Chapter 213: That Cat Is Toying With Her

Zheng Tan strolled slowly around the wild pond, where some trees grew along the bank; though not big, they still offered some shade under the blazing sun.

Many wild plants grew nearby; Zheng Tan found them familiar but couldn't name them. In the pond, some frogs or toads sat on floating branches, croaking; upon sensing Zheng Tan's approach, they leapt into the water.

Sometimes small fish could be seen swimming beneath the surface; fitting for an aquaculture site, fish were visible everywhere, not necessarily deliberately thrown in, possibly having wandered in during flood season.

The cicadas in the trees were noisy, seemingly louder than anyone's shouting.

If it were elsewhere, the pond's surroundings would surely have children on summer break coming to fish and shrimp for fun, but here the kids have played since childhood, finding it uninteresting; they prefer to gather around the big fish ponds where fish are netted to watch the excitement, occasionally even picking up a few large fish for free.

I heard that recently some college students majoring in related fields had come to a nearby aquaculture base for internships, some conducting scientific experiments, making things even livelier; kids skilled at killing fish were even invited to help, while adults lacked the leisure, and even if they had time they'd scoff at the meager pay, but the children were different— for them indoor work came with rewards and free air‑conditioning. Thus when Zheng Tan and his group came to the wild pond, they basically saw no village children.

As he thought, Zheng Tan's ears twitched; he heard a sudden movement ahead.

Someone?

In Zheng Tan's impression, even if those children didn't shout loudly, they would occasionally whisper and laugh, sometimes in small groups; they would never be this quiet, let alone suddenly make a commotion now.

Zheng Tan walked over lightly; the disturbance over there suddenly grew louder. Some plants grew along the pond's edge, blocking Zheng Tan's view while also providing cover, making it hard for anyone across the pond to spot him.

The further he went forward, the narrower the pond became; this place was already near its end.

Over there was a little girl about the same size as Xiao Youzi. Her clothes were not only old but also patched with rough repairs. Although she looked about the same age as Xiao Youzi, unlike Xiao Youzi she appeared quite frail; her face wasn't sallow because she was tanned, but she was truly thin— her little face had hardly any flesh, not the chubby baby‑fat look of Xiao Youzi. The arms and legs exposed outside looked as if covered only by skin, lacking muscle. Her shoulder‑length short hair seemed self‑cut, appearing somewhat uncoordinated.

When Zheng Tan looked over, the child was reeling in the line, which explained why the disturbance had grown louder; otherwise Zheng Tan would not have noticed someone there so quickly.

This child was also fishing for shrimp; beside her lay a canned‑food bottle half filled with earthworms, which Zheng Tan could clearly see wriggling inside. Judging her experienced, she had set three lines in nearby spots; apparently one line's worm had failed, so after catching a shrimp she grabbed a few worms from the bottle to replace it.

Using earthworms as bait for shrimp isn't ideal, but they're easy to catch; however they must be swapped for fresh live ones every so often, otherwise dead or long‑soaked worms lose effectiveness and can't fool the old shrimp.

After changing to fresh earthworms, the little girl sat aside, rested two minutes, then rose and walked lightly between the three lines to see which showed any movement.

Zheng Tan walked over and saw a cracked plastic bucket, its sides held together with rope, already containing some small crayfish; the girl's catch looked good. There were also some green shrimp among them— many households in the area farm shrimp, raising green shrimp is common, so seeing them here is no surprise. As for the small crayfish, they are inherently an invasive alien species, highly adaptable and widespread— hence the label "invasive species."

Beside the bucket lay a sickle broken short; such sickles are common among farmers, but seeing such a small girl wielding one struck Zheng Tan as odd.

While pondering something, Zheng Tan looked up and met the girl's eyes.

Zheng Tan rarely saw such a fierce look in a child's eye; even gloomy‑tempered kids wouldn't have it, for this child's eyes also held strong killing intent; Zheng Tan had no doubt that if the girl gripped a sickle she would surely swing it at him.

But the girl presently had no sickle.

Zheng Tan actually wasn't afraid of the girl; instead he felt a urge to tease her.

"Afraid I'll stir trouble? Bad for the shrimp? I'll stir trouble all the more."

Zheng Tan extended his paw and quickly slapped the few shrimp waving their claws in the bucket.

One must admit, Zheng Tan this fellow is sometimes purely bored to the point of aggravation; if he doesn't court disaster he feels uneasy.

A clod of earth was thrown over.

Zheng Tan reacted swiftly, dodging it; however the clod grazed the edge of the shrimp‑holding bucket, the spot where the bucket sat being uneven, a scrape made it wobble twice then topple.

The little girl also had no time for Zheng Tan; she hurried over, quickly scooping up the shrimp before they escaped and tossing them back into the bucket. When she lifted her head she saw the black cat half‑hidden in the grass, showing only its head, gazing this way; as she rose to stand, the black cat slipped back into the grass, which rustled a few times, and when the noise ceased the cat had vanished.

Standing where she was, the girl eyed the grass and frowned. She felt the cat was toying with her, though when the cat had been half‑hidden in the grass looking this way earlier, its gaze had seemed off. Many village elders said black cats were uncanny— some called them spiritual objects, others evil things; she had previously disagreed, thinking it was just a cat, merely scaring herself. But after what just happened, she began to believe it a little.

Zheng Tan walked through the grass feeling uneasy, not because the girl had thrown a clod at him, but because of what he had just witnessed.

When the girl bent to catch shrimp and toss them back into the plastic bucket, her already short clothing rode up, revealing a section of her back. Zheng Tan saw clearly that her back bore stripe‑like wounds, resembling marks from a bamboo rod or similar implement. Her arms and legs also had some, though fainter. Zheng Tan had paid no mind, having heard Gu Lao Yezi say that village children fighting was common, regardless of gender, and a few injuries weren't strange. But now it was different— those back wounds were fresh; the marks made Zheng Tan feel pain just looking at them, especially since the girl was about Xiao Youzi's age.

Abuse? Domestic violence?

Zheng Tan flicked his tail; Jiao Ma and Xiao Youzi had told him not to cause trouble, and he had no intention of meddling in those trivial matters anyway. Besides, even if he wanted to intervene he couldn't. Every family has its own hard‑to‑recite scripture; such households are everywhere, whether in city or countryside, and parents who beat their children are never lacking.

So. After strolling a while, he caught another frog that had seemingly jumped out of nowhere and teased it. Zheng Tan felt his mood improve, somewhat better; he glanced at the sky and ran back toward the spot where Xiao Youzi and the others were fishing for shrimp.

When Zheng Tan returned, Jiao Yuan was showing off an old‑looking shrimp, its two large claws blazing red; Jiao Ma liked eating those big claws, the meat inside being tender.

Xiao Youzi was changing bait, tying earthworms; Gu Lao Yezi had grabbed four plump earthworms and placed them on the string, Xiao Youzi only needed to tie the string. Beside lay two dead worms, one of which had been snapped off by a shrimp. Gu Lao Yezi always gave Xiao Youzi no fewer than three worms each time; perhaps one had been snatched directly by a shrimp, or a poorly tied worm had escaped on its own.

After fishing for another hour and a half, Gu Lao Yezi told the two children to reel in their lines and prepare to head home. Seeing Xiao Youzi somewhat reluctant, he smiled and said, "You can continue tomorrow; your summer vacation is still long."

Zheng Tan glanced at the iron bucket holding the shrimp; it was already about half full, certainly enough for a dish.

Dinner was plentiful, and Zheng Tan ate his fill.

After night fell, villagers washed up and gathered at their doorsteps to cool off, chatting about various local news and recounting the day's amusing incidents.

Gu Lao Yezi moved the household bamboo bed outside and fitted it with a mosquito net; Xiao Youzi stayed inside, listening to the neighboring Jiao Lao Yezi recount "Back in the day."

As for Jiao Yuan, he couldn't sit still and had gone off with the neighbor's kids to catch fireflies.

Incense coils were lit nearby, yet Zheng Tan could still clearly hear the surrounding mosquitoes buzzing.

Er Tong that fellow panted with mouth open and tongue out, lying down then shifting to a cooler spot after a while. At mealtime it provoked Zheng Tan, who slapped it; afterward it became much more obedient, staying wherever Zheng Tan was, always keeping at least one meter away and never lying down close to him.

In the village night, cool breezes blew gently, the temperature considerably lower than in the city.

Originally Zheng Tan lingered by the bamboo bed, listening to Gu Lao Yezi boast together with Xiao Youzi; his perked‑up ear twitched.

Not far away, Jiao Ma, an elderly lady, and several neighboring women sat together chatting.

"Another one sold? How can he bear it?" Jiao Ma sighed.

"What's there to be reluctant about? We've already sold five; one more makes no difference. I see those three will eventually be sold too," said the matron next door.

"Kept at home, they'll sooner or later be beaten to death by him," the old woman sighed.

Zheng Tan listened to their conversation; it concerned a household in a neighboring village where the male head wanted a son, ended up giving birth to nine daughters in a row, and, being fond of gambling, thought daughters were useless, so he repeatedly sold them, besides often beating the children at home. Now he finally had a son, and the remaining three daughters were neglected regarding food and drink.

Although family planning advocates that bearing boys or girls makes no difference, millennia‑old mindsets cannot be overturned in just twenty or thirty years. Moreover many people are essentially scoundrels; telling them about the law is useless, and those around them have no inclination to manage such matters— having seen it often, they've become numb.

Listening to those women elders chat, Zheng Tan suddenly recalled the little girl he had seen today, wondering whether she might be one of them.

Zheng Tan was sighing inwardly, lying on a bamboo chair gazing at the road not far ahead; beyond it lay some vegetable plots, then fields further out. Originally he had seen Jiao Yuan and company catching fireflies by the road, but Zheng Tan suddenly noticed a few people passing along the road, one of whose voices sounded very familiar.

Zheng Tan focused his attention; there, several people blocked the path, a few strangers walking this way whom Zheng Tan didn't recognize at all, yet he caught that voice. After a moment's recollection he sprang to his feet— wasn't this the person he had shoved into the artificial lake at Chu Hua Da Xue not long ago? (To be continued…)

ps: (4.3)