Chapter 38
I still remember one time in the old couple's shop, which was also the last time the old couple drove Li Ying'an away. I was frightened by the woman's scream and quickly hid behind the shelf.
I was so frightened at the time that I thought they were screaming because they saw something terrifying, and Li Ying'an was the source.
But now that I think about it, the woman had her back to the door, so she had no chance to see Li Ying'an. How could it be that Li Ying'an frightened her and made her scream? I still clearly remember that she was touching my body at the time. She might have seen something that frightened her, and that thing was probably from me.
Yes, the last thing she said when she was conscious was that I was beautiful and had a yellow spot on my body, like a maple leaf...
She is afraid of maple leaves, which leave a bad impression on her.
I thought again of the hill I'd climbed last night. The rugged terrain on the other side was clearly a village, home to people willing to live in this backward, secluded place. As for why they woke and slept alternately, I closed my eyes, recalling the layout I'd seen and the locations of the lights. Then, sitting up in bed, I had a vague idea of the answer.
If I remember correctly, there were eight lights on, one in each of the four corners, and one in the middle of each of the east, south, west and north.
The purpose of doing this is probably self-evident.
I think I must tell Li Ying'an about this.
When Teng Zheng returned to the hotel with breakfast, I was sitting on the bed, no longer sleepy, staring blankly at the sky outside the window.
My meditation-like posture attracted Teng Zheng's curious gaze. He walked up to me cautiously and looked me up and down with his eyes like a scanner.
In fact, I came back to my senses when I heard the door open. Now Teng Zheng's series of sneaky actions made me even more uneasy.
I glared at him unhappily and then turned away.
"Weren't you going to sleep before I left? How come you were leisurely enjoying the scenery in such a short time?"
After being exhausted all night, I could smell the aroma of food in the air, but my stomach had already been growling loudly.
After hearing this, Teng Zheng laughed unabashedly. He put the food in front of me and asked me to pay back the debt I owed to my stomach.
In return, I chose to speak gently to him: I don’t want to sleep anymore, it’s not too late to sleep on the way home.
"Good idea, then I have to look for tickets quickly."
According to Teng Zheng's plan, he didn't want to take the bus all the way back. He wanted to take a bus from his county to the nearest high-speed rail station, and then take the high-speed rail back home. He would be the one to pay for the funds, so all I had to do was agree to his plan and entrust myself to him.
Since Teng Zheng did not buy the ticket in advance, he had to wait on the waiting list for the best return time. I thought he would delay for a few hours, but he took advantage of his wealth and bought a business class ticket.
"Eat quickly," he said, checking his phone while stuffing food into his mouth. "We have to leave soon."
Hurry, hurry, hurry! It’s killing me! I really want to steal your money and then secretly put it under Li Ying’an’s bed.
It took three hours before we got on the high-speed rail.
Before registering, Teng Zheng's pent-up instructions finally surfaced: "Next time you're in an unfamiliar place, don't wander around. At least say hello to me."
His tone was a little stiff, but I could tell he cared about me. After all, in his eyes, I was a little mute who couldn't speak. If I got lost in this deserted little county town, even if I asked for help, given the attitude of the locals, I might not be found in a short time.
I was very grateful to him, but after eating and drinking, I just wanted to tease him and deliberately contradicted him: Who asked you to follow me?
"If I didn't come with you," Teng Zheng said, about to jump up and hit me, "you would have been in trouble yesterday!"
I quickly dodged.
"You think being alone is cool and free, right?"
It's just very free.
"Then you need someone to accompany you!"
I watched the crowds coming and going in the high-speed rail station and grumbled: I don't need anyone to accompany me, because a pair of strong legs is enough to support me to travel all over the world. This is freedom.
There are only my free footprints on the road, this is freedom.
It was three o'clock in the morning when we arrived in the city. Teng Zheng and I walked out of the station one after another.
It was still dark at this time, there were many stars in the sky, and the bright moonlight shone on the earth.
I caught up on some sleep and had a full stomach on the high-speed train. Now that I'm back in this familiar city, I have this somewhat unreal illusion, like a fugitive who can live to see tomorrow's sunrise.
"Where are you spending the night now?" Teng Zheng is not as sentimental as I am. He is not curious at all about the city where he has lived for many years. Instead, he is more curious about me.
He was asking me so blatantly, and I didn't want to indirectly expose the fact that I was a cat. I crossed my hands in front of my chest, making it clear that I would not tell him the answer.
Without waiting for his reaction, I turned around and left the high-speed rail station.
The high-speed rail station is near a highway. At three o'clock, the traffic was no different from that during the day, still bustling with traffic. Teng Zheng's voice was still loud in this environment. He followed my footsteps and said, "Hey, you don't want to tell me that you sleep at work every night, right? There's nothing shameful about that! But this place is quite far from your workplace. Let's take a taxi back. I'll pay."
I declined his offer and prepared to take a shortcut alone.
Teng Zheng is a warm-hearted person, but he won't try to keep others. Whenever someone insists on doing something, he will be polite. If the person agrees, he will be happy to accompany them. Otherwise, he will not force them to stay.
The bus station and the high-speed rail station are very close. I still remember that the driver Wen Liangxi hired for me a few days ago passed by the high-speed rail station when he took me there, so the return route is also imprinted in my mind.
At this time, I didn't need to think too much, I knew that Li Ying'an must still be sleeping in his dream. Even if I went back, I would have to sleep on the streets. It would be better for me to stay here for a while.
I walked aimlessly along the road, and the sound of bicycles galloping by my ears was particularly harsh. I don't like the road, it is full of danger, so I chose to avoid it without thinking.
I arrived at a small street I'd been to before. Like where Li Ying'an and I worked, the aisles were packed with shops of all kinds. Unlike ours, this looked more like a food court. Even at this hour, crowds of people were flocking to buy the goods from the stalls still open. It was said that they sold goods 24 hours a day.
Walking here, I sighed that it was fortunate that I had enough food on the high-speed train, otherwise I would not be able to walk here.
Curiosity drove me to look around.
"Why are there still beggars? Didn't the security group say that all these guys with hands and feet have been driven away?"
A woman holding a child complained to the owner of a fried food shop next to her, saying that she hated these people.
The boss curled his lips and gave the beggar with messy hair sitting cross-legged on the ground a pitiful look. Finally, he shook his head helplessly: "You have good hands and feet but you don't want to find a job."
The woman was still not satisfied and continued to nag: "You are even thinking of begging for food from my daughter. What can a five-year-old girl give you? I don't know if you think she is kidnapping a child!"
The boss smiled and nodded: "Hateful, hateful!"
I quietly bypassed this episode, hiding in the crowd who were continuing to observe the battle, and paid attention to the beggar with good hands and feet.
He was quite capable, and besides his dirty clothes, he didn't look like a disabled person. He was fully capable of finding a job. Besides, even if he was disabled, every city now had job sites for the disabled, so he didn't have to worry about not being able to make money.
I shook my head, thinking that such a person is not worthy of the public's sympathy, and women should scold him harshly to wake him up.
I continued walking along this snack street, and I found that every few meters, there would be a few sloppy people on the roadside. They were like sculptures, either standing in the corner or sitting diagonally behind the stalls. In such a brightly lit and crowded place, they looked like ghosts.
As I was walking, I accidentally bumped into a stranger.
“Ouch,” the old woman wailed, “slow down!”
I felt embarrassed and reached out to support her.
Seeing that I was young, she didn't say anything harsh, but just glared at me resentfully: "Young man, remember to watch where you are walking."
I smiled awkwardly and pointed at the beggar sleeping on the side of the road, indicating that I was distracted by this.
The old lady misunderstood what I meant and looked in the direction of my hand, thinking I was going to ask her about that person. She immediately explained, "Those are the beggars here. When the vendors close their stalls, they usually throw some unwanted items to them, and they just take them away. They're shameless and lazy. Even though there aren't many of them now, in the summer they're like flies swarming around here. You can see a lot of them on this street!"
After hearing what she said, I immediately felt that these people were really shameless, and the bosses here were all conscientious merchants.
After apologizing to the old lady again, I took a final look around at the number of beggars here. It was indeed not that many. It was hard for them to sleep in such a noisy place.
I thought, if I can't turn back into a human and Li Ying'an no longer needs me, I will come here to beg for food.
Cats don't work, so it's reasonable for them to beg for food, and they won't be disliked.
Having decided on a way out for myself, I felt extremely happy. The panic and confusion I had felt in the small county town had almost disappeared without a trace, and I was in a good mood to go look for my friends.
It took me about an hour to reach the familiar neighborhood.
The sky in the east gradually brightened, the morning stars were dim, the horizon was pale, and the sun was still brewing. Places without light always lacked warmth and had a hazy, gray and cold texture.
I sat on the ground with my tail curled up, waiting for the quiet dawn to slowly approach me. I stared at the cold sky, as if I saw Li Ying'an's gray eyes.
I miss him.
I couldn't wait a moment and ran to Li Ying'an's residence without saying a word, even though the door was still closed.
Squatting in front of my house, I hesitated again. I had been gone for three days and three nights. I had never been so willful before. Li Ying'an must have thought I would not come back.
I hesitated, not knowing what excuse to come up with.
Even though I'm a cat and can't talk at all...
"Batta"
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