Chapter 188: Chapter 188: You Dare to Throw, I Dare to Pick Up Chapter 188: Chapter 188: You Dare to Throw, I Dare to Pick Up The next day, Zheng Tan went to Jiao Wei’s small restaurant for lunch, and saw Jin standing under a tree at the entrance.

Jin had lost his phone and wallet yesterday, and hadn’t contacted any of his acquaintances immediately. Later, Zheng Tan took him directly to Jiao Wei’s family restaurant.

Jiao Wei’s mother treated Jin with such warmth that it made him feel embarrassed. He wanted to leave an IOU or something, but Jiao Wei’s mother said, “Heitan brought you here. Why would I charge you? Consider this meal my treat!”

By now, Jiao Wei’s mother had a good sense of some things, having also gleaned a bit from Jiao Wei. Her attitude toward Zheng Tan was not at all like towards the cats from their old village. After years in business, she developed a knack for judging people. Jin didn’t seem like he had any ill intentions, and besides, a meal only cost ten or so yuan. There was no need to be so petty about it, and lending a helping hand was good karma.

After having dinner in the restaurant last night, Jin shouldered his guitar and headed for the central square. Actually, if Zheng Tan hadn’t brought him here, he would have gone there to sing first, and then had something to eat once he had earned a bit of money in the evening.

Today at noon, just after Jiao Wei’s mother finished washing the vegetables and sat down to rest at the entrance, waiting for the school dismissal time when it would get busier, she didn’t expect to see Jin show up.

Jin came to eat, this time paying with his own money. He also bought some fruit with the money he earned last night as a thank you gift. After spending that money, he wasn’t left with much, only enough for bus fare, and planned that if things got tough, he could take a taxi back home to get some cash before heading out again. He had to be grateful that he hadn’t brought his ID card or bank cards with him when he left. The wallet only had the 2,000 yuan he had withdrawn when he went out. It’s just money lost, but losing cards and documents would have been more troublesome.

This afternoon, when Jin came over, he ran into Ermao who had come to the restaurant to pick up food. He had seen Ermao twice before and knew he was close with Wei Leng.

Ermao now often went to the Night Building with Qin Tao and others. Wei Leng had also told him about Jin’s band, and he had listened to a few of their performances. Knowing Jin, he could identify him by the cat necklace hanging around his neck, even if he wasn’t sure otherwise.

With the weather warming up, Ermao didn’t sleep in. He used to come around this time every day to collect dinner, specifically buying two insulated containers from the supermarket. He handed over the empty insulated container he was carrying, took the one filled with food that Jiao Wei’s mother handed to him, set it aside, and didn’t rush off. Instead, he sat down and chatted with Jin for a while.

Hearing about Jin losing his wallet and phone, Ermao expressed his sentiments that there really were a lot of pickpockets around, especially near the school and the commercial street area. Jin’s situation was not rare.

“Do you want me to lend you some?” Ermao casually offered.

Jin cautiously declined. The last time he saw Ermao, he was with a bunch of rich dandies, and Jin guessed he was likely one too. This type of person could easily take offense if not spoken to correctly.

“Oh,” Ermao didn’t mind being refused, “I was just saying. Actually, I didn’t bring a single cent with me when I left home.”

Jin: “…”

“But…” Ermao stretched lazily, “if you’re familiar with that cat, clinging onto its coattails will keep you from going hungry.”

After saying this, Ermao stood up, picked up his food container, and left, not encountering Zheng Tan and the others who arrived afterward.

Even though Ermao’s last comment might sound like a joke to others, outlandish even, Jin knew it was true. Now seeing how the owners of the small restaurant treated Zheng Tan, Jin couldn’t help but feel astonished in his heart; this man wasn’t doing as well as a cat—look at the face others gave to the cat!

Yesterday, Zheng Tan had left Jin at the restaurant without attending to him and went to pick up Little Youzi instead. He didn’t expect to see Jin there when he came in for lunch today.

Jin greeted Zheng Tan and then left the restaurant, not wanting to disturb Zheng Tan and the others during their lunch. He planned to take a stroll inside Chuhua University. He hadn’t attended college and thought it would be nice to walk around this renowned institution, a rare opportunity.

In the afternoon, when Zheng Tan was preparing to go out for a walk, he bumped into Jin, who was wandering around the university campus. Jin even suggested that Zheng Tan show him around the campus, but Zheng Tan decided to try the overpass where the blind old man was again and ignored Jin’s words.

Not see any reaction from Zheng Tan, Jin thought the cat might not have understood him, but when he saw Zheng Tan heading out, he gave it some thought and followed. So, a man and a cat once again arrived at the overpass.

What surprised Jin after reaching the overpass was that, not far from the blind old man, set against the railing, were his wallet and phone, which he had lost yesterday!

He asked a person selling mangoes in a basket nearby, who said that the blind old man had placed the phone and wallet there early this morning.

Jin opened his wallet and checked it—no money was missing. His phone, after being turned on since it was off, functioned perfectly, with his contact lists intact.

It wasn’t just Jin who was shocked, Zheng Tan was too. Could this old man truly be a significant figure? He had learned something about the old man from listening to Wei Leng and Ye Hao’s conversations. Without connections or skills, it wouldn’t be easy to find lost items so quickly.

But Zheng Tan was puzzled about one thing weren’t great people supposed to be temperamental? Why didn’t the old man seem to be? Zheng Tan had even pulled out his beard yesterday, and the old man didn’t react at all, nor did anyone look for trouble with him afterward.

When Zheng Tan and Jin arrived, the old man was playing the erhu.

The tune was different from yesterday’s, and as Jin listened, he noticed it lacked that sense of sorrow and was unlike the style from yesterday afternoon, instead providing a very calming, almost bizarre sensation. At this time of day, with such weather and surroundings, one would expect to feel weary or irritable. Of course, for Zheng Tan, who didn’t appreciate the music, that was a moot point, his mood unchanged.

Jin didn’t interrupt the old man; planning to thank him after he finished playing the tune, he walked to the side and leaned on the railing, listening intently to the blind man playing the erhu. Jin greatly admired the blind old man; although he considered himself somewhat skilled, it clearly wasn’t enough. Had he been the one playing and singing here, the blaring car horns from the traffic below the overpass would undoubtedly affect him. Some impatient drivers would honk frequently or even hold the horn down. Anyone without the right mindset would probably choke on their lyrics after the first line due to the horns.

Simply put, it’s a matter of mindset, but to achieve what the blind old man had wasn’t easy. Maintaining one’s true heart in serenity—how difficult it is.

Of course, even if he could withstand the noisy horns beneath the overpass, Jin wouldn’t play his guitar here. Although he didn’t quite understand why the nearby vendors treated the old man differently, he wouldn’t compete for the business here. With the recent incident of the old man returning a wallet and cell phone, Jin decided he wouldn’t perform in this spot anymore.

Zheng Tan didn’t understand or appreciate the music. He approached the old man and looked up to observe his expression.

It was the same as yesterday’s: eyes closed, expressionless face, which made the long beard wafting in the breeze all the more noticeable.

However, harboring some reservations, Zheng Tan decided to wait and watch for a while, refraining from plucking the beard for the moment. He crouched beside the wooden box—which had already collected some coins—and began to count how much the old man had earned today.

As he counted the money, a shadow loomed over him. Looking up, Zheng Tan saw the figure in front of him—or more precisely, standing in front of the old man—bearing a rather exaggerated and arrogant expression, accompanied by a provocatively dressed young woman. Onlookers’ gazes were drawn to the woman’s prominent cleavage and her bare, white legs.

“Not bad playing,” the man remarked, then took out a wallet, pulled a brand-new hundred-dollar bill from it, and casually tossed it onto the ground.

Zheng Tan glanced at the bill on the ground; its landing spot was a good forty centimeters away from the wooden box. Looking back at the man, there seemed to be no intention of picking up the money to place it in the box. Instead, he appeared to be expectantly waiting, probably to see who would go over to pick it up.

This act carried a hint of insult. Those around who saw it were either anticipating the scene to unfold or, though disapproving, took no real action, reluctant to offend someone who clearly wasn’t short of cash.

Jin watched, debating whether to intervene since he’d encountered such embarrassing situations during his time as a street performer and had developed some immunity. However, just as he was about to step forward, he saw the Black Cat squatting by the wooden box move it away from the wind’s reach, grasp it with its front paws, and then drop it into the box. After placing the bill, it even used a paw to shuffle the coins inside to weigh down the bill, preventing it from being blown away by the wind.

Throughout this, Jin, while monitoring the unfolding events, felt a subtle change in the tune played by the blind man: it shifted from calm to stern, then to contentment. But when he listened again, he couldn’t perceive any differences from before and doubted whether such variation was even possible within the same melody. He wondered if it was an illusion.

In all this time, the old man playing the erhu hadn’t stopped, as if he was unaware of everything happening around him.

The man, not expecting such a turn of events, pulled out another hundred yuan bill and threw it on the ground. Zheng Tan repeated his previous action.

After putting the money into the wooden box, Zheng Tan looked up at the man in front of him. You dare to throw, I dare to pick. Now I’m just a cat; I’m not afraid of losing face. Besides, the old man wasn’t having great earnings today; although he hadn’t finish counting, Zheng Tan roughly estimated about eighty dollars. This guy was tossing out hundreds—it’d be a waste not to pick them up.

Zheng Tan had seen plenty of such foolish, wealthy, morally questionable, and rash individuals. The former Zheng Tan had done such idiotic things too. Now, looking back, it’s a past he’d rather not dwell on.

After the man threw out five 500 yuan bills, the woman beside him finally couldn’t bear it and tugged at him, whispering something in his ear. The man, wearing a visibly annoyed expression, snapped his wallet shut and shoved it into his pocket before hastily walking away.

“Tsk—” A laugh broke out, and several small vendors around began to chuckle too.

“Hey, it’s good to have a cat around,” someone quipped.

Zheng Tan ignored the surrounding chatter and turned back to the old man, observing no change in his expression.

As time approached, Zheng Tan left the overpass, and Jin followed. The wallet was now secure, and since he hadn’t bought the chicken skewers yesterday, he might as well do so today. Moreover, he planned to roam Chuhua University for the next couple of days. He had found some inspiration while wandering around today, and Jin didn’t want to waste it.

Not long after Zheng Tan’s departure, the old man stopped playing and sat quietly holding the erhu, waiting until the sunset to leave.

“Hey, the old man seemed to play longer this afternoon,” the mango seller whispered to the toy vendor.

“… Perhaps he was in a good mood, he made over 500 yuan just this afternoon,” replied the toy vendor with envy.

What the old man actually felt, no one could really say. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep