Chapter 341: Two Cats

The cat that rolled out of the grass was a bit bigger than Zheng Tan, with gray-black fur, short hair; looking closely, one could see some black spots mixed in.

At that moment, after rolling out of the grass, the cat looked around warily, apparently sensing many unfamiliar scents and sounds around; when it glanced toward Zheng Tan and the others, it startled, twitched its ears, then relaxed its vigilance a little, but the next instant it seemed to hear something, sprang up high with a swoosh, and in the next moment a yellow-white figure lunged from the grass toward it.

The two cats flattened their ears, arched their backs, fur bristling, giving each other the look of 'I'll scratch you to death,' and emitted that low, wary growl they make when preparing to fight.

Zheng Tan glanced at the clear sky; the weather was gradually warming, the season of spring blossoms was approaching soon. In the natural world, male rivalry had begun again.

The two cats facing off were: one was Peanut Candy, whom Zheng Tan had watched grow up, the very cat that had just leapt out; the other was a sorry-looking fellow who had tumbled out of the grass, also raised by Zheng Tan from a kitten—the tiger cub Hu Zi adopted by Feng Bai Jin, a tenant of the lakeside villa area.

These days Zheng Tan doesn't often go to the lakeside villa area, but whenever he does go a few times, he hears plenty of embarrassing stories about that fellow.

Still the old saying: 'I still remember the days of being fresh and innocent.'

All grown up, and none of them are reassuring!

The tiny thing Zheng Tan once fished out of a back alley in the old demolition zone has now grown a size larger than Zheng Tan; there's no helping it—this creature inherited its mother's excellent genes, that of a leopard‑pattern cat, which wasn't obvious when it was young. Once grown, it feels distinctly different from ordinary cats, clearly a mix of two feline types.

Back when Er Mao and Qin Tao spoke of the leopard‑pattern cat's tragic past, it seemed that before giving birth to Hu Zi, the mother had been bought to a fighting‑cat venue, where the cats were all fierce specimens; likely Hu Zi's father was one of those fighting cats, because Hu Zi is truly unruly—Feng Bai Jin couldn't keep him confined at home, couldn't lock him up, and once grown Hu Zi began roaming to expand his territory. And Peanut Candy is no docile cat either. After Hei Mi was temporarily taken away by Er Mao, Peanut Candy would periodically run to the Eastern District Estate to yowl a few times, spending the rest of its time patrolling its turf and fighting.

Now the territories of the two have overlapped, the overlap occurring right on the grounds of Chu Hua University. Therefore Zheng Tan occasionally hears two cat calls that differ from an ordinary cat's meow.

Based on Zheng Tan's several observations, when they fight the outcome is usually Peanut Candy victorious, while Hu Zi often comes away injured. Moreover, the more he loses the braver he gets—each time his wounds are not too serious, he runs back out to keep challenging.

Furthermore, whenever they start fighting, there are no other cats within a certain radius; many children develop a fear of their fighting cries, and even some adults feel uneasy hearing them, because in most people's eyes a cat's voice should be a cute, pleading meow, or the occasional plaintive howl on a romantic night—not this sort, which everyone wants to avoid for fear of getting caught in the crossfire, since a swipe like that is no joke.

Noticing Zheng Tan nearby, Peanut Candy quickly glanced his way, then continued staring down Hu Zi, seemingly waiting for an opening when the other wasn't paying attention to lash out with a paw.

Just having them keep growling at each other here isn't acceptable; the kindergarten teachers have already noticed this spot. Though they've lowered their guard around Zheng Tan, they still treat other cats differently. This is a kindergarten—hurting the children is no good, and even scaring them is unacceptable; in the end, the ones who will suffer are definitely these two.

So Zheng Tan jumped down from the concrete ledge of the railing.

The landing made little sound, hard for human hearing to detect, but for a cat it was enough.

The two cats facing off heard the sound, didn't even glance toward Zheng Tan, and bolted—if they didn't run fast enough they'd get beaten by Zheng Tan. Previously, when they fought and the venue was unsuitable causing a ruckus, if Zheng Tan happened upon them he'd go up and give each a slap, forcing them to roll elsewhere to continue; fighting also depended on the place and occasion.

Watching those two dash off on their paws, Zheng Tan didn't plan to chase after them, letting them continue their fight. He turned back, walked to the fence, and jumped onto its concrete base, looking at Zhuo Xiao Mao, who had just been about to say something before being interrupted by the tumbling Hu Zi.

Zhuo Xiao Mao didn't keep thinking about those two cats either; he actually had no special thoughts about other cats or dogs—in his view, Zheng Tan was his brother, and other cats were just cats, nothing more.

Although the year had already passed, this didn't affect Zhuo Xiao Mao's mood upon receiving the New Year's money Zheng Tan gave him. He carefully slipped the red envelope into a small pocket inside his coat, then, as usual, began his narration, this time recounting some events from the holiday break.

Since he had no other relatives nearby, Zhuo Xiao Mao spent the New Year being taken about by 'Buddha Grandfather'; after briefly explaining, he happily told Zheng Tan, 'Hei Ge, my mother is coming back!!'

Zheng Tan was greatly surprised by this news; calculating, Xiao Zhuo had been away for quite a while. From what he'd learned, Xiao Zhuo was doing some short‑term, non‑public scientific research for the state, and after joining the project plan it differed from the school‑applied project topics; moreover, the project Xiao Zhuo participated in likely posed great bodily risk, even endangering his life.

Zheng Tan didn't know the exact details, but he could guess some of the situation, just like the researchers at school—sometimes he overhears students gossiping: so-and-so's hair is thinning again, a certain teacher's health is poor, a certain student got sick from doing a certain kind of experiment, and so on. Last year he even heard Jiao Ba mention that several graduate students in the animal‑medicine direction of a provincial agricultural university had contracted brucellosis; such incidents are many, and the relevant colleges each year hold a special meeting on lab safety, with Jiao Ba often reminding Yi Xin and the others to stress safety inside the lab.

Moreover, in chemical‑physical experiments some procedures are also highly harmful to the body, just as many know about toxic reagents, heavy‑metal contamination, and radiation issues.

If Xiao Zhuo can return safely, that is indeed a joyful thing.

No wonder Zhuo Xiao Mao is in such high spirits today. Although these past few years he's had a few chances each year for a mother‑son video call, the calls are never long, and seeing each other on screen is not the same as meeting in person.

While Zheng Tan was feeling happy for the mother‑son pair, he heard Zhuo Xiao Mao add, 'But I have to wait until I enter first grade.'

Zheng Tan: '……' Looks like the time hasn't come yet.

Given Zhuo Xiao Mao's current level of knowledge, entering first grade would pose no problem at all. But he's too young; moreover, this isn't something that can be solved simply by letting him start first grade—the main issue lies with Xiao Zhuo.

However, according to Zhuo Xiao Mao, Xiao Zhuo will return in the second half of next year—just over a year, which will pass quickly.

After listening to Zhuo Xiao Mao complain for a while about 'Why can't I start first grade now?', he clapped his hands, Zheng Tan then left, and Zhuo Xiao Mao's outdoor activity time was up—he had to go back to the classroom.

Zheng Tan planned to go outside the campus to clear his mind, so he headed toward the old street.

He paused at the gate of Xiao Youzi's school, then continued walking, slowly leaving the old street and arriving at Hengwu Plaza; it was nearly noon.

Aromas of tempting food drifted from the snack stalls; Zheng Tan thought, it's already this time, he couldn't be bothered to go back to school to mooch a meal at Jiao Wei's family restaurant, so he went the familiar route to a spot in Hengwu Plaza, saw the big characters 'Shi Wei', and noticed the shop was already full of patrons. He wandered to the back of the shop, climbed up to a window on the second floor, the window unlocked.

The security mesh on the window wasn't tight; Zheng Tan could squeeze through, pull open the window, and jump inside.

Cai Lao Ban wasn't in the room, but from the tea in the cup and its temperature one could tell he had already returned from Nan Cheng; he'd just been in the lounge, probably stepping out temporarily for something.

The computer on the desk was on, with several documents placed in front of it.

Zheng Tan jumped onto the desk and glanced at the materials there.

Cai Lao Ban and his crew wouldn't leave anything involving trade secrets here—there are too many people around, and it's not safe—so usually what's left out are only things that aren't too important. Otherwise Zheng Tan wouldn't bother to look; he has no interest in sneaking a peek at others' trade secrets, since knowing more only brings danger.

What lay on Cai Lao Ban's desk were a few price lists, plus some explanations that made Zheng Tan's eyes glaze over.

Looking at the various vegetable prices listed, then at the computer screen showing last year's vegetable price table, Zheng Tan clicked his tongue—while eating at the cafeteria with Jiao Ba or getting free meals at Jiao Wei's place he hadn't noticed anything, but seeing the comparison on this sheet made him realize how much vegetable and general prices had risen.

With costs up, the dish prices in the shop should have risen too; yet despite that there are still so many customers, which also proves that 'Shi Wei' is indeed popular. Zheng Tan had walked all the way along the old street here and could see plenty of restaurants and eateries, whose crowds might not match 'Shi Wei's'. He had to admit, the food at 'Shi Wei' really is good.

Below the vegetable price list were a few wholesale prices given by suppliers; Zheng Tan merely lifted his hand and glanced at the top sheet, then stopped looking further, waiting for Cai Lao Ban to return so his lunch could be settled as well.

Not long after, the sound of a key turning in the lock rang out; Cai Lao Ban entered holding a file folder, though he looked somewhat worried, brows furrowed, and behind him came the shop's manager, a somewhat portly middle‑aged man,

Seeing Zheng Tan, Cai Lao Ban smiled and said, 'Yo, Hei Tan, happy new year.'

Cai Lao Ban walked to the desk, opened a drawer, and handed an organized document to the manager, 'Let's go with this for now. Also, have them bring over two meals later.'

'All right, boss.' The manager was already accustomed to Zheng Tan's presence.

After the manager left, Cai Lao Ban leaned back in the computer chair, pinched the bridge of his nose, and told Zheng Tan, 'Being a cat is great—nothing to worry about.'

Zheng Tan: '……' What a load of bull. (To be continued…)

Zheng Tan: "..." What a load of crap. (To be continued..)