65 My Cat
◎Please buy me some tea, Xixi.◎
The beggar was wearing rags, and his messy hair like dry grass could not block his inquiring gaze. His pupils trembled violently, and he moved towards the table with a hunched back.
Seeing him standing in front of her, Tian Nongxi emphasized her tone and asked again: "How long are you going to stay with me?"
The beggar looked straight at her, his dirty face made his eyes look even more watery, and his pale lips were tightly pursed.
It was as if all the air at the table had been sucked out, and silence spread in an instant.
Tian Nongxi waited for a while, but got no answer, so he turned around and asked the waiter to bring another pot of tea.
"Hey - sir, I'll be here right away." The waiter broke the deadlock.
She felt she had done her duty, and after serving the tea she concentrated on resting.
My thoughts drifted and I thought of Wen Tingluan again.
It has been half a month since she left the capital. His situation must be very difficult as he still hasn't found her.
Her peripheral vision was enveloped by a dark shadow, forcing her back to reality.
He casually raised his eyes and froze, staring straight at the beggar who sat opposite him, his eyes fixed on the beggar for a long time without coming back to his senses.
The waiter who brought tea to the next table turned around and shouted "Hey" while holding a wooden tray to drive him away.
After a while, he looked at Tian Nongxi apologetically and said, "Sir, this man seems to be a deaf-mute fool."
The beggar finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "I am not."
Tian Nongxi: “?”
She folded her arms and examined the person before her. "Who are you? What is your purpose?"
The beggar coughed weakly for a while, and when Tian Nongxi ignored him, he said, "Ahem, are you so cold to everyone?"
"Yes." Tian Nongxi nodded seriously. "If you bother me again, I'll take you to the government office."
She looked around the crowded teahouse, holding the knife at her waist with a hint of anger.
The beggar poured tea slowly and leisurely, looking as relaxed as if he had already taken over several teahouses.
Seeing the dark clouds looming over the city, Tian Nongxi didn't want to waste any more words with him. He looked at him deeply and then got up and left.
She was just walking, and didn't know when the man was right behind her. After noticing him, she looked back at him many times, and finally realized that they were not walking the same way, and this man was following her.
While he was still in the teahouse, Tian Nongxi prepared to leave quickly to get rid of him.
The snow gradually got heavier.
The road to the village was not far, but the snow in the south was so wet that a light pinch could solve a family's water needs for a year. Tian Nongxi didn't carry an umbrella, and her black hair was already wet and stuck to her forehead. In addition, she kept walking in deep and shallow steps, and her shoes and socks were soaked.
Although I just rested for a while, I still feel uncomfortable and dizzy.
After reminding herself for the hundred and eighth time to bring an umbrella next time she goes out, she finally reached the village entrance.
The jungle was covered with white snow. I looked carefully to find the entrance to the village and stepped on the soft snow with a "puffing" sound.
The next moment, I heard a loud shout from behind me.
"Girl! Wait a minute."
Tian Nongxi walked straight towards his destination without stopping.
"Ahem - ahem - I heard that the young lady was looking for a cook, and I'm willing to do my best to serve you." This beggar looked very weak, but he could walk in the snow as if he was born to do it, and anyone could catch up with him.
Tian Nongxi was stopped and was so annoyed that his hair, which had just been wet, dried up. He laughed in anger and said, "No need."
"Wait a minute, young lady. I used to be a chef in the best restaurant in Jiangnan." The beggar chased after her.
"No need." Tian Nongxi glared at him.
"Miss, I can show you my skills first."
Tian Nongxi stepped on a round stone and slipped, almost falling. She cursed softly, took out a knife and said coldly to the beggar, "I don't like picking up people. If you follow me again, I will chop you down."
"Miss, you misunderstood. Ahem—my doghouse is in this village."
“…”
She stopped arguing with him and knocked on the first house following the address on the note in her sleeve.
The second family...
The third family...
The fourth family...
After visiting all the families on the note, Tian Nongxi crumpled the paper, which was wet by the snow, into a crumpled ball and stuffed it into his sleeve.
The ladies in these families either themselves or their families were unwilling to do so. Almost everyone shook their heads in response to her. The few who hesitated carefully left the address of the shop.
But seeing them casually throwing the notes with addresses on them on the table and couch, Tian Nongxi knew that these hesitant ladies just didn't want to talk to her anymore and were just casually brushing her off.
Tian Nongxi returned in daze and without success. The beggar who had disappeared long ago came out from an unremarkable doghouse nearby and waved at her.
Tian Nongxi: “…”
She walked to the doghouse, squatted down, and asked, "The cook of Linqing Pavilion?"
The beggar took the snow and washed his face, revealing an extremely ordinary face.
"Linqing Pavilion—former cook."
"How do you prove it? Don't even mention it. Everyone knows it."
"It seems that the young lady has a close relationship with Linqing Pavilion." The beggar chuckled, "Then I wonder if the young lady knows the name of the master of Linqing Pavilion?"
Tian Nongxi shook his head silently.
“This matter is confidential, and I only learned about it accidentally after spending more than ten years in Linqing Pavilion.
"The master of Linqing Pavilion is none other than Ruiyang Jing."
Tian Nongxi said "oh", stood up, and pulled out a brand new piece of paper from his sleeve. He wrote down the address of the shop in a fluent manner, pointed to it, and said, "If you really want to apply, come find me here first. I will make three home-cooked seafood dishes on the spot."
After the note was taken away, she left, saying "Don't follow me."
"Wait a minute, girl!"
Tian Nongxi turned around and saw the beggar smilingly handing her a torn paper umbrella.
"You... don't need it?" She chose her words carefully.
The beggar smiled and took out another one from behind his back.
Tian Nongxi: "...Thank you very much."
-
The beggar said his surname was You and his name was Lang, and he was an excellent cook. Tian Nongxi didn't want to waste time and effort asking someone to go to Ruiyang County to ask if this person really existed, so he turned a blind eye and let him be the cook.
After that day, a woman came to visit her late at night and asked her to apply for a job, so Tian Nongxi hired both of them as cooks. Because Youlang was crazy, he never left him alone in the kitchen.
Both of them are good at seafood, and the business of the new shop is booming, and they are no longer unable to make ends meet.
It was snowing heavily, and the shop was packed with people. Every table was steaming hot. When Tian Nongxi was busy calculating the bill, the fifth-level reward from the system arrived.
Cai Cai has never appeared since the last time - no matter how hard I try, I can't call her out.
Tian Nongxi was afraid that he would be left in another world, and he was panic-stricken and dazed, so he felt relieved when he heard the emotionless mechanical female voice that he had not heard for a long time.
She put down her pen, pressed her neck which was sore from sitting for a long time, and stared at the white world outside the door in a daze.
I don't know how much time passed before I was brought back to my senses by the waiter's surprised voice.
"Boss, where is An An?"
Tian Nongxi turned his head and saw that An An, who had just been lying by the fireplace, was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a few strands of snow-white cat hair.
Countless possibilities flashed through her mind in an instant, and she moved faster than she had imagined. She pushed open the door of the counter and searched while calling An An.
There is none in the front, none in the kitchen, and none in the backyard.
Leaving behind the sound of "An An" and the cool wind, Tian Nongxi stepped into the thick snow without even an umbrella, frowning and looking carefully for the cat.
As I was almost at the end of the street, my heart sank to the bottom and I was about to go to the authorities to report the crime when a faint "meow" came from the alley on the left.
"An An?——" She walked towards the alley on the "boat" filled with snow water.
When I reached the entrance of the alley, I suddenly saw two people talking to each other. An An was surrounded in the middle, looking lazy.
Tian Nongxi raised his foot and hung it in the air. He quickly turned around and put his head against the cold wall, listening attentively to the conversation between the two.
"This cat is so cute." It was Youlang's voice.
A little further away from his voice, someone said coldly, "This is my cat."
Suddenly hearing a familiar voice, Tian Nongxi was so surprised that he didn't know what to do. The important thing was - An An was in their hands!
Tian Nongxi covered her lips and broke down, crying silently in her heart: Next time I will never take An An to the shop just because I am afraid that it will be bored.
When she was about to leave with her waist bent, the "culprit" walked up to her with a noble cat step and head held high.
"Meow, meow, meow, meow."
Seeing its smug look, Tian Nongxi's pupils trembled, and the man and the cat stared at each other.
The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, getting closer and closer without any delay.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a dark figure. Tian Nongxi bent down and picked up An An, saying with a stiff upper lip, "This is my cat."
The silence on the other side lasted too long and was really unbearable. When Tian Nongxi was about to leave, he said, "You've lost weight."
"Hmm?" Tian Nongxi raised her eyes and met Wen Tingluan's deep gaze. She choked for a moment before saying, "Winter is the season for gaining weight." Maybe An An got fatter so she looked thinner.
She tried her best to make her scrutiny less obvious, so she only glanced at him very quickly and lightly, but she still came to the conclusion: the one who had lost weight was Wen Tingluan.
His facial features were already sharp, and he had lost so much weight that his aloof demeanor became even more pronounced than before.
The two of them said nothing, but tacitly agreed that neither of them would leave first.
You Lang walked up and took An An away, saying with a smile: "Boss, let's go, I left some fish for An An."
"oh."
Tian Nongxi withdrew his gaze, turned around and followed the cat away.
She hadn't taken a few steps when Wen Tingluan followed her.
He put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his arms, as if nothing had happened, and said calmly, "Carriage."
"Oh..." Tian Nongxi turned his head and looked at the coachman who was shouting "Gee-up" and whipping the reins as he left. His throat felt inexplicably itchy.
She looked up at him and asked, "Why are you here?"
There must be a reason, be it for work, by chance or passing by.
Wen Tingluan said, "Looking for you." His tone was flat, as if these two words were the best reason and there was no need to find any more excuses.
"..." Tian Nongxi twisted away from him, saying in a firm tone, "I won't go back with you."
She quickened her pace to catch up with An An, but her arm was restrained.
Tian Nongxi looked back, his gaze had turned cold, and he was too lazy to utter a word.
Wen Tingluan lowered his eyes and said softly, "I can answer everything you want to know.
"Then please buy me some tea, Xixi."
【Author’s words】
I choose to write daily serial updates as my poison (…) Dou Kui, who is said to have spent the whole day sleeping and playing with his phone, but in fact he is writing whenever he has the chance, said this.
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