Strange Life of a Cat-Chapter 237 - 230 Invitation
Chapter 237: Chapter 230 Invitation
Chapter 237 -230 Invitation
After howling a few times, the bird seemed to realize that its words had displeased someone. Before people on the plastic basketball court could start a ruckus, the bird hurriedly flew away.
Zheng Tan followed its flight path and saw a family sedan parked not far away. He recognized the car; it belonged to the owner of Green Wing. No wonder the bird had flown over here; its owner must have come to this side to find someone and took the chance to take it out for a walk.
In recent times, Green Wing had been restricted quite closely. It used to be let out to play for two days a week, but now it was rare for it to come out even once a week. The reason was that this guy had bullied several magpies in the school pretty badly, almost inciting public outrage among magpie lovers. There had been a couple of times it even argued with people.
To others, the “ugly freak” magpies that Green Wing talked about were auspicious symbols. Moreover, magpies are actually not ugly and are considered quite nice-looking among the various birds on campus. To avoid further animosity, Green Wing’s owner directly put Green Wing “under house arrest.”
Actually, Green Wing had a prior record even before the bullying of magpies. Compared to magpies, Green Wing hated cuckoos more, always calling them “parasites” since cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and even remove the original eggs from those nests. Once, when Green Wing was out playing, it happened to catch a cuckoo “committing a crime,” and so the chase began. The reason there hadn’t been a single cuckoo seen in the courtyard for a while was all thanks to Green Wing’s “accomplishments.” After the magpie incident, some people finally couldn’t bear it and started to organize complaints.
However, with Green Wing locked up, the other birds around enjoyed themselves, but those living nearby suffered, especially those with keen ears like Zheng Tan who found it difficult to ignore Green Wing’s loud voice.
Every day, Green Wing would stand on the balcony, drooping its head and scratching the wire mesh in time with its rendition of “The Crescent Moon Shines Over the Land.”
Can you imagine stepping out into the sunrise every morning, ready to start a day of study, work, life or just about to stretch your legs for a walk when you hear that quivering tune singing “Ee-ya-ya-yo-weh~ Voices crying out injustice, when will they ever quell~ the hatred in my soul,” and feeling the urge to scream “Damn it”? Even the more sensitive souls might be reminded of unfair treatment at work, and their mood for the day would likely take a dive.
Now, the moment this guy gets out, it starts taking revenge on society again. Just look at what it yelled earlier; the people from the Computer Science Institute will be the butt of jokes for a long time, especially during matches. Zheng Tan could easily imagine the scene where the opposing team yells “Come out and serve the customers” during a match, causing the Institute’s players to stumble over their own feet.
Watching the bird fly toward the parked sedan, Liu Ba turned his head and looked at the black cat crouched behind a tree.
“You know that bird, right? Are you friends?” Liu Ba figured that intelligent animals must communicate quite a lot, considering how this cat interacted with that Bull Terrier. It was likely the cat had a good relationship with Green Wing too.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Tan immediately showed a look of disdain. Was he on good terms with that bird who always sought ways to wreak havoc on society?
Liu Ba didn’t press on with questions about Green Wing. He didn’t intend to kidnap a rare parrot, nor engage in such antics. After watching the black cat from afar for a while, Liu Ba smiled, “How did your dad raise you?”
Forget parrots; they tend to live longer in human care, picking up more skills over time, so there’s a relatively larger number of intelligent parrots. Cats, on the other hand, have shorter lifespans, quirky natures, aren’t easy to train, and even though there are many of them, the proportion that could be considered truly smart is definitely not high. A cat on the level like the one in front of him was even rarer. So Liu Ba was curious.
Zheng Tan looked at him. Since the other party had found him, he probably had some understanding of Zheng Tan. “Little Gao” mentioned by Liu Ba must be referring to Mr. Jiao, but unfortunately, Zheng Tan’s upbringing was largely unrelated to Mr. Jiao.
Liu Ba wasn’t really looking for an answer from a cat; it was more of an offhand remark. After stretching, Liu Ba pulled out a simple business card from his pocket—just a white paper card with basic information and devoid of any fancy decorations, it looked rather cheap.
Placing the card where he had been sitting, Liu Ba looked at the black cat not far away, “Marriage, divorce, catching mistresses, finding affairs, tracking down people, fighting, forging certificates, cooking the books, corporate espionage, private consultancy, etc. As long as you can pay well for anything that doesn’t involve arson or murder or is beyond my capabilities, everything is negotiable. I guarantee confidentiality and credit for my clients. Of course, I only take on high-level jobs; don’t bother me with trivial tasks, it’s a waste of time.”
After saying his piece and leaving the card, Liu Ba walked away. He didn’t expect the cat to understand much of what he had said, and leaving the card there was just a spur-of-the-moment act. With all kinds of business cards and flyers thrown into campus trash bins, an inconspicuous card like this was usually just another piece of litter; Liu Ba had little hope that it would be useful.
Once sure that Liu Ba had left, Zheng Tan walked over and looked at the card left behind. From a professional standpoint, the card was far from standard, and if some perfectionist teachers saw it, they would certainly criticize it. The card didn’t have much information, just two things: the number “68” at the center, probably a code, and an email address right below it. Beyond that, there was nothing more.
Simply looking at the business card, Zheng Tan couldn’t begin to imagine the catalogue of services Liu Ba had recited before departing.
Staring at the business card for a while, Zheng Tan hesitated, then stretched his neck forward to sniff it, but detected no strange smell. Seeing that the card wasn’t dirty either, he thought for a moment and then bit one corner of it in his mouth and ran toward home.
After returning home, Zheng Tan placed the business card in a hidden drawer on his cat climbing frame; that section was specifically for storing business cards. Zheng Tan didn’t know if he would ever need this card in the future, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to keep it just in case, so he left it there.
After “Liu Ba” left, Zheng Tan didn’t see him again during his strolls through the campus over the next few days. During his free time, Zheng Tan also went to visit the Affiliated Hospital and the residential area by the lake to check on the old lady. She was now living a good life with company, no longer lonely, and her face bore many more smiles. The old man she was said to be fond of over fifty years ago didn’t seem like a completely wicked person, but Zheng Tan felt he wasn’t entirely harmless and kind either. A man who could amass such a large enterprise was certainly not simple-minded. However, the man was genuinely good to the old lady, and that was enough.
Perhaps out of love for the old lady by extension, the old man, indifferent to others, was still quite nice to Zheng Tan, given the old lady’s attitude. Today, when he saw Zheng Tan, the old man even cheerfully brought out some food. While overhearing their conversation, Zheng Tan learned that the old man intended to take the old lady to the Southern region, where it’s warm and he had more connections and a wider network. The healthcare there was just as good as here, and in the event of any issues, treatment would be more convenient. He also wanted to organize a wedding ceremony, but the old lady hadn’t agreed yet.
When Zheng Tan came home after wandering around, he found Xiao Guo had arrived. Today was Saturday, and although it wasn’t a workday, Xiao Guo’s place was usually busy, so it was unexpected for him to have the time to come here.
Observing the situation in the living room, Xiao Guo and Jiao Ma had been chatting for a while, but Zheng Tan didn’t know what about; Jiao Ma’s eyebrows were furrowed.
After listening from the sofa for a bit, Zheng Tan learned that the “Green Wing” Association had been invited to an event. Apparently, several domestic and foreign organizations similar to this one were attending, and as a newly established association, “Green Wing” needed this opportunity to expand its influence and gain recognition from other larger organizations.
No wonder Xiao Guo placed such importance on it—if successful, the benefits were undeniably substantial.
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And as the top star of Mingming Pet Center, Zheng Tan was undoubtedly the first on Xiao Guo’s list.
The event didn’t require participation of many expensive breeds, but of course, they had to present well, so the adorable expensive breeds from Xiao Guo’s shop, responsible for being cute, were certainly going to be brought along.
Since they didn’t demand expensive breeds or pedigree certificates, it would be strange if Xiao Guo didn’t use Zheng Tan, the ace up his sleeve, given that half of the shop’s advertising relied on this Black Cat without pedigree papers. There would probably be some performances where each participant had to showcase their star, and apart from Zheng Tan, Xiao Guo couldn’t think of anyone more suitable after pondering the whole previous night.
Knowing it wouldn’t be easy to persuade the Jiao family, Xiao Guo still decided to come and try his luck with them, resulting in the scene that Zheng Tan walked in on.
As soon as Jiao Ma heard Xiao Guo’s explanation, she objected, stating she couldn’t leave home because she had to take care of the kids—two kids at home, how could she rest easy being away? And if their Cat were to travel far, no one would be watching him, which also worried her as they had had their Cat for nearly three years—she was well aware of his temperament.
He didn’t like cages, hated being leashed, had a wayward disposition, did whatever he wanted, had a bad temper, and was rather cunning. At home, he was manageable, but once out, he would definitely be difficult to serve… As Jiao Ma listed these flaws, she couldn’t stop herself. The more she thought, the more worried she became. Despite Ren Xiaoguo’s hour of persuasion and assurances, she remained unmoved.
Jiao Ma sent an email to Mr. Jiao, venting about the situation. After seeing his reply the next day, Jiao Ma let out a heavy sigh.
“It’s all because he’s been spoiled!”
Mr. Jiao’s opinion was to let Zheng Tan make his own choice.
Zheng Tan had also analyzed the pros and cons the night before. Being in the spotlight wasn’t something he was particularly interested in, but if “Green Wing,” a new association that was still a “weakling” compared to those larger organizations, was suppressed, Zheng Tan wouldn’t benefit much either. After all, his main source of income was from Xiao Guo’s place. Supporting his family was a goal and plan set by Zheng Tan the Cat.
As the person in charge of the event, Xiao Guo was the face of the “Green Wing.” If “Green Wing” lost face, it was the same as Xiao Guo’s shop losing face, and Zheng Tan wouldn’t stand to benefit. Besides, Xiao Guo mentioned the trip was just for a week, not a long time.
With all things considered, taking the trip didn’t seem like a bad idea. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), cast your monthly vote, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
