During the Qingming Festival, the rain falls in drizzles. On April 6th, I went with my dad, aunt, and uncle to the Galaxy Cemetery to pay respects to my late grandparents...

Before we set off, I came across a news story on Douyin about a post-2000s entrepreneur earning over a million a year. He runs a pet funeral service company, charging an average of a thousand yuan per service, and there was even a pet owner who offered twenty-three thousand to give their beloved cat a lavish burial.

After reading that, I remembered my grandmother's simple funeral and couldn't help but chuckle.

At that time, in the service hall of the funeral home, there were many additional charges listed, including bathing the deceased. Since my grandmother cared for me in her lifetime, I wanted her to arrive in heaven clean and dignified, so I suggested to the elders that we add the bathing service for her. However, both my mom and aunt firmly refused, stating that the funeral home's fees were too high for an ordinary family to bear, and that the deceased wouldn't know how grand the funeral was; a lavish burial was generally for the guests who came to pay their respects!

How ironic! The mother who raised me is treated worse than a cat!

Unfortunately, my disdainful expression was noticed by my husband next to me. He curiously asked what I was laughing at, and I said, "The world is so big, it's truly full of wonders! A post-2000s kid has actually gotten rich by providing burial services for pets, and a cat's funeral can cost over twenty thousand. It's really upside down!"

My husband, however, said seriously, "What's so funny about that? It's an act of respecting life." He then mentioned that when a dog died in his rural hometown, it was his grandmother who carried the dog up the mountain and buried it herself. After hearing that, I felt quite wronged. I had cherished dogs since childhood, yet my husband accused me of being cold-blooded and indifferent to life.

After a brief pause, I retorted, "You're so hypocritical! In reality, you treat the dog like a servant. You never played with it as a child, only giving it leftover scraps, and it risked its life to guard your home for a lifetime! When the dog passed away, your grandmother hastily buried it, and that became respecting life?!"

I truly loved dogs! When I was young, my grandfather had three dogs, and I never treated them as servants. I fed them high-quality dog food (a well-known brand for over thirty years) and used special dog shampoo. Every afternoon during my break, I would play with them for two hours until it was time for school, and sometimes I even fed them chewed fruit by hand.

After hearing this, my husband wanted to argue but hesitated. I seized the opportunity to continue my attack: "Every time I bring up getting a cat, you always find a way to dodge it. Once, you even blurted out in 0.1 seconds, 'That cat stinks!' The words that come out so easily are your true feelings, right?"

My husband was left speechless by my rebuttal. To save face, he said, "Cat poop really does stink, and it's normal for dogs to guard the house while cats catch mice! Those pet owners who hold funerals for their pets, if you put it nicely, it's called respecting life; if you put it harshly, it's just an old person sending off a young dog/cat! Pets generally have shorter lifespans than humans; doesn't that make pet owners even sadder?!"

Seeing my husband back down, I decided to let it go. On the day of the tomb-sweeping, I discovered a new life at my grandfather's house...

It was a cat brought by my cousin's classmate, resembling a British Shorthair. Since I love petting cats and dogs, I immediately reached out to it. This cat was peculiar; when I wasn't close, its eyes would light up, and it would show me its "head tilt attack," but as soon as I tried to touch it, it activated its emergency mechanism and struggled to escape my "claws." My aunt, noticing this, patted my shoulder and said, "Yongshi, don't mess with it!"

Under my aunt's authority, I immediately withdrew my hand from the cat and asked her why she didn't want to pet it. She said that cats, like people, don't like being fussed over, and this cat was meant to catch mice, which could get dirty! After hearing this, I retracted my eager hands, but my nature is hard to change, and after not petting a cat for years, I was really "hungry." Wherever the cat went, my gaze followed...

In the past few days, good news kept coming. My husband's teaching certificate arrived, he got accepted into graduate school, and he found a stable job. Considering he was studying agricultural management, I decided to accompany him to the South China Botanical Garden on his day off to admire the flowers in the greenhouses. But then, unexpected weather struck; Guangzhou suddenly issued a yellow rainstorm warning, and the news said this weather posed extreme risks. For safety, I, still childlike at heart, chose to visit the mall, planning to play an escape room game with my husband.

However, he was very resistant to my choice. He felt that making money was not easy and that spending should focus on education and entrepreneurship. So, he pretended to be exhausted, looking as if he might faint... Knowing him, I didn't want to press further. But to regain the joy of going out, I dashed to the pet store in the mall...

During my time there, one cat left a particularly deep impression on me. It was locked in a breathable glass display case, and whenever it spotted a stranger approaching the glass, it would flip onto its back, immediately showing its belly, as if afraid others wouldn't see its adorable appearance. This cat had a bright future! Despite having the intelligence of just a few years, it was so endearing that it would surely have a good owner who would cherish it! That was my first impression of it...

Indeed, cats, like people, hustle and strive for a living! Reflecting on the time my mom was entangled by a stray cat, I felt this way...

At that time, my mom returned from grocery shopping and was about to reach for the access card in her bag when suddenly a stray cat wrapped itself around her feet, constantly circling and snuggling between her legs. This left my mom momentarily at a loss; on one hand, her hands were full of bags of food and daily necessities, leaving her no way to shoo the cat away; on the other hand, my mom is kind-hearted and couldn't bear to kick the cat away. By the time she realized what was happening, the cat had already started meowing at her, looking as pitiful as "Daji"!

Later, my mom told me that the cat clung to her for about ten minutes, refusing to give up, probably wanting to go home with her... I completely agreed with my mom's guess! Because usually, when I scroll through Douyin, I often come across videos related to cats and dogs, so I know that the fate of pets is mainly divided into two extremes: either they are treated like royalty or they are like beggars.

Those who are spoiled by their owners live worry-free, directly winning at life; while abandoned pets drift like floating weeds, scavenging through trash cans just to find a meal that barely fills their stomachs. Their lives are spent in hunger and filthy environments for years, waiting for death to come.

Additionally, some people often criticize pet lovers for "treating animals better than their parents." As for whether they are filial to their parents, I can't say, so I won't comment. But one thing is certain: like people, cats and dogs need to escape suffering and live comfortably and happily, relying on their own cultivation and fate! Of course, luck is also indispensable!

I glanced at my husband, who was intently watching the cat in the store, seemingly deeply captivated by its cuteness. I gently tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to look at me. He turned his head, and I smiled, saying, "Look, how cute this cat is! Every movement it makes shows us its attitude towards life."

My husband nodded and quietly said, "Yes, every life has its value of existence, and we shouldn't belittle them. I was too cold towards you before, and I apologize."

I looked at him in surprise and then smiled gently. I knew he truly understood the value of life, and that it existed not just to satisfy our needs. I held his hand and softly said, "Let's work together to respect every life, okay?"

My husband nodded, his eyes shining with determination.

We walked out of the store together, and the rain outside had stopped, revealing a beautiful rainbow in the sky. I knew this was the best symbol of our new understanding of life. We exchanged smiles and decided to enjoy this wonderful day, to respect every life, and to love this world.