Chapter 3
Jiang Heng circled the alley. Today’s territory patrol was thus perfunctorily completed. When the sun climbed over the alley walls, he stood in front of the orange cat and announced loudly, “Big Yellow, I’m going out to find food! Be good at home.”
After a week of rain, it finally stopped. The ground was dry again, with only irregularly shaped puddles remaining, sparkling under the sunlight.
Jiang Heng bypassed the puddles and, as usual, admired his superior appearance: black nose, black fur, bald tail…
Good, another day where his status remained unshakeable.
He bared his teeth at the puddle, ferocity +5. Replacing Sang Biao’s position was just around the corner.
Today he decided to venture further.
The urban village had a complex layout. He hadn’t been a cat for long and wasn’t very familiar with the area, so he hadn’t dared to go too far. But there were too many stray cats and dogs gathered here, and survival in this place as a kitten was, as one could imagine, difficult.
After spending a week familiarizing himself with the terrain, Jiang Heng finally decided to expand his exploration range today, ideally finding a place with more young people to try his luck at begging.
He just didn’t know if his unbelievably ugly appearance could garner any sympathy.
Under the bright sun, the kitten trotted happily, its tail slightly raised. Although he looked thin, his demeanor was spirited.
Jiang Heng cheered himself on inwardly:
There is no food that cannot be found, only kittens who don’t try hard enough!
Supported by this belief, Jiang Heng’s heart was filled with fighting spirit.
When thirsty, find a puddle to drink from. When hungry…
When hungry, find a puddle to drink from.
The water in the puddles was certainly not pleasant, mud mixed with sand, and who knew how many parasites were in it.
At first, Jiang Heng resisted, but after being thirsty for a whole day, he finally gave in.
Whether to die now or later, he shamelessly surrendered.
After all, this week had finally forced him to face reality—
He was not the protagonist, so there wouldn’t be a handsome, rich person passing through the urban village specifically to pick up a dirty little kitten.
…
When the sun reached its zenith, Jiang Heng finally walked out of the urban village.
He stood by the roadside and observed his surroundings: In front of him was a wide asphalt road. There weren’t many cars on the road, but most of them were trucks.
When he saw the speeding trucks, Jiang Heng’s pupils constricted sharply, and he instinctively took two steps back.
His breathing quickened, his legs pressed against the ground, unconsciously assuming a defensive posture, his thin back trembling slightly.
Crushing, screaming, pain etched into his soul, and…
Blood everywhere.
For a moment, he even wanted to just turn around and go back. He could always find something to eat by rummaging through the garbage.
But as soon as he lifted his paw, the image of the orange cat lying on the cardboard flashed through his mind.
Wuwuwu! There was still an old cat with a broken leg at home.
Jiang Heng stopped in his tracks. He turned his head away, forcing himself not to look at the cars on the road, and continued to survey his surroundings.
Strictly speaking, the place he lived in couldn’t be considered an urban village, because there were too few people around. This was a huge building materials market, full of factories producing various building materials. The traffic was mostly trucks transporting goods, and there were very few people.
Jiang Heng walked to a tree and lay down in the shade to rest, his heart sinking with disappointment the more he looked around.
No wonder the environment in the urban village was so bad. It turned out that the entire area was bad, full of dust and the roar of machinery.
The loud roar of machinery couldn’t drown out the sorrowful cries in Jiang Heng’s heart.
In a deserted corner, a starving kitten silently crumbled.
But Jiang Heng only allowed himself to be sad for five minutes.
Five minutes later, he got up and continued walking along the road.
In any case, the outside world was at least better than the dilapidated urban village. There were also small restaurants open along the way, although none seemed to have many customers.
Jiang Heng peeked into each restaurant he passed with shifty eyes.
This flower-armed older brother looked intimidating.
This uncle looked like he could crush him with one slap.
This auntie…
Before Jiang Heng could observe further, cold water was splashed on him, chilling him to the bone. Before he could open his eyes, he heard an angry shout from above.
“Where did this little beast come from? Get out! Dirty thing, don’t disturb my business.”
“…”
Jiang Heng shook the water off his body and silently walked away.
He looked up at the street ahead. A distance that would take a human only a few minutes to walk felt endless to him as a cat.
The sun climbed higher, and Jiang Heng felt thirsty, but the wide asphalt road had no small puddles.
A little further on was a small restaurant. Learning from his last experience, Jiang Heng didn’t dare to stare too openly this time.
He hid behind a large tree at the entrance and peeked inside furtively.
He saw a white cat huddled by the door. Although the cat was a bit dirty, compared to Jiang Heng, it was practically brand new.
Then, a woman came out with a plate and placed it in front of the white cat.
She squatted down and patted the white cat’s head.
“Eat. I don’t have anything else to offer you. This is what the last customer left over. He only ate two bites and left, probably had something urgent to attend to.”
Jiang Heng’s eyes instantly lit up.
See! He’d said it, the luck of a hardworking kitten wouldn’t be too bad.
He shook the water off his body again. Compared to acting cute, Jiang Heng felt that playing the victim card was more suitable for him.
Su Ye, after petting the white cat, stood up and saw a furtive figure emerging from behind the tree.
When she saw the kitten, she was startled. To be honest, it was the first time she had seen such a pathetically thin stray cat.
So small, and somehow soaking wet on a sunny day, its fur plastered to its body, so thin that it was just skin and bones. But its eyes were bright and clear, as if they could speak.
Seeing her looking over, the kitten sat obediently in front of her, looking up and meowing softly.
Utterly pitiful.
Su Ye’s heart instantly softened.
She glanced at the white cat, went back inside to get another disposable plate, divided half of the fried rice from the white cat’s plate, and beckoned to Jiang Heng.
“Here, eat.”
She didn’t know if cats could eat fried rice, but she didn’t have the money to buy anything else.
Jiang Heng was so hungry he was almost ready to eat a dead mouse. This plate of leftover fried rice was a feast to him.
He darted forward and opened his mouth wide at the plate.
Wuwuwuwu…
Fried rice! Fresh fried rice! Steaming hot fried rice!
One bite, and there was sausage inside, and egg!
Of course, there were also spring onions, which he didn’t like.
For the first time, Jiang Heng found spring onions so delicious.
Thinking of the few remaining sausages, Su Ye got up and returned to the kitchen.
Jiang Heng devoured the fried rice on the plate like a whirlwind. Turning his head, he found the white cat staring at him.
Stared at by his shining gaze, the white cat took a step back in fear, sending a friendly signal.
“D-do you still want to eat?”
Jiang Heng could tell that this white cat was probably a pet cat, incredibly timid, and didn’t dare to confront him, even though he was just a kitten.
Jiang Heng bared his teeth at the white cat, revealing what he thought was a friendly smile.
“Thank you.”
After speaking, he swaggered over to the white cat, gave a smooth hip bump, and the white cat was knocked aside.
Hooray! It was all his.
For the first time, Jiang Heng ate until his belly was round. There was still half left on the plate after he finished, which he generously offered to the white cat.
“You eat.”
The white cat finally came forward to eat.
While it was eating, Jiang Heng lay beside it, basking in the sun.
“Why are you here?”
He asked the white cat.
The white cat paused its eating and honestly answered Jiang Heng’s question. “Many people came to my house and moved things. I was scared, so I ran out to play. When I went back, I couldn’t get in.”
Jiang Heng rolled over to continue basking, his belly forming a round arc.
“Didn’t your owner look for you?”
“I don’t know.” The white cat’s tail drooped, its tone sounding sad. “I waited outside the door for many days, but he didn’t come back. Later, I was so hungry that I couldn’t stand it, so I came out.”
It seemed that its owner had moved, and it had most likely been abandoned.
Jiang Heng sighed softly, not knowing how to comfort this brother.
Su Ye came out with the sausages and smiled when she saw the harmonious scene outside.
She divided the four sausages equally between the two cats. “Take these back to eat. My restaurant is closing down in a few days, and I won’t be able to help you anymore.”
New buds were sprouting on the plane tree by the entrance. In the swaying green leaves, Jiang Heng noticed the woman’s left hand, missing two fingers.
…
When the sunlight wasn’t so harsh anymore, Jiang Heng struggled to carry the two sausages back.
After eating and drinking his fill, he finally had the energy to observe the surroundings besides the restaurants.
As he approached the intersection leading back to the urban village, he discovered an orphanage across the road.
The orphanage was squeezed between a steel factory and a car repair shop. The paint on the sign at the entrance was peeling. Jiang Heng squinted and studied it carefully for a while before making out the words written on it:
—Angel Orphanage.
He mentally noted the orphanage as a future target for his scams.
The white cat followed him, not too close, not too far away. When they were almost at the alley, Jiang Heng couldn’t help but turn around and glare at it. “Why are you following me? I’ll tell you, I’m very strong! The cats of the jianghu call me Scarface! Mess with me and you’ll be sorry!”
Perhaps his domineering aura frightened the white cat. It tucked its tail between its legs and offered him the sausage in its mouth.
The newly stray white cat didn’t yet understand the value of food.
Jiang Heng observed the white cat.
It seemed to be a Ragdoll cat, with long, smooth fur and heterochromia – one blue eye and one yellow. Even though it was a bit dirty, its beauty was still evident.
Of course, this was in human eyes.
In cat eyes, it was just a white, fat coward.
Jiang Heng’s eyes darted around, and he lifted his chin slightly. “Do you want to follow me?”
The white cat’s eyes brightened. “Can I?”
“You can, but…” Jiang Heng said, “But you have to acknowledge me as your boss. You have to do whatever I tell you to do.”
The white cat flicked its tail. “Okay.”
Jiang Heng coughed lightly and sat up straight. “Call me Boss.”
“Boss.”
“Say it again.”
“Boss.”
Jiang Heng: Hehe!
His decision to leave the urban village was simply too brilliant!
…
Dusk settled, and the sounds of cats and dogs echoed faintly in the alley.
Big Yellow, lying on the cardboard, became restless seeing that Jiang Heng hadn’t returned yet. It tried to get up. Its hind leg still hurt, but after resting for a few days, it could barely walk.
It decided to go look for Jiang Heng, but after only a few steps, it heard the kitten’s energetic voice.
“Big Yellow, I’m back! Today was a truly bountiful day!”
All four sausages were placed in front of Big Yellow. Jiang Heng introduced the new member. “This is my new little brother. He’s part of our family now, and from now on, we’ll call him…”
He looked at the white cat. “We’ll call him Little White.”
As usual, he chattered to the orange cat about his day’s journey, even describing the long and boring walk in a vivid and interesting way.
This kitten was more lively than any other cat the orange cat had ever met. Even after changing from a human into a… two-legged creature, it had never seen him sad.
Mid-sentence, Jiang Heng suddenly arched his back, lowered his head, and vomited.
The other two cats were startled. “What’s wrong with you?”
Jiang Heng, feeling the pain in his abdomen, vomited again.
After a while, he recovered, looked at the vomit in front of him with its indescribable smell, and his eyes looked somewhat blank.
“I don’t know…”
