Chapter 29

After Zheng Tan finished filming the kitten food advertisement, he didn't bother to check how the ad performed; his attention was focused on something else—Jiao Ma was going to be discharged.

Although her body hadn't fully recovered, there was no need to stay in the hospital any longer; with employee benefits and some compensation, hospitalization was practically free, but Jiao Ma didn't want to keep occupying a bed, and she felt uncomfortable staying in the hospital. Moreover, Jiao Ma felt guilty letting the two children keep eating cafeteria food. It's not that the cafeteria food is terrible; psychologically, home-cooked meals always make people feel better.

So, on a fine Saturday morning, the Jiao family were all at the hospital to pick up Jiao Ma and take her home.

Jiao Yuan carried his backpack, and Zheng Tan hid inside it. If a strange doctor or other unrelated unfamiliar person came over, Zheng Tan would shrink his head inside; if no one was around, he would poke his head out to watch a few people bustling about, packing things.

The mood upon discharge was always cheerful and happy, with everyone's faces showing an undisguisable smile. During Jiao Ma's hospitalization, everyone had gradually brought over a lot of household items; usually there didn't seem to be much, but once packed they filled a large cardboard box. This included the two children's bowls and cups, Zheng Tan's dedicated cat bowl, and some small blankets, etc.

Zheng Tan looked at the people bustling inside, then turned his head to glance outside the small isolation ward.

A man nearly fifty years old came out holding a white plastic bedpan commonly used in the ward, heading to the washing area to clean it.

Having finished washing and coming out, he saw Jiao Ba moving the boxes out of the room; the man smiled and greeted, "Xiao Jiao, you're picking up Xiao Gu discharged from the hospital?!"

"Ah, although she hasn't fully recovered, she said she didn't want to stay here any longer, feeling restless all over, so she'd better go home to rest." Jiao Ba spoke today with a light tone.

Jiao Ba and that man were talking there; packing up also made them a bit tired, so Jiao Ba took the opportunity to rest a little.

From their conversation, Zheng Tan learned that this man's wife had also been injured in the same school bus accident as Jiao Ma and hospitalized, but the lady's luck wasn't as good as Jiao Ma's; besides external injuries, she had multiple fractures, and with her age came some high blood pressure and heart disease, etc.; at the time she had repeatedly fallen into critical condition, and only these past few days had she been transferred from the intensive care unit to a regular ward. Since being admitted to the hospital until now she had basically been unable to get out of bed, eating, drinking, urinating and defecating all managed in bed, and her husband had been the one caring for her.

In the first few days of Jiao Ma's hospitalization she also couldn't get out of bed, and Jiao Ba had been looking after her the whole time. During that period, Zheng Tan heard Jiao Ba say to Jiao Ma most often, "Don't worry, I'm here."

Sometimes Zheng Tan felt envious of them—whether it was Jiao Ba and Jiao Ma, or that couple who had come from the ICU. Perhaps that's what truly qualifies as "family."

"All right, let's go home!"

Jiao Ma pulled a suitcase outward, and Jiao Ba hurried over to catch it.

Yi Xin, who had just finished an experiment, also came over at the last minute to help.

This time they didn't inform Aunt Ling and others about the discharge; Jiao Ba only mentioned it casually to Yi Xin while arranging work, never expecting Yi Xin to still show up.

Jiao Ba borrowed an SUV from a colleague at the hospital, moved the stuff downstairs to load it into the vehicle, then carried everyone back to the East Staff Compound.

While moving the items, both Jiao Ba and Zheng Tan were thinking at the same time: We really need to buy a car!

But now Jiao Ba's finances are tight; the liquid money he has, including the earnings from their own cat, have all been invested in the company, leaving no spare cash to buy a car.

Jiao Ba drove the car, thinking to himself: Let's wait a bit longer; we must definitely buy one before the end of next year, and then next year we'll drive the family and Hei Tan back to our hometown for New Year.

This year's New Year came a bit early, and due to Jiao Ma's condition, Jiao Ba decided to spend the holiday in Chu Hua Shi so Jiao Ma could rest properly; he also got in touch early with the elders back home, planning to bring both sides' elders over together, but Jiao family's grandfather rejected Jiao Ba's proposal.

At that time, Jiao family's grandfather said over the phone: "Your place is only that big; it's still more comfortable living in our town."

In order to recuperate properly and let her body fully recover without leaving any lingering issues, Jiao Ma also didn't go to the middle school to teach; just discharged, she couldn't overexert herself, so she took paid leave. Many teachers injured in the accident received the same treatment, so Jiao Ma felt no embarrassment about staying home to rest, taking extra care of the two children and the cat to make up for the neglect during her hospitalization.

With Jiao Ma at home, Zheng Tan felt life had regained its vibrancy, much more comfortable. In the morning he got up together with the two children, washed up with Gu Youzi, urinated in the morning with Jiao Yuan, and after washing up there was already prepared breakfast.

The person who went to school with Jiao Yuan in the morning increased by one—Shi Rui, a classmate who had just moved into the staff compound; after the previous theft incident, the vice principal's relatives had moved out of the staff compound, leaving the house vacant, which happened to be given to the newly arrived Professor Shi's family, and the house was still finely decorated, saving the Shi family a lot of effort.

Although they had company, the two children still habitually called for Zheng Tan to join them. After sending this group of little brats to the school gate, Zheng Tan then started running, running to the woods to practice climbing trees.

During this period, when Zheng Tan went to the artificial lake, he rarely saw Xiao Zhuo; it was said that because the weather was too cold, he stayed home to rest, and "Fo Ye" helped apply for a room in the staff building.

Once again it was Zheng Tan's turn to film an advertisement, and Xiao Guo came to the door, bringing along a magazine—a publication founded by his friend, in which many of Zheng Tan's pet ads are published; I heard the magazine sells fairly well.

After Xiao Guo arrived, he didn't rush to leave; instead he summoned Jiao Ma, sat on the sofa, and flipped the magazine to the page featuring Zheng Tan's advertisement.

Just like the previous issues, it's a picture story, composed of selected frames from the video advertisement featuring Zheng Tan and five kittens. Many readers who purchase this advertisement will first look at the picture story page, and the response to this issue has been especially good.

Besides that, unlike before, on the page beside the picture story a clear large image is placed, showing a big black cat raising its paw to meet the paw of a small kitten lying on its back on a blanket and waving its little paws.

In the lower right corner of this large picture is the pet center "Ming Ming Ru Ci"'s usual advertising slogan: "Obviously I love you so much, will you take me home?"

After looking at it, Jiao Ma directly cut out those two pages, placed them in an album, and also had Xiao Guo print out a photo copy for her to keep.

Zheng Tan actually didn't think much of that photo that everyone praised; he felt the picture made his dignified, imposing image look somewhat sentimental and melancholic, his temperament badly distorted.

Regardless of how Zheng Tan views this kitten advertisement, sales decide everything, and Xiao Guo's shop also received a new batch of orders for kitten food. In fact, many of the people contacting Xiao Guo mainly want to pick his brain—how to shoot such effect images? Any Photoshop traces? How to get the cats to perform those actions? Xiao Guo has always been practicing Tai Chi with people; in any case, the truth is there's none.

When Zheng Tan went with Xiao Guo to the pet center's advertising studio, he immediately noticed something unusual.

Li Yan was here, and around her there were some unfamiliar yet familiar scents. Zheng Tan walked over to Li Yan and took a look; Li Yan was staring fixedly at her computer, which contained some images, many of extremely poor shooting quality, but vaguely one could still make out something.

The images were all about two cats: a large cat, that is the domineering "Li Yuanba"; the small cat is not big, just born recently, mainly white with some yellow patches on its body, much smaller than the five kittens Zheng Tan previously worked with.

"This is Li Yuanba's child?!"

Zheng Tan then looked at the folder's name—Li Yuanba and Peanut Candy.

Looking again at the blurry photo of the kitten, its markings indeed resemble those of peanut nougat candy.

Upon learning that the tortoiseshell cat had given birth, Zheng Tan wasn't very interested; he just wanted to finish the ad and go home early. However, two of the staff members scheduled for today's shoot had temporary matters, so they'd probably have to wait another one or two hours before starting.

While waiting, Zheng Tan did as usual—he jumped onto the highest cat climbing frame, lay down, and closed his eyes to rest.

Not far from Zheng Tan, Li Yan held her computer while discussing things with Xiao Guo. From their conversation, Zheng Tan learned that during this period Li Yan and that tortoiseshell cat had been living at the pet center.

At the pet center there are some staff rest rooms and living quarters; Li Yan moved in because her pregnant cat made her constantly anxious, fearing any mishap, and she had no experience caring for pregnant women, let alone pregnant cats; after consideration she directly moved here, paying two months' rent in a row, and with Xiao Guo helping to look after things, Li Yan felt much more at ease; personally, she has no high demands for lodging—just bring a computer and a place with internet.

Li Yuanba gave birth only a few days after moving in, unusually having just a single kitten, which is larger than an average newborn kitten.

Li Yan wanted to take more photos or videos as a memento, but Li Yuanba, upon seeing a camera or similar, would adopt a fierce glare; his already somewhat ferocious face looked even more murderous, which troubled Li Yan greatly. Xiao Guo couldn't help either—he couldn't even approach, for the cat would go into a combat-ready stance at the sight of strangers, purely seeking to scratch.

When Yanzi photographed her own cat, she never used flash, and all the shots were sneak shots. Yanzi's tortoiseshell cat has very keen senses, so many times when Yanzi tried to sneak a photo it failed, often capturing only a tail or a blur; the pictures she previously showed Xiao Guo were the result of her long effort.

Later Li Yan installed a camera and daily spied on her laptop.

Now, after looking at the photos, Li Yan opened the camera again to start peeping.

"I heard a few days ago that tortoiseshell cats are very gentle and love quiet, better than ordinary cat breeds, and they're good at caring for their offspring—is that true? I think my Li Yuanba actually fits that description." Li Yan said complacently.

Xiao Guo pondered, "I used to hear my grandmother say that tortoiseshell cats are either gentle and quiet, or they're outright bandits; I think your cat leans more toward the latter."

"\"Guo Xiaoming!! \" Li Yan snatched up a cat-teasing stick placed nearby and whipped it at him."

After they fooled around for a while, Li Yan began to worry about her cat's daily life—food, warmth, and everything else.

"You're being neurotic, aren't you?" Xiao Guo rubbed his arm where he'd been whipped, saying: "Many cats don't let you see their kittens; yours is already pretty good. Actually cats don't need too much attention—just make sure their nutrition is sufficient. Cats aren't like dogs; natural feline species are mostly solitary. You often see dirty stray cats squatting on walls or stone blocks, half-closed eyes lazily basking in the sun, but compared to stray cats, stray dogs are much more miserable; canine species in nature tend to be gregarious, so you often see stray dogs with tails tucked between their legs, looking frightened and uneasy. Stray dogs die easily, whereas stray cats can often survive on their own for a long time. Cats can hunt independently and survey their territory with a king-like gaze, while dogs, many of them prefer to follow their owners, and some even need someone to accompany them when they urinate or defecate..."

Hearing Xiao Guo say that, Zheng Tan looked toward the not‑far‑away golden retriever lying there. That was a female golden retriever; perhaps someone would think, since the store's American Shorthair male cat is called "Prince", this one should be called "Princess", right?

Unfortunately, this golden retriever is not called "Princess" but "Lord". I heard it once won an award at a pet show, and the certificate was posted by Xiao Guo in a prominent spot in the shop as publicity. Because of its appearance advantage, many of the in‑house dog pet food product icons in Xiao Guo's store use this golden retriever's image.

The golden retriever's rich gold coat is naturally eye‑catching; its personality is lively, intelligent, and kind toward family, and it is gradually being recognized by more and more people.

At this moment, because Xiao Guo mentioned stray dogs, Li Yan also looked toward the golden retriever, and Xiao Guo followed Li Yan's gaze, seeing their own "Lord" grinning at them while wagging its tail vigorously.

"What are you looking at? I'm talking about you!" Xiao Guo shouted towards the golden-haired side.

The golden-haired "Lord" didn't know if he understood; because of Xiao Guo's words, the action of wagging its tail paused for a moment, then it continued wagging its tail with its mouth open.

"You're just a glutton!" Xiao Guo said helplessly.

Zheng Tan pulled his gaze back from the golden-haired side and lay there thinking.

Xiao Guo's earlier words made Zheng Tan think of some problems; he didn't know how to position himself—was he a solitary type or a gregarious type? Humans are social animals, and he now has the mindset of an adult man, yet his veins flow with a cat's blood.

If one day I end up drifting outside, what would that be like? Would I still be able to squint my eyes and leisurely enjoy the sunshine? Or would I have to tuck my tail and anxiously survive in this cramped social environment?

Zheng Tan really didn't know.

Waiting for the two employees to return, Zheng Tan gathered his thoughts and started working.

This ad wasn't difficult, not kitten food, so it didn't take long; after filming, Xiao Guo sent Zheng Tan back to Dongqu Dayuan.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Zheng Tan lay on the sofa at home keeping Jiao Ma company while watching that nagging TV drama, took a nap, then went out to roam.

Because Jiao Ma was at home, Zheng Tan didn't need to accompany the child; sometimes at night he would roam a bit longer outside before returning home. At year's end, Jiao Ba also had a lot of work; recently it seemed that the experimental project had reached a critical stage, often working until eleven or twelve at night or even past midnight before returning home. When Zheng Tan was out playing past eleven, he would go to the Life Science Building to stroll around, waiting for Jiao Ba to pick him up on a small electric vehicle.

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