Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 386 - Chapter 386 Chapter 375 Digging a Pit

Chapter 386: Chapter 375 Digging a Pit Chapter 386: Chapter 375 Digging a Pit Old Man Lan had told the Jiao family about the location where their prized flowers were on display. The Jiao family, accompanied by Zheng Tan, made their way there first, and at that time, the botanical garden wasn’t too crowded yet. However, the exhibition hall where the prized flowers were displayed was already bustling. People were crowding around each exhibit, commenting and appreciating the flowers. Zheng Tan couldn’t conveniently push through to the inner areas because it was too packed, so he stayed in his backpack, which Mr. Jiao was carrying, and they stood on the less crowded outskirts.

Jiao Ma took Little Youzi to enjoy the flowers, as women are more interested in these things.

Jiao Yuan came back drenched in sweat after trying to squeeze through the crowd.

“Did you see the ‘Jade Cat’?” Mr. Jiao asked.

“I couldn’t push my way in, just glanced and didn’t see clearly. There were too many people,” Jiao Yuan said. He had been squeezed out before he could take a closer look. The ones who pushed him were some uncles in their forties or fifties, and even grandfathers. Naturally, Jiao Yuan couldn’t compete with them for space, so he took a quick look around and returned.

Although each exhibit was surrounded by a crowd, the display for that particular orchid had several layers of people around it. Those inside didn’t move, and there was a growing tendency for more people to surround them from the outside. Those flower-loving elders usually seem polite and refined, but now, they had come with great anticipation, and if they didn’t push through, they wouldn’t be able to see the flower. The ongoing commentary from inside made them itch with curiosity, and in their excitement, they squeezed in even more! In their view, a “young whippersnapper” like Jiao Yuan should quickly make way, as that would be the right thing to do.

So, not only was Jiao Yuan squeezed out, but he also received several disapproving glares.

“No worries, we’ll just visit Professor Lan when we get back,” Jiao Yuan consoled himself internally. The early bird catches the worm. Besides, it was their cat that had found the flower, and Professor Lan would surely understand their desire to see it privately. When they got back, Jiao Yuan would shamelessly insist on it if needed.

Seeing the frenzied scene, Mr. Jiao now believed what Professor Lan had said.

Why was Professor Lan so confident about that orchid?

Many flowers are expensive because they are hyped up. Someone pushes the trend, and perhaps, in a few years, it could decline from glamor to obscurity.

Why isn’t Old Man Lan worried about a price drop?

Firstly, no one else can cultivate this flower. Generally speaking, natural mutants of the same variety tend to cluster in one area. How the seedlings were obtained, aside from Zheng Tan, no one knows. Even if the Jiao family were willing to disclose this secret, who could make a cat speak? So, for the next few years or even longer, as long as they do not sell offshoots, this orchid will be truly one of a kind. Rarity brings value.

Secondly, it’s all about true merit. If a flower can attract so many laypeople to stop and stare, as well as fascinate orchid enthusiasts, why worry about its valuation?

Once Jiao Ma and Little Youzi finished admiring the flowers, the Jiao family, along with Zheng Tan, moved on to other areas. The exhibition hall was too small and too difficult to get through. They weren’t particularly discerning connoisseurs, so they decided to explore more of the botanical garden. The garden was vast, with plenty to see.

For visitors, it was simply a pleasant place to find amusement, admire flowers, enjoy the scenery, and unwind, akin to an entertainment venue. But in reality, it was not only that.

Out of more than three hundred employees in the botanical garden, over a hundred were engaged in scientific research. They had master’s and doctoral training bases, along with postdoctoral research stations. In addition, there were several key laboratories and testing centers. Most plant or traditional Chinese medicine researchers from various universities and research institutes in Chuhua City were connected to the botanical garden.

People like Old Man Lan were regulars at the botanical garden, and they communicated frequently. In recent days, since word got out about the rare natural mutant orchid cultivated by Old Man Lan, several people from the botanical garden had visited, and Zheng Tan’s special pass was obtained during that time, when Old Man Lan took the opportunity to make a request for it.

The botanical garden was divided into many different areas. Some meticulous visitors wouldn’t be able to see everything in a single day. However, visitors usually headed towards their favorite and most intriguing spots. For example, Mr. Jiao was interested in the medicinal herb and bamboo gardens, Jiao Ma in exotic flowers and plants from other regions. As for Jiao Yuan and Little Youzi, they preferred to wander around the kiwi fruit and other fruit gardens. While walking by, Zheng Tan also noticed some visitors picking loquats from the sporadically distributed trees on the periphery.

There were too many people in these areas, and after walking around for quite a while, the Jiao family took a break at a spot where they met some people from the courtyard, including Xiong Xiong and Su An. Xiong Xiong was munching on a kiwi fruit.

The adults talked amongst themselves, and the kids had their own conversations. Zheng Tan was bored. He had spent most of the morning in the backpack and seeing that the Jiao family planned to rest there for an hour or two before leaving, finishing the dry food they brought, Su An’s father took out a deck of cards, intending to play a few games.

Zheng Tan wanted to take a walk around, and Mr. Jiao agreed, also reminding him not to forget the time, not to get lost, and to meow if there were any issues.

Zheng Tan didn’t think he would get lost. There were signposts at intervals, and he had already mapped out a rough layout in his mind while walking.

Initially, Little Youzi intended to follow, but Zheng Tan thought that if Little Youzi came along, Jiao Ma would worry and follow too, likely accompanied by other ladies, which wouldn’t allow him the freedom to wander. So, he left on his own.

If it were up to Zheng Tan, he would surely seek the quieter and less crowded spots to stroll.

So, he decided to head uphill. He remembered a path that led to higher ground. It seemed there were fewer people there.

Zheng Tan walked in that direction and saw a sign that read “Rock Plant Area,” next to which a “No Entry” sign was placed. An explanatory notice was also posted, stating that visitors were not allowed in that day due to maintenance work inside.

The maintenance didn’t affect Zheng Tan; on the contrary, there would be fewer people there, so he decided to take a look inside.

The Rock Plant Area wasn’t as colorful as the other sections – Zheng Tan found it quite dull and uninteresting. There wasn’t much to see.

Following the narrow path beside the brook, Zheng Tan twitched his ears. He heard faint voices, but they were still some distance away, so he wasn’t concerned.

Zheng Tan had come via the pathway, and when he reached the end of the pathway, he saw a much broader main road and noticed a black car. It was the one with the special permit they had seen upon their arrival.

Originally, Zheng Tan hadn’t planned to approach, since Jiao Ma had warned him not to cause trouble during their trip. He didn’t intend to cause any trouble; quite often, he himself didn’t understand why trouble always seemed to find him when he was innocent.

Turning around, Zheng Tan decided to leave via another rocky pathway. Just as he walked on, he abruptly paused, lifted his head to sniff the wind, and turned to look around.

The surroundings were very quiet, and if one didn’t listen carefully, they wouldn’t hear any voices. A few birds flew over and pecked at small, grape-sized green fruits on a tree that Zheng Tan didn’t know the name of. Because birds were pecking from above, many fruits fell off the tree making a ‘pop’ sound upon hitting the ground. The fruits were quite hard and would roll a bit further after falling.

Zheng Tan glanced at the fruits under the tree; the birds had pecked quite a bit. However, no one ate these fruits, and they didn’t need them to take root and sprout, so nobody really cared about them, which was probably why the birds pecked without restraint.

Looking around, he saw grass and various unrecognizable plants, but nothing else.

However, Zheng Tan knew that he wasn’t the only one there; besides the few birds in the tree, there was also one stealthy presence.

Zheng Tan didn’t alarm the birds but quietly crouched to the side. He knew that the stalker had spotted him, but the stalker’s target was the birds, so Zheng Tan quietly observed.

The wind blew, and the tree leaves rustled with a whispering sound.

Suddenly, a figure leapt from behind a pile of rocks, using them as a stepping stone for another leap, completing the series of movements in the blink of an eye.

The birds pecking at fruits were startled and stopped pecking, taking flight immediately.

However, there was an interceptor in the sky.

A bird that had been pecking at the fruits on the branch just took flight but was immediately caught by the rapidly leaping interceptor. It was the target, and the move was incredibly swift and silent, with a vicious bite.

Zheng Tan didn’t know the name of this bird, with its grey feathers, about the same size as the grey magpies at the school. For the hunter that had caught it, the size of the bird was really quite negligible.

Zheng Tan watched the large cat emerge from behind the rocks; he hadn’t expected to encounter Lord here.

Yes, the large cat holding a bird in its mouth was indeed Lord. Zheng Tan had smelled the scent earlier and realized this, which is why he didn’t run away; Lord wouldn’t attack him.

Thinking back, could that black car they had seen earlier be Mr. Tang Qi’s? And was Lord the one who had been looking at them from the car?

And considering the scenic area, which had been open to visitors just yesterday and was off-limits today, could it also be because of Mr. Tang Qi?

Without the time to ponder too much, Lord looked at Zheng Tan after securing his prey, then left.

The unlucky bird only struggled twice in Lord’s mouth before running out of breath.

Zheng Tan was curious why Lord was catching birds here, so he followed.

Lord moved at a moderate speed, seemingly leisurely and quite comfortable, as if very familiar with the area, as if he had lived here for a long time. Outside, Zheng Tan had never seen Lord like this.

Recalling their first encounter, Zheng Tan met Lord during the summer vacation of ’04, ten years after the CFH incident. Even if Lord was the second-generation CFH, he was at least nine years old and nearing ten by that time. Five years had passed since then, yet Lord remained as spry as in his younger years, not at all like the aging cats showing their years. His recent bird-catching maneuver was proof enough that his combat skills could still outmatch those of any ordinary younger cat.

Five years ago, Lord’s show of strength had left Ye Hao in astonishment for a long time. Likely, Lord could easily overpower others now as well.

Zheng Tan followed Lord along until they reached a place and climbed up a slope.

There stood a large pine tree, its spread branches casting a vast shadow underneath.

As Zheng Tan climbed up the slope, Lord was digging a hole under the tree.

With Lord’s claws, digging a hole was an easy task, but Zheng Tan didn’t understand why Lord was doing it. Generally, dogs that buried bones or food would dig holes, and in some earthen houses, dogs would dig a hole to crouch in when they were hot in the summer, while it meant something entirely different when cats dug holes–it usually indicated that the cat needed to pee or poop.

Zheng Tan didn’t approach, sensing that Lord likely didn’t want anyone close.

Soon a small pit formed under the pine tree, and Zheng Tan saw Lord place the bird he had caught into the pit and then covered it with earth. After burying it, Lord walked around the pine tree, sniffing at something, then laid down at a certain spot, crossing his front paws and gazing into the distance. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (NovelFire.net) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.NovelFire.net.)