Strange Life of a Cat-Chapter 187 - The Old Man Who Plays the Erhu

Chapter 187: Chapter 187 The Old Man Who Plays the Erhu

Chapter 187 -187 The Old Man Who Plays the Erhu

Jin had recently hit a creative block and was in a terrible state. His teammates suggested that he go out for a walk, perhaps to find some inspiration, and not to be hasty or take it too much to heart, but to maintain his passion for music.

So, when there were no performances, Jin would carry his guitar and wander around other parts of Chuhua City.

During this time, Jin had played in underpasses and various plazas, spent nights in parks, as if he had returned to that period when he first started out as a street singer. His anxious mood unconsciously began to calm down.

Today, Jin had planned to go sing at the central plaza. In fact, many talented young people performed at Chuhua City’s major squares in the evening; Jin had encountered quite a few at two other locations in the past few days and gained a lot from exchanging thoughts with them. However, Jin hadn’t expected to run into Zheng Tan here.

Jin was grateful towards Zheng Tan and also felt an awe he couldn’t quite explain himself. Sometimes, even Jin found it unbelievable: it was just a cat, yet it had such a huge impact on him and his band. What would have become of him and his teammates without this Black Cat? He didn’t dare to imagine, as they had nearly given up back then. Therefore, Jin and his teammates had always been grateful, which was evident from their Black Cat Team emblem.

As for the awe, perhaps this was the only cat among all the cats Jin had encountered that acted like a big shot. After all, this was the cat that even dared to throw shade at Boss Ye Hao from Night Building.

Jin had no idea where Zheng Tan actually lived; in fact, he hardly knew anything about Zheng Tan, only that the cat was on good terms with several “important people,” and always appeared in Night Building with them. So, when he first laid eyes on Zheng Tan, Jin wasn’t sure it was him, but after a double take, he identified the Black Cat that brazenly dared to mess with a blind old man under such circumstances in such an environment.

“Heitan!” Jin called out, happy to see Zheng Tan. The cat was their band’s lucky charm.

Zheng Tan had just plucked a whisker from the old man when he noticed the old man’s face twitched, but there was no other reaction. He was preparing to pluck a couple more to see how long the old man could endure when he suddenly heard his name being called.

Dammit! Why shout my name?!

Zheng Tan cursed inwardly.

The last thing you want when committing mischief is to reveal your true identity. Originally, as this was Zheng Tan’s first visit here and no one knew him, he could just play around and leave, shaking his tail; who could find whom? But now Jin had blurted out his name.

Zheng Tan hesitated, considering whether to pretend to be misidentified.

While he pondered, Zheng Tan looked up at the old man sitting there and noticed he had opened his eyes, which were a cloudy grey-white, and were staring in Zheng Tan’s direction, startling Zheng Tan into reflexively jumping back. It wasn’t that Zheng Tan was cowardly, but the old man’s sudden action after being bothered for so long was indeed a shock.

But indeed, he was blind…

Not only did the old man open his eyes, but he also moved.

When the old man stirred, Jin hurried over, worried that the old man might attack Zheng Tan with his guide cane. And the other vendors around wondered how the old man would deal with the cat—although the old man rarely spoke or interacted and had no conflicts with anyone, nobody else had provoked him before. Now, this cat was just asking for trouble.

Even Zheng Tan thought the old man would teach him a lesson, as he still had a whisker clamped between his claws, and was ready to make a quick escape.

Unexpectedly, the old man simply readjusted his sitting position and started to play his erhu.

Zheng Tan had seen Jiao Ma’s grandmother playing the erhu and felt that the old man’s performance was certainly not inferior to hers, especially considering the old man was blind, which was quite rare. Zheng Tan also had to admit that the old man had a really good temper, being able to play the erhu in the mood after having his whisker pulled.

Although Jin didn’t know much about the erhu, he was very sensitive to music. He felt that the old man didn’t seem angry but rather, seemed to be in a good mood. Many people play the erhu, and most of the tunes carry a sense of melancholy, but the tune the old man was playing felt like the warmth of the setting sun over a dam. Without realizing it, the tension that had built up was now relaxing.

Jin gauged the old man’s mood through the tune of the erhu, while Zheng Tan relied on his intuition to sense if the old man had any malicious intentions. Since the old man didn’t seem to be holding a grudge, it wouldn’t be good for Zheng Tan to continue hassling a blind person, especially with Jin there, in case more information got unintentionally leaked by this fool.

Since he had decided not to continue bothering the old man, Zheng Tan simply squatted down beside him to listen to the erhu. Jin didn’t plan on leaving immediately either and leaned against the railing next to Zheng Tan, listening to the old man play.

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Jin could tell that the old man was an erhu master, no less skilled than those teachers from music academies, and felt that listening for a while could benefit his own creative work. Additionally, Jin had heard many erhu pieces before, but this was a tune he had never encountered. However, he felt too embarrassed to interrupt with questions, so he remained quietly standing by, enjoying the performance.

The vendors around them had grown accustomed to the old man playing the erhu. Seeing that there was no commotion to watch, they went back to busy themselves with their stalls. To them, cats held no monetary appeal.

Speaking of money, Zheng Tan now understood why the old man’s wooden box contained so much. The quality of the erhu playing attracted passersby who were willing to listen and enjoyed it, combined with sympathy for the elderly, many would donate money. Although most contributions were small change, the frequent donations added up to a decent sum by the end of the day, more than enough for an old man’s living expenses and a bit extra to enjoy other pleasures in life.

Actually, there were more people giving money today than usual, and a part of that was because of Zheng Tan, the cat. That was why some performers liked to have children or animals with them—it attracted more donations.

When the sky started to darken, Zheng Tan stood up, ready to return and pick up Little Youzi.

“Huh? Heitan, ready to leave?” Jin was immersed in the erhu melody. When the music stopped, he came back to his senses and noticed that the black cat, who had been crouching beside him, was now ready to go down the pedestrian bridge.

Putting his guitar on his back, Jin decided to walk with Zheng Tan, since he didn’t have a specific destination in mind anyway. Plus, he was very curious about where Zheng Tan lived. Where exactly was this cat’s home? What kind of place was it? Why did it come here alone?

Zheng Tan knew Jin was following him but didn’t pay any attention.

As they passed a snack stall, Jin called out to Zheng Tan, “Heitan, let me treat you to some chicken tenders.” Jin remembered that this cat seemed to have a wide range of food preferences.

This was also a way to express his gratitude. It was rare to catch Zheng Tan alone; in the past, whenever Jin saw him, Zheng Tan was always with Wei Leng, Ye Hao, and the others. Jin certainly didn’t have the guts to interrupt their conversation.

Speaking of meat, Zheng Tan was indeed getting hungry. He wasn’t in a hurry, and there was still half an hour before Little Youzi finished school. There was enough time for a meal before heading back.

Seeing Zheng Tan stop, Jin knew the cat must have agreed, so he happily walked up to the stall.

“Two servings of…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Jin froze. He fished around in his pockets, patted down his trousers, and after a long search, he turned to Zheng Tan with a dismayed expression on his face.

“Heitan, have you seen my wallet and phone?”

Zheng Tan: “…” Idiot! Not even aware that his phone and wallet were stolen!

Meanwhile, back on the pedestrian bridge, after Zheng Tan and Jin left, the old man wasn’t playing the erhu anymore. He just sat there quietly, eyes closed, reverting to his previous state until the sun was setting. Then the old man folded his stool, put it into the wooden box which contained some money, and the box was just the right size to fit the folded stool. He untied the large black umbrella fastened to the railing and leisurely packed up everything. His movements were neither fast nor sluggish, but very smooth. No one around seemed surprised, as anyone doing the same thing day after day would be able to do it with such ease.

For a blind man, there’s no real difference between day and night, yet the old man was very regular with his routine, appearing with the morning sun and disappearing with the evening sunset. His position on the pedestrian bridge always remained the same; no vendor came to take his spot. In fact, they would always leave some space empty around him. Even when the bridge was most crowded, there would be a clear area around where the old man sat.

If there was a new vendor, the others would inform them not to occupy that spot. Also, after the old man left, the vendors would pack up as soon as they could, even if business was good, for they had to move somewhere else if they wanted to continue. If one day they arrived and didn’t see the old man there, they wouldn’t set up their stalls either, choosing instead to sell elsewhere until the old man showed up again on the bridge.

This was a rule that the small vendors on the bridge had learned over time. With the blind old man around, no one came to chase them away or fine them, which is one of the reasons why they all had a special regard for him.

As for another reason… the vendors had only heard rumors and hadn’t seen anything themselves to make a firm judgment. Regardless, they would never offend the blind old man. Sometimes those selling fruit or other things would take some of their goods and give them to him, and when they did so, it wasn’t out of pity but with extreme care.

The old man, holding his white cane, walked at an unhurried pace on the sidewalk. His cloudy black and white eyes remained closed if he were to open them, it would probably startle some people.

The sky quickly darkened, neon lights flickered, and people ready to enjoy the nightlife laughed and talked as they passed by the old man. The looks they gave him contained both sympathy and disdain—not directed at the old man himself but at blind people like him.

Suddenly, a person rushed from behind, snatched the old man’s wooden box, and ran off. This person had passed by the bridge in the evening, seen the money in the old man’s box, and hadn’t dared to act because there were too many people around. He didn’t pay it much heed as he had “fatter prey” to hunt. Seeing the box now, he thought it was too good an opportunity to miss—after all, there were hundreds of dollars inside.

Some people nearby saw what happened, but most didn’t want to interfere. An impassioned youth wanted to intervene, but the box snatcher disappeared into the passing crowd in the blink of an eye. They could only offer sympathy to the blind old man.

Unlike those around him, the old man’s face remained calm. He didn’t show anger or sorrow at the loss of the box and merely paused slightly when it was snatched away, then continued walking as if he hadn’t heard the comments of the people around him.

He walked a bit further, then turned into a narrow, dark alley that was long and lacked light. The hustle and bustle of the city at night seemed to recede suddenly, making it seem like a different world from the busy street outside.

The old man continued on his unhurried way. Not far ahead, a man sat by the side. Upon seeing the old man, he immediately got up and rushed over, falling to his knees in front of him with a thud.

This man was the very one who had snatched the old man’s wooden box. Now, he looked disheveled, beaten up with a swollen nose and bruised face, and probably other injuries as well. Kneeling before the old man, he held the wooden box up with trembling hands, his voice quivering as he tried to speak.

“I-I-I… I’m… new here… I… didn’t… recognize… ”

The old man did not stop walking because of the person in front of him. His face remained emotionless, and without uttering a word, he took the box and continued forward, leaving the man who hadn’t finished speaking trembling alone on the ground.

Meanwhile, having finished dinner and forbidden to go out in the evening, Zheng Tan lay on the couch next to Jiao Ma as she watched a soap opera. He pondered whether he should go to the pedestrian bridge the next day to pull on the blind old man’s beard a couple of times to test the limits of the old man’s patience. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)