Chapter 78: Raise a Cat for a Thousand Days, Use It for a Moment!

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Raise a Cat for a Thousand Days, Use It for a Moment!

Hearing the second half of her sentence, many onlookers nearly burst out laughing.

Aunt Mei was notorious for her stinginess throughout the surrounding villages. She typically lived off pickled vegetables, tofu, and dried radishes. It wasn’t that she lacked money; she was just purely a cheapskate. Those who didn’t know better would assume her son was mistreating her.

Facts proved that some people were just bizarre and unreasonable. Back when her daughter-in-law was in confinement after childbirth, Aunt Mei nagged her relentlessly just for eating an extra egg. Furious, the daughter-in-law refused to return for the Lunar New Year for several consecutive years. This incident had spread across the entire region, turning Aunt Mei into a laughingstock for countless people. To say such a person wasn’t despised would be a lie.

Real rural life was far from the idyllic pastoral utopias depicted through the lenses of video bloggers. It was mostly filled with petty bickering over trivial matters. All the frustrating interpersonal conflicts found in the city also existed in the countryside—and often in greater numbers. This was simply because such disputes usually comprised the entirety of their lives. A tiny village, perhaps along with the nearby market, was the only sky they could see.

Hearing his retort, the old woman instantly flew into a rage. "I often see that orange cat hanging around your house. How is it not yours?"

"So if it’s near my house, I must be the one raising it? Your house is near mine too—does that mean I’m raising you? If you’re sick in the head, go see a doctor!" Chen Jingle wasn’t about to indulge this old hag and immediately fired back.

Who did she think she was? Did she think he would just take it? If Tiger Cub had actually caused trouble, he would have sincerely apologized and made amends. But a completely different cat had caused the issue, and she was pinning the blame on him. Was she trying to bully an honest man? Even a saint would get angry!

As soon as he said this, even more people couldn’t hold back their laughter; plenty of them were eager to watch the drama unfold. The old woman trembled with anger, her words catching in her throat. It was a pity she didn’t just drop dead on the spot.

Chen Jingle pressed his advantage. "That orange cat you mentioned belongs to the old village chief. He used to feed it, but now he can’t even be bothered to do that. He lets the cat scavenge for its own food, which is why it ransacked your kitchen. If you have a problem, go take it up with the old village chief!"

He figured she wouldn’t dare. The old village chief’s family was notoriously overbearing. Whether they deigned to reason with someone depended entirely on their mood. If they weren’t in the mood, his son would just give you two tight slaps.

Sure enough, the moment she heard the cat belonged to the old village chief, the old woman immediately backed down, not daring to utter another squeak. Her nature as a bully who picked on the weak and cowered before the strong was fully exposed, mainly because the old village chief’s family would genuinely beat her up.

Chen Jingle coldly snorted, silently cursing the old hag to drop dead. He looked down at Tiger Cub at his feet and spoke in Cat-speak: "Tiger Cub, if you see her cat in the future, beat the living daylights out of it! Then find a few other cats to drop massive turds right on her doorstep!"

Did she really think he was a pushover? Today, he was going to be a petty, vindictive villain! He wouldn’t do anything illegal, but he knew plenty of ways to disgust someone—and he wouldn’t even have to do it himself. Raise a cat for a thousand days, use a cat for a single moment! Go, Pikachu!

Tiger Cub looked up in confusion and gave a "MEOW," signaling that it understood. Although it didn’t know why it had to do this, the boss had given the order, so it would just follow through. Despite being a fierce thug outside, once it returned home, it had the self-awareness to play the role of a cute kitty when needed. It couldn’t be helped; that was just the reality of living under someone else’s roof.

***

Chen Qiyun had also been furious at Aunt Mei’s words. Fortunately, Chen Jingle had struck back decisively. Seeing the old woman deflated made her want to clap and cheer. However, she was a bit puzzled. "What were you ’awoo-ing’ at the cat for?"

"I was telling it to help me beat up Aunt Mei’s cat to vent my anger," Chen Jingle chuckled.

Chen Qiyun gave him a weird look. "Are you an idiot? How could a cat possibly understand what you’re saying!"

Chen Jingle raised an eyebrow. "You’re the idiot here. I speak Cat."

"I don’t believe you!"

Chen Jingle glanced at her. "Then you give the order, and I’ll translate and command."

"Alright, why don’t you tell it to sit?" Chen Qiyun said, lifting her chin.

"Tiger Cub, sit!"

The chubby tabby, which had been trying to rub against Chen Jingle’s pant leg, immediately sat down obediently.

Chen Qiyun was initially stunned, but then her eyes widened in disbelief. "Huh? That has to be a coincidence! Tell it to lie down and try again!"

Chen Jingle chuckled. "Lie down."

Tiger Cub cast a glance at Chen Jingle and reluctantly lay down, even tucking its two front paws beneath its body.

This time, Chen Qiyun was genuinely dumbfounded. "Oh my god, this... this is amazing!" she thought. She looked at Chen Jingle as if he were a divine being, her eyes brimming with worship.

Chen Jingle, on the other hand, grinned from ear to ear. Tsk, he just loved seeing the shocked expressions of snot-nosed brats.

"Teach me, teach me!" Chen Qiyun stomped her feet impatiently.

If she learned such an incredible skill, wouldn’t her friends die of envy? She could even appoint herself the sect master of the Beast Taming Sect! Ah, just thinking about it was delightful!

Chen Jingle reined in his smile. "Ahem, well, Cat-speak is quite picky about its practitioners. I don’t think your natural talent is very suitable for it."

"Huh? Then... then what am I suitable to learn?"

"I don’t know yet."

"You... Chen Jingle, you’re too much!!"

If he didn’t want to teach her, he should have just said so. How infuriating! Fuming, Chen Qiyun frantically shoved rice into her mouth until her cheeks puffed out, channeling her grief and indignation into her appetite.

***

Through relentless pestering, Chen Qiyun managed to learn two simple phrases in Cat-speak from Chen Jingle. Though she wasn’t entirely satisfied, it was better than nothing. After she left, Chen Jingle still felt a bit uneasy and gave Tiger Cub a few more instructions.

"Don’t run around during the day for the next few days. Stay at home and behave yourself, lest someone mistakes you for a stray and catches you."

Tiger Cub lay on the ground, shot Chen Jingle a glance, and reluctantly agreed. For a cat in its energetic adolescence, being forced to stay obediently at home was akin to being sent to prison. But since the boss had spoken, it would just lay low for a few days. The little female cats in the village would just have to suffer without its company for a while.

The news of Chen Jingle’s argument with Aunt Mei spread throughout the village in less than half an hour. His father even called to ask what had happened.

Naturally, Chen Jingle chose to tell the truth. "That old hag slandered me. She claimed my cat stole pickled vegetables from her kitchen. She’s sick in the head. Whose cat would ignore the meat at home and run off to eat someone else’s pickled vegetables?"

His father hesitated. "That is out of line, but you shouldn’t argue with her. I’m worried you’ll be the one to suffer a loss in the end. Just ignore her."

"I know what to do," Chen Jingle replied dismissively.

His parents were honest people. For most of their lives, they had followed the rule of "never causing trouble," completely unaware that such a mindset only bred sheep. Chen Jingle didn’t want to be a sheep. Even if he wasn’t a vicious wolf, he flat-out refused to be a sheep.

With reason on your side, you could travel the world; without it, it was hard to take a single step. The old ways of doing things might work for scaring cowards who didn’t understand the law, but he wasn’t falling for it. If they truly pushed him over the edge, he would memorize every domestic law, pass the bar exam, or directly apply for a court position.

Taking the legal route was merely giving face to the law. If that didn’t work, wasn’t there always the knife? Even a billionaire only had one life to lose. It was perfectly fair!