Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Lin? Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Lin? Ermao had worn this pendant since he was very young, but he didn’t actually know much about it. He only had this one piece, given to him by his mother, while Wang Bin didn’t have one. Ermao only remembered one thing his mother had said, “Wearing it will bless you with ancestral protection.”

The problem was, all of Ermao’s grandparents from both sides were alive, and although he didn’t know his parents’ generation well, he knew them somewhat, and then there were people of his own generation. This era didn’t place much emphasis on clan affiliations, at least Ermao didn’t care about it, but not caring didn’t mean Ermao wasn’t curious and suspicious now.

When someone is idly troubled or is trying to distract themselves from their worries, even a slight twist can get them excited. Like Ermao at this moment.

Speaking of the Jiao family, Ermao had done some research and he shouldn’t have any blood relations with them. What baffled Ermao the most was why such a valuable item would be casually hung on a cat’s neck? Given his understanding of the Jiao family’s usual routines, nobody from the family would be home at this time, so it was highly likely that the cat had put on the pendant itself.

“Hey, Black Coal, where did you get this thing from?” Holding two almost identical jade tokens, Ermao pointed his finger at Zheng Tan, “Tell me who gave it to you. It might be a relative of mine, like those stories in books — a distant cousin with a spirited look, lost and alone out there, just waiting for me to come to the rescue!”

Zheng Tan: “…”

Zheng Tan recalled the old woman in the village, a wrinkled face, shabby look, lying on a recliner, and holding a cat. He then looked at Ermao’s hopeful expression. If he could speak, Ermao would definitely be crushed by the disappointment. Of course, even if he could speak, he wouldn’t reveal the truth to Ermao. What if this guy found out there was only a poor old lady and lost interest in going all the way to acknowledge kinship? Why keep this pendant for a year or two longer? Better to resolve the matter sooner and be at peace.

Ermao asked a series of questions, some of them directed at Zheng Tan, perhaps some to himself, confronted by such a significant matter, yet he didn’t feel like contacting his family now, leaving his doubts temporarily unanswered.

Zheng Tan didn’t know how to respond, scanned the room, and found a large backpack in the corner pressing down a map. Jumping off the table, Zheng Tan walked over to check. He lifted his paw to flip the unpressed edge of the map. One side was a map of the province, the other was a city map of Chuhua City. That was perfect.

Ermao stopped his monologue when he noticed where Zheng Tan was looking.

That map was one that Ermao bought when he first came to Chuhua City while wandering outside. At that time, Ermao bought this map mainly to visit some famous scenic spots in Chuhua City and also for noting bus stops, convenient for taking the bus. It had been quite some time since it had been used, just sitting there to place his backpack.

Looking at Zheng Tan, Ermao, rubbing the two jade tokens, walked over, lifted the heavy backpack, pulled out the map, and laid it on the ground in front of him.

The side facing up was the provincial map. Zheng Tan looked at the cities and counties marked on it, lifted a paw, and pressed it on Gaoyang City.

Ermao was silent for a while and then asked, “Gaoyang?”

Seeing that the black cat in front of him didn’t react, Ermao added, “If it’s a ‘yes,’ wave your tail vertically; for ‘no,’ wave it horizontally.”

Zheng Tan waved his tail vertically.

“Gaoyang, huh.”

Ermao directly sat cross-legged on the floor, picked up the map to examine it more closely, then pulled out paper and a pen from the drawer of his bedside table and noted it down.

Zheng Tan was actually puzzled, why Ermao would use such a tail-wagging method to determine meaning, and moreover, Ermao’s receptiveness to this method was fairly strong. Looking at Heimi sleeping on the edge of the bed, Zheng Tan doubted Heimi could understand such methods, besides, this was not the first time.

Communication barrier, Zheng Tan couldn’t simply write the answer on paper or type on a computer, that would be too outrageous, and he didn’t want to be treated as a demon.

When Zheng Tan left, Ermao put the pendant back on Zheng Tan’s neck. Seeing the way Ermao was, he was definitely going to investigate further, and Zheng Tan just had to wait. Although sometimes foolish, Ermao was not a stupid person, so Zheng Tan was not worried that Ermao wouldn’t find any clues.

At dinner time, Ermao wore the pendant outside, visited the Jiao family, borrowed a roll of toilet paper, chatted with Jiao Ma for a while, and then went downstairs.

Sitting in front of the computer, Ermao stared at the startup screen but did not touch the mouse. Gaoyang, he now knew, was Professor Jiao’s hometown, a detail he gleaned by chatting under the pretense of borrowing toilet paper, from Jiao Ma. However, Jiao Ma showed no particular reaction to the jade token, the children had the same attitude, so the token was very likely to have come from Professor Jiao himself.

The next day, Ermao called Zheng Tan to the third floor, continuing with the yes or no tail waving communication.

“Was this item from Professor Jiao?”

Zheng Tan waved his tail horizontally.

“Did Professor Jiao give it to you?”

Waved his tail vertically.

…

When Zheng Tan was getting impatient with all the tail waving, they finally got to the crucial point.

“After going to Professor Jiao’s hometown, can you take me to find someone?”

Waved his tail vertically.

Ermao had planned that if it didn’t work out, he would just send Professor Jiao an email. But now that there was progress, he decided to go and check it out personally.

“Keeping suspense makes things interesting! Only when the answer is revealed do you feel the thrill of achievement!” Ermao was so excited, he jumped twice on the spot, too excited to control his voice, and on impulse, he sang, “A Lin from heaven falls~ Like a cloud just emerging from the mountains~~”
After singing these two lines, Ermao forgot the rest of the lyrics.

Two seconds later, another voice drifted in from the window.

“One would think him~ a frivolous man from his appearance~ but really~ he has an extraordinary frame~ not of the common crowd~”
The windows and the door to the balcony were open, and it was very quiet around, so the sound was very clear.

Ermao rushed out to the balcony and looked up at the fourth floor.

There at the iron fence, General was shaking his head, continuing to sing because Ermao hadn’t responded.

Ermao: “…damn!” Damn, this cat can even sing opera!

Zheng Tan silently shook his head; these two fools really complemented each other well. However, imagining the scene where Ermao meets the old lady, he hoped Ermao wouldn’t feel the world was full of malice.

Over the next few days, Ermao was planning how to get Zheng Tan to lead the way. First, he needed to get Jiao Ma’s approval to take Zheng Tan out. Going there and back, a day should suffice, but since they were looking for someone, Ermao thought it would be too rushed. At least two days, perhaps?

So, Ermao turned to Wei Leng for help. Eventually, it was Wei Leng who came up with an excuse on his behalf. As for Wei Leng taking Zheng Tan out to play for two days, it wasn’t the first time, and Jiao Ma didn’t think much of it, especially since after Mr. Jiao had gone abroad, Wei Leng and others had always been helping take care of the Jiao family, so after a few words of caution, she let it be.

How to take a cat out was another matter Ermao needed advice from Wei Leng on. After all, Zheng Tan was no ordinary cat; he wouldn’t even glance at a regular pet carrier.

The day they decided to leave was a Sunday. With a reluctant face, Ermao took Heimi to the Pet Center, entrusting him to their care for the next few days.

The weather was gloomy, and the forecast predicted rain. Ermao borrowed Wei Leng’s car and headed to Gaoyang City with Zheng Tan sleeping in the back seat. Beside him, there was a travel bag; whenever they walked out, Zheng Tan had to squat inside it.

Not long after Ermao had left, Wang Bin, who was planning to have a serious talk with Ermao, arrived at Chuhua University in the East District, only to find Ermao’s rented place empty. Professor Lan, who lived across the door, kindly informed Wang Bin, who resembled Ermao, that Ermao had left, probably for a long trip, but didn’t know the specifics.

Zheng Tan was initially drowsy and was woken by the sudden ring of the cellphone. Looking at Ermao, who was driving, he saw him free one hand to silence the phone.

Now awake and unable to sleep, Zheng Tan looked out of the car window; the rain was getting heavier.

After arriving in Gaoyang, Ermao booked a room in a hotel, parked the car in the hotel’s parking lot, then came out with the bag to hail a taxi from the station.

Not driving directly to the village was mainly because Ermao didn’t know the way, only the town and the village itself. Driving himself would not only wear out Wei Leng’s car but also make it hard for Ermao to find the place. After thinking it over, it seemed better to just ride.

Zheng Tan didn’t know the way to the village either. During the New Year, it was Mr. Jiao who drove; Zheng Tan only looked at the scenery and slept, nothing more.

The station had buses going straight from the city to the town below. Theoretically, pets were not allowed at the station or on the bus, but this small station’s management was lax, and they didn’t check luggage, which made Ermao’s tricks unnecessary.

When they reached Gaoyang, the weather began to clear. The bus Ermao needed to take was in high demand, and it was a pay-on-boarding system without any option to purchase tickets in advance. The area around the station was bustling with touts, and it was noisy. Staying hidden in the bag felt stuffy for Zheng Tan, but going out didn’t seem any better. Peeking through a slightly opened gap, Zheng Tan, hearing the local dialect and the bustling crowd, felt a bit dizzy.

Whether in the past or now, Zheng Tan had never experienced this. But Ermao looked quite familiar with it, smiling and talking with those touting for passengers outside the station.

The bus was already full, but the touts continued to pull more people aboard. Accustomed to this, watching a bus smaller than a public bus in Chuhua City packed with people, Zheng Tan felt uneasy. Was this really okay? Wasn’t it dangerously overcrowded?

Ermao decided to wait for the next bus. It wasn’t that Ermao didn’t want to squeeze aboard, but Zheng Tan couldn’t endure that. Getting on would likely have squished him into a cat pancake.

After waiting two hours for the next bus, Ermao managed to grab a seat, and Zheng Tan felt much more at ease. Having a seat felt good.

The bus ride was quite a poor experience for Zheng Tan. Various smells mixed together, different noises roared, and a child cried continuously, hurting his ears, making him regret this trip.

There were people boarding and alighting along the way, but overall, the bus got emptier as they proceeded. By the time they finally reached their stop and disembarked, Zheng Tan immediately opened the zipper of the backpack to breathe in some fresh air.

Ermao didn’t seem to have any complaints, clearly having similar experiences in the past.

When they visited the village over the New Year, the weather was nice, and it didn’t feel like much, but now after the rain, everywhere was damp, and much lonelier, with only the occasional passerby in sight.

Walking on the muddy road, Ermao could feel his feet getting significantly heavier, the soles of his shoes caked with a thick layer of mud. He stopped by a small grocery store running at the village entrance, asked around, and bought a pair of rain boots, or his sneakers would have been ruined.

Now fully equipped, Ermao stood at the entrance of the village, looking down the road to the village, “Alright, Lin is just ahead!”

Zheng Tan sighed. (To be continued. If you like this novel, you are welcome to vote and recommend on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep