Chapter 397

The terrain here is a bit higher, and the direction Jueye is squatting faces the direction Zheng Tan is standing; from here one can see the scene down the slope and also the other woods in the distance within the Botanical Garden.

Zheng Tan didn't think Jueye was staring at him; it was just looking at the distant scenery. Regarding this big cat that had become solemn, Zheng Tan wondered what its earlier behavior was for—catching a bird but not eating it, or killing it outright—nothing like the habit of A Huang and Jingzhang in the big courtyard, who play first then eat.

There were still birds around, including the same kind just hunted, but Jueye seemed no longer interested in them; aside from its ears twitching at some sounds, its gaze hardly wandered around.

Zheng Tan could hear voices nearby; thanks to the higher ground, he could stand on the slope and see a small house not far away beside the main road, with a black sedan parked nearby. However, because tree branches blocked the view, from Zheng Tan's position he could only see part of the car, not the whole vehicle. The house, on the other hand, was visible in full—about thirty square meters, its design reminiscent of a stone cottage, fitting well with the scenic area; it should be the temporary residence of the person in charge of looking after this part of the Botanical Garden.

Two people stood outside the house, looking quite ordinary, but Zheng Tan knew that was only appearance; they were responsible for protecting Tang Qiye, one of whom Zheng Tan had seen before. Thus, Tang Qiye must be inside the house.

After looking at the big cat still lying there in the same posture, Zheng Tan decided to go over to the small house to have a look; perhaps he could find the answer.

Zheng Tan had thought his movements were fairly stealthy, but just as he was about to climb through the window to eavesdrop, he sensed a gaze; turning his head, he saw that the person who had been guarding the door was now standing not far away, looking at him.

This person was one Zheng Tan had seen before; he just didn't know whether the person recognized him.

The other party was merely vigilant, with no ill intent, which put Zheng Tan somewhat at ease. There was nothing to be done; in Zheng Tan's mind, he had long since lumped Ye Hao and Tang Qiye and the others into the underworld. He dared not provoke the people around Tang Qiye, for they would not tolerate him like the leopards beside Ye Hao could. But Zheng Tan also wanted to hear some gossip; he heard Tang Qiye's voice inside, and another person's. They weren't discussing anything secret, and they talked about Jueye. If it were really some sort of business secret, Zheng Tan wouldn't bother looking; curiosity kills the cat.

After staring at Zheng Tan for a few seconds, that person simply returned to the house's doorway.

Behind the house, Zheng Tan walked to the corner, poked his head out to look ahead, saw that the person wasn't doing anything, then went back to the window at the rear of the house and jumped up.

The window wasn't closed; it was a sliding type with a screen that kept insects out.

Zheng Tan didn't intend to pry open the screen; he just wanted to see who was inside and hear what they were saying. He didn't expect that Tang Qiye had already spotted him at the window.

Hei Tan? Tang Qiye looked at the window opening and said, "I knew I'd run into you, you rascal. Come in quickly, what are you doing poking your head out the window, are you a thief?!"

Tang Qiye actually already received a report from his subordinates earlier that there was a black cat behind the house; upon hearing it, he immediately thought of the Jiao family people he had seen when entering the Botanical Garden, and some of his subordinates also said they had seen the Jiao family people with a black cat.

Since Tang Qiye had spoken, Zheng Tan also didn't intend to stay cramped by the window; the space was too small, crouching was uncomfortable, so it was better to go in and listen openly and comfortably.

This room is a bedroom, about fifteen square meters; the bedroom's owner is the man in his fifties with somewhat dark skin sitting opposite Tang Qiye, dressed rather plainly.

On the simple folding square table were placed liquor and liquor cups, a dish of salt-fried peanuts. The liquor was still high-end, probably brought by Tang Qiye; almost all the liquor was being drunk by this man, while Tang Qiye had only a cup of tea in front of him.

This place looks rather shabby, and this person also seems like an ordinary staff member of the Botanical Garden; if it weren't for seeing the bookshelf filled with thick volumes of Chinese and English books, Zheng Tan would have made a wrong judgment based on first impression.

This person had drunk a bit too much, his originally somewhat dark complexion turned dark red.

"Whose cat is this? Raised really well." Saying that, the person reached out toward Zheng Tan, but Zheng Tan dodged.

Tang Qiye only said it was a friend's.

That person didn't dwell on why he had brought the cat inside, took a sip of wine, picked up a few peanuts with his chopsticks, and continued talking to Tang Qiye.

"At this time Ah Mi should have caught a bird, right? After you leave, I'll go check; hey, counting today's, there are probably forty-nine under that pine tree. If those guys found out, they'd surely explode with rage."

Zheng Tan didn't know exactly who the person meant by "those guys", but from his words one could infer they were those who advocated protecting birds.

How many mice a cat can kill, how many birds it can slay, how many insects it can toy to death in its lifetime—no one knows; feline animals are inherently killers, even a pet cat that looks gentle and lazy while sleeping at home still has a hunter's heart.

"Now it's fine, just come over once a year to kill, each time only one; if the old master were still alive, as soon as he ignored it, it would run out to catch birds, and after catching them it wouldn't eat them, just place them in a conspicuous spot for the old master to see, like venting anger—so angry the old master could only take a stick and bang stones, because he couldn't bear to hit the cat. Back then…"

Some people, once drunk, talk a lot; even if they've said something others have heard to the point of calluses on their ears, they still get excited. This also let Zheng Tan learn more about Jueye.

Upon hearing this person speak, Zheng Tan finally matched Jueye with the "Ah Mi" the person mentioned; it turns out Jueye used to live here before going out!

Back then Zheng Tan also suspected Jueye was hiding in the Botanical Garden, evading the initial two-year strict investigation of "cfh"; now no one bothers to care about "cfh" anymore, covering up shame is too late, who would mention it? Yet he didn't expect that not only was it hiding here, but someone was also helping cover for it.

Also, back then Zheng Tan felt Jueye could understand many human languages; if it hadn't been in contact with people for a long time, it wouldn't understand so much. If it had truly grown up in the wild, it wouldn't be willing to follow Tang Qiye and them now.

The person speaking is a researcher of rock plants, like his father; his "old master" died in 03, the time of death was exactly October; during this period, just a few days ago he even brought his family to the gravesite to see the old master.

Back then the old master lived here, convenient for studying plants and also to look after the plants here. Jueye was discovered by the old master back then, to be precise. The old master found a pregnant female cat back then. However, the female cat's physical condition was poor, and she died shortly after giving birth to Jueye.

Old folklore said a dead cat should be hung on a tree, but that old man didn't; instead he put it in a box and buried it under that old pine tree on the slope. Originally the old man just thought he was keeping a little cat to catch mice. At that time, they happened to discover traces of mice gnawing books inside the house. The old master on a whim took it in. From initially feeding formula to later cooking cat food. At that time supervision here wasn't strict, no one said not to keep cats, and the old master had no experience. Not knowing what cats could or couldn't eat, he just bought formula and made do; when he learned not to feed randomly, he found this kitten was easy to raise, eating any formula or porridge, and didn't get diarrhea.

As a result, in one year the cat seemed to have swollen like it had taken hormones, growing much larger than an ordinary cat, and far larger than that mother cat, to the point that the old master also wondered whether Jueye was a hybrid of a domestic cat and some larger feline; he even checked various places in the Botanical Garden, finding no traces of activity from other larger felines. To avoid some trouble, the old master hid Jueye well; when people were around, he would let Jueye hide in the room or in the woods, and Jueye was also clever, so the old man and the cat got along very well.

Like other cats, Jueye back then did plenty of **things, sometimes throwing a tantrum—for example, as that person just said, when ignored he would go catch birds to vent his frustration and show his presence. The old master also buried those poor birds under that pine tree, saying it was for Jueye's mother to eat. Later, Jueye wouldn't let the old master do it himself, burying the birds on his own. Usually he also liked to lie there to sleep, with no one disturbing him, his view still open; sometimes he'd sleep half a day.

The imposing Jueye also had his youthful days.

Undoubtedly, Jueye is fortunate; its very birth was a low-probability event, and moreover the old man who adopted it and the people here are only interested in plants, not much in animals, at most caring from an ecological perspective.

After the old master passed away, there was no one around the cottage for a while; Jueye only knew the old master, and though he was decent with the old master's family, it was merely "not bad", lacking any real rapport or closeness, so he gradually tried to run farther away.

Among the cats of Chu Hua Shi, judging by its fighting power, this guy could be called king and overlord; back then the Botanical Garden area was likely all incorporated into Jueye's own territory, patrolling its domain was surely no small matter, Chu Hua Da Xue is not too far from here, and that surrounding area also fell within its range of activity; otherwise, how could Li Yuanba have encountered Jueye and produced that goofy Peanut Candy?

Although Jueye left the Botanical Garden, now he follows Ye Hao and Tang Qiye and them, but every year at this time he still returns, catches a bird, buries it there, and then lies quietly under the pine tree.

"Really, this cat is especially good, and it doesn't hurt people; my grandsons and granddaughters were still little back then, often using it as a pillow. My old spouse always says, don't look at how big this cat grew, occasionally mischievous, but its nature is still gentle." That person sighed.

Tang Qiye, who had been silent all along: "... hehe."

Not to mention Tang Qiye's hehe; even Zheng Tan, after seeing how Jueye slaughters people, would not equate it with the word "gentle".

"Ah Mi is faithful; every year at this time he returns to pay respects to the old master." That person sighed again.

"Faithfulness is good, faithfulness is good." Tang Qiye said.

This is also why Tang Qiye is willing to keep Jueye by his side. If it were truly heartless, Tang Qiye would instead worry that for a creature like Jueye, if you treat it well, it remembers and will treat you well, and won't bite you back at a critical moment.

When Tang Qiye and them started talking about the medicinal plants in the rock plants for investment, Zheng Tan also stopped listening, climbed out the window, and even helped close the screen.

Returning to the slope again, Zheng Tan discovered there were two seven- or eight-year-old children there.

The little girl wearing a small floral-print skirt was rubbing against Jueye.

"Ah Mi, let's go play together, don't be lazy and sleep!"

After saying it several times with no effect, the little girl grabbed Jueye's two front paws and strained to pull him outward. Jueye let her pull, lying sideways and watching. The little girl, weak as she was, turned red in the face from strain, and even with her flushed face she didn't drag him far. Jueye still had some weight; a child of that age doesn't have much strength.

Afterwards the little boy also joined in, each taking one of the cat's paws, dragging Jueye out from under the tree. Jueye wasn't annoyed, letting the two of them strain, dragging him on the grass didn't hurt, and the tip of his tail slowly hooked up and down, seeming to find it quite fun as well.

These two should be the grandchildren of the person in the house; otherwise Jueye wouldn't be so good-tempered as to let them romp.

Someone down the slope called the two children; after dawdling a while longer, the two kids reluctantly left, but before leaving, the little girl plucked a small white flower and stuck it in Jueye's ear; Jueye is long-haired, and the hair there isn't sparse, so the flower stem got caught in the fur and didn't fall off for a moment.

After those two children left, Jueye then rose, slowly walked to the pine tree, still lying in the old spot, lifted his paw to flick his ears, ate the fallen white flower in his mouth, chewed two bites, then spat it out disdainfully, and continued gazing into the distance. (To be continued...)