Chapter 144: This Is Not the Cat from Those Days (Supplement 1.28)

( ) That side was cleared quickly; shortly after the road opened, the car entered Yiyang's jurisdiction.

After leaving the highway, Jiao Ba drove straight toward the old family house in the countryside, not taking the road that leads to the town.

What made the Jiao Family curious was that the BMW behind them kept following; although they knew the destination was also Yiyang, Yiyang isn't that small, and the roads to its various towns differ, yet up to now everyone's route had been exactly the same—could they really be fellow villagers?

Earlier on the highway, when Jiao Ba talked with them, they said a lot, but they didn't reveal exactly where their true destination was or what names they went by.

The Jiao Family were merely curious and didn't think the others had any ill intent, after all they didn't look like people short of money.

Just like the Jiao Family, the people in the BMW were also surprised; they truly hadn't expected everyone's routes to match.

Half an hour later, as the car neared the Jiao old house, when it passed a fork, the BMW finally turned and split from the Jiao's vehicle.

"Probably from a neighboring village," Jiao Ba said.

As for whether the BMW truly came from a neighboring village, no one was keen to investigate; they were nearing the ancestral house. Jiao Yuan hadn't been here in two years—when the family didn't have a car, Jiao Ba had returned a few times for business without bringing Jiao Yuan, so for Jiao Yuan this place was a somewhat distant memory.

"Huh, there's a department store over there!" Jiao Yuan said, pointing at a store they had just passed.

A department store of that size is nothing in Chu Hua Shi, but here it counts as a big shop and makes life easier for many.

"Yes, it was only built at the end of last year," Jiao Ba told Jiao Yuan, noting the changes over the past two years.

Xiao Youzi felt a bit nervous; she wasn't familiar with the locals and had never been here. The surrounding area was still fields. As they approached the village entrance to the old house, they saw an elderly man standing at the junction, with a big yellow dog wandering beside him.

"Grandpa!" Jiao Yuan waved from the open car window toward him.

Jiao Lao Yezi, standing at the junction, smiled so broadly his face seemed about to bloom a chrysanthemum.

Jiao Ba stopped the car and let Jiao Lao Yezi get in; after all, the distance from here to the old house was still a stretch, and they couldn't just drive off and leave the old man to walk behind.

Jiao Lao Yezi thought for a moment, then got in. Before boarding, he told the big yellow dog outside, "You stay out there and follow."

The big yellow dog seemed puzzled by Jiao Lao Yezi's action, about to approach, when it suddenly saw a black cat head poking out of the car window and barked upward.

"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Zheng Tan perched on the car window, watching the big yellow dog, twitched his ears, and ignored its barking.

"Yo, Hei Tan is really calm! I forgot to tell you about Lai Fu earlier; I thought of doing a test to see how your Hei Tan would react when seeing Lai Fu, and I didn't expect the cat to be unafraid at all." The big yellow dog that Jiao Lao Yezi kept was named Lai Fu, had been raised for almost a year, and was a common local mongrel.

"Indeed, our Hei Tan often plays with the dogs in the courtyard. There's a Saint Bernard that's huge, much bigger than Lai Fu; it even retreats three houses when it sees Hei Tan."

"Hey, you used the idiom 'retreat three houses' well," Jiao Lao Yezi said with a smiling grin.

"Grandpa, you're truly erudite!"

Jiao Ba, who was driving up front, shook his head and let the grandfather–grandson pair continue their chatter.

Even though the big yellow dog didn't understand the old man's action, when the car started moving, its attention shifted from Zheng Tan and it chased after the vehicle.

After entering the village, the road to the old house was a bumpy dirt path; children and an elderly person were still in the car. Jiao Ba drove more slowly, yet the big yellow dog kept chasing without tiring, often running ahead.

Jiao Yuan occasionally glanced at the big dog following outside and asked about it.

Here names like Wang Cai and Lai Fu are common; many villages have multiple dogs with the same name. In fact, many households don't even name their dogs—they keep them for theft deterrence, guarding houses or orchards, or fending off weasels; naming isn't a priority as long as they work. Moreover, many dogs and cats in the village are free‑roaming, not as tightly supervised as in the city. As Zheng Tan walked the country lane, he saw several, wagging their tails and freely running along the dirt road or fields.

"With so many sharing the same name, aren't you afraid of calling the wrong one?" Jiao Yuan asked.

"Ah, that's different. It only recognizes the voices of its own family; it won't respond to strangers," Jiao Lao Yezi said proudly, confident in the dog he had trained.

Jiao Yuan, who hadn't been here for two years, noticed considerable changes: many families had built small houses, and the traditional blue‑brick, pointed‑roof, chimney‑topped tiled houses had become scarce.

These days everyone is making money; when large numbers of migrant workers return for the New Year, they inevitably bring changes home. Rural houses can't match city homes and don't cost much, but here, achieving modest prosperity makes one's house a status symbol.

Many of the older elders no longer farm much; they stay home helping with children, play mahjong when idle, while their children who work elsewhere send money each month to supplement household expenses.

Jiao Ba had considered renovating the ancestral house; with so many villagers building small homes, not doing so might upset the elders. Yet Jiao Lao Yezi immediately refused. He was reluctant to tear down the old house to build a two‑ or three‑story building like others; his attachment to the old house ran deep. Even though they owned a house in town, the elderly couple still spent most of their time living in the ancestral home.

Many people around the ancestral house knew Jiao Ba; even university professors held a certain reverence, overlooking the title "Vice‑". In the village, the attitude toward highly educated individuals and officials was noticeably different from that toward ordinary folk.

When they arrived at the ancestral house, Jiao Wei also came to help move things. While Jiao Lao Yezi was cleaning the house, Jiao Wei assisted. In Chu Hua Shi, Jiao Ba helped his family, so at the ancestral house Jiao Wei did his best to lend a hand.

After Zheng Tan got out of the car, the big yellow dog barked loudly beside him, howling twice, then turning and barking again.

Many dogs are like that: the more you run, the more they chase; the more they chase, the more they run—it's a vicious cycle. Dogs that are fierce outward but weak inside, or that have received some training and are smarter, generally won't bite indiscriminately. Zheng Tan didn't run; first, he sensed the big yellow dog wouldn't bite for now, and second, with Jiao Lao Yezi present, the dog wouldn't be allowed to bite.

Sure enough, after being scolded by Jiao Lao Yezi a few times, the big yellow dog was a bit reluctant but gave up on Zheng Tan and ran with the old man toward the kitchen.

The ancestral house had many rooms; after clearing out the stored junk, four rooms were free for occupancy: one for Jiao Ba and Jiao Ma, one each for Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi, all adjacent.

Although Xiao Youzi's surname isn't Jiao, both Jiao Lao Yezi and the elderly lady treated her kindly, placing a few small plants in her room to give it more vitality.

Xiao Youzi's room featured a fairly large cat climbing frame, a masterpiece of Jiao Lao Yezi. Since he wasn't internet‑savvy, he had someone download a picture online, printed it, and built the frame himself. It looked decent, using good materials; Zheng Tan stepped onto it and found the paw‑feel pleasant.

As for who would sleep on the cat climbing frame at night under the blankets, nobody.

The cat climbing frame is only for napping and afternoon rests during the day.

Jiao Wei's grandmother kept rabbits; she caught two palm‑sized bunnies for Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi to play with. At first, Jiao Wei's grandmother feared Zheng Tan might have ulterior motives toward her rabbits, but after seeing he had little interest, she gradually relaxed.

The next day, after breakfast, Jiao Lao Yezi went out to buy some items; the elderly lady stayed home with Jiao Ma to cure ham and other things. Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi helped for a while and then ran to Jiao Wei's grandmother's place to guard the rabbits.

Jiao Wei placed a canned jar over the entrance of the rabbit burrow, tying a rope around the jar; the other end was hidden in his hand. When the little rabbits emerged, pulling the rope would drop the jar to block the hole, allowing Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi to rush in and catch the bunnies.

After watching for a while, Zheng Tan felt a bit bored and thought of returning to nap on the cat climbing frame. He hopped onto Jiao Wei's courtyard wall, intending to head toward the old house, when he noticed Jiao Ba carrying a bag and glancing left and right as he left.

Knowing Jiao Ba's habits, Zheng Tan thought his behavior was odd, but it was nothing; so he simply jumped down the yard wall and followed.

Along the way, Zheng Tan saw several cats lounging on haystacks sunbathing; the weather was cold, so the cats kept their paws tucked, and they were too lazy to react when they saw him.

What exposed Zheng Tan was a large dog; after spotting him, it kept barking. Fortunately it was leashed, or it would surely have charged at Zheng Tan.

Jiao Ba turned, saw Zheng Tan, and his expression grew complex; he sighed, "Fine, follow me, don't run around; there are many dogs around here."

Zheng Tan felt even more puzzled—who was Jiao Ba actually going to find?

Following Jiao Ba for five minutes, they arrived at a blue‑brick tiled house. The building seemed "historically old," its windows patched with paper, overall rather shabby. Compared with most village homes, this household's living conditions appeared poor.

Jiao Ba stood a short distance away, stared at the house for a few seconds, then stepped forward.

The wooden door was ajar, sunlight streaming in, revealing dust drifting in the air. At the entrance stood a wooden lounge chair, on which an old woman lay as if sleeping. She wasn't wearing the faded, patched clothes Zheng Tan imagined; instead her garments were of decent material, though she appeared somewhat unkempt.

A very odd person.

A tortoiseshell cat missing a leg lay on the old woman's lap; compared with Li Yuanba it was much more frail. Sensing someone approach, it twitched its ears, opened its narrowed eyes a sliver, glanced at the newcomer and the cat, then closed them again, showing no intention to pay attention.

Jiao Ba walked over and set down what he was carrying: a collection of health supplements and daily necessities brought from Chu Hua Shi, which were not cheap.

On the recliner, the old woman who seemed to be asleep slowly opened her eyes; although her face was full of wrinkles, she looked a bit older than Jiao Lao Yezi, but her eyes were dark and bright, full of spirit.

The old woman's gaze lingered on Jiao Ba for a few seconds, then shifted to Zheng Tan, who stood beside Jiao Ba's leg.

Zheng Tan suddenly felt a chill down his spine, a creepy sensation, and unconsciously stepped back behind Jiao Ba.

"This isn't that cat from back then." the old woman suddenly spoke.

Her voice lacked much inflection; Zheng Tan couldn't tell what emotion she felt when she said that. (To be continued

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