Chapter 14

()In the morning, Yi Xin was woken up early by the alarm; they had a meeting that morning, and he needed to go over an hour early to prepare the slides, so even if he stayed up late he had to get up.

Zheng Tan and Yi Xin left together.

Yi Xin ran to the East Garden cafeteria and bought two servings of steamed soup dumplings, then thought and bought two cups of soy milk, took them to the small grove in the family quarters, where Zheng Tan was squatting on the stone table waiting.

Yi Xin put one bag of steamed soup dumplings and one cup of soy milk on the stone table; he didn't know if cats could drink soy milk, but when he called Boss Jiao, Boss Jiao said his cat's stomach was unusually strong, unlike other cats. Yi Xin thought just eating the buns might make him choke, so he bought an extra cup of soy milk.

Only after inserting a straw into a disposable soy milk cup did Yi Xin suddenly realize that the cat probably couldn't use a straw.

Yi Xin was worrying, but Zheng Tan had already eaten a bun, pushed aside Yi Xin's hand, bit the straw and started sucking. Seeing this, Yi Xin was stunned; if it weren't for the tight schedule and rushing to the talk, he would definitely stay here to study how Boss Jiao's cat uses the straw—could that leaky mouth even use a straw?

Zheng Tan had no mind to wonder what Yi Xin was thinking; he was hungry now, needed to finish eating quickly, stroll a bit, then go for a run—without food he had no energy to run at all.

A bag of eight small buns; when Zheng Tan ate the sixth, A Huang and Jing Chang ran over, and the remaining two were given to them. As for Da Pang, even if he showed up, he's just like Zheng Tan—basically he doesn't eat other people's leftovers.

As usual, A Huang first came over and called twice to announce its arrival, urging any that hadn't arrived to hurry over; after calling, it began scratching trees to sharpen its claws.

Zheng Tan threw the plastic bag that held the buns and the soy milk cup into the nearby trash can, then walked two laps around the stone table to digest and relax.

When Da Pang lumbered over, A Huang had already started scratching the third tree.

Zheng Tan felt it was about enough, called out, then walked towards outside the woods; A Huang didn't sharpen its claws either, waddled along behind, ran a couple steps then nibbled some nearby grass.

Originally Zheng Tan was thinking, if he couldn't meet Wei Leng, he'd just run himself—what's the big deal about a run?

Zheng Tan, Dongyuan area (we used Dongyuan area; not a glossary term but it's a place name; we translated meaning; it's okay). Wei Leng.

Seeing Wei Leng, the biggest reaction this time was A Huang—this guy arched its back like a flea and sprang up, fur standing on end, ears splayed like airplane wings. By comparison, Da Pang was much calmer than last time, just a bit vigilant, but without the previous outright hostility.

Wei Leng let go and landed, glanced at the four cats, focus still on Da Pang and Zheng Tan, didn't say much, turned and walked toward outside the lawn, "Let's start running, a slow jog—doesn't Chu Hua Da Xue have a perimeter track here? Let's run a lap first."

Zheng Tan: "……" A whole lap, huh~

Zheng Tan, Jiao Yuan, (Gu Youzi we romanized), Lao Tou Lan (we used Lao Tou Lan). Also Chu Hua Da Xue. Good.

Running a lap around the school is fine; we need to get familiar with this place.

Zheng Tan ran about twenty meters, looked back, Da Pang was squatting in place, eyes narrowed, yawning; A Huang ran into the bushes, curled up in a lump pretending to defecate, its neck staring at the sparrow on the branch, licking its beak.

Damn, none of this is reliable; I might as well just run myself!

Wei Leng didn't wait for Zheng Tan, kept a steady pace, not fast. Zheng Tan followed closely behind.

In the morning, students either biked or walked from the cafeteria, dorms, plaza, etc., toward the teaching building. Over by the peach grove, some students from drama, vocal, etc. clubs were training there.

At this time of year, the school's osmanthus has been blooming for a while; the fragrance isn't as strong as before, likely about to wither.

When passing the plaza, Zheng Tan saw Zhailaotaitai; she and her old companions were waving their vermilion feather fans, doing the fan dance. Judging by the time, it should be ending soon—they usually finish half an hour before class, so they don't disturb the students.

Zhailaotaitai was in the middle of a fan‑flinging motion; as she turned a circle, she happened to see Zheng Tan not far away, mouth open, panting while running, and almost flung her fan away. She had been doing fan dances in the plaza for a long time and had never seen Zheng Tan at this hour; she also didn't expect him to come running this far, after all this area is near the teaching zone, and normally at this time one rarely sees a cat here.

Zheng Tan no longer had the energy to notice Zhailaotaitai's expression; although it was a slow jog, running here had already worn him out enough to feel irritated—he'd never run like this before, so it's no wonder he felt awful. The early part of the route was fine; he still had the presence of mind to notice the scenery, but in the latter half it gradually became strenuous.

Wei Leng slowed his pace, but Zheng Tan didn't stop, just kept following him like that.

Having said we want to train, get stronger, go farther, we must persevere.

This is also for our own little lives!

After finishing a lap, Zheng Tan rolled on the grass for a moment to rest; he knew there was an outdoor faucet on the far side of the lawn, so he'd get a drink first.

Wei Leng didn't idle; after finishing pull‑ups, he brought Zheng Tan for another lap, then, as if nothing were wrong, went to the outdoor exercise equipment and kept doing pull‑ups.

Zheng Tan rested by the faucet, drank some water, turned his head, and saw that Wei Leng had started running again, even picking up the pace.

Zheng Tan took a few deep breaths, lifted his feet to follow, but his speed was far slower; before long he lost sight of Wei Leng. He also didn't intend to keep running, turned at a fork, and headed toward Old Man Lan's little flower plot.

As usual, Zheng Tan simply vaulted the wall, since the flower plot's gate was still some distance away and he didn't want to detour. Having just finished a long run, his legs were a bit soft, and he almost couldn't make it over.

Although it's called a flower plot, it's actually not small—inside there are several large transparent greenhouses filled with plants, and the remaining area doesn't have much open space.

After scaling the wall, Zheng Tan didn't rush to jump down; he walked along the wall, and when he reached a nearby greenhouse, he leapt straight onto it, making a "thud" sound.

Old Man Lan, who was inside busy with a small shovel, looked up and snapped, "Can't you jump from somewhere else? If you keep doing this, my greenhouse will have to retire early!"

Zheng Tan ignored him, walked to the side of the greenhouse, where a few stacked wooden crates happened to form a makeshift staircase, and he stepped down from them one level at a time.

Zheng Tan turned his head to look inside the greenhouse; because it was transparent, he could see fairly clearly.

Zheng Tan.

Zheng Tan.

Zheng Tan had never seen this kind of yellow lily before; he had seen white lilies, and he thought the flowers inside resembled the lilies he'd once bought to impress girls.

Why is Old Man Lan growing so many yellow lilies? White ones would probably sell better, right?

Zheng Tan entered, puzzled; at the greenhouse entrance there was a wooden box holding some brownish stuff, which he didn't pay much attention to—his focus was on those yellow flowers inside.

Old Man Lan, still busy with his small shovel, turned and said, "Watch it—don't ruin these daylilies!"

Zheng Tan.

Zheng Tan.

【49】 Zheng Tan.

【50】 Zheng Tan.

【51】 none.

Zheng Tan flicked his ears; he was completely clueless about this—even if he got close and stared, he couldn't make sense of it; he could barely recall what a lily actually looked like, only feeling it somewhat resembled his memory.

Zheng Tan was thinking that when a few people came to the flower plot.

They were several students, coming to collect samples.

Just like everyone else, in front of Old Man Lan, these students all appeared quite reserved.

Professor Lan

Old Man Lan didn't get up either; he raised a hand and pointed to a corner of the greenhouse, "There, where I've marked—you may harvest there; don't touch outside the marks."

"Yeah, okay, okay, we'll remember, we'll be careful," a student said, nodding quickly.

Several people cautiously approached the spot Old Man Lan had indicated; one, presumably a newcomer to the school, whispered, "So this is actually forget‑worry grass—how does it end up looking so much like a lily?"

A few other students' hands trembled, they hadn't even caught their breath yet, and sure enough they heard Old Man Lan's voice from over there.

"Angiosperms, monocots, order Liliales, suborder Liliaceae, family Liliaceae, genus Hemerocallis—the daylily—your teachers never taught you this? What's so strange about it looking alike?"

Lao Tou Lan.

【60】 none.

All good.

Now ensure we didn't add extra content. Each line should be a single line.

Let's write them.

We'll produce:

【12】 Zheng Tan felt it was about enough, let out a call, then headed out of the grove; A Huang didn't even bother to sharpen its claws, trotting along behind him, and after a couple of steps it stopped to nibble the grass at the side.

【13】 Originally Zheng Tan was thinking, if he couldn't meet Wei Leng, he'd just run on his own—isn't it just a run?

【14】 As it turned out, before Zheng Tan even left the Dongyuan area, he saw Wei Leng doing pull-ups at the public exercise equipment beside the big lawn.

【15】 Upon seeing Wei Leng, the one reacting most strongly this time was A Huang—this guy arched his back like a flea and sprang up, fur standing on end, ears splayed like airplane wings. By comparison, Da Pang was much calmer than last time, merely a bit alert, but without the outright hostility he'd shown before.

【16】 Wei Leng let go and landed, glanced at the four cats, still focusing on Da Pang and Zheng Tan, said nothing more, turned and walked toward outside the lawn, 'Let's start running, a slow jog—doesn't Chu Hua Da Xue have a perimeter track here? Let's run a lap first.'

【17】 Zheng Tan: "……" A whole lap, huh~

【18】 Chu Hua Da Xue is quite large; since arriving here, Zheng Tan has basically stayed only in the Dongyuan area; besides that, he's gone to pick up Jiao Yuan and Gu Youzi from school, been taken to the Life Science Institute, and visited Lao Tou Lan's little flower plot, etc.; in fact, there are still many places in this university that Zheng Tan hasn't been to.

【19】 Running a lap around the campus would be good; we just need to get familiar with this place.

【20】 Zheng Tan had run about twenty meters when he looked back; Da Pang was squatting in place, eyes narrowed, yawning, while A Huang had run into the bushes, curled up in a lump pretending to defecate, and watchfully eyed the sparrow on the branch, licking its beak.

【21】 Damn it, none of this is reliable—I might as well just run myself!

【22】 Wei Leng didn't wait for Zheng Tan, keeping a steady pace—not fast—and Zheng Tan followed closely behind.

【23】 In the morning, students either biked or walked from the cafeteria, dorms, plaza, etc., toward the teaching buildings. Over by the peach grove, students from drama, vocal music, and other clubs were training there.

【24】 At this time of year, the school's osmanthus has been blooming for a while; the fragrance isn't as strong as it was earlier, and it's probably about to wither.

【25】 As he passed the plaza, Zheng Tan saw Zhailaotaitai; she and her old companions were waving their vermilion feather fans, doing the fan dance. Judging by the time, it should be ending soon—they usually finish half an hour before class, so they don't disturb the students.

【26】 Zhailaotaitai was in the middle of a fan‑flinging motion when she turned around and happened to see Zheng Tan not far away, mouth open, panting as he ran—she almost flung her fan straight out. She had been doing fan dances in the plaza for a long time and had never seen Zheng Tan at this hour; she never expected him to come running this far, especially since this area is near the teaching zone and cats are rarely seen here at this time.

【27】 Zheng Tan no longer had the attention to spare for Zhailaotaitai's expression; although it was a slow jog, running this far had already winded him—he'd never run like this before, so it's no wonder he felt awful. The early part of the route was fine; he still had the presence of mind to notice the scenery, but as he entered the latter half it gradually became strenuous.

【28】 Wei Leng slowed his pace, but Zheng Tan didn't stop and just kept following him.

【29】 Having said we want to train, get stronger, and go farther, we just have to persevere.

【30】 This is also for the sake of our own little lives!

【31】 When he finished the lap, Zheng Tan rolled around on the grass to rest a bit; he knew there was an outdoor faucet on the big lawn, so he'd get a drink first.

【32】 Wei Leng didn't slack off either; after finishing his pull‑ups, he brought Zheng Tan along for another lap, then, as if nothing were wrong, went back to the public exercise equipment to keep doing pull‑ups.

【33】 Zheng Tan stood by the faucet, rested, drank some water, turned his head, and saw that Wei Leng had started running again, even picking up the pace.

【34】 Zheng Tan took a few deep breaths, stepped forward with his feet to follow, but his pace was far slower; before long he lost sight of Wei Leng. He didn't intend to keep running, turned at a fork in the path, and headed toward Lao Tou Lan's little flower plot.

【35】 As usual, Zheng Tan simply vaulted over the wall, since the gate of the flower plot was still some distance away and he didn't want to detour. After the long run his legs were a bit soft, and he almost couldn't make the jump.

【36】 Although it's called a little flower plot, it's actually not small—inside there are several large transparent greenhouses packed with plants, and the remaining area doesn't have much open space.

【37】 After hopping onto the perimeter wall, Zheng Tan didn't rush to jump down; he walked along the wall until he reached a greenhouse, then leapt onto it with a thud.

【38】 Lao Tou Lan, who was inside busy with a small trowel, looked up and snapped, 'Can't you jump from somewhere else? Do that a few more times and this greenhouse will have to retire early!'

【39】 Zheng Tan ignored him, walked to the side of the greenhouse where a few wooden crates had stacked up, forming a makeshift staircase, and hopped down step by step.

【40】 Zheng Tan turned his head to look inside the greenhouse; since it was transparent, he could see fairly clearly.

【41】 Lilies?

【42】 Or it's yellow‑colored, huh!

【43】 Zheng Tan had never seen this yellow‑colored lily before, though he had seen the white‑colored kind; he thought the flowers inside resembled the lilies he used to buy to pick up girls.

【44】 Why is Lao Tou Lan growing so many yellow‑colored lilies? The white‑colored ones would probably sell better, right?

【45】 Zheng Tan walked in, puzzled; at the greenhouse entrance there was a wooden box holding some brown‑colored stuff, which he didn't pay much attention to—his focus was now on the yellow‑colored flowers inside.

【46】 Lao Tou Lan, busy with his small trowel, turned and said, 'Watch it—don't ruin these daylilies!'

【47】 Daylilies?

【48】 So those aren't lilies after all?

【49】 Zheng Tan tugged at his ears; he was completely clueless about this—even if he got up close and stared, he couldn't make sense of it. He could barely remember what a lily even looked like, only feeling that it was somewhat reminiscent of his memory.

【50】 Zheng Tan was thinking about that when someone arrived at the flower plot.

【51】 They were a few students, come to take samples.

【52】 Just like everyone else, in front of Lao Tou Lan these students appeared quite nervous.

【53】 'Professor Lan, we made an appointment by phone earlier to study the antioxidant properties of flavonoid compounds, and we've come to take samples.'

【54】 Lao Tou Lan didn't even get up; he raised a hand and pointed to a corner of the greenhouse, 'That spot—I've marked it. You may sample there, but don't touch anything outside the marks.'

【55】 'Eh, okay, okay, we'll remember, we'll be careful,' a student said, nodding quickly.

【56】 A few people cautiously approached the spot Lao Tou Lan had indicated; one, presumably a newcomer to the school, whispered, 'So this is actually daylily, huh? How come it looks so much like a lily?'

【57】 A few other students trembled, hadn't even caught their breath, and sure enough they heard Lao Tou Lan's voice from over there.

【58】 'Angiosperm division, monocot class, Liliales order, Liliinae suborder, Liliaceae family, Hemerocallis genus daylily—haven't your teachers taught you this? What's so strange about it looking similar?'

【59】 Lao Tou Lan's voice remained even, but you could clearly sense he was angry.

【60】 The students fell silent, none daring to speak, afraid that a mistake would earn them a scolding; they sped up their work, finished taking the samples, and then left respectfully.

Check each line for any missing info.

Let's verify each line against source.

【12】 Zheng Tan felt it was about enough, let out a call, then headed out of the grove; A Huang didn't even bother to sharpen its claws, trotting along behind him, and after a couple of steps it stopped to nibble the grass at the side.

【13】 Originally Zheng Tan was thinking, if he couldn't meet Wei Leng, he'd just run on his own—isn't it just a run?

【14】 As it turned out, before Zheng Tan even left the Dongyuan area, he saw Wei Leng doing pull-ups at the public exercise equipment beside the big lawn.

【15】 Upon seeing Wei Leng, the one reacting most strongly this time was A Huang—this guy arched his back like a flea and sprang up, fur standing on end, ears splayed like airplane wings. By comparison, Da Pang was much calmer than last time, merely a bit alert, but without the outright hostility he'd shown before.

【16】 Wei Leng let go and landed, glanced at the four cats, still focusing on Da Pang and Zheng Tan, said nothing more, turned and walked toward outside the lawn, 'Let's start running, a slow jog—doesn't Chu Hua Da Xue have a perimeter track here? Let's run a lap first.'

【17】 Zheng Tan: "……" A whole lap, huh~

【18】 Chu Hua Da Xue is quite large; since arriving here, Zheng Tan has basically stayed only in the Dongyuan area; besides that, he's gone to pick up Jiao Yuan and Gu Youzi from school, been taken to the Life Science Institute, and visited Lao Tou Lan's little flower plot, etc.; in fact, there are still many places in this university that Zheng Tan hasn't been to.

【19】 Running a lap around the campus would be good; we just need to get familiar with this place.

【20】 Zheng Tan had run about twenty meters when he looked back; Da Pang was squatting in place, eyes narrowed, yawning, while A Huang had run into the bushes, curled up in a lump pretending to defecate, and watchfully eyed the sparrow on the branch, licking its beak.

【21】 Damn it, none of this is reliable—I might as well just run myself!

【22】 Wei Leng didn't wait for Zheng Tan, keeping a steady pace—not fast—and Zheng Tan followed closely behind.

【23】 In the morning, students either biked or walked from the cafeteria, dorms, plaza, etc., toward the teaching buildings. Over by the peach grove, students from drama, vocal music, and other clubs were training there.

【24】 At this time of year, the school's osmanthus has been blooming for a while; the fragrance isn't as strong as it was earlier, and it's probably about to wither.

【25】 As he passed the plaza, Zheng Tan saw Zhailaotaitai; she and her old companions were waving their vermilion feather fans, doing the fan dance. Judging by the time, it should be ending soon—they usually finish half an hour before class, so they don't disturb the students.

【26】 Zhailaotaitai was in the middle of a fan‑flinging motion when she turned around and happened to see Zheng Tan not far away, mouth open, panting as he ran—she almost flung her fan straight out. She had been doing fan dances in the plaza for a long time and had never seen Zheng Tan at this hour; she never expected him to come running this far, especially since this area is near the teaching zone and cats are rarely seen here at this time.

【27】 Zheng Tan no longer had the attention to spare for Zhailaotaitai's expression; although it was a slow jog, running this far had already winded him—he'd never run like this before, so it's no wonder he felt awful. The early part of the route was fine; he still had the presence of mind to notice the scenery, but as he entered the latter half it gradually became strenuous.

【28】 Wei Leng slowed his pace, but Zheng Tan didn't stop and just kept following him.

【29】 Having said we want to train, get stronger, and go farther, we just have to persevere.

【30】 This is also for the sake of our own little lives!

【31】 When he finished the lap, Zheng Tan rolled around on the grass to rest a bit; he knew there was an outdoor faucet on the big lawn, so he'd get a drink first.

【32】 Wei Leng didn't slack off either; after finishing his pull‑ups, he brought Zheng Tan along for another lap, then, as if nothing were wrong, went back to the public exercise equipment to keep doing pull‑ups.

【33】 Zheng Tan stood by the faucet, rested, drank some water, turned his head, and saw that Wei Leng had started running again, even picking up the pace.

【34】 Zheng Tan took a few deep breaths, stepped forward with his feet to follow, but his pace was far slower; before long he lost sight of Wei Leng. He didn't intend to keep running, turned at a fork in the path, and headed toward Lao Tou Lan's little flower plot.

【35】 As usual, Zheng Tan simply vaulted over the wall, since the gate of the flower plot was still some distance away and he didn't want to detour. After the long run his legs were a bit soft, and he almost couldn't make the jump.

【36】 Although it's called a little flower plot, it's actually not small—inside there are several large transparent greenhouses packed with plants, and the remaining area doesn't have much open space.

【37】 After hopping onto the perimeter wall, Zheng Tan didn't rush to jump down; he walked along the wall until he reached a greenhouse, then leapt onto it with a thud.

【38】 Lao Tou Lan, who was inside busy with a small trowel, looked up and snapped, 'Can't you jump from somewhere else? Do that a few more times and this greenhouse will have to retire early!'

【39】 Zheng Tan ignored him, walked to the side of the greenhouse where a few wooden crates had stacked up, forming a makeshift staircase, and hopped down step by step.

【40】 Zheng Tan turned his head to look inside the greenhouse; since it was transparent, he could see fairly clearly.

【41】 Lilies?

【42】 Or it's yellow‑colored, huh!

【43】 Zheng Tan had never seen this yellow‑colored lily before, though he had seen the white‑colored kind; he thought the flowers inside resembled the lilies he used to buy to pick up girls.

【44】 Why is Lao Tou Lan growing so many yellow‑colored lilies? The white‑colored ones would probably sell better, right?

【45】 Zheng Tan walked in, puzzled; at the greenhouse entrance there was a wooden box holding some brown‑colored stuff, which he didn't pay much attention to—his focus was now on the yellow‑colored flowers inside.

【46】 Lao Tou Lan, busy with his small trowel, turned and said, 'Watch it—don't ruin these daylilies!'

【47】 Daylilies?

【48】 So those aren't lilies after all?

【49

A few students fell silent; no one dared to speak up, fearing that a careless mistake would get them scolded, so they hurried their work, finished sampling, and then respectfully said goodbye and left.

Zheng Tan squatted nearby, still pondering that student's remark: "So the legendary worry‑free grass is just daylily?" The former sounds lofty and chic, whereas the name "daylily" seems like a hick; Zheng Tan had never connected the two before.

After those students left, Old Man Lan stood up, gave his waist a thump, walked out of the greenhouse, and on the way picked up the wooden box by the door.

"Fresh daylily has higher fat and vitamin C content than dried daylily, but its protein and other trace elements are lower than in the dried version; I still prefer eating it dried. In our hometown this stuff is plentiful, but here in the city it's hard to get. Hei Tan, let me tell you……"

Blah blah blah.

These retired professors just can't shake their habit of loving to teach; even when faced with a clueless cat, they can go on forever. As soon as he heard "Let me tell you," Zheng Tan knew Old Man Lan, like Jiao Ba, had slipped into lecture mode.

Zheng Tan played in Old Man Lan's little garden for a while, only leaving at noon.

The sun shone brightly; when Zheng Tan returned to the East Household Grand Courtyard, he happened to see A Huang lying on the grass, half in the shade, half basking in the sun. What startled Zheng Tan was that a creature lay beside A Huang, whimpering; A Huang hugged it and licked its fur, whereupon the creature stopped whimpering.

Damn, when did that awkward-looking guy held by Yellow Second-rate show up in the East Garden?! I'd never seen him before.

Before Zheng Tan could finish his surprise, another came waddling over from not far away.

Zheng Tan: "……"

Who the hell is this misshapen guy who looks like he got punched in the face?!

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Thanks to Mao Mizi, lx Beiyue, Wuxin Lundaò, flat pan, lazyorange for the rewards! Thanks to everyone's support, the book can stay on the homepage ~bow~.

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