Because of the encounter with the stranger, Tiger and Sheriff obediently remained home for a few days, and Fatty never left the house on his own anyways. As for Zheng Tan, he agreed to do the cat food ad for Mr. Guo and was brought to ‘Clearly So’ pet center for a two-day photo shoot.
The first ad was not in video form as he had expected, but it was a story told by a series of pictures.
Zheng Tan had forgotten that online videos were not a common thing in 2003. Many people were not optimistic about the future of online videos. Some even predicted it was doomed for failure.
However, Guo thought otherwise.
When discussing the issue with Papa Jiao, he mentioned that the charm of the internet was its ability to change and evolve as technology upgraded. This insight greatly raised Zheng Tan’s opinion of him. As someone from the future, Zheng Tan knew exactly what the internet would develop into in the next ten years.
Unlike other companies that used a simple poster ad, Guo decided to make his ads a series of pictures that could tell a story. It would be interesting even for families without pets. It would improve the brand’s visibility.
With Zheng Tan’s help, shooting such a story was easy. He didn’t even need to waste any cat food, which made him very happy. It was very difficult to force cats to do the perfect expression. The limitations of the time deterred most businesses from spending too much energy in pursuit of similar ads.
The ad would be distributed on a pet forum; at the same time, it would also be published on a magazine. That was the reason behind Guo’s urgency to do the photo shoot right away. One of his friends recently started a new pet magazine. Guo wanted to hatch a ride.
Before Zheng Tan, Guo had attempted to use a few other cats, but the photo shoot process and the final effect was ... Let’s just say it gave Guo ulcers.
After Zheng Tan came aboard, the photo shoot was smooth sailing. He didn't need to be told twice about what to do. Just like that, the ulcers in Guo’s stomach healed, and he couldn’t wait to sign a contract with Papa Jiao.
The ‘Beloved’ magazine was a monthly. So, Zheng Tan had to go in every month for some new pictures. It was a piece of cake. Besides earning him a quick buck, Zheng Tan saw it as a fun thing to do. The most interesting thing about the ads was that at the end of the story, in small print, was the name of the actor: BlackC.
Guo insisted on adding the name of the animal actors but this name "BlackC" was entirely Papa Jiao’s idea. It was a form of protection for Zheng Tan that his real name was not used.
When Guo inquired about it, Papa Jiao explained that black was black and "C" represented carbon in the periodic table. Together, BlackC implied Charcoal.
His first paycheck wired over by Guo was a whopping sum of 1000 yuan. It was much more than what Mama Jiao expected. Back in the day, 1000 yuan was really nothing to Zheng Tan. Now, it was a considerable amount of compensation.
Papa Jiao applied for a bank account for Zheng Tan, specifically for saving his advertising income.
In fact, not only Zheng Tan, Jiao Yuan and Gu Youzi both had their own bank accounts. Their red packets from Chinese New Year and do-well-at-school rewards were saved in them. It was where their pocket money came from, though Papa Jiao temporarily managed the accounts for them to prevent them from blowing it all away.
This was money education, Papa Jiao-style.
It puzzled Zheng Tan that he would do this even for the family cat.
Sometimes, Zheng Tan had trouble understanding Professor Jiao. But in the end, after more three months, Zheng Tan knew enough to be sure that he would never harm him. Maybe scientists always accepted weird events with more ease than others.
Most people would be utterly shocked if they saw how Papa Jiao and his cat interacted with one another. No one, including Mama Jiao and the kids, knew that they acted like equals when they were alone.
After completing his acting stint, Zheng Tan stayed home idly for a few days before getting restless. He couldn’t resist taking a stroll outside. He did a search of the lawn but did not find the stranger from last time. He did see that guinea pig with a little girl around Gu Youzi’s age and her mother. Zheng Tan vowed to stay away from the pair to avoid the stranger.
One day, Zheng Tan returned home from his daily walk and immediately sensed someone unfamiliar.
A guest?
The atmosphere in the living room was solemn. Mama Jiao was cooking in the kitchen like usual but she seemed absent-minded. Papa Jiao and someone were seated on the sofa, smoking without exchanging a word.
The guest was about the same age as Papa Jiao but looked like he was going through some rough times. His doleful eyes were bloodshot like someone who had been up all night. Papa Jiao addressed the guy as "Yuan Zi"; it was clear that they were close. So why were they sitting in heavy silence?
There was a small table in Jiao Yuan's room. It was a wooden table with chess patterns Mama Jiao always set out, when guests were here, and the conversation topic was not suitable for children.
Zheng Tan was even more curious.
What was happening that must be discussed with the children out of earshot?
Zheng Tan jumped onto his chair and quietly assessed the situation. Papa Jiao looked up at him but acquiesced in his presence.
Three glasses of alcohol down, the two finally opened up. Zheng Tan managed to piece together the full story through bits and pieces of their tear-filled conversation.
Papa Jiao’s graduate school supervisor, who also happened to be Yuan Zi’s father, Professor Yuan had fourth stage lung cancer. The doctor gave him approximately two more months.
When Papa Jiao graduated from Nanhua University, Professor Yuan was abroad. Papa Jiao did not see a reason to remain at Nanhua University, so he took a job teaching at Chuhua University which was in his home province of Xinhan.
Nanhua University was to southern China what Chuhua University was to the central region. Both were top schools.
Mama and Papa Jiao were both close with this Yuan Zi and had a good relationship with the professor when they were at Nanhua. Naturally, they were both upset to know that the old professor was ill.
Yuan Zi didn’t choose to follow his father’s footsteps. He had no interest in academia, or rather, he never even liked school. Like Zheng Tan, he was a rascal.
Zheng Tan didn’t know what Yuan Zi went through after graduation. From what he gathered, he had changed a lot. He was a playboy turned good, according to Papa Jiao.
People say that a fault confessed is half addressed. However, often the fault was best left untouched. The cost of confessing a fault was so great that it was sometimes best to leave it be to avoid that cost.
"So, if it was not for Fei Hang informing me that you were in Chuhua, you were going to go through this all by yourself? You were really going to keep everyone in the dark forever?!"
Papa Jiao’s voice was low but strained; the rims of his eyes were turning red. He was fighting desperately to control his emotions. Mama Jiao sat aside him, quietly wiping away tears.
"The old man he did not want people to know about his condition. After all, he’s no longer accepting treatment. He wanted to pass away in peace back home." Yuan Zi sniffed.
Back in the day, Papa Jiao was Professor Yuan’s trump card. Everyone at the College of Life Sciences in Nanhua University envied Professor Yuan for having such a student. Seeing that his own son was wasting away his life, Professor Yuan always treated Papa Jiao like a son. Papa Jiao owed most of his achievements to him.
Since the old professor returned from abroad, the two kept in contact through the occasional email or chat online. It didn’t happen a lot since the professor always seemed to have something on his hands.
Last week, Papa Jiao had received an email from Professor Yuan saying that he wouldn’t be able to access the computer for a long time. It seemed that he had his mind set on keeping his illness to himself.
Papa Jiao composed himself and asked, "What were your plans in Chuhua? Fei Hang mentioned you were here to inspect something. If there’s anything you need, just say the word.”
"I’m thinking of opening a biological company. I’m aiming to go big or go home," Yuan Zi answered.
Papa Jiao nodded, "Chuhua is a good location to do that. There’s too many companies opening up on the south coast, both domestic and foreign. There’s Southern Gene Bio Base in Mingzhu City in the East and Huada Bio in the capital. The companies over there have formed oligopolies[1]. Trying to break into those markets isn’t impossible but it will be tough. “
“In contrast, there is much less competition here. Areas around here are developing rapidly and I can also be of some help.”
Papa Jiao and Yuan Zi were discussing stuff Zheng Tan did not understand. He didn’t know what kind of a company they were planning and lost interest after listening for a while, so he went into Jiao Yuan’s room.
A few days later, Zheng Tan was told by Papa Jiao that the entire Jiao family was taking a trip to Northeast China.
Professor Yuan's hometown was in the northeast, so it was an understandable decision. But ... did that mean he was going to be home alone?
Papa Jiao asked if he wanted to come along. If he did, Papa Jiao would rent a car and the family would drive to the Northeast.
Zheng Tan considered but refused. He would tag along if they were going down south. He was curious if he, the person that is, still existed in this universe. But they were going up North, so he respectfully declined the offer.
Zheng Tan didn’t want to be sent to a pet hotel nor did he want to stay at someone else’s place. So Papa Jiao left him a key.
The family had all sorts cautions for Zheng Tan, which eventually summarized to “be a good boy and don’t open the door for strangers”.
Zheng Tan wanted to roll his eyes. Did they really think he was a child?
Jiao Yuan and Gu Youzi had a hard time leaving him. They left all their snacks on the sofa for him out of fear that their cat was going to starve.
But when the family of four finally left, Zheng Tan looked around the now empty house and suddenly felt it was much larger than usual.
Well, this was going to be f*cking boring.
Zheng Tan rolled from one end of the sofa to the other. He hung upside down on the armrest to get an inverted view of the house. He focused on the calendar in the living room.
It was Wednesday. Papa Jiao said they would be gone for a week. That meant they would return next Wednesday.
Wait.
Wednesday?!
Zheng Tan sat up straight.
Every Wednesday was the delivery day for Dongyuan supermarket. The delivery truck would arrive around four or five in the afternoon and leave somewhere between six and seven.
It was now 4:30 pm.
Zheng Tan hung the keys Papa Jiao left on his neck and left the house.
So, three hours after being told to stay home and be a good boy, Zheng Tan decided to take a road trip.
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FOOTNOTES:
[1]:Oligopoly: a state of limited competition, in which a market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers.