Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 398 - Chapter 398 Chapter 385 Zheng Heitan Visits Here

Chapter 398: Chapter 385 Zheng Heitan Visits Here Chapter 398: Chapter 385 Zheng Heitan Visits Here When Zheng Tan opened his eyes, he found himself in a small room about ten square meters in size, filled with some medical equipment and permeated with an unpleasant smell of medicine.

In the room were only Wei Xiaopang, Er Yuan, and Er Yuan’s mother, Gong Qin. While the kids were talking, Gong Qin was sitting on the side, reading a book about how to care for sick pets. As for the name “Black Bun” that Er Yuan mentioned, it was actually a mix-up and mistake of hers. Ermao had always called Zheng Tan “Black Coal,” but Er Yuan remembered it as three characters and after thinking hard, she recalled “Black Bun,” inspired by the buns they had that morning, hence the word “bun” came out directly.

Wei Xiaopang was arguing with Er Yuan whether Black’s name was two characters or three. When they saw Zheng Tan open his eyes, the children were stunned and then shouted loudly.

“Mom, Mom! Black is awake!”

“Dad, come inside! Black opened his eyes!”

Wei Leng and Ermao were talking outside. Hearing the noise inside, they opened the door and peered at the cat-specific bed where a cat was stretching and yawning.

“Yo, Black Coal is awake,” Ermao said with a smile. After that, he called Xiao Guo and also informed the Jiao family.

“It’s good that he has woken up, if he’s awake then there’s nothing wrong,” Wei Leng said.

During Zheng Tan’s unconsciousness, Xiao Guo had someone conduct a checkup, suspecting a cold. Strangely though, after taking injections and medicine, his temperature normalized, and his breathing stabilized, much faster than other cats, and he seemed to have no serious issues. However, Zheng Tan just wouldn’t wake up, seeming deeply asleep, maintaining this state for a whole week, which really worried the Jiao family.

Xiao Guo had also consulted many experts in this field and several well-known veterinarians, but none could resolve the issue. They could only wait.

Now, upon learning that Zheng Tan had woken up, Xiao Guo brought people to conduct a comprehensive examination. The results showed that everything was normal and his condition was much better than other cats his age in terms of both bones and muscles, far surpassing his peers without any signs of the so-called “aging” phenomena they had feared.

When they received the diagnosis, the Jiao family breathed a complete sigh of relief, but when asked whether a similar situation might occur again, the veterinarians at the Pet Center couldn’t give a definitive answer. Compared to humans, the medical techniques for pets are not as advanced and various complications might arise. All they could do was record this case and then discuss and research it. If no answer could be found, there was nothing else they could do.

“So, the best method is just to pay more attention normally, prevent the cat from getting sick, and thus it can maintain a good condition for longer,” Xiao Guo said to Jiao Ma and Mr. Jiao.

Since everything was normal, Zheng Tan wouldn’t stay at the Pet Center as an “inpatient” anymore and went home directly with Mr. Jiao and Jiao Ma.

Zheng Tan had been sick for a week, and during this time, he had stayed at the Pet Center. Xiao Guo had specifically prepared a private room for him, which was indeed very special treatment.

The Jiao family had been extremely anxious when they found out Zheng Tan was sick, all blaming themselves for being so busy that they had overlooked him, which led to his cold. Colds in humans might not be serious, but it was different for animals; a minor illness could become quite dangerous if not properly handled, especially for Zheng Tan who was gradually considered an “elder” by everyone.

During his “hospitalization,” the Jiao family visited several times a day, and their phones were on twenty-four hours a day, just in case there was an emergency and they didn’t receive a notification. Little Youzi and Jiao Yuan, one in the ninth grade and the other in twelfth, both had monthly tests at the end of November. Zheng Tan’s situation affected their exams, particularly Little Youzi’s; if Mr. Jiao hadn’t pushed him, he probably would have missed his exam. Jiao Yuan, on the other hand, hadn’t been initially informed by his parents, but he sensed something was off from Jiao Ma’s demeanor, called a few “informants” in the courtyard to understand the situation, and learned about Zheng Tan’s “hospitalization,” rushing back home that day.

Knowing that his illness and “hospitalization” had unsettled the Jiao family, Zheng Tan felt rather conflicted. He probably hadn’t expected his influence to be so significant, feeling a bit guilty yet also slightly joyously mischievous. Being valued and cared about is a good thing, as it shows that others care about you. However, after this, Zheng Tan thought he needed to be more careful; Jiao Yuan and Little Youzi would both have important exams in the next six months, so he figured he should avoid getting sick during this period. If he had to fall ill, he would wait until after their exams were over to avoid affecting their performance.

At that time, the Jiao family hadn’t spread the news about Zheng Tan’s condition, but Ermao, who lived in the same building, quickly found out. After he knew, Wei Leng was also quickly informed. Whenever they had time, both would come and visit Zheng Tan a few times, but he hadn’t woken up at the time. Today, Wei Leng got off work early and brought Little Wei along, and Ermao also brought Er Yuan. These two little tykes hadn’t started kindergarten yet and had plenty of time. Thus, this prompted the conversation between the two little tykes that Zheng Tan had overheard upon waking up.

Speaking of little kids, Zhuo Xiaomao somehow found out about Zheng Tan’s illness and had Xiao Zhuo take him to the Pet Center to visit, something Zheng Tan only learned about afterwards.

As for Zhuo Xiaomao, who had already started elementary school, it was impossible for Zheng Tan to talk to him as freely as when the kid was in kindergarten. They didn’t have as much outdoor activity time anymore, since their physical education classes also had tasks. However, soon after school started, Zhuo Xiaomao informed Zheng Tan of his P.E. schedule; if it coincided with P.E. class, half of the time would be spent doing drills or other activities led by the P.E. teacher, with the rest of the time free for students. During free time, Zhuo Xiaomao would run to a corner and chat with Zheng Tan.

That day, Zheng Tan had timed it right and was squatting on the fence at a corner of the Affiliated Primary School playground, watching the little kids being led around the track by their P.E. teacher. The children were still young, and the running wasn’t too strict; after jogging slowly for a while, they took a few minutes to rest.

Zhuo Xiaomao ran over, bubbling with mystery, and told Zheng Tan that, to celebrate his recovery and discharge, he had prepared a handmade gift.

As soon as Zheng Tan heard it was handmade by this kid, he felt a lump in his throat. It wasn’t that he was overthinking things, but last year’s two gifts from the boy, both greeting cards, had left an impression. One was given during the Dragon Boat Festival, which came with a bottle of grape juice. Zheng Tan thought it was for drinking, but surprisingly, the grape juice was meant to be poured over the card.

Zheng Tan went home with a stomach full of mixed feelings and poured the grape juice onto the opened card, and soon after, a large abstract-style drawing of a zongzi emerged.

The second card, which Zhuo Xiaomao gave during the Mid-Autumn Festival, came without grape juice, thankfully, but still…

Zheng Tan found a moment when no one was at home and opened the greeting card in his room. Following Zhuo Xiaomao’s instruction, he held Little Youzi’s hairdryer with the hot air setting and blew on the card for a long time. Once the card had heated up, something appeared on it–an abstract painting of a mooncake.

Oh, Zheng Tan’s feelings at that moment…

So now that Zhuo Xiaomao said he wanted to give Zheng Tan a homemade little gift to celebrate his recovery, Zheng Tan’s mustache trembled and trembled. He feared the kid would come up with another hilariously ridiculous gift.

On the other side, the gym teacher was blowing the whistle for assembly. Zhuo Xiaomao quickly told Zheng Tan, “The gift isn’t ready yet, I’ll give it to you at Christmas,” and then he ran off.

Zheng Tan shook his head. Never mind, not worth bickering with the little brat.

Seeing that the time was almost right, after strolling around the area a bit, Zheng Tan ran off to Mr. Jiao’s office at the Life Science Institute. Since his recent illness, Zheng Tan had not been so free. The Jiao Family felt they had trusted him too much before, which had led to this incident. They had found out about his condition too late; what if it had been discovered even later? They worried.

Thus, after being grounded for a week upon recovery and eating specially prepared nutritional meals for a week, Zheng Tan couldn’t stand it any longer–they were too tasteless. After several protests, Zheng Tan had finally put an end to the nutritional meals.

The Jiao Family felt that Zheng Tan was gradually entering into the “older age” phase of life, and his diet shouldn’t be the same as before. They reduced foods that were too flavorful or not good for a cat’s health, which was something Zheng Tan was not used to. However, this was already a concession from the Jiao Family. Mr. Jiao even spoke to Ye Hao, Boss Cai, and Feng Baikin about it, saying that even if Zheng Tan went over to their places, he shouldn’t expect to get the feast he yearned for.

Ermao joked that Zheng Tan wasn’t starving; truly starving, he could eat anything. Zheng Tan didn’t argue, but he thought to himself that he wasn’t starving now.

In fact, Zheng Tan wanted to say he was quite healthy, strong enough to easily lift the dining table at home. However, he couldn’t speak, and moreover, the Jiao Family had been scared this time. They weren’t as accommodating as before. If they could have their way, the Jiao Family would even wish for Zheng Tan to just stay at home and not go out. Unfortunately, that was impossible.

At Mr. Jiao’s office, there was already a meal prepared for Zheng Tan. After heating it in the microwave, it became his lunch.

After eating, Zheng Tan took a nap in Mr. Jiao’s office before climbing out of the window, planning to stretch his legs a bit.

Having not visited the little grove at the edge of the community for a long time, Zheng Tan decided to run over.

Leaping and weaving quickly through the trees, he was as fast and familiar as ever.

Not rusty.

Not old, Zheng Tan thought, I’m still young.

After running for a while, he felt his previously somewhat gloomy mood lighten significantly. Zheng Tan squatted on a tree branch to rest, watching the autumn leaves on the large trees in the forest turn yellow and swirl down with the gusts of wind.

Zheng Tan also remembered the scenes he had dreamed of during his illness-induced sleep, strangely clear after waking up. Moreover, Zheng Tan gradually remembered exactly where those scenes were from.

That chaotic place was a recreational spot he used to enjoy visiting. Sometimes, when he was in a bad mood, he wouldn’t even attend classes but would instead call up a few close friends and head over there.

But was that really a dream?

Zheng Tan looked down at his cat paws and sighed deeply.

Jumping down from the tree, Zheng Tan intended to just go home, but after walking a few steps, he stepped on something. He pushed aside the leaves to see a piece of a pencil marked “5B,” probably lost by an art student who had come here to sketch.

The higher the H value on a pencil, the harder and lighter it is; the higher the B value, the softer and darker it is. A 5B pencil is suitable for some darker sketches, and some students like to use high B value pencils from start to finish to train their control over the pencil.

Zheng Tan stared at the piece of pencil at his feet for half a minute, not minding the dirt on it, and took it in his mouth. He ran to a secluded spot near the school’s outer perimeter wall. Standing on a tree branch, about one meter seventy or eighty centimeters above the ground, he grabbed the pencil and wrote on the wall:

“Zheng Heitan was here, December 12, 2009.” (To be continued. If you like this story, please come to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to vote for and recommend, or cast your monthly vote. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.NovelFire.net to read.)

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