Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 412 - Chapter 412 Chapter 396 Dashan Style

Chapter 412: Chapter 396 Dashan Style Chapter 412: Chapter 396 Dashan Style Just as Ermao had predicted, the moment the photos were sent, a call came through. Mr. Jiao and Jiao Ma took turns speaking, and it took Ermao quite some time to explain. After sending several more pictures, the Jiao couple finally felt somewhat relieved.

Ermao could understand their reaction; anyone’s beloved pet being pierced with needles all over wouldn’t calm down easily. Moreover, when Ermao was taking photos, he specifically adjusted the lighting to make the needles on Zheng Tan’s body more noticeable. This caused an even greater shock to Mr. Jiao and Jiao Ma, no wonder they had such a strong reaction.

While Ermao was on the phone with the Jiao couple explaining, Zheng Tan, who was being needled, actually felt okay. There wasn’t much pain, nor was there the comfortable sensation he had imagined. Well, without any illness, getting needled probably wouldn’t elicit much of a reaction, right?

What had Uncle Lin said before starting the acupuncture? First, he wanted to alleviate Zheng Tan’s sleep issues, then use acupuncture to check for any other hidden illnesses. Now it seems his earlier assessment was consistent.

“No illness?” Wei Leng asked. The needling was already done, and Uncle Lin should have been able to make a diagnosis by now.

Uncle Lin shook his head silently before finally speaking after a long pause, “Looking at its constitution, I find it hard to believe this is a cat about to be considered middle-aged. It’s simply incredible how robust it is.”

“Really no illness? It was seriously ill back then, sleeping for a whole week, and the veterinarians at the Pet Center had no solution.” Ermao had finished the phone call and shared Uncle Lin’s diagnosis with the Jiao family, but after hanging up, he still voiced his doubts.

Uncle Lin continued to shake his head.

Only Zheng Tan knew that this probably had to do with his biggest secret. Just like no normal cat would have the strength close to that of an adult, Zheng Tan could also feel his own body; apart from the sleep issues he had over the past year and the occasional dreamy stupor, he didn’t sense any other health problems. Although Ermao had exaggerated a bit when describing Zheng Tan, most of it was correct. Zheng Tan indeed could eat, drink, run, and jump. Seven years had passed, yet he felt just the same as when he first turned into a cat.

The so-called signs of aging probably only pertained to age and, relative to cats, nothing else was explainable.

After removing the needles, Uncle Lin said, “I’ll go back and study this in-depth. How long will you guys stay here, Ermao?”

“One to two weeks at least,” Ermao replied.

“Alright, I’ll ponder over it during this time.”

Although he’d always been confident in his skills, Uncle Lin was genuinely puzzled this time. He had treated all sorts of birds and beasts for years, but this was the first time he’d encountered such a case. Originally, he thought that the Black Cat’s situation would be similar to Dashan’s, but unexpectedly…

After Zheng Tan was done with the acupuncture, Master and Uncle Lin started playing chess, occasionally inquiring about Dashan’s situation. As for meal preparations, the elder didn’t need to bother with it typically, since there were staff designated for that task. However, today with Ermao and Wei Leng’s visit, it was their wives who rolled up their sleeves to get involved.

Seeing that Zheng Tan really ate roughly the same as humans, with a similar palate, the elder and Uncle Lin truly believed this. They had even specially prepared a dish of onion fried eggs and two plates of comparatively spicier snacks to accompany drinks, things that Dashan would never touch, but Zheng Tan ate them all the same and had no issues afterward. Uncle Lin didn’t care about his unfinished glass of wine at the moment; he set down his cup and checked Zheng Tan again, arriving at the same conclusion as before, which left this veterinarian, who had been around animals since childhood, marveling in wonder.

As the gentlemen talked around the dinner table, Zheng Tan heard them mentioning Dashan. He then understood why his human brothers rarely brought up Dashan outside: partly because of past experiences they preferred not to recall, and partly due to Dashan being a rather unique creature in the country. After all, it wasn’t overseas, and one couldn’t openly keep it as a pet. It was sufficient for themselves to be aware; speaking publicly would only invite unnecessary discussion, and it was also a way of protecting Dashan. Therefore, outside, they would only sporadically mention the “Master’s Cat” without detailing what kind of cat Dashan actually was.

The elder had found this unusual cat in the mountains far from here and named it “Dashan.” Typically, Fierce Cats shouldn’t exist in the region; however, there were rumors of illegal wildlife traffickers, and it was likely they had brought it in.

When Dashan was young, the elder merely thought of it as a somewhat special cat. Having never seen a Fierce Cat before, he didn’t consider other possibilities. He learned what it was later on from others – a Fierce Cat, a species not originally from these parts, making it truly unique here.

Over the years, the elder had considered finding a companion for Dashan, but every time, this guy would kick away the hard-earned mate brought in through connections and permits after spending some time together.

Even though Dashan had a bad temper, was always causing trouble, and didn’t always act pleasingly, the elder had kept Dashan by his side. Gradually, it became a habit, and the elder came to regard Dashan as a companion for his twilight years. Dashan too got along very well with the Master; it didn’t like being held by others, especially children, but “others” did not include the elder, who was special. Uncle Lin was another exception.

“Now that he’s older, Dashan doesn’t cause as much trouble as he used to,” the elder said.

At these words, Wei Leng couldn’t help but sneer. Not causing trouble? Whose son’s pants had been pulled down by Dashan? One could only say that Dashan caused a little less trouble now, being older and lacking the energy to be a nuisance. It was just a matter of having the will but not the way.

And Dashan was not truly rejecting or disliking Ermao and the others. It was usually very cautious about hiding its presence. Dashan was not purely a domestic pet but was in a semi-wild state, retaining many wild habits. It was only because it was greeting Ermao and the group that it had been squatting conspicuously beside the roadside stone. Otherwise, passersby wouldn’t have found it so easily. According to Ermao and others, Dashan also often greeted them there, which seemed to have become a sort of tradition.

From these conversations and Dashan’s behavior, it was clear the cat had a warm sense of companionship.

During his first night there, Zheng Tan slept in a folding tent. It was a small tent that popped up after opening–a gadget given by Xiao Guo, which Zheng Tan hadn’t used much at home. He had brought it with him on this trip. After padding the inside with some soft cushions Jiao Ma had prepared, Zheng Tan slept there at night.

The folding tent was placed on a small square table close to Er Yuan’s little bed.

Maybe it was the acupuncture from the daytime taking effect, or perhaps the relaxation after the long journey, but Zheng Tan slept well that night without feeling uncomfortable in the unfamiliar environment.

The next day, early in the morning, a sharp, grating “creak” sounded as though something was being scraped across a hard board, giving one goosebumps, and it had a rhythm, like the chanting of cadence calls “one, two, one, two”.

Zheng Tan, having good hearing, couldn’t sleep on due to the noise. Startled by the sound, Zheng Tan came out of the small tent.

Ermao had already sat up, hand on his forehead, looked at Gong Qin who was still a bit dazed, and Er Yuan on the small bed with sleepy eyes, and said, “I almost forgot, Dashan’s alarm clock, rings punctually every day.”

Zheng Tan flipped through the window, leaped onto the railing of the second floor, and looked down.

In the courtyard, Dashan was scratching a hard board; the sound was made by it. At the moment, Dashan’s two front paws rhythmically scratched the plank leaning against the wall. Looking at the board, there were countless claw marks, suggesting that this wasn’t a new occurrence but as Ermao had said, a “Dashan-style alarm clock.”

On an open space outside the courtyard, an elderly man was practicing his boxing, not fast, but also not Tai Chi–likely a fitness boxing routine of his own.

Once all three families upstairs were awake, the three martial brothers joined the elderly man for boxing practice. They had been exposed to this fitness boxing routine a long time ago, but they hadn’t practiced much since leaving and, in their hearts, they were still familiar with it.

While one master and three disciples were practicing boxing on one side, the two mothers took photos with their cameras on the other.

Er Yuan and Little Wei, as well as Pei Jie, were all intrigued. Pei Jie had some exposure and followed along with the practice, while the former two were just amused and joined in for fun.

Even more interesting was that after waking the three families, Dashan also came next to the old man practicing boxing.

While the others were practicing punches, Dashan was rolling around, and the tempo of the rolls was quite similar to that of the humans’ boxing, at times even the stretching of the arms and legs was in sync with Ermao and the others. Dashan’s rolling method was well practiced, and even the spot it rolled on seemed to be its regular spot, as there were hardly any traces of grass there compared to other parts of the ground. The surface had been worn down quite a bit, clearly differing in color.

Cats always seem to retain a leisurely and content demeanor, even sometimes when they are sharpening their claws, they appear nonchalant.

Uncle Lin said that besides this treatment and maintenance he provided for Dashan, its long and healthy life might also be attributed to its own nature, or perhaps to some behaviors typical of feline animals.

The Cat and Dog War has always been hard to determine a winner, but in a contest of lifespans, cats are a notch above. This might be related to their more bustling, carefree habits hidden within their stubbornness, as well as how they cope with domesticated life.

For instance, although most domestic cats end their lives around age ten, there are plenty that reach their twenties or thirties, and there are experts who estimate that forty years is theoretically possible.

“With Dashan here, even if Ermao and the others aren’t around, this courtyard wouldn’t feel gloomy,” said Gong Qin.

The sun had not yet risen, and the air was tinged with chilliness. An old man, an old cat. One doing boxing, the other rolling around.

Sometimes Ermao and the others had mixed feelings of love and annoyance toward Dashan. No matter how complicated their feelings were or whether Dashan always acted like a wild child, they still wished Dashan could keep the old man company, being wild like this forever. The day it couldn’t be wild anymore might be the time for it to leave. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it at Qidian (NovelFire.net), cast your monthly votes, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.NovelFire.net to read.)

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