Chapter 237: The Black Cat on the Wall

Zheng Tan has heard too much of this kind of talk, especially words laced with strong disgust.

Zheng Tan's steps paused, and he looked toward the direction where the sound had just come from.

Beside a tall cedar there, two people stood. One was about forty, looking like a noble lady; the other already had white hair, draped in a light-colored shawl, giving off an air of tranquility and harmony.

The one who had just spoken was that middle-aged woman. She supported the elderly person beside her, and her gaze toward Zheng Tan was undisguisedly hateful.

Zheng Tan wondered why, since he hadn't provoked her, she spoke as if they had a grudge. However, the elderly lady beside the middle-aged woman showed no hatred in her eyes; instead, she looked at him with scrutiny and a hint of kindly smile.

"What's wrong with a black cat?" the old lady said, clearly disagreeing with the remark made by the person beside her.

However, this old lady seemed not in good health; her voice was soft, lacking volume compared to the other elderly ladies in the courtyard who could sing opera without strain, making her seem somewhat short of breath.

The middle-aged woman twitched the corner of her mouth, as if wanting to say something but hesitating, then paused and said, "Mom, let's go over there for a walk."

"This place is fine, no need to change." The old lady shook her head, lightly patting the hand of the person supporting her, and said, "I know you think black cats are unlucky."

The middle-aged woman wanted to argue, but opened her mouth, only to be stopped by the old lady raising her hand; the old lady knew what she was about to say.

Most of those in the hospital are patients, some in recovery. They come out for a walk; others, like this old lady, during inpatient observation, sometimes don't want to stay cooped up in the ward all day, and after getting the doctor's permission they come out for a stroll. Behind her may be awaiting a surgery, though it hasn't been decided yet.

The old lady also felt today that the ward was too stuffy, and after communicating with the doctor, she had her daughter-in-law help her down for a walk to get some fresh air. A wheelchair had been arranged, but she didn't sit in it. Not far behind them followed a nurse, presumably to prevent any sudden incident.

Zheng Tan felt that when this old lady smiled, she was quite charming, as if she had a magical effect that calmed a restless, guilty heart. The displeasure he felt earlier upon hearing that pointed remark vanished completely.

Zheng Tan thought that this old lady must have been a beauty in her youth.

Nowadays there are plenty of good-looking people. It's a pity. Even if one was once stunningly beautiful, they cannot withstand the butcher's knife of time. But time takes away appearance, not that whole demeanor. Everyone grows old; staying graceful all the time is not easy.

Perhaps she was tired from walking; the old lady looked around, then headed toward the wooden bench by the path, intending to sit and rest a moment.

Seeing the old lady's movement, the nurse following behind hurried forward a few steps and placed a cooling soft pad on the wooden bench.

The old lady smiled and thanked the nurse; the young nurse's impression of the elderly person instantly improved.

The middle-aged woman glanced at Zheng Tan, still unable to suppress her disdain, mentally cursing the black cat on the wall a thousand times. There's no helping it; in the hospital, many people are particular, and some things are taboo—like how when giving fruit, apples are common and pears rare. A couple days ago the old lady even wanted to eat a pear, and she had to argue a lot to get her to agree to switch to another fruit. But now, seeing a black cat, what should she do?

Many people think black cats are eerie, especially at such a time and place; the middle-aged woman always feels it's inauspicious, especially when the cat looks at people, making her feel creepy inside. She originally wanted to go over and chase the cat away, but seeing the old lady like that, she couldn't just shoo it. She thought of taking the old lady elsewhere, but the old lady had already sat down!

What to do?!

She didn't say much, but Zheng Tan could see strong disgust and rejection in the middle-aged woman's eyes. This made Zheng Tan, who was about to lift his foot to leave, change his mind.

Zheng Tan is sometimes like this—stubborn, with a rebellious streak. The more you dislike me and want me to leave, the more I refuse!

So Zheng Tan squatted on the high wall, glaring at the middle-aged woman, and smugly flicked his tail tip twice. This made the woman's face twitch, but because the old lady was beside her she had to restrain herself; normally she would have already summoned people to attack.

The old lady looked toward Zheng Tan and smiled, saying, "When I was young I also saw many black cats; back then the elders in our hometown said black cats are spiritual objects that can ward off evil."

The middle-aged woman inwardly scoffed at that notion—ward off evil? She thought this cat itself was "evil"!

"You'd better not disbelieve; I remember, back when our village—" The old lady gazed toward Zheng Tan, but her eyes seemed to look through him as she recalled events from many years ago.

The old lady said a few things; the middle-aged woman merely took it as a story, and her hatred for the black cat on the wall hardly diminished. If it were her own during hospitalization, she would absolutely not want to see a pure black cat; she'd have people drive it far away and beat it so it wouldn't dare approach.

Probably because of Zheng Tan, the old lady got addicted to recalling the past and also shared some amusing memories.

"I didn't expect you, old lady, to have been so mischievous back then," the young nurse beside her teased.

"Yeah, back then I was also a wild girl." The old lady didn't mind revealing her past, then sighed, "People, when they look back on their youth, really feel how much they've changed. Faults, merits, old habits, new habits—it's like urban construction: some parts need tearing down, some get newly built; after a few years, looking again, you find you've unknowingly become completely different."

The young nurse didn't know what to say then; she didn't know this old lady well, afraid that saying the wrong thing might upset her. For someone of this age, even a minor ailment could be fatal, and in that, emotions are very important.

Seeing the old lady's conversation veer off, the middle-aged woman hastily tried to shift topics. But the old lady had no intention of changing the subject; gazing at the black cat on the wall, she told the middle-aged woman, "I see. This cat really does have spirit."

"Spirit my ass!" the middle-aged woman thought to herself.

Feeling inspired, the old lady waved at Zheng Tan, saying, "Hey, black cat on the wall, got time to come over and chat with this old lady?"

"What could it know!" the middle-aged woman was about to comfort the old lady, but out of the corner of her eye she saw a black shadow move on the wall; looking over, she discovered the cat that had been squatting on the wall had jumped down and was now walking slowly toward them.

This time it wasn't just the middle-aged woman and the young nurse; even the old lady was surprised. She had only spoken offhand, never expecting the cat to actually come.

Zheng Tan had a good impression of this old lady, so he decided to give her some face, and another reason was to piss off that middle-aged woman.

Seeing Zheng Tan really come over, the old lady was delighted. She waved and patted the wooden bench beside her, signaling Zheng Tan to sit nearby.

The middle-aged woman wanted to say the cat carried many germs, but seeing the old lady finally in a good mood, she didn't dare speak out.

Zheng Tan wasn't polite either; he went over and jumped onto the bench,

Although the middle-aged woman was enduring it, as Zheng Tan approached she couldn't help but shift aside like avoiding a plague, not wanting to get too close to the cat.

"Look, what did I say? This cat has spirit, right?"

The old lady raised her hand to pat Zheng Tan's head; he turned his head to avoid it. The old lady didn't mind, thinking cats are usually wary, so being able to come over was already good enough; thus her delight didn't diminish at all.

This time the young nurse found an opportunity and quickly said, "Indeed, speaking this way, this cat can ward off evil." She had originally intended to say the cat could dispel illness, but then she thought better of it, lest she say something irresponsible that she couldn't bear the consequences of.

"What can I say?" Even though the middle-aged woman loathed the cat on the long bench, she had to force a smile and echo a couple of lines to reassure the old lady.

Zheng Tan, meanwhile, stayed beside the old lady with a smug little-man look, his gaze toward the middle-aged woman carrying a hint of provocation.

The middle-aged woman took a deep breath, suppressing the surging anger inside. She had originally wondered if she was overthinking—how could a cat's eyes have such a look? But the more she looked, the more she felt it wasn't her own emotions causing an illusion, and she clenched her fists.

Because she had come to look after the old lady, her long nails had already been trimmed; otherwise, when she clenched her fists, her nails would surely have pierced her palms.

Zheng Tan noticed the middle-aged woman's small gesture and felt contemptuous. Although she looked like a wealthy lady—no need to mention jewels and riches—since caring for patients she didn't dare dress too flashily, her attire and grooming showed she had once been quite a sought-after beauty. Yet compared to the old lady beside her, Zheng Tan felt this middle-aged woman, even in old age, was an old hag. Perhaps that's the difference in temperament?

Shaking his head, Zheng Tan squatted beside the old lady. He could see she was a patient, somewhat frail; such a good person, he hoped she would recover and be able to watch this rapidly changing city more. From her gaze when she looked at him while reminiscing, Zheng Tan sensed that this old lady still had many people and things she couldn't bear to part with or let go of—only, time waits for no one.

The day was slanting toward evening; the old lady needed to return to the ward, and Zheng Tan also prepared to rise and leave.

Before rising, the old lady raised her hand to pat Zheng Tan's cat head again; he reflexively dodged, as a man's head shouldn't be touched casually. But thinking of the old lady before him, he felt a pang of reluctance, and before she withdrew her hand, he lifted his foreleg and touched his paw to her palm.

Wishing you health, this unnamed old lady.

After the touch, before these three could react, Zheng Tan flipped over the wall and left.

The old lady looked at her palm and smiled.

The young nurse not far from the old lady watched the elderly person standing there and thought, "She truly is not easy." From black hair to silver strands, beauty faded, steps unsteady, illness troubling, yet she still smiled calmly.

The old lady tugged at her shawl and whispered, "Get ready for the surgery."

"Mom, you really decided like this?! Or should we think again? It can't be because of that cat..." The middle-aged woman was very worried; if they didn't choose surgery, she could still last another three to five years, but the surgery's risk is too great—if successful, fine, the old lady could enjoy a few more years of the city's changes; but if it failed, she would never see this city again.

The old lady shook her head, yet said nothing more. Seeing this, it was clear she had truly made up her mind. (To be continued...)

ps: (4.26) Yesterday there were quite a few typos; thanks to everyone who pointed them out, I've already corrected them. Usually, even after checking once before posting, I still miss some—if you spot any errors, feel free to let me know and I'll fix them later; no need to resubscribe.

I'm not afraid to admit it—once, the text even showed 'Lazio' and similar things; I had no impression of it at all, and while typing I didn't even think of it, yet it ended up appearing, and I didn't notice it during proofreading. When classmate Xiao Su pointed it out, I immediately jumped up, turned on the computer, and fixed it; otherwise, more people would have seen it.