Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 371 - Chapter 371 Chapter 363 The Dog and Its Owner

Chapter 371: Chapter 363: The Dog and Its Owner Chapter 371: Chapter 363: The Dog and Its Owner The reason why Xiao Hua could cooperate with Zheng Tan and run in the correct direction has to be traced back to when Xiao Hua was still a puppy.

Given that Saint Bernards are naturally large dogs, even as a puppy, Xiao Hua was bigger than other small breeds and, of course, larger than the few cats Zheng Tan had around, but Xiao Hua’s temperament was such that it ended up being bullied by the four cats in the courtyard.

From that time on, Zheng Tan started training Xiao Hua. However, to others, it just looked like a cat and dog playing with each other. No one could have guessed that Zheng Tan was actually training the dog. So now, all Zheng Tan had to do was give a gentle tug on Xiao Hua’s collar, and Xiao Hua would run in the direction of the tug, or stop if pulled backwards. After a few years, they undoubtedly developed a certain rapport.

Passersby found the combination quite entertaining, though the bloodstains on Xiao Hua were enough to make many of them keep their distance.

Xiao Hua, leading Zheng Tan, headed straight for the Pet Center, barely giving the bystanders a second glance.

Shortly after Zheng Tan and Xiao Hua left, the situation at the entrance of the West District courtyard stabilized, and the road was completely clear. There was no indication that an accident had just occurred.

A few security guards were chatting about the incident when a young man in a school security uniform ran over.

“Hey, Xiao Wang, what are you doing here? There was an accident, but we didn’t call for you. It’s not good to leave your post without permission,” one of the chatting guards said with a frown upon seeing the young security guard.

“No, it’s not that, Brother Liu. I got a call from Brother Zhang. He said he went with someone to take Professor Li to the Affiliated Hospital. Professor Li regained consciousness in the car and asked us to help check on Xiao Hua, saying Xiao Hua was also injured. Brother Liu, who is Xiao Hua?”

The young security guard looked around as he spoke, having heard about the incident but, since they couldn’t leave their posts, he had curbed his curiosity and not come over. It wasn’t long before he got the call. The people who took Professor Li and the others assumed that the incident here wasn’t over yet, so they didn’t call the West District courtyard security. Instead, they reached out to the young guard, who was having a lighter workload lately, to take care of Xiao Hua. But he had no clue who Xiao Hua was; the person on the other end of the line didn’t clarify before hanging up.

After receiving the call from his colleague, the young security guard immediately headed over, but he wasn’t very familiar with the people and events of the school and only knew Professor Li by name from phone conversations. He didn’t recognize either Professor Li or Xiao Hua and initially thought Xiao Hua was a relative of Professor Li’s or someone of that sort. He wondered why Xiao Hua, who was injured, hadn’t gone to the hospital with the ambulance. When he arrived and looked around, he didn’t see any injured people.

“Xiao Hua?” An older security guard paused, looking around. “Hey? Didn’t I tie up Xiao Hua over there? Where did it go?”

… Tie up? The young security guard was even more confused.

“You mean Professor Li’s big dog? Just now someone said they saw it,” someone mentioned.

After asking around, they realized that the dog had disappeared when they weren’t paying attention.

“I called the East District security, and they said they haven’t seen it return,” another guard put down the phone and said.

“Quick, check the surveillance cameras.” Even if it was just a dog, they would be held responsible if it got lost, especially since this dog had saved people, and with Professor Li worrying about it in the ambulance, it certainly must be important to him.

The group gathered in the monitor room and pulled up the recent footage from the cameras at the gate.

“There, there, I knew I tied it up over there,” the older guard pointed, identifying the scene where they had pulled the dog out of the crowd and tied it up to the side.

Then, they all watched intently as the scene with the dog unfolded on the screen.

And after that, they watched, as captured by the security cameras, a not-so-big black cat untie the dog’s leash. The dog ran back and forth until the black cat jumped on its back and rode away with it.

The security guards: “…”

They looked at each other, speechless.

Meanwhile, Zheng Tan, accompanied by Xiao Hua, reached the Pet Center. Although Xiao Hua was taken there by Old Man Li once or twice a month, always by car or someone driving, Xiao Hua didn’t remember the way. Now with Zheng Tan’s guidance, it made no wrong turns, and the sight of the Pet Center eased Xiao Hua’s anxiety about the unfamiliar surroundings.

Zheng Tan didn’t lead Xiao Hua straight to the main entrance of the Pet Center but took a side door straight to Xiao Guo’s studio. Going through the main entrance might have proved difficult since not everyone would recognize Xiao Hua, and without someone to accompany it, doing anything would be inconvenient, and treatment would require waiting. But things would be different at Xiao Guo’s; even without someone to guide it or money to pay the medical bills, Xiao Guo would still attend to Xiao Hua’s wounds first. With Old Man Li absent and the situation unclear, and Li’s family members probably busy at the hospital with his issues, it would probably take a while before anyone noticed Xiao Hua, so leaving it with Xiao Guo was the best option at the moment.

The people in Xiao Guo’s studio were having a light day, engaging in free activities while brainstorming the next promotional video. With the website video views on the rise, the number of advertisers knocking on their door had increased, but they had to maintain their integrity, no shoddy work.

Everyone was inside the air-conditioned room, watching TV, chatting, and bantering when suddenly, they heard a knock at the door.

“At this time, with the sun so bright, who could be coming?”

“Never mind who it is, just hurry up and open the door, it could well be a big customer,” one employee joked.

The person closest to the door shook their head, stood up, and walked over to the door. Upon opening it, they were met with a dog’s head, and a large dog, covered in blood, looking up at them.

If it hadn’t been for spotting Zheng Tan on the dog’s back, the employee who opened the door might have been so frightened that they would’ve shut the door immediately. They were in charge of photography, not veterinary care, and they were unfamiliar with customers of the Pet Center, remembering only a few regulars, so Xiao Hua was virtually a stranger to them. Moreover, with all the bloodstains on her and the exhaustion from her run, panting heavily with her mouth open, she looked somewhat terrifying.

“Boss!!”

This was a situation they couldn’t handle; they could only ask Xiao Guo to come out.

Xiao Guo was in the lounge when he heard someone calling; he came out and, after catching a glimpse of Zheng Tan and Xiao Hua, he too was startled. He came over and checked the keg Xiao Hua was wearing with her name on it. This keg served as Xiao Hua’s dog tag, with all her information engraved on it, which somewhat reassured Xiao Guo who had been worried this black cat might be abducting the dog.

Xiao Hua remembered Xiao Guo’s scent, so she didn’t resist him. Sometimes when Xiao Guo visited the courtyard to find Zheng Tan, he would also stop by to check on Xiao Hua. Several pet owners in the courtyard knew Xiao Guo, and since Old Man Li and the others lived on the ground floor with Xiao Hua’s kennel also on that level, it made it convenient for visits.

“Oh, it’s Xiao Hua,” Xiao Guo recognized her right away with few people keeping Saint Bernards around. A glance at the keg was only to confirm because Xiao Hua had come on her own without Old Man Li, prompting Xiao Guo’s initial confusion.

Confusion aside, Xiao Hua’s wounds needed immediate attention.

Xiao Guo phoned several veterinarians at the Pet Center and directly took Xiao Hua there for treatment.

“Meow–”

Sesame peaked around the doorway, sniffing the strange scent and, upon seeing Zheng Tan, trotted over. Now, Sesame had grown bigger than Zheng Tan by a size, almost comparable to Huasheng Tang. Seriously speaking, Sesame was even a tad larger than Huasheng Tang.

Zheng Tan wasn’t in the mood to play with this fellow; he wanted to go and see how Xiao Hua was doing. He had been focused on getting to the Pet Center quickly to have Xiao Hua’s injuries looked at, neglecting to consider her physical condition.

Previously, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual when he saw Xiao Hua being taken away by security or when they had dodged the police running fast; he hadn’t thought much of it. Now that they had arrived, Zheng Tan was becoming increasingly worried. If Xiao Hua had some internal injuries before running here, could the effort have exacerbated them? Although it didn’t take long to get here from the school, injury circumstances are unpredictable. Xiao Hua was over five years old, and it was said that large breeds like her generally have shorter life spans than small breeds. Could any lingering issues shorten Xiao Hua’s life even more?

Zheng Tan hadn’t been particularly attached to cats or dogs in the past, but after several years of watching the courtyard’s cats and dog grow, playing with them regularly, to many they had become childhood friends, growing up together. Though many cats are considered adults by one year of age, in human perspective, whether one or five years old, they were all grouped as “kids.”

Moving to follow Xiao Guo and check on Xiao Hua, Zheng Tan heard a noise behind him. Turning around, he saw Sesame following him. He pushed Sesame’s head with his hand, urging it back into the house. In this sweltering heat and with its conspicuously thick fur, Sesame was better off staying inside.

While Xiao Hua was being treated, Xiao Guo also called Old Man Li, ending up speaking to Old Man Li’s wife. She didn’t say much due to concern for her husband’s condition, only asking Xiao Guo to help take care of Xiao Hua for the time being.

The results of Xiao Hua’s examination came out promptly.

“No severe fractures and no internal organs are damaged, that’s good news. Those wounds will heal easily. Checking the records, she’s barely over five years old, still in the prime of a Saint Bernard’s life. Professor Li has taken great care of her; she could live another five to six years without any issues. Just the other day, someone brought in a thirteen-year-old Saint Bernard that’s still lively and can eat and run.”

“That’s a relief to hear no serious problems. Don’t skimp on the medicine she needs. Professor Li is laid up in the hospital still worried about his dog. Remember, this dog just saved a person,” Xiao Guo said.

“Alright, I’ve got it,” replied the veterinarian. Xiao Guo’s words implied two things: first, this was a noble dog worthy of every effort to save, and second, there was no need to worry about medical expenses, as the owner would surely settle them.

Listening to the veterinarian discussing Xiao Hua’s condition with Xiao Guo, Zheng Tan also breathed a sigh of relief. It was good there were no major issues.

Actually, upon reflection of the incident at the courtyard gate, Zheng Tan felt that, with Xiao Hua’s reflexes, she could have easily dodged the approaching motorcycle. But it seemed Xiao Hua chose to protect Old Man Li who was behind her instead, taking the brunt of the impact. If the collision had been a bit more forceful, Xiao Hua might not have survived.

However, Old Man Li truly cherished Xiao Hua who, even unsettled himself, was still thinking of his dog.

While many praised Xiao Hua’s bravery and loyalty at the time, and spectators after the excitement, soon stopped thinking about it. Only the dog’s owner kept thinking about the dog. In Zheng Tan’s view, if even the dog’s owner didn’t remember and worry about it, then the dog’s life would be quite a sad one. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to support it by casting recommendation votes or monthly votes at Qidian (NovelFire.net). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.NovelFire.net to continue reading.)

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