Chapter 407

After finishing writing, Zheng Tan hid that piece of pencil in the tree hole where he used to keep his phone; he would still use it later, so he wasn't in a hurry to throw it away.

Although Zheng Tan hadn't been to that tree hole for a long time, no other animals had moved in, so it was still fairly clean; he picked up a plastic bag, wrapped the pencil in it, placed it in the tree hole, and then went home.

Zhuo Xiao Mao said he would give a gift at Christmas; Zheng Tan couldn't guess what it was, but counting the days, it was coming soon.

Regarding Xiao Guo's Christmas and New Year's program, Zheng Tan also took part; however, Xiao Guo no longer let Zheng Tan do vigorous running and jumping exercises, likely because Zheng Tan's recent illness frightened Xiao Guo, who hasn't yet recovered; consequently, Zheng Tan's Christmas task isn't heavy—just follow the plan, strike a few poses, take some photos and film a bit, and that's fine.

Xiao Guo also didn't keep Zheng Tan for overtime; as soon as shift ended, he had Cha Li send Zheng Tan home safely. No overtime meant no overtime pay, but Zheng Tan's savings from the past half year were enough for New Year's money, so taking it easy was fine.

On the evening of the 24th, the Jiao family had just finished dinner, not celebrating Western holidays like the students outside; Jiao Ma was still commenting on some Western worship phenomena in the news when the front door was knocked.

Hei Ge!

The person outside shouted while knocking on the door.

Jiao Ma, who had just been showing displeasure at some phenomena in the news, immediately laughed upon hearing the voice and hurried over to open the door.

The Jiao family really liked Zhuo Xiao Mao; he was smart and endearing. Whenever Zhuo Xiao Mao came over, Jiao Ma would bring out lots of snacks for him.

This time, Xiao Zhuo brought Zhuo Xiao Mao to the door. He was also holding a box.

"This is a gift from Zhuo Xiao Mao to Hei Ge, celebrating Hei Tan's recovery, wishing Hei Tan stays healthy and strong." Xiao Zhuo said, handing over the box.

"Oh, a gift from Zhuo Xiao Mao." Jiao Ma took the box, smiling.

Zheng Tan also got curious, leaning in to look. Meanwhile Zhuo Xiao Mao couldn't wait to show off his gift.

The box opened, revealing some parts inside; though not assembled, one could tell from them that when put together they would form a bicycle. A miniature one.

"A bicycle?" Jiao Ma wondered.

"Yes." Zhuo Xiao Mao laughed, taking out the parts inside. He struggled to fit them together; when he couldn't exert force, Xiao Zhuo came over to help.

In less than two minutes, the miniature bicycle was assembled, about half a meter long. The material was sturdy yet light; overall very light. Jiao Ma roughly estimated it weighed less than a catty.

"Zhuo Xiao Mao said he used to ride a four-wheel cart with Hei Tan, feeling nostalgic. There are still photos of it on the bedroom wall. Now learning to ride a bicycle, he also wants to ride together with Hei Tan for fun." Xiao Zhuo explained from the side.

Many primary school students ride bicycles, not to commute to school but just to play around in their own courtyards; kids sometimes race, while Zhuo Xiao Mao no longer touches that four-wheel cart meant for children, but is learning to ride a bicycle; therefore, when thinking of preparing a gift for Zheng Tan, he settled on this idea.

However, Zhuo Xiao Mao, being young, didn't consider Zheng Tan's special circumstances; in his mind, Zheng Tan can do anything, is omnipotent, so what's a bicycle?

Even if Zheng Tan could ride a bicycle, considering some influencing factors, he wouldn't ride it in broad daylight; while driving the four-wheel cart he could still operate from a concealed spot, just for show, but riding a bicycle would be impossible—once he rode out he'd surely attract a swarm of cameras; now the internet is well-developed and electronic products update rapidly, Zheng Tan doesn't want to be put online for discussion.

Nevertheless, this is Zhuo Xiao Mao's heartfelt intention, a gift he made himself; although Xiao Zhuo's help was indispensable, the sentiment has been conveyed, and compared to those two silly greeting cards before, this is much better.

"This bike is really small; can it be ridden?" Jiao Ma asked.

"It can be ridden, and it's made according to Hei Tan's build, with two training wheels; I just don't know if Hei Tan can ride it." Xiao Zhuo laughed.

In Xiao Zhuo's view, this bike won't be used, but since Zhuo Xiao Mao wanted to make it, he helped, even asking a junior schoolmate to procure some sturdy yet lightweight materials.

Jiao Ma didn't expect it to be used either; however, this bicycle, like Zheng Tan's four-wheel cat car, can be placed at home as a decoration.

In the end, Zheng Tan didn't ride the bicycle in front of these people; when Zhuo Xiao Mao left, he was quite disappointed, even urging Zheng Tan to learn to ride soon so they could go out for a stroll together. Too bad, that probably won't happen.

This miniature bicycle remains un-disassembled for now, placed in Jiao Yuan's room; anyway, Jiao Yuan spends little time at home these days, so things with nowhere else to go are all kept in his room.

Zheng Tan had no intention of riding the bike out, but he still likes this bicycle; he had previously seen Zhuo Xiao Mao playing with a plastic bicycle model toy bought by the Buddha Master and them; this bicycle is likely based on those models; given Zhuo Xiao Mao's current ability, he couldn't have done it alone—the main effort came from Xiao Zhuo.

There was no one in Jiao Yuan's room; Zheng Tan crouched in front of the bicycle, and when no one was paying attention to this side of the room, he reached out and lifted it—hmm, indeed very light; for other cats it would be considered heavy, but for Zheng Tan it posed no problem.

Zheng Tan planned to ride it for fun when no one was home.

Just then, as he was thinking, Father Jiao, who had just answered the phone in the master bedroom, shouted: "Hei Tan, come over, you've got a call!"

Usually the callers are Er Mao or Wei Leng and the like; however, they wouldn't call Zheng Tan directly, they'd usually tell Father Jiao about something; now calling Zheng Tan directly, I really can't think of who else it could be.

Zheng Tan came to the master bedroom and jumped onto the bedside table where the phone was placed.

The phone was on speaker; Zheng Tan could hear some laughing voices from the other end, male and female, speaking softly with smiles; he couldn't recognize who they were, probably all strangers.

"Alright, Hei Tan's here." Father Jiao said from beside him.

Then, from the other end of the phone came two soft "pu pu" sounds, like wings flapping; after that, Zheng Tan heard that long-lost voice.

"I haven't forgotten~ you forgot me~ you even got my name wrong~~ proving everything you say is just~ lying to me~ see how you~ say~ today~"

Zheng Tan: "……"

Upon hearing that voice, Zheng Tan immediately stepped back a few steps.

Damn it, I'm not answering that bitch's call!

In early November, as the temperature in Chu Hua Shi plummeted, that despicable bird lay listless at home all day; but after its owner took it to the warm south, the bird started showing off again.

On the other end of the phone there was some laughter, indicating that several people were gathered around the speaker; most likely they are the family of Professor Qin, the bird's owner, in the south.

Not letting the bird show off too much on the phone, Professor Qin quickly took over the conversation and started chatting with Father Jiao.

Previously, Professor Qin had been in contact with Father Jiao's side; he gave Father Jiao the keys to his fourth-floor apartment, saying some plants needed watering. Although there is an automatic watering system, one still needs to check periodically. So Father Jiao goes to Professor Qin's fourth-floor apartment every week to make a round, then sends an email or something to report the situation.

Father Jiao learned of Zheng Tan's illness later when chatting with Professor Qin; today's call was not placed by Professor Qin, but the General itself dialed the number with its beak, supposedly to check on Zheng Tan the patient; as a result, as soon as Zheng Tan came on the line, he heard the bird singing a newly learned old song, though he doesn't know who in Professor Qin's household taught it.

The General on the other end probably hasn't finished singing yet; Professor Qin, while on the phone, also complains that the bird is pecking at the telephone line to vent its anger.

Aside from the bird factor, Professor Qin originally also planned to call Father Jiao these two days.

"I heard you've been selected as this year's Provincial Outstanding Figure? Congratulations, congratulations." Professor Qin said on the other end.

Zheng Tan was about to leave when he caught the voice coming from the receiver, stopped his steps, and decided to listen a bit more.

Prominent figure?

Sounds pretty awesome.

But when did Jiao Ba get selected as the province's outstanding figure?

Jiao Ba held the receiver, caught Zheng Tan's movement out of the corner of his eye, glanced over there, then withdrew his gaze and started chatting with Professor Qin.

Zheng Tan then realized that the so-called "outstanding figure" is actually an annual event held within the province, selecting individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the province, achieved remarkable results, and embodied the spirit of the times—including figures from academia, finance, and even sports and entertainment circles.

Jiao Ba, however, belonged to the "Top Ten Outstanding Young Teachers" list. To some, it's merely an empty title, and even obtaining that empty title is no easy feat—it requires not only strong personal ability but also good relations with certain people.

Listening to Jiao Ba and Professor Qin chat, it felt like neither of them really cared much about this title; usually they were indifferent—either due to jealousy, sour grapes, or simply because they were people like Jiao Ba and Professor Qin who had already earned higher honors.

Actually, if it weren't for the groundwork laid by those previous honors, this kind of annual selection—this sort of superficial honor—would not have fallen on Jiao Ba. Speaking of which, these past two years Jiao Ba has indeed been working hard, often busy to the point of being unseen, and his influence in the Life Science Institute has been growing. Once Zheng Tan even heard Life Science Institute students discussing who could shoulder the institute's banner in the future; among the candidates, Jiao Ba's popularity was high. The institute's leaders also gave Jiao Ba face, not talking about ability, but saying that red mouse—well, it's still alive and hopping in the lab—so when the big bosses of the project teams in that research direction vote, they always have to consider Jiao Ba's contribution to the institute, right?

The school intends to take this opportunity to do more PR work; this appearance is not just limited to academic circles—it's open to the general public, and the award ceremony will be broadcast on provincial TV. Because it involves a wide range of areas, there are big entrepreneurs, CEOs of large companies, as well as well-known sports or entertainment stars; the show's ratings will also be relatively high. With this opportunity, how could the school possibly pass up a chance to boost its visibility?

Professor Qin had this experience before, so this time when he called he also passed on a few tips to Jiao Ba. After all, when the time comes it won't be just a matter of attending an awards ceremony; he'll also have to meet celebrities from all walks of life, including political figures, and there's no room for mistakes. Don't think that being an academic lets you ignore people from other industries, or you'll suffer for it.

The good news is that Yuan Zhiyi also made the list for this year's provincial 'Top Ten Outstanding Young Entrepreneurs.' With Yuan Zhiyi on the list, Jiao Ba will have someone to talk to, so even if he gets ignored or sidelined at the event, he won't be left standing there like a fool. (To be continued...)

PS: I'm feeling a bit under the weather, not in good shape, and it's late; this is just a transitional chapter, thanks for your understanding.