"So, it’s hard to buy this cat?" Li Yifei asked.

"Of course it’s hard to buy. Actually, in my eyes, all cats are the same, big eyes, meowing, so cute..." Wu Youu mimicked a cat’s meow twice, clasping her hands into fists and placing them on her cheeks, twisting them a bit. Li Yifei glanced sideways and laughed, "Do another cat meow."

"No way, you have bad intentions!" Wu Youu immediately put her hands down.

Li Yifei couldn’t help but laugh, Wu Youu, embarrassed by his laughter, pushed him and said, "Uncle, are you buying the cat or not."

"Yes, I’m buying it today, no problem if it’s hard to buy, we’ll just use money to get it!" Li Yifei said.

Wu Youu rolled her eyes and said, "Such a moneybag, so tacky and rich!"

"It’s the only way; if you know someone, it’s easier, but if not, money is all we can use." Li Yifei said.

"Do you have to buy it today? It’s already late in the afternoon!"

"Tomorrow is fine too, but the sooner the better, I’m gifting it."

"To a woman?"

"Of course!" Li Yifei replied.

"I knew it!" Wu Youu said, turning away, her well-shaped brows slightly furrowing.

Li Yifei added, "A friend!"

"Tch!" Wu Youu retorted, "Must be a pretty friend."

"Hahaha, you silly girl!"

Just as Wu Youu was about to speak, a phone rang. She took out her phone from her bag and answered it, after a few words, her face changed. She turned to Li Yifei and said, "Uncle, something happened at the pet rescue station, can you drive faster!"

Li Yifei already heard the voice on the phone. The pet rescue station located in the outskirts of the city is funded by some socially minded people; it’s small, just a rented little yard. Originally, it had broken walls now fenced with wire mesh, and after some repairs, it’s been improving. However, as more pets are rescued, it’s still insufficient.

People like Wu Youu often use their spare time to go to public squares to do charity sales or set up donation boxes, but such efforts yield little profit, and the pet rescue station can’t afford high volumes of cat food or dog food. The food is mostly cornmeal, ground corn cooked with hot water, with a bit of meat, which is the diet for these animals.

The pet rescue station is a public project, but funds are limited. Recently, people from an animal protection organization came by, bringing in a batch of stray cats and dogs. It’s worth explaining: there are many animal lovers in society, some of whom are quite extreme, like when they hear about dog dealers, they organize to confront them, even getting into physical altercations. Previously, these people rescued a batch of cats and dogs, the origin of which is still unclear, but the organization claims they saved them from dog dealers who intended to sell them. These enthusiasts intervened, stopped the car, rescued the stray dogs and cats inside, and brought them to the pet rescue station.

This isn’t easy to judge; some see it as a good deed because stray dogs and cats are lives after all, while others applaud it.

This was the cause. After the pets were brought in, the initially small capacity of the pet rescue station was overwhelmed by the sudden influx of so many cats and dogs. After some negotiations, they managed to place the pets there, but today an accident occurred: this group of stray dogs and cats started dying in large numbers, ten or so of them died, as if they were struck by some infectious disease.

Coincidentally, some animal lovers came to see the dogs they saved, and upon seeing the large number of deaths, were not pleased at all, calling more people to block the pet rescue station’s entrance.

Wu Youu learned about this from a friend and wanted Li Yifei to drive there quickly. She, of course, couldn’t handle such matters, but since Li Yifei was there today, it was somewhat of a selfish motive; having him there was reassuring.

The pet rescue station isn’t a profit-driven organization, nor does it have many people; it consists of a warden and some dedicated volunteers. The so-called warden is just an aunt who originally lived there; she’s over fifty, childless, and her husband passed away a few years ago. She started with a few stray dogs, which slowly developed into having more than a hundred animals in the yard.

With the recent batch of animals, the small yard indeed couldn’t hold them.

Cats and dogs need to eat, drink, poop, and pee; in winter it’s easier, but in summer keeping the yard clean becomes an overwhelming task for one or two people, and even if it’s cleaned promptly, there’s always a strong odor.

Aunt Xiao was quite saddened by the dead cats and dogs, as in her eyes, these are lives; after years of rescuing stray animals, she endured many hardships, but today’s loss of ten stray animals hit her hard. Added to that, being harshly criticized by the organization made her feel helpless.

Li Yifei originally greatly admired Wu Youu and the others for what they were doing, but upon hearing that group’s so-called animal protectionists stopped the dog dealers and saved the dogs, he couldn’t help but snort, "Is that rescuing? That’s outright snatching, highway robbery!"

Wu Youu knew why Li Yifei was angry and said, "Uncle, don’t be mad, those people’s actions were indeed wrong, but..."

"But what, let’s look at this from another angle: you love cats and dogs, or even animals in general, right?" As Li Yifei was weaving quickly through the traffic, he spoke.

Wu Youu nodded, and Li Yifei continued, "Can’t some people be afraid of these stray dogs and cats, or perhaps be scared of cats and dogs?"

"Sure!" Wu Youu rolled her eyes and said, "I’m not a slave to cats or dogs. I understand what you mean, but if it’s okay for someone to like them, then it’s okay for someone to be afraid of them. No matter how cute or lovely a cat or dog is in your eyes, maybe in someone else’s eyes, it’s not cute or lovely, but scary!"

Wu Youu pursed her lips, showing no impatience but gestured for Li Yifei to continue.

Seeing this, Li Yifei smiled, reached out to ruffle Wu Youu’s hair, and said, "Exactly, so in another perspective, while dog dealers are vile, to someone afraid of dogs, street stray cats and dogs are laden with germs and may be vicious..."

"No, I have to argue; those stray pets are actually very gentle..."

"Every single one is gentle?"

Wu Youu was slightly at a loss for words, "Not all, but the majority are really gentle."

"Survivorship bias, perhaps some people are just worried about encountering the not-so-gentle ones..."

"So, do we just not rescue those stray animals anymore?" Wu Youu’s brow raised slightly.

Li Yifei shook his head with a smile, and as he reached a red light, he gradually slowed the car, saying, "See, things should be viewed in a balanced way. We like animals; whether it’s about having a good heart or being able to undertake specific tasks, we must also respect others’ rights not to like certain animals. So, when walking dogs, they should be leashed, in less crowded places; dog dealers are vile, but it’s the dog thieves who are the real villains, and those who catch stray animals are the real evil ones. A legally bred dog from a farm, or a dog raised by a family that they choose to sell, and a dog dealer pays for it—what’s wrong with that?"

Though Wu Youu knew Li Yifei made some valid points, she couldn’t completely agree, so she said, "Are you defending the dog dealers?"

"Did you hear me defending dog dealers? These issues need balance; neither fully deny nor excessively affirm. I support what you guys are doing, but I wouldn’t stop a car on the highway to rescue dogs; that’s not rescuing, that’s robbery, it’s illegal!"

"Alright, I didn’t say anything, of course, I know it’s illegal, but since those people have already saved them and sent them to us, we must take them in. Aunt Xiao worried about this for days. Accepting so many strays suddenly drained our food resources. Who would’ve thought so many died today; if it spreads and infects other dogs, it’ll be disastrous."

Seeing Wu Youu speak this way, Li Yifei didn’t dwell on the subject, though he was indeed quite annoyed with those earlier mentioned people. Your love is your concern; just do your part without affecting, regulating, educating, interfering, or infringing on others. If you love dogs, cats, or mice, that’s your freedom and right, but others not liking them is their right too. Insisting others love what you love—now that’s a bit off. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Recently, Li Yifei saw a similar post on Twitter where so-called animal lovers stopped a truckload of dogs on the highway. Without discussing the incident, just pedestrians rushing onto the highway to stop cars is extremely dangerous and illegal, not to mention those dogs in the truck didn’t belong to the animal lovers. It was blatant robbery, and when the police arrested them, they whined on the internet.

Li Yifei had liked the official account post back then, received numerous comments. Personally, Li Yifei loves small animals, enjoys various kinds; however, during field training in the past, he ate anything that wasn’t human if it provided protein and energy.

Now the entire Li family home has small animals, cats, dogs, what have you, and Li Yifei enjoys seeing them. For instance, Chu Xiaoyao has a lazy Persian cat that only knows how to sleep all day, and Na Yi has a little black cat with blue eyes, not particularly scary.

Li Yifei likes small animals, but he knows more importantly, liking is personal, and disliking is others’ right, which is why he had liked that tweet.

Wu Youu wasn’t privy to these thoughts, but she understood Li Yifei’s intent. She agreed with the perspective, naturally. Knowing that Li Yifei shared her viewpoint brought a bit of joy in her heart; having the same thoughts as her idol was delightful.