Super Zoo

There were a total of eight kittens, their fur not yet fully grown, and after being born, they lay in a row under the belly of the big white cat, little heads butting chaotically as they searched for milk.

The big white cat used her paws to push several kittens aside, gathering them to one side of the nest; she knew that Suming had just helped her out greatly. Barely managing to rise, she sprawled at the edge of the nest, her azure eyes staring pleadingly at Suming, meowing and swishing her tail from side to side, expressing gratitude in her unique way.

"Stop wagging your tail, what are you doing learning from dogs, you're a cat." Suming said with a chuckle as he stroked her head, then he picked her up and laid her back in the nest. At once, the eight kittens swarmed over, crying hungrily for milk.

Only then did Suming withdraw his "spiritual power" ability. It was only during the first birth that he suffered more. Afterwards, with his clever mind, he had distributed the sensation of pain among all the animals around, so the slight discomfort didn't bother him anymore.

There was a little interlude after the kittens were born: the mother cat didn't feed them immediately but instead ate her placenta. After giving birth, the mother cat was extremely weak, and this nourishment was a great tonic, just what she needed to replenish her strength.

But her appetite wasn't big enough to eat all eight placentas. After consuming half, Mrs. Su took the remaining four, cleaned them in a dish, and placed them in a cool spot upstairs, feeding the mother cat one each day over the next few days.

While Mrs. Su dealt with the placentas upstairs, Suming called Su Meng inside. The two of them brought a couple of stools over, sat down in front of the cat's nest, and watched the row of kittens nursing with dopey expressions of fascination.

After watching for a while, both Suming and Su Meng simultaneously touched their own bellies, feeling very hungry...

"Crackle, pop..." Read new chapters at empire

It was past midnight; the deafening sound of firecrackers erupted outside, marking the arrival of the New Year. The big cat and her kittens, all having been blessed by "spiritual power," especially the kittens who had received "spiritual power" prenatal care in the womb, were not very afraid of the noise of the firecrackers, even a bit curious.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, Suming's family spent their time helping the cat give birth, welcoming eight new little lives.

It was around two or three in the morning before the sound of firecrackers outside started to fade, and the family of white cats, exhausted, fell into a deep sleep.

Suming, with Su Meng in tow, went to wish their mother a Happy New Year, receiving two big red envelopes, delighting in their bounty as they returned to their room to sleep. It was Su Meng's first time receiving a red envelope, and after getting it, he handed all the money inside to Suming, keeping the bright red wrapping paper tucked into his pocket like a treasure for himself.

Usually trailing behind Suming every day with nowhere to spend money, Su Meng probably thought the envelope prettier than the money, hence keeping just the envelope.

Suming shook his head, explaining to him for half a day. He thought it was about time to give the guy some spending money; otherwise, he'd be broke even for a date.

...

Sometimes Suming actually found Chinese New Year quite annoying; he could never sleep well, especially in Sun Town. Just as he was dozing off and dreaming of his belly suddenly swelling huge and bursting, releasing loads of little monsters...

He was jolted awake by the sound of firecrackers.

"Oh my, that scared the life outta me."

Seeing that it wasn't even dawn yet and wanting to laze in bed a bit longer, Suming was about to do just that when Mrs. Su came pushing through the door, sat down beside Suming's bed in her new clothes, and gave the blanket a smack, "Get up, get up, time to go wish people a Happy New Year with Mom!"

"Mmm... Mom... just a bit longer..." Suming mumbled, barely able to open his eyes, glanced at his phone, and noted that it wasn't even five in the morning. He lazily pulled the blanket over his head.

Having grown used to sleeping in after years in the city, and even while attending school, he had never gotten up this early. Later, working at the zoo, he slept anytime he wanted.

"You lazy boy, could you even sleep if I let you? The firecrackers outside are all going off; they'll be at it for hours," Mrs. Su said, giving Suming's behind another smack through the blankets.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

That was true; on the first morning of the New Year, fireworks could go on for hours, and Suming likely couldn't have slept even if he had taken sleeping pills. Like a rising corpse, he bolted upright, slapping his cheeks briskly to wake himself up.

"Don't slap yourself silly, get moving. Finish breakfast downstairs and then come with me to give New Year's greetings."

Resigned that stalling wouldn't grant him more sleep, Suming leaped from the bed, dressed quickly and neatly, yawned as he went downstairs, grabbed a bit to eat, and then wandered into the next room with his bowl.

Mrs. Su had already prepared milk for the cat family. Seeing that there was nothing out of the ordinary with the feline family and that the mother cat showed no signs of postpartum hemorrhage, Suming finally felt completely at ease. After slurping up his own breakfast in just a few mouthfuls, he told Su Meng to stay and watch the house while he, carrying big and small bags, went out the door with his mother visiting homes to extend New Year's greetings.

Many people in Sun Town were Suming's elders, some even Mrs. Su's, although distant relatives. They had often been a great help to his family and, as custom and reason would have it, it was only right to visit them for the New Year.

The first stop was at Second Uncle's house.

Second Uncle, also surnamed Su, was Suming's father's distant paternal uncle; no one really knew how many generations removed. It was said that Second Uncle's father and Suming's grandfather were brothers, yet Second Uncle had married Suming's father's aunt... Relationships in Sun Town were that intricate: everyone was linked to everyone else in some way. You might bump into an old man on the street who could turn out to be Suming's grandfather, or conversely, see a child who Suming might have to address as "Uncle."