Chapter 80: Cat

  Hearing the knock on the door, Qingyun went to open it.

  It's already dusk, with a brilliant sunset, like a brocade of gorgeous colors, dyeing the courtyard and trees in a deep blue.

  The gate opened, and a tall man led a little girl in, walking slowly. The sunset was like brocade, scattered on their shoulders, and the bright light gave them a warm golden glow all over their bodies.

  It's just the brother and sister next door.

  Chen Jing only knew they were surnamed Jiang.

  Mr. Jiang stepped forward, bowed to Mrs. Li and Chen Xuan, and smiled: "I'm sorry to trouble you. This beast is so stubborn, it was locked up for half a month, today it's released, I don't know how it jumped into your courtyard again, I really apologize."

  He is talking about that cat.

  "It doesn't matter," said Mr. Li with a smile. "Come in and sit down."

  Then ordered Qingyun to make tea.

  Jiang Gongzi thanked him.

  Jiang Gongzhu's gaze fell on Chen Jing's hand, her clear and cold eyes slightly chilled. She took a few steps forward, wanting to snatch the cat from Chen Jing's hands. Chen Jing then handed the cat over to her.

  She held it tightly in her arms, which made the cat a bit painful, and meowed for several times before she slightly loosened her grip.

  "Sit down, Miss Jiang." Mrs. Li invited her.

  "Thank you." Her voice was a little low, and she thanked him in a low tone before sitting down beside her brother.

  Chen Jie sat on the other side.

  "Is this gentleman a noble guest?" Jiang Gongzi asked Chen Jing.

  "No, I'm Chen Zhong, and I went to Mingzhou previously. My sister-in-law told me that Jiang Gongzi moved here almost half a month ago, but I don't know his name yet." Chen Jing introduced himself, making clear his identity.

  "My younger brother Jiang Chongyan." Mr. Jiang also introduced himself, then he pointed to the girl beside him and introduced her to Chen Jing, "This is my sister Yu'er."

  The girl listened but did not get up to pay her respects, still bending down to play with the cat, gently stroking its fur.

  The cat was very well-behaved and lay quietly in her arms, allowing her to pet and caress it.

  She really doesn't understand what manners are.

  Jiang Chongyan seemed not to blame her, still smiling, and said: "Wan'er was born insufficient, not as clever as ordinary people, and her ears are a bit hard of hearing, so she often appears silly."

  His meaning is that Wan'er was born with insufficient intelligence, is a weak-minded child, and is also half deaf.

  Chen Jiong smiled slightly.

  Who's fooling who?

  This girl is deaf or not, Chen Jing doesn't know, but she's absolutely not a weak-minded child. Whether she's even a girl or not, Chen Jing can't be sure.

  Her voice has problems, like a boy's voice.

  However, her facial features are very soft and gentle, without any masculine appearance. She is also young, making it difficult to distinguish between male and female.

  Chen Jing reserved a few points in her heart.

  The day after they moved over, the cat jumped into Chen Jing's yard; on the first day Chen Jing returned home, their cat ran over again. Both times were so coincidental that it made people suspect.

  They seem to be borrowing a cat to test the ground and figure out what kind of person their neighbor is.

  They don't visit openly and uprightly because they don't want to have much contact with their neighbors. If they do visit, the neighbors will return the visit, and back and forth, there will be a relationship.

  They are estimated to want to know about their neighbors' private lives but don't want to have anything to do with them.

  Chen Jiong didn't respond to Jiang Chongyan's words, and Li Shi and Qing Yun were also stunned for a moment, looking at each other several times before furrowing their brows.

  Especially Li, she could tolerate Jiang Yu's ignorance of human feelings and worldly affairs, but she would never believe that she was foolish.

  A foolish person can be seen from their eyes. This Jiang Yu girl is just arrogant and rude, not foolish. However, since her brother has already said so, why should outsiders point it out?

  Li is best at pretending to be foolish and giving others a way out.

  She looked at Jiang Yu with a sympathetic gaze and said, "Miss is really pitiful... Mr. Jiang wants to do business and also take care of your younger sister, it's indeed not easy."

  "It's not like I need to take care of her, she has a wet nurse following her." Jiang Chong smiled and reached out to ruffle Jiang Wei's hair, "Wei'er is very well-behaved, as long as Ah Shu is by her side, she can play with Ah Shu all day."

  That mouse is actually the black cat.

  A strange cat named A Mouse...

  This is so ridiculous that it's beyond criticism.

  "Is this cat called Ashu?" Li asked with an unchanged smile, calmly.

  "Yes." Jiang Chongyan replied.

  "This is quite interesting," said Mr. Li.

  Qing Yun rolled her eyes, thinking where's the fun? Such a strange cat with such an absurd name. And this girl, who is clearly fine, insists on calling herself stupid.

  The neighbor next door is really hard to get along with!

  "...are you and your brother reading books?" Jiang Zhongyan and Li Shi exchanged a few pleasantries, then turned to ask Chen Jing.

  "Yes." Chen Jiong smiled and said.

  He didn't go into details.

  The other party's purpose is to investigate him as a person, not to make friends. So, it's enough to say something that should be known about ginger. For example, Chen Jiong is a scholar who has no strength to bind chickens; the Chen family only has women, children and Chen Jiong.

  In this way, Jiang Chongyan should be at ease.

  Anyway, the Chen family will be moving away soon, it's better to get along with this neighbor peacefully.

  They chatted casually for a few words, and Li Balang led Chen Wengong and Chen Wenrong in.

  Chen Wenrong saw the cat in Yu'er's arms at a glance and rushed over excitedly, exclaiming: "Black cat!"

  She stretched out her hand to touch it. But thinking of the manners her mother had taught her, she withdrew her hand and looked up at Yu'er, asking: "May I hold it?"

  She shrunk her shoulders slightly, with a vigilant expression, tightly embracing Ah Shu in her arms, not letting go of Chen Wenrong, and staring fiercely at Chen Wenrong.

  Chen Wenrong was stared at by her and retreated several steps, hiding behind Li Balang.

  Li Balang frowned in displeasure.

  "Brother Li." Jiang Chongyan smiled and greeted Li Balang.

  Li Balang faintly responded with a voice, without returning the gift, and only said to Li Shi: "What's wrong again?"

  His tone is as if Jiang Zhongyan came to pick a fight, with a very bad attitude.

  This has some intention of driving guests away.

  "The cat jumped again......" Jiang Chongyan smiled and stood up, saying to Li Shi, "Madam, we'll take our leave now. We'll come back another day to bother you again."

  Mr. Li didn't ask them to stay either, just reminding them to come and play often.

  Chen Jiong got up and saw them off at the door.

  Li Balang said after his death: "Strange man, why did you let them come home?"

  "Shh!" scolded Mrs. Li, "It's just the children playing a prank, why take it seriously? What a big person you are, why bother to quarrel with neighbors over such trivial matters."

  "That girl looks so vicious. She picked up her cat and didn't even say thank you, instead she glared at Rong'er with such malice. It's really infuriating. Not knowing basic manners, it's because the adults haven't taught her well, don't come out and lose face! Why should we tolerate her?" Li Balang's voice was very loud.

  Jiang's siblings had just stepped out when they heard it.

  Her lips were slightly upturned at the corners, forming a faint arc.

  He breathed a sigh of relief instead.

  The neighbor's attitude, he thought it was normal. Normal means peaceful and trouble-free. Knowing each other but not interacting is the most satisfactory neighborhood relationship for Jiang Chongyu.

  After Jiang Chongyan and Jiang Wei left, Li Balang said a few words behind their backs and then stopped.

  Chen Wenrong quietly pulled Qingyun's sleeve.

  Qing Yun half-squatted down.

  Chen Wenrong whispered to her: "Qingyun, I want to buy a cat. You go and tell your mother..."

  Qing Yun is very afraid of cats.

  The cat's eyes are extremely agile, not like a domestic animal, but like a monster. Moreover, she had encountered cats eating humans when she was young and had a shadow in her heart. As soon as she thought of raising a cat at home, Qing Yun shuddered and said in a low voice: "Miss, I don't dare to say it, cats are not fun to play with."

  Chen Wenrong lowered her head, looking very wronged.

  Chen Jing stood beside them, listening clearly.

  After dinner, Chen Jing and Li Balang went to stroll through the night market and bought a small kitten back.

  Tawny cat, palm-sized, a pair of eyes like bright jewels, timidly, evoking sympathy.

  Chen Wenrong was overjoyed and shouted loudly.

  "Cannot be like this, miss's home should not shout loudly."

  Chen Wenrong pulled herself together, hastily holding the cat in her arms and rubbing her face against it. The cat meowed softly, its voice like a gentle caress on the heartstrings, making her heart melt.

  Mr. Li also liked it and said: "This little cat is really good..."

  Only Qingyu, standing far, far away.

  Li Balang saw that Qing Yun was afraid, so he and Chen Wenrong exchanged glances, took the cat over, and when Qing Yun wasn't paying attention, they quickly put it on her face: "Qing Yun, a cat is crawling on your face!"

  Qing Yun was frightened, her hair standing on end, she let out a sharp cry and turned around, wanting to find a place to hide.

  Chen Jiong stood beside him.

  She suddenly threw herself into Chen Jing's arms.

  When she came back to her senses, she found herself stuck to Chen Jing.

  Four eyes met, Chen Jing was both amused and helpless. With a pounce, her forehead bumped into Chen Jing's mouth. The lower lip was knocked against the teeth, Chen Jing winced in pain, sucking in cold air.

  Qing Yun hastily let go and ran into the inner room, her face bright red.

  Li Balang burst out laughing.

  Li also blamed Li Balang for making trouble.

  It's just Chen Jing, it hurts so much that I couldn't laugh. The heavy impact made my lower lip get knocked upwards, it seems to be bleeding, and there's a metallic taste in my mouth.

  "Why bother her for no reason?" Chen Jing said to Li Balang.

  "Huh, does it hurt?" Li Balang teased him.

  "My mouth hurts!" Chen Jing flipped out his lower lip for Li Balang to see.

  As expected, it's bleeding.

  Li also saw it and was heartbroken, asking: "Did Qingyun just get hit?"

  "Yes." Chen Jiong said.

  "It's just a scratch, it doesn't matter, just press on it and it'll be fine tomorrow." Mrs. Li said, then turned to scold Li Balang, "Don't make any more trouble. Qingyun is afraid of cats. When she was young, during the famine in the village, people died of starvation and some wild cats ate human flesh, she saw it and since then couldn't stand the sight of cats. If you scare her again, I won't forgive you!"

  "Ah..." Li Balang was very surprised and somewhat guilty, saying "I didn't know either."

  "Or else, let's just not raise a cat."

  "It doesn't matter," said Li. "Let's keep it, Wen Rong likes it. Besides, cats don't really eat people, and she should get over this phobia. If she lives her whole life in fear of this and that, how can she have a good life?"

  Mr. Li is right.

  Li Balang didn't say anything else.

  Chen Wenrong was overjoyed.

  She hugged the cat and walked up to Chen Jing, asking Chen Jing: "Second Uncle, what's our cat's name?"

  "......Today is August 1st. I bought it today, so let's call it the first day of the month, okay?" Chen Jing thought for half a day and came up with a random one.

  Unexpectedly, Li Balang and his friends all thought it sounded good.

  Then, following Li Balang, this family had another member called "Chu Yi".

  Chen Jing was tired all day and after chatting for a few sentences, he went back to his room to rest.

  He almost fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

  He fell asleep until the second half of the night, and when he was almost full, Chen Jing had some consciousness. He took a look at the sky outside the window, which was still pitch black, and continued to sleep.

  In a daze, Chen Jing heard a noise right above his head.

  It seems like someone is on his roof.

  Chen Jing immediately sobered up.

  ***

  Second update, seeking recommendation votes~~