Zhong Yan had liked cats ever since he moved here.
His mother remarried and formed a new family. He didn't feel like he belonged to his new family and was going through adolescence.
Zheng Tan didn't know what Zhong Yan had been through, but he could tell it wasn't a pleasant memory.
Zhong Yan had run out of the house after a fight with his mother. He was in a corner in the yard letting out his anger on the grass in the flowerbed. He hid in the shadows even though sunlight was only a step away.
He saw a cat on the fence. It was so calm as if the people moving by the fence had no effect on it at all.
Zhong Yan took a step back and shielded his eyes against the sun. He saw the cat look at him. He looked back. They stared at each other for two seconds, then the cat left.
The moment the cat looked at him, he had a warm feeling as if the world was smiling at him. Then the cat walked away.
