Chapter 225

"Hahaha!"

Originally, the old man who had been playing with the dominoes and showed little expression threw the dominoes onto the coffee table, slapped his thigh, and laughed heartily.

The few people sitting on the sofa also laughed out loud, their eyes showing surprise and curiosity; in contrast, Er Mao and Hetaoshixiong's first reaction was not loud laughter nor much surprise, but a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, this cat had skills and didn't suffer a loss. Er Mao thought.

Zheng Tan didn't bother with the people on the sofa, but stared at the attacker he had just flung away.

The one who had just attacked Zheng Tan wasn't a person but a monkey wearing a small suit. It seemed to be the kind of macaque often shown on TV; macaques are widely distributed in the country and relatively common, but few people are licensed to keep them legally—aside from circuses, zoos, and some tourist spots, Zheng Tan had now seen such a monkey in everyday life.

At this moment, the macaque had gotten up and run to a person's side, chattering "jiji owo aaa"; Zheng Tan didn't know what it was saying, but from the monkey pointing at him and then at its own small suit, he guessed it was probably tattling.

Damn it, you dare to attack me first and then complain?!

The atmosphere inside the room became lively again; some discussed Zheng Tan's move of flinging the monkey earlier, some teased the monkey, but most importantly, they had made a side bet when Er Mao went to find Zheng Tan, wagering who would suffer a loss. Strangely, aside from the monkey's owner and two other people, everyone else—including Hetaoshixiong and that old man—had bet on Zheng Tan. Now these people are busy collecting money.

"What were they saying just now?"

"Wu—song—da—hu—hahaha!" Hetaoshixiong and the other few who won the bet shouted in unison.

These people really have a nasty character. Zheng Tan thought to himself.

Er Mao also took a moment to talk with Zheng Tan, explaining about that monkey.

The person who kept the monkey was also a senior fellow student of Wei Leng and Er Mao, a junior of He Tao, named Peiliang; he had previously served in the military, and after retiring he returned to his hometown to open a shop. Peiliang's home is in a tourist scenic area near the mountains, and his shop caters to tourists' business, doing fairly well. However, one day when Peiliang was making a delivery, a small monkey suddenly ran up to him, scurried up his pant leg, and clung to his arm, refusing to let go.

Later they learned that a tourist had encountered a baby monkey without its mother while traveling, found it novel, and planned to take it home to play with; who knew the little monkey would seize the chance to escape for no apparent reason. It spotted Peiliang, latched onto his arm, and wouldn't let go.

Afterwards the tourist left. The responsible person took the little monkey back to the mountains, but after a while the monkey somehow found its way to Peiliang's home, showing up every few days. Nearby residents occasionally encounter monkeys, but not often; sometimes they even take protective measures to stop mountain monkeys from coming down to steal. Incidents like Peiliang's home, which regularly gets monkey visitors, are rare.

The monkey that Peiliang's family encountered was an exception; gradually it became familiar with Peiliang's young son, joining him in catching fish and birds, helping pass the shovel when the kids dug pits, and tagging along when the children went out for fun.

But this couldn't continue; at his son's strong insistence, Peiliang went to handle some paperwork, since lacking approval from the relevant forestry administrative authority, privately keeping a state-protected animal constitutes illegal transport and rearing.

When naming it, Peiliang wanted to call it Qitian Dasheng directly, which sounded mighty, but his family's elders were particular, feeling the name shouldn't be too lofty, so they dropped "Tian" and "Sheng," leaving just "Qi Da." However, "Qi Da" sounded a bit like someone's eldest son, and Peiliang thought coming up with a name was too troublesome, so he simply added another "Da" at the end, giving the monkey the rather awkward name Qida Da, which Zheng Tan found quite clumsy; this name would stay with it for life.

Qida Da's status in the household wasn't low—protected by the children, pampered by the elders, and Peiliang's elderly mother personally sewed a "Qitian Dasheng" outfit for it while wearing her reading glasses. As Er Mao would put it, it looked like someone performing in an opera.

Monkeys are naturally smarter than some animals, and after living with people for a long time they naturally learn things; over the past five years it has become even more clever and mischievous. That's why, before Wei Leng's wedding, Peiliang didn't dare let it out. Qida Da has learned plenty of bad habits from the family's children; Wei Leng finally got married, and if it caused any trouble, Wei Leng would surely blame Peiliang.

Later, a film crew came to Peiliang's area to shoot a movie; Peiliang's son brought Qida Da along to watch the excitement, and someone took notice. After discussion, they paid a sum to have Peiliang guide Qida Da in a cameo appearance. They had originally prepared a trained monkey, but that monkey seemed less spirited than Qida Da, so they switched at the last minute. The result proved good—during that period Qida Da got along well with the crew and constantly amused people.

After that, more people came to film movies, TV dramas, scenery shoots, documentaries, and promotional videos there; whether or not the crews had contacted each other, they again sought out Qida Da. This monkey became quite a hit for a while, and as a result, Peiliang's family business boomed for a long stretch.

Nowadays many tourists visiting that area hear Qida Da's name and go curiously to have a look, also taking photos. Qida Da loves being photographed; the family doesn't even know how many pictures they have, and as soon as they see a camera, it naturally strikes a pretentious pose.

"Have you heard? Some people's pets earn more money than they do—this is also supporting the family!" Peiliang remarked there, feeling proud and showing off, trying to regain some face for his pet monkey. Beside him, Qida Da added a few "jiji aaa" sounds, as if echoing.

However, upon hearing Peiliang's remark just now about "pets earning money to support the family," Er Mao and Hetaoshixiong both glanced at Zheng Tan but didn't say more. The surrounding people noticed Er Mao's two actions, asked a few follow‑up questions, but Er Mao refused to elaborate, merely saying this black cat is also a money‑making pet that supports the family, and moreover it's a rich one.

"This local cat is actually tougher than Qida Da—it's way too low‑key; we haven't even heard any news about this cat." One person said.

"That's because its cat father doesn't allow it to show off." Er Mao answered.

"That's right!" the master elder slapped the coffee table with a "pa."

Everyone simultaneously glanced at the coffee table, confirmed it wasn't broken, then resumed chatting and laughing. Inside, each privately wondered when the master would break his habit of slapping the table; fortunately, the elder knows not to damage the hotel's property.

The elder also didn't feel he had behaved improperly, and continued: "This is protecting cats; nowadays some people, blinded by profit and strong utilitarianism, will do anything, and animals don't enjoy the same protections as humans—especially those not listed as nationally protected species, they just have to suffer. So it's still better to guard them. Peiliang, learn from this!"

"Yes yes yes!" Peiliang nodded. "It's not because our place is mountainous, unlike this big city with its crowds and mixed eyes; we aren't the only ones raising monkeys back home."

"Do other people's monkeys show off as much as yours?!" the master elder glared.

"No." Peiliang wilted. "I'll definitely pay attention!"

"Ahem. Getting back to it, this cat's strength is truly impressive." Someone, picking up on Peiliang's pleading glance, interjected to change the subject.

Sure enough, once the talk turned to the cat, the elder stopped picking on Peiliang.

"What's so strange about that? Cats can't be judged by ordinary standards. My cat has even caught prey several times its size!" the old man said in a matter‑of‑fact tone.

The person who had just spoken slightly curled his lips and fell silent. Anyway, whatever the master elder says, he always has a reason, and no one is allowed to rebut. As for the master's family cat… look at that black cat not far away, then think of the master's own cat—could they possibly be the same?

"Aside from the strength issue, this cat's reaction was also very quick—when that black cat made its move, Qida Da had only just darted out. Its reaction is truly fast." One person said.

"Er Mao, did you leak the secret? Tell this cat there's a monkey in the house?" another asked.

"No, absolutely not! I just told it to be clever." Er Mao denied.

The master elder nodded, saying, "This cat has been alert since it entered the door; the moment its ear twitched I knew it sensed Qida Da, and surely it knew the monkey would ambush from behind, so it was prepared."

Zheng Tan: "……" You overpraise me; I truly don't have the ability to find that broken monkey.

Moreover, from a human perspective, Zheng Tan doesn't really like being compared to other animals; it feels a bit like bullying the weak.

"You lot!" the elder raised his hand and pointed at each of Er Mao and the others, "You're not even as good as a single cat!"

Er Mao and his fellow senior brothers all wore a choked‑expression, with nobody daring to refute. Well, any topic inevitably turns into a lecture on people.

Zheng Tan listened to the crowd chatting and noticed that the old man either lectured people or praised his own cat. Having experienced it himself, Zheng Tan knows that the nice things his family says about their pets are all talk; only when you see the actual animal do you realize all the flaws.

Qida Da, hiding beside Peiliang, had taken that fall and now didn't dare approach Zheng Tan, apparently realizing Zheng Tan wasn't a soft persimmon but a dangerous object; it didn't dare get close, yet kept provoking—throwing melon seeds, peanuts, and such at Zheng Tan; when Zheng Tan grew angry and drew near, it would dodge to Peiliang's side and emit a continuous string of "jiji aaa" cries.

Later Zheng Tan grew tired of dealing with it, moved to another spot, and jumped onto the back of Hetaoshixiong's sofa; after that the monkey didn't dare throw anything, for fear that if it accidentally hit someone of senior‑brother status, both the monkey and the person would be reprimanded.

In the afternoon they ate a meal, then each went home; Er Mao and the others clamored to go disturb the bridal chamber, but Zheng Tan had no interest in following—he's just a cat, what could he join in?

Originally Zheng Tan thought that after Wei Leng's wedding he wouldn't see that monkey again. But a week later, Er Mao asked Zheng Tan whether he wanted to go out and play, saying Qida Da missed him.

Actually, this time Peiliang brought this item to Chu Hua Shi for two reasons: one was to attend Wei Leng's wedding, the other was that a film crew was shooting a drama in a city near Chu Hua Shi, and Qida Da was to do a cameo, for which they'd heard the pay was decent. They went to shoot the day after the wedding, only returned yesterday, and in two weeks there will be an animal‑themed program to go to the capital; during this period Peiliang is staying first at Hetaoshixiong's home.

Er Mao drove Zheng Tan to Hetaoshixiong's place, saying, "That monkey must be holding a grudge; I guess it's figuring out how to take revenge this time. Black coal, you'd better watch out—don't get beaten."

Beaten? How could that be?! Just because of that monkey?!

Upon arriving at Hetaoshixiong's home and just stepping inside, Zheng Tan heard a sound, followed it, and saw Qida Da riding on a big dog, looking very smug at Zheng Tan and lifting its chin.

Zheng Tan suddenly felt like saying to that big dog: "Are you the monkey's hired clown?" (To be continued…)

ps: (4.15) The internet at my place has had a problem; it's still being repaired, I don't know if it'll be fixed by tomorrow. These two chapters were written last night; I'm now holding my laptop and have found a place with internet outside to post them.