Chapter 84: Side Story 3 (1/6)
March. A chilly early spring.
Little Jiang Heng woke up to a light drizzle, the sky overcast, his stomach growling loudly.
The nest made of cardboard boxes was damp from the rain, the cold seeping through to the ground. He was lying on the only dry spot.
The scent of his mother had faded almost completely. Perhaps she had left, or perhaps she was dead.
Little Jiang Heng couldn’t remember anything, only that his name was Little Jiang Heng, and he was a cat.
The newly weaned kitten stood up unsteadily, looking at the cardboard box taller than himself.
He crouched, gathered his strength, and pounced…
Thud. His front paws landed on the edge of the box, and it collapsed, landing on his head, almost burying him alive.
Little Jiang Heng pushed the box off his head and emerged, his amber eyes curiously surveying his surroundings.
It was a corner cluttered with junk and discarded trash, the dampness from the rain intensifying the unpleasant smell.
On the other side was a narrow alley, leading to two different directions.
The little kitten carefully avoided the trash, flicked his tail, and walked towards the end of the alley.
It wasn’t a long distance for a human, but for a kitten with short legs, it took a while, his thin fur dampened by the drizzle.
His hunger overshadowed the chill of early spring. He stood at the intersection, looking around, trying to decide which way to go.
It was the time when children returned home from school, and the sound of their chatter came from the alley on the right.
Little Jiang Heng tilted his head and watched as a woman and a child appeared. The woman wore factory worker clothes, a bag of groceries in one hand, the other holding her daughter’s hand.
A newly weaned kitten should have been shy and afraid of strangers, but Little Jiang Heng wasn’t. He simply sat there, a small, fluffy ball of dough, watching as the mother and daughter approached.
The little girl’s eyes lit up. “A kitty!”
She let go of her mother’s hand and ran over, squatting down in front of Little Jiang Heng. “Wow! So cute! Can I pet it?”
Little Jiang Heng considered this for a moment, then offered his head.
“Meow…”
Yes, but gently, please. I’m a bit fragile.
The girl reached out a hand, but her mother stopped her. “Don’t touch it! Who knows what germs it carries! You’ll get sick!”
“Okay…” The girl pouted and withdrew her hand, looking at her mother. “Can we take it home?”
The rain intensified, a thin mist clinging to the air.
The woman pulled the squatting child up. “Take it home? You want to take everything home! Who’s going to pay for it?! I can barely afford to raise you!”
The little girl said softly, “But the kitty looks so pitiful…”
The woman paused, then, pulling her along, said, “It’s pitiful, and your mother isn’t? You ungrateful little…”
After taking a couple of steps, she stopped, turned around, rummaged in her bag, and found a small piece of pork. She placed it in front of Jiang Heng. “The butcher snuck this in. Here, you can have it.”
She added, “Eat it and then leave, before those other kids come. They won’t be nice to you.”
The little kitten on the ground didn’t seem to understand, just meowed politely, as if thanking her.
After the mother and daughter left, Little Jiang Heng sniffed the piece of pork. It smelled strongly of blood, not fresh, probably leftovers from yesterday.
The sound of children’s voices grew closer, and Little Jiang Heng, looking at the figures emerging from the end of the alley, picked up the pork and, after a moment of hesitation, returned to the cluttered corner he had been in before.
The cardboard box was soaked and no longer suitable for shelter.
Little Jiang Heng looked around and finally found a relatively clean spot.
The small, wet ball of fluff, clenching the meat in his mouth, climbed over the junk and reached his chosen spot. A rusty piece of corrugated iron overhead provided some shelter from the rain, and beneath it lay a discarded piece of clothing, surrounded by broken furniture.
A perfect hiding place, he could see out, but it was difficult for others to see him inside.
Little Jiang Heng curled up on the piece of clothing, the rain drumming against the metal sheet above him, the meat in his paws gleaming a dark red.
Still raw…
Little Jiang Heng thought, he was truly a unique cat. He didn’t want to eat raw meat, he wanted cooked meat, preferably grilled, with chili and cumin, nice and fragrant.
Wait, could cats eat chili and cumin?
After a few minutes of aimless pondering, his stomach growled again, and Little Jiang Heng lowered his head.
He bit…bit…
Nothing.
He bit down harder, finally tearing off a small piece.
This wasn’t scientific.
Little Jiang Heng bared his tiny milk teeth. Wasn’t he supposed to be a fierce predator, capable of tearing his prey apart?
The predator pondered, the predator bit again, the predator, frustrated, slapped the meat with his paw.
A loud clang echoed through the alley as a rusty oil drum landed on the furniture next to Little Jiang Heng and rolled onto the ground. Three middle school students, carrying sticks, appeared.
The little kitten quickly flattened himself, hiding perfectly.
He was different from other cats. Other cats might have tried to run or hiss, but the clever Little Jiang Heng knew he had to stay still. If he moved, those mean-looking boys would definitely find him.
The three boys walked over, saw the oil drum on the ground, and kicked it.
Clang!
Another loud sound.
“Brother, are you sure there was a cat here?”
The boy who had spoken kicked over a cardboard box. “Why would I lie to you? I saw it during morning reading period! So small, like the size of my palm, fluffy and soft, it must be fun to play with!”
He cursed, “The box is overturned! Someone must have taken it, or it ran away.”
One of the boys also came closer to look. “There are cats in this dump? A kitten? Wouldn’t it starve to death?”
The stocky boy in the lead said, “A cat snuck into my house and stole some meat the other day. This kitten must be its offspring. My dad was furious and put out rat poison that night. It must be dead.”
“The mother cat is dead; this one will probably starve to death soon too.”
He kicked a broken chair aside. “Let’s look around. The mother cat didn’t come back, it wouldn’t have gone far, it’s probably hiding somewhere. We’ll play with it for a while, then kick it around like a ball.”
The boys started rummaging through the trash.
Little Jiang Heng huddled deeper into his hiding spot, not daring to breathe.
He thought, he couldn’t let them find him, or they would definitely burn his tail.
He didn’t know where the thought came from, but he was certain of it.
The middle school students, lacking patience, quickly became bored. “It’s probably not here. We haven’t even heard a meow. Let’s go play with our trading cards.”
The boy in the lead was still unwilling to give up. He walked towards Jiang Heng’s hiding place with his stick. “I’ll check here. If it’s not here, we’ll go back.”
Little Jiang Heng’s fur bristled, his eyes wide as he watched the boy approach.
Just a few more steps, and he would see him, hidden among the junk.
Bang!
Another chair was kicked over. Just as the boy’s gaze was about to land on him, a large figure landed on the wall above them.
The boys looked up. A huge Maine Coon cat was sitting on the wall, watching them. Its long, silver fur swayed gently in the wind, its ears large and pointed, tufts of fur sticking out, its eyes narrow, a cold glint in its smoky gray pupils.
“Boss, that cat is huge!”
The Maine Coon twitched its nose, as if smelling something, its long tail flicking slightly, then stood up and walked along the wall towards the corner.
It was a fully grown Maine Coon, its size almost as tall as a small child, its cold gaze sending shivers down their spines.
The boy standing closest to Little Jiang Heng couldn’t help but take a step back.
Facing a cat almost as big as a small dog, even with sticks in their hands, they couldn’t help but feel intimidated.
The Maine Coon walked to the end of the wall, looked down at the cluttered corner, then, choosing a relatively clean piece of wood, jumped down gracefully, its eyes fixed on the three boys, a low growl rumbling in its chest, a clear warning.
The boy closest to it looked at it. The Maine Coon’s fur was long and smooth, its posture regal as it sat amidst the junk, like a nobleman surveying his domain.
He couldn’t resist approaching it, wanting to grab it.
Just as his hand was about to touch it, the Maine Coon bared its teeth, their sharp points gleaming menacingly in the drizzle.
If he dared to touch it, it would bite him without hesitation.
The boys, intimidated by its wildness yet captivated by its elegance, reluctantly left, glancing back nervously as they walked away.
Drip…drip…
Raindrops fell onto the corrugated iron, a steady rhythm.
Night deepened, and a few dog barks echoed from the alley.
The Maine Coon licked its paws and jumped down from the chair.
Its long tail trailed behind it, held parallel to its body as if to avoid the dirt, elegant and majestic.
It jumped down from the pile of junk and landed on a rotting piece of wood.
Its smoky gray eyes narrowed, staring at the dark opening beneath it.
After a while, a small, hesitant meow came from the opening.
“Meow!”
Hello!
The Maine Coon didn’t respond.
After a moment, a small, round head poked out, amber eyes shining.
“Wow…”
“You’re so big!”
The Maine Coon’s tail, held parallel to its body, twitched upwards slightly.
Little Jiang Heng stretched out a paw, trying to reach the top, but his legs were too short, and he hadn’t mastered climbing yet, so he could only look at his savior longingly.
He said politely, “I can’t reach. Can you help me?”
Finally, Little Jiang Heng, clinging to the Maine Coon’s tail, was pulled out, the piece of pork still clutched in his paws. He landed safely on the ground and hopped excitedly.
“Thank you, Big Cat!”
“You’re so amazing! If it weren’t for you, they would have found me! They would have picked me up and played with me and…burned my tail!”
His disproportionately long tail twitched slightly at the thought.
Little Jiang Heng pushed his only food reserve towards the Maine Coon. “I got this earlier. You can have it.”
The Maine Coon sniffed the meat, its voice low and elegant. “It’s spoiled.”
It looked at the few teeth marks on the meat, then nudged the little kitten with its head, misjudging its strength, and the small kitten tumbled to the ground.
Little Jiang Heng blinked, dazed.
The Maine Coon looked away nonchalantly. “Follow me. I’ll take you to find food.”
Little Jiang Heng got up and followed it, his eyes fixed on the large, swaying tail. Unable to resist, he pounced.
Meow!
The Maine Coon, sensing his approach, flicked its tail, and Little Jiang Heng was sent flying like a leaf.
Hey…
Little Jiang Heng, indignant, slapped the ground with his paw. “Meow!”
That’s mean!
The Maine Coon looked at the kitten, not even as tall as its legs, and said nothing.
Finally, it bent down, picked him up by the scruff of his neck, and started walking.
“Wow!”
Little Jiang Heng dangled in the air. “So…so high!”
The Maine Coon moved quickly, the scenery blurring past. Little Jiang Heng asked, “I’m Little Jiang Heng, what’s your name?”
The Maine Coon’s steps faltered slightly, its voice muffled because it was carrying him. “Lu Yichuan.”
“Huh?” Little Jiang Heng was confused. “That’s a strange name. Why are you called Lu Yichuan?”
The Maine Coon was silent for a moment.
“That’s my name.”
“It doesn’t sound very nice. My name is Little Jiang Heng, you should be called Big Lu Heng.”
“…”
