Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 324 - Chapter 324 Chapter 317 Snow Disaster

Chapter 324: Chapter 317: Snow Disaster Chapter 324: Chapter 317: Snow Disaster With Xiao Jiu around, Zheng Tan wasn’t worried about the blind fools bothering Little Youzi; he felt much more at ease about the school as well.

Little Youzi, although not planning to retaliate against those rumors and mockeries immediately, was holding back a strong determination, just waiting for the end-of-term exams to get good grades and smack those people in the face. This was the best way to retaliate.

After New Year’s Day, the atmosphere in both primary and secondary schools became quite tense, as everyone prepared for the end-of-term exams. A poor performance could spoil the entire year for some.

Zheng Tan looked at the wall calendar in the living room; the new one had already replaced the old one.

This was Zheng Tan’s fifth year since his arrival here.

According to the age conversion between cats and humans, Zheng Tan was now a middle-aged uncle.

The good news was that Zheng Tan felt that his “components” were still quite resilient, with little difference from the past few years. In his heart, he always considered himself the same handsome young man in his twenties.

At noon, he ate at Jiao Wei’s family’s small restaurant. Jiao Ma and Mr. Jiao were already discussing when to buy tickets to return to their hometown. Of course, it would depend on Jiao Wei’s schedule. They would wait until his exams were over to purchase tickets. They were all within the province, with no trains nearby. Going to the bus station to buy tickets was easy; just bring your luggage and buy them whenever you wanted to go back, without needing to book in advance like others.

Walking down the street at the school gate, Zheng Tan noticed a new shop had opened. The previous clothing store was gone, replaced by a large “Wutailang Pancake” sign. The shop wasn’t big, but there was no shortage of people buying pancakes, with the queue forming a “Z” shape. The delicious aroma of the pancakes made passersby glance over, with those impatient to queue planning to come back when it was less crowded, while the food enthusiasts showed a special patience in this regard.

Zheng Tan moved closer to take a look. The busy owner was the same man who had pushed the cart around, the one with the handicap.

No wonder he had disappeared for a few days only to reappear beaming; it seemed he had rented a store.

The pancake making area occupied half of the store’s space, with the other half presumably dedicated to rest. Zheng Tan saw two small kids coming out of a small door inside the store to the front area, clinging to the owner’s legs and giggling about something, then heading back in. They must be the pancake shop owner’s children.

After watching for a while, Zheng Tan decided to head home, as it was quite cold outside and he wasn’t in the mood to wander around. He hadn’t walked far when he spotted someone Zheng Tan recognized from his days as Diamond. It was one of Tang Mo’s bodyguards, now standing by a deli not far from the pancake shop, watching the crowd.

What was this person doing here?

As Zheng Tan looked towards the pancake shop, another person entered the store and soon came out with three portions of pancakes without having to queue. Moreover, the pancake shop owner was extremely courteous to this person.

Zheng Tan followed the man for a bit until a black car parked near the road. It was Tang Mo’s.

After the man got into the car, it drove away directly. Zheng Tan watched the car fade into the distance, shook his head, and jogged home.

In the car, Tang Mo took the pancakes passed to him, took a whiff, and found them quite fragrant. He bit into one, and the taste… seemed not bad at all.

“There’s still nothing abnormal on that side. Those buying pancakes included nearby vendors, some teachers, and mainly students,” the man reported to Tang Mo.

Tang Mo grunted in acknowledgment and said no more. After Diamond was returned by an unknown person, he had someone check out the pancake seller. After all, there were many who sold Wu Dalang pancakes, but only one sold Wutailang Pancakes in this area. The investigation hadn’t unearthed anything useful, and Tang Mo, thinking of the pencil writing on the paper bag, was more inclined to believe that Diamond had been returned by a young student.

Tang Mo had even asked Xiao Guo whether anyone else had heard his phone call. The answer was no; Xiao Guo had made the call in his private resting room with only himself, and of course, the two cats, Li Yuanba and Zheng Tan present. Naturally, a normal person wouldn’t give a second thought to cats.

They promised a sum of money when questioning the pancake shop owner and got plenty of information, mainly concerning the people who came to buy pancakes. But so far, they hadn’t found what they were looking for. The pancake vendor used his savings and the money from Tang Mo to rent a place, and he had made a decent amount in these past few days. One should not underestimate such small snacks; seeing the continuous, unstoppable laughter of the pancake shop owner was enough to know he had earned quite a bit. Zheng Tan could never have imagined that the paper bag he picked up by chance would have such consequences.

“The person we’re looking for isn’t him,” said the woman beside Tang Mo.

Tang Mo nodded, “I know, but still, let them keep observing. Have Wutai cooperate, he won’t be short of money.”

“Yes, boss.”

After Zheng Tan returned home, he spent a leisurely afternoon browsing some forums on his computer. There was a lot of talk about Young Master Xiao in the entertainment section, ignited by the news that started two days earlier on an official channel, reporting a well-known actor, Mr. Zhao, had been detained. When the official media formally announces a detention and an ongoing investigation, it usually means the charges are mostly set in stone, just as Fang Shaokang said, there’s no escaping it.

Young Master Xiao’s real name is Zhao. The news broadcast sparked heated discussions, stirring up a myriad of conspiracy theories while fans engaged in lively spats.

The chatter about Young Master Xiao only subsided when increasingly severe weather conditions emerged.

In mid-January, heavy snow fell in Chuhua City. Initially, people were saying that a timely snow promises a good harvest and many were happily playing in the snow, using it as a way to relax from the tension and exhaustion brought on by the end-of-term exams. It wasn’t until the exams were over and people were ready to go home that the worry set in, especially for those who lived far away, in the Southern regions.

Some people were lucky, with their tickets coinciding with a break in the weather, so their journey home was relatively smooth. Others were less fortunate, with their travel dates falling on days with terrible weather–windy and snowy, with many places icing over, highways closing, trains delaying, and flights postponing. Some people couldn’t board their trains until the day after their original ticket date.

Jiao Yuan and Little Youzi both stayed at home, lacking the enthusiasm to play in the snow and dutifully completing the homework assigned by their teachers over the winter break. Over the past few days, Old Sir Jiao had also called several times, inquiring about their travel plans to visit their hometown and repeatedly urging them to be careful if driving, stating it was better to be slow than sorry.

The television reported this snow disaster as a once-in-50-years event. Many Southern drivers were not accustomed to driving in snowy and icy conditions and lacked adequate preventative measures, resulting in numerous accidents. It was said that some drivers from the North had been called in to assist.

Mr. Jiao had to stay at the Life Science Institute a bit longer. Just this morning, they received news that a student on a bus headed home had met with a road accident not far from the city and was now in the hospital. An emergency meeting was called within the institute, requiring all class teachers and postgraduate and doctoral supervisors to be fully accountable.

Mr. Jiao supervised many graduate students and could not return to his hometown until all his students had left the campus. According to the meteorologists, the snowstorm was not expected to end anytime soon.

By late January, the students had gradually left the campus, regardless of the difficulties they faced. That evening, Jiao Wei’s dad came over and discussed their plans.

Jiao Wei’s dad knew someone who was currently driving at a bus station, previously engaged in business up North and experienced in driving in such snowy and icy weather. Many local drivers here, even with clear skies and no snowfall, lost control at the slightest hint of ice, but that man was capable. After a chat with them yesterday and seeing that the weather would let up in the next two days, with a few highways temporarily reopening, he had called Jiao Wei’s dad. If possible, they would try to snag a few tickets to take with them. They couldn’t go directly to their hometown and would only be able to reach the county town; from there, they’d need to find another means of transportation.

Afterward, Mr. Jiao decided it was best for Jiao Ma to take Jiao Yuan and Little Youzi with Jiao Wei’s family back home, while he would need to stay at the school a while longer. Later, he would drive home with Zheng Tan. After all, it wasn’t convenient for Zheng Tan to travel on the passenger bus.

Once, Zheng Tan had paid little attention to the disaster. He was most likely busy finding pleasure and leisure. News? What was that? He never had the patience for it. But now, amidst it all, Zheng Tan felt differently, especially on the day when Jiao Ma and the others took the bus back to their hometown. He watched some current affairs news on the provincial channel, along with the scrolling real-time updates at the bottom of the TV screen, or he’d directly check online for updates–news like the sudden closure of a highway, accidents occurring on a road, or unrest in particular places. It was not until he received the message that Jiao Ma and the others had safely arrived that Zheng Tan’s worried heart finally settled down.

“Heitan, it’s just the two of us now,” Mr. Jiao said as he looked out the window.

Now only Mr. Jiao and Zheng Tan were left at home, in silent solitude. Mr. Jiao was hardly home during the day; Zheng Tan joined him for meals at the faculty cafeteria, and the rest of the time, Zheng Tan stayed at home alone, watching the news on TV.

Experts on TV, using their complex academic language, analyzed the causes of the snow disaster, and spouted meteorological terms that Zheng Tan didn’t understand. Many people were frustrated–they didn’t care to know this; they wanted to know how much longer the weather would last, when transportation would resume, and when they could board their purchased tickets.

Every day when Zheng Tan turned on the TV, whether it was the city, provincial or national news channels, many were covering the snow disaster in the South. There were plenty of migrant workers and students stranded during the spring travel season. The news showed crowded scenes at various stations in some provinces and cities. As the days passed, more and more people grew irritable. Black market ticket prices skyrocketed, as did the price of vegetables. As for the big star Young Master Xiao, nobody paid attention anymore except for a few.

Over here, the traditional Little New Year fell on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, and even after it had passed, the news showed stations in some provinces and cities still looking the same, with daily updates on the severity of the disaster, economic losses, and casualty numbers.

At night, some of those stranded would go online on their phones and lament their decision to give up on going home for the New Year.

Others, however, would not give up so easily, “I’ve slogged outside all year, scrimping and saving every penny for the sake of reuniting with my family for the New Year and improving the life of my wife and kids. You think a little snow can stop me? No way!”

Unable to snag a flight or bus ticket, stuck waiting for transportation, some sought alternative methods. Thus, Zheng Tan often saw a range of opinions and suggestions on the internet, including some who decided to walk home across provinces.

Two days before Chinese New Year’s Eve, Mr. Jiao finally wrapped up his work, and the weather had temporarily improved. Looking over the campus from above, many areas were covered in white. The temperature was still low, making driving quite challenging.

Zheng Tan, dressed in his little vest, jumped into Mr. Jiao’s car. Mr. Jiao glanced at Zheng Tan’s vest pocket, clearly stuffed with items, said nothing, closed the car window, and drove away from the school. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (NovelFire.net), recommend it for a monthly ticket, and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.NovelFire.net to read.)

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