Chapter 61: A Life About Dreams of the Future
As dusk approached, the main structure of the second factory building was largely completed, and the workers were gradually preparing to finish work and rest.
The foreman, Old Zhou, was in his fifties, with dark skin and wrinkles etched on his face from years of exposure to the elements.
He took out a cheap cigarette, walked to the edge of the road, found a clean step to sit on, struck a match and lit the cigarette. He took a deep drag, as if to exhale all the fatigue of the day with the smoke.
It was late autumn, the sky was high and the clouds were light, and the wind carried a chill and the scent of withered grass and trees.
Old Zhou squinted, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a large, robust, orange-yellow figure sneaking in through a gap in the fence on the other side of Zone 1. The chubby body swayed as it walked, and its fluffy tail stood high, like a general inspecting his territory.
It seems to be that big orange cat named Bingbing.
Old Zhou recognized him; he was a long-time employee at Boss Shi's farm, much fatter than the other cats, and supposedly very greedy.
Bingbing had obviously noticed him too. It stopped and stared warily at the strange two-legged creature sitting by the roadside and the flickering light from its mouth, its two big eyes shining like searchlights in the dim light.
Old Zhou couldn't help but laugh when he saw his round belly, and teased him with a bit of his hometown accent.
"Hey, you big orange cat, how did you get so fat? I'm afraid you'll roll over when you walk."
Bingbing understood. His ears immediately snapped back into an airplane shape, and he let out a loud, disgruntled meow, as if he were cursing.
Old Zhou couldn't understand the specifics of the cat language, but he felt it must have been quite vulgar.
Bingbing turned her head away as if to leave, indicating that she didn't want to lower herself to the level of this human who couldn't say nice things.
Old Zhou found it amusing, and also thought the cat was very intelligent.
He stubbed out his cigarette, patted himself down, and found he had nothing to eat.
He thought for a moment, then bent down and picked up a dry, thin foxtail grass from the side, waving it in his hand and making a soft rustling sound.
Bingbing, who was about to leave, stopped in her tracks, her ears quietly turned back, and her eyes involuntarily followed the swaying grass spikes.
Old Zhou chuckled, not bothering to get closer, but simply sitting where he was, gently flicking his wrist to make the foxtail grass sway left and right a little over a meter away from Bingbing, sometimes sliding close to the ground, sometimes jumping.
Bingbing involuntarily lowered its body, its chubby bottom sticking up, and the tip of its tail trembled slightly with excitement, its heart in turmoil.
This human can't speak, but... this thing seems kind of interesting...
But he actually called Mi Pang just now!
Absolutely unforgivable!!
But... the way the grass moves... it's so cute!
It only lasted less than ten seconds before Bingbing finally succumbed to its hunting instincts ingrained in its genes. With a howl, it pounced on the foxtail grass. Its chubby body was surprisingly agile, and its furry paws unleashed a frenzied barrage of attacks on the grass without any strategy. It pounced, scratched, hugged, and nibbled, having a great time.
Looking at the chubby cat's adorable appearance, Old Zhou's wrinkles deepened with a smile. He skillfully manipulated the straw stalks, making Bingbing jump around, muttering, "That's right, it needs to move around and lose some weight, otherwise it'll be on the dinner table for the New Year..."
Bingbing was engrossed in playing when she heard this and froze. She took a moment to raise her face and bared her teeth at Lao Zhou fiercely, but looking at the grass still swaying in front of her, she couldn't bear to leave and continued to devote herself to her "weight loss mission".
At this moment, a young worker named Sun Xiaojun also strolled over to get some fresh air.
He saw Old Zhou playing with the cat, lit a cigarette and came over, leaning against the nearby telephone pole and laughing, "Uncle Zhou, this cat is really fat, it looks like a moving meat bun."
Bingbing: ...
He angrily flicked his tail, indicating that he wouldn't stoop to the level of you two-legged creatures.
So he pretended not to hear and continued to brush away the grass.
Old Zhou chuckled and continued shaking the grass in his hand.
"That's right, Boss Shi's place has good feng shui, even the cats are kept exceptionally fat."
He glanced at Sun Xiaojun, a young man in his early twenties who was hardworking but not very talkative. "How's it going, Xiaojun? You must be exhausted."
Sun Xiaojun shook his head, took a drag of his cigarette, and looked a little worried. "It's alright, it's easier than working on the construction site back home, at least... the environment is better."
He looked at the factory buildings that were beginning to take shape in front of him and the quiet, mysterious, and beautiful area not far away, the setting sun gilding everything with gold. "Uncle Zhou, I heard... once this factory is fully completed, they'll be officially recruiting?"
Old Zhou grunted in agreement, his wrist still moving, the pancake bouncing around. "I've heard about it too. It shouldn't be a lie. The boss seems like a really nice guy, kind and friendly. Did you hear what Sister Li and Xiao Zhang from the warehouse over there said? The wages are pretty good, the benefits are good, and it's close to home."
Sun Xiaojun's eyes lit up, filled with a youthful anticipation mixed with a hint of uncertainty.
"Then... do you think I can stay if I work hard? I don't want to keep going to construction sites in other places, drifting around aimlessly."
Upon hearing this, Old Zhou glanced at him and stopped shaking the grass.
Just as Bingbing was getting into the swing of things, it saw that its "prey" had stopped moving. It pawed at it, then squatted down and licked its ruffled fur, while its ears were perked up, secretly listening to their conversation.
"Why not?" Old Zhou's voice was rough, but it carried a firm conviction.
“As long as we are willing to work hard and don’t shirk our responsibilities, Boss Shi will definitely be willing to hire us. I think this farm is developing well and it needs people right now.”
Sun Xiaojun seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, a shy yet genuine smile appearing on his face. He flicked his cigarette ash, his voice lowered, carrying a hint of barely perceptible gentleness.
“I was thinking that if I could really stay and settle down, I would bring my girlfriend from our hometown over. She works as a waitress in a restaurant in town, which is quite hard work... I will work here, and if she is willing, she can also find a job nearby. The two of us together can eventually settle down here.”
As he spoke, he scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "Then we'll save up money to get married, have a child, and live a stable life."
Old Zhou listened without saying anything, but just shook the foxtail grass in his hand again.
Bingbing was immediately drawn back in and continued his "hunt".
Old Zhou looked at the fat cat, then at the young man beside him who was looking forward to the future. His calloused fingers twitched, but in the end he just patted Sun Xiaojun's shoulder with a light touch.
"That's a good idea." Old Zhou's voice was still flat, but it carried the approval of an elder. "Young people who work hard will definitely have a bright future. This place is great, perfect for settling down. When you two have your wedding, just let me know, and I'll bring your aunt over to help you."
Sun Xiaojun nodded heavily, stubbed out his cigarette, and his eyes were even more determined than before.
The sun sank a little further, casting long shadows of the two of them.
Bingbing got tired of playing, or perhaps he felt that the two humans' conversation was no longer interesting. He yawned widely, turned his back to them, and slowly swayed back to his warm home in the first district. His orange figure gradually blended into the twilight.
Old Zhou and Sun Xiaojun also stood up straight.
"Let's go back and have dinner."
"Yes, Uncle Zhou."
Shi Wan was sitting on the sofa in the office building, with a professional book on modern animal husbandry management open on her lap. The tablet computer next to her was lit up, displaying the audio call interface with Isabella.
The two are discussing how to better maintain the original flavor and balance standardized production for their co-branded catnip cookies on the new production line, discussing details such as the mixing time of the ingredients and fine-tuning the baking temperature.
"Xiao Wan, I think we can try dividing the mixing process into two parts. The first half is mechanical mixing to ensure efficiency, and the second half is briefly switched to low-speed manual mode to simulate the feel..." Isabella suggested earnestly on the other end of the screen.
Shi Wan was listening intently when she suddenly felt a weight on her leg. Looking down, she saw that Bingbing had returned.
The big orange cat, carrying the chill of the autumn night, skillfully found the most comfortable spot on her lap, curling itself into a heavy, warm orange ball of fur. Then it rubbed its head against her elbow, making soft, slightly aggrieved meows, interrupting her thoughts.
A gentle smile immediately appeared in Shi Wan's eyes. After telling Isabella, she temporarily muted the tablet, put down the book in her hand, and gently stroked Bingbing's thick and soft fur. Her fingertips had not yet felt the slight chill from the outside air emanating from him.
"What's wrong, Bingbing? Did you have a bad time outside? Who upset our King Bingbing?" Her voice was as gentle as a breeze, filled with obvious doting affection.
Bingbing felt very comfortable being petted, and made loud purring sounds in his throat. However, he still raised his round face and began to recount his experience with meows and howls, his tone rising and falling along with the wagging of his tail, as if he was trying to recreate what had just happened.
"Wanwan, I just went to check out the new house over there and saw a black two-legged creature sitting by the roadside, with smoke coming out of its mouth!"
"What's infuriating is that he actually called me fat! He said I'm a ball! He even said I roll when I walk! How outrageous!"
Bingbing angrily slapped Shi Wan's leg with her paw.
"However... he later played with me using a blade of grass. Humph, since he was somewhat sensible, I reluctantly played with him for a while."
Then another young two-legged creature came along, and they were talking, so I listened in.
Bingbing tilted his head, trying hard to recall those somewhat complicated words for him.
"That young two-legged creature, saying he didn't want to drift around? He wanted to stay and work hard? He even wanted to bring his... um... female two-legged creature from his hometown over? He talked about settling down... getting married and having little two-legged creatures?"
Bingbing's cat face showed obvious confusion.
"Wanwan, why don't they want to float? Isn't it more fun to fly like a bird? Also, what does 'Anjia' mean? Does it mean to build a house on the ground? And how do you give birth to little two-legged creatures? Do you need a lot of jars and money to have them?"
As Bingbing relayed Lao Zhou and Sun Xiaojun's conversation in his cat-like logic and language, albeit haltingly, yet with utmost seriousness, especially Sun Xiaojun's simple wish to settle down, get married, and have children, Shi Wan's heart felt as if it had been gently struck by something.
She stopped stroking him, gently cupped Bingbing's chubby face in her hands, and rubbed her forehead against his furry forehead. Her voice grew softer, as if she were explaining or expressing her feelings.
"Bingbing, when they say they don't want to drift around, they mean they hope for a stable life, a place where they can rest peacefully and sheltered from the wind and rain. And settling down isn't just about building a house on the ground; it's also about being with the people you love, making the house warm and comfortable, eating together, living together, and keeping each other company. As for having little two-legged creatures..."
She couldn't help but smile. "It's like our farm welcoming new kittens and puppies. It's a continuation of life and hope, and it means that our home will be filled with more liveliness and laughter."
Bingbing blinked his big eyes, seemingly understanding but not quite. Although he still didn't quite understand why the two-legged creatures were making things so complicated, he could feel the gentleness and understanding in Shi Wan's tone. So he purred contentedly and rubbed his cheek against Shi Wan's palm to show that he understood.
Shi Wan picked up the tablet again, unmuted it, and apologized to Isabella.
Isabella expressed her understanding and even jokingly asked, "Is it your feline employee coming to report on their work?"
“Yes,” Shi Wan smiled, her gaze gently falling on Bingbing, who had curled up on her lap again. “And he just brought me some very important information.”
After ending her call with Isabella, Shi Wan did not immediately pick up the textbook again.
She leaned back on the sofa and gently stroked Bingbing's fur.
Old Zhou, Sun Xiaojun...
She silently memorized those two names, especially the young man with a simple dream of settling down.
She recalled that Sun Xiaojun was indeed a diligent worker, not talkative but with bright eyes and a spirit of inquiry.
Bring the girls from my hometown over to marry and have children, and live a stable life.
What a simple yet beautiful wish.
Her farm has not only become a place for her to realize her own dream life, but has also unknowingly become a place where others place their hopes.
Aunt Li and Xiao Zhang are like this, and now there may be another one like Sun Xiaojun, and there may be even more in the future.
This realization made her feel very conflicted, and she even had an urge to work overtime until dawn.
"Bingbing, thank you for telling me all this." She lowered her head and whispered to the fat orange cat who was almost asleep, "We all have to work hard together to make this place even better."
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