Zheng Tan leaped onto a branch of a Chinese parasol tree, squinting at the sunlight streaming through the gaps in the leaves, and with his current furry paws, he fiddled with his ear, finding a comfortable position to lie down and yawned.
The September afternoon was bathed in just the right amount of sunshine, perfect for a nap.
Zheng Tan was a cat, but once, he had unquestionably been a human. He also couldn't understand how it had happened; he'd simply woken up like this one day.
A strange city, strange houses, strange people, a despairingly strange new identity, an enlarged world, and then there was the time period that had regressed—2003.
Zheng Tan hadn't liked cats before and could even say he despised them. He always felt that cats, as a species, were on the same level as lunatics. And now, he himself had turned into such an animal.
Retribution?
Zheng Tan admitted that his ways hadn't been great. He bullied the weak, started a few not-so-huge fires, didn't pursue honest work and loafed, once lived in extravagant dissipation and befuddled excess, but at least he hadn't killed anyone. Using the moral standards he'd upheld since he could remember, which he'd kept backed into a corner, there were many more disreputable people than him. So why was it him facing retribution?
Confounded, eh? Helpless, eh? Angry, eh? Desperate, eh?
In the face of an all too vivid reality, it all seemed futile. Reflecting on his once-indulgent life, Zheng Tan could only comfort himself with the phrase, "The wind blows away the eggshells, the wealth departs, but the people remain in peace."
Three months had passed, a quarter of a year, and nature's wheel of change had rotated ninety degrees, calming Zheng Tan's initially tumultuous emotions and bringing him from unease to gradual familiarity.
Sometimes, having no great ambitions and merely getting by is a precious state of mind.
This was Chuhua University, a hundred-year-old prestigious school in the central region of Huaxia, ranking first among the colleges. One of the benefits of such an old university was its ample space and excellent landscaping.
Occasionally students walked along the path under the trees, an atmosphere peaceful yet full of vitality.
Zheng Tan had dozed off in this pleasant atmosphere but was awakened by the barking of dogs. He moved his ears, and without looking, Zheng Tan knew which two were making a ruckus again.
About a hundred meters away from Zheng Tan, a brown Chihuahua was barking up a camphor tree where a black and white cat was perched on a branch. At this moment, the cat was swinging its tail while barking back at the dog below.
At face value, this scene was quite common; pet owners often encounter such events. However, what made this moment unusual was that both the dog and cat were emitting "woof woof" sounds.
The cat was named "Sheriff." Now eight months old and a bit smaller than Zheng Tan, it had gotten its name because its fur was very similar to that of the Black Cat Chief from the cartoon. This cat was also one of Zheng Tan's bad influences since he'd become a cat.
The cat had two characteristics: one was being combative, fighting without concern for its life; the other was imitating dogs, showing a distinct canine nature.
The first time Zheng Tan saw the "Sheriff," the fellow was on a decorative stone about a meter high, barking at the Chihuahua. When the "Sheriff" realized Zheng Tan was watching, it gradually switched from "woofing" to "meowing."
Actually, back then, the "Sheriff's" dog impersonation wasn't quite accurate, feeling a bit off, but over these days, the "dog language" had become increasingly authentic, to the point where ordinary people couldn't tell real barks from fake ones just by listening.
Moreover, when this rascal was tired, it would even pant with its tongue out like a dog, leading Zheng Tan often to wonder whether there was a dog's soul residing in this cat's body.
Jiao Yuan didn't pay any more attention to that direction. Yawning, he lay back down to continue sleeping. He wasn't worried about the "Black Cat Chief's" safety in the slightest. The "Black Cat Chief" and that Chihuahua had been fighting with each other since they were little, and had plenty of experience. The reason why the "Black Cat Chief" always went after that particular Chihuahua was that it was the smallest dog in the East District Family Compound. Fish pick the freshest to eat, and people pick the softest persimmons to press—something even cats know.
Zheng Tan slept until the bell rang to end the third period of classes at Chuhua University, stretched, and then slowly slid down the tall phoenix tree. He trotted along the footpath, and after crossing through a patch of peach trees, he saw a wall.
This was the Chu University Attached Primary School, located within Chuhua University. It was very convenient for the faculty and staff's children to attend, which put their parents' minds at ease.
Zheng Tan jumped onto the wall and looked in the direction of the classrooms on the second and sixth floor, then walked along the wall towards the school gate.
He waited on the wall about twenty meters from the school gate for seven or eight minutes, until the end-of-class bell rang at the affiliated primary school. It wasn't a sharp ringing sound but rather a snippet of lively and cheerful music, quite humane.
A little girl in a patterned dress with a Hello Kitty backpack came out of the hallway. As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she looked straight towards Zheng Tan. Seeing him perched on the wall, the little girl's otherwise emotionless eyes suddenly brightened, and she ran over.
"Jiao Yuan said they had a quiz last period, so it might take a bit longer," she said.
Before Gu Youzi could finish her sentence, Zheng Tan saw a boy burst out of the stairway doorway, dragging his backpack behind him as though it was a sack. His hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, and he was grinning as he dashed right toward them, making a "V" for victory sign at Zheng Tan and the girl. It seemed the boy did well on the quiz during the last class period.
The boy's name was Jiao Yuan, and he was the child of the family currently fostering Zheng Tan, in the sixth grade. The little girl was Gu Youzi, Jiao Yuan's cousin. After her parents divorced, due to some reasons, she was brought back from abroad by Jiao Ma and lived with the Jiao family, currently attending the second grade at Chu University Attached Primary School.
Jiao Yuan took the backpack from Gu Youzi's shoulders, and the two kids and the cat left the school gate to head toward the East District Family Compound.
"Look, Jiao Yuan's cat has come to pick them up again!" someone remarked.
Many people they encountered on the way were used to this scene by now. It had been nearly three weeks since the start of school when it had become a topic of fun conversation among the locals.
The family compound wasn't far from the affiliated school, less than a ten-minute walk away.
The Jiao family lived on the fifth floor of Building B in the East District compound, where each building had an access control at the entrance. Jiao Yuan tapped his key chain against the card reader, and the iron gate "clang" opened.
On Jiao Yuan's key chain was a small round token, the "key" to the access control—almost everyone living in the compound had one. Zheng Tan had one too, hanging around his neck, but his was a bit special. The token had Zheng Tan's current picture on the front and the Jiao family's address and contact number on the back; it was a combination access card and pet tag, custom-made by Mr. Jiao.
When Zheng Tan entered the building, he glanced toward the balcony of a ground floor apartment but didn't notice "the fat one." He guessed that the chubby cat had been taken to visit relatives again.
At mealtime, the Jiao family's door was always open. After all, they lived in a school compound, with controlled access and cameras at the building entrance, which was much safer than some of the outside apartment buildings. Jiao Ma was cooking, but there was the sound of conversation in the living room.
"So, I'll leave the advertisement to Mr. Jiao," someone said.
Zheng Tan paused as he entered. He recognized that voice; it was the owner of a pet shop near Chuhua University, surnamed Guo, whose brother was a veterinarian—the very one who had administered Zheng Tan's vaccinations.
Just last week, Zheng Tan heard Jiao Ma mention that Xiao Guo wanted Zheng Tan to help out with a cat food commercial. So, was today's visit specifically to discuss the details of the advertisement?