When the cat’s owner saw her coming over and noticed her pretty looks and nice clothes, he immediately knew business had arrived and vigorously marketed his kittens to her, "Does the young friend also like cats? Look at this one, how beautiful, and so sturdy, it will definitely be easy to raise."
The cat he picked up was the biggest mackerel tabby from the litter, but Ruan Jiaojiao’s eyes were fixed on the orange tabby.
"This one," Xiu Xi pointed to the orange tabby.
"You want this one?" The cat owner was somewhat surprised; weren’t they supposed to choose the biggest and best one? These kids had picked the smallest and thinnest one.
"How about this, if you buy this one, I’ll give you that one for free." The cat owner was an honest man and didn’t want to take advantage of anyone. He felt it was somewhat immoral to sell a frail, barely surviving kitten to others, so he offered proactively.
"We don’t want it; just this one," Ruan Jiaojiao said, already cradling the little orange tabby.
The little orange tabby was indeed very small, just slightly bigger than her hand and probably still nursing. Feeling lifted into the air, it struggled to open its eyes to look around, and upon seeing Ruan Jiaojiao, its tiny eyes widened a bit more. It frantically flailed its limbs in her hand, and when she held it up between her hands, it leaned in to lick her hand affectionately.
Following behind, the Ruanlin Family’s mother saw this and laughed, "Jiaojiao always attracts these little ones’ affection. Look how much this kitten likes Jiaojiao."
Turning to the cat owner, she asked, "How much for this one?"
Seeing the child’s adult guardian, the cat owner became even more nervous, "Auntie, this kitten might not survive. Why don’t you pick another one? Look at this one, how big and plump it is; it’s guaranteed to be a good mouser when it grows up!"
"No, we want this one," Ruan Jiaojiao insisted, holding the kitten close to her.
"Alright then, we’ll take this one." She turned back to the cat owner, "Don’t worry, it will survive. We have sheep’s milk at home. You can tell this cat is thin just because it couldn’t win in the fight for food. In our home, it’s guaranteed to grow plump and sturdy."
"If that’s the case, then alright." Seeing that they were determined to have that one, the cat owner couldn’t say much more. Originally intending to sell the cat for fifty cents, he only charged the Ruanlin Family thirty cents.
"Don’t we already have Rou Rou at home?" Ruan Jie touched the kitten curiously and was unexpectedly breathed on by the little kitten, immediately feeling affronted. He glared and asked, "Why does it blow air at me and not you?"
Ruan Jiaojiao laughed, "Because I am its owner, and you’re not. This is Rou Rou’s little wife; they’ll keep each other company."
"Wolves and cats can keep each other company?" Ruan Jie expressed his doubts. Although their wolf was more fawning than a dog, it was still a wolf.
"They can," Xiu Xi replied with conviction.
This time, even Ruan Jiaojiao looked at him with surprise. After all... in her past life, she hadn’t made any little friends with that wolf.
"What’s its name then?" Ruan Jie asked again.
Ruan Jiaojiao thought for a moment, looked into the blue eyes of the little cat and said, "Let’s call it Sanmao."
"..." Ruan Jie, if he hadn’t known that the cat was bought for thirty cents, hence the name Sanmao, he would have seriously wondered whether his sister had read the adventures of Sanmao!
"Good, a cheap name makes for an easy life," the Ruanlin Family’s mother approved. In the countryside, it was popular to give a child who was hard to raise a cheap-sounding name, as it was said to make them easier to raise.