Chapter 35: The Cat Tough Woman, and the Cat Sira in Luo Luo

After Grandpa Gu returned to his hometown, he had people send things over every few days, because this year the four members of the Jiao Family didn't return home for the New Year; the elders on both sides missed them, and once they learned a hometown person had gone to the provincial capital, they'd have someone bring New Year goods. The hometown had started preparing for the New Year early, and this year's New Year came early too. Many people there often went to the provincial capital to sell goods, supplying regular customers with things like fruit and meat products, so at the end of December, every few days someone would call Jiao Ba to pick up items.

The hometown's aquaculture was thriving; many people leased fish ponds, and all kinds of fish were available. The Gu family raised yellow eels, and they felt more at ease eating their own.

But none of that concerned Zheng Tan; ever since Wei Leng moved to the company side, the farthest Zheng Tan would go around the school was to Xiao Guo's place, with nowhere else to go.

During the day he couldn't wander around outside the campus; off‑campus wasn't as simple as on‑campus. Inside the campus, Zheng Tan could go to many places to stroll and clear his mind, and many university students who saw Zheng Tan tended to be friendly toward cats, after all, students are still relatively innocent compared to the world‑worn adults.

But once off campus, many people looked at Zheng Tan as if he were a dish; if he were still human, Zheng Tan wouldn't notice, but from a cat's perspective, Zheng Tan could sense the meaning behind those gazes.

Cats that constantly weave through streets and alleys are extremely sensitive to every human movement; after Zheng Tan had been roaming for a while, this sensitivity grew stronger.

So when Zheng Tan later went for off‑campus walks, he always did it at night; there are fewer people then, so he wouldn't be startled constantly.

The salaried workers returning home at night are usually in a hurry and don't pay much attention to a cat, but at year‑end many people trap stray cats and pet cats out for walks, then sell them to restaurants; some, to avoid trouble, ship them to other provinces. That's what those cats need to watch out for.

Zheng Tan hasn't encountered cat dealers, but the obstacles he faced were still many.

As a cat, Zheng Tan says the pressure remains high. He underestimated the territorial mindset and persistence of tomcats; the restless ones would constantly mark with feces, urine, and pick fights. Zheng Tan tried to walk some distance away, but eventually returned, disappointed.

Although Zheng Tan isn't unable to defeat those cats, and the cats aren't all oblivious to the times, there are always a couple of exceptions.

One night as Zheng Tan was heading toward Xiao Guo's pet center, he ran into a black cat just like himself, but that black cat was always surrounded by other cats. Zheng Tan thought they were its underlings—elegantly called "direct line," colloquially "henchmen."

Yet Zheng Tan never lost a fight, and what annoyed him endlessly was that the black cat never learned; after being knocked down once, it would swagger back for a second round—what they call indomitable, getting stronger with each battle. Zheng Tan thought this creature was just a dimwit, a fool, looking for abuse.

Originally, Zheng Tan thought such fights were inevitable for a cat—everywhere required a battle—but one day, Zheng Tan discovered an exception.

Christmas was approaching, and some international students on campus were busy with it; Xiao Guo devised a Christmas cat‑food commercial, casting Zheng Tan as Santa Claus and the golden retriever "Lord" as a reindeer.

Zheng Tan, when Xiao Guo brought him to the studio, saw the "Lord" crouching beside him, a pair of plastic antlers stuck on its head, its mouth open as it laughed and panted, apparently having been rehearsing the motions required for the commercial and now taking a brief rest.

Zheng Tan and a few cats in Xiao Guo's shop had worked with this golden retriever before; although there was no real rapport, they weren't hostile. The pets got along fairly well. Apart from Prince, the other cats in Xiao Guo's shop had all been neutered, and although Prince was also a tomcat, because he was used to indoor confinement his aggression was much less than the street cats Zheng Tan had seen. Moreover, with so many cats in the shop, they were accustomed to the presence of other cats and rarely fought over territory.

They had filmed many commercials already, and the staff here were old acquaintances who knew that as long as the other role‑players were trained, everything was fine. As for the black cat, it was a "high‑pay hired" "expert" who required no direction. Thus the "Lord" ended up panting and laughing from exhaustion while Zheng Tan lounged nearby, dozing.

Finally, after the "Lord" finished the series of motions, Xiao Guo woke Zheng Tan and began filming.

Changing into that ridiculously stupid Christmas cat costume, Zheng Tan felt his IQ was being dragged down.

The outfit was uncomfortable; it didn't choke him, but it felt wholly awkward. On top of that, Xiao Guo gave Zheng Tan a big fake beard to slip on, then put the hat on—how stupid could it get.

He guessed viewers would mock: "Santa Claus is a black cat—so black!"

"Fine, I'll endure it for the sake of the ad. This is a sacrifice for art," Zheng Tan comforted himself.

The Christmas cat's mission was to drive the golden retriever sled, delivering the "Mingming Ruci" pet center's "gifts"—cat food, dog food, pet clothes, pet beds, and so on—to the cats and puppies.

After the bumpy shoot, as soon as Zheng Tan left the set he kicked off the costume, tossed off the big beard, and perched on a tall cat climbing frame, waiting for Xiao Guo to finish and take him home.

Post‑production was left to Xiao Guo and Yan Zi; Yan Zi is now a regular client of the pet center. Seeing Yan Zi's decent computer skills, Xiao Guo often asks for help. Of course, the help isn't free: Yan Zi lives here rent‑free, eats and drinks for free, and even gets free cat‑feeding duties.

A group of staff over there were sorting post‑production work, making Zheng Tan's spot feel much more deserted; he had dozed off earlier, but now couldn't sleep, idly looking around.

Finally, Zheng Tan's gaze fell on Li Yuanba and his offspring.

Li Yuanba was the same; the few cats in the shop always kept a distance, and any curious ones that approached were repelled with a single glance—no paw needed, just a look—and Zheng Tan greatly admired that.

The cat perched beside Li Yuanba with a "mole" on its mouth was Li Yuanba's son Peanut Candy, whom Xiao Guo and the others simply call "Peanut."

The first time he saw the photo, Zheng Tan hadn't looked closely, so he missed the distinctive "mole" on Peanut Candy's mouth. Peanut Candy's mouth is mostly white fur, but the pea‑sized yellow spot at the corner stands out against the white, looking rather comical.

Zheng Tan thought that in a few months the pea‑sized "mole" would probably grow to the size of a soybean, and whether it would reach quail‑egg size when Peanut Candy became an adult was unknown, but Zheng Tan was looking forward to it, a pleasing prospect.

Peanut Candy's fur is slightly longer than that of other short‑haired kittens, yet unlike long‑haired cats; presumably his father is a long‑haired or mixed‑breed cat.

Another thing Zheng Tan found odd was the serious expression on Peanut Candy's face.

At A Huang's place, "serious" is just a façade, but Peanut Candy's seriousness is genuine, deeply inheriting Li Yuanba's expression; however, Peanut Candy is still young, his eyes still naive, and he lacks his mother's imposing aura.

After lingering on the side for a while, Li Yuanba grabbed Peanut Candy in his mouth and walked into the house; there was a room belonging to Yan Zi, with a cat‑specific entrance/exit beneath the door.

From Zheng Tan's position he could see that room; he watched Li Yuanba carry Peanut Candy into the room for a short while, then emerge alone. This time Li Yuanba didn't return toward the studio but headed to the other end of the hallway.

Zheng Tan recalled there was a back door there, but it only opened when moving goods or large props; otherwise it stayed shut.

"Why is Li Yuanba heading that way?"

Since he had nothing better to do, Zheng Tan, curious, jumped down from the cat tower and followed.

Li Yuanba glanced back at Zheng Tan, who was not far behind, showed no reaction, and continued toward the back door.

The back‑door area had some cargo stacked, though a distance from the door. Near the corner was a small high window, open, likely for ventilation—the incoming goods often had strong odors.

The window's height was beyond the cats' jumping range, so Xiao Guo wasn't worried about any cat escaping through it.

Li Yuanba headed that way, and while Zheng Tan was puzzled, it suddenly accelerated, not toward the window but toward the adjacent side wall, leapt, hit the wall, instantly altered its angle, thrust its hind legs, using the wall's rebound to launch toward the small window opening, landing precisely.

"Whoa! That skill is seriously badass!"

Zheng Tan watched from behind, his jaw nearly dropping.

As expected, it was impossible to anticipate; Xiao Guo would never have thought a cat could escape through that window using such a jump.

Outside the door were some empty boxes stacked, forming a step that let Li Yuanba jump down safely; soon it vanished from Zheng Tan's sight.

Zheng Tan lingered there, hesitated, then tried to jump directly to the small window; his leaping ability was slightly stronger than an average cat's. After several attempts, he gave up, just missing by a hair.

So Zheng Tan began to try Li Yuanba's jumping method; the first time, failing to control angle and force, he slammed into the wall, but he managed to control his body and land safely, though his legs went numb.

The second time, a little better, he missed the wall but hit the open glass window, producing a "bang."

After loosening his legs and waiting for the pain to subside, Zheng Tan attempted a third time; this time he finally clung to the window ledge, kicked his legs, used his claws to pull himself up, and peeked outside.

To Zheng Tan's surprise, not far away Li Yuanba was perched on an empty cardboard box, watching him.

"Waiting for me?"

After seeing the black cat at the window, Li Yuanba turned, jumped down from the box, and headed outside.

Zheng Tan hurried to follow.

Trapping a cat is harder than trapping a dog, Zheng Tan now knows all too well; Li Yuanba, somehow knowing a few gaps, slipped through, winding his way out of the pet center without being noticed.

At first the places Zheng Tan passed were unfamiliar, but gradually the scenery became familiar; Zheng Tan had walked this way from the campus before and had encountered…

"Meow—"

As he was thinking, Zheng Tan heard that infuriating sound.

Damn, it's that stupid cat!

Looking up toward the sound, Zheng Tan indeed saw the black cat perched on the low wall, with two cat subordinates around it.

Unlike previous encounters, Zheng Tan sensed that today the stupid cat was acting oddly, and the two surrounding cats did not rush over to join the fun. After observing, Zheng Tan found that the three cats stared in the direction of Li Yuanba as if facing a great enemy.

The "indomitable" cat faced Li Yuanba, only emitting a few feeble "woo‑woo" sounds before bolting away, unlike when it confronted Zheng Tan, where it knowingly charged despite certain defeat. The other cats also scattered cleanly.

It wasn't just those three; as Zheng Tan walked deeper into the alley, he saw several more cats, including two rather large ones, and the area smelled of their "territorial marking," yet Li Yuanba passed through their domain without a sideways glance, fearless. The few cats that saw him only let out a few "woo‑woo" sounds; Li Yuanba gave a sideways glance, and they fled as if a big dog were chasing them from behind.

Zheng Tan felt deeply moved by this situation.

From this one can see that, as a cat now, Zheng Tan still has a long way to go. Strength is one aspect, but aura is another.

And Li Yuanba, a true cat‑tough woman, the "cat Sla" in the eyes of the little ruffian, with a fiercely murderous appearance plus an overwhelmingly domineering aura, can completely command this alley mixed with stray and domestic cats.

The cats' strong sense of territory seemed to vanish at this moment, and Zheng Tan could see the fear reflected in their eyes when they saw Li Yuanba.

Zheng Tan glanced at the tortoiseshell cat ahead, whose stride remained unchanged, exuding an unpretentious aura that cannot be faked or imitated by just anyone. Zheng Tan also recalled that when Xiao Guo first saw Li Yuanba, after opening the pet carrier, he never approached it again; Xiao Guo understood cats as pets, but also sensed an unspoken message conveyed by Li Yuanba herself.

Cats' language is not lacking—different tones, lengths, and vocalizations convey different meanings. Yet since leaving the pet center, Zheng Tan has never heard this tortoiseshell cat make a sound; it relies entirely on a silent aura and presence. To those unfamiliar, the difference may go unnoticed, but Zheng Tan can clearly feel that the aura emanating from the tortoiseshell cat ahead is far unlike that of other cats.

External traits are determined at birth, while aura is forged through worldly experiences and time.

Zheng Tan doesn't know what Li Yuanba has been through, but for an apparently ordinary cat to possess such aura and presence, its past cannot be simple.

At the same time, Zheng Tan couldn't help but wonder what kind of cat could take down this cat Sla? Who is Peanut Candy's father? He really wants to know the answer.

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【Note】 godzilla (Godzilla) — catzilla (Catzilla)

Thanks to Oufeimosi, 1802458, s0514024, Lian Dong Feng Sheng, Qi Huang Liu Xuan, Jie s zhu Bei Ming huo you yu, Yu Xi, Zhao Si Cong, Chen Mo van, mdpue Can Can, lazyorange, _wu wang wo_, desperate situation, Fei Fei Yuan's donation! Thanks to mk145465a(5), seven-colored blade ring, Yue Liu Liu and possibly friends whose records I missed for their votes! Thanks to everyone for the recommendation votes and Three Rivers votes!

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