Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 392 - Chapter 392 Chapter 380 I am Lei Feng Meow

Chapter 392: Chapter 380 I am Lei Feng Meow Chapter 392: Chapter 380 I am Lei Feng Meow Deep into the night, only the orange streetlights on both sides of the road were lit, with few houses around still showing any sign of life. The streets were virtually empty of pedestrians, and the roads, typically a bit crowded during the day, now had sparse traffic.

Inside the grocery store, Huang, the owner, took a cigarette from his pack and put it in his mouth. He pulled out a lighter, ready to light it, when there was a knock at the door.

Huang lived in a room behind the grocery store, and the door that had been knocked was the back door of the shop.

Putting aside the lighting of his cigarette, Huang shuffled over to the door in his slippers, cigarette still in his mouth.

Standing at the door was a man Huang did not recognize.

Just as Liu Ba was about to say something, Huang spit the cigarette from his mouth. It hit Liu Ba, fell down, but was quickly caught by Huang.

Liu Ba felt that if it weren’t for the cigarette in the man’s mouth, he probably would have spit directly at him. So, he should be thankful it was just a cigarette and not saliva.

On the phone earlier, when Liu Ba mentioned he had been referred by Officer Liao, Huang’s tone had not been friendly. Liu Ba had a hunch that there was some minor friction between Huang and Officer Liao, but he still came for the orchid matter.

Putting the cigarette back in his mouth, Huang looked down and saw the familiar Black Cat squatting beside him. Taking a deep breath and without a word, Huang just turned his face slightly, gesturing for them to come inside.

Huang indeed had no intention of helping when he heard someone was referred by Officer Liao. He wouldn’t easily lend a hand without being paid first, but he hadn’t expected the Black Cat to be there. Regardless of anything, thanks to the cat, his shop had got a free advertisement, and the business was now quite good. Plus, the Black Cat knew Ermao too; it wouldn’t seem right to kick them out right away.

Seeing Huang’s gesture, Liu Ba sighed in relief. Being allowed in indicated Huang would be willing to help. He returned to the car, checked the surroundings to see if anyone was watching, then carried the still unconscious man inside.

Zheng Tan had only seen the front of the grocery store before and had never been to the back room. It was about ten square meters and quite tidy, contrary to what one might expect. Huang appeared to have a bad temper at night. Despite seeming tight-fisted, he was usually quite pleasant during the day. Perhaps waking up at night was the reason for his bad temper?

Looking at the “Mole” thrown on the ground, Huang took a drag of his cigarette and said, “I really hate being woken up at night. That Liao did this on purpose, having you disturb me at such a late hour. Tsk, young people are so petty.”

This time Zheng Tan was certain that Huang must have had some minor issues with Officer Liao since their previous encounter. When Zheng Tan had followed to stock goods back then, they didn’t even know each other’s names. Now it seemed they were rather familiar with each other. It probably wasn’t a big deal, and though they seemed to cause each other trouble, it was also a form of interaction.

And that was the case. At the end of September, both Huang and Officer Liao had been invited to a wedding of someone they knew. They ended up at the same table, and after a bout of drinking games, Officer Liao lost and was made a fool of by Huang and some of the older guys. Hence, Officer Liao kept those old men in mind, occasionally causing them little annoyances. This time too, he clearly knew Huang disliked being disturbed at night yet he gave out his phone number for a late-night visit.

Liu Ba wanted to extract some information from the “Mole,” and Huang, as a “folk artist,” had the talent to make the “Mole,” talk. Initially, Liu Ba wondered how much Huang would charge, but Huang didn’t even mention money.

Huang looked at Zheng Tan and said, “Let’s call it even this time. Don’t bring people over at night again. And next time, there will be a charge, with no discounts.”

One hour later.

Liu Ba, holding the information he had obtained, was chased out the door along with the “Mole,” who had once again passed out. Zheng Tan had prudently left before the Weasel Boss started to shoo people away, noting the bad temper Huang displayed at night.

Zheng Tan had already asked Liu Ba to call Mr. Jiao, saying he wouldn’t be returning that night, so after leaving Huang’s place, Zheng Tan followed Liu Ba to his base of operations, Jing Gui’s lair.

“I really didn’t expect you to know so many capable people,” Liu Ba said, glancing at the cat on the passenger seat.

Both Officer Liao and Huang were indeed special, each with their unique skills but low-key about it. Even Liu Ba, who had been in Chuhua City for a long time, had not heard of these two. Earlier, while questioning the “Mole,” Liu Ba had half-expected Huang to show some sort of trick, but Huang didn’t do anything; he just sat there with his cigarette, making two or three simple gestures that didn’t reveal anything special. It seemed he was only looking at what the “Mole” looked like and then comfortably sitting back with his cup of tea. The rest of the time, Huang only sat still and interrogated. Liu Ba was impressed and thought to himself that he should definitely get to know these two better in the future. This was a big gain from the incident and made it worthwhile, Liu Ba thought.

The information prised from the “Mole’s” mouth wasn’t much, but it was useful. Although the “Mole” didn’t directly participate in stealing the orchids, he helped by procuring a vehicle and several license plates. Among those plates was one that Mr. Kun had provided.

The thieves who stole the orchids had switched vehicles along the way, with the replacement vehicle secured by “Mole.” By tracking that car and its several license plates, investigators should be able to roughly determine the in-province driving route of the culprits.

However, Liu Ba didn’t plan on tracking them across provinces; there wasn’t enough energy for that. Instead, after organizing the information at hand, he sent it to the head of the special case team.

After the orchid theft, the case had become so significant that the city’s Public Security Bureau established a special case team and set a deadline to crack the case. They deployed a large number of police officers and joint-defense team members to perform a dragnet search for suspicious individuals within their jurisdiction. Liu Ba believed that the police must have obtained some leads; his information would just expedite the case. He thought this intel would make life easier for the team leader. After all, solving a case within a set deadline could lead to a promotion, but failure could mean jeopardizing one’s position.

The head of the special case team indeed had been worrying about the slow progress of the case. He had been unable to locate two key individuals when he received the email from Liu Ba. Following the email’s hints, he found “Mole” lying unconscious in a certain underground parking garage. The team leader was eager to know the identity of the person who had sent the email, but it was anonymous and the sender had taken measures to hide their true IP. The email also included a sentence: “Don’t ask who I am, I’m a Lei Feng meow.”

The team leader stared at the final word “meow” for a full minute. Had he not been occupied with cracking the case, he probably would have pondered it even longer. Who could the sender be? What was his age? These questions lingered in the mind of the team leader.

When Liu Ba sent the email, Zheng Tan was right there beside him. Seeing the message Liu Ba sent, Zheng Tan’s whiskers trembled several times. He remembered the “Little Red Scarf” he had written on a pancake wrapper when returning the diamond. Indeed, he wasn’t the only one who enjoyed such mischief.

Early the next day, as the Jiao family was getting up, Zheng Tan went back to knock on their door. He needed to show his face before they left the house, or else they’d probably keep worrying about him.

As expected, seeing Zheng Tan immediately put Jiao Ma’s mind at ease. Although Mr. Jiao and Little Youzi didn’t say much, Zheng Tan felt that their mood wasn’t much different from Jiao Ma’s.

After having breakfast at the cafeteria with Mr. Jiao, Zheng Tan visited Old Man Lan’s house to check on him. The old man’s spirit was still not great; he had lost weight during those few days. As one grows older, a minor ailment can trigger a series of adverse reactions, and it was uncertain how things would continue like this. Old Mrs. Zhai was very worried and comforted him every day. Old Man Lan’s sons and grandsons also often came to console him.

Actually, Zheng Tan thought that if the orchids truly couldn’t be found, he would find an opportunity to dig up a few more to bring back. But according to Old Mrs. Zhai, Old Man Lan had become stubborn again, fixated on that particular pot of orchids. The ones dug up anew couldn’t compare to the lost one.

The first pot is always the best, irreplaceable in Old Man Lan’s heart.

The special case team sent news back in mid-November; they found the pot of orchids in a border area of Yunnan Province. Reportedly, in one of the county’s police stations within Yunnan, 70% of the criminal cases handled were orchid theft cases. The area had many orchid cultivation experts, as well as many experts in stealing them.

When the special case team found the pot of orchids, they also encountered the two missing orchid cultivation experts. Just as Poker King predicted, those two were hired at a high salary to take care of the orchids. The original plan apparently was to transport the orchids out of the country after being cared for, but they were intercepted.

As for the person who offered a price on the black market, it was said to be someone abroad, and currently, they are difficult to trace. Whether this information was true or not is another matter, but for Mr. Lan, finding the orchids was the best consolation.

When the orchids were being returned, Mr. Lan, supported by Old Mrs. Zhai, shakily walked over. Looking at the pot of pristine, jade-like orchids still in bloom, tears streamed down his face. After that, Old Man Lan slept soundly for a full day and night, and his spirit began to improve afterwards.

One’s mood can directly affect their health, and with the return of the orchids, Old Man Lan’s recovery was gratifying. And once the old man recuperated, he started making renovations to the small flower bed.

Old Man Lan implemented a series of security measures at the small flower bed, enlisting the help of several well-connected professionals. Reinforcements for the flower sheds and the like were added using rebar, wire mesh, and anti-theft doors, and he installed automatic alarm systems, high-voltage pulse grids, video surveillance, and recording systems. He hired people to guard the place, and the campus security and nearby logistics staff participated in joint defense. The school cooperated fully.

Besides these measures, Mr. Lan was considering getting a dog, as he didn’t entirely trust electronic devices. After all, the botanical garden had also been equipped with various electronic anti-theft measures, and yet it was breached. So, he decided on a multifaceted approach. He still planned to cultivate more top-grade orchids in the future, and knew security had to be reinforced.

Since he decided to get a dog, Mr. Lan faced a new problem–he only had knowledge about flowers and plants, and not dogs. The only dogs he usually came across were the few in the courtyard. However, considering guard duties, the frequently excitable Sahara and the good-natured Saint Bernard Xiao Hua definitely wouldn’t do. Could he choose one like Zhuangzhuang, who was said to be difficult to train and too fierce? Although he needed to guard against thieves, people often visited the small flower bed. What if a visitor got bitten accidentally?

Lately, several people had been giving Mr. Lan suggestions. With so many recommendations, he didn’t know whose advice to follow and hadn’t made a final decision.

Therefore, one day when Zheng Tan was out for a stroll, he was stopped by Mr. Lan, who had just returned from a walk.

“Hey, Black Cat, come. Give your Grandpa Lan some advice. What kind of dog do you think I should keep?” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (NovelFire.net). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users, please read on m.NovelFire.net.)