Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 399 - Chapter 399 Chapter 386 Gift

Chapter 399: Chapter 386: Gift Chapter 399: Chapter 386: Gift After finishing, Zheng Tan hid the pencil in the tree hollow where the cell phone had been stored. He might still use it later, so there was no rush to throw it away.

Although Zheng Tan had not visited the tree hollow for a long time, no other animals had occupied it, and it was relatively clean. He picked up a plastic bag, wrapped the pencil in it, and placed it in the hollow before he went home.

Zhuo Xiaomao said that he would give gifts during Christmas. Zheng Tan could not guess what they would be, but considering the time, it was coming soon.

Xiao Guo also had a program for Christmas and New Year, and Zheng Tan was involved. However, Xiao Guo had not asked Zheng Tan to engage in rigorous activities like running and jumping, probably because he was still shocked by Zheng Tan’s recent illness. As a result, Zheng Tan’s Christmas task was not heavy–just striking a few poses and taking some photos and videos.

Xiao Guo did not ask Zheng Tan to work overtime, and when it was time, he had Charlie safely take him back. Without overtime, there was no overtime pay, but fortunately, Zheng Tan’s savings from the past six months were enough for giving New Year’s money. It was nice to have it easier now.

On the evening of the 24th, the Jiao family had just finished dinner. Unlike the students outside celebrating a foreign festival, Jiao Ma was still critiquing the news about the over-admiration of foreign things when someone knocked at the front door.

“Black!”

The person outside shouted while knocking.

Jiao Ma, who had just shown displeasure at the news, immediately smiled upon hearing the voice and hurried to open the door.

The Jiao family liked Zhuo Xiaomao, the smart and charming child. Every time Zhuo Xiaomao visited, Jiao Ma would bring out lots of snacks for him.

This time, Xiao Zhuo came with Zhuo Xiaomao, holding a box in his hand.

“This is a gift from Xiaomao to his Black, celebrating Heitan’s recovery and hoping Heitan stays healthy,” Xiao Zhuo said as he handed the box over.

“Oh, a gift from Xiaomao!” Jiao Ma took the box, smiling.

Zheng Tan was curious and leaned over to see. Zhuo Xiaomao couldn’t wait to show off his gift.

Upon opening the box, it contained several parts. Although not assembled, it was possible to tell that it was supposed to be a miniature bicycle.

“A bicycle?” Jiao Ma questioned.

“Yes,” Zhuo Xiaomao cheerfully took the parts out and started to assemble them. When he struggled to apply force, Xiao Zhuo came over to help.

In less than two minutes, a miniature bicycle was assembled, about half a meter in length, made of sturdy yet not heavy materials, overall very light. Jiao Ma guessed it weighed less than a pound.

“Xiaomao said he used to drive a four-wheeler with Black and misses it. He has photos from back then on his bedroom wall. Now that he’s learning to ride a bicycle, he thought it’d be fun to ride with Black,” Xiao Zhuo explained alongside.

Many elementary school students rode bicycles, not to go to school, just to play around in their courtyards. Sometimes the little kids would even race. Now, Zhuo Xiaomao was beyond touching the child-oriented four-wheelers and was learning to ride a real bicycle. Thus, when thinking of a gift for Zheng Tan, he came up with this idea.

However, Zhuo Xiaomao, still young, hadn’t considered Zheng Tan’s unique needs. In his mind, Zheng Tan was all-capable and riding a bike was nothing.

However, even if Zheng Tan could ride a bicycle, considering some implications, he wouldn’t ride in broad daylight. He could manage to control a four-wheeled vehicle from concealed spots just for show, but riding a bicycle wouldn’t work like that; going out would immediately attract crowds and cameras, and with the advent of the internet and rapid electronics turnover, Zheng Tan did not want to be discussed online.

Nevertheless, it was the thought that counted. Zhuo Xiaomao had made the gift himself, and although he had help from Xiao Zhuo, the sentiment was delivered. Compared to the previous comical greeting cards, this was much better.

“This bike is quite neat; can it be ridden?” Jiao Ma asked.

“It can be ridden. It’s even made according to Black’s size and has two training wheels. I just don’t know if Black can ride it,” Xiao Zhuo laughed.

As far as Xiao Zhuo was concerned, the bike wouldn’t be used, but since Zhuo Xiaomao wanted to make it, she helped and even asked a younger apprentice for sturdy and lightweight materials.

Jiao Ma didn’t expect it to be practical; however, like Zheng Tan’s four-wheeled cat vehicle, having it at home as a decorative piece was nice too.

Ultimately, Zheng Tan didn’t ride the bicycle in front of them. Zhuo Xiaomao left quite disappointed, even encouraging Zheng Tan to learn to ride the bike soon so they could go out together. Sadly, that seemed unlikely.

The miniature bicycle wasn’t dismantled and was kept in Jiao Yuan’s room. Since Jiao Yuan spent little time at home each week, things that had no other place to stay ended up in his room.

Zheng Tan didn’t plan to ride the bike outside, but he liked the bicycle nonetheless. He had previously seen Zhuo Xiaomao play with a bicycle model toy made of plastic, a gift from Buddha. This bicycle was probably modeled after those; Zhuo Xiaomao’s current skills weren’t sufficient, and most of the actual work was done by Xiao Zhuo.

With no one in Jiao Yuan’s room, Zheng Tan crouched in front of the bicycle. While no one was paying attention to that side of the room, he reached out and lifted it–yes, it was really light. It might be heavy for other cats, but for Zheng Tan, it was not a problem at all.

Zheng Tan planned to ride it when no one was home.

Just thinking about it, Mr. Jiao, who had just answered a call in the master bedroom, called out, “Heitan, come here, you’ve got a call!”

Most calls that came in were either from Ermao or Wei Leng, but they wouldn’t directly ask for Zheng Tan. Typically, they would talk business with Mr. Jiao. Now someone was looking specifically for Zheng Tan, and he couldn’t think of anyone else.

Zheng Tan went into the master bedroom and jumped onto the bedside table where the phone was.

The call was on speaker, and Zheng Tan could hear some laughing voices on the other end, both male and female, seemingly whispering as they spoke, all chuckling. Zheng Tan couldn’t recognize who these voices belonged to; they were probably strangers.

“Alright, Heitan is here,” Mr. Jiao said, standing by.

Then, there were two snickering sounds from the phone, like the flapping of wings, and then, Zheng Tan heard that long-missed voice.

“I haven’t forgotten~ you forgot about me~ you even got my name wrong~~ proving you’re just fooling me~ see what you’re going to say today~”

Zheng Tan: “…”

Upon hearing this voice, Zheng Tan immediately backed away a few steps.

Damn it, I’m not answering that bitch’s call!

In early November, due to the sudden drop in temperature in Chuhua City, that despicable bird had been moping around the house all day, but once its owner took it to the warmer South, the bird started to swagger again.

There was some laughter from the phone, indicating that there were several people next to the telephone on the other end, probably that despicable bird’s owner, Professor Qin, and his family in the South.

Professor Qin didn’t let General swagger much on the phone; he quickly took over the conversation and started chatting with Mr. Jiao.

Professor Qin had been in touch with Mr. Jiao before, and had given him the keys to his fourth-floor home, as there were plants that needed watering. Though there was an automatic watering machine, it was still necessary to check in from time to time, so Mr. Jiao would visit Professor Qin’s home on the fourth floor every week and then report back via email.

Mr. Jiao had mentioned Zheng Tan’s illness in a later conversation with Professor Qin. Today’s call wasn’t made by Professor Qin but by General pecking the numbers himself, supposedly to comfort Zheng Tan, the patient. Instead, Zheng Tan was greeted by that despicable bird singing a old song it had just learned, taught by someone in Professor Qin’s household.

General probably hadn’t sung enough yet while Professor Qin, talking on the phone, was simultaneously complaining about General pecking at the phone line in frustration.

Aside from General’s antics, Professor Qin had already planned to call Mr. Jiao in the next few days.

“I heard you were chosen as one of this year’s provincial prominent figures? Congratulations, congratulations,” Professor Qin said.

Just as Zheng Tan was about to leave, he caught the words coming from the earpiece, halted his steps, and decided to listen a bit more.

Prominent figures?

It sounded pretty impressive.

But, when had Mr. Jiao been selected as a provincial prominent figure?

Mr. Jiao, holding the receiver and seeing Zheng Tan’s movement out of the corner of his eye, glanced over, then turned his attention back and continued his conversation with Professor Qin.

That was when Zheng Tan found out that these so-called “Prominent Figures” were actually part of an annual event in the province that recognized individuals who had made significant contributions, achieved remarkable accomplishments, and embodied the spirit of the era, including people from academia, finance, and even sports and entertainment circles.

Mr. Jiao was listed among the “Top Ten Outstanding Young Teachers.” To some, it was merely a nominal honor, although securing it wasn’t easy; it required not only strong personal capabilities but also good relationships with certain people.

Listening to Mr. Jiao and Professor Qin’s conversation, it seemed neither took the title too seriously. Typically, such indifference stemmed from either jealousy or a sour grapes attitude; or, as in Mr. Jiao and Professor Qin’s case, from those who had already attained even greater honors.

In fact, without the previous honors as a foundation, such face-saving honors from annual selections wouldn’t have come to Mr. Jiao. Speaking of which, Mr. Jiao had indeed been working very hard over the past two years, often not seen around, his influence within the Life Science Institute growing. Once, Zheng Tan heard students discussing who could be the future pillar of the institute, and Mr. Jiao was highly favored. The institute’s leadership also respected Mr. Jiao; not to mention ability, even the red mouse that was still thriving in the laboratory mattered; when voting for project groups, the bosses had to consider Mr. Jiao’s contributions to the institute, didn’t they?

The school planned to leverage this opportunity to do more public relations work. This appearance was not only circulating within academic circles but was also open to the general public, with the award ceremony broadcasted on the provincial channel. Given the wide involvement, including major entrepreneurs, company CEOs, and well-known sports and entertainment figures, the program was expected to have high viewership. With this opportunity, why would the school miss the chance to boost its presence?

Professor Qin had been through this before, so this call also served to share some tips with Mr. Jiao, as it wasn’t just about attending an award ceremony. There would be interactions with celebrities from various fields, including political figures, which required careful handling. One shouldn’t underestimate the importance of other industries just because they were academically inclined, or they’d suffer the consequences.

The good news was that Yuan Zhiyi was also among the “Top Ten Outstanding Young Entrepreneurs of the Province” this year, giving Mr. Jiao someone to talk to, so he wouldn’t just stand there feeling ignored and awkward. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (NovelFire.net) to vote for it or leave a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.NovelFire.net to continue reading.)

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