Chapter 387: The Little Unconscionable

At the annex hospital, the old lady panicked after receiving a call from the gate guard.

Just now, Old Li had an injection and took medicine and fell asleep; the old lady, leaning on a chair nearby, also dozed off. The other awake patients in the ward were discussing the change in weather outside, deliberately speaking in low voices, but when a tree was blown down by the wind, someone couldn't help but let out a louder gasp of surprise. The old lady woke up because of their surprised shouts, and Old Li did as well.

After seeing the weather outside, the two elders immediately became unsettled, especially Old Li, whose first thought was that Xiao Hua was still tied up in the gate guard's room; now it's windy and raining, what will happen to Xiao Hua!

Before the old lady could call, the gate guard called her. The old lady had left a phone number with the guard, so when the guard saw that Xiao Hua had run away, he quickly called the old lady to explain the situation.

Xiao Hua ran away, which made the two elders very anxious, but they thought that Xiao Hua had run after the cat from Teacher Xiao Jiao's house, which eased their minds a bit. A few days earlier, when Xiao Hua was injured, it was the cat from Teacher Xiao Jiao's house that took Xiao Hua to the pet center for treatment; Xiao Guo had told the two elders about this, and Old Li even called Professor Jiao to thank him. Privately, Old Li told the old lady: "Good people raise good cats."

However, the weather outside was really bad, and Old Li couldn't rest; he asked the old lady to hand him the phone, and he called Jiao Ba directly.

Jiao Ba, who was in his office arranging a handout, saw the caller ID and answered immediately. Old Li was a retired senior professor from the Institute of Biological Sciences; although Old Li studied plants, his research had little overlap with Jiao Ba's field, but the teachers in the institute still respected Old Li, so Jiao Ba answered without hesitation.

"Hello, Teacher Xiao Jiao, has your cat returned yet?"

Old Li gave a brief account of the situation at the hospital, and Jiao Ba thought for a moment, saying, "I'm in my office now; I'll call and ask first."

"Sorry to trouble you, Teacher Xiao Jiao; if you have any news, please get back to me."

After hanging up, Jiao Ba called home.

Normally, if Zheng Tan were at home, he would see the familiar number on the landline caller ID and press the answer button, but the line rang for a long time without being picked up. Jiao Ba looked at the weather outside, frowned, and then dialed Jiao Wei's parents, as well as Feng Bai Jin. He asked each of them, and Feng Bai Jin said Zheng Tan had left early.

While Jiao Ba and Old Li were searching for Zheng Tan and Xiao Hua, the two were hiding in a grocery store to avoid the rain.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the grocery store was somewhat eerie.

The two young men who had been swaggering were now wilted; one had his wrist twisted and pressed against the counter, daring not to move, his face twisted by pain. He had been shouting threats at first, but now he wouldn't even dare to fart, only hoping that the harsh‑looking shop owner would quickly release them.

Just as the shop owner said, to be let go you could either pay up or scram quickly.

On the counter lay the fifty yuan the man had just produced, but after the shop owner glanced at it, he no longer paid attention to it, focusing only on the two young men dressed somewhat oddly.

The person standing nearby swallowed, feeling the wind blowing in from outside was a bit chilly, and the moisture in the wind made him feel even colder.

"I warn you, don't go too far!" the young man standing beside him raised his hand and shouted at the shop owner, but his anger was obvious and his finger trembled.

Xiao Hua sneezed as rain splashed onto its nose, startling the man, who shivered twice more.

You can't out‑laugh a Samoyed, you can't fake pitifulness better than a Pug; Xiao Hua's expression on its awkward face was limited, and for those unfamiliar with these dogs, the most intimidating thing is always the size.

The two men wondered whether the big dog behind them was showing impatience, and that thought made them even more frightened.

The shop owner said nothing, keeping a steady expression as he stared at them. Then the young man standing beside him gritted his teeth, reached into his pocket, took out twenty‑two yuan and placed it on the counter, "Is that good enough? Release my brother!"

The shop owner remained silent and didn't loosen his grip; instead he twisted again, causing the person to scream in pain.

"Seventy‑two yuan and three mao, did your elementary math teacher teach you physical education?"

The young man beside him stiffened; he hadn't expected the shop owner to be so pedantic, even fussing over three mao.

"I don't have three mao left; if you don't believe me, I'll show you!" he said, rummaging his trouser pockets and pulling everything out: a one‑mao coin in his left pocket and two old‑style one‑mao coins in his right pocket.

"……"

The man standing nearby cleared his throat, surprised that there really were three mao. He placed the three coins on the counter and looked at the shop owner, "Is that enough this time?"

The shop owner shook his head, looking at the man and saying, "One last chance."

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Damn it, hand over the money quickly!" the wrist‑bound man shouted at his companion.

The person standing nearby, with a grimace, placed another fifty yuan on the counter, then hurried away with his companion.

He tried to take back the fifty yuan he had previously put on the counter, but found a finger already pinning down a corner of the bill.

Reluctantly glancing at the fifty on the counter, the man snorted, was tugged by his companion, lifted the thing and headed for the door, intending to find something handy to strike back—couldn't hit a person, maybe smash the shop—but as he turned his foot kicked a shelf, his flip‑flop‑clad toe was painfully struck, making him want to curse, and just as he was about to utter a word to vent his anger and frustration, two dog barks sounded from behind.

"Woof woof!"

Xiao Hua stood up and looked at the two men; sensing an ominous vibe from them, it let out two tentative barks, warning them not to come this way.

Xiao Hua curled up there looking like a big lump, and when it stood, it seemed even larger, every movement eye‑catching. However, Zheng Tan didn't stop Xiao Hua; he thought that the two young men didn't have the guts to confront Xiao Hua, let alone the shop owner, who wasn't simple either. A single move from him could subdue a person, and if a fight broke out, he'd certainly be no pushover—far more formidable than those two blustering but hollow‑hearted bullies.

The two young men were choked by Xiao Hua's bark, exchanged a glance, decided not to argue, and hurriedly left.

"What's going on?" the person who had gone to the back room to nap was awakened by the two barks, mustered courage and opened the door to peek.

Seeing the two men at the doorway, he raised an eyebrow: looking for trouble?

The two at the doorway, seeing the shop owner and his assistant, were even less inclined to stay, and hurried away, running into the rain without even opening the newly bought umbrella.

The person coming from the back sidestepped Xiao Hua, stuck close to the opposite shelf, and hurried to the checkout counter.

"What's happening, boss? Those two looking for trouble?"

"Nothing, just two kids. No need to waste effort." The shop owner put the money into the cash box. Only the original fifty yuan he had taken out earlier remained in place on the counter.

"Yo ho. They even dared to use counterfeit money, must be on purpose, looking for trouble. Boss, why didn't you beat them up before letting them go?"

"What's there to argue with kids about?" The shop owner moved the fake fifty to one side of the counter, covered it with something, then picked up a screwdriver, held a cigarette in his mouth, and continued repairing the electric fan.

The shop assistant, just woken up, didn't intend to go back to the back room, so he dragged a chair over, sat beside the shop owner watching him fix the fan, muttering that the shop owner should have given those two a proper lesson; people who spend their days eating, drinking, and playing outside, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, should be dealt with.

"Boss, they're about my age—if they're not twenty, they'd be at least eighteen, right? Still kids." After a pause, the assistant added, "Boss, tell me, what's the difference between kids and adults? Isn't it age?"

The shop owner didn't shift his gaze from the fan, biting his cigarette, "Difference? Kids care about who can take them to eat, drink and have fun, while adults care about who can lead them to success."

The assistant pursed his lips, neither agreeing nor objecting, glanced at the box by the door, and added, "Boss, no one has complained about your price hike in the rain?"

"What's there to complain about? The station raises fares for holidays, so why is it a problem if I raise umbrella fees when it rains?"

"…I've learned from you what it means to loot a fire."

"No," the shop owner shook the hand holding the screwdriver, "I'm just giving you a more vivid example of what 'no deceit, no business' means."

Zheng Tan crouched beside Xiao Hua, listening to the shop owner and assistant's conversation, and found the shop owner rather interesting.

"Hey, boss, aren't you afraid of this cat and dog lingering here?" the assistant said, unafraid that Zheng Tan and Xiao Hua could hear.

The boss remained silent.

Zheng Tan pretended not to hear.

On a shelf, the white cat had moved to a new spot, still perched high and watching Zheng Tan and Xiao Hua; even when the shop owner called it over, it didn't move.

After staying in the grocery store for about an hour, the rain gradually lightened; after another ten or so minutes it finally stopped, though a few drops still fell intermittently.

The sky brightened considerably, but the wind still blew; judging by the distant clouds, another storm seemed to be brewing.

Taking advantage of this opening, hurry back.

As soon as Zheng Tan left the grocery store, Xiao Hua stood up and closely followed him out.

After walking a bit, Zheng Tan turned his head to look at the grocery store.

Because the rain had stopped, the shop door was fully opened again, and the situation at the cash register could be seen clearly from outside.

The shop owner was testing the newly repaired electric fan when that white cat came down from the shelves and jumped onto the counter.

The white cat, with a slightly sharp gaze, looked at the shop owner who had come over, then swiftly swiped a paw, knocking the cigarette from the shop owner's mouth.

Over the past hour or so, the shop owner hadn't let his cigarette go out; he liked to have a cigarette while working, feeling weak without one and lacking energy to work.

After having his cigarette knocked away, the shop owner wasn't annoyed; instead, he laughed, somewhat choked.

"Cough cough, meow, this cigarette can't be wasted—it costs over ten dollars a pack!" Saying this, the shop owner quickly picked up the cigarette that had fallen on the counter and put it back in his mouth.

Again, a paw swipe, and it was knocked away once more.

"Hey, you little ungrateful thing!"

The shop owner picked up the cigarette, took a puff, then blew a smoke ring at the white cat.

The white cat, sitting there, lifted its head back, apparently realizing that while crouching it couldn't avoid the incoming smoke ring but didn't want to move, so it raised both paws and waved them to disperse the smoke ring.

Seeing this, the shop owner laughed until his eyes narrowed; his originally harsh face softened, while Zheng Tan suddenly recalled a yellow weasel he had seen at Jiao Ba's hometown, an animal commonly called a yellow rat wolf.

ps: Typing from my hometown is inconvenient, but I won't stop updating; I guarantee at least one update, and I'll post more when I have time.