Chapter 13: Hiring a Cat

The street gradually filled with pedestrians. Neighbors greeted one another; some pushed wooden wheelbarrows out to work, while others opened their doors for business. Anxi Street finally began to hum with the vitality of daily life.

The small black cat hid in the shadows, its gaze vigilant and cold, yet it refused to leave.

"This bead must be very important to you," Chen Ji muttered to himself. "Even after being teased by me several times, and even after being knocked away by the bead, you still won't give up."

He beckoned to the small black cat, signaling for it to follow him into the clinic, but the cat remained indifferent, merely observing from the dark.

Just then, movement came from the eatery across the street. The shop’s sturdy young assistant removed the door panels and carried baskets of steamed buns and mantou to the entrance. In the morning sunlight, the bamboo steamers billowed with white steam.

Chen Ji looked up again and saw the small black cat staring fixedly at the steamers...

The look in the cat’s eyes reminded him of himself when he was young, staring at someone else’s instant noodles on a green-skinned train.

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment, then walked over and asked, "How much for a bun?"

The eatery assistant smiled and said, "Oh, it’s Dr. Chen. The buns are still two wen each, same as always."

Chen Ji pulled two wen from his sleeve... this was the money he’d earned scrubbing floors yesterday, and the only two wen he had to his name.

"I'll take one," he said, pressing the two wen into the assistant's hand.

The assistant asked cheerfully, "Just one? Is that enough to eat?"

Chen Ji replied with a smile, "I only have two wen; I can't afford any more."

The assistant looked surprised. In this day and age, who would willingly admit they were so destitute they couldn't even afford a second two-wen bun?

A bun cost two wen, a catty of rice was ten, and a catty of eggs was twenty. Even the poorest families could usually scrape together more than two wen.

But Chen Ji’s calm demeanor suggested he didn't think anything of it at all.

"Alright then, one bun it is," the assistant said warmly after recovering from his surprise.

Chen Ji glanced at the small black cat on the eaves and suddenly asked, "Let me ask you something—is there anywhere nearby that sells fish?"

"You're looking to buy fish?"

"Just asking for now. I don't have the money to buy any yet."

The assistant laughed. "The only thing nearby is smoked salted fish. If you want live fish, you have to go to the East Market. It takes over an hour to go there and back."

"Is fish expensive?"

"That depends on the kind," the assistant said. "Crucian carp and grass carp are cheap, ten wen a catty. Perch is a bit pricier, maybe thirty wen a catty. They say the wealthy merchants and scholars from the north and south who frequent the East Market can even get sea fish. I heard that back when Luocheng was in its prime, they had tons of sea fish shipped in every day."

Chen Ji asked casually, "So Luocheng isn't what it used to be?"

"Times have changed. Back in the previous dynasty, this was the capital—a place of decadence and luxury. Now that it’s fallen on hard times, only a few old masters still brag about it being the capital. But everyone knows the truly prosperous places now are Shengjing in the north and Jinling in the south." The assistant lifted a steamer lid and, amidst the rushing white mist, wrapped a bun in parchment paper and handed it over. "Here, your bun."

Chen Ji didn't eat the bun. Instead, he turned back and placed it on the threshold of the clinic, then bent down to pick up his shoulder pole and water buckets, swaying as he walked inside.

The small black cat jumped down from the eaves and approached the clinic door. It sniffed the bun, then held its head high and walked away, seemingly unwilling to accept Chen Ji’s kindness.

But after only a few steps, it turned back and snatched up the bun.

It stood at the clinic entrance, watching Chen Ji’s back as he carried water to the backyard. It wanted to follow him inside to take a look, but in the end, it turned and left.

...

...

Ever since She Dengke and Liu Quxing had started brawling in the backyard, they hadn't set foot in the main hall. With the master away, both were too lazy to come out and work.

Chen Ji was happy for the peace. When hungry, he’d grab a coarse grain cake from the kitchen; when thirsty, he’d scoop a ladle of water to boil. If a patient brought a prescription, he’d weigh the herbs; if they wanted a diagnosis, he’d politely decline.

He spent almost his entire day studying the medical compendium, focusing specifically on trauma.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he fell asleep on the counter. When he woke up, he saw the black cat from the Wanyuan Garden sitting quietly on the counter, watching him.

The cat’s fur was a mess, and there was a fresh wound on its neck, oozing blood.

Chen Ji smiled and raised a hand to greet it. "How did you walk in without a sound? Did you get beaten up again?"

The black cat tilted its head with a hint of stubbornness.

It looked just like many men who, after a fight, would stiffen their necks to insist they hadn't come off worse!

In reality, that was just the loser’s rhetoric...

"Wait a moment," Chen Ji said. He went to the kitchen to fetch a fire-starter, lit it, and ignited the oil lamp on the main hall counter.

The small flame flickered, not bright enough to light the whole room, but enough for the small space shared by the man and the cat.

Chen Ji blew out the flame on the wooden splinter and muttered, "You fight with that cat of Consort Yun’s every day. Doesn't Consort Jing treat your wounds? You should hide from it, or you’re going to get yourself killed."

The black cat raised its head, looking somewhat unconvinced.

"No need to be stubborn," Chen Ji gestured. "You’re so small, you can't even be a year old yet. It’s so much bigger than you; it’s normal that you can't win. A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, right? Wait until you’re absolutely sure you can win before you go after it again."

At this, Chen Ji turned serious. "But remember, when you do, it must be a fatal blow. Don't give it a chance to recover."

The black cat listened, a thoughtful look appearing in its eyes.

Chen Ji was puzzled. "Can you actually understand what I'm saying?"

The cat didn't react.

Chen Ji smiled. "Let me put some medicine on you."

The black cat watched as Chen Ji suddenly flipped through his medical books, the young man muttering, "Let me see what medicine is good for external wounds. I studied this today... Right, Cnidium fruit. There’s plenty of this stuff; if I take a gram, Old Man Yao definitely won't notice."

The black cat’s tense body relaxed slightly.

Chen Ji took some dried Cnidium fruit and carefully ground it into powder.

He looked at the cat. "I'm going to put some styptic powder on you. Don't scratch me."

To his surprise, when he applied the powder to the cat’s wound, it didn't dodge or flinch, as if it knew he was trying to help.

The black cat was like a small sculpture, its gaze following Chen Ji’s movements. Finally, its body, which had been ready to bristle at any moment, gradually relaxed.

The small black cat’s fur was thick, and it took a long time to carefully part it for inspection.

When Chen Ji finished treating every wound, he smiled. "All done!"

As he spoke, he realized the cat had fallen asleep, its tiny head resting against his palm.

Chen Ji remained silent for a long time, his hand not moving.

Man and cat stayed in that small circle of light, quiet and gentle.

Chen Ji looked down at the small black cat, and after a long silence, he murmured, "I suppose I have a companion now."

Just then, the small black cat opened its eyes and gently placed a paw on Chen Ji’s wrist, as if to comfort him.

Chen Ji stared at the furry little paw for a long time, then asked, "I guess you didn't beat the white cat, and Consort Jing and Chunrong were annoyed that you were so useless, so they wouldn't treat your wounds or feed you. That’s why a cat raised by a noble consort would be pining for a meat bun, right?"

The small black cat looked at him in silence.

Chen Ji asked earnestly, "How about this? When I have the ability to leave this clinic, you come wander the world with me, okay?"

The black cat looked confused.

"No, it needs a bit of ceremony!" Chen Ji pulled a sheet of paper used for prescriptions from the counter and, with a brush, crookedly wrote out an ancient ritual prayer for adopting a cat: "A stray from Luocheng, wrapped in black clouds. Today, Chen Ji adopts 'Black Cloud' into his home. Having no dried fish, I offer a crystal bead as a dowry. May the Kitchen God witness that I shall not abandon you, and the City God witness my grace and loyalty."

As the last stroke was finished, he took the cinnabar inkpad and looked at the cat. "If you really understand me and are willing to follow me, then press your paw print here yourself."

Under the boy’s gaze, the black cat hesitated for a moment, then finally raised its paw, dipped it in the cinnabar, and pressed it onto the contract.

The next moment, the contract ignited without fire, turning into tiny specks of light in the air.

Chen Ji watched the brilliant sight and muttered to himself, "This world really isn't normal..."

A voice asked, "What isn't normal?"

Chen Ji slowly turned his head toward the black cat...