Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

The kitchen was filled with a strange smell of blood mixed with the aura of chaos. The kittens from the Xingluo squad sat slumped beside the greasy stove.

"Oh, I'm so tired today..."

Baitang was like a deflated ball, its wet fur clinging to its skin, its tail weakly sweeping across the muddy blue bricks, and even the Justice Bell that usually loved to shake hung droopy.

"call……"

Xiaoqing leaned against the mottled wooden pillar, gently rubbing her sore wrist with her slender fingers. The water silk was wrapped softly around her waist, having lost its former lively luster.

Da Fei's broad chest was still heaving violently. He casually pulled off his shirt to wipe the wound, and his rough laughter shook the spider webs in the corner of the wall.

"That was a good fight! I just wonder if the room and board money will be enough to buy me some clothes."

Wu Song slammed his whistle stick into the ground, causing the bluestone bricks to tremble.

"Don't think about it for now, just clean up quickly--"

Before he could finish his words, the one-eyed proprietress walked in with the sound of her wooden clogs, and the copper pot on her pipe was shining dimly.

"Don't be so hasty to disperse, little ones!"

The lady boss knocked on the stove with her pipe, and the leftovers in the tin bucket swayed.

"After working all night, I have to eat something. I, One-Eye, will not treat a working cat unfairly."

"Have a meal?!"

Bai Tang's ears stood up like antennas, and his wet fur exploded. He jumped to the feet of the lady boss, and his tail wrapped around her trouser leg and shook it.

"Is there really food? I've only eaten half a piece of hard bread since noon!"

As he was about to rush to the kitchen, he slipped on the water stains on the floor and turned around in circles, which made Xiaoqing burst out laughing.

……

The dim oil lamp dyed the broken wooden table a warm orange. A few plates of wilted pickled vegetables were placed crookedly in the middle. A chipped ceramic bowl was filled with watery wild vegetable porridge, with only a few grains of rice visible.

Bai Tang leaned over the table and poked his head out, the smile on his face froze instantly:

"Huh? Why is that all? Not even a piece of dried fish?"

He poked the blackened pickled radish with his claws.

"Can this be eaten?"

"Ouch! What are you doing~"

Wu Song's fist landed precisely on Bai Tang's head, where the ends of her hair were dripping with water.

"Meatball! Just be happy that you have something to eat! Didn't you see that this inn couldn't even afford to light an extra oil lamp?"

He casually grabbed a ceramic bowl, but when he was serving the porridge, he deliberately scooped out all the rice grains that had sunk to the bottom of the pot and gave them to Xiaoqing.

"Hmm~"

Baitang curled up into a ball with his ears drooping, his tail curled around the edge of the bowl and spun around:

"I see......"

He slurped the bland porridge when he suddenly caught a glimpse of Da Fei putting the only half piece of pickled meat in his bowl into his. His rough hands almost overturned the bowl.

"Eat! Eat well so you can have the strength to take the beating!"

The proprietress leaned against the door frame, tapping her pipe against the fake copper bell:

"I'm sorry, little ones. There was a thief in the kitchen today, and most of the rice and flour were stolen."

There was a subtle cunning glint in her eyes.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to the fish market in the west of town. I'll make sure you have a meaty meal!"

Mo Zi put down the bowl gracefully, her ice-blue eyes reflecting the dancing lights:

"Thank you, boss lady."

She raised her hand and formed a seal, the cold air on her fingertips condensed into an ice spoon, and cleaned away the porridge stains on the edge of the bowl.

"After running around all day, it's a blessing to have hot food to warm your stomach."

The night wind, carrying moisture, rushed in through the broken window, causing the oil lamp to flicker.

Dafei's snoring mixed with the crisp sound of Baitang chewing radish. Wusong cautiously placed the whistle under his head, and Xiaoqing's water silk spontaneously hung in the air to dry.

Mo Zi leaned against the corner of the wall with his eyes closed. The ice crystals on the ice fan reflected the faint light, casting a tiny cold glow on the mottled wall.

The one-eyed proprietress leaned against the door frame, looking at the group of tired kittens who were still taking care of each other. A meaningful light flashed in her fake copper eyes, and the white mist rising from her pipe gradually blurred the smile on the corner of her mouth.

……

The morning light seeped in through the gaps in the worn window paper, casting mottled spots of light on the cats in Xingluoban.

Da Fei's deafening snoring was suddenly interrupted by a crisp

"Get up and work—"

Interrupted, the one-eyed proprietress leaned against the door frame, tapping the door with her pipe, and her fake copper eyes flashed cunningly in the morning light.

"Hmm~"

Bai Tang rubbed his eyes drowsily, his tail still tangled in the haystack.

"I just fell asleep..."

Before I could finish my words, I suddenly woke up.

"Oh yeah! The fish market!"

He jumped up with a start, the bell of justice jingled, and his wet fur was weighed down by sleep.

After they hurriedly washed up and ran to the lobby, the one-eyed proprietress was adding firewood to the stove, and a faint aroma of rice wafted from the pot.

Bai Tang went over and sniffed hard:

"Boss lady, we agreed to go to the fish market!"

The proprietress stirred the porridge in the pot with an iron spoon without even looking up:

"What's the rush? Eat something first."

Wu Song glanced at the stove. Apart from the pot of porridge, there were a few wilted radishes lying alone on the chopping board.

"Ugh……"

He sighed helplessly, turned around and saw Bai Tang staring at the proprietress eagerly, raised his hand and gently tapped his head:

"Don't just think about the fish, fill your stomach first."

After filling their stomachs, the cats from Xingluo gathered around the proprietress.

Mo Zi saluted politely:

"Madam, we want to inquire about something..."

Before he could finish his words, the proprietress suddenly turned around and started wiping the counter, as if she hadn't heard him.

Bai Tang didn't give up and chased after the boss lady:

"Are you still going to the fish market?"

The proprietress simply turned her head, pointed her pipe at the new guest at the door, and went straight to greet him, beginning to greet him warmly:

"Sir, please come in. The new tea just arrived today!"

Xiaoqing pulled at the corner of Baitang's clothes:

"Don't ask. It looks like she doesn't want to talk about it."

"Hmm~"

Baitang's ears drooped, and his tail swept the ground weakly:

"All right……"

But before everyone left, they suddenly heard a commotion outside the inn.

Several masked thugs kicked open the door of the inn and rushed in. The leader, Scarface Cat, shook the wooden stick in his hand and said viciously:

"One-Eye! We're not done with the last incident! You either pay the protection fee or smash up the store!"

"Humph……"

Dafei moved forward, his broad body almost blocking half of the door frame. He clenched his fists, and his knuckles made a "cracking" sound:

"Want to cause trouble? Get past me first!"

Wu Song picked up the whistle stick, Bai Tang also held the justice bell tightly, and the cats of Xingluo Squad instantly formed a battle formation.