Chapter 18 Türkiye (1) The City of Cats.
I was so hungry I was dizzy, and I was in dire need of food as soon as I arrived.
"Why am I so hungry?" Chichi asked 1221.
1221's voice was also intermittent: "This trip is too far, from Hawaii directly to Türkiye, I also need some energy replenishment."
Once the light orb is set to auto-follow, it will automatically enter power-saving mode.
She blinked her eyes, which were still adjusting to the island atmosphere, and looked around at this new place full of exotic charm.
Without the 1221 notification, she had no idea she was on the Galata Bridge spanning the strait; she only knew she had arrived in the legendary "City of Cats."
--Istanbul.
An incredibly tempting aroma wafted into my nostrils—the irresistible scent of freshly roasted meat, instantly triggering a surge of hunger.
The kitten followed the scent across the bridge to the other side. At the bustling street corner, a kind old man was feeding a stray yellow dog half a Turkish kebab wrap.
He swallowed hard, his feet unconsciously drawn forward.
There were a few cats on the street, and they all seemed to have smelled the aroma of the food, but none of the other cats came closer. I wonder if they had already eaten their fill.
Chichi had only taken two steps when the stray dog turned around and glared at him.
This yellow dog wasn't very big, but its eyes revealed a shrewdness born from years of experience. It hesitated for a while, not daring to approach, and only dared to observe from a distance.
It was the old man who spotted the little cat crouching in the distance looking longingly at her first. He took a few steps toward her and tossed her the last piece of meat from his pancake.
Chi Chi's eyes lit up, and before the yellow dog could react, he darted to the piece of meat and snatched it away in one bite.
She found a secluded corner to finish eating the meat, and as she was licking her paws and washing her face, she saw a group of shadows approaching from not far away.
My sixth sense told me something was wrong, and I was just about to run away when I heard the lead yellow dog bark at me a few times, followed by several stray dogs behind it whimpering.
We're doomed.
They've messed with the local gang of thugs.
Several stray dogs, their eyes fixed on the intruding cat, seemed intent on snatching food from its jaws. Before being bitten, the cat leaped quickly onto the wall and ran along its top.
However, the local dog knew the terrain better than her. After only a few leaps over the walls, it saw the dog waiting to block its way ahead.
What does that mean? It seems like they're determined to bully her today.
He tried to calm them down, mimicking the behavior of the dogs opposite him, and wagged his tail at the stray dogs in a friendly manner: "It's not that serious, it's really not that serious, it's just a piece of meat, I can give it back to you later."
"Awoo!"
The yellow dog, whose cat had been snatched away, suddenly barked angrily, stood up, and tried to get the cat off the wall, as if it were cursing her with its eyes, calling her a "despicable outsider cat."
Several large mouths and sharp teeth, emitting hot steam, were waiting for her below. Fortunately, the wall was high enough, and she tried to shrink back in again and again.
Although the dogs below couldn't touch her, she couldn't go down either. Looking ahead, she knew that these walls would eventually end, and then she would still have nowhere to go.
At times like this, I desperately hope that 1221 will go online soon so that it can show her the way.
Just as it was caught in a dilemma, the kitten tentatively pushed a few small stones off the wall, and while the dogs were spitting out stones, it dashed in the opposite direction.
When he reached a point where there were no walls left to jump over, he finally steeled himself and jumped down, then ran wildly down the unfamiliar slope.
The barking of the wild dogs followed closely behind, their echoes lingering in my ears. Accompanied by the sound of several dog paws stomping on the stone slabs, I hesitated and ran aimlessly toward the nearest wall.
The sight of several vicious dogs chasing a cat drew the attention of passersby, but they were chasing it too fast for humans to help.
Just as I was hesitating to jump onto the wall from the car parked on the side of the street, a crowded entrance suddenly appeared on my right, with several large, peeling characters at the top.
This is a market.
The crowds were dense, and the ground was wet, as if it had just been splashed with water.
Since jumping onto the wall will only result in being mobbed by the stray dogs below, it's better to go into a crowded area and take a chance!
Chichi turned and crawled under the feet of the people into the market entrance. As soon as he entered, he was hit by a strong smell. The smell of various spices, snacks and leather mixed together, which was particularly pungent.
This place doesn't resemble a market; rather, it's like a large maze made up of narrow shops, stalls, and passageways.
Chichi wandered around here, turning left and right, until he found a secluded stall behind which he hid himself amidst piles of goods.
Fortunately, the pack of stray dogs was too conspicuous and was driven away by the vendors near the entrance before they even entered the market, which allowed Chichi to successfully shake them off.
Seeing the gang of stray dogs slink away with their tails between their legs at the entrance, the kitten finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As luck would have it, 1221 successfully went online at this moment: "You don't have a map, how did you get here all by yourself, a cat?"
"A coincidence." He hesitated to recall the harrowing experience. "1221, where am I?"
"This is a market in Istanbul."
The stalls on both sides were piled up neatly and full of goods. Bags of spices were placed in burlap sacks and left open for people to choose from, and the stall owners' shouts were straightforward.
The narrow passageways crisscross, and each area has different types of vendors.
Although they also sell food, porcelain, and leather goods here, the aroma of spices is particularly prominent. After a long while of relaxing, I finally let out a loud sneeze.
As customers haggled over prices at the stalls, they cautiously pricked up their ears to observe their surroundings. Only after not seeing any dogs that had slipped into the market from any aisle did they emerge from behind their hiding places.
She shook her numb hands, and her stomach started growling again at an inopportune moment.
The piece of meat wasn't enough to fill the kitten's empty stomach, and it had used up even more energy while fleeing for its life, so it was now both hungry and thirsty.
Fortunately, they were at a market with all sorts of food stalls, and they were eagerly waiting to browse the stalls and try their luck.
Unfortunately, I was chased away by the vendors who were busy serving customers as I passed several stalls. I followed the wet water on the ground and walked along the road for a long time, until my eyes were opened to a bright spot.
Not far away was the public water pipe used by the vendors in the market. I ran over and opened my mouth to catch a few drops of water dripping from the pipe.
The kitten smacked its lips; this little bit of water wasn't nearly enough to quench its thirst.
Just as they were still figuring out how to get the water pipe to keep flowing, a little girl with a brightly colored headscarf approached carrying a plastic basin.
She turned on the faucet on the wall, and a thin stream, smaller than that from a regular faucet, flowed out of the pipe.
"Drink it."
The other person put the basin they were going to use for rinsing aside and squatted down to watch the kitten drink water.
After drinking to his heart's content, he then aimed the hose at the plastic basin that had held the chili powder and carefully rinsed it clean.
After washing it clean, she tightened the faucet again, shook off the remaining water droplets on the basin, wiped her wet hands with her clothes, and skipped away.
I drank enough water to fill my stomach, and the hunger pangs in my stomach weren't as strong as before, but I still felt very empty.
It licked its wet nose slowly, carefully avoiding the dense crowds in the middle of the aisle, and strolled along the edge of the stall, occasionally twitching its nose, trying to find a place to eat from the mixed smells.
"There are a few food stalls over there."
1221 reminded her.
I could smell the aroma of food, and following the scent, I saw the bearded uncle at the snack stall scooping golden, twisted dough sticks out of the pot and placing them on a rack to drain the oil.
The kitten went over and sat down for a while, but seeing that the other party was too busy to pay attention to it, it went to the stall next to it.
As they walked past a small shop selling pickled foods, the vendor casually picked up a round little trinket to amuse her.
I was only just getting into it.
The other person held a pickled olive between two fingers and played with it for a while before tossing it to her.
Chichi took a bite and her little face scrunched up – it was so sour!
The sourness made her even hungrier.
Seeing that the fur on the tip of her tail stood up, the young man laughed, which drew a resentful look from the kitten.
"Are you angry? Olives are a good thing." As if to make amends, the other person broke off a bite of their sesame seed bread, which they usually eat.
Here, eat.
The sesame ring bread looks just like the food that the uncle at the snack stall was frying earlier. The outer shell is coated with golden sesame seeds, and when you take a bite, the aroma is wonderful, with the fragrance of sesame and bread.
My hungry stomach was finally satisfied.
Seeing that Chichi's mood had improved, 1221's voice also became much lighter: "I originally wanted to take you directly to the Grand Bazaar, the world's largest market, but since we're already here, let's explore this place first."
This time, I was more relaxed while shopping and took my time observing the market's layout. I noticed that food and spices were on one side, while clothing, fabrics, and small commodities were on the other. At first glance, it seemed a bit chaotic, but it was actually very well-organized.
Some vendors set up stalls directly in front of their small shops, while others have larger storefronts.
I lingered over the brightly colored, glittering porcelain, bronze, and silverware in the shop, feeling that staring at them for too long would blind me. People deliberately hang brightly polished bowls, plates, and cups in conspicuous places to attract customers' attention.
The kitten was successfully attracted and sat in front of the shop for a while, admiring it.
While she was lying by the door, passersby stopped to observe the kitten intently.
Even the cats stared intently at the merchandise in this store, and humans couldn't resist going in to see what was so special about it.
Several waves of passersby walked by, and almost everyone stopped to browse. The female owner of the ceramics shop looked at the customer flow, which was several times higher than usual, and walked out of the shop looking around in confusion.
Upon seeing the humans emerge, Chichi, who had been lying by the door, stood up, stretched, and moved to another spot.
She took a nap in front of a small shop selling fabric shawls, but was woken up by customers who kept coming into the shop.
The kitten opened its honey-colored eyes, yawned sleepily, rolled over on the mat under the steps at the shop entrance, revealing its fluffy belly. Its soft, snow-white fur complemented the color of the cashmere shawl hanging in front of the door.
The shop owner quickly closed two deals.
It's worth noting that cashmere products are among the more expensive items in their small shop, yet a casual customer could place an order without hesitation—something unthinkable in the past.
They actually sold two in one day?
The shop owner glanced at the restless kitten sleeping outside the door, then at the shawl by his door, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"Lucky cat." He squatted down, patted the kitten's head, and grinned from ear to ear. "Come visit our shop often."
For no apparent reason, the other person clasped their hands together in a prayer-like gesture and then gave them a loud kiss on the forehead.
The kitten shook its head, puzzled, and covered the unfamiliar scent with its own.
Although she felt confused, the other person was the first person to invite her when she arrived here, so she could visit anytime in the future.
Similar incidents occurred several times throughout the day.
Once it was in front of a stall selling smoked meat and sausages, and another time it was in front of a fruit stall. Chichi was simply craving meat. He feasted his eyes on a huge piece of smoked meat hanging up, and then the several pieces of meat, weighing several kilograms, were quickly sold out.
1221 explained to the kitten the differences between the growing environment of Turkish fruits and that of Hawaiian fruits. The kitten's attentive "listening" made both the stall owner and the customers smile.
Even meat-loving cats enjoy fruit so much, what reason is there not to buy it?
That day, every stall or shop that the kitten stopped at sold very well. At first, people thought it was because it was the weekend, but later they found that after the kitten left, their shops returned to normal.
That's really strange.
The shop owners and stall owners, who had been briefly "pampered" by the kitten, all touched their heads in unison.
In just half a day, Chichi had already explored most of the market.
Just as she decided to turn back and leave through the exit she had just passed, she caught a glimpse of that bright red headscarf on a street deep inside the market.
The little girl who helped her turn on the tap spun around the dozen or so sacks outside the stall like a top, quickly weighing and packing them.
She was used to the pungent smell of chili powder and turmeric, and remained unfazed even amidst the rising powder, taking the time to chat with the boy next door who was doing his homework on a low stool.
He looks like a little adult.
It was almost time to close up shop in the afternoon, and there were far fewer customers. People from other shops had stopped hawking their wares.
Unlike other adults who lazily sit in the shop waiting for customers to come to them, she seemed exceptionally energetic, calling out to passersby outside the shop while packing orders.
"A small shop run by an Ottoman spice master, selling natural herbs, come in and have a look—"
The surroundings were chaotic, yet even the freckles on the other person's face seemed to glow, and their voice was as clear and crisp as a wind chime outside a jewelry store.
Even so, she managed to attract a customer when other stores were not doing business, and made a small sale for her own store.
"Come in and rest, Aisha. We don't have any guests today."
Her father, a burly Turkish man with a dark headscarf tied around his forehead, used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from Aisha's nose.
“You don’t need to come to the market to help tomorrow. Stay home with your mother and finish your homework,” Ahmed said.
“I can do my homework here too,” Aisha retorted. “Besides, I’ve already done a lot of homework at school, unlike Black—”
She looked at the boy in the pottery shop next door and wrinkled her nose: "He's been lying here writing all afternoon, and he hasn't even finished a single page."
"My little lamb is the best."
Ahmed pulled her close, wiped the spice stains off her hands with a damp towel, and said, "Your father feels sorry for you. Our stall is in a bad location, and we don't sell half as much as those shops near the entrance, and you have to shout until your voice is hoarse..."
“If I hadn’t come, you would have missed so many customers,” Aisha said proudly.
"Who told you to be so shy? You're always so honest and don't know how to retain customers. Our stall is years behind the others. You need to learn more about business communication skills. Do you understand what communication skills are?"
Before Ahmed could answer, Chichi gave a meow in agreement.
That's true.
She strolled around the market today, and the shop owners who made the most sales were the most eloquent.
"Huh?"
Aisha saw the calico kitten at the door: "Are you here for water again?"
"The water pipes over there only have water at noon, and people in the market aren't allowed to use them freely," the little girl said. She rummaged through the counter but couldn't find a container to hold water for the kitten, so she poured the water into her palm, bent down, and fed it to the kitten.
"Come here if you need water from now on."
Chichi gazed at the clear pool of water in the palm of his hand, and then, quite obligingly, began to lick it off the other person's hand.
Aisha shrank her neck and giggled, "It tickles!"
Aisha flicked the last bit of water from her palm onto the ground and tapped the kitten's nose: "I've never seen you before. Where did you come from?"
"Meow," Chichi replied, "I came from Hawaii."
"Next time you come to my shop, I'll prepare something delicious for you."
"Aisha, come here."
Ahmed told her, "Get ready to pack up and close the shop."
"Coming." The little girl stood up, went back into the shop, and brought out a small brush.
She swept the powder from the seams of the burlap sack into the spice bag, not wanting to waste a single bit, and rummaged through the gaps between the spice bags.
Chichi also looked into the crack, not knowing what the other was groping for, but that didn't stop the kitten from being curious and eager to join in the fun.
After a while, the other person struggled to grope out a coin: "I knew it would fall here, today's lucky coin!"
Customers often accidentally drop a few lira of coins into the gaps of these burlap sacks.
Aisha clutched the coin in her hand, ran back into the store, pulled open a drawer under the counter, and took out an old coin jar: "If I save up for a while longer, maybe I can buy Dad a new headscarf."
Ahmed rubbed his rough index finger, which was deeply stained with spices, and shook his head: "Keep it as pocket money. I don't need a new headscarf."
"Then I'll buy one for Mom and one for my little brother."
The other person looked at him with pity.
The youngest daughter is too sensible. Her peers either spend their weekends playing football and running around in the alley or asking their parents for money to buy snacks and toys.
Only the other person, at only eleven years old, started acting like an adult and helping out whenever they had free time.
Chi Chi glanced at the change in Ahmed's hand; it was their daily revenue, and it didn't seem like much.
If a family of four relies solely on this small shop to make a living, they might have to live a rather frugal life.
The father and daughter worked together to put away the sunshade, brought the spices displayed outside into the small shop, counted their daily sales, and then went home hand in hand.
Chichi watched as the other shops closed before leaving the market.
As soon as she came out, she looked around cautiously. When she didn't see the group of stray dogs that were bothering her, she felt relieved and walked along the street.
The open beaches and coconut trees are gone, replaced by smooth cobblestone streets, gray and warm brown buildings lining the streets, protruding square houses, and carved eaves.
The streets are no longer straight, but more winding and twisting, with narrow alleys densely packed together.
Stray cats could be seen sprawled out on both sides of the street, and I walked along for a while, greeting several friendly fellow cats.
The roar of motorcycle engines was particularly piercing, and Turkish television broadcasts drifted from the open windows of the residential area; everything was both new and unfamiliar.
Several boys were chasing each other and playing soccer on a street corner. A motorcycle behind them honked its horn several times, which annoyed the residents upstairs who opened their windows and grumbled. Only then did the boys clamor and make way for them.
He dodged the wildly flying soccer ball and left with small, quick steps.
As darkness fell quickly, the noise subsided, and the entire city became clearer.
It's almost late autumn here, and the night wind is still cooler than in summer. Sleeping on the ground was too hard and uncomfortable, so I found a quiet alley and slept on a woven doormat drying in the sun on a shed.
I woke up in the early hours of the morning, before dawn.
Chichi only felt cold and rubbed against the still slightly warm mat for a while. When dawn broke, she was awakened by chanting coming from somewhere.
The morning light had not yet completely dispelled the chill of the night, and there were already a few pedestrians on the street.
I stood up slowly, stretched my body, and ate my first bite of food at the stray cat feeding spot I had seen yesterday.
If there's one thing that attracts Chichi the most here, it's the stray cats that can be seen everywhere on the streets, and the cat lovers who are always ready to take out food to share with the kittens.
Having learned from yesterday's experience, this time I didn't encounter any troublesome dogs or fellow dogs.
If you see dogs on the street, walk around them to avoid direct confrontation with these local "gangs".
After slowly crossing the streets, we arrived at the same bridge we had visited the first time we arrived here. This time, with 1221 around, the other person gave her a lesson on world geography about the bridge and the strait below.
Chichi listened attentively, but that was all.
She's just a little cat; the knowledge passes through her mind and then quietly slips away.
But her serious expression always made 1221 more enthusiastic, and she started talking non-stop, acting as both tour guide and teacher.
Each time, I would hesitate and pretend I didn't understand before explaining it again in a way that the kitten could comprehend.
"This place is still by the sea, with the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara connected by a narrow waterway, the Bosphorus Strait, also known as the Istanbul Strait."
Several seagulls circled over the bridge. They were a bit gentler than the seagulls in Hawaii, probably because they saw too many cats every day.
At least here I don't have to run around covered in pecks.
She no longer dared to provoke the seagulls, trying her best to keep to herself. The seawater below was deeper than the clear, bright blue, and the air carried the familiar salty smell, along with the aroma of grilled meat sandwiches from roadside carts.
She was still somewhat dazed when she saw a huge cruise ship slowly sailing into the distance; she had never seen such a large ship before.
The waterways in this strait are very busy, with not only passenger cruise ships but also cargo ships. The small speedboats next to them look even smaller, like tiny water insects.
After spending the whole morning watching the boats by the bridge, it was time to find something to eat.
She asked 1221, "Do you think there are fragments of the light of the soul here? Where do these fragments come from, and how can we find out where they are?"
1221 said to the kitten, "The light of the soul is a pure life energy, often related to the complex emotions of human beings. Only a deep emotional connection and a strong will can condense such a light."
I've been trying to understand it for a while now, but I don't quite get it.
Her primary goal was to enjoy sightseeing and live her life to the fullest. Collecting fragments wasn't on the kitten's to-do list, and she only thought about it for a moment before putting it out of her mind.
After eating, the kitten wandered all the way to the street corner where an old man was feeding stray dogs.
This seemed to be the territory of the Wild Dog Gang. The thought of being chased by dogs made me shudder and I turned to another street, heading towards the minaret that 1221 had mentioned.
After listening to the kitten's thrilling story from yesterday, the system also replanned the route.
Instead of taking the wider, brighter main roads, they specifically chose narrow alleys with many walls.
There are indeed many cats here. You might spend a whole day in Hawaii and hardly see a single cat, but here, you can find four or five cats scattered around the streets and alleys in just one short street.
Some are free-roaming domestic cats, and some are stray cats on the streets, all lazily basking in the autumn sunshine.
They are not afraid of people. When they see someone squatting down to greet them, they will raise their tails and antennae and come over to rub against them.
Seeing the little cat, Chichi, trespass into their territory, there was no tense atmosphere; it was as if they were already used to the cats coming and going.
She had just rounded a narrow path when she spotted a dog. Although she wasn't sure if it was a member of the stray dog gang that had chased her yesterday, she still cautiously slipped away.
By taking this winding, circuitous route and avoiding dogs whenever they appeared, they ended up getting further and further away from their destination.
"This is a residential area."
1221 The houses are slightly lower than those in other places, with mottled stone walls, eye-catching graffiti, and protruding windows like pairs of open eyes.
Some windowsills had flower pots on them, while others were a bit messy, with clothes and sheets hanging out to dry on the balconies.
People living on the first floor simply hang their freshly washed carpets on the wall to dry, and when they pass by, a drop of water falls right on their heads.
It looks more run-down than the main street, but it's quieter.
Just as Chichi was about to shake the water droplets off his head, an aunt passing by casually scratched his chin.
"You adorable little cutie." The other person mumbled some dialect, holding Chichi in their arms for a long time, stroking it from head to tail.
Because of their excessive enthusiasm, humans were slow to feel suffocated and began to struggle.
She was reluctantly put back on the ground by the other party.
The people here are incredibly skilled at petting cats and have an absolute love for them; at least, I've never met anyone who kissed me on our first meeting.
In just one and a half days since she arrived here, she has already been kissed by two different people.
“You’ll get used to it,” 1221 chuckled. “After all, this is a country that loves cats.”
"What are you laughing at?" Chi Chi asked suspiciously.
1221 finally couldn't help but burst out laughing: "You have lipstick marks on your back."
Just as I was turning my head to look at the fur on my back, a bright color flashed across the narrower alleyway on the opposite street corner.
Red headscarf.
It's Aisha, the little girl I met at the market yesterday.
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Author's Note: Pre-orders are welcome—"Transmigrating into a Restricted Novel as a Passerby"
Copywriting:
Yu Wei transmigrated into a restricted world and was forced to pass by the scene every day, diligently serving as a background character.
From study rooms to offices, from trams to apartments...
Surrounded by people who are the protagonists of various erotic novels, Yu Wei always remains expressionless, forced to play minor roles in various embarrassing and heart-pounding hidden scenes, which is extremely annoying. All she wants to do is leave work on time.
Until one day she met a refined and elegant man.
Yu Wei suddenly realized that as long as she was by the other person's side, she could move freely regardless of whether any explicit scenes occurred!
*
Xu Jiyan appears wealthy and low-key, but in reality, he harbors a lurking beast within him.
He knew he was abnormal and had always wanted to find the right person to trap them forever in the magnificent cage he had created.
Until he met Yu Wei—pale, tired, with lifeless eyes, and exuding a faint sense of listlessness.
He seemed ready to go berserk and destroy the world at any moment, but his epitaph ultimately reads: Good Citizen.
It's really amusing to imprison such an honest person.
He meticulously wove a net, patiently luring Yu Wei back to the villa halfway up the mountain: "From now on, you can only live here and see only me."
Xu Jiyan waited to see the other person break down in fear, and enjoyed the other person's desperate pleas.
Please—
Her usually indifferent face was now brimming with tears, her trembling hands gripping his sleeve tightly. His heart pounded, and his palms went numb.
"Free meals and accommodation, no need to rush between events, and handsome guys too! Please, sign a lifetime contract with me!"
"…………?"
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