Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 224 An Old Cat (Continuing with 10,000 words, please vote)

Lin Ge now desperately wants to go back to Zhangzhou.

Why did he feel like the cases were never-ending? He'd barely finish one, and another would immediately appear. Why was he suddenly working non-stop when he hadn't even come to Zhuzhou to offer some support?

The bastards in Zhushi, plus that bastard Xie Changjun, have absolutely no sense of treating the cat as a guest, and they are really not polite at all when they order it around.

Lin Ge really wanted to refuse to work, but after being coaxed by the two bastards, he obediently followed Xie Changjun to the scrap metal recycling station.

In addition to Zhang Ke and Xie Changjun, two auxiliary police officers from Zhuzhou City accompanied them.

The two poor guys didn't look too good; following Xie Changjun was just too exhausting. Especially since their colleagues were finally getting a chance to rest, while they were still running around doing fieldwork, they seemed even more unlucky in comparison. But they couldn't really blame Xie Changjun; after all, he was a full-time employee, and he still walked tens of thousands of steps a day, sifted through garbage dumps, and worked until midnight, getting all smelly, just like everyone else.

Moreover, although Deputy Director Yang outwardly expressed various criticisms and dissatisfactions towards Xie Changjun, he actually appreciated the guy's serious and responsible attitude towards work.

The auxiliary police officer who came to complain was given a thorough dressing-down by Deputy Director Yang, who promptly shut him down. That unfortunate fellow thought the police chief would back up his own people, but little did he know that such support was contingent on him first getting the job done properly.
In short, after being thoroughly dealt with by Deputy Director Yang and Xie Changjun, the four people sent to do the work, though looking grim, dared not be perfunctory in their work any longer.

Seeing Zhang Ke, this new auxiliary police officer, was so bad, made him feel a little better, even though he was secretly gloating.

Zhang Ke smiled but remained silent.

The group of four, plus a cat, drove a new Toyota police car and soon arrived at the scrap metal recycling station that Xie Changjun had harassed just yesterday.

This restaurant is run by a couple and is located in a dilapidated courtyard in a street alley.

Despite being a scrap collector, the yard was impeccably tidy. All sorts of discarded items were neatly arranged, stacked and piled up according to their categories, creating a very orderly scene. Unlike the chaotic mess Lin Ge had seen elsewhere, there was no sense of nowhere to step.

It was precisely because the couple worked diligently that Xie Changjun was fortunate enough to find that crucial cardboard box. Otherwise, at any other recycling station, finding usable evidence in a pile of garbage would have been virtually impossible.

"Officer!"

Upon seeing Xie Changjun and several policemen return the next day, the male homeowner rubbed his hands together to greet them, appearing both reserved and slightly enthusiastic.

The hostess quickly went inside and diligently brought out several cups of hot tea, saying that it was cold and she wanted to warm everyone up. Despite everyone's refusal, she insisted on stuffing the tea into their hands.

"I'm sorry to bother you two again."

Xie Changjun did not act like a rogue as he did at the Municipal Bureau. Instead, he spoke to the two men in a friendly manner, saying, "Regarding the matter I troubled you two with yesterday, do you recall anything at all?"

"There are some!"

The man nodded hurriedly, exchanged a glance with his wife, and honestly replied, "Last night, Juanzi and I thought about it for half the night, and we think we can remember who delivered that cardboard box. Hmm... it was an old lady who was at least seventy or eighty years old. She often collects waste paper and boxes, folds them neatly, and pushes them here in a small cart to sell. Actually, I remember her quite well, after all, she's such an old woman, and she still has to work so hard to earn a living. Hey, why are you bothering me? What can't you tell the police? That old lady is even older than your mother, don't you feel sorry for her?"

The husband was halfway through his sentence when his wife gave him a worried push. But this stubborn man glared at his wife and stubbornly finished what he wanted to say.

Xie Changjun smiled but didn't reply. After all, the living conditions of the elderly, especially the elderly living alone without pensions, are a troublesome social problem in any city. It's difficult for the government alone to ensure that every elderly person can enjoy a comfortable retirement.

Nodding in agreement, Xie Changjun continued, "Do you two know where that old woman lives, or where she is now? There are some things we need to contact her about."

"I see!"

The man was quite enthusiastic and outgoing. Hearing this, he laughed and said, "Case solving? That's how it's portrayed on TV. But I really don't know where that old lady lives. But it's okay, she comes over almost every day around this time to sell some recyclables and then buys something to eat..."

Before they could finish speaking, the man and Lin Ge noticed the commotion outside the yard. Turning around, they saw a short, thin old woman with white hair, hunched over, slowly pulling a small cart as she walked towards them from a distance.

Lin Ge had good eyesight and even noticed that besides a small stack of cardboard boxes and two discarded small appliance plastic shells on the cart, there was even a rather chubby tabby cat lying on one of the boxes, obediently letting the old lady drag it towards them.

"Oh! Grandma, you've arrived quite early today!"

The man greeted her warmly, rubbing his hands together as he took the stroller from the old woman. "Hey? Why is there a cat in the stroller today? Grandma, you're not planning to keep one, are you? In your current condition, can you afford to keep another animal?"

Lingo's ears twitched twice. "Beast..."

"Hehe... This is my partner... We've lived together for over ten years."

The old lady spoke softly and slowly. Looking at the scrap shop owner who was helping her push the cart, she smiled and said, "These past two days... Little Flower seems a little... not quite right. I was thinking of taking her to the vet after I've sold some things."

As the car drove by, the spotted cat lay motionless on it, only twitching its tail slightly to prove it was still alive.

Lin Ge narrowed his eyes; he could actually sense a hint of old age emanating from this cat. Moreover, based on the understanding between cats, he realized that this cat was quite old, a very old and frail grandfather cat.

Noticing Lin Ge's gaze, or perhaps smelling his scent, the old cat slowly opened its eyes, glanced at Lin Ge, then lazily stood up, jumped off the stroller, and rubbed against the old lady's feet a couple of times.

It seemed to know that the things on the cart were going to be taken away, so it didn't get in the way but found another place to lie down, its eyes fixed on Lin Ge. "Hello, ma'am, there's something I'd like to ask you..."

Xie Changjun took the initiative to walk over to the old lady.

"Ah."

The old lady wasn't surprised to see the police; she simply nodded slowly.

Lin Ge didn't follow them over there, but instead curiously walked towards the spotted old cat. It was the first time he had ever seen a cat so old; it was probably more than fourteen or fifteen years old. He wondered if he could live as long as it did.

When the spotted old cat saw Lin Ge approaching, it didn't show the usual wariness or territorial instincts of a cat. It simply flicked its tail lazily and looked at Lin Ge with a strangely kind expression.

Damn, I suddenly have this feeling that I have to respect the elderly. What's going on?

Lin Ge felt inexplicably uneasy.

He didn't dare to show his authority to the cat as usual. Lin Ge just let out a soft "meow" and squatted down in front of the old cat, quietly staring at it.

The old cat opened its mouth and gave a silent greeting.

Lin Ge then noticed that the cat was missing several teeth. Even its most prominent canine tooth was gone. A question suddenly arose in Lin Ge's mind: do cats lose teeth as they get older, just like elderly humans?

The old lady said the cat seemed a bit off, but Lin Ge couldn't find anything wrong. Apart from its lazy, cloudy eyes and noticeably sluggish movements, the cat looked very well cared for by its owner, and its fur was very smooth.

"The cardboard box you mentioned... the very small one? I think I remember it..."

The old lady gave Xie Changjun a pleasant surprise. He didn't expect that the old woman, who was so old, could still remember these insignificant things from a few days ago.

The two auxiliary police officers also showed expressions of surprise.

Zhang Ke didn't care much about these things, or rather, from the moment he found the cardboard box, he felt that finding clues was just a matter of time. On the contrary, the two cats staring at each other silently aroused Zhang Ke's curiosity, and he even looked forward to what would happen next.

To Zhang Ke's disappointment, nothing happened between Lin Ge and Lao Mao. They didn't even exchange a word, simply keeping each other company quietly, like a young man keeping an old man company.

Lin Ge didn't know why he suddenly did this. This old cat inexplicably gave him a sense of peace, and just sitting with it in a daze didn't seem boring at all.

Lin Ge even had a surreal feeling, wondering if the cat felt the same way every day when it kept the old lady company.

Judging from the old woman's clothing and her arduous work collecting recyclables at such an advanced age, she probably couldn't provide the old cat with a healthy life. The faint smell of vegetables emanating from the cat's breath further confirmed that it was likely primarily vegetarian. As a carnivore, a vegetarian diet wouldn't provide the cat with any nutrition. But this didn't seem to affect the old cat's unwavering loyalty to the old woman. Their scents were practically intertwined; Lin Ge could smell a strong, distinct cat scent on the old woman's clothes. It seemed that their affectionate interactions were even more pronounced in private than in public.

"That's wonderful! With such companionship and such doting family, even if your living conditions aren't great, you must be very happy, right?"

Lin Ge muttered to himself.

The old cat glanced at Lin Ge, seemingly understanding what he said, though it could also simply be wondering what the young cat was muttering about in a daze.
"Grandma, are you really going to take this cat to the vet?"

On the other end, Xie Changjun had finished his brief inquiry. The male owner of the scrap yard next door had also weighed the scrap the old lady had brought, and while calculating with a calculator, he said, "Veterinarians at pet stores aren't cheap, so please don't waste your hard-earned money, okay? If you ask me, this cat has probably reached the end of its life, after all, it's been over ten years, hasn't it? I think you should take it home and spend more time with it. When it dies, find it a good place to bury it, and wish it a happy reincarnation, that's all, don't you think? Oh, that's seven yuan and forty-five cents in total, rounded up to eight yuan. Please wait a moment, I'll have Juanzi get the money for you. Hehe, in case it's inconvenient for you to use coins, I specially exchanged several one-yuan bills for you."

The stubborn but soft-hearted male homeowner surprised the police officers with his bizarre rounding method.

However, this couldn't be called charity; it was simply a normal man's sympathy for an elderly person. Even his wife didn't object, smiling as she brought out some banknotes from inside the house and rolled them up in the old woman's hand.

"I've saved up quite a bit of money for Xiaohua's medical treatment."

The old lady didn't insist on only 7.4 yuan. She slowly pulled a crumpled disposable plastic bag from her pocket, inside which was a small roll of colorful banknotes, mostly 1.5 yuan notes, and many small bills that are rarely seen nowadays.

A few police officers scanned the money with their professional eyes and estimated that it was probably no more than one hundred yuan.

The old man put the eight yuan he had just received into his money roll and rolled it up again before showing a satisfied smile: "Officers, that place isn't too far from here. Shall I take you there to take a look? Xiaohua's matter isn't urgent."

"Oh! We can't possibly take up your time. Just point us in the right direction, and we'll go there ourselves."

Xie Changjun quickly waved his hand.

"How about I take this old lady to a vet first?"

Zhang Ke suddenly spoke up, pointing to the old cat that slowly stood up and rubbed its head against Lin Ge a couple of times, saying, "These days, pet hospitals vary in quality. I wonder if we can find an affordable and highly skilled one for the old lady?"

(End of this chapter)