Chapter 19 Turkey (2) The Market's Lucky Cat...
The other person emerged from a dark, imposing door and, with the help of an adult, struggled to push out a bicycle that was taller than her.
Her mother helped her tie a bulging little burlap sack to the back seat of the car with a rope. The sack didn't look big, but it was filled with a considerable amount of spices.
"Are you sure you can manage on your own, Aisha?" Famat asked worriedly. "I'll take my brother with me."
“If you come with me, you’ll have to carry Harlen. He’ll definitely be unable to walk more than a few steps.”
Aisha said goodbye to her younger brother, who was still chewing his nails beside her, and turned to her mother, saying, "It's okay, I won't ride on it, I'll just push it slowly."
"If you get tired, stop and rest. Remember to give way to other cars..."
"knew!"
Aisha gripped the handlebars tightly with both hands. The wheels didn't slide very smoothly on the uneven cobblestone road, making a slight squeaking sound.
As I watched the tire behind me, which had been flattened, I also worried about whether the other person could push the bag of spices into the store on their own.
"Can she manage on her own?"
The kitten asked 1221.
“She should have inflated the rear tires before coming out,” 1221 said. “That bag of spices must weigh about seven or eight pounds. If you put it on, the tires will go flat, making it even harder to push.”
I slowly caught up with the other person, watching them lean their entire weight against the seat and walk forward step by step.
Unfortunately, the road had a gentle uphill slope, making it impossible to walk quickly. The kitten looked at the sack that was slightly tilted to one side of the other's body and wished it could grow arms to help push the other.
Once they reached the main road, the traffic increased, and Aisha carefully avoided the flow of traffic, focusing all her attention on controlling the handlebars.
At a slightly bumpy intersection, she had to push her bicycle up a small step. As she came down, the rear wheel hit the ground, the bag on the back seat wobbled, and it dangerously slid to one side.
Aisha quickly braced herself against the car and frantically pushed the sacks back.
He released the foot brake again and tightened the rope behind him.
She muttered to herself, trying to cheer herself up: "We'll be there soon."
Fortunately, she ran into an acquaintance as soon as she reached the main road leading to the market. A delivery motorcycle stopped a short distance in front of her, and the deliveryman from the same market called out to her.
"Hey, put your things up here."
The other party patted the cargo baskets hanging on both sides of the vehicle.
Aisha shook her aching wrists, stopped her bicycle, and unloaded the small sack from the back of her bicycle, putting it into the other person's basket: "Thanks, Brother Wujin."
"You're welcome." The young man turned the motorcycle key. "I'm off now."
Without the heavy sacks, I felt so relaxed, and even the rear wheels of the vehicle seemed to have a three-dimensional feel.
Aisha stepped onto the stone steps beside her, preparing to jump onto her bicycle. She waited for the right moment and then jumped from the stone block into the other person's bicycle basket.
The little girl was startled and quickly steadied the handlebars: "What's going on? Why did you jump in here?"
Chichi meowed softly, signaling the other person to get on.
Do you want a ride to the market?
The kitten nodded.
Aisha's eyes widened: "Are you nodding? You can understand me?"
Chichi patted the back of the other person's hand that was gripping the handlebars with its paw.
There are still many unsolved mysteries in this world.
"When you grow up, you'll find that it's not surprising that kittens and puppies can understand human speech. I've even seen little shooting stars jumping around in front of cats."
She meowed and meowed, leaving the other person confused. He could only ride his bicycle toward the market with some skepticism.
The familiar entrance appeared before them. It was no longer suitable to ride a bike inside. Aisha pushed the kitten to her family's spice stall.
"Dad, has Brother Wujin arrived?"
He put his things down and left.
Ahmed pointed to the open sack containing freshly made curry powder.
Aisha took the water glass from Ahmed and gulped down several mouthfuls.
Then she thought of the kitten in the bicycle basket, turned around to look at it, and found that it had jumped off the bicycle and was sitting next to her licking its fur that had been messed up by the wind.
She found a box lid and poured some water from her glass into it for the other person.
"Come and have some water, little cat."
Aisha pointed to Chichi and said to Ahmed, "Dad, she can understand what I'm saying and she nods."
The elderly father was tidying up his stall. Thinking his little girl had a vivid imagination, he simply said, "Really? Many animals can understand human speech, they just can't express it."
"She can still talk to me, but unfortunately I can't understand her."
After Aisha finished drinking her water, she followed Ahmed's lead and immediately began to help him.
She divided the freshly brought curry powder into small bags, placed them in a prominent place on her stall, and wrote "Newly Made Curry Powder" on the signs.
Like a fully wound-up little spinning top.
The market wasn't as crowded as it was in the morning, but Aisha's stall was surprisingly popular today.
Chichi quietly lay at the shop entrance, intently watching the little girl work efficiently.
The honey-colored round eyes stared intently, the other person's movements so fluid, knowing exactly what to do next as soon as they put down what they were holding.
Having a good-tempered and honest father also helped her hone her eloquence, which was very effective at dealing with customers' haggling.
This time of day is usually the quietest time of day in their house. Aisha glanced at the watch behind her and thought she had misread the time.
As soon as one customer left, the next customer was already selecting items at the stalls outside the shop.
Some passersby, especially those who are obviously tourists, are always drawn to the calm and beautiful little cat at the shop entrance. Even if they don't intend to go into the shop, they will squat down at the entrance to pet the cat.
At this point, Aisha would call them in: "Come in and take a look at our spices, all-natural and reasonably priced."
"The curry powder that just arrived at the store is especially fragrant when added to soups and dishes."
"This bag is of better quality; it just arrived this morning."
Ahmed also noticed that there seemed to be significantly more people stopping at his stall to ask questions than usual today.
He had no time to analyze this anomaly; he could only weigh the kitten and collect the money while glancing at the kitten on the ground, its belly exposed, being petted by the customer.
“Those people are easily attracted to you,” 1221 said to Chichi. “Fortunately, the young lady knows how to do business, so she can seize the opportunity.”
"very nice."
Enjoying the human's caresses, she comfortably turned over and said, "I hope they can earn more money today so I can buy whatever I want and also buy gifts for my parents and brother."
After loitering around Aisha's house for a while, they eventually went to other parts of the market to find food.
As she passed the shawl shop, the flat-nosed man sitting at the entrance stopped her with a series of sucking sounds, looking at the human with suspicion. He noticed that the human had laid out a new plush mat at the entrance.
"Come visit the store often in the future, and we'll prepare cushions for you."
She politely declined the invitation to lie on the mat, saying she needed to find something to eat and would come back another time.
Seeing that she remained unmoved and continued walking towards other stalls, the flat-nosed shopkeeper quickly went to the meat stall, bought a piece of beautifully colored smoked pork, and ran to the kitten, squatting down to tempt her.
"Want some meat? Come on, let's eat in front of my shop."
"Sam, what are you doing?"
The white-haired old man at the smoked meat stall shouted, "Are you planning to keep a cat in the shop?"
"What do you know? She's just a lucky cat," said the flat-nosed man. "Just wait and see."
The other party used this piece of meat to lure him back to his shop entrance, where he placed the meat directly on the floor mat.
If you don't eat it, you're wasting your time.
It lowered its head and picked up the piece of meat, holding one end down with its paw and tearing at the chewy shreds.
Just as the kitten was reluctant to part with the piece of smoked meat, miraculously, people came to the shawl shop, which originally had few customers, and a large group of tourists from other places came in all at once.
They spoke a foreign language that the shop owner couldn't understand, and used gestures to place an order for five shawls.
The female shop owner of the porcelain shop next door, who had been "favored" by the cat yesterday, was also astonished: "God has intervened! Does this mean that whoever has this cat in their shop will have customers?"
She recalled that it seemed to be the same scene yesterday.
The cat arrived, and so did the guests.
The news spread like wildfire, and within two days, all the stall owners and shopkeepers in the market knew that a kitten had arrived at the market, one that could only help attract customers.
"Have you heard? Whoever's stall that calico kitten sits in front of will have good business."
"Really? You've been watching too many movies."
“It’s absolutely true. The shawl shop, the porcelain shop, and that butcher shop have all been doing incredibly well these past few days. Sam even brought his cat to his shop so it could stay there. I saw several customers leave with bags from his shop.”
"Quickly lure her over and see."
The other person peeked out and said, "Sam is blocking the door, he's not letting her leave."
The shop owner with the flat nose used a cardboard box to block the kitten from leaving.
While the kitten wasn't looking, he secretly took out a ruler from the side, intending to make a simple rope to tie the cat up.
1221 was quite angry and started jumping around on his head.
"Money-grubbing humans! How dare they bully a cat."
He breathed a sigh of relief at the other person, took a few steps back, and stood warily in confrontation.
The flat-nosed man made a huge commotion to block her way, attracting the attention of other stall owners who stopped doing business and all turned to look.
Chichi stared at the ruler being extended towards him, then raised his paw and scratched a gash on the other's hand.
"Uncle Sam."
Aisha overheard the whispers from the other stalls and ran back to stand in front of the kitten: "What do you want to do to her? She's my friend."
"What did I do? I treated them to good food and drinks, and helped them out, what's wrong with that?"
The flat-nosed man hissed, instinctively pulled his hand back, and shouted with his hands on his hips.
She held back some of her strength and didn't scratch much, just enough to teach the other cat a lesson. The kitten jumped into Aisha's arms for shelter.
The little girl hugged the kitten tightly in her arms: "Do you know that cats have spirits? They are sent by the true God Allah. What you are doing will anger Allah."
“Yeah, Sam, don’t make a fool of yourself.” The surrounding stall owners also gathered around, blocking Aisha and Chichi from view.
"Go away, go away, don't come and nag me, it's like you don't care about money."
The other person hissed as they went back into the store to find a band-aid.
Aisha carried Chichi back to the shop and put the kitten on the ground: "Ignore him, I'll protect you. If anyone dares to tie you up, I'll overturn their stall."
"Meow!"
He nodded slowly.
Aisha gulped down a large glass of water to cool down and then told her father what had just happened.
Ahmed said, "That's just how Sam is. You're just a kid, don't get into conflicts with adults. We're all in the same market..."
"I was just trying to reason with him."
"Dad, did you earn a lot today?"
Aisha looked at the banknotes Ahmed was counting in his hand.
"More than usual." The other person's brow relaxed. "Could it really be luck brought by the cat?"
"have no idea."
Aisha, however, was not as excited as she had imagined.
Before closing up shop, Aisha ran to another stall and used the coins from her coin jar to buy a bag of dried fish.
She took out a pair of eggs and placed them in front of Chichi: "Here you go. I have to go to school tomorrow and can't come to the market. I'll leave the rest at the shop so that Dad can feed you two when he sees you."
“When you come to the market again, stay away from Sam, the one who kidnapped you. I can’t come every day, but I will have my father protect you.”
1221: "Wow, you're so considerate of cats."
"I like her."
He spoke to 1221 very late.
Pure and kind souls are most likely to connect with cats, which is why Chichi is always attracted to humans in every world.
The weekend is over, and the next few days are workdays and school days.
The number of customers at the market has decreased.
To avoid the shop owner who coveted the cats, Chichi didn't go to the market for the past few days, and instead went with 1221 to the Suleimaniye Temple, which has four minarets.
Previously, when she passed by the low wall, she could always see those towering spires on the other side of the river. 1221 told her that minarets are also called prayer towers.
1221: "They belong to temples, where the muezzin climbs to call the believers to prayer every day. In ancient times, people shouted, but now they use megaphones."
The temple is the heart of this complex, which is surrounded by other buildings such as religious schools, medical schools, and hospitals.
Here, cats are the soul of the city, the free spirits of Allah, free to enter and leave the temple at will.
At first, Chichi was a little in awe, but after seeing the other cats sunbathing in the yard, she walked in without any hesitation.
The outer courtyard is bustling with people. Entering the central courtyard through the magnificent gate, you can see the marble fountain in the center of the courtyard.
"This is the most beautiful temple on the west bank of Golden Horn Bay, a masterpiece of Ottoman architecture."
He hesitated for a moment before asking, "What is the Ottoman Empire?"
"Ottoman is a term used to refer to the former Turkish empire. The first monarch was Osman I, and Ottoman architecture refers to the popular architecture of that time, such as domes and decorations..."
These kittens don't understand anything; she can only describe the place using a limited vocabulary.
It's huge, magnificent, and beautiful.
Even looking into the building through the doors and windows, it is exquisite, with towering domes, countless chandeliers, and a passageway on the side of the temple leading to an outdoor terrace.
Hesitantly jumped onto the safe stone railing, sat quietly on it, and looked down over the entire Golden Horn Bay, as well as the entire old town and the entrance to the strait.
Birds circled above the layered rooftops, and solemn, peaceful prayers could be heard in the air.
Even if you have any worries before coming here, stepping into this place will make you feel at ease and let go of all your distractions.
"It's so comfortable, it's so quiet here."
The cat has been completely purified here. It can sunbathe, has an automatic water fountain, a viewing platform, and is also a great place to play hide-and-seek.
To see such a luxurious building in one's lifetime is certainly a worthwhile trip.
She doesn't understand religion or architecture, but she likes the atmosphere here.
I stayed in this complex of buildings for a few days. I had no worries about food and drink, and I could just lie down in any corner to sleep without worrying about any danger.
No wonder there are so many cats here. If she had to choose where to live in the future, this city would be a pretty good choice.
"I don't want to leave."
She spent several days wandering around the hillside where the temple stands, and even explored all the gardens there. Almost every place there did not disappoint her.
"This is just the beginning, we still have so many places to go." 1221 flew around, chasing away the bees that circled around it.
"All right."
It slowly stood up from the warm stone slab it had been lying on, stretching its front and hind paws: "Anyway, I can come anytime in the future."
"Ready to go to Hagia Sophia?" 1221 was already itching to go.
"Don't eat too much at once," Chi Chi said. "You need to give your eyes some rest."
1221: "Where did this fallacy come from?"
Chichi: "There's a reason why kittens are kittens."
Aisha made a promise with her before leaving last Sunday that they would come to the market again on the weekend.
It's not Saturday yet, but she already wants to go see her human friends first.
The alley where the other person lived had many windows that looked like eyes, so he kept calling it "Eye Alley".
She would jump onto the wall of Eyes Lane, and whenever she came across something drying on the wall, she would jump down, walk a short distance, and then jump back up, doing this with great enthusiasm.
When we reached a place where there were no walls, we walked obediently in the shadows along the side of the alley. The road was so narrow that no cars usually drove in, so it was very quiet, and we could hear any sound from either side of the alley clearly.
I lingered for a while, resting next to a Turkish ice cream shop by the roadside. From there, you could see the gate at the end of the alley.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but as the sun set, she saw a little girl carrying a schoolbag on her back on the street.
When the other person wasn't working, they didn't wear the red headscarf; instead, they wore a bright red strawberry hair clip.
Aisha knew this neighborhood so well she could walk it with her eyes closed. She called out the names she had given to the cats on the street and greeted each one as she passed by.
"School's out, Aisha? So early today."
The old lady leaning against the door asked her.
"School's out. I didn't have class this afternoon because I was rehearsing for a show, so I came home early."
The other person smiled and handed her a handful of almonds: "Go have some fun."
Aisha, like a little bird, darted quickly through the residential area with her small bag on her back, stopping to chat with acquaintances whenever she encountered one.
"Grandpa Sharif, the flowers on your windowsill are blooming so beautifully."
"Good afternoon, Ali. You're almost out of turmeric, right? Come visit our store sometime."
She peeled an almond, popped the flesh into her mouth, and accurately tossed the shell into the half-open trash can next to her.
She watched him go into the house, put down his schoolbag, and then go out again, this time carrying a small red handbag.
"I won't be back for dinner, don't wait for me," Aisha called into the door, then skipped and hopped away in the opposite direction.
"Aisha!"
Just as she was about to walk to the end of the street, a girl of similar age wearing a pink top and a low ponytail called out to her from behind.
"Aisha, where are you going?"
“I…I was just about to come find you to play.” Aisha immediately turned around.
“That’s perfect. I’m going to play soccer with the boys. Let’s go find them together.”
Lana grabbed her arm and pulled her onto another path: "Zelin hasn't come to rehearsals these past few days, that's really great."
"Our progress is faster than before, but I still prefer you as the lead singer..."
"She sang very well, but I was the lead singer because she was sick."
"It was supposed to be you."
Lana pouted: "Who told her to transfer here halfway through? Why didn't she study properly at her original private school? What is she doing at our school?"
"She's as delicate as a young lady, like she could be blown away by the wind. I don't like her at all, not to mention she cut in line with our rehearsal team and took my spot and your lead singer position."
Aisha: "Forget it, she's been on leave for several days already, let's not talk about her anymore."
"She took your spot in the speech contest as soon as she arrived. The teachers all favored her because her family is rich and owns many shops in the Grand Bazaar..."
Zelin is a transfer student who moved here from a more prestigious and expensive school.
However, not long after transferring schools, due to various reasons and a teacher who liked to flatter her, the gap between her and her classmates widened.
Later, not only the girls in the class, but even the boys joined the "protest" camp, pointing the finger at Zelin.
Aisha, who initially expressed her dislike for Zelin, naturally followed suit.
However, when Aisha heard the strange, sarcastic tone, she released the arm that the other person was holding.
“She’s sick and you’re still saying these things behind her back.”
"What's wrong with you?" Lana exclaimed, "You were the one who promised us to stick with us and ignore her, and you even said you really hated her!"
"I--"
"You're here."
Several boys who used to play soccer in the alley were also very familiar with them. They had grown up in the same neighborhood and attended the same school.
"What's all the noise about? Come on, let's go play in the square."
These boys also sided with Lana—they disliked Zelin's faction.
After all, Lana and the boys present were all her childhood sweethearts, especially Lana, whose parents were also good friends. Any normal person would know how to make a choice.
Aisha showed a hint of annoyance for a second before quickly stopping herself: "Okay."
The atmosphere was a bit stiff along the way, but the boys were oblivious, chasing after the ball ahead.
Finally, Aisha took Lana's arm first, and that's how the ice was broken.
There was an abandoned old city wall in the square. The children used the bricks they found to build a goal. The soccer ball they were playing wasn't new either, and it bounced very poorly, but that didn't stop them from thinking they were the best players.
The boys deliberately paired the two girls together to make their side appear stronger.
"That's not fair!"
Lana said angrily, "You always stick together."
"If you're this good, then try and beat us, hehehe." The boys from the other pair stuck out their tongues and made faces at them.
Aisha pulled back Lana, who was furious with the group of brats, and said, "Let's just leave it at that, Lana. We're not necessarily going to lose. We've beaten them a few times before, haven't we?"
They each squatted down and tightened their shoelaces, claiming the most open space before the other older kids arrived, and started the game in the middle.
Chichi also joined the street soccer match, choosing to be a support member of the girls' team.
"Pass the ball, pass it to me." Lana waved her hand.
Aisha dribbled the ball, trying to break through Blake's defense, but the boy was taller and stronger than her, blocking her with his body and kicking the ball away.
"You guys are no good, just admit defeat."
No way.
Aisha, panting heavily, forgot her desire to end the match quickly and became serious.
Taking advantage of her small size, Chichi headed the ball away from the boy's feet, which had just been intercepted. The ball changed direction and rolled to Lana's feet.
"Shoot, Lana!" Aisha shouted. "Now!"
The opponent instinctively kicked the ball, which rolled into the brick goal.
What's wrong with this cat?
Black kicked up some dust and said to them, "I don't believe it, let's try again."
The boys became impatient after realizing they had underestimated their opponents, and their teamwork became even more chaotic. Aisha started targeting Blake, who always wanted to shoot himself. The kitten saw through her plan and also darted around the field.
It may seem like it's running around randomly, but it's actually quite methodical.
Each time, he manages to disrupt the opponent's rhythm and then escape unscathed.
They played football from high noon until dusk, with Chichi providing assists in the middle, and the team with the two girls actually won by a goal against the boys.
Blake, the leader of the group, was still having a blast when his parents dragged him back for dinner: "We'll come back after dinner. Next time I'll be the defender."
"I have something to do—"
Aisha's eyes darted around. "I have to help my dad with chores after dinner, so I won't be coming."
She grabbed her small bag from under the tree and slipped into the alley ahead of the lit-up square. Behind her came a girl's surprised voice: "This isn't the way you get home."
"I'm going to buy a sesame ring bread!"
Aisha shouted back, waved, and quickly disappeared into the alley.
"Why didn't she invite me to go shopping with her?" Lana said unhappily, crossing her arms. "Did she go to play with someone else?"
Black: "Who else can she hang out with? That area used to be where rich people lived."
Upon hearing this, Lana looked thoughtfully toward the alley.
On the other side.
Aisha bought a small sesame ring bread from a shop on the street, tore it off by hand, and ate it bite by bite, the fragrant sesame seeds falling all over the ground.
Chichi was originally following behind, but the other person kept looking back as if afraid of being followed, so the kitten subconsciously hid behind the shop door.
After realizing that the other party wasn't on guard against him, he suspiciously looked behind him.
"She's hiding from someone," Chi Chi said. "Is she also on some secret mission?"
"What secret mission could a little girl from a spice-selling family have?" 1221 said.
"Maybe."
The kitten, with its vivid imagination, decided to follow and find out what was going on.
As expected, after buying the bagels, the other person didn't head home. Instead, clutching the bag in one hand and holding the remaining bread in the other, they turned into a newer and wider street.
The houses here are prettier than those in the previous block, with painted window frames and colorful glass shards inlaid on the exterior walls.
The little girl stuffed the half-eaten sesame ring in her hand into her mouth, swallowed it with difficulty, and then walked to a large courtyard with a light yellow exterior wall.
She looked around to make sure the group of children weren't following her before gently pushing open the side door and slipping inside.
"Zelin—"
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Author's Note: Updates will be posted tomorrow at 11 PM. Updates will continue as usual at midnight. [Cat emoji]
Pre-order now and add to your favorites—"Rubbing Everything Will Only Harm You!"
Copywriting:
Li Yin transmigrates into the animal world and becomes the protagonist (crossed out) cannon fodder in a tiger documentary about how tigers climb to the top through their own hard work.
According to the documentary's story, she was a helpless and bullied Bengal tiger who, after enduring hardships, eventually overcame all obstacles to become a dominant force.
A defeated opponent.
Already possessing a tragic past, the timing of his transmigration was also somewhat inappropriate.
She's still a cub—weak, helpless…but incredibly cuddly.
Her brothers and sisters, who had previously ostracized her, came over and petted her.
Her rivals from other tribes also came to harass her.
Even the "big boss" who stands proudly at the top of the food chain and will severely damage her in the future joins in the fun and forcibly pets her.
*
Originally, they came here to fight their arch-rivals who were meant to crush weaker opponents, but they became obsessed with collecting their babies.
Li Yin, who pretends to be harmless to deceive her opponents, takes the opportunity to upgrade her combat power, and becomes the queen: Haha, they are all stepping stones on my road to success!
The only thing that bothered her was how she could still be petted even after she became an adult.
Li Yin bared her sharp claws, attempting to scare away a certain "big boss" of the animal kingdom.
Unexpectedly, the other party offered to give up their territory on the condition that they could pet her anytime, anywhere.
Li Yin: ? ? ?
I've already said that you shouldn't suckle your own kind! Rubbing everything will only hurt you!
#Stop! If you keep petting me like that, I'll go bald QAQ#
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