Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 429 The Lost Follower

The next day, Li Siyu took Lin Ge for another half day to explore Jixi County.

This time she was lucky; she found an old man doing handicrafts in a secluded corner. The old man's handicrafts were incredibly lifelike, but it was just a hobby; he never thought they could be sold for money.

Lin Ge and Li Siyu spent a long time browsing through the finished products in his cabinet, finally choosing a large-headed sunflower doll for Hu Miao, each sunflower petal incredibly lifelike. Then, Li Siyu decided to choose a wooden carving of Mulan for Zhang Yining, the figure on horseback seemingly coming to life. Not only were the details of the figure exquisite, but even the horse's structure and muscle definition were remarkably realistic. Only someone with true expertise could carve something so well.

The old man only charged five yuan for both items.

Li Siyu thought it was too cheap and hoped the old man could ask for more, but the old man waved his hand and said that it was just something he made for fun with no cost, and he could give it away for free.

She was about to say something more, but the old man, in a fit of temper, would yell and glare, threatening to kick her out. So, Li Siyu had no choice but to pay. Unfortunately, the old man didn't use a phone or have WeChat or Alipay, so she had to go to a small shop outside to exchange for cash. She then secretly bought two cartons of milk and two bottles of liquor, indicating to the shopkeeper that she would deliver them to the old man after she left. Only in this way did Li Siyu feel less guilty about taking the old man's things, and even felt that she hadn't given him enough.

After paying and returning, Li Siyu was surprised to find the old man making a sculpture of Lin Ge. The cat sat obediently on the table, motionless, no matter how fast the old man wielded his knife, wood chips flying everywhere. The small chisel and hammer were precise and steady in the old man's hands, and soon an almost identical wooden cat head appeared before Li Siyu's eyes. Then came the body, the tail, trembling and thin, making one worry that it might break. But the old man used a chisel, then a carving knife, then an iron needle, and painstakingly carved delicate cat fur on the cat's tail, which was only as thick as a chopstick. He even hollowed out Lin Ge's ears, making the ear canals and downy hairs lifelike.

It took almost four hours, from 11 a.m. to past 3 p.m., to finally finish the wooden cat carving. The old man casually grabbed a towel, dampened it, and wiped the cat with it; it shimmered as if it had come to life.

Lin Ge had been waiting impatiently for a long time. When he saw the old man finish his craft and pick it up to examine it with a smile, he quickly moved closer to the old man's shoulder to look at it together.

"Yes, exactly the same!"

The old man suddenly grabbed Ringo's chin, making him raise his head slightly, and then placed the statue next to Ringo. The comparison was almost identical; even the scar on the forehead and the untrimmed freckles on the body were perfectly reproduced.

"Couldn't this thing be made a little more aesthetically pleasing?"

It was only then that Lin Ge noticed several small dents on the wooden sculpture, and his face immediately darkened. Even people have Photoshop after-sales service for taking photos; why can't your artwork undergo some artistic processing?

Pedantic!

Lin Ge was heartbroken and extremely annoyed at wasting such a good opportunity. There probably wouldn't be many more opportunities to come to Jixi County in the future, and the probability of running into this old man again, or even having him in a good mood, was also low. In other words, it was almost impossible to get him to carve one for him again.

"It's exactly the same! Grandpa, you're amazing!"

Li Siyu gave a thumbs-up and praised him generously, making the old man laugh heartily.

After receiving five yuan from Li Siyu, he took out all three wooden carvings and then rummaged through under the bed to find two hollowed-out wooden boxes, carefully placing them inside. The bases of all three wooden carvings had mortise and tenon joints, making them very secure when screwed into the boxes.

Seeing that Li Siyu wanted to say something more, he waved his hand to indicate that he was tired today, and lazily packed up his tools and went back to his house.

"There are many talented people in the community, but unfortunately they can't get ahead. In my opinion, the old man's carving skills are really extraordinary, no less than the works of masters I've seen online. Honestly, more people should be able to appreciate them."

The way back is to first take a car sent by the county government to Xizhong City, and then take the high-speed rail from Xizhong City. This way, we can avoid the problem of sitting on a green train for six or seven hours like we did on the way there.

They arrived at Xizhong Railway Station without any problems and found their seats on the high-speed train. While chatting, they unknowingly started talking about the old man who was carving yesterday, and Li Siyu was once again filled with emotion.

She truly felt that the elderly man's talents should not be buried, but should be seen and appreciated by many people.

"But you have to understand that everyone lives differently. Some people do art to make money, some do art to become famous; and some people do it simply to make themselves happy. To be honest, in my opinion, the old man you mentioned must have a happy and fulfilling heart. He preserves all his joy and happiness through sculpture, and he uses his craft to please himself. Why can't that be considered a perfect way of life?"

Li Yiduo's thoughts differed from Li Siyu's. He felt the old woman was both carefree and happy. Just like before he met Li Siyu, whether playing with models at home or handling cases at the police station, she was fulfilling her dreams and living her life to the fullest, every moment filled with joy. This kind of happiness didn't need to be shared with others, nor did it need to be mixed with money or fame. Its purity was more important than anything else in the world.

Hmm… After meeting Li Siyu and pursuing her to become her boyfriend, there are more things to care about now. Although his heart is no longer pure, his happiness and joy have increased day by day. Most importantly, even the gaps that used to linger around happiness have been completely filled. Honestly, Li Yiduo really doesn't know what he has to regret; his only regret is that he hasn't yet figured out a way to propose to Li Siyu.

"Living only for oneself? There's nothing wrong with that! An old man who can disregard fame and fortune will naturally produce works of pure art."

Sitting opposite Zheng Mingxing, he nodded, then glanced at the cat beside him, its paws entwined around a wooden box, unusually showing a coquettish expression. Ever since acquiring the wooden carving, this cat hadn't let it out of his sight for a moment. Even when going through train security, the rascal tried to crawl along the luggage conveyor belt. If Zheng Mingxing hadn't been quick enough to grab its tail and pull it out, who knows what kind of chaos would have ensued.

"You're just jealous!"

Lin Ge raised his head and glanced at Zheng Mingxing with disdain. He wondered who it was last night who, after seeing the statue, excitedly went to find the old man, only to be smashed out the door by an empty wine bottle thrown at them.

Li Siyu's secret gift-giving seemed to have insulted the old man's happiness. He was drinking the wine Li Siyu had bought for him while venting his anger on his wife. Of course, one can only talk to one's wife, not lay a hand on her, so Zheng Mingxing's appearance was just in time.

"It's a pity that Jixi County isn't rich in high-quality timber, otherwise it could really develop a wood carving craft project. To be honest, besides that old man, there are several other master craftsmen in the county who are incredibly skilled at working with wood. It's just a pity that if high-quality timber needs to be imported from outside, the cost will be too high. Even if Jixi County's wood carvings become famous throughout the country, it will be difficult for them to truly achieve prosperity for every household through this channel due to the lack of raw materials."

Zheng Mingxing sighed regretfully.

"So, getting villages and counties out of poverty and into prosperity is not something that can be done on a whim. No matter how good a project is, you need to be cautious. If it's just a flash in the pan, it will only make the people's situation worse in the future."

Then Zheng Mingxing said to Lin Ge, "Mimi, I left in a hurry this time, and Fang Yun kept saying that she couldn't treat you to a meal. But she said she remembered your matter and asked me to give you her phone number so you can contact her anytime if you need anything."

"Why would I need your wife's phone number? I'm just a cat, what could I possibly need her help with?"

Lingo flicked his tail and turned around, clearly indicating his lack of interest.

Seeing its condition, Zheng Mingxing didn't press the matter further.

But just then, a commotion broke out in the train carriage. Shouts of "Grab him! Grab him!" made the three policemen stand up reflexively, and also made Lingo temporarily abandon his beloved statue, stretch, and prepare for battle.

"pickpocket?"

Li Yiduo clenched his fist, somewhat eager to try. It was quite a rare sight to see a thief on a train after the New Year was over.

However, a short while later, a voice came from the other side saying something like, "It flew that way, close the door!" which immediately made the expressions of the group of people look puzzled.

"fly?"

Li Siyu tilted her head slightly.

"No way?"

A sudden sense of foreboding washed over Lin Ge.

In particular, amidst the noise, he vaguely heard a series of pitiful chirps, as if a bird was facing a death threat. The unique chirping, mixed with cawing, made Lin Ge stare wide-eyed in disbelief.

That wretched bird, it actually flew into the train?
Fuck it!
Fearing he might actually fall victim to human violence in such a confined space, Lingo quickly jumped off his seat and ran toward the source of the commotion.

Li Yiduo and the other two quickly followed.

They quickly reached the next carriage and found a bored young man blocking the door, loudly directing the passengers to chase after him. Through the glass door, they could see a bird hiding in the luggage rack. It was timidly huddled between two suitcases, its tail inevitably sticking out. Someone jumped onto a seat and reached out to grab it, but the bird quickly escaped, flapping its wings and flying into the opposite luggage rack.

"What a sly bird!" In just a short time, Lin Ge had already figured out who it could be but that sly magpie.

Whether this guy accidentally crawled in or followed him, he was now trapped inside the carriage with no way to escape. If the commotion hadn't been nearby, he might have really lost his life here.

"Police! Open the door!"

Seeing a few bored guys on the train excitedly chasing after him, Li Yiduo, who didn't recognize the bird but could tell from Ling Ge's attitude, quickly spoke up. He pushed the door hard and knocked twice with his fist, finally getting the young man on the other end to open it.

"What's the matter, officer?"

The arrival of the police quickly silenced the young men. Seeing the bird disappear into the crevice, they quickly feigned innocence and tried to cover it up.

"Do you know that magpies are protected animals, and that harming them is illegal?"

Zheng Mingxing made a commanding entrance and immediately seized the opportunity. As an instructor, he knew how to calm things down. Sure enough, after a few words, the people in the carriage exchanged glances and quickly returned to their seats as if nothing had happened.

After doing all this, he, the only one unaware of the existence of the magpie, turned to look at Li Yiduo and Lin Ge, who was looking around: "So, what exactly is going on? Li Yiduo, do you know this magpie?"

"It's Mimi's friend. Yes, a friend. It looks like it came to see Mimi off because it saw she was leaving. But it didn't expect the train to be moving and bring it out of Jixi County as well."

As Li Yiduo speculated about the truth, he looked down at Lin Ge with a smile. He truly hadn't expected this bird to be so attached to his feline friend, sneaking into the train station and even getting inside the train.

Unfortunately, trains are unknown to animals. That bird probably never imagined that it would suffer the misfortune of almost being caught by humans.

"That's how it should be."

Li Siyu also nodded in agreement, standing nearby.

"friend?"

Zheng Mingxing was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized: "Is it that magpie from Xizhong City? The bird that helped bring back an important clue when you were solving the case? It was the evidence it preserved that led to the exposure of a spy?"

"Ah."

Li Yiduo looked around and nodded slightly.

"hiss……"

This time, Zheng Mingxing was surprised, even feeling that this scene was anything but materialistic. A bird and a cat teaming up to solve a case was one thing, but this bird would actually deliver something from afar?
They only stayed at the Xizhong City high-speed rail station for less than half an hour before taking the train and leaving. How could such a short time allow the magpie to follow their scent and sneak into the train carriage?

"Ka!"

The terrified bird, finding peace restored outside, cautiously poked its head out. Upon seeing Lin Ge's helpless expression, it excitedly squawked and frantically turned its head.

"What the hell are you yelling for! Do you even know you're already dozens of kilometers away from your hideout?"

Lin Ge stared helplessly at the wretched bird, knowing that it was unlikely to return to its lair. Even if someone had the time to take it back, who could possibly keep it quiet and prevent it from causing trouble along the way?

Lin Ge had witnessed this bird's erratic behavior more than once or twice. Even when he put it in a cage, he still had to worry about it playing dead or actually dying.

"So, you'll be stuck in Zhangzhou from now on! Luckily, there are a lot of trees around the police station. How about we make you a nest in one of them? Of course, you'll have to be careful then, because the Zhanghe Police Station is full of all kinds of cats."

Lin Ge watched in frustration as the scoundrel finally managed to turn its wings around and, under the watchful eyes of everyone in the carriage, flapped its wings and flew towards him. It landed precisely on Lin Ge's head and then, like a bully, started yelling at everyone in the carriage.

"Cuck!"

"crow?"

Another person, fooled by the bird's call, looked at its distinctly white belly and doubted themselves. "Aren't crows supposed to be black? What's going on with this one?"
Lin Ge ignored these people and didn't care how Zheng Mingxing would explain to them or the arriving train police. He simply turned around slowly with the jerk on his head and returned to his seat.

One can imagine that Zhanghe Police Station will become even more bustling in the future. This magpie will surely cause all sorts of trouble under Lin Ge's protection, and who knows what kind of sparks it will create with the cats that frequently visit the police station.

"It might get eaten by a cat in a couple of days."

Lin Ge tossed his head and knocked the bird off, staring maliciously at the unlucky little guy who was bouncing around on the seat.

He knew one thing very well: the biggest threats to this wretched bird in the police station were the little tiger-striped hawksbill turtle and the mother hawksbill turtle! The mother hawksbill turtle's hunting of birds was instinctive, while the little tiger-striped hawksbill turtle... was simply overly active, and it would be bored if it didn't cause trouble for a day.

"Ka!"

The bird didn't know what Ling Ge was thinking, but seeing the cat's sinister smile, it immediately meowed and carefully curled up in the corner of its seat.

"What the hell are you yelling for! You didn't even give me a heads-up before coming over, and now you're catching me off guard like this, are you happy? You don't actually think the world poses no threat to you just because you're based in Xizhong City, do you?"

Lin Ge couldn't help but criticize the scoundrel a couple more times.

"So, besides the ever-increasing number of cats, our police station is now going to keep a magpie? Of course, this is a magpie that has done some good deeds, so I don't mind keeping it. But can cats and birds really live in harmony?"

Zheng Mingxing returned after a while, and the first thing he did after sitting down was to find out what was going on.

"Only Mimi can handle this kind of thing, right? After all, she's the cat king of Zhang City. Ordering those cats not to bully this bird should be a simple matter for her."

Li Yiduo had enough trust in Lin Ge, partly because Lin Ge had indeed displayed many miracles. These days, not only birds, but even lynxes and leopards treat this cat like family; what else is impossible?
"Little bird, do you want a cookie?"

Li Siyu's attitude became even clearer. She crushed a cookie, placed it in her palm, and then held it out to the scoundrel.

The mischievous bird hopped and skipped toward Li Siyu's hand, looked at the cookies in her palm, then at Li Siyu's expectant face, pecked at the cookie crumbs a few times, and then suddenly flapped its wings, sending all the cookies flying from her hand.

"ah!"

Cookie crumbs were scattered all over her, and Li Siyu cried out in alarm.

Before she could even get angry, Lin Ge yelled and slapped the rascal, sending it tumbling head over heels. The rascal, comically, spun around in mid-air before crashing to the ground, motionless. Its stiff body made it look like it had been beaten to death.

But his eyes kept darting around, as if he was thinking of some other wicked idea.

(End of this chapter)