The alleys of Jiangnan twisted and wound, crossing and tangling with one another. Gray-white walls, a sky cut into fragments, the occasional ring of a bicycle bell, and dark green moss in the corners.
Su Xiaobai glanced up at the gloomy sky. It looked like rain was coming. She loosened the strap of her schoolbag on her shoulder and continued facing off against the strange black cat that had been blocking her way all along. It was going to rain, she thought.
Like most ordinary house cats, the black cat was plump, yet it still moved nimbly. Xiaobai tried to go around it, but she couldn't imagine where a body like that got such explosive speed and agility. In almost an instant, as if it could read her mind, it was standing in front of her again.
“Take me home,” the black cat said once more. Yes, it spoke.
Xiaobai looked up at the sky again and felt tiny raindrops landing on her. She lowered her head and studied the strange black cat. It was the first talking cat she'd ever seen in either of her two lives.
The black cat stood perfectly still, its pair of glassy eyes fixed on Su Xiaobai.
The rain seemed to be getting heavier. Su Xiaobai took an umbrella from the side pocket of her schoolbag. The blue floral parasol opened in the narrow alley like a flower suddenly blooming.
The girl slowly crouched down, sheltering the black cat beneath the umbrella too. The patter of the rain drowned out their quiet murmurs. Through the curtain of rain, there was a little open umbrella, a little girl, and a little cat.
Come on, don't cheat.