Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 287 - Chapter 287 Chapter 280 Crooked Idea

Chapter 287: Chapter 280: Crooked Idea Chapter 287: Chapter 280: Crooked Idea Pei Liang and the people here enjoy good living conditions, both materially and spiritually. Using a very cliche question, if you ask them, “Are you happy?”

Most people would probably say they are happy, especially those kids who grew up with countless goofy monkeys playing around them.

Along the way, Zheng Tan witnessed some of the antics of the free-roaming children, who were definitely wild children, like little warplanes. He could imagine what Pei Liang felt when he used to complain about his own kids causing trouble with Qi when they were young.

Therefore, after arriving here, Zheng Tan made himself two “distances”: first, stay away from wild children and second, stay away from goofy monkeys. He didn’t want to be targeted by wild kids or hit by a poop while walking on the hillside.

Pei Liang’s family had already received a call from Pei Liang and were waiting at the front door. As soon as the car arrived and the door opened, the people didn’t move, but the monkeys went first, and the welcoming line certainly didn’t shout for Pei Liang first.

“Qi is back!”

“Aww, Qi, grandma missed you so much!”

“Come here, Qi, let grandpa give you a hug!”

Watching his family crowd around Qi, Pei Liang counted. It had only been a month since he left home after the National Day peak. Is that what they call “a long time”?

After hugging Qi, the gaze of Pei Liang’s family’s kids shifted towards the Black Cat that got out of another car.

“Look, it’s that cat called… what’s its name!” Pei Liang’s younger son pointed at Zheng Tan and shouted.

Zheng Tan glanced at the little brat. He’d heard from Pei Liang that his family had seen the group photo of Qi, Zheng Tan, and Black Gold before, so they had an impression of Zheng Tan. However, Zheng Tan’s name had clearly been forgotten now, replaced with “what’s its name.”

After cuddling with Qi, it was finally time for Pei Liang’s family to genuinely start being hospitable. They took Ermao and the others into the house. The guest rooms were already arranged. It was off the peak tourist season, so there were some vacancies. No worries about not having a place to stay, and the bedding was freshly laundered, not old sheets used many times before in the guestrooms.

From many details, it was evident that the Pei family had really put their hearts into making the arrangements, even arranging a separate small room for Zheng Tan.

When Pei Liang’s family first heard that they had to arrange a separate room for a cat, they were quite puzzled, but since Pei Liang said so, preparing one more room wasn’t a big deal.

“This cat looks nice.” An elder from Pei Liang’s house nodded at Zheng Tan.

“Don’t underestimate that cat. If it weren’t for its family always asking it to keep a low profile, it might not be any less popular than Qi,” Pei Liang said to his family. This was also to prevent his family from overlooking Zheng Tan.

“I can see that.” An old man stroked his beard. “A spirited cat indeed deserves good treatment.”

The elderly were more inclined to believe in those mystical and elusive things. Compared to the younger members, the Pei family’s elders were much more amiable towards Zheng Tan.

To Zheng Tan’s surprise, Qi didn’t bother him on his home turf. In front of the old people, Qi was quite well-behaved, which Zheng Tan viewed with utter disdain. Such a faker. But it was a good thing; with Qi not provoking him, Zheng Tan could rest well.

On their first day at the Pei family’s place, they didn’t go up the mountain, as Pei Liang and Ermao needed a good rest after the long drive.

Heimi and Ermao, the couple, stayed in one room, busy helping Heimi adapt to the unfamiliar environment. Compared to them, Zheng Tan was the most relaxed.

Zheng Tan’s room didn’t have a balcony, which he didn’t need. He just squatted on the windowsill, looking at the distant mountains and surrounding scenery. The place was listed as a tourist spot for a good reason, as the scenery was obviously nice. However, Zheng Tan was more concerned about the monkeys on the mountain. If there were many monkeys, would he be surrounded if he went for a walk there?

But from this viewpoint, he couldn’t tell how many monkeys there were on the mountain. Instead, the surroundings were occasionally disturbed by the antics of some monkey or other community’s wild children.

On the first night, all was well.

The next day, Ermao, full of energy, carried a large backpack and followed Pei Liang up the mountain to play. Zheng Tan did not carry a backpack–it was inconvenient for moving around–and running “bareback” through the dense mountain forest was more delightful.

As they headed up the mountain, Zheng Tan didn’t see any other monkeys, only Qi playing in the woods.

“Didn’t you say there were a lot of monkeys here? I haven’t seen many,” Ermao said.

“We’re not quite there yet,” Pei Liang pointed ahead. “Keep walking and you’ll see.”

true to Pei Liang’s words, after another ten minutes or so, Zheng Tan began to hear some sounds.

A stream flowed down from the mountain, and on the large rocks beside it, a few monkeys were gathered, three mother monkeys each with their offspring. One baby monkey nestled in its mother’s arms to nurse, not even looking at Zheng Tan and his group, while the other two baby monkeys watched them curiously.

Zheng Tan really wanted to tell them, “You’re flashing, folks.”

Ermao and Gong Qin took a few photos. The monkeys were not too afraid of humans, and aside from a wary look in their eyes, they did not flee at the sound of the camera clicking, probably used to such encounters.

Maintaining their distance, Pei Liang continued to lead Ermao and the others without disturbing the leisurely lives of those monkeys.

“Hey, what is that place?” Ermao pointed at a fairly large structure up ahead at an angle, “A mountain inn?”

“No, that’s a research base for several universities. They offer some health check services, and locals with monkeys usually come here regularly for a health check-up. Qi is one of them. Having these health certificates and check-up records from these people helps a lot in the outside world. For someone like Qi who often travels all over the country, health inspections are quite rigorous.

For instance, no matter how friendly those drama crew members seem when you’re talking to them, if you don’t have a health certificate or you lack recent health inspection records, they’ll keep their distance. I’ve heard them several times making up stories about wild animals like Qi carrying viruses or diseases. Animals are, after all, different from humans. If Qi wants to carve out a niche in human society, he still needs to work hard.”

Qi, perhaps understanding Pei Liang’s words, gave two timely chirps from the side.

As Pei Liang and Ermao passed by the base, there were a few people outside playing soccer, and several monkeys were watching, though it was unclear if they understood the rules.

“Yo, Brother Pei, aren’t you busy touring around with the star Qi at drama sets?” a young man in his twenties said to Pei Liang.

Judging by their tone and Qi’s reaction, Pei Liang seemed quite familiar with these people.

“Came back for my kid’s birthday. I’ll head out again for drama touring in a couple of days.” Pei Liang sat down on a nearby wooden bench and accepted a fruit plate a student passed to Ermao and the others.

“What research are you up to lately?” Pei Liang asked the students.

A young man Pei Liang was close with wiped off his sweat and sat down before speaking: “They’ve been researching the characteristics of the ventral pattern of the local macaque species, parasitic infections in the macaques’ intestines on the mountain and at the base, and so on. As for me, I’ve just been compiling some data from the previous health inspections of the monkeys in the mountains and the village, making a summary of their hematology and cardiopulmonary functions, including routine blood tests, blood biochemistry, coagulation function, blood pressure, electrocardiograms, respiration, and so on. I found differences between male and female macaques in red blood cell hemoglobin concentration, albumin, blood sugar, blood calcium, triglycerides, and other aspects. Anyway, that’s about the size of it.”

Zheng Tan had lived with the Jiao family for a long time and had heard some of these words a few times before, so he wasn’t completely clueless. In contrast, Ermao was more interested in parasitic infections of the intestines. He had read in a book that cats could also have parasitic infections and asked: “How do you test for intestinal parasitic infections?”

“We collect stool samples for testing,” the students said matter-of-factly and went on to explain in detail to Ermao.

Ermao: “…” So, they had to pick up poop. Listening to them, fresh, warm samples were best. Dealing with hundreds of samples meant facing hundreds of piles. These students really had it rough.

The base did not allow unrelated individuals to enter, so Pei Liang planned to bring only Qi for a check-up tomorrow. Qi had been eating a variety of foods lately, and Pei Liang was worried he might get a stomach problem.

They didn’t stay long at the base, which wasn’t part of the regular tourist itinerary. Zheng Tan had even seen warning signs, which regular tour groups always avoided when they came up the mountain.

There was indeed an inn on the mountain, and the owner had a good relationship with Pei Liang, especially when they saw Qi. They nearly burst into smiles, and from the looks of it, Qi had helped them make a good amount of money. The locals revered Qi almost like an ancestor.

Pei Liang and Ermao were fine, but Gong Qin wasn’t as enduring, so they decided to rest at the mountain inn to take a nap.

Zheng Tan couldn’t sleep; he didn’t feel particularly tired. Rather than staying in the inn surrounded by strangers and watchful eyes, he preferred to take a walk outside.

“Don’t go too far, and hurry back in an hour or two. If you get lost, I won’t know how to explain it to your Cat Dad and Cat Mom!” Ermao yelled out the window at the black figure outside.

Zheng Tan looked back and gestured to show he understood.

Five minutes after Zheng Tan left the mountain inn, Qi found a chance to slip out of a window too. Pei Liang didn’t have time to object before Qi had already scaled the window and run far ahead, beyond calling back. Once back in these familiar woods, the uppity side of Qi emerged, unlike when he was more dependent on Pei Liang outside.

“Hey, what’s there to worry about? Qi grew up in these mountains, he’ll be back after a bit of fun,” the inn owner said.

“I’m not worried about him getting lost; I’m concerned he might be up to some mischief again.” Pei Liang instructed Ermao to keep an eye on the Black Cat, who was wearing a tracking device, and to stay vigilant.

“Relax, I know. But Senior Brother Pei, just a heads up, don’t underestimate that Black Coal. Even if Qi is up to mischief, it’s hard to say who’ll end up getting the short end of the stick.”

Meanwhile, Zheng Tan walked, keeping his ears alert to the sounds around him, aware that one must stay vigilant in the mountains to avoid trouble.

There were many animal scents in the mountains; even if people might not see them on a regular basis, especially the animals that mark their territory by urinating. Of course, the most distinct scent in the area was that of the monkeys.

As he walked, Zheng Tan’s ears twitched, and he turned his head backward.

A figure swiftly approached from between the trees, coming to a stop on a tree three meters from Zheng Tan in just a few breaths.

From his higher vantage point, Qi looked down at Zheng Tan and then gave a burst of calls.

Looking for help? Zheng Tan narrowed his eyes.

One-on-one, Qi evidently knew he was no match. Just as Zheng Tan thought, Qi was indeed seeking help. After behaving all day, Qi couldn’t restrain himself any longer. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to come to Qidian to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.NovelFire.net.)

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