Chapter 78

Zheng Tan followed Fo Ye outward; exiting the West District Family Compound brings one close to the West School Gate, with relatively many people coming and going. Fortunately, Fo Ye had no intention of leaving the school, turned a corner, and walked along a small path into the campus.

Although indeed walking into the campus now, at the gate of the West Compound many people who know Fo Ye pass by; Zheng Tan doesn't know how many people have given him a glance, and some behind whisper about whether this is Fo Ye's cat, why Fo Ye is in the mood to come out walk the cat, etc.

If one wants to avoid these people and not attract so much attention, it's actually simple: go through another gate of the West Compound and walk along the relatively quiet stone path; there's no need to head toward the school gate side.

Zheng Tan doesn't understand what Fo Ye actually means.

Tell others this cat actually has backing? And the backing is none other than the renowned Fo Ye of Chu Hua Da Xue?

Zheng Tan, while following Fo Ye into the campus, pondered this important figure's thoughts.

Meanwhile, Zheng Tan also wondered why he hadn't seen Xiao Zhuo just now—had Xiao Zhuo moved? This house indeed belongs to Fo Ye, but since Fo Ye gave it to Xiao Zhuo to live in, there's no way she would take it back now; besides, Xiao Zhuo is a student Fo Ye values highly.

Needless to say, Fo Ye's aura is indeed strong; Zheng Tan beside her constantly feels tense—truly pitiful for the physics institute students who often run into Fo Ye.

Fo Ye didn't keep walking either; she sat down on a long wooden bench beside a relatively quiet small path. She patted the spot next to her on the bench, looked at Zheng Tan, and indicated he could sit there.

Zheng Tan jumped onto the bench and sat beside Fo Ye, indicating he felt great pressure. It's clear that the teachers who daily work with Fo Ye must endure psychological pressure greater than other teachers'.

After sitting down, Fo Ye didn't speak either, just gazing ahead at the woods.

Zheng Tan looked into it; that patch of woods isn't particularly special—Chu Hua Da Xue has many such small groves. Seeing Fo Ye like this, she must be pondering something.

Zheng Tan suddenly felt that being like Old Man Lan would also be fine—though his temper is a bit odd, at least he says what he thinks, letting people know his thoughts and thus having a way to respond.

However, Zheng Tan now also feels fortunate to be just a cat, pretending not to understand anything. No one would let you break the stiff atmosphere to find a topic.

At this moment, several graduate students from the physics institute were preparing to go to the bank at the school gate to withdraw money. Taking this shortcut path, they suddenly saw Fo Ye sitting on the long roadside bench.

Weren't they saying Fo Ye had gone back to rest? So who the heck is sitting here now?! The several graduate students felt resentful.

At this time point it's not a moment for wandering around, and Fo Ye, relying on her strong memory, has an impression of most students in the institute. Moreover, these few happen to be in Fo Ye's research group, making them even more familiar.

Several people walked around the corner before spotting Fo Ye; at this moment pretending not to have seen her and turning back is impossible, so they had to bite the bullet and go forward. Originally they planned to pretend not to have seen her and just walk past, but Fo Ye lifted her head and glanced at them.

"Teacher Ye!"

"Teacher Ye, hello!"

Several people forced stiff smiles, their hearts chilled. They braced themselves for a scolding.

"What are you up to?" Fo Ye asked.

"Isn't it just after the state subsidy came out? We're going to withdraw money and open online banking." The speaker said, adding as an excuse: "At around five o'clock the bank at the school gate is about to close, there are many people, and now that I've finished my tasks I have a bit of free time, so I came out."

Fo Ye nodded. "Go."

"Huh? Why is Fo Ye so easy to talk to today?"

Several people exchanged glances, quickly said their goodbyes and left, afraid Fo Ye would change her mind and drag them over for another scolding.

Zheng Tan watched this scene, feeling amused; these unlucky kids, having come out just to run into the "big boss," will probably stay anxious for a while.

"Really, you've made me feel like a flood and ferocious beast." Fo Ye said softly.

Zheng Tan turned his head to look at Fo Ye beside him; she seemed somewhat sorrowful.

Fo Ye redirected her attention to the cat beside her, this time not staying silent but saying: "I heard that nine-leaf grass is what you gave to Xiao Zhuo? Really a good cat." As she spoke, Fo Ye extended a finger to stroke Zheng Tan's cat head.

Zheng Tan doesn't like having his head touched like that, but for the Buddha Master's sake he'll bear it—after all, the Buddha Master also helped him vent his anger.

"The child is indeed healthy, a boy; Xiao Zhuo gave him the nickname 'Little Cat', Zhuo Xiao Mao." The Buddha Master said.

Nicknames can be flowers, birds, fish, insects; metals, stones, earth, wood; also things like Dragon, tiger, dog, leopard. It is heard that a nickname is a rather distinctive rhetorical activity and phenomenon worth noting; its rhetorical basis mainly lies in the "unreasonable yet wonderful" in logic, and at the same time, a nickname also embodies parents' love for their child.

However, Zheng Tan himself has no nickname; perhaps he once had one, but back then neither parent mentioned it, so Zheng Tan wouldn't know.

Sometimes Zheng Tan even envies those who have nicknames; although a nickname may sometimes sound unpleasant, it makes one feel more lively, like a photographic negative of memory, revealing the intimacy and liveliness deep in one's bones.

Zhuo Xiao Mao?

I really want to take a look.

Zhuo Xiao Mao, who hasn't been born long, probably wouldn't pull tails like those little brats, right?

Zheng Tan remembers that before Zhuo Xiao Mao was born, he once touched him through Xiao Zhuo's belly, using his head.

When speaking of Zhuo Xiao Mao, the Buddha Master's expression softened considerably, as if he were talking about his own grandson.

"By then, I'll bring him over to show you, and also let him learn the origin of his name, and see the 'Hei Ge' his mother often mentions." The Buddha Master said.

The Buddha Master said many things about Zhuo Xiao Mao, such as how nervous everyone was at his birth—after all, many people thought the child wouldn't be healthy. Those close to Xiao Zhuo surely felt uneasy in their hearts, and only after the child was born and underwent a series of checks did everyone relax.

The Buddha Master said, Zhuo Xiao Mao wears that nine-leaf clover pendant, and according to Xiao Zhuo's wishes, he will keep wearing it, with no other gold, silver, or jade to replace it.

However, the Buddha Master basically only talks about Zhuo Xiao Mao, and hardly mentions Xiao Zhuo.

And Xiao Zhuo—is he not coming back?

Why is it the Buddha Master, this old lady herself, who personally brings Zhuo Xiao Mao over, instead of Xiao Zhuo bringing him himself? And where are Zhuo Xiao Mao and Xiao Zhuo now?

Zheng Tan tilted his head to listen. Now the Buddha Master's aura isn't as stiff as before; plus, this topic interests Zheng Tan, so the person and the cat get along fine enough—even if only the person is speaking and the cat is merely listening.

When the Buddha Master spoke of Zhuo Xiao Mao, he also observed the cat before him; although the cat made no sound in response, it let people know it was listening, and had taken it to heart.

No wonder Old Man Lan flew into a rage at Ren Chong back then over this cat's matter.

The Buddha Master does not hold the prejudice against black cats that Xiao Zhuo's former nanny did; even though guiding this cat in front of him is a bit unusual, the Buddha Master isn't overly surprised. Having reached his current position and fame, he has seen all sorts of strange things—one more doesn't matter.

I wonder what the Buddha Master would think if he knew that this cat before him possessed a human soul.

"From now on, watch out for people, don't get caught again." The Buddha Master said.

Zheng Tan flicked his ears back; it shouldn't happen—he's learned from experience, he's not that stupid.

After sitting in silence for a while, the Buddha Master sighed, "People are of two sorts: those who can let go and those who can't. Going out for a walk with you really helped me figure some things out. Anyway, everyone has their own ambitions; there are always things they must do, and I can't interfere."

Zheng Tan didn't think he'd done anything that could make the Buddha Master have an epiphany, nor did he know exactly what the Buddha Master had figured out; seeing the Buddha Master rise, knowing he was leaving, Zheng Tan also got up from the bench.

"In the short term you don't need to go there; they're not present." As he was leaving, the Buddha Master said.

The Buddha Master didn't know whether this cat could understand his words, and was merely trying it out, saying what he wanted to say. The houses in the western district often have no one; she herself only occasionally goes there to rest, take a nap, etc., the timing isn't fixed, and she doesn't go every day—even if the cat went there, no one would open the door.

One person and one cat walked back along the small path, splitting at the upcoming intersection—the Buddha Master headed toward the western staff quarters, while Zheng Tan returned to the eastern staff quarters.

When he returned to the eastern staff quarters, Zheng Tan saw the Saint Bernard dog Xiao Hua carrying a child, slowly walking on the grass. That child lives in the compound, attends kindergarten, and lives in the same building as Xiao Hua's family. This Xiao Pihai's favorite pastime is riding Xiao Hua around the compound, making other Xiao Pihai envious to death. Even though Xiao Hua's temperament is relatively gentle, not just anyone can ride on her.

Watching the Xiao Pihai laughing gleefully "ka-ka" while riding on Xiao Hua's back, Zheng Tan couldn't help but think of the Zhuo Xiao Mao the Buddha Master had just mentioned.

Hmm, if Zhuo Xiao Mao ever wants to ride a big dog in the future, just let Little Flower endure it a bit. After all, Little Flower is big‑bodied, and running around the yard with kids makes her happy.

While thinking that, Zheng Tan heard a beeping car horn, turned his head toward the direction of the sound, and saw Wei Leng's car.

Wei Leng stuck an arm out of the car window to wave at Zheng Tan, beckoning him to get in.

Is this the start of a high‑end, classy, top‑tier mission?

Zheng Tan ran over, jumped into the car through the open window, and looked at Wei Leng in the driver's seat.

"Let's go to Ye Lou. I've already called your cat dad and told him, you can leave directly."

Zheng Tan originally thought he was tasked with installing a listening device this time, but on the way to "Ye Lou" he heard Wei Leng's chatter—so there's another matter? Then the "listening devices" Wei Leng mentioned the day before were just a cat‑bait? Those words were only a test? That's a bit too cautious.

Still, thinking about it, the 1960s Kleber boasted of a "world‑first‑class eavesdropping device," and today you can buy it in many foreign toy stores. The eavesdropping war should have been mastered long ago by Ye Hao's crew; if they really needed to eavesdrop, with Ye Hao's abilities they wouldn't need a cat's help.

But what exactly is this so‑called "other matter"? (To be continued…)

ps: Thanks to knter, kasimgfu, Water∮Condense∮Night for the grand prize!

Thanks to Wei Baobao, Fuck youㄎKorean jerk, Dream Death, jianjiangood (2), Little Fragrance, Love Dog Wangcai, Moonlight Falls, knter, asdfghj, Tailless Little Bear, corvus, caesar`, Highly Interesting (2), Leisurely Descending South Mountain, Sin of Killing the Sakaki Tree (2), kasimgfu, Star Lover, Two Dive, sunhao1218, Angel in the Dream, Black Wings of the Night Moon, Moonlit Spring, Moon's Mandala (2), Immortal Nobility, Water∮Condense∮Night, Dancing Together Under the Moon (2), Eastern Zen, Perverted Fur (2), axxxting, Silver Wolf fr, Snapping Fingers Shatters Ice, Gust Relieves Worries, evalover, Iron Rack 1984, _Don't Forget Me_, kaiench (2), Strange Fox, 86970518, Carefree￠Wind (2) for the valuable monthly tickets!

Seems the thank‑you note is about to exceed the character limit again; I'll post the donation list in the next chapter.