Chapter 44 Treasure Island (13) "Following the lights."...
On Sunday, Ah Kun went to set up a stall at the Miaokou Night Market. After much hesitation, he still brought along the first celadon-glazed porcelain vase he had ever fired.
Uncle Lin glanced at the pottery as he packed it up: "Are you willing to sell it?"
"What's there to be reluctant about?" Ah Kun steeled himself secretly, making sure no one could see his reluctance on his face. "Besides, we might not even be able to sell them."
It's an inanimate object; keeping it as a souvenir is less appealing than exchanging it for some money to help fill his empty wallet.
Chi Chi had just climbed over the roof when she saw Ah Kun carefully placing the porcelain vase into the box. The other person watched her jump down and said, "You're quite good at finding places to rummage."
Seeing that they were heading to the night market, I hurriedly followed them to join in the fun.
The street was bustling with people. Ah Kun placed the porcelain vase in a conspicuous position. The warm yellow light overhead shone on the vase, making the flowing glaze appear even more gentle.
How much does this bottle cost?
A customer passed by, adjusted his glasses, and examined the glaze carefully.
"Six hundred dollars!" Ah Kun originally wanted to set the price lower, but was afraid it would be easily sold, so he simply added another hundred dollars to the already low selling price.
The other party shook their head and left.
He wiped the sweat and fingerprints left by the other person with his sleeve and muttered, "It's good that they didn't buy it. If it can't be sold, it means I should keep it for myself."
Uncle Lin chuckled behind him, having already seen through his stubbornness.
Chichi also patted Ah Kun's paw. If you can't bear to part with him, just say so. Why bring him out to play with others? What if he really gets bought? Who knows how long you'll regret it when you get back?
A commotion came from the braised meat stall in the distance, and soon reached the porcelain stall.
"My wallet!"
"Stop thief!"
A young girl carrying a camera was terrified and pointed in a certain direction, shouting.
Amidst the crowd, a figure was weaving swiftly between stalls and customers, glancing back as he ran to see if anyone was chasing him—clearly, he was acting out of guilt.
Seeing that several people blocking his way had been bumped into by the other party, Ah Kun instinctively rushed out when the person went around the stall.
He hurriedly followed.
Ah Kun pushed through the crowd and stared at the fleeing figure.
This scene seemed very familiar, except this time he was the one chasing after the others.
The thief nimbly turned into an alley, and Ah Kun gave chase. The alley was full of clutter, and Ah Kun could only make out directions by the light shining from a distance. Just as the thief was about to climb over the wall, Ah Kun pounced and grabbed the thief's clothes.
"open!"
The other person struggled, and the wallet in their arms fell to the ground.
With lightning speed, Chichi snatched the wallet, jumped aside, and handed it to Ah Kun.
Ah Kun, panting heavily, took the wallet from the kitten's mouth and looked at the person he had pulled down by his clothes. The person looked to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, with eyes full of fear and stubbornness.
Just like him back then.
"Do you really need the money?" Ah Kun asked.
"What's it to you!" The other person tried to struggle, but was restrained by security guards and helpful citizens who rushed over after hearing the commotion.
The owner and onlookers arrived one after another, and the alley was completely blocked. The girl took the wallet and thanked Ah Kun repeatedly, while the others escorted the thief towards the police station.
Ah Kun stood there watching the other person's retreating figure, feeling as if he had been hit in the chest.
He knew all too well the resentment and shame in the other person's eyes.
Chichi jumped onto the boy's shoulder and patted him with her paw: "Well done. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have gotten my wallet back. That kid's wall-climbing skills are better than yours."
"Let's go back."
Uncle Lin appeared beside him at some point and gently patted his shoulder.
Back at the stall, the celadon porcelain bottle still stood quietly in place. Ah Kun silently picked it up, stroked the bottle with his fingertips, tore off the price tag, and put it back into the box.
"If no one had given me a hand back then," Ah Kun suddenly said, "what would I be like now?"
Uncle Lin didn't answer directly, but slowly helped him seal the box: "Everyone gets lost sometimes, the important thing is to find the right way in the end."
Ah Kun lowered his head and remained silent.
After a while, she said, "I want to go see him."
Uncle Lin nodded: "Go ahead."
Arriving at the familiar police station again, Ah Kun lowered his head and shuffled his feet along the uneven cement pavement, asking 1221 hesitantly, "What does he want to do here? Is he going to use his experience to teach that person a lesson?"
While waiting for the other person to come out, Ah Kun went to a convenience store. When he came out, he saw the other person walking out of the police station looking disheveled.
Ah Kun went up to him and said, "Wait a moment."
"What, looking for a beating?" The other person brandished a fist at him, looking indignant. "It's all your fault, get lost!"
"Give."
Ah Kun handed the bento box he had just bought to the other person.
Before the other person could take the food and toss it aside, he stopped them and said seriously, "Don't waste food."
"Damn, you're insane."
“Take it back and eat it, it’s not poisoned.” Ah Kun put his hands in his pockets and said to the other person, “I was captured and brought here before, just like you. After being scolded by them for so long… I get hungry easily.”
The other person genuinely thought he was sick, and his stomach did indeed rumble honestly.
Ah Kun turned and left.
Chichi said to 1221, "I thought he would give him some money."
“He’s spent all the money he’s earned on changing doors and locks and releasing sky lanterns. He doesn’t have any money left for charity,” 1221 said. “But even if he offered money, the other party definitely wouldn’t accept it. They might even take it as an insult and start a fight.”
"Someone understands this feeling of pride and frustration all too well."
She lingered in the same spot, turning back to look at the boy in the shadows, carrying a lunchbox whose expression she couldn't discern.
1221 said to the kitten, "Let's go back too."
As night fell, instead of returning to the workshop with Ah Kun, I turned and strolled along Minsheng Street, enjoying the tranquility of the evening. Glancing casually to the side, I spotted a black figure.
She trotted over, her tail held high.
"I've run into you again!"
The black cat stood quietly under the moon, its dark fur reflecting the silvery moonlight. The other cat imitated her and raised its tail.
Chichi was quite excited, as Pingxi is not close to here; it takes a long time to drive there.
I don't know how they found me.
Seeing her run over, the other person turned around and walked forward, then slowed down, as if waiting for the kitten to catch up. The two cats strolled one after the other through the dimly lit streets.
Chichi, confident in his familiarity with the area, quickly ran a few steps to catch up with the cat and led the way.
I walked from Minsheng Street to Longyun Street, and then to Longxing Street, lingering there for a while before squatting down under the maple trees lining the street. In the evening, the ground was covered with fallen maple leaves.
"How did you get here?" Chi Chi asked the other person curiously.
"We came following the lights."
The golden pupils rivaled the beautiful color of the maple leaves. A gust of autumn wind blew by, and a few more maple leaves fell from the tree, like a few drops of orange-red rain.
The kitten happily rolled around in the fallen leaves.
Leaves clung to her fur, adorning her with autumn colors, while she remained quietly crouched to the side, maintaining a subtle distance from her surroundings.
"You try it too." Chichi used its paws to gather the leaves into a pile, then used its head to lift a few maple leaves and scatter them at the other person.
The other animal did not dodge, letting the leaves cover its claws. The two leaves stuck to its pure black fur, without a single impurity, looked quite beautiful to Chichi.
The kitten rolled around in the pile of fallen leaves like a child, and eventually rolled over to the other side, rubbing its head against the smooth, silky fur: "Your fur is very soft too."
After chasing the drifting maple leaves with the other person for a while, I gradually became sleepy.
Even in autumn, she felt no chill. She lay down under the open sky, and after a while, she realized that the other person had also come over and lay down beside her.
"I'll take you to Jiufen Mountain Town, Keelung Harbor, Houtong, the night market, the park..."
She recounted the details with great familiarity, and then let out a big yawn.
The kitten snuggled closer to the other, resting half its head on its body; the scent was somewhat familiar.
Chichi yawned again, and thought groggily, "It still smells really good."
The kitten was already drowsy and sleepy. A maple leaf was blown down by the passing wind and landed on the two cats, one black and one white, turning them into a natural blanket. The small space became a warm nest.
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