Chapter 217

Before returning to Chu Hua City, Jiao Ma took the two kids to the county town.

Jiao Lao Yezi and the old lady have been living in the county town lately; we can't just take the kids out to play for summer vacation without going to see these two elders, can we?

Zheng Tan had visited the house in the county town last year during the National Day holiday, so it wasn't unfamiliar. The two elders were delighted to see Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi; the old lady had already prepared dishes in advance and insisted that the two kids stay a few more days. Anyway, as long as we make it in time for registration, what's the point of going back so early? Even if we go, we'd still have to stay at home.

In the midsummer, the temperature stayed high; Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi had no desire to go out. Unlike the two elders, Jiao Yuan is very heat‑intolerant, spending most of his time holed up in the air‑conditioned room—just a fan wouldn't cut it, the breeze would still be hot. Staying in the air‑conditioned room and playing a few games of chess with Xiao Youzi isn't bad.

Zheng Tan didn't stay holed up indoors; he felt bored staying inside and suddenly missed the feeling of running around everywhere in the countryside.

In the afternoon, with the sun slanting, after heading out Zheng Tan would walk along the shady side of the road, meandering outward.

Seeing that Zheng Tan's spirits hadn't been good lately, Jiao Ma didn't insist he stay home; watching him go out, she thought, 'Going for a stroll is fine—just as long as his spirits recover, the rest can take care of itself.'

Zheng Tan looked at the scenery and buildings along the road; he had an impression of this place, having walked through it once last year, though he hadn't gone very far.

Nearby there was a stall selling cold dishes, with quite a few people buying. As Zheng Tan passed by, he overheard a few people at the stall talking about a theft that had occurred in a newly built residential area not far ahead.

Zheng Tan walked over to have a look. The residential area wasn't large, having been built not long ago, and its greening wasn't particularly good. Nevertheless, on this scorching day quite a few people gathered to watch; some who couldn't get into the shade held up umbrellas or used fans to shield their heads as they stood around discussing something.

However, Zheng Tan didn't intend to go inside; beside the guardroom there was a shady spot where two police officers in uniform were squatting, and Zheng Tan could hear their conversation.

'We've finally caught this guy—it wasn't for nothing that we braved the sun to come here, Huang Ge. You say thieves can now commit crimes in broad daylight; what nerve!' said one of them, a young man in his early twenties.

'It's hot, and in broad daylight nobody goes out; everyone stays at home. Besides, this is a newly built residential area, so neighbours aren't really acquainted and don't know each other. If nobody's home, a thief can simply pry open the lock and walk in—carrying out a big colour TV would go unnoticed. I never expected that family to bring back a dog last night.' The other officer, a middle‑aged man in uniform, took a sip from his bottled water and replied.

'I never imagined such a tiny puppy could be so vicious—I went into the living room and saw so much blood on the floor that I jumped in shock.'

'I heard the puppy belongs to the homeowner's friend, who was temporarily asked to look after it. Now the family treats the dog as a hero and has sent it to a pet hospital; if they weren't tied up here, they'd probably be guarding it at the hospital.'

Listening to the two officers, Zheng Tan could roughly understand: back when there were thieves in the big courtyard, wasn't Niu Zhuangzhuang also fierce? But today's hero dog that caught the thief is apparently just a mixed‑breed Pekingese, whereas the Pekingese in the big courtyard was delicate and pampered—this one practically overflows with domineering presence.

The officers' conversation gradually shifted; Zheng Tan didn't intend to keep listening, preparing to leave and continue his stroll, but he hadn't expected them to bring up the matter concerning Jiao Ma's hometown. When he heard the three words 'selling daughters', he stopped in his tracks and pricked up his ears.

'Hey, Huang Ge, you worked there before you were transferred, didn't you? Do you know about this?'

'The family that gave birth to nine girls in a row and then sold them one after another? Of course I know.'

Zheng Tan leaned in a bit closer.

'Really? No one's intervening?' the young man exclaimed, his face full of disbelief.

'Intervene?' the middle‑aged officer wiped sweat from his forehead, 'We've tried, but they're willing to hit and be hit; if you insist on intervening, you'll end up being the one who gets turned on.'

'Who would willingly be sold?!' the young man refused to believe.

'Being sold actually improves their lives—they escape the cage, so why wouldn't they? For them, even being sold off to become someone's daughter‑in‑law is better than starving and getting beaten at home; they might even end up with a decent life.' He sighed, shaking his head. 'In the village, beating children is common, but selling them is another matter. I was hot‑blooded too; after hearing the villagers' idle chatter I went to intervene, thinking that if the child admitted to being sold, I would spare no effort to get to the bottom of it. But they never admit it. Even in court they'd stick to the same story, and I'd end up being slapped with some unfounded accusations. Don't the villagers see that nobody pays any attention to those petty hooligans? Do you really think it's just the father's thugs making threats that could work? In fact, most people in the village don't even regard the hooligans as worth noticing—it's purely a matter of helplessness.'

'What about that last one then? I hear the child is stubborn; my uncle told me that child would never go along with being sold meekly.'

'…That's probably just because the buyers are different.' The person thought of something, his expression turned solemn, and he told the young officer, 'Don't go prying into it any further.'

'I certainly don't want to get the news that you've been dragged off to feed shrimp.'

That young man's face changed, then he laughed and said, "Don't worry, I don't have that much free time."

They had previously handled a murder case in which the victim was thrown into a pond; by the time the body was found, the shrimp had eaten it to an unrecognizable state. The investigation has made no progress to this day, and it ultimately became a headless case.

The officers' topic shifted quickly, and Zheng Tan didn't need to keep listening; the middle‑aged officer was clearly not idle all these years and probably knew a few things, but seeing that they clearly didn't want to bring it up, Zheng Tan couldn't hear what he wanted to hear, and his doubts grew stronger.

He had previously found it strange why those people would choose Xiao Jiu—if, as the villagers said, they were selling girls off to become wives or for some other special trade, Xiao Jiu's age and temperament wouldn't suit it, yet they skipped over her two older sisters and went straight for her.

This doubt remained unresolved even after Zheng Tan returned to Chu Hua City.

Upon returning home, Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi went to tend to the two turtles. Zheng Tan followed Jiao Ma up to the third floor to check on the kittens. They were over a month old, much sturdier than ordinary kittens and noticeably larger—just like Peanut Candy had been when she was that age.

The destructive power of these two kittens is plainly shown by the cloth sofa in Er Mao's living room, which has grown a whole layer of fur, and the tables and chairs bear many scratches from their claws.

With just these two kittens, they've already caused this much chaos. When Zheng Tan entered, the two were leaping up and down; upon seeing Jiao Ma they let out low growls, showing no fear. But when they saw Zheng Tan, they seemed a bit affectionate. As for Hei Mi, presumably annoyed by the two, he was lying on Er Mao's bed in the bedroom, eyes too lazy to open, only his ears twitching—indicating he was paying attention to the surroundings.

These two kittens now also eat some meat alongside Er Mao, have a big appetite, and strong digestive function—perhaps due to the strong genes of 'Jueye'. Er Mao says that Hei Mi has started to dislike them.

'These two probably won't be around much longer. Hei Mi has been losing his temper more and more often.' Er Mao sighed, pointing out to Jiao Ma each kitten's separate nest. They don't share a nest; during the day they scuffle and sometimes lick each other's fur, so their relationship seems fine, but if they were forced to share a nest they'd easily fight—this tendency isn't noticeable when they can't run, but now that they can run and jump, the bigger they get, the more obvious it becomes.

Zheng Tan remained silent. It seems the cause is still the genes of 'Jueye'.

'Where do you plan to send these two?' Jiao Ma asked.

'I guess they'll have to be sent far away.' Er Mao felt reluctant, for watching them grow day by day made the idea of sending them away uncomfortable.

Er Mao had considered giving them to familiar people like Wei Leng or Senior Hetao, but when he mentioned it, both refused outright—being able to get along with cats doesn't mean one wants to keep them.

Jiao Ma and Er Mao sat on the sofa chatting, while Zheng Tan watched the two kittens tussle in front of him. Though they still looked young, when they got rough their demeanor looked quite fierce. Moreover, Zheng Tan noticed from their low growls that their vocalizations differed from those of the kittens at the pet center; he had worked with many kittens in commercials and knew their sounds, and although different breeds may vary, these two didn't sound like any he'd heard before. He couldn't quite recall what Peanut Candy sounded like as a kitten, since back then she was at the pet center being 'educated' all day by Li Yuanba, and Zheng Tan hadn't interacted with her much—by the time he did, she had already grown halfway to adulthood.

Over the past few days at home, Zheng Tan hasn't strayed far—at most just walking around the campus—and once school starts again, his life will return to the rhythm it had before summer break.

That day, Zheng Tan decided to check out the construction site, and while he was there he also wanted to see whether that blind old man, enduring the scorching heat, was still holding his post.

As he passed Zhong Yan's residential compound, Zheng Tan glanced and saw that it seemed no one was home. Zhong Yan had aced the college entrance exam, shooting straight to the top—ranking in the top three of his school and gaining admission to Peking University—an achievement that left the rest of his family seething.

After making a round of the construction site, Zheng Tan didn't see Zhong Yan; he must have already gone to Peking to file his report, so it looks like there will be one fewer familiar face around here from now on.

As Zheng Tan was about to leave, he heard someone call his name; the voice sounded familiar, he turned and saw a man in a blue vest and hard hat running over—it was Ning Ge, who had once helped Zhong Yan.

'Hey, you've finally come back again.' Ning Ge fished into his pocket, pulled out a fifty‑yuan note, and said to Zheng Tan, 'Come on, let me buy you something to eat—Zhong Yan had specifically told me before he left to treat you to a good meal when you showed up, and he gave me the money.'

Ning Ge went on with several remarks before suddenly realizing he was talking to just a cat—did the cat understand any of it?

However, the black cat in front of him didn't leave; Ning Ge stepped forward, took two steps, turned back and saw the cat indeed following him, and he thought to himself, 'This cat really does understand—no wonder it's known by a top‑student.'

Zheng Tan followed him over and watched Ning Ge stop in front of a boxed‑meal stall, picking out several meat dishes and some fish chunks.

After paying, Ning Ge turned to speak, only to see the black cat squatting nearby dart off in a flash—he couldn't even call it back.

Zheng Tan had indeed been waiting for Ning Ge to buy food; not far away was a bus stop, and as he absentmindedly glanced over, he saw that among the people just getting off the bus was the Santana driver.

Thus, forgetting about the boxed meal, Zheng Tan hurriedly followed after him. (To be continued…)

ps: (4.7) Weekend extra update, this plot will be wrapped up by the weekend.