Chapter 340: Slip of the Hand, Pressed an Extra Zero

It was a bank card that Jiao Ba had specially arranged for Zheng Tan, and Zheng Tan's salary and bonuses were deposited into it.

Zheng Tan hadn't checked the balance in a long time; the last time Jiao Ba looked it up through online banking, Zheng Tan was delighted for a long while upon seeing the deposit.

Before going abroad, Jiao Ba gave the card to Zheng Tan, and even after returning for a long time he hasn't taken it back; Zheng Tan still kept it well hidden in the drawer of the cat climbing frame. When leaving Chu Hua Shi this time, the only things he packed in his vest besides some cash and a card knife were this bank card, just in case.

From the beginning until now, Jiao Ba hasn't really used the money inside, and the amount there may not be less than what's on his own salary card.

However, Jiao Ba didn't expect Zheng Tan to bring this bank card out, and now what does this mean?

Putting the newspaper he was holding aside on the table, Jiao Ba no longer hurried to leave, closed the door, dragged a chair over, and sat down.

Zheng Tan nudged the bank card he was stepping on toward Jiao Ba.

Jiao Ba asked puzzledly, "You want to withdraw money?"

Zheng Tan turned his head to glance around, looking at the newspaper Jiao Ba had just placed on the table. The paper had been brought by Song Ting, a provincial newspaper, whose headline was about the snow disaster and relief funds.

Following Zheng Tan's gaze, Jiao Ba looked at the newspaper, his eyebrows lifting, a strange expression on his face: "You want to donate."

Zheng Tan nodded, pushing the card toward Jiao Ba again. Not being able to speak is inconvenient, but Jiao Ba had long adapted to this kind of communication; he had even stuck little notes on Zheng Tan before. If others found out, they'd probably drop their jaws.

Jiao Ba was silent for a few seconds, then smiled and patted Zheng Tan's head. He sighed, looked out the window, and remained silent for a while.

Zheng Tan waited a moment without hearing any response from Jiao Ba, about to prompt him, when Jiao Ba turned his head and said, "Are you really ready to donate?"

Zheng Tan stared, how could that be a joke? Before I change my mind, I should quickly use the card to donate something. It's rare that I resolve to donate.

Seeing Zheng Tan's expression, Jiao Ba chuckled, "You brat!"

When Jiao Ba discussed with Song Ting, the donation had already been decided. Their area was also a disaster zone, plus some farther villages on the mountain with even worse conditions, and also Gu Lao Yezi's side. All were within this disaster's scope. To avoid any shady dealings, Song Ting asked a few acquaintances to help; they would participate as supervisors, causing those with ulterior motives trying to skim from the relief funds to give up early. Because of that, Jiao Ba felt comfortable donating; otherwise his contribution wouldn't feel solid, since even charitable organizations have their own tricks nowadays.

If Zheng Tan were to donate, he could only do so together with members of the Jiao Family, not under another name. Zheng Tan didn't mind; did he really want everyone to know that a cat like him made the donation? That would certainly attract attention. Moreover, Zheng Tan didn't have such lofty sentiments; he donated merely for peace of mind. After all, a perfectly normal person suddenly becoming a cat and returning to a past year makes Zheng Tan uneasy; when sentimental, he stares at his cat paws, so different from human ones, wishing to find some reason. As for the donation, whether others know or not doesn't matter.

If, as those elders say, doing good deeds brings blessings, and doing more might someday allow him to revert, Zheng Tan thought optimistically. This had also been the very thought he was mulling over when Jiao Ba entered earlier.

"How much to donate?" Jiao Ba asked again.

Although Jiao Ba had an idea in mind, he now wanted to see Zheng Tan's intention, so while asking he lifted a large calculator from the table, switched it on, and placed it before Zheng Tan.

It was the type that Jiao Lao Yezi and his wife often used, bought specifically for the two elders—a large, clear-key calculator. Zheng Tan stared at the calculator in front of him, lifted his hand toward its keys.

Since donation amounts are usually whole numbers, Zheng Tan first pressed 1, then moved to the "0" key intending to press four zeros. However, while pressing, his thoughts drifted, still pondering matters; he suddenly recalled that this year seemed eventful, especially the incident in May. After pressing, he withdrew his hand, and only later realized something was off, looking up at the calculator's display.

Sure enough, there was an extra zero.

Zheng Tan: "..." It was a slip of the hand, truly a slip!

He had just read a donation news article in the newspaper where many celebrities donated on the spot ten or twenty thousand; he thought donating ten thousand would suffice, but while pressing the keys his mind suddenly forked, losing focus, and he inadvertently pressed an extra time.

Before Zheng Tan could change his mind, Jiao Ba had already taken the calculator to check.

Seeing "100000" on the display, Jiao Ba was unusually surprised; he knew that his cat, years ago at the pet center, earned overtime pay of fifty, needing a hundred. Xiao Guo had joked about it a few times when calling, and he hadn't expected this fellow to be so generous when he acted.

Compared with corporate donations, private contributions are far smaller, especially from ordinary people; a hundred thousand yuan is a huge sum for many. For this widespread snow disaster, Zheng Tan's donation even exceeded some of the celebrity amounts listed in the newspaper.

There was a substantial amount of money in that card; previously, because of Zheng Tan, Ye Hao had paid a lot, and that money still makes up a dominant share of the total. Over the past few years, for various reasons, more money was paid again, each time sizable; Ye Hao has always been quick to spend.

"Really donating that much? I originally planned to donate a hundred thousand, didn't expect you to do the same," Jiao Ba said. Thinking of the red envelope money Jiao Yuan had mentioned to him, Jiao Ba smiled and shook his head again, his family's cat really is...

Zheng Tan hesitated a bit, but thinking of the money in the card, he decided, a hundred thousand is a hundred thousand, no change. He pushed the card to Jiao Ba, then jumped off the table and left.

A few days later, Song Ting came again; the young man who had been tied up with him last time was discharged and returned home today. He asked his driver to bring the guy over, after all, that youngster had helped a lot during the robbery. This time he almost lost his life; after learning about his family's situation, Song Ting recommended a coastal food processing plant where the young man could try a job, with decent salary and benefits, which made his family very happy.

Taking advantage of the visit, Song Ting also chatted with Jiao Ba and brought along the relevant donation certificates.

Jiao Ba meant that the two hundred thousand was the whole family's donation; when speaking to Song Ting he specifically said, "My cat's earnings are also included," and Song Ting laughed, taking it as a joke. Nevertheless, he had a good impression of Zheng Tan. Without Zheng Tan, he wouldn't know when he might be discovered.

Besides that, regarding Yuan Zhiyi, Jiao Ba would also take part in the company's donation. He didn't just contribute this money. Because his hometown was hit by the disaster, his own experience was significant, and Yuan Zhiyi also wanted the company to boost its public image.

While Jiao Ba was chatting with Song Ting, Zheng Tan looked outside; the vehicle that brought Song Ting was a private car with a driver, but that driver seemed more than just a driver, perhaps also a bodyguard, in case something happened midway while Song Ting was riding.

From Song Ting's words, it was clear he had a good impression of the village; he had spoken highly of it abroad. That young man also bore the surname Jiao, and the Jiao families had many kinship ties. Most villagers share the Jiao surname, and some families have both husband and wife with the same surname, which explains why, when Jiao Ba called the donkey driver "Wu Ye Ye" (Fifth Grandfather), he referred to him as "fifth uncle" rather than "fifth paternal uncle". In Jiao Yuan's generation, addressing people became simpler, often just calling them uncle or grandpa.

Zheng Tan and they wouldn't stay here for the Lantern Festival; Xiao Youzi and Jiao Yuan still had to return to report, and Jiao Ba's work needed to start early. Many graduate students returned to school around the tenth day of the lunar new year, especially those in science and engineering with many busy projects; the winter break is only a week or two. The official school website says nonsense; it's an internal rule not publicly posted.

On the day they returned to Chu Hua Shi, Song Ting was at a fruit tree experimental base not far from here. Hearing that Jiao Ba's group was leaving, he came to see them off and brought some fruit.

What made Zheng Tan angry was that when Wu Ye Ye led the donkey over, the donkey shuffled up to the car and gave Zheng Tan a strange few brays, its mouth moving, eyes half‑closed, as if mocking him.

The day before, Zheng Tan was perched on a tree watching the rural winter scenery when that filthy donkey, led by Wu Ye Ye, passed by. Seeing Zheng Tan, the beast walked under the tree, turned its rear toward the trunk and defecated right beneath the branch Zheng Tan was lying on. After finishing, it glanced at Zheng Tan, its long ears twitching, then wagged its tail and followed Wu Ye Ye away. Now it was acting that despicable way again, making Zheng Tan so angry he wanted to rush up and slap and kick the donkey's face; if Xiao Youzi hadn't been holding him, Zheng Tan would have already struck it.

Watching the smug donkey, Zheng Tan gritted his teeth: "Just wait, next New Year when I come back I'll beat the living daylights out of you!"

Inside Zheng Tan's vest there was also a red envelope, "taken" from Jiao Lao Yezi. Zheng Tan didn't have much cash on hand now; he planned to give another one to Zhuo Xiao Mao when he returned. He also thought of giving one to Xiao Jiu, but considering the blind old man behind Xiao Jiu, he gave up; drawing too much attention would be troublesome. Anyway, Xiao Youzi would definitely bring a lot of food for that girl.

After the fifteenth day of the new year, primary, middle and high schools reopened, and kindergartens opened their doors as parents returned to work.

Zheng Tan already had a clear idea of Zhuo Xiao Mao's class schedule, found an outdoor activity slot, slipped on his black vest, put the red envelope inside, and ran to the kindergarten.

Just like before, when they saw Zheng Tan, Zhuo Xiao Mao went over; the classmates weren't surprised and showed little curiosity.

"Hei Ge, Happy New Year~" Zhuo Xiao Mao cheerfully ran over.

It was clear the child was in a very good mood.

Zheng Tan turned to Zhuo Xiao Mao, tapped his chin at the vest pocket zipper, indicating Zhuo Xiao Mao should unzip and look.

Zhuo Xiao Mao's eyes lit up, quickly slipped the crayon in his hand into his pocket, then unzipped the vest and took out the red envelope.

Seeing the red envelope labeled "New Year's money packet", Zhuo Xiao Mao smiled with his eyes squinting; he recognized those three characters, having received such envelopes during the New Year before.

While Zhuo Xiao Mao was laughing, Zheng Tan heard a sound, looked behind, and soon, after a few combat‑like cat yowls, a gray‑black figure rolled out of the grass.

Zheng Tan: "..." Those two are fighting again. (To be continued..)