Chapter 170

Perhaps sensing Zheng Tan looking at it, the cat perched on the tree turned its head toward the intersection.

It looked somewhat like a stray cat, its fur stained with some grime, and above its eyes were several scratches of varying lengths; the healed wounds left bloody traces, especially noticeable on its white fur. These injuries were probably from a couple of days ago.

Zheng Tan didn't know what had caused the scratches on the cat, but if the longest wound extended another centimeter downward, the cat's left eye would likely be ruined. On the bright side, the cat was still fortunate.

The cat merely glanced at the person and cat at the intersection, perhaps feeling no threat, and then continued staring at the second-floor window of that building.

Er Mao beside him took the last bite of his egg pancake, smacked his lips, and said, "What is that cat looking at? Could there be some 'harmonious' scene inside?"

Zheng Tan flicked his ears, too lazy to bother with Er Mao, and lifted his foot to walk over there.

As Zheng Tan approached, the cat gave him two wary glances; even when it wasn't staring at him, its ears twitched slightly, showing great alertness.

Without climbing the tree, Zheng Tan went over just to see what the cat was looking at; the result disappointed him—he didn't need to climb, standing here he could already see the state of the building's second-floor window, because the window was shut and tightly curtained, making it impossible to see inside at all.

Looking at the cat still staring at the window in the tree, then at the curtained window, Zheng Tan shook his head. Truly bewildering.

Not staying to figure out the reason, Zheng Tan returned to the intersection and continued forward, with Er Mao still following behind.

Er Mao wasn't bored; he hadn't walked this street before, and now he found the street's local specialty snacks quite interesting. Although it was past breakfast time, many stalls didn't serve only breakfast, so he walked, buying and eating as he went. One stall's mung bean pancakes were good. Er Mao bought two packs and carried them.

Some people on this street were already familiar with Zheng Tan; upon seeing him, they would sometimes greet him proactively. Although they didn't know his name, they occasionally spoke to him as if to a pet, or chatted with those nearby about this black cat, guessing whose it might be.

The old district has many alleys. Those narrow lanes that only fit two or three people walking side by side are plentiful, and these alleys are also places full of various stories. Zheng Tan has walked this street for a while and has seen plenty: fights, extortion, drug use, adultery, etc., involving all ages, regardless of gender, age, or occupation.

Perhaps this, too, counts as part of hutong alley culture?

Just like now, Zheng Tan twitched his ears and looked toward a narrow alley. Inside the alley there was a recessed spot used for dumping garbage, where two youths in their early twenties stood, speaking to a person in the depression.

Zheng Tan listened to the sounds and fragmented conversation inside, not intending to get involved, and was about to leave when he saw Er Mao enter the alley. Er Mao didn't go further in, just took two steps, then leaned against the wall, one hand holding the miscellaneous items he'd bought on the road, the other clutching a mung bean pancake to eat.

Zheng Tan jumped onto the wall, ready to see what this glutton Er Mao was up to. Was he going to act bravely?

Those two youths had already taken the extorted money, counted it, and were walking out of the alley. Looking up, they saw a person standing at the alley mouth. They put the money in their trouser pockets, exchanged a glance, and continued outward, hands ready to draw weapons.

Er Mao wiped crumbs from his mouth with his thumb, lifted his foot, and walked inside.

One of the youths was mustering his emotions to unleash harsh words, but before he could speak, he noticed Er Mao darting to his front; the next moment he collapsed, not even having time to see clearly how the person before him had struck.

The other youth was still preparing to draw a knife, but before the blade appeared, Zheng Tan heard a soft 'crack'; the man's 'ah' of pain was cut off mid-cry.

In a single encounter—and Er Mao used only one hand—the two men were down in the blink of an eye.

Zheng Tan watched the two motionless figures on the ground, flicked his ears, and indeed they were Wei Leng's junior disciples; that strike was truly clean.

The person who had been standing in the recessed part of the alley wall heard the noise, stretched his neck to look out, and his gaze met Er Mao's; then the boy pulled his head back, not daring to step out, presumably praying that Er Mao wouldn't target him, as he didn't want to join the two lying on the ground.

Er Mao merely glanced at the trash heap, then saw no need to look further. Walking up to the two prone individuals, he reached into their shirt and trouser pockets, pulling out money that totaled a little under a thousand, which he all put into his own pocket, not even letting a five-cent coin slip, all with a self‑satisfied, righteous air.

Zheng Tan: "……"

Holy shit!

Black‑on‑black?!

Well, Zheng Tan had just been wondering whether Er Mao might act righteously and return the money; sure enough, he had overestimated Er Mao's character.

After securing the money, Er Mao brushed dust from his jacket, didn't look again at the two prone men or the person by the trash heap, turned and walked away, leaving only the student who had poked his head out from the trash to watch the alley's developments, standing there with a complex expression, feeling like he wanted to cry but had no tears.

After walking out of the alley, Er Mao glanced at the nearby wall and saw the black cat on it looking at him with a contemptuous gaze.

"What, displeased? Think I should pay back that little brat?" Er Mao snorted, saying, "That kind of little punk looks no good at first glance; this money might well have been extorted from kids even weaker than him."

Although Er Mao's character isn't great, one must admit he judges people well. Of course, perhaps this is just his excuse for his own behavior; Zheng Tan couldn't be bothered to argue, he merely remembered the student standing by the trash heap—he'd seen this person before with his partner blocking Fu Lei, but Fu Lei was a tough nut, and their joint attempt to block him failed, resulting in Fu Lei beating them both without mercy. This kid's luck really isn't good, isn't there a saying: 'Once you're out in the world, you'll eventually have to pay up.'

The incident didn't change Er Mao's mood much; he remained as before, curiously eyeing the surrounding shops and stalls, buying whatever caught his interest.

Zheng Tan walked on, passing Jiao Yuan's school, stopping by the window to look for a while, but a few students in the back row noticed him; before the teacher on the podium could lose his temper, Zheng Tan hurried away. Who knows if the teacher knows Jiao Ma and might complain, so it's better not to linger here.

Afterward, Zheng Tan went to glance at the construction site of the project under Ye Hao's charge.

Er Mao followed behind. Although his face showed nothing, he had sighed inwardly several times. Especially seeing how the workers on the site looked at Zheng Tan, Er Mao realized this cat had excellent rapport with people.

Following Zheng Tan, Er Mao got somewhat familiar with the street. Seeing Zheng Tan head back, Er Mao also didn't plan to stay outside longer, and followed him back.

When passing that intersection again, Zheng Tan looked in once more; the cat on the tree was gone, and the second-floor window of that building was now open. Curiosity spurred him, so Zheng Tan jumped onto the tree to peek inside.

Inside was a man in his thirties wearing a suit and gold‑rimmed glasses, currently holding a cup of coffee, seated by the window, lost in thought.

Seeing the black cat suddenly leap onto the tree, the man first stared, then showed a faint smile.

Zheng Tan felt the man's gaze was a bit odd; while his smile looked normal to others, Zheng Tan felt his skin crawl, sensing the man exuded a strange, contradictory unease.

Zheng Tan's feeling was correct: the man still wore that earlier smile, but the hand holding his coffee cup suddenly lifted, flinging the still‑hot coffee toward Zheng Tan.

The tree wasn't far from the building; some branches had already reached the window sill. Fortunately Zheng Tan was alert and dodged, but a few drops splashed onto his back—not much, and he didn't feel scalding heat—yet he could smell that hint of coffee, and thinking about what the upstairs man had done, it made him even more displeased.

In contrast, the man laughed even more happily over this.

After Zheng Tan had run some distance, he looked again at the second‑floor window opening; the man was no longer there, presumably having gone to pour more coffee.

Zheng Tan flicked his ears and glanced around.

There was a stone at the base of the tree.

Looking again at the second‑floor window opening, still no one. Zheng Tan cautiously approached the base of the tree, guarding against the upstairs splashing something else down.

Having reached the tree's base, Zheng Tan nudged the stone a bit farther away, because a wall still stood between the tree and the building, which would interfere with his movement.

When the distance felt right, Zheng Tan stretched out his two forepaws, clasped the stone, and hurled it toward the second‑floor window.

I'll make you splash!

Damn your grandpa!

The stone struck the window glass, followed by a crash of shattering glass.

After throwing the stone, Zheng Tan ran off; hearing the glass shatter made him feel much better.

Although Zheng Tan had been angry just before, he also knew Er Mao was watching from the intersection, so when he threw the stone he didn't stand up and fling it single‑pawed like a grenade; instead he used both forepaws in a throwing motion, which, while still surprising, was better than the former.

Er Mao was surprised, but said nothing, merely giving Zheng Tan a thumbs‑up.

However, Er Mao's inner state wasn't as calm as his exterior; what he'd just seen was indeed startling, but thanks to Wei Leng's preventive shots and his own experiences, he wasn't overly shocked. He also recalled his master's old saying: 'Revenge is an instinct; humans are like that, and so are cats.'

On the way back to Chu Hua Da Xue, Zheng Tan passed several closed storefronts and saw that black‑and‑white spotted cat; between the two shops there was a small gap, unknown who had placed a paper box there, in which the cat stayed; beside it lay a disposable paper bowl, its bottom holding some unknown‑age food, while on top sat a relatively fresh‑looking bun.

Looking closely at the cat, Zheng Tan had thought the black speck on its nose was a smudge of dirt, but now he realized it was merely part of its natural pattern, shaped like a grain of rice.

The cat showed no obvious hostility toward Zheng Tan and Er Mao, merely being a bit wary, especially when Zheng Tan approached the paper bowl, at which point it emitted a low, rumbling warning sound.

Seeing that, Zheng Tan didn't get any closer, but Er Mao took out the boxed meal he had bought earlier and moved toward it; the cat didn't meow, just remained a bit wary.

The boxed meal had gone cold, but the meat aroma still lifted the cat's spirits considerably; nevertheless, it didn't eat right away, just kept staring at Er Mao.

Er Mao looked around; not far away lay a small brown crayon stub that some child had thrown away. He picked it up and wrote a few words on the paper box:

"Can catch mice, can guard the home, seeking adoption."

After the words he also drew a simple line‑drawing of a cat. (To be continued..)

ps: (2.22) I'd like to recommend a fairly lighthearted book; friends interested in game‑world stories can check out 'Present State Invasion'.