Chapter 4

Three months ago, when Zheng Tan first met Dapang, it was still small and thin. Now, it was developing in the direction its name suggested, so Zheng Tan was very impressed by the old lady who named Dapang. She was truly amazing.

Seemingly sensing some movement on the balcony, Dapang, who was squatting on a pack of instant noodles, turned to look out the window. However, due to the slight movement, the instant noodles under its butt made a crisp "crack."

Hearing this sound, Dapang immediately froze, then drooped its ears and slowly turned back, no longer looking at the balcony. Its silhouette was utterly pitiful.

Zheng Tan's lips twitched, feeling a bit guilty. Well, it looks like Dapang's midnight snack will be reduced again tonight.

The old lady who raised Dapang had a son who worked at the provincial military district. Every month, he would take the old lady to stay with him for one or two weeks, and Dapang would go with her. Sometimes, the old lady's son would come over to stay for a few days, and whenever that happened, it was a tough time for Dapang.

Zheng Tan remembered that during his first year of college, during military training, if he made a mistake, he would be punished by standing at attention. For a "soft-boned" cat like Dapang, standing at attention was impossible, so Dapang was often punished by squatting on instant noodles. After squatting, the degree of damage to the noodles would determine how much food would be deducted.

Dad Jiao had already parked the car, and Zheng Tan turned to jump off the balcony railing, following Dad Jiao into the building to go home.

When they entered the house, Mom Jiao was already back, but her gaze was a bit strange, making Zheng Tan feel uneasy. He quickly ran into Gu Youzi's room and hid behind the door, listening.

"What's wrong?" Dad Jiao asked.

"Ah, Ah Huang passed away!" Mom Jiao sighed.

Zheng Tan was stunned. Ah Huang, the fool, was still lively and energetic a few days ago. How could he...

After listening to the conversation between Dad Jiao and Mom Jiao, Zheng Tan understood. It turned out that "neutering" was meant, not "passing away." So, Ah Huang became a eunuch?!

"According to Sister Ling, this can help Ah Huang get rid of some bad habits. Ah Huang is already eight months old, so he can have the surgery... Today, Sister Ling also asked if we wanted to send our Black Charcoal to Xiao Guo's place for the same procedure, but I refused," Mom Jiao said.

Behind the door, Zheng Tan felt cold sweat, but hearing the last sentence, he felt much relieved.

"Our cat doesn't need it," Dad Jiao decided. "Each cat is different. Her cat might be suitable, but ours might not be. When Sister Ling tries to persuade you, just refuse her."

"Okay, that's what I thought too," Mom Jiao said, her face brightening with support.

Zheng Tan, crouching behind the door, let out a long sigh of relief. If he were really sent for surgery, he would rather run away and go far, far away than have his vital parts cut.

Zheng Tan mourned for Ah Huang, the fool. He had heard that Ah Huang liked to urinate everywhere. Even when placed in a litter box at home, Ah Huang could manage to spray all of it outside. So, Ah Huang's family used a two-layer litter box, with the outer layer being the key. When outside, Ah Huang was even more active, and many places in the neighborhood could smell his urine. Zheng Tan had scolded him many times, but Ah Huang was clearly a repeat offender.

Since Ah Huang was safe, Zheng Tan didn't need to worry anymore. Each cat has its own fate. Ever since he realized he had turned into this form, Zheng Tan had been telling himself to adapt as much as possible.

The next day, the otaku from next door came to knock on the Jiao family's door with dark circles under his eyes.

It was Saturday, and Jiao Yuan and the others were at home, eating breakfast.

"Hey, Xiao Qu, so early!" Mom Jiao was a bit surprised.

So early? It's already past nine, right?

Gu Youzi glanced at the bright sunlight outside, exchanged a look with Jiao Yuan, and they both continued to focus on their breakfast of egg noodles.

However, for Xiao Qu, who stayed up late and woke up late, it was indeed early. Mom Jiao knew this, so she was surprised that Xiao Qu had woken up before noon for once!

Xiao Qu forced a smile, looked around the living room, and asked, "Is Brother Jiao not here?"

"He has a lab class today and left early. Do you need to find him? If it's urgent, I can call him," Mom Jiao said.

"This... hehe, it's not that urgent," Xiao Qu's gaze fell on a small stool by the dining table, where he saw the black cat eating noodles. He said to Mom Jiao, "Sister Gu, can I... borrow your cat?"

Jiao Yuan and Gu Youzi, who were still eating breakfast, stopped their chopsticks and looked at Xiao Qu, who was standing at the door, a bit awkward. They remembered clearly the words Xiao Qu had said proudly: "There's not even half a mouse in my house!"

Seeing the children's gazes, Xiao Qu became even more awkward. He coughed and said to Mom Jiao, "I mentioned this to Brother Jiao yesterday."

Mom Jiao didn't think it was a bad thing. It was good that someone wanted to borrow their cat, which made her feel proud.

So, Mom Jiao waved her hand, "It's no big deal. You can come and take it whenever you want."

Zheng Tan, Jiao Yuan, and Gu Youzi: "..." When Dad Jiao wasn't around, Mom Jiao was always so autocratic.

"Thank you so much, Sister Gu! I'll come over after dinner to take Black Charcoal. Ah, Sister Gu, you don't know how that mouse in my house has almost driven me to the brink of insomnia." With permission, Xiao Qu's dejected demeanor vanished, and he went back to his room satisfied.

Mom Jiao's face was like a trumpet flower, "This is the best thing about having a cat!"

Jiao Yuan lowered his head and poked at the small porcelain bowl in front of him, mimicking Xiao Qu's words, "There's not even half a mouse in my house—"

Mom Jiao lightly tapped Jiao Yuan's head, "Eat your noodles!"

Gu Youzi pursed her lips, looking unhappy.

In the evening, around eight o'clock, Xiao Qu came to borrow the cat. Without Mom Jiao saying anything, Zheng Tan walked over to the next door. It had to be resolved sooner or later; otherwise, those white mice wouldn't have been trained for nothing.

Jiao Yuan cheered from the door, "Black Charcoal, go for it! Show them what you've got!"

Mom Jiao turned and scowled, "Go do your homework! One mistake, and your allowance is halved!"

Zheng Tan followed Xiao Qu into his house.

As soon as he entered, Zheng Tan felt a sense of familiarity—true chaos! Just like his own place used to be.

On the second look, he saw a familiar creature.

As soon as Zheng Tan entered, he saw three cockroaches. One had just crawled into the bathroom, one had crawled out from under a cabinet and then back again when it sensed someone, and the third, the one closest to Zheng Tan, paused, twitched its long antennae, and quickly crawled into a pile of magazines.

As one of the oldest insects on Earth, having lived alongside dinosaurs and trilobites, cockroaches have a bizarrely strong life force, able to survive for nine days without a head. Known as "little strong ones," their resilience is well-deserved. It's said that their life force continues to evolve, and who knows what they will become in the future.

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[Fun Fact]: Cockroaches reproduce through a combination of sexual and asexual reproduction. Some female cockroaches, after mating once, can become hermaphrodites and continue to lay eggs. So, if you see a cockroach in your house, it's best to eliminate it immediately, or you might have a new batch of cockroaches in one to two weeks.

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