Chapter 50: Cat trap, the courtyard has livened up again
Zheng Tan felt that he had been stalked for the past two days.
He wasn't sure by who, but that feeling was strong.
Zheng Tan followed Papa Jiao's instructions and tried to avoid that Ren guy. Lately he had stopped visiting the biology building, on top of that he stopped leaving the courtyard after dark, only going out in daylight when he couldn't resist the urge.
Usually he would go out at five in the afternoon and wait for the two kids at the primary school gate, then they would go ho together. Even if he was to go out in the night, it would only be a stroll in the courtyards. He wouldn't leave the courtyard, let alone go to the alleyway of the old residential block.
The campus was full of people during dayti since this was not a campus sealed off from the public, so the security checks on those who entered and left the gates were not strict. However, Zheng Tan couldn't stop worrying without finding out the reason behind this feeling of being watched.
That day, Zheng Tan found a big Chinese parasol tree not far from the eastern courtyard. He climbed up and snoozed upon the branches. Being on the high ground was soothing just as he expected, his field of vision was much wider.
Zheng Tan let out a tired yawn. He didn't sleep well last night with all the contemplation so he had to catch-up on sleep during the day.
Mama Jiao and her co-workers were collaborating on a project in the field of teaching. Jiao Yuan was going to enter junior high school in a few months ti, Mama Jiao wanted to make sure she left a good impression on these high school teachers so that Jiao Yuan could benefit more at school in the future.
Other families all had elderlies or children that had not yet attended kindergarten making going to their hos inconvenient, so they decided to hold the etings at the Jiaos' ho. As a result, Zheng Tan spent his ti ambling around in daylight and when he beca tired he would climb a tree and rest there. If it rained, he would seek shelter at Fatty's house. Either way he would never stay ho and face those high school teachers.
Zheng Tan was slowly drifting into sleep when that feeling of being watched suddenly returns. Zheng Tan moved his ears, not hearing any unusual noises. Around him were students that walked past, a short distance away a cleaner was sweeping the ground, an occasional car that drove through. Not far from here was a sports arena, from which cheers and acclamations could sotis be heard.
Those were the common sounds that Zheng Tan had already gotten used to, but that feeling of being monitored still made Zheng Tan uneasy. Zheng Tan opened his eyes and surveyed his surrounding.
He still couldn't find any suspects, but this ti Zheng Tan kept an eye out for those around him who were sauntering or sitting on the benches and on the grass as well as those who were not moving hurriedly, rembering each of their faces. The opponent must be constantly monitoring him, so they were definitely not moving fast.
Getting down from the tree, Zheng Tan hid behind the canteen of a nearby classroom building. He looked around then chose a tree on the north corner of the canteen. With his back turned to the road, he continued his nap on the tree.
Soon, Zheng Tan narrowed his eye and looked towards the canteen opposite. The feeling of being watched had returned again.
The reason that he chose this canteen and this specific tree on the north corner was because he had set his sight upon the reflective glass on the canteen's north side of the second floor. That corner on the second floor was an office and the decoration used at the ti was a single side glass. Only those on the inside can see outside, if you looked from the exterior of the canteen it can work as a mirror.
Zheng Tan examined the image reflected on the glass, observing the people inside and comparing them with the faces that he had just rembered. Finally, Zheng Tan's line of sight fell on an ordinary looking student.
The student carried a backpack and held a book in his hands, he slowly approached the canteen. During this entire process, with every two steps he took he looked towards the spot where Zheng Tan was . In the end, he ca forth to the patch of grass in front of the canteen and opened his book.
When Zheng Tan had just arrived, that person was sitting and reading on the adow not far from the Chinese parasol tree. There were many students reading on the lawn like him, he had his head down when Zheng Tan scanned his eyes through, that's why Zheng Tan didn't spot him.
He thought for a second before standing up and stretching, then he pretended to survey his surroundings unintentionally. As expected, that person quickly lowered his head again.
Zheng Tan crouched down again and continued to sleep while facing the classrooms. However, he never took his eyes off from the reflective glass on the canteen. Just as Zheng Tan predicted, that person looked up again at Zheng Tan, this ti with a frequency of a few second intervals.
Zheng Tan was confused. Who was that person? Why was he stalking him?
Moreover, if he was stalking and the target was a cat, why was he so cautious?
Zheng Tan couldn't understand.
Maybe now that he had gotten too famous from all the ads, sobody had set their eyes on him and wanted to kidnap him? That's how it's suppose to progress in the television shows. Otherwise why would sobody monitor a valueless cat this carefully?
Since he had found the suspect, Zheng Tan was prepared to go against him.
Zheng Tan had a daily routine, going out with the children, taking a walk about, and then sleeping on this tree to the north of the canteen while at the sa ti keeping up his counter-surveillance. He would go ho and eat lunch in the afternoon, have a nap, co out with the two kids again in the afternoon, and repeat the sa morning routine again.
Sotis when he feared his intentions would be discovered, Zheng Tan would change locations, so supermarkets and food stores had the sa single-sided glass. It was not Zheng Tan being too overcautious, it was because of that person's careful surveillance even on a re cat that made Zheng Tan's heart sank to the bottom.
Anyhow, it's better to be careful than sorry.
A week later, Zheng Tan discovered that this person had disappeared along with the feeling of being watched.
He's no longer stalking?
Or was it because he had moved on to the next step in the plan?
Zheng Tan's queries only lasted for a day.
On the evening of the next night, Zheng Tan had went out with Mama Jiao after supper. Mama Jiao went to exercise and dance with her friends while Zheng Tan took a spin inside the courtyards, teasing the dogs in the yard when he beca bored.
Tiger and Sheriff were both still locked inside their house. Tiger had grown quieter after being castrated but Sheriff was not one that could stay still. At the beginning he would continue to call out when he was locked inside, but now that there was soone at ho playing with him, his cries had gradually muted. He would co out sotis during daylight, but was never allowed to go out at night.
Thus, whenever Zheng Tan wanted to find so cat to roam around with he could only find Fatty, but that wealthy-looking stout Fatty would only hang around his own balcony every ti, rarely coming out for a walk.
After teasing Mighty the bulldog, Zheng wandered around the courtyard in boredom.
The ti was around eight-thirty, Mama Jiao would only return from her dancing eting at nine. Papa Jiao was at ho today and Jiao Yuan's howork had so dictation questions that required Papa Jiao's signature after finished, so Papa Jiao didn't go out tonight either. Hence, Zheng Tan planned to wait until Mama Jiao ca back and then follow her upstairs.
As he ambled about aimlessly, Zheng Tan suddenly hear the sound of fluttering wings.
Zheng Tan moved his ears and headed towards the source of the sound. That side was already close to enclosing walls, quite a remote place in the courtyard. There were so sweet osmanthus and winter sweets trees planted at that corner, used as decorations to embellish the courtyard environnt.
However, Zheng Tan and others didn't go there often since there were too few trees over there. The branches of the existing trees were thin, not satisfying enough for sharpening claws or climbing trees. It was much more boring over here as compared to the forests around the periter of the courtyard. That's why Zheng Tan, Tiger and others would rather walk a few more steps to play in the forest outside the courtyard.
But...
Zheng Tan looked at the direction where the noises of fluttering wings ca from, and beca confused. Was that a bird?
If it had been other cats in his position, they would have definitely ran over there. Cats don't hunt for food, hunting was part of their nature and they would run over at any sign of birds.
Zheng Tan, on the other hand, was different. He had no interest in catching birds.
He turned and prepared to leave, but just as he took two steps, Zheng Tan heard another noise. It sounded like the sigh that a person lets out when they're frustrated. Even though they lowered their voice on purpose, Zheng Tan could still hear it.
Zheng Tan walked around, pretending to toy with the branches while sneakily peeking at the courtyard walls with the corner of his eyes.
The street lamp was ten ters away from here, lighting only the road. It was still very dark by the trees, but Zheng Tan manipulated the advantage of being a cat and noticed a head erging over the top of the walls.
Sothing's co to play!
Zheng Tan scraped at the sticks as part of the act, then heard a series of thumps from the cage over there again. Zheng Tan used this chance to go over there and find out what it really was.
Despite being curious, Zheng Tan still paid a lot of attention to his surroundings. By all ans, he didn't want to get a beating for nothing.
The trees over here were all three or four ters tall. Although there weren't many, when seen from the outside, you couldn't see anything beneath the trees clearly, and those sounds had co from beneath the sweet osmanthus trees.
When he approached those osmanthus trees, Zheng Tan sniffed the sll of birds and sothing else in the air.
Fluttering sounds mingled with the gentle rattling of tals, just like the cat traps that Zheng Tan had seen at Qu's house across the corridor. It was similar to the sound of Qu knocking against the rat cages.
Cage?
Cat catching?
Cat catching specifically intended to catch him?
Zheng Tan's heart was filled with questions.
By all ans, there weren't many cases of cat catching during this ti, not to ntion this place was the family courtyard for the university's internal staff. These people had nerves this thick?
Zheng Tan had already arrived under the osmanthus trees and he saw the cage as he slowly closed in. There were so leaves and other stuff to disguise the cages, one side was open, that was the opening of the cage.
The cage was about sixty centiters long and twenty centiters wide, a sparrow was trapped inside. It occasionally flapped it's wings, maybe it had sensed Zheng Tan approaching , the sparrow began to thrash even more forcefully but being trapped inside all it's efforts were worthless. It couldn't co out and was only able to beat it's wings inside the cage. Sotis the struggling beca so violent, it's wings would hit the top of the cage while it was jolting, thumping against the tal bars. Aware of the "predator" getting closer and closer, it even let out a few shrieks in horror.
As Zheng Tan drew near the cage, Fatty who was napping on the balcony on the second floor of the residential building B moved his ears, his eyes snapping open. Fatty looked at the elderly lady in the room who was wearing reading glasses and stitching on buttons and bellowed "ow" at her. It sounded like the warnings that other cat gave out when encountering threats, but was also sowhat different.
The old lady heard him, pausing her actions as she set down the things in her hands.
"What's wrong?" The old lady looked at Fatty.
"ow--"
She frowned, then picked up the phone and called the gatekeeper. When she raised her eyes again, Fatty was nowhere to be seen.
"What is really happening?" The old lady mumbled under hear breath and imdiately put on her coat. She carried a torch with her and planned to find out what exactly had happened. If it was like the last ti when the thief had sneaked in, Fatty would not run out by himself, but this ti...
Zheng Tan stood a ter away from then cage and didn't move any closer, he stood there and stared at the cage and watched the person on the wall in the sa ti. Due to the dense branching of the trees and the overgrowth of leaves as well as the row of rhododendron on the side of the road, the views from the side and top were all blocked.
Nevertheless, if Zheng Tan can't see that person, that person won't be able to see Zheng Tan either. For that reason, Zheng Tan planned to wait it out and see when that person would lose his patience and climb over the wall.
Just when he was thinking, Zheng Tan heard a cry of "ow
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