Zhishu He casually chose a barbershop and walked into it. The barbershop was small but warm, with few customers in it. Before long he took his turn.

“Just crop my hair,” Zhishu He said gently, gazing at his image in the mirror. Maybe it was the last time for him to have his hair trimmed because the chemotherapy that he was going to take would cause extensive hair loss.

The barber was a man of few words, and very efficient as he finished the work within a quarter of an hour. He put down the scissor and praised, “Your hair is thick, glossy and in tip-top condition.”

Zhishu He smiled at him politely and paid the bill before he left the barbershop. He couldn’t help but recall the similar words that Wenxu Jiang had said to him in their schooldays – “Zhishu, you have soft ebony hair.” At that time, Jiang liked to rub Zhishu’s hair with his big hands as if he was stroking a docile puppy.

Zhishu He hummed a song that he heard several years ago and walked at a brisk pace toward the subway station with a slight smile on his face, trying to find back some vitality and happiness. He used to like one of Zhihua Zheng’s song “Sailor” very much. He sang the song as his eyes slowly reddened and his voice dropped, “Sailor’s struggling in the storm, believing the rainbow will come…” Suddenly, Zhishu He broke into a soft laughter and felt himself foolish.

At the entrance of the subway station, Zhishu He caught sight of a shoebox in the corner. He moved closer and heard the rustling of small animals scratching the box with their paws.

Zhishu He carefully lifted the lid of the shoebox and his heart skipped a beat when he saw four black-and-white kittens in it. They were probably abandoned by their owner.

Zhishu He preferred hairy animals above all others, but he never kept a pet before because Wenxu Jiang was a clean freak and disliked animals. Zhishu was very hesitant to take the kittens home. The weather was so cold that they would certainly die outside if no one saved them. Soon Zhishu made up his mind to bring them home as this time he wanted to satisfy himself instead of Wenxu Jiang.

At last, Zhishu He returned home with four kittens. He bought a can of powdered ewe milk and some biscuits in the supermarket downstairs. Fortunately, the kittens were all in good health and after staying in the warm room for a while, they recovered their energies and mewed to Zhishu. They also pushed one another back and forth with their soft, velvet paws.

Zhishu He got four ropes of different colors from the drawer and tied the ropes around the kittens’ necks to mark them. Then he reconstituted the powdered milk and put the biscuits in it. He fed the kittens and felt amazed when he touched their soft paws. They rubbed Zhishu’s palms with their fluffy little heads and wanted to eat more. Zhishu was completely struck by their loveliness since he had never touched a small animal before.

In the evening, when Wenxu Jiang came back, he saw Zhishu He sleeping on the sofa, with four hairy kittens on his chest. They all slept well and Jiang even heard the kittens purring slightly.

“Zhishu He!” Wenxu Jiang frowned and stood still at the door.

His voice woke Zhishu He from his light sleep. He opened his eyes with a slightly addled expression on his face and asked, “What’s up?”

“Why did you take them home? Throw them out of our house right now!” Wenxu Jiang commanded in an exasperated voice and threw his briefcase on the floor beside the shoe cabinet. He had a strong personality and couldn’t tolerate any rebellion of his spouse.

Zhishu He dropped his eyelids, his face covered with loneliness, as he said in a soft tone, “I want to keep them.”

Wenxu Jiang’s anger evaporated when he heard Zhishu’s beseeching words. Jiang would yield to the soft words but reject the strong protests. So when Zhishu begged him, he had to suppress his dislike of the kittens and tried to persuade his spouse, “Zhishu, the kittens are dirty and they will trouble us as soon as they grow up a little. So, just send them away, okay? We don’t need pets.”

“But I really want to keep them…” Zhishu He bit his lips and insisted.

“You…”

“Wenxu Jiang, you know me well, right? I’ve always wanted to keep a pet since I was a child. But at that time, my parents didn’t allow me to do that. I was upset for a long time, and made a silent vow to keep a dog or cat when I grew up and got my own house.”

Wenxu Jiang hesitated for a moment but didn’t change his mind. “Honey, we have lived a good, peaceful life for several years without keeping a pet. If you really want a pet, I will buy one of noble birth for you in the future. But not now, okay?”

Zhishu He stared at Wenxu Jiang. His eyes slowly reddened as he said in a pleading voice, “I like them. Brother Jiang, please, don’t send them away.”

Wenxu Jiang’s resolve fell apart. He shut his mouth, changed his shoes and went straight to the study. His actions showed his attitude. Zhishu He was aware that Jiang acquiesced in his decision of keeping the kittens in their house.

In truth, Wenxu Jiang knew clearly that Zhishu He was of a rational turn of mind and seldom asked for something. He always put up with all Jiang’s decisions regardless of whether he liked or not. Gradually, Wenxu Jiang took his tolerance for granted and paid little attention to Zhishu’s real thoughts.