Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 341 - Chapter 341 Chapter 334 Sesame

Chapter 341: Chapter 334 Sesame Chapter 341: Chapter 334 Sesame When Zheng Tan first met Li Yuanba, that fellow was already pregnant with Huasheng Tang, and at that time, its owner Yanzi had just found out it was a female cat.

Considering the possible scenarios, Zheng Tan decided that it was best not to visit the Pet Center for the time being, even if they called him over, he shouldn’t stay long, especially not in Xiao Guo’s resting room. If things turned out as Zheng Tan suspected, and Xiao Guo pinned the blame on him, it would be hard to clear his name unless there was another DNA verification.

Back when Tiger’s issue arose, Mr. Jiao did a paternity test for Zheng Tan. Considering there was still this method to clear his name, Zheng Tan wasn’t too worried, as a last resort he could just ask Mr. Jiao to step in again.

As for whose progeny this litter would be, Zheng Tan thought about something he heard from Ermao and Wei Leng when they went to “Triumph” two days before Ermao’s daughter’s hundred-day celebration.

Starting from March, whenever Ye Hao came over, he would bring Lord with him, though it was unclear if it was for safety reasons or something else. If it was true, then this litter was probably Lord’s offspring again, only God knew what they would look like. And when exactly did Lord encounter Li Yuanba? Did Ye Hao know about this?

Shaking his head and choosing not to continue the speculation, Zheng Tan promptly went home with Mr. Jiao now that the cats in the studio had settled down again.

Since Mr. Jiao didn’t have much time, if there were more issues at the Pet Center, Charlie would come over to take Zheng Tan there directly.

Every few days, when there was a commotion in the studio, Charlie would come to fetch Zheng Tan. Although Charlie and that staff member said it was because of the little cat, Zheng Tan wondered if Li Yuanba was also a factor, or perhaps Lord had stealthily visited at some point.

After going there numerous times, Zheng Tan could see the little cat’s recovery progress. Just as Charlie and the others said, this little cat had an incredible will to survive; it had endured such severe injuries from the disaster and was still in fairly good spirits now. Though it lost its forelimbs and hopped around like a kangaroo when moving, as long as it was energetic, that was a good sign.

In his spare time, Xiao Guo instructed Charlie and the others to take good care of this little cat. They were planning to make a special feature on the cat, which would not only help raise more donations but also boost the reputation of both the “Green Wing” Association and the Pet Center. The donations collected would be given to the disaster area where the little cat was found, to assist with the livelihood of the survivors and the reconstruction efforts.

The name of this little cat was given by Xiao Guo, who called it “Gou Zai.” It was hard to imagine; a cat sported a dog’s name.

Later, Zheng Tan learned the reason behind Xiao Guo’s choice of name through discussions he heard from Charlie and the others.

The search and rescue dog that saved this little cat was named “Zaizai,” said to come from a family of search and rescue dogs. Its father was a highly honored search and rescue dog named “King.” Initially, “Zaizai” wasn’t called “Zaizai” but “K Zai,” using the initial letter from its father’s name. It was later changed to “Zaizai” because “K Zai” touched upon some sensitive, prohibited substances.

Xiao Guo named the cat “Gou Zai” because the cat was saved by a dog named “Zaizai,” so he went directly with “Gou Zai.” It’s all about a name being easy to say; just listen, “Gou Zai” rolls off the tongue so well, and besides, if Yanzi could name her cat “Li Yuanba,” naming this cat “Gou Zai” wasn’t all that strange.

Even when the cats in the studio sometimes acted snappy, their nature was relatively friendly, with little aggression. In dealing with “Gou Zai,” they were quite peaceful; a few cats even frequently went over to lick “Gou Zai.”

The Pet Center’s official website launched a new section specifically about “Gou Zai,” detailing everything from post-surgery to current recovery. Due to “Gou Zai,” many cat lovers donated money again, and some even visited the Pet Center in person.

From the day of the earthquake, the heavy feeling lingered throughout the remainder of May and all of June.

Jin and others went to the disaster area, and now some celebrities were also heading there. Regardless of whether it was for show, as the internet suggested, or they were genuinely sincere, as long as it helped the disaster victims and the reconstruction, that was all that mattered.

Xiao Guo returned in mid-June, and the day after he came back, before he had time to recover from the accumulated emotions of the disaster area, Li Yuanba gave birth.

Early one morning, after finishing breakfast, Xiao Guo walked into the resting room with a cup of tea in his hand, nearly flung the cup when he saw the scene on the sofa.

Yanzi rushed over, filled with remorse. She had been very busy these past two months, especially this last month, taking care of the child and worrying about Xiao Guo. Although she had noticed something unusual about Li Yuanba, she hadn’t thought in that direction and hadn’t given much care. Now knowing the real reason behind Li Yuanba’s strangeness, she felt incredibly sorry, lamenting whether Li Yuanba had gone hungry during this time.

Xiao Guo also feared the nutrition issue might affect the health of both the adult and kitten cats, but Li Yuanba was uncooperative with examinations, strictly forbidding anyone besides Xiao Guo and Yanzi from entering. Anyone who came close was greeted with a roar from Li Yuanba, a glare that was chilling to the bone. Because Li Yuanba had been low-key recently, many had forgotten that this cat used to be quite vicious.

However, Xiao Guo soon realized that he and Yanzi might have been worried over nothing. The food he kept in the resting room and some of the reserve rations in the studio had diminished, and as Charlie reported, the diced chicken in the fridge would occasionally decrease, something they hadn’t paid attention to before. Looking back, it seemed that it might have all gone into Li Yuanba’s belly. Trashing the place was something Li Yuanba usually didn’t do, and since nobody knew it had that ability, perhaps it had done so secretively and simply hadn’t been caught. In the past, Zheng Tan had even learned a few tricks for climbing through windows from it — proof of the deeply hidden skills of this crafty cat.

Zheng Tan found out about Li Yuanba giving birth to kittens the day he started work in the studio. However, Xiao Guo kept the matter tightly under wraps; apart from the people in the studio, some employees from the Pet Center’s store and clinic were unaware of Li Yuanba’s kittens. It was likely that the studio staff had been instructed by Xiao Guo to keep the news quiet.

This made Zheng Tan very puzzled. What kind of a little guy had been born to make Xiao Guo keep it so tightly under wraps?

Glancing at Xiao Guo, who sat beside the camera but was clearly preoccupied with thoughts far from the shoot, Zheng Tan’s curiosity deepened even further.

At the moment, in the studio, a few people who had seen the kitten, including Charlie, were also pondering whose offspring it really was. The kitten’s other features were not discernible yet and would require more time to grow. As for the fur color… After pondering the kitten’s fur, and scanning over the studio’s cats, no clues emerged. The lady boss Yanzi suggested it might not be a Pet Center cat, and if that were the case, it wouldn’t have taken this long to reveal; Li Yuanba wasn’t particularly interested in those cats, either. Although it might be said that cats don’t get emotionally attached like humans do, over the years there had been only one – Huasheng Tang, and that was a fact.

Furthermore, there were many “eunuchs” among the Pet Center’s male cats, which made the possibility even slimmer. Finally, Charlie’s gaze fell on Zheng Tan, causing Zheng Tan’s whiskers to quiver in response.

Damn it, he was under suspicion again.

However, Charlie remembered Huasheng Tang, and that didn’t seem right either. Huasheng Tang had long fur, and it was clear at a glance that the body shape didn’t match Zheng Tan’s. If this kitten had long hair and was large in size…

Charlie tapped his forehead, trying to recall the long-haired cats in the area, particularly the forest cat breeds, but he could not come up with anything.

Around noon, Yanzi stopped by with a lunch box, which contained cat food she had made for Li Yuanba. Xiao Guo, no longer staying at the shoot, came to the lounge with Yanzi. Zheng Tan quickly followed, eager to see what the kitten looked like.

Charlie and a few other crew members who were having lunch stretched their necks to see, but did not approach; they were not allowed to get close to that area.

For the past few days, Huasheng Tang had not gone out to pick fights and stayed near the lounge, watching that area and occasionally sniffing at the bottom of the door, as if sensing the presence of a brother or sister inside. If anyone else approached, Huasheng Tang would help Li Yuanba chase them away.

Zheng Tan was still an exception. Upon seeing Zheng Tan, Huasheng Tang didn’t show any aggression like it did toward others, human or cat, and rubbed against him as usual, just like the Little Point that Li Yuanba would take out for walks.

When Xiao Guo and Yanzi saw this, they initially planned to persuade Zheng Tan to leave, but now they remained silent. They were also curious to see if Li Yuanba would drive Zheng Tan away.

The door opened, and Huasheng Tang poked its head in and squeezed in after Zheng Tan but didn’t get close. It just crouched by the door, stretching its neck out long, curiously observing the area around the sofa.

Zheng Tan took a few steps inside, and Li Yuanba issued a warning sound. However, it was just that–a warning, without the strong alertness and aggression it showed to others.

After pausing, Zheng Tan hopped onto a nearby chair and stood up slightly to peer at the sofa. Xiao Guo had enclosed the edge of the sofa to prevent the kitten from falling, and the ground around it was covered with thick blankets, just in case. The sofa was cushioned with mattresses that Li Yuanba had used before, for ease of washing and to help Li Yuanba adjust more quickly.

At the moment, Li Yuanba lay on his side on the sofa, with a dubious lump in his belly.

What was that? A pitaya?

In the past few days, Jiao Ma had bought some pitayas, so when Zheng Tan saw that lump, he was reminded of the flesh of pitayas.

Of course, the spots on that lump weren’t as dense as the black seeds in the white flesh of the pitayas Jiao Ma had purchased. Actually, if anything, the pattern of the fur most resembled the spotted pattern of a Dalmatian.

Yes, the kitten nestled in Li Yuanba’s embrace had fur very much like a Dalmatian dog. Zheng Tan had seen many black and white cats, but this was his first time seeing such distinct spots. If the base of the fur had been yellowish, one could argue it resembled a leopard, but this one was white-based, with only black and white colors.

No wonder Xiao Guo kept the news so tightly sealed, fearing certain curious individuals would insist on coming over to see, potentially disturbing Li Yuanba. Among the circle of cat friends, there were many wealthy and influential people. It was a pity Xiao Guo wouldn’t sell; now if they insisted on coming over out of curiosity, Xiao Guo’s refusal would inevitably offend someone. Besides, Yanzi had said they wouldn’t sell the cat but would keep it themselves, so Xiao Guo simply blocked off all information.

Just like with Huasheng Tang back then, Li Yuanba had only this one kitten, which was larger than the average kitten.

Yanzi and Xiao Guo were discussing what to name this cat.

Huasheng Tang had been named after its fur color, and Xiao Guo planned to do the same for this one. Yesterday, while Yanzi was having black sesame rice cake, she mentioned the kitten. After thinking it over, Xiao Guo said, “How about calling it Black Sesame? Yeah, Sesame for short.” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (NovelFire.net) with your recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.NovelFire.net to continue reading.)