he’s with us!” Chen Yao teased Tu Junhui, clicking away on his phone, ready to pull out the photos as blackmail the moment they had a falling out.
“Bear is definitely gonna be fuming,” Lin Nan said, resting her chin on her hands, chuckling as she watched the duo from a distance.
Tu Junhui was completely oblivious to the fact that he was being spied on. When the bus arrived, he used his substantial mass to nudge his way on with Lin Kexin.
Just then, Lin Nan’s ride-share pulled up.
Originally, she had planned on having Wu Guodong pick her up, but since he quit last time, he had gone off to work in Shanghai. Rumor had it that his job caused some serious friction between him and Lin Xuefei.
Uncle was keen on making a quick buck while still young, believing that working in Shanghai could net him about twenty grand a month, whereas Lin Xuefei just wanted him to spend more time with her.
Who knew if Lin Xuefei would still be Lin Nan’s aunt-in-law in the future.
Once in the ride-share, Chen Yao tossed the luggage into the trunk, climbed in, and turned to look at Lin Nan, who was hugging the cat bag.
Lemon looked a bit under the weather, sleepy-eyed and dozing off. Lin Nan felt a pang of heartache but couldn’t tell if it was due to the trip making her uncomfortable or if she was just too young and needing a nap.
The driver, a fellow hometown dweller and college student, had bought his car early with his parents’ help. Now that school was out, he figured he’d earn some gas money through ride-sharing.
“Your parrot’s pretty cute!” The young driver, a fresh-faced guy, started chatting once they were all in, eyeing the cat bag. “Are you two a couple?”
“Sure.” Chen Yao nodded. He was somewhat of a chatterbox and began discussing Lemon with the driver. Soon enough, they discovered they both loved basketball and launched into a volley of talk about games and stars.
But Lin Nan didn’t really join in. She wasn’t keen on chatting with strangers, leaning against the car door, half-opened eyes gazing outside.
Worried that the heat outside might be too much for Lemon, they had already delayed their departure until five in the afternoon; now, the sky outside was a deepening orange.
Sitting there bored, Lin Nan felt sleepy, but she forced herself to stay alert, glancing at Lemon’s condition every now and then.
“Looks like she’s a bit cold,” she nudged Chen Yao with her elbow, interrupting his convo with the driver. “Do you see her shivering?”
The air conditioning was probably making the little parrot a bit uncomfortable.
But given the weather, Lin Nan didn’t have much to say against the AC.
“Shall we take her out and cover her with the coat?” Chen Yao offered his coat, opened the cat bag, and carefully took out Lemon.
Lin Nan gently positioned Lemon in the crook of her arm, wrapping the coat around her like a baby, and began to rock back and forth gently.
If it weren’t for the stranger driver, Chen Yao might have suspected she was about to break into a lullaby.
Three hours later, the ride-share finally pulled up in front of Chen Yao’s apartment complex.
