Strange Life of a Cat

Although Jin didn’t know much about the erhu, he was very sensitive to music. He felt that the old man didn’t seem angry but rather, seemed to be in a good mood. Many people play the erhu, and most of the tunes carry a sense of melancholy, but the tune the old man was playing felt like the warmth of the setting sun over a dam. Without realizing it, the tension that had built up was now relaxing.

Jin gauged the old man’s mood through the tune of the erhu, while Zheng Tan relied on his intuition to sense if the old man had any malicious intentions. Since the old man didn’t seem to be holding a grudge, it wouldn’t be good for Zheng Tan to continue hassling a blind person, especially with Jin there, in case more information got unintentionally leaked by this fool.

Since he had decided not to continue bothering the old man, Zheng Tan simply squatted down beside him to listen to the erhu. Jin didn’t plan on leaving immediately either and leaned against the railing next to Zheng Tan, listening to the old man play.

Jin could tell that the old man was an erhu master, no less skilled than those teachers from music academies, and felt that listening for a while could benefit his own creative work. Additionally, Jin had heard many erhu pieces before, but this was a tune he had never encountered. However, he felt too embarrassed to interrupt with questions, so he remained quietly standing by, enjoying the performance.

The vendors around them had grown accustomed to the old man playing the erhu. Seeing that there was no commotion to watch, they went back to busy themselves with their stalls. To them, cats held no monetary appeal.

Speaking of money, Zheng Tan now understood why the old man’s wooden box contained so much. The quality of the erhu playing attracted passersby who were willing to listen and enjoyed it, combined with sympathy for the elderly, many would donate money. Although most contributions were small change, the frequent donations added up to a decent sum by the end of the day, more than enough for an old man’s living expenses and a bit extra to enjoy other pleasures in life.

Actually, there were more people giving money today than usual, and a part of that was because of Zheng Tan, the cat. That was why some performers liked to have children or animals with them—it attracted more donations.

When the sky started to darken, Zheng Tan stood up, ready to return and pick up Little Youzi.

“Huh? Heitan, ready to leave?” Jin was immersed in the erhu melody. When the music stopped, he came back to his senses and noticed that the black cat, who had been crouching beside him, was now ready to go down the pedestrian bridge.

Putting his guitar on his back, Jin decided to walk with Zheng Tan, since he didn’t have a specific destination in mind anyway. Plus, he was very curious about where Zheng Tan lived. Where exactly was this cat’s home? What kind of place was it? Why did it come here alone?

Zheng Tan knew Jin was following him but didn’t pay any attention.

As they passed a snack stall, Jin called out to Zheng Tan, “Heitan, let me treat you to some chicken tenders.” Jin remembered that this cat seemed to have a wide range of food preferences.

This was also a way to express his gratitude. It was rare to catch Zheng Tan alone; in the past, whenever Jin saw him, Zheng Tan was always with Wei Leng, Ye Hao, and the others. Jin certainly didn’t have the guts to interrupt their conversation.

Speaking of meat, Zheng Tan was indeed getting hungry. He wasn’t in a hurry, and there was still half an hour before Little Youzi finished school. There was enough time for a meal before heading back.

Seeing Zheng Tan stop, Jin knew the cat must have agreed, so he happily walked up to the stall.

“Two servings of…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Jin froze. He fished around in his pockets, patted down his trousers, and after a long search, he turned to Zheng Tan with a dismayed expression on his face.

“Heitan, have you seen my wallet and phone?”

Zheng Tan: “…” Idiot! Not even aware that his phone and wallet were stolen!