PCJ – Chapter 280 The Fat Cat’s Peril

The house rented by Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye a few days ago had a simple setup: a small kitchen, a small bathroom, and a combined dining and living area. Though modest, it was a significant improvement for them, providing a small space of their own where they could have some privacy.

“Youping, how about we bring the kid over once we’ve saved up some money?” Liu Qiaoye asked softly.

“That sounds good, but there are no schools around here. We’d need to be closer to the city center. It seems like the schools here don’t accept children from outside,” Zhang Youping replied. He had asked about it while collecting scrap metal at the local elementary school. With the influx of people into the city, the schools were already overcrowded. It was hard for children of migrant workers like them to get into schools.

“What should we do then?” Liu Qiaoye frowned.

“For now, there’s not much we can do. Let Jiaohua stay in Meizi Ditch for a few more years. When our situation improves, we’ll bring him over,” Zhang Youping suggested.

“That’s the only option we have. I don’t know why, but I’ve been thinking about the kid a lot today. Could something have happened to him at home?” Liu Qiaoye said with a worried tone.

“Don’t be so paranoid. Women always get worked up over nothing. It’s unlikely anything’s happened. What could possibly go wrong at home? If there were any serious issues, his grandparents would have sent a telegram. Just try to relax and get some rest,” Zhang Youping said.

“It’s not that. I still can’t shake off the feeling from last year’s incident. It was just so strange. Luckily, Jiaohua was asleep. But how could Jin Hu and the others have drowned? All the kids in Meizi Creek grew up there,” Liu Qiaoye said, staring at the tree shadows moving on the ceiling.

“Yes, it was really strange. These kids are all familiar with Meizi Creek. How could they drown in a pond? The pond’s water wasn’t even that deep, and it only reached up to their thighs at the edge. It doesn’t make sense. Jiaohua was also acting weird that day. When we went looking for him, he wouldn’t wake up no matter how much we shouted. No one saw what happened from beginning to end. Jiaohua always said Jin Hu and the others were with him, but later he said they weren’t. I still feel like he wasn’t telling the whole truth. Sometimes, I noticed he would look away awkwardly while talking,” Zhang Youping confessed his confusion.

“Also, we never figured out what that old Taoist master teaching Jiaohua Mianshan magic in his dreams was all about,” Liu Qiaoye added.

“These are questions we’ll need to ask Jiaohua when we get back. For now, we should focus on getting things settled here. Once our conditions improve, we can make sure Jiaohua has a good life,” Zhang Youping said.

The next day, at the Meizi Ditch garden, several people were searching for the fat cat. Since Zhang Jiaohua returned from school, the fat cat had been missing. Zhang Jiaohua was very interested in the fat cat’s fishing skills and had hoped to see it fish again. However, upon returning, the fat cat was nowhere to be found.

“It was still here when you went to school this morning. After that, it just disappeared. Could it have run away?” Zhang Wenrong asked.

“It shouldn’t be,” Zhang Jiaohua said. He didn’t think the fat cat had gotten away from him; in fact, with just a thought, he could end its life. But where had the fat cat gone? Zhang Jiaohua couldn’t sense it clearly. Soul control was quite unreliable. He couldn’t really use it to kill the fat cat.

“Well, it’s not urgent. The fat cat has legs. It couldn’t have just stayed indoors,” Zhang Jiagen said.

“Exactly. Things will sort themselves out. We can let the leopard try looking for it,” Zhang Hanga thought for a moment and suggested.

“Forget it. We’ll deal with the fat cat when it comes back!” Zhang Jiaohua shook his head.

The fat cat, once Zhang Jiaohua left for school, sneaked back into Meishan. It hurried to its old lair, only to find that its subordinates had dispersed days before its return. They had never expected the fat cat to survive. The few black cat leaders had fought among themselves but ended up splitting up. Each took a group of black cats and occupied a different area.

“Meow!” The fat cat roared angrily. Despite its calls, no cats came to respond. Instead, its old rivals showed up. Without the fat cat’s rule, the strength of the ox cats had diminished significantly and had become disorganized. Its rivals took advantage and drove the ox cats away.

“Chirp chirp, chirp chirp…”

The fat cat looked around, realizing it was surrounded by its rivals. Since this was its own territory, it hadn’t noticed the changes. It was now occupied by its enemies.

The fat cat had no heroic impulses. Realizing its lair had been taken over, it wanted to escape. However, its rivals were devious, blocking all its escape routes. It couldn’t climb trees as its opponents were also skilled climbers, or rather, they were monkeys adept at climbing.

The strongest monkey leader appeared before the fat cat, circling it. The fat cat had fought with this monkey leader many times before, always coming out on top due to its higher intelligence.

“Chirp chirp chirp…” The monkey leader chattered and jumped around the fat cat, clearly thrilled to have surrounded it.

The fat cat hung its head, knowing that its chances of survival were slim.

Just as the monkey leader was basking in its victory, the fat cat suddenly moved and bit down hard on the monkey leader’s tail. It was like biting into a crisp carrot. Snap! The monkey’s tail broke!

“Chirp chirp chirp…” The monkey leader howled in pain. The monkey group fell into chaos. Seizing the moment of confusion, the fat cat dashed into the bushes. Unable to escape upwards, it had no choice but to flee through the underbrush.

The monkey leader, looking at its broken tail with anger, let out a furious roar: Roar…

In the forest, countless monkeys leapt through the trees and ran through the underbrush.