Chapter 7

Zheng Tan climbed the tree, stood in a high place and looked toward the direction where human voices came from.

Soon Zheng Tan understood the gist; it was similar to the eight‑o'clock drama Jiao Ma had been watching recently, the only difference being that the female side didn't wail and make a scene.

After a while Zheng Tan grew bored, came down from the tree to stroll, letting that bored parrot stay in the tree to watch the real‑life eight‑o'clock drama, at least that way it wouldn't bother Zheng Tan; Zheng Tan hoped inside that the drama over there would preferably be on air all day or continuously on air. Thinking this way seems lacking in morals, but what are morals? That thing has been kicked into a corner since Zheng Tan could remember; occasionally he picks it up to look, and when it doesn't involve his own interests, that thing just stays mildewing in the corner, and Zheng Tan wouldn't even glance at it.

Under the tree only Da Pang lay there in a "farmer's hold" posture, squinting as if about to fall asleep; as for Jing Chang and A Huang, they probably couldn't stay idle and went off to find somewhere to play.

In this surrounding area, the few cats usually go to only those few spots, so Zheng Tan needn't worry about not finding those two; even if he can't find them at first, a couple of calls and they'll respond, they won't run far.

He flicked his tail, tapping Da Pang once to signal it to follow; this guy always looks sleep‑deprived, and at first Zheng Tan thought it was from overusing his brain, but later he discovered that even if Da Pang didn't use his brain much he was still in that sorry state. But who could imagine that such a drowsy‑looking fat cat would actually be skilled at using Morse code?

Don't judge a person by appearance; cats are no different.

Not far from the residential compound there is a small supermarket called "East Garden Supermarket"; East Garden Supermarket has recently been under renovation, and some sand and stone are piled at its back door; today the workers are resting, so there's hardly anyone around the supermarket's back door.

When Zheng Tan arrived at the back door of East Garden Supermarket, he happened to see A Huang squatting on that pile of sand and soil, his expression solemn, earnestly defecating. After finishing, he used his paws to scrape the sand and soil to cover it up, then shook his fur and left as if nothing had happened.

After his surgery A Huang no longer urinates randomly, but his nature remains; he still likes to defecate in places that surprise people.

Zheng Tan imagined that if those workers came tomorrow and a shovel scooped up a lump of cat feces, who knows what expression they'd have; or perhaps they wouldn't notice and would just smear that lump onto the wall…

If Zheng Tan were the owner of this supermarket, he would surely whip that idiot A Huang to death.

Beyond East Garden Supermarket, walking forward you'd see a large lawn, but Zheng Tan and the others usually don't go there because the lawn is often crowded with people, adults and children alike; going there just makes them feel uncomfortable, and mischievous little brats are the natural enemies of all pets—if they grab a tail you can't even scratch, and when kids misbehave and get punished, it's still the cat that suffers.

So basically when Zheng Tan and the others come over, they just play in this little grove between East Garden Supermarket and the big lawn.

A Huang was scratching the trees, moving from one trunk to another; Jing Chang was foraging, looking for small insects to snack on; as for Da Pang, he again tucked his forepaws underneath him, lying in the grass in a farmer's hold posture, seeming uninterested in everything going on around him.

Zheng Tan scanned the surroundings, saw no one approaching, jumped onto a stone table in the grove, and squatted in the sunlit spot to rest.

A faint fragrance of osmanthus drifted on the breeze; the clamor from the lawn didn't reach this little grove, and occasionally the sounds of the two cats' fluttering and claw‑scraping could be heard.

The warm sunshine made Zheng Tan feel drowsy, almost ready to fall asleep.

Suddenly, a strange cry came from the nearby bushes; it sounded like a bird's call, but upon closer listening it was still different from a bird's call, and Zheng Tan, who had lingered here for a long time, had never heard such a sound before.

Zheng Tan opened his eyes; at the source of the sound, A Huang was lifting a foreleg, twisting his neck left and right, as if weighing where to strike with his claw.

On the other side, Jing Chang heard the sound and also ran over; the next moment, a fuzzy ball darted out from there.

A guinea pig?

In local parlance, it's also called a Dutch pig.

However, this guinea pig differs from the ordinary sort: its fur is longer, and a tuft of white hair on its head falls forward like bangs, nearly covering its eyes. Perhaps because it gets plenty of exercise, this guinea pig isn't slow‑moving like the fat ones Zheng Tan has seen constantly cooped up in cages; its running speed is much faster.

Still, even though relative to other guinea pigs its speed is relatively fast, in the face of two cats whose energy is constantly overflowing, it still can't escape their claws.

Jing Chang and A Huang cornered the guinea pig in the middle; whenever the guinea pig tried to run out, they used their paws to drive it back to the original spot.

Zheng Tan thought it over, and then stopped Jing Chang and A Huang just as they were about to bite; the guinea pigs kept on campus are raised as pets, they're not lab mice—you can't just play with them however you want or eat them however you like. Moreover, this breed is somewhat special; Zheng Tan had just observed the guinea pig's fur, which was clean and appeared to have been carefully groomed, its owner clearly values it, and no one can guarantee that eating it would leave no trace; if the owner showed up, it would surely bring trouble. The big lawn is nearby, so this guinea pig probably came from there.

When Zheng Tan brushed A Huang aside, the guinea pig didn't immediately seize the chance to flee; instead it stayed put, looking warily at the several cats, and then, as if making a decision, it inched little by little over to Zheng Tan's side.

Zheng Tan: "…… " Is he assuming he won't eat it?

It must be said, animals sometimes have a surprisingly keen sixth sense.

Zheng Tan flicked his tail, about to move away from the guinea pig, when out of the corner of his eye he caught a silhouette—a stranger's silhouette!

If it were merely a stranger, Zheng Tan wouldn't be this shocked; the reason for his shock is that just a moment ago he and the other three cats hadn't noticed anyone approaching at all—he didn't even know how long the person had been there, or whether he had been hiding nearby just then!

Zheng Tan's gaze fell on that person's hand; the palm was turned inward, the body slightly blocking the right hand.

When their eyes met, Zheng Tan recalled the look in Jiao Ba's eyes when he had killed the white rats that night, but Jiao Ba only showed that look toward those white rats, whereas this man before him made Zheng Tan's chill run deeper—this person… surely hadn't killed just mere mice!

A Huang merely jumped at the sudden appearance of the person, then turned his attention back to the fuzzy lump hiding beside Zheng Tan, lifted a paw to test it, and still seemed unwilling to give up.

Zheng Tan slapped A Huang with a paw—did this idiot not see that there's a dangerous person here?!

Even while slapping A Huang, Zheng Tan's gaze never left the stranger; the man gave him a feeling of extreme danger, making Zheng Tan and the others feel like those white rats placed on the experimental table that night—unable to escape, waiting to have their necks crushed.

Da Pang was no longer lying in the grass; he sprang up with a "whoosh", arched his back, fur bristling, ears pulled back, his eyes no longer the usual sleepy look, flashing a fierce light, and his throat emitted a "woo—woo—" alert sound, as if facing a formidable foe. This was the first time Zheng Tan had ever seen Da Pang like this since he knew him.

Perhaps under the influence of Zheng Tan and Da Pang, the other two also watched the person warily. Although they were a bit simple‑minded and a bit thick‑nerved, at the crucial moment A Huang and Jing Chang didn't run off on their own—quite loyal! Jing Chang actually had intended to flee, but seeing that the other three hadn't moved, he too stiffened, fur bristling, and stayed put.

What should we do?

Zheng Tan's thoughts raced.

Fleeing immediately is one of the better options, and indeed the most common, but Zheng Tan really isn't sure he could leave safely; the opponent's gaze is still locked on the few of them, as if any movement would tug at that danger line, and the opponent's hand, never fully revealed, makes Zheng Tan feel extremely perilous.

The two sides faced off for about two minutes; then the man smiled, and as he did the surrounding atmosphere seemed to relax considerably. He shook his arms, raised both hands and waved them, saying, "Little cats, you don't need to be so tense—I'm just here looking for a pet."

As he spoke, he pointed to the Dutch pig hiding behind Zheng Tan. But that Dutch pig obviously wasn't prepared to give him face, and instead moved closer to Zheng Tan, as if avoiding him.

Zheng Tan let out a slight breath, but he didn't dare be careless; he felt that the stranger had probably been holding something in his hand just now—perhaps a blade, or something else—and had merely flipped his hand to hide it away.

Just who is this person? Zheng Tan wondered.

"Chestnut, come over quickly, or else your owner will be worried," he shouted at the fuzzy lump—the Dutch pig—hiding behind Zheng Tan.

The Dutch pig gave no response, its face still hidden, and made no sound.

"Chestnut—" the man crouched down, calling the fuzzy thing a few more times.

Zheng Tan silently cursed a few times, shifted his body to the side, exposing the fuzzy lump hidden behind him; he didn't want the lump to drag him and the others into danger.

Seeing the lump still unmoving, Zheng Tan pushed it a few times with his tail. "Come on, hurry up!"

Finally, the lump that Zheng Tan had pushed out moved unwillingly, inching slowly toward the man's direction.

After retrieving the pet, the man didn't linger; he turned and headed toward the big lawn.

Only after the man's figure disappeared from sight did Zheng Tan finally let out a full breath, thinking it would be best to come here less often in the future.

On the other side, the person whom Zheng Tan and the others had treated as a formidable foe ignored the fuzzy lump's protests in his hand, carried it out of the grove, then turned back to look at the woods. He thought, "Those two cats just now were quite something… especially the black one."

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Ahem, sorry I overslept and forgot to update…

Thanks to Chen Mo〓van, lazyorange, AtmanX for the tips! Thanks to everyone for the votes and support!

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