Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 357 - Chapter 357 Chapter 350 Bringing Trouble

Chapter 357: Chapter 350 Bringing Trouble Chapter 357: Chapter 350 Bringing Trouble In the winter afternoon, the sunlight was just right.

On the edge of the withered, yellow lawn of the East District courtyard, four cats lay in a row on a wooden bench.

All four cats were in the same posture, tucking in their paws and squinting with their faces turned outward, basking in the sun on the wooden seat.

Zheng Tan hadn’t been one to tuck in his paws at first because it was such a cat-like thing to do, which made him feel somewhat repulsed. But when he saw the cats around him all doing it, he unwittingly began to follow suit, and to his surprise, tucking in his paws was quite warm and not tiring at all–it was just right for the weather. Habits are a terrifying thing; once formed, they become second nature. Now, Zheng Tan often mimicked them by folding his front paws and tucking them in.

People occasionally walked through the courtyard and weren’t surprised to see the four cats on the bench, only smiling. Anyone who had lived in the courtyard for a while knew these four cats. To the elderly there, this had become a familiar sight, one they might even reminisce about should it one day disappear.

Although all four cats were in the same pose and seemed to be dozing, any slight noise would cause the ears of the four cats on the bench to move simultaneously.

Zheng Tan didn’t know what the other three cats were thinking, he just felt the sunshine was dazzling and squinted, lost in thought.

Zheng Tan had not gone to check on the mobile phone for a week now; the one Liu Ba gave him was tucked away in the drawer of the old wooden table in the tile house, untouched, and he had decided that, unless something special came up, he wouldn’t touch those two phones for a while. Although he was keen on texting the Jiao family, it seemed better not to for now.

The Old Tile House District wouldn’t be demolished anytime soon–if it were, they’d post notices well in advance. Zheng Tan wasn’t worried about it being torn down; he didn’t need to check every day, just a glance over there during his strolls to confirm the phone was still there was enough. As for everything else, Zheng Tan didn’t want to think about it yet.

Cooperation?

He’d consider it when he felt like cooperating.

Zheng Tan had long deleted all the messages and call logs from the original mobile phone. He knew a professional could still retrieve lots of information, but there was nothing he could do about it. Fortunately, the chances of a professional finding it were slim. If it was discovered, he’d have to get help from Liu Ba. As long as Liu Ba kept quiet, who would know that the real owner of that mobile phone was actually a cat?

The reason Zheng Tan didn’t immediately refuse Liu Ba’s proposal and kept the phone was to guard against any potential problems that might arise, to have a backup plan, a way to ask for help using the phone. He trusted Liu Ba’s capabilities. In the week that passed, Liu Ba hadn’t shown up again; Zheng Tan wondered if he was busy with some new job.

As he was pondering, Zheng Tan heard the owner of Sahara calling out again from the direction of the residential buildings.

Opening his eyes, Zheng Tan quickly saw Sahara bolt out like a wild horse gone rogue, with the person behind her shouting only making her run faster.

Watching the dog run out of the courtyard gate, Sahara’s owner, Ruan Ying, panting and not bothering to run after her, approached the bench where the four cats lay, complaining as he walked.

“Damn it, it’s just a bath, she acts as if it’s torture.”

During the summer, Sahara was not so averse to baths; sometimes she even enjoyed playing with the hose. But in winter, her attitude was entirely different. Hearing the word “bath,” she’d take off running. When indoors, Ruan Ying could corner her and drag her to the bathroom, but today his luck was poor, and she had escaped.

Ruan Ying had some free time that afternoon and decided to bring Sahara home for a wash, since she hadn’t had one in a while. At the time, Sahara was happily gnawing on her dog food and didn’t notice Ruan Ying picking up the shampoo and bathing tools. Unfortunately, at that moment, Ruan Ying’s grandfather, along with another elderly professor who was on good terms with Academician Ruan, came home. Seeing Ruan Ying with gloves and tools, the professor remarked, “Ruan Ying, are you going to give Sahara a bath?”

Almost instantly, Sahara squeezed through the still-ajar door like a gust of wind, abandoning her unfinished dog food. Downstairs, a teacher who had just returned from outside had opened the entrance, letting Sahara make her escape.

Knowing that Sahara hated baths in the cold, Ruan Ying tried to be as quiet as possible with his movements, fearing that any noise would alert her. Many cats and dogs react to certain sounds and words; for instance, a Pekingese from the courtyard would hate baths regardless of the season. It would hide in its bed as soon as it heard its special bath basin, indifferent to any coaxing or threats from its owner, only to be carried from its bed each time for a bath.

Once Sahara got away, Ruan Ying knew it would be nearly impossible to chase her down immediately, and he’d just exhaust himself. He figured the foolish dog would naturally come back when hungry, usually not straying from the school and hiding somewhere on campus, so there was no need to worry.

Ruan Ying looked at the four cats on the bench, thinking that even Sahara wasn’t as obedient as the cats, with his gaze finally settling on Zheng Tan, he said, “Heitan, if you happen to see Sahara when you’re out playing, give her a couple of slaps for me. She’s becoming more disobedient by the day! Damn, such a hassle!”

Ruan Ying said this casually, not expecting Zheng Tan to understand. Many pet owners talk directly to their pets this way, out of habit rather than belief that the pets comprehend much, just as many elderly people in the courtyard would talk to Zheng Tan and the other cats as if teasing children.

After Ruan Ying left, Zheng Tan lay on the bench for a while longer. Around three or four o’clock, when the sun wasn’t very strong, it started to get cold if he kept sitting there, so Ah Huang and the sheriff decided to head into the woods to see if there was anything fun.

Although he had short fur like the others, Da Pang, with his layer of blubber, was more cold-resistant. He could maintain the same position until sunset, steadfast against the northern wind. This perseverance was likely developed from enduring the wait for instant noodles to cook.

So Da Pang continued to doze off on the wooden chair, Ah Huang and the sheriff went to find some fun, and Zheng Tan left the courtyard for a stroll.

While strolling, Zheng Tan saw Sahara sniffing around a row of parked bicycles, then glanced around, walked up to one, lifted a hind leg, and began to pee on the bike.

Zheng Tan: “…”

After finishing, Sahara even scratched the ground with his leg twice, seeming quite pleased with himself. Unfortunately, his pride didn’t last long. Two male students walked over and saw what happened. One of them immediately showed an angry face.

“Fuck! That dog is peeing here again! Is it targeting me or what?”

Again?

Zheng Tan was puzzled. Although Sahara had a bit of a mischievous streak and liked to play pranks, he generally didn’t pee around when he was out. Besides, he seldom ran out on his own, mostly being taken out by someone. Could he really be peeing on a bike right in front of Ruan Ying and the others? Was he asking for trouble? No wonder Ruan Ying said that this guy was becoming more and more disobedient. She even seemed to grit her teeth when she said it.

The owner of the bicycle ran over, and Sahara quickly took off. Unlike other times when he would just scamper off after doing something naughty, this time he would run a few steps then turn back to bark at the two guys a few times. When they gave chase, he would run again, and after getting some distance, he would turn back and bark again.

Was this a vendetta?

Otherwise, Sahara wouldn’t just pick a fight without reason, would he?

Zheng Tan lay on a tree, watching the two guys swearing and failing to catch up with Sahara, then looking at Sahara who stayed a hundred meters away watching this scene but not running away. Zheng Tan was considering whether to go over and take Sahara away when he heard the two guys talking in a low voice.

“Hey, do you think it’s been watching us since last time, so it’s always targeting us?” one of them said.

“That can’t be, it’s just a dog. How could it know that? Besides, the bike we took wasn’t its, so why would it care?” The other pulled out a pack of tissues, intending to wipe the bike, but upon seeing the wet wheel and pedal splattered with urine, he frowned in disgust, put the tissue back in his bag, kicked the bike, and said, “I don’t want this bike anymore! I’ll just sell it, it’s not worth much anyway.”

Zheng Tan heard the conversation between the two. They kept quiet whenever people passed by, and continued talking when the coast was clear. Although they spoke very softly, Zheng Tan’s keen hearing allowed him to catch their words.

So they were bike thieves. They were probably seen by Sahara while stealing a bike. No wonder Sahara was acting so aggressively. However, what connected these two bike thieves to Sahara? Did they steal a bike belonging to Sahara’s owners? Zheng Tan remembered that Ruan Ying, Sahara’s owner, had a four-wheel sedan and it seemed like none of Ruan Ying’s family rode bicycles.

Wondering about this, Zheng Tan looked over at Sahara and noticed him targeting another victim – this time, a refined-looking female student. While she was riding her bike, Sahara ran over and pushed her and the bike over, causing the girl to scream in fright.

The two discussing when to sell the bike heard the commotion, cursed, and ran over, while other passersby with good intentions began comforting the fallen girl and seemed ready to confront Sahara.

Zheng Tan saw things were turning sour and quickly ran over.

Sahara, sensing the trouble, turned and ran away without stopping this time.

The surrounding students started talking about finding the dog’s owner to hold them accountable. Many agreed and said they should post about this incident on the school forum so everyone could be wary of this dog, speculating it might have rabies or something.

Some seemed to recognize Sahara. After all, he had been in the school for over five years, about the same time as Zheng Tan, and some frequent passersby could recognize him as belonging to a teacher’s family, although it was uncertain which teacher. Still, some might know. The people were still discussing when Zheng Tan left.

Zheng Tan chased after Sahara until they were close to the corner near the courtyard. Sahara hid behind some trees, and when Zheng Tan caught up, the dog peeked out. Seeing only Zheng Tan had followed, he immediately grew braver, and his tail started wagging happily. Zheng Tan couldn’t tell if Sahara was pleased to see him or proud of his recent mischief.

Zheng Tan wanted to slap that dog face.

What’s the use of hiding there!

This guy had caused trouble for his owner and didn’t even realize it.

But thinking back, that female student Sahara had pushed over – was she with those two guys? They definitely knew each other, but it wasn’t clear if she was part of the theft. If she was innocent and the others decided to seek retribution, Sahara might really end up in trouble. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to vote for it and recommend it on Qidian (NovelFire.net). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.NovelFire.net to read.)