Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 406 - Chapter 406 Chapter 390 A New Journey

Chapter 406: Chapter 390: A New Journey Chapter 406: Chapter 390: A New Journey The son who had been by her side for over a decade was suddenly gone, and they couldn’t see each other again for six months.

At mealtimes, with one person missing, Jiao Ma’s appetite diminished.

“What will you do in three years when Youzi also leaves?” Mr. Jiao asked.

Jiao Ma: “…”

She put down her chopsticks and stopped eating! How could she have an appetite now?!

Just thinking about how even emptier the house would be in the future made Jiao Ma’s heart ache.

“I won’t leave,” Little Youzi said.

On the verge of going to the bathroom to cry her heart out, Jiao Ma froze. Mr. Jiao and Zheng Tan also looked at Little Youzi.

Generally speaking, children who grew up inside a university tend to prefer other schools after the college entrance exam, perhaps with the intention of getting a glimpse of the world away from parental control; or maybe because they see some of the school’s shortcomings from the inside, prompting them to look elsewhere; or like Su An, their families had arranged it early on. With Little Youzi’s grades, it was likely that, like Jiao Yuan, she could be recommended for admission, or enter through the college entrance exam, and possibly study abroad later on. Little Youzi had lived abroad as a child, which made adapting easier for her compared to others.

But now, hearing Little Youzi speak like this, did it mean she would apply to local universities or directly attend Chuhua University?

“Yeah, I’ll apply here in the future,” Little Youzi said after a pause, emphasizing, “I won’t leave.”

“It’s good to attend the local university as well,” Mr. Jiao nodded.

“Of course it is good; it’s ranked within the top ten nationwide! Plus, you can come home to eat and sleep every day! Lots of people envy that, but only those little rascals who think too highly of themselves don’t appreciate it,” Jiao Ma’s mood lifted a bit hearing Little Youzi’s words.

No matter what Little Youzi’s choice would be, that was still three years away. Yet, three years can pass very quickly, just like Zheng Tan felt that it was not long ago that Xiong Xiong and the other kids were knocking on the door to raid the fridge for ice pops, but now they’ve all grown up and gone their separate ways.

After the start of the school year in September, Little Youzi packed up her things to head to the attached high school, which primarily required boarding. Little Youzi had made plans early on with Xie Xin and the others from the West District courtyard, and their families had been notified. They would share a dormitory, which was better for looking after one another and avoiding discomfort.

Looking at the empty house, Jiao Ma’s nose twitched. It wouldn’t take three years, and three years from now it wouldn’t be like this; at least if Little Youzi went to Chuhua University, she could still come home for meals and sleep. But now, attending high school so far from home, she could only return once a week. Although Jiao Ma, as a teacher at the attached high school, could see Little Youzi every day at school, it still felt strange not having her at home.

Zheng Tan was who felt the most intense change, now having to sleep alone at night.

Jiao Yuan could only be met every six months, and Little Youzi could only be seen once a week. The apartment of over seventy square meters once felt crowded, but now seemed much emptier.

During the day, Mr. Jiao was at the Life Science Institute, Jiao Ma went to the attached high school, and Zheng Tan was left at home alone, feeling even stronger emptiness. He hadn’t felt like this when home alone before.

Zheng Tan took out the bicycle Zhuo Xiaomao had given them and rode it around the house, then turned on the computer to browse the internet for a while. Out of boredom, Zheng Tan rummaged through Little Youzi’s unlocked drawer. Hidden in a corner was a small notebook about the size of a telephone book, a relic of a time when such books were used for recording phone numbers, but now abandoned for the convenience of mobile phones.

Zheng Tan took out the phone book, flipped through it, and other than a few numbers written down early on, there wasn’t anything special–the vast majority of the pages were blank.

Taking out the phone book and spreading it on the desk, Zheng Tan flipped back a couple of pages and grabbed a ballpoint pen from the pen holder. After adjusting his curved claws to grip the pen, he started to write a diary in the notebook, word by word.

If this were the past, Zheng Tan would never have had the leisure or patience for this. Now, however, it was purely out of boredom, a whim that led him to write for fun.

“September 2, 2010. Jiao Yuan has gone off to college, and Little Youzi is gone from home all week. Not cool.”

After writing, Zheng Tan looked over the brief diary entry. Tsk, his handwriting was truly hideous.

Putting the pen back in the holder, Zheng Tan considered whether he would have to keep writing with a pen in the future. It was cumbersome, and the writing was ugly.

Putting the notebook back, Zheng Tan went to the master bedroom and turned on the computer again. He registered a Weibo account under the name “Zheng Tan.” In the profile picture section, Zheng Tan browsed through the computer and found a folder on a disc filled with his photos, which Mr. Jiao and Jiao Ma had specifically placed there, even scanning clear images from a fashion magazine they had kept inside.

Choosing what he thought was his most handsome photo, Zheng Tan set it as his profile picture. Once set up, Zheng Tan posted his first-ever Weibo as a cat.

Of course, when posting on Weibo, Zheng Tan didn’t mention the names of Jiao Yuan and Little Youzi, but simply typed out, “Alone at home, not cool.”

After posting, Zheng Tan turned off the computer and didn’t go online again.

Remembering the treasure box mentioned by Hou Junyi, Zheng Tan slipped under the bed to drag it out.

It wasn’t covered in a thick layer of dust as he had imagined; it was fairly clean, probably because Little Youzi had also helped wipe it down regularly.

Recalling the combination, Zheng Tan opened the box to explore the little treasures inside.

When it was about time for dinner, he went to eat and then strolled around before coming back to continue studying the contents.

A week later.

Zheng Tan had gotten to know almost all the items in the treasure box. After a morning walk, he reached the edge of the campus grove and pulled out the pencil hidden in the tree hollow, heading to the part of the wall where he had written before.

The words were still there, albeit slightly blurred, so Zheng Tan traced over them once more before adding a sentence below: “September 9, 2010.”

After finishing, Zheng Tan rewrapped the pencil and placed it back in the tree hole, then proceeded to the Life Science Institute and climbed through the window into Mr. Jiao’s office.

Inside the office, Yi Xin was discussing some recent research with Mr. Jiao. Although he had become a teacher, he would still come to Mr. Jiao to discuss anything he was uncertain about.

On seeing Zheng Tan climbing through the window, Yi Xin couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yo, Heitan, long time no see.”

Zheng Tan glanced at Yi Xin then hopped onto his dedicated chair, deciding to let the mentor and mentee continue their talk while he caught up on some sleep. Last night had been restless, filled with familiar-seeming dreams. Waking up in the middle of the night in a daze, he had stared blankly until dawn. Now he wasn’t feeling too sharp.

When Zheng Tan awoke again, it was already noon. Yi Xin had left long ago, and Jiao Wei had brought a lunchbox over.

Jiao Wei was now enrolled in a combined master’s and Ph.D. program. His family’s financial situation had improved, the small restaurant having made some money, and he no longer needed to worry about living expenses. Jiao Wei’s parents, especially his father, who had not received much education, always hoped that he would someday be like Professor Jiao, becoming a university teacher, and university teachers, particularly at prestigious schools, had high standards to meet. Therefore, he still needed to study further.

Most domestic graduate students received very little in grants and scholarships, and fully-employed alumni often discussed their earnings from buying houses and cars, creating unavoidable pressure on those still in school, particularly those from poorer families. This could lead them to waver, influenced by some opinions, and a fair number of students also realized midway through their graduate studies that the experience was not as they had imagined, resulting in dropouts.

This is what Jiao Wei’s father told him: “You study with peace of mind; don’t worry about anything else. Your mother and I are still in good health and can work for several more years. By the time we really can’t work anymore, you’ll have made it. By then, we’ll be waiting to enjoy the good life.”

Society had become complicated, but many from the older generation still firmly believed in the adage, “Among all pursuits, scholarship is the highest.” Regardless of whether this was absolutely true, and no matter if the traditional hierarchy of “scholars, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants” had changed, the deeply ingrained thoughts from past experiences were not easily replaced.

However, Zheng Tan observed that Jiao Wei was not close-minded. If he truly didn’t want to, he wouldn’t continue his studies regardless of his father’s wishes. Everyone had their own path to take, and once chosen, they needed to walk it conscientiously. Zheng Tan simply wanted to see how far they could go.

The lunch in the lunchbox was prepared by Jiao Wei’s mother. After having his own lunch, Jiao Wei brought it along for Mr. Jiao and Zheng Tan.

After eating, Zheng Tan planned to go out for a stroll but was stopped by Mr. Jiao.

“Heitan, there’s something I want to talk to you about. Ermao called this morning,” Mr. Jiao said.

Zheng Tan pricked up his ears. If Ermao was calling, was it to arrange for a meal, or was it yet another outing?

It had to be said, over the years, Zheng Tan had come to understand Ermao quite well.

Indeed, Ermao planned to go on a trip, after National Day to be precise, taking his family to visit his old master, and naturally, they wanted Zheng Tan to come along.

Although Mr. Jiao and Jiao Ma were reluctant to let Zheng Tan travel far, with both children away from home, Zheng Tan’s departure would leave only the two of them. Plus, Mr. Jiao and Jiao Ma were still unsettled by Zheng Tan’s illness from the previous year.

But in recent times, Mr. Jiao noted that Zheng Tan had been listless, showing no physical ailments, but clearly in a poor mood. Going out to clear his mind seemed like a good idea.

“If you’re willing, you can go with them for some fun,” Mr. Jiao said.

Zheng Tan had been feeling irritable lately and was tempted by the prospect of going out for some fun.

“Same old rule, don’t cause any trouble.”

There was still some time before Ermao’s planned departure, so Mr. Jiao had a cat card made, ready to be picked up during the National Day holiday.

The cat card, equipped with a GPS tracker, could also monitor the wearer’s health status.

Zheng Tan had no objection to wearing the cat card; after all, he had worn similar devices before.

Since the trip had been planned in advance, Wei Leng had arranged his leave accordingly, working extra hours during the National Day holiday and taking time off afterwards. They generally chose to travel outside of the holiday period.

It would be Wei Leng’s family of three, Ermao’s family of three, and Zheng Tan. Heimi was no longer keen on long trips, so she wasn’t left at the Pet Center but was entrusted to Ermao’s mother for care.

When Jiao Ma was packing Zheng Tan’s luggage, Zheng Tan also brought out the treasure box, hiding his phone and money inside. Since the box was locked, Jiao Ma didn’t open it to look but curiously asked a few questions. Without expecting an answer, she finished packing and let Mr. Jiao carry the luggage downstairs to place it in the trunk of Ermao’s car.

“What’s in here, it’s so heavy,” Ermao said, lifting the large bag but not opening it to look inside.

Jiao Ma cautioned Zheng Tan and reminded Ermao to call them, and he assured her repeatedly.

Gong Qin and Er Yuan sat in the backseat while Zheng Tan took the passenger seat.

According to Ermao’s plan, they would first visit Qi Da’s home, play around on the way, and then meet up with Pei Liang before heading to their old master’s place.

Er Yuan had never been to Qi Da’s house, and Wei Leng took the opportunity to travel with his wife and child to what was a popular tourist destination around Qi Da’s home.

Zheng Tan estimated the trip would take at least half a month or maybe even a month, possibly longer. No wonder Jiao Ma had been so reluctant while at home.

Meanwhile, Ermao and Gong Qin were chatting with Er Yuan about Qi Da’s place, and Zheng Tan was pondering the orchids. He wondered if the orchids from back then had multiplied, bloomed more flowers, and whether they had been discovered by anyone? (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.NovelFire.net to read.)

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