Chapter 234 Hiring a Cat
In the darkness of the night, shrill cat cries came from inside the door. Fifty or sixty wild cats were rolling around in the sacks, making even louder noises than if a living person were put in them.
Gu Qianhu's servants stood outside the door, watching as sacks were loaded onto the camel's back. A gatekeeper in blue asked, "Where are you taking these wild cats? Are you going to skin them and eat their flesh?"
"No, we'll take them to a guesthouse, lock them up for a few days, and then give them to someone who wants a cat." Xiao Chunhong replied. She patted the cat fur on her body and asked, "Does your master want to hire two cats to catch mice?"
"There are no mice in the house anymore. They were all eaten by the cats. Those who were able to escape from the cats have moved away," said the doorman.
Sui Yu came out carrying the cat official and said, "Please tell your wife that I will come to visit her in a couple of days. The cats living in my house have caused you a lot of trouble."
The doorman sighed and said politely, "That long-haired beast is ignorant. It has nothing to do with you. My wife always praises your kindness."
Sui Yu smiled slightly and said nothing more. She carried the cat official and rode on the camel.
Seeing this, Liu Yaer said politely on their behalf: "It's getting late. We'll go home first and visit you another day."
The camel started moving, and the shrill meow of a cat left the Qianhu Office. Wherever it passed, people came out to check on the situation. Hearing the clatter of camel hooves and the shrill meow of a cat, the uninformed people wondered, "What's going on? Who's killing a cat?"
"In the evening, I saw a lot of people coming to Captain Zhao's house. I guess they caught the group of wild cats." said the woman who poured out the slop.
"Were they all arrested?"
"That's not clear."
"I was thinking about trapping a cat in a couple of days. There is a greedy big yellow cat that comes to my house every day to beg for food. It is fat and my mother likes it very much. She has said several times that she wants to keep it at home, but she has never caught it." said the man who lives at the end of Dinghu Lane.
The woman carried the slop bucket into the house. She knew the big yellow cat. It had been active in several nearby houses and had monopolized the mouse-catching business at the end of the alley. It would eat whatever food was given to it, but it would not steal food if no one gave it to it.
"Captain Zhao and his family live in a guesthouse in the north of the city, not far away. You can go there tomorrow and see if you can get the cat back." The woman gave him advice.
"That's fine. I'll buy a piece of sheep lung tomorrow morning and bring it over to ask."
The cat's meowing disappeared in the wind, and the human voice disappeared with the sound of the door closing.
"Dad, I heard a cat meowing. It's my mother who's back." The kid sat up straight.
Zhao Xiping stopped his camel and waited for the camel caravan in the distance to approach.
As he approached, Qingshan spotted the father and son waiting by the roadside. He turned back and announced, "Master, the adult and the young master are ahead."
Sui Yu sped up to pass the camel in front of her. Seeing Zhao Xiping didn't slow down either, she held the cat official in one hand and waved with the other, saying, "Let's go back."
"Have they all been caught?" Zhao Xiping asked.
"They should have all been caught. If there's anyone missing, they're not home tonight." Sui Yu said, "How did you two find them?"
"Mom, I'm here to pick you up." The kid staggered and said loudly.
"He's clamoring to come out," Zhao Xiping said. "The meal is ready, and since you haven't come back yet, I came out to check on him."
As they were talking, the smell of rice came into the air and the light of a fire in the guesthouse could be seen. The camel ran for another half a cup of tea before they could hear faint laughter and the sharp meow of a cat.
Merchants who were strolling outside the inn gathered around. Two bags of cats were taken off the camels' backs, and they moved closer to watch the fun.
"Master, should we put these cats in sacks or let them out and lock them up in the house?" Zhang Shun asked.
"Put it in a sack first. After you finish your meal, go and settle the cat." Sui Yu left the cat official behind and spread her fingers to push the cub away, preventing him from leaning against her. She said, "There's a lot of rope left over from making the net. Tie up the cat. Don't put the rope around the neck. Pass it through the armpits and tie a knot on the cat's back. Gan Da and Gan Er understand what I mean. Let them teach you tonight."
Gan Da and Gan Er nodded in unison.
After arranging the cat, Sui Yu asked Zhao Xiping to bring her hot water so that she could take a bath and change her clothes. The cat officer was a coward. He only caught people he knew and scared the cat so much that it peed, and the cat rubbed against her body, which was smelly and foul.
The bag containing the cat was moved to an empty guesthouse. The merchants who came to watch the fun dispersed and it became much quieter outside.
Sui Yu came out after changing and washing up. There were not many people left in the kitchen. Xiao Chunhong and the others were full and walked out while wiping their mouths.
"Master, let's go catch the cat."
Sui Yu nodded and instructed, "Wrap your hands and arms well, don't let the cat scratch you."
"Okay."
"Mom, come and have dinner." The kid sat on the chair, swinging his legs and waving his hand eagerly.
Sui Yu sat down next to him, and Yin Po brought a bowl of sauerkraut and egg noodle soup. Golden egg drops floated in the soup, and the sour taste made the boy hungry again.
"Mom, ah——" He leaned forward and opened his mouth.
Sui Yu picked up the peppercorns with chopsticks and fed him two pieces of crushed eggs. At the same time, she reached down with one hand to touch his belly, which was bulging, and it was obvious that he had eaten a lot.
"Go get a spoon. I'll eat the noodles and you drink the soup." Sui Yu said, "You can't eat too much at night."
Sui Liang heard it while standing under the eaves. He went into the kitchen, took out a small wooden spoon and handed it to his nephew.
"Thank you, uncle."
Sui Liang scoffed, "When did you become so polite?"
The kid ignored him and knelt on the chair, happily eating a bowl of rice with his mother.
"I'm going to catch a cat." Sui Liang walked out.
"Where is your brother-in-law?" Sui Yu asked.
"He took the cat to the river to wash its butt. He said it stank. If it went to sleep with Ah Shui again, Uncle Niu would really kill the cat."
Sui Yu quickly finished her noodles, took a few sips of soup from the bowl, put the bowl down, and took her child out to find someone to wash the cat.
Zhao Xiping had originally intended to wash only the cat's butt and hind legs, but once the fur got wet, he felt the cat stinked from head to toe, so he simply pushed it into the water and washed it all over. When Sui Yu approached, he was rubbing the cat's fur with ash, trying to remove all the loose hair.
The cat official cried out weakly.
"Cowardly cat." Sui Yu scolded it.
"Are you full?" Zhao Xiping asked.
"Yeah." Sui Yu led the cub down to the riverbank. The mother and daughter chose two stones to sit on, and both tilted their heads to look at the person who was washing the cat.
Over the years, Zhao Xiping has changed a lot, but not a lot either. What impressed Sui Yu the most was that although he was rich and powerful, he was still low-key, preferred quietness, and was not very sociable. He was even more stable. He took good care of the children at home and could lower himself to wash clothes and brush shoes in public without her begging or instructing him. He took the initiative to go to the place where the family was, taking care of both the outside and the inside. In the traditional sense, he took on the responsibilities that women shouldered and was not afraid of gossip.
"Dad, my mom is looking at you." The spoiler broke the ambiguous atmosphere and said, "Talk to her."
Zhao Xiping turned his face away, and Sui Yu looked away. She picked up a stone and threw it into the river, smashing the moon reflected on the surface of the river.
The little guy followed suit.
Next, the sound of splashing water on the river bank came one after another.
"Little boy, let me tell you a story. In a big forest, there was a little monkey drinking water by the river..."
"What is a forest?"
"A forest is a place with lots of trees. Walk east from here, until you reach the end and cross the snow-capped mountains, and you'll see lots of trees..."
After washing the cat, Zhao Xiping went back to get an old piece of clothing, then walked to the river and sat down to wipe the cat's fur.
"What is a monkey?" the cub asked again.
"Monkeys are covered in fur. They can stand up and walk like humans, and they're great at climbing trees. They love to eat fruit..."
As the conversation continued, the moon's reflection on the river surface shifted westward. As time passed, the cat's meowing from the guesthouse faded. The servants returned to their rooms to get clothes and discuss going downriver to bathe. Sui Liang didn't join them, turning aside halfway. Hearing the voices, he walked over to the river and sat down.
The cub was sleepy. He yawned, tilted his head, and lay on his mother's lap. He glanced at the river and muttered, "The moon is gone. The monkey took it away."
"Let's go, let's go back to sleep." Sui Yu picked him up, and the next moment he was taken over by Zhao Xiping.
The cat owner was finally freed. He landed on the ground and shook off his fur. After everyone left, he jumped onto a rock and licked his fur carefully.
The moon came out from the clouds again, and sprinkled gold like fish scales on the river surface. The cat official sat alone by the river, licking his fur until late at night.
The night faded away unnoticed, the light of the morning glow grew brighter and brighter, cocks crowed everywhere, and the servants and helpers who were working woke up.
"Hey, why is the cat official sleeping by the river?" Gan Da passed by while carrying water.
The chickens flew down and clucked as they went to the river to drink water. A big rooster with a red crown walked to the stone and pecked the cat. The cat shook its ears but didn't move at all.
An early-rising escort passed by and saw the cat sleeping peacefully among the chickens. He shouted at the cat, and the cat moved, then buried its head in its crotch and continued to sleep.
"Were you a thief last night? Why are you sleeping so soundly?" The escort left.
The sun rose, casting a little warmth on the stones. The chickens left, and the camels came to the river to drink again, clattering past the cat.
"Hehe, it's still sleeping." A Shui laughed.
Hua Niu picked up a branch, poked the cat's ear, and said softly, "Cat Officer, wake up."
There was no movement at all. If the cat's belly hadn't been still heaving, A Shui would have thought it was dead.
In order to watch the cat sleep, several children stopped beating the drums and sat together under the shade of the tree to watch over it, so as to prevent the malicious adults from disturbing it.
It was noon and the sun was making people sweat. The cat official finally had a good sleep. He stretched, stood up, yawned loudly, and went to the river to drink water as soon as he opened his eyes.
"Cat officer, are you hungry? I left some food for you." A Shui handed over the cat bowl.
"Kid, where are your parents?" Gu Lao San got off the mule, carrying a sheep's lung and a bag of preserved fruit. "Is Captain Zhao home?"
"My father isn't home. He hasn't come back yet." The kid stood up and tried to attract customers like a grown-up. "Do you want to stay overnight? I'll go call my mom."
"Okay, go find your mother. I won't stay here. I'll hire a cat."
Sui Yu had already heard the sound. She put down her needlework and walked out, just in time to hear the last sentence.
"Mrs. Zhao, I live at the end of Dinghu Lane. I heard the noise last night. Did you take all the cats away? Can I take one home with me?" Gu Lao San handed over the item in his hand and said with a smile, "I don't want it for free. I'll bring a betrothal gift."
Sui Yu smiled. It was really interesting. She took the thing and handed it to Ah Shui, saying, "I'll take you over to have a look."
Fifty-two cats were tied up in an empty guesthouse. After being fed in the morning, they had calmed down a lot, but when they saw people coming in, they still looked like they were going to bite them to death.
Gu Lao San saw the big yellow cat at a glance, and the big yellow cat recognized him. When people approached, it meowed twice.
"This is it. It used to catch mice in my house. We all like it." Gu Lao San took out an old piece of clothing from his pocket and covered the cat with it. After making sure it wouldn't bite anyone, he untied the rope and said, "Then I'll take it away."
"Okay, go back and tell the neighbors that if anyone still wants a cat, come and catch it. These cats are quite good at catching mice, so you won't suffer any loss if you hire them." Sui Yu said.
"Oh, okay."
Before Gu Lao San left, three more people came to hire a cat. They heard from the doorman of Gu Qianhu's house that Sui Yu had caught a cat and was planning to give it away, so they came with gifts to hire a cat.
Families with better financial resources would bring a foot of cloth or a piece of meat, while families with less financial resources would bring two pounds of dried vegetables or three or five eggs. As long as they were sincere about raising cats, Sui Yu would lead people to choose cats.
Eight cats were taken away in one day, and the remaining cats were kept in the guest house for another day to ensure that they were well fed and watered. Then Sui Yu and her servants carried the cats in baskets to the market and married them off in the street.
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