Chapter 111

Zheng Tan stared at the rearview mirror for half a minute, tried a few angles, and finally discovered——not a single whisker was good!!

Originally those whiskers were black, straight, and tough, but now damn they've all become curled!

Cats not only have whiskers on both sides of the mouth, but also elsewhere, such as above the eyes, cheeks, chin, etc.; people just don't call them whiskers and often overlook them, sometimes even referring to the long hairs above a cat's eyes as eyebrows.

As for Zheng Tan now, the fur in those few places with long hairs has been mostly singed by fire, except the whiskers on both sides of the mouth are more noticeable.

"The eyebrows are curled, the whiskers are curled, and they're unevenly curled, so unpleasant to look at that Zheng Tan wishes he could smash the rearview mirror."

However, considering this is Jiao Ba's newly bought car just a few days ago, Zheng Tan restrained himself.

Jumping out of the car, Zheng Tan pressed his ears, ignored everyone else, and walked straight into the house.

"Is Hei Tan feeling down?" Jiao Ma asked.

"Probably." Jiao Ba nodded.

Jiao Ma decided to comfort her cat properly, making some extra tasty food tonight.

Knowing her cat's whiskers had been singed, Xiao Youzi was very anxious; after hearing Jiao Ba explain they'd grow back in a while, she felt much relieved.

Even though he knew the whiskers would grow back, Zheng Tan's mood remained quite bad; after entering the house he holed up in a room, periodically jumping onto the table to look at his curled whiskers in the mirror, making his mood even worse.

Finally, Zheng Tan made a decision.

After checking a few rooms, he saw a pair of scissors on the old lady's bedside table and pushed them toward Xiao Youzi, who had been following him.

"Trim the whiskers?" Xiao Youzi looked at the scissors on the floor, somewhat worried.

Zheng Tan pushed the scissors a bit more toward Xiao Youzi, meaning "Go ahead and cut."

Without rashly cutting Zheng Tan's whiskers, Xiao Youzi first asked Jiao Ba for confirmation, then carefully took the scissors and trimmed the singed whiskers one by one; the parts not burned were left intact and not cut.

Because the whiskers had been singed irregularly, their curled lengths varied, so after trimming they were noticeably uneven, looking awkward.

A cat's whisker bases are packed with nerves, enabling them to detect even the slightest movements; it's said they can feel something as light as a milligram brushing past, and can even discern airflow and wind direction.

Because they knew how important whiskers are to a cat, Xiao Youzi was very serious; Jiao Yuan beside her dared not breathe, fearing any sound would disturb her and pull out the cat's whiskers.

Sitting on the sofa, Jiao Ba actually wanted to say that as long as the whisker roots weren't hurt, cutting a bit more or less didn't matter, but seeing the two children's tense faces and then his own visibly dejected cat, he remained silent.

After the trimming, Xiao Youzi and Jiao Yuan, who had been watching from the side, both breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Youzi placed the cut, curled whiskers into a small plastic sealable bag, put it in a box, and stored it away.

Zheng Tan lifted his paw and felt his whiskers; they were noticeably much shorter, the shortest ones almost reaching his mouth.

"Damn it, after finally managing to be a hero once, the price is having my whiskers singed and curled."

Jumping onto the table, Zheng Tan glanced at the mirror, tilted his face, tried a few angles, and felt that without whiskers his cat's demeanor shifted from mighty and imposing to awkward and ridiculous—indeed, it was infuriating.

"Don't worry, the whiskers will grow back soon." Xiao Youzi comforted.

Zheng Tan flicked his tail; growing back is certain, but how long until they're like before? Nobody can say—maybe a week or two, maybe over a month, maybe longer; there's no definite answer, as different cats' whisker growth rates seem to vary, which is Jiao Ba's conclusion.

And what Zheng Tan found most depressing was when Jiao Lao Yezi returned.

Knowing they could find Xiao Pihai so quickly thanks to the son's family black cat, Jiao Lao Yezi, while passing the market, specially bought a big fish to reward the cat; but upon returning home he discovered the cat's whiskers on both sides of the face had been cut short and uneven, which piqued the old man's curiosity, so he insisted on asking Jiao Ba the reason.

Jiao Ba said the traffickers' place had caught fire, and his cat got singed there. After hearing this, Lao Yezi felt a bit sorry, then started laughing.

After a day of repressed feelings, finally feeling relieved, he laughed especially loudly, drawing the two children's displeasure.

"Ah, it's nothing; in our village many people keep cats, and in winter lots of them get their whiskers singed by the stove, they'll grow back soon, it's fine—though this cat's movements might be affected."

As he said this, Lao Yezi sat on the sofa, reached out to touch Zheng Tan's whiskers, but Zheng Tan dodged by turning his head and slapped the old man's hand aside.

"Yo, you're getting testy."

Jiao Lao Yezi's hand was slapped away, but he wasn't annoyed; after this incident he actually thought the cat was quite remarkable. Hearing his grandson say the cat was upset about losing its whiskers, Lao Yezi was somewhat doubtful but still didn't continue teasing it.

Lao Yezi had never thought a cat could have feelings, but after this experience, knowing the cat was spiritual, he stopped saying anything; older folks tend to believe such tales, and back in his hometown people would revere spiritual animals, yet looking at this cat before him he couldn't muster reverence—it just looked ridiculous, making him want to go over and tease it.

He shook his head, walked to the kitchen with his hands behind his back, watched the old lady cooking fish, and kept commenting, whereupon she chased him out with a spatula; eventually he came out to the living room to watch TV with the kids.

Xiao Pihai's parents called to thank them, saying they'd like to treat Jiao Ba and company to a meal, even bringing the cat—this would be the first formal invitation for a cat to dine—but Jiao Ba refused, as Xiao Pihai was still lying in the hospital, likely not discharged yet; being relatives and acquaintances, there was no need for such fuss.

Jiao Lao Yezi also spoke up, telling them to let the sick rest and the caregivers tend to the kids, fearing this incident might leave a psychological shadow on the children; they should check whether administering sleeping pills has any aftereffects, etc., all need to be examined thoroughly; gratitude can be expressed later when there's opportunity, no need to rush this moment.

Since Jiao Lao Yezi had spoken, Xiao Pihai's parents stopped insisting, only saying they'd all gather together during the New Year and certainly give a proper reception then.

Actually, many people only know that discovering the tricycle driver was thanks to Associate Professor Jiao's cat; as for what happened at the small building where the traffickers hid, they don't think of the cat, assuming other people were involved, leading to the subsequent events. After all, nobody would imagine a cat could cause such trouble for traffickers.

Even Jiao Ba wouldn't have thought his cat could lift a child and run downstairs.

Since no connection was made to the cat, the case has many doubtful points; investigators are still continuing, but because they keep finding no cause and that old man isn't fully lucid, they can't get answers; for now the work has temporarily shifted from investigating the small building fire to tracing the upstream and downstream contacts of these three traffickers.

The traffickers' dealings are extensive; the three arrested this time still have superiors, linking to more traffickers selling children, possibly within this city and province, or elsewhere; based on the information at hand, the upcoming work will be more arduous, and some people, eager for promotion, are rolling up their sleeves to go all out, and won't keep obsessing over how the small building caught fire or how Xiao Pihai climbed downstairs.

Just five hours after the old man was arrested, a squad of the Provincial Public Security Department's Highway Traffic Police Corps, patrolling in a police car, arrived at a toll station and spotted a suspicious woman holding an infant; during questioning she appeared panicked and full of loopholes, and only after intensified interrogation did she confess her illegal acts.

In these two cases, there are related parts; they share a common contact. After joint investigation, through unified feedback of the investigative results, within half a year over two hundred personnel involved in the goods were investigated, and more than a hundred abducted children were implicated, launching a nationwide crackdown operation.

However, that's a story for later; let's not mention it now.

Zheng Tan also won't pay special attention to those child‑trafficking cases; he's currently sulking, crouched on the sofa.

Many say whiskers are like a ruler or a snail's tentacles, helping cats detect the width of passages so they can move accurately; without whiskers, their movements become sluggish and lifeless.

For Zheng Tan, it's not that his movements become sluggish or lifeless; he's just unaccustomed. Hearing others say so is one thing, but the deepest feeling is his own.

Earlier, when his mood was bad, Zheng Tan focused all his thoughts on the singed whiskers; but now, after calming down, he realizes it genuinely feels like something is missing—not just psychological, it's real.

Usually he doesn't pay much attention, but at night when all is quiet, Zheng Tan feels his senses have dulled slightly. As whiskers are extremely important tactile organs for cats, their function shows—they supplement visual perception.

Only after losing them did Zheng Tan truly understand the function of those long hairs: the whiskers above his eyes and on his cheeks can warn him of objects that might harm his eyes or other facial parts; upon contact he steers clear, avoiding collisions even when he can't see them.

He still sleeps and eats normally, with a decent appetite, so he doesn't feel his stomach is wronged by lacking whiskers; yet he indeed feels awkward, not smooth. Sometimes Zheng Tan also feels uneasy, wondering if it's an aftereffect of losing his whiskers.

"Could it be that I'm just too sensitive?"

Zheng Tan lay prone on the sofa, lost in thought.

Before Zheng Tan adjusted his state, the National Day holiday was nearly over; because Xiao Pihai's incident occurred midway, nobody returned to their hometown village, they just stayed in the town for a few days and then prepared to head back to Chu Hua Shi.

Before leaving, Jiao Lao Yezi told Jiao Ba, "During the New Year we'll bring the cat back and make it a nice little nest."

Jiao Ba just smiled, said nothing more, knowing their cat always sleeps under the covers.

Knowing he would return to Chu Hua, Zheng Tan's mood improved a little**.

On the way back, Zheng Tan decided that, before his beard grew out, he would still not run around everywhere. (To be continued.)