All My Colleagues Are Animals 100

Epilogue 2: Nian Qiu’s Story – Caged Bird (Part 1)

An autumn night, the cool wind desolate.

The rustling of footsteps, one after the other, crossed the sparse grass.

“Grandma, there’s a little bird here!”

The footsteps in front suddenly stopped.

The little girl bent down and held the fluffy little pancake, which was lying on its back on the ground, in both hands.

By the faint moonlight, she could vaguely make out that the little bird was beige and quite beautiful and cute in shape.

But, no matter how she fiddled with it, the little bird did not react at all.

“Is it still alive?”

The old woman took the bird and inspected it carefully. “This is a bird whose feathers have been clipped. It still has a heartbeat. It should just be unconscious.”

“Winter is coming soon. A bird with clipped feathers will have a hard time surviving in the wild. Let’s take it home and raise it for now.”

The little girl said happily, “Mhm, mhm!”

The old and the young left in the night, and the grass returned to a state of quietness.

Behind a tree, a red panda was sleeping soundly in a limp state, completely unaware that she was now the only one left on her wandering journey.

…

The Liang family’s villa courtyard.

The old woman led the little girl in through a side door and walked straight toward the small building where the nannies lived.

“Auntie Liu.”

A young woman’s voice suddenly came from the side, its tone lazy.

The old woman’s body stiffened.

She, as if unintentionally, gathered her granddaughter and the bird behind her and showed a warm and kind smile.

“Miss, you’re still not resting so late?”

Liang Zheng did not answer, but just lifted her chin.

“What are you holding in your hand?”

Her tone was still lazy, but it held a faint hint of pressure.

The old woman’s throat tightened slightly, and she had no choice but to present the bird to Liang Zheng.

The young miss of the Liang family had a perverse nature and was moody.

The old woman was worried that she would destroy the innocent bird and couldn’t help but say, “Miss, this is a bird whose feathers have been clipped, and it’s still unconscious. Please don’t let it offend you.”

But she had not expected that Liang Zheng would hold the two words “clipped feathers” between her lips and teeth for a moment and then curl her lips into a smile with a deep meaning.

She had originally been only slightly interested, but now she was quite intrigued.

She announced, without allowing for refusal, “I want this bird.”

…

The next day.

Nian Qiu slowly opened her eyes.

Having been unconscious for too long, she was quite dizzy.

She subconsciously wanted to call out for Sister Rong, but she suddenly realized that something was not right—

Under her was not soft grass, but a cold and hard, thin board;

Above her was not a vast sky, but the narrow metal grid of a birdcage.

Nian Qiu’s heart jumped in alarm.

Having just gained a few days of freedom, how was she imprisoned again?

Where is Sister Rong?!

“You’re awake.”

A strange human’s voice suddenly came from nearby.

The next second, the birdcage was opened, and a slender hand reached in through the narrow door.

“Jiu…”

Seeing that hand open wide, like a inescapable net, Nian Qiu was so scared that her whole body trembled lightly.

She helplessly curled up in a corner of the birdcage, her two paws struggling haphazardly.

Liang Zheng, unmoved, held the entire bird in her hand.

“So cute, you even know how to tremble and struggle…”

Liang Zheng whispered, “If only Qin Rulian were like this, it would be great.”

After admiring the little bird’s frightened appearance for a moment, Liang Zheng was pleased and put it back in the birdcage, and carefully put on two layers of locks.

Then she took down the gold-wire birdcage and stood up and walked out of the main residence.

The autumn wind blew by, and a dry leaf floated onto the small path and was casually crushed by Liang Zheng.

The cage swayed, and Nian Qiu’s two paws were clutching the metal grid.

She struggled to look out, but she could only see the high walls around her, which were imprisoning the unreachable sky.

…What an unlucky bird. Nian Qiu drooped her head, knowing that the rest of her life would probably be spent within these high walls.

She could only pray for Sister Rong’s safety.

In the depths of the courtyard.

An old and shabby, three-story narrow building stood quietly, its outer walls covered in dark red creeper vines.

Liang Zheng, with practiced ease, came to the door of a room on the south side of the third floor and knocked lightly.

This was not a polite request, but a mocking humiliation.

Because this door was locked from the outside with two heavy layers of shackles.

Liang Zheng lifted her head as a signal, and a subordinate on the side stepped forward and unlocked the two layers of shackles one by one.

Creak—

Like opening a gold-wire birdcage, Liang Zheng pulled open the door and, unhurriedly, stepped into the bedroom.

Unfortunately, the gold-wire bird inside did not show any frightened trembling.

Qin Rulian, with her back to the door, was sitting alone by the window.

She lightly lifted a combination brush and, on the Xuan paper, wrote a clear and elegant small regular script.

Her beautiful figure was like a lotus that does not spread its branches, and also like the bright moon in the sky, high and unreachable.

Liang Zheng’s chest tightened at the sight.

From a young age, Qin Rulian had always been someone else’s child—

Her appearance was outstanding, her talent was overflowing, and her abilities were not ordinary.

She was from a wealthy family, but her two mothers were harmonious, and she was doted on.

Heaven had been kind and had given her all the good things.

She was also very proud and had never deigned to associate with a profligate from a wealthy family like Liang Zheng, and was even stingy with a glance, and would not look at her when they passed each other, and would walk with a spirited air.

When the Liang family had proposed a marriage alliance, she had, without any room for negotiation, rejected Liang Zheng.

On what grounds was she so aloof?

Liang Zheng gritted her teeth in hatred.

Whatever the young miss of the Liang family wanted, she could always get with a crook of her finger, except for Qin Rulian’s gaze.

In a nightclub, she had complained bitterly to her wine and meat friends, but had been mocked by her drunken companions.

“Look at the way you cause trouble all the time. The young miss of the Qin family is not on the same path as you at all, let alone give you a second glance!”

But, the world is unpredictable.

The Qin family had fallen in one day, and Qin Rulian’s two mothers had also passed away unexpectedly.

The young miss of the Qin family, who had been favored by fate for so long and was as proud as a peacock, was now in a sea of debt and had finally been reduced to her, Liang Zheng’s, caged bird.

Coming back to her senses from the past, Liang Zheng’s eyes were deep and dark, and she said:

“Young Miss Qin.”

Qin Rulian’s brush tip was smooth, and as if she had not heard, she continued to copy the poem.

Liang Zheng chuckled to herself, her words carrying a top-down contempt and humiliation.

“Look, I’ve brought your own kind, a caged bird with clipped feathers. You two are in the same boat. Why don’t you commiserate with each other?”

She walked over and brazenly placed the gold-wire cage on the flat Xuan paper in front of Qin Rulian.

Smack.

A nearly completed, beautiful small regular script was maliciously ruined.

Liang Zheng stared at Qin Rulian without a moment’s pause, hoping to see the woman grow angry, and even just a displeased frown would make her feel pleased.

But the woman’s stunning features were calm and composed, as peaceful as water.

As if all her teasing was just the trick of a clown, not worthy of her notice.

Liang Zheng gritted her teeth in anger.

Qin Rulian must just be putting on a brave face to save face!

She would just let her face a caged bird every day, and thus constantly be aware of her lowly status and embarrassing situation.

With this thought, the young miss of the Liang family slammed the door and left in a huff.

***

Bang—

The door was closed and was once again locked from the outside with two heavy locks.

Qin Rulian’s expression did not change, and her back was also straight.

But all her feigned composure gradually faded, and her whole being withered into a pool of stagnant water.

After a long while, the statue-like Qin Rulian moved slightly and looked at the bird in the cage.

Nian Qiu also lifted her fluffy head and looked at the woman outside the cage.

Nian Qiu had always been rather repulsed by humans. Since she was born, she had been in an unscrupulous zoo, had been restrained with clipped feathers, and had been forced to perform.

Besides Red Sister, humans in Nian Qiu’s heart were a surging tide of cruel clamor, madly applauding and cheering below the performance stage.

But at this moment, looking at the strange woman in front of her, Nian Qiu felt a sincere pity.

With what she had just seen, she deeply understood that the woman in front of her was also being held in a cage for a long time, unable to resist, and was even being humiliated.

So humans, just like small animals, would also be subjected to harsh oppression.

And even more, after that bad woman had left, Nian Qiu had clearly seen the woman’s expression quickly wither.

It was as if her heart had been ground down and was exhausted, and she was just struggling to maintain her dignity and propriety in front of the bad person.

“…A caged bird?”

Qin Rulian looked at Nian Qiu in a daze and murmured this word, not knowing if she was calling the bird or herself.

After a moment, her slender white fingers carefully reached in half an inch through the metal grid.

Nian Qiu looked at the slowly approaching, soft fingertips, and then looked up at the woman’s dark, quiet eyes.

Her heart suddenly trembled slightly.

If the woman in front of her was already a withered and stagnant water, then when her feathers brushed past, would it stir up a ripple?

With this thought, Nian Qiu finally lowered her head, and her small beak lightly pecked the fair and delicate fingertips, which were stained with the fragrance of ink.

A faint, numb sensation suddenly came from her fingertips, clear to the bone.

Qin Rulian’s breath hitched.

Her beautiful brow furrowed slightly, and she looked down at her own fingertips.

Nian Qiu saw her expression clearly and couldn’t help but let out an innocent “jiu” and bounced back two steps.

Why are you frowning? Are you trying to extort a bird?

She had clearly just pecked very lightly. It couldn’t possibly have hurt!

Qin Rulian lifted her thick lashes and saw the little fluffy bird shrink back into a ball, looking as if it were wronged.

After a moment of thought, Qin Rulian extended her fingers a little further in.

“Jiu.”

The little fluffy bird bounced back another step and, with a cool air, turned its head away.

A long-lost liveliness under the quiet square walls.

The corners of Qin Rulian’s lips curled up into a faint arc, though it was just a fleeting moment.

***

The next morning.

After waking up, Nian Qiu habitually began to preen her own feathers.

At first glance, Nian Qiu was a pure beige, fluffy little bird, but in reality, her feathers were rich in color, and would even show different colors at different times.

For example, at this moment, as a gentle breeze blew, the feathers on her chest were faintly a bright, watery blue, and her tail feathers were a beautiful, light pink.

Nian Qiu had just finished preening her feathers and looked up, and caught off guard, she met the woman’s clear and elegant face.

Only then did she discover that the human by the desk had been quietly observing her for a long time.

Nian Qiu had a sudden realization—

A human, seeing a little bird’s such beautiful feathers, would find it hard not to feel a certain longing.

She understands, she understands it all.

And so, Nian Qiu chose a feather of a beautiful color, gently plucked it, and demurely passed it through the grid to the pitiful female human.

Qin Rulian paused slightly and blinked her eyes, not taking it for a moment.

Nian Qiu blinked along with her and passed the feather forward a little.

“…Is this for me?”

Qin Rulian seemed to have just reacted. She raised a hand and gently took the feather, and held it in her palm to play with carefully.

The feather was complete and beautiful, and the fluff was soft and delicate.

It was a wisp of bright color that had been long-lost in her long stay under the black and white painted walls.

And it was also the first pure gift she had received since her family had suffered a great change, and she had been kicked while she was down, and had been ridiculed, and had even been taken advantage of and plundered.

Qin Rulian bit her lip, and her chest rose and fell slightly, and for a moment, her eyes felt sore.

But the next second, she forced it back.

Seeing the female human’s eyes turn red, Nian Qiu tilted her head slightly, and then had a realization—

The woman was thinking that she could not grow such beautiful feathers, and was a little sad and crying.

There’s nothing to be done. Humans really do not have feathers.

For a moment, Nian Qiu felt even more affection for the female human and decided to give her more in the future.

…

After a few days of getting along, Nian Qiu gradually came to understand this female human—

Her movements were always light and unhurried, elegant and at ease. She spent most of her day reading and practicing calligraphy, and her body was always filled with a faint scent of books and ink.

She would also occasionally try to dabble in some handicrafts, and at such times, she would rarely show a certain clumsiness, and would several times get herself injured and bleeding.

She could always calmly deal with Liang Zheng’s occasional provocations and humiliations, and with an air of nonchalance, she would make the other person so angry that they would slam the door and leave.

But after being repeatedly reminded of her deceased two mothers, she would lie in bed at night, curled into a fragile and lonely ball, and would grit her teeth and cry until her shoulders trembled, and her sobs were broken.

She was clearly extremely beautiful when she smiled, but she rarely smiled on a daily basis, as if she were gradually being devoured by the heavy shackles outside the door.

But every time she received a feather from Nian Qiu, she would inadvertently show a faint smile, which was fleeting, but which made a bird unforgettable and even more eager to pluck its feathers.

Her name was Qin Rulian.

Nian Qiu’s world was bound in a small gold-wire cage, and so her gaze and her heart were bound on Qin Rulian.

Faced with the only living being in her life, Nian Qiu, besides sleeping, eating, and preening her feathers, was constantly deepening and carving her understanding of Qin Rulian.

At this moment, her two paws were clinging to the metal grid, and she was looking at Qin Rulian, who was sitting at the desk by the window.

The autumn sun was faint and desolate, but it could not hide the woman’s beautiful features.

Her back was straight, and her sitting posture was gentle and elegant, and she was as beautiful as a painting.

“Hiss…”

Suddenly, Qin Rulian actively broke this flawless scroll painting.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked at her fingertip, which was bleeding from being pricked by a needle.

Nian Qiu’s heart tightened, and a certain helplessness arose.

This woman is not good at handicrafts, that’s fine. Why does she have to get herself bleeding every day? She looks a little foolish—

But she saw Qin Rulian clean up the marks on the desk, and then she came toward her with the finished handicraft.

The grid of the metal cage was dense, and it took Qin Rulian some effort to stuff the soft, round cushion through the narrow opening.

The round cushion fell onto the thin, hard bottom board and happened to spread out completely.

Nian Qiu lowered her head and saw that on the round cushion was embroidered a beige, fluffy little bird, which was spreading its wings and flying in a blue sky.

The little bird’s fur was faintly a watery blue, and its tail feathers were a light pink…

This was Nian Qiu.

Qin Rulian was not very good at embroidery, and the bird she had embroidered was not exquisite, but it had a certain clumsy cuteness.

On the edge of the round cushion was a faint, almost imperceptible bloodstain, which must have been accidentally brushed on.

“When the clipped feathers grow back, you can fly away just like this.”

Qin Rulian said softly. She rarely smiled, and her slightly curved features were extremely beautiful.

“…”

Smelling the faint, sweet and bloody scent in the air, Nian Qiu looked up and, through the dense metal grid, met the woman’s picturesque face.

Her throat was suddenly choked.

…Qin Rulian was clearly still in a cage herself, yet she was piously praying for her, Nian Qiu’s, freedom.

The usually cheerful little fluffy bird drooped her wings slightly and looked at the female human, and for a long time, she could not come back to her senses.