Today was Xiao He’s first day at work.
“You’ll be in charge of the Pallas’s cat enclosure. Just make sure to clean it and feed them on time every day. I’ll teach you the rest of the work little by little,” the senior caretaker told him kindly.
Xiao He was dressed in a sky-blue sterile suit, with a mask, hair cover, and plastic gloves. A little nervous, he asked, “Is there anything I need to watch out for?”
“Just don’t make them angry. Pallas’s cats may look incredibly cute, with their tiny bodies and round faces, but they’re among the fiercest of cats. They have terrible tempers and are very good at fighting. If they take a dislike to you, you’re going to have a hard time.”
As she spoke, the senior caretaker opened the gate and led him into the Pallas’s cat enclosure. There was a flat, man-made little grassland inside, with several artificial rock formations, a curved pond, a few large trees, and a small swing. Sunlight streamed through the transparent ceiling, casting dappled patches of light and shadow across the ground. From behind the little round leaves on the branches, from the crevices in the rocks beside the pond, and from the swaying swing, furry little heads began popping out one after another.
Pallas’s cats are small felines, roughly half the size of an ordinary domestic cat. They have all the cuteness of any cat, with thick, long fur and plump, fluffy tails trailing behind them. Recognizing the familiar sterile suit and catching the senior caretaker’s scent, they came trotting over one after another, surrounding her with coquettish little mew~ sounds and rubbing themselves against her boots.
The tourists watching from outside the floor-to-ceiling glass squealed in delight as camera shutters clicked one after another.
“This is the Pallas’s cats’ activity area. They usually play, sunbathe, and sleep here,” the senior caretaker explained. She bent down and scooped up the two little creatures rubbing against her feet. “These are Dong Dong and Luo Luo. They’re four years old this year, both girls. They have the best temperaments of the lot. You can try petting them.”
Xiao He reached out and cautiously touched Dong Dong’s back. His fingers immediately sank into the thick, soft fur. Dong Dong turned her head and glanced at him, then gently licked his glove. Luo Luo leaned her head over as well, letting out a sweet, coquettish cry.
The senior caretaker put Dong Dong and Luo Luo back down, then walked over to the little swing and pulled down a young Pallas’s cat that was furiously gnawing on the swing rope. “Its name is Ma Ma. It’s only six months old and very naughty—it spends every day destroying things. But if it likes you, it’ll obediently let you hold it.”
The moment she finished speaking, Ma Ma bared its fangs at Xiao He and let out a warning hiss—hiss—.
“Looks like it doesn’t like you,” the senior caretaker said regretfully.
The senior caretaker then introduced the other Pallas’s cats one by one. “There used to be eight altogether. Xiao He gave birth to three babies last month, so now there are eleven. Pallas’s cats all look pretty similar, so since you just got here, you probably won’t be able to tell them apart yet. You’ll get familiar with them gradually.”
Elio’s Notes: The caretaker’s nickname 小何 and the female Pallas’s cat’s name 小荷 are both pronounced Xiao He. They use different Chinese characters: 何 is the caretaker’s surname, while 荷 means “lotus.”
“I will,” Xiao He said softly.
“Hmm?”
“I’ll be able to tell them apart.” Xiao He pointed as he spoke. “Those are Dong Dong and Luo Luo. The one playing by biting their tails is Xiao Ma. The one with the yellow spot on its head is Little Scarhead, and the one with the gray tail is Xiao He. You only introduced ten just now. There’s still one missing.”
The senior caretaker stared at him in surprise. “You have an amazing memory.”
Xiao He lowered his eyes a little shyly.
“I forgot to introduce the fiercest one.” The senior caretaker laughed as her gaze swept around the enclosure. “It always hides during the day and only comes out at night. There! It’s over there!” She pointed toward the very top of the tallest tree. The branch was about four or five meters above the ground and nearly touched the glass of the transparent ceiling.
A small figure could just barely be made out lying among the overlapping leaves. As though sensing their gazes, it drew its body inward and hid itself even deeper behind the foliage.
Ah, but your tail’s still sticking out, Xiao He thought. He could see the tip of its tail flicking impatiently.
“It’s called Liu Liu because it arrived here on June 6. It’s only been here a little over four months,” the senior caretaker said. “It’s around three years old. It wasn’t born in our Pallas’s cat enclosure—it was rescued from the wild. It has the worst temper of all. It really hates interacting with humans. Even I’ve never managed to touch it.”
Xiao He raised the back of his hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight and squinted up at the tiny Liu Liu. The leaves trembled slightly, revealing a pair of wary, round eyes like amber. Perhaps realizing that this newly arrived human was still staring at it, Liu Liu began irritably whipping its tail against the branch.
It really is bad-tempered, Xiao He thought. It feels like it could jump down and bite me at any moment.
＊
The Pallas’s cat enclosure gained a new young caretaker. He was handsome and refined, with a tall, slender build, and every morning he could be seen sweeping back and forth through the enclosure with a steady swish, swish. Whenever he scooped the cat litter, his brows would furrow slightly because the smell really was unbearable. The half-grown Pallas’s cat called Xiao Ma seemed to dislike him terribly. Every day, whenever he cleaned the litter, Xiao Ma would flick its tail and leap around causing trouble.
That day, Xiao Ma once again kicked cat litter all over Xiao He. Xiao He did not lose his temper. He shook out his sterile suit and quietly swept up the litter that had fallen onto the ground. He had just crouched down to continue scooping when Xiao Ma sent another shower of litter all over his head and face.
Xiao He did not hold it against the little creature and silently lowered his head to keep working. Then he suddenly noticed a huge clump of poop stuck to Xiao Ma’s backside, so he put down the litter scoop and pulled out a piece of sterile gauze.
Mrrraow—! Xiao Ma bared its teeth and snarled.
“There’s something dirty stuck there. Let me wipe it off.” Xiao He patiently followed behind and coaxed it. His arms were long, and with one sweep he caught Xiao Ma in his embrace and gently began wiping the young Pallas’s cat’s bottom. Xiao Ma shrieked sharply, baring its teeth and biting him. Unfortunately, it was only six months old and its teeth were not even fully grown. It stupidly clamped down on Xiao He’s glove instead and choked itself into a fit of cough, cough.
Just then, Xiao He heard startled cries from the tourists outside the glass. A dark shadow flashed before his eyes.
“Aah!”
Liu Liu suddenly burst out and slashed him viciously with one paw. Xiao He covered his eye in pain. Liu Liu grabbed Xiao Ma by the scruff of its neck and rapidly dragged it away. Xiao He crouched on the ground, hurting too much to raise his head for a long while. Only after quite some time did he look up through tear-blurred eyes. Liu Liu was hiding behind one of the rock formations, half its head poking out as it fixed him with a fierce, warning glare.
And that was Xiao He and Liu Liu’s first intimate encounter. Liu Liu left him with a long scar.
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