Not far ahead was a spectacular scene of dozens of cats eating at the same time, with “meow” and “smack” sounds rising and falling continuously. Nearby crouched a lonely man, looking eager to join in.
The fierce-looking widower was watching stray cats eat, while Xie Yu and others hid behind an earthen slope in the shadows, watching the widower watch the cats eat.
The four remained motionless. The wind blew, leaving only silence.
It was strange—very strange.
And awkward—it was genuinely awkward.
The summer night breeze was hot, sticking uncomfortably to their sweaty skin.
Yuanpei uncomfortably tugged at his collar, soaked in sweat—whether from the heat or nervousness, he couldn’t tell.
He whispered, “Are we still watching?”
Staying awake all night to sneak out to a remote wilderness just to spy on an old man feeding stray cats…
What the hell kind of mission was this!
Ma Bing and Ade looked at Xie Yu.
Xie Yu said, “…Let’s wait a bit longer.”
What if the old man had other plans after feeding the cats?
Besides… if they suddenly popped out from behind the mound now, wouldn’t that confirm they were spying!
If that butcher, Yu, started shouting…
No, a man lives but once, like grass and trees. One must preserve dignity.
After a while, the cats finished eating pork. The timid ones scattered in a panic, while the bold ones remained, licking their paws, stretching lazily, and grooming themselves contentedly.
Yu, the butcher, had waited half the night, his eyes nearly turning green. He carefully edged closer and nervously reached out toward an orange fat cat.
He had watched for many days—this cat was the most aggressive in snatching food, eating more than any other.
Over the past few days, its face had even gotten fatter, its fur soft and fluffy. It must feel great to touch!
But the orange cat was alert. As Yu approached, it immediately arched its back and hissed loudly at him—”Haa! Haa!”
Several nearby kittens also fled in all directions.
Yu quickly withdrew his hand. Man and cat stared at each other for a long time. Then, bravely, he reached out again and touched the orange cat’s back.
“Meow!”
The fat orange cat leapt up with surprising agility for its size, twisting mid-air. Its powerful hind legs kicked Yu hard in the face. As it landed, its front claws scraped Yu’s hand before it rapidly vanished into the night.
Honestly, the cat was quite fat, so when it twisted mid-air, it looked like a blob of liquid cat-pancake.
This entire sequence happened in an instant. The four from Kaifeng Prefecture were stunned, then heard Yu cry out in pain—”Ahh!”
The four: “…”
Oh my…
Xie Yu pinched the bridge of his nose, finally convinced this mission was utterly foolish. He stepped out from behind the mound first and asked, “Who are you, and what are you doing sneaking around here at night?”
Ma Bing and the others followed, their faces filled with shock.
Wow, taking the initiative!
But in all honesty, you looked more suspicious!
Yu was indeed shocked. He clutched his scratched face, stunned for a while before jumping up and shouting, “I, I can’t sleep, so I went for a walk—what’s wrong with that?”
Then he realized something was off and, with blood smeared on his face, retorted, “You’re not from Zhangyu Village either! What are you doing here at night!”
He already looked fierce by nature. With blood on his face and the moonlight dimly illuminating him, his shout was indeed somewhat terrifying.
No wonder Zhang the butcher hadn’t dared to follow him. Perhaps besides being held back by the master-apprentice relationship, this was another reason.
Xie Yu signaled Yuanpei to show their official badge, “We are officers from Kaifeng Prefecture on patrol. We noticed your suspicious behavior and followed to investigate. What exactly are you doing here?”
By saying this, he directly excluded the Zhangs from suspicion.
After seeing the official badge, Yu’s defiant attitude immediately diminished. He stammered, “No, nothing. I just… couldn’t sleep because of the heat, so I came out for a walk. Yeah, a walk.”
As he said this, he was also puzzled. In this remote, desolate place, far outside the city, why would officers from Kaifeng Prefecture come here?
Patrol… what was there to patrol?
Could there be treasures buried underground?
Ade stepped forward and kicked over a forgotten strip of meat with his foot, “Walking, yet you brought meat with you?”
Yu’s face turned red. He rubbed his hands nervously and stubbornly replied, “Feeding cats… is that a crime?”
Ma Bing couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s not a crime, but why sneak around? It’s not like it’s something to hide. At night, carrying a knife and raw meat—wouldn’t that scare anyone who saw you?”
“Exactly,” Yuanpei looked at the blood streaks on Yu’s face and felt his own skin prickle, “If you really like cats, just adopt one and keep it at home!”
Raise it properly for a few days, and you could even pet it. Why go through all this pain and injury?
Caught red-handed, Yu struggled for a while, then gave up and began telling his story to these strangers.
He used to have a daughter. The little girl loved cats and wanted to keep one, but Yu’s wife had poor health and needed peace and quiet. Yu himself didn’t like cats, so he refused.
Back then, he had promised, saying, “Wait until your mother gets better, and we’ll get one.”
The little girl waited and waited, but before her mother recovered, she caught a cold one winter and died.
What had been a happy family of three was suddenly reduced to just a widower. Since then, Yu had become increasingly irritable, and in moments of solitude, he constantly blamed himself for not taking good enough care of his wife and daughter.
“Xiaoya was always such a good girl, never asking for anything,” Yu crouched on the ground, dejected, “Even this small wish couldn’t come true…”
Everyone fell silent.
“One day, a stray cat came to my house,” Yu’s eyes suddenly lit up, his voice trembling slightly, “Those eyes—so much like Xiaoya’s! Round, soft, and when it meowed at me, it sounded exactly like when Xiaoya called me ‘Dad’ in her sweet little voice!”
He chased after that little cat, though he never caught it. However, he discovered there were many stray cats here and, moved with compassion, started feeding them.
Right after losing his wife and child, he couldn’t even bear to hear anything related to cats. Whenever he saw someone keeping a cat, he couldn’t help but think of his daughter, feeling as if his heart and soul were being carved out with a knife. He even wished to chase away every cat in the village.
Given this past, it was understandable that he now felt ashamed of his affection for cats and feared ridicule, so he kept it secret.
After hearing this, the four of them felt a bitter ache in their hearts.
All beings suffer, each in their own way.
Ma Bing sighed, about to speak, but noticed Xie Yu was staring blankly somewhere, lost in thought.
“Director Xie?”
Xie Yu hummed, “Why are there so many cats here?”
Yu was stunned.
He had never considered this question.
“There were always some,” he replied thoughtfully, “But now that I think about it, there weren’t this many before. Probably because some people kept cats and then regretted it, so they abandoned them. The domestic cats became strays and had kittens.”
Xie Yu shook his head, looking down at the chaotic paw prints on the ground and roughly estimating the number of stray cats, “No.”
Something was off.
Ma Bing followed suit, counting, and also sensed something unusual.
“This place is desolate, the nearest village, Zhangyu, is several miles away. Even the vegetation is dead. What do they eat?”
Yuanpei and Ade scratched their heads, wondering if they had forgotten their brains at home.
How could they suddenly not understand anything?
Especially Ade, who thought today had been too exciting:
Early in the morning, he was sent to a brothel full of girls to find another girl, then at night, he skipped sleep to watch a widower feeding stray cats…
And now it turned out to be a misunderstanding, yet they were suddenly concerned about what the cats ate?
Didn’t the Prefecture have enough problems and chaos already?
“Everything in the world leaves traces, birds and beasts are no exception,” Xie Yu walked in the direction the cats had scattered, easily finding several cat dens, where a few kittens hissed at him.
“A person lives one day needing to consider food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and cats are the same. They gather here in large numbers and settle down because they can obtain stable food sources nearby,” Xie Yu looked around, all he saw were dead tree branches.
Yu glanced too, “There used to be a small forest here before. But after several months of drought, everything died, and nothing has grown back since.”
Some even said it was a cursed place with bad feng shui, so no one dared to come here anymore.
Xie Yu looked at him, “You said there were already many cats here before you came?”
Yu nodded.
“This place is rarely visited by people. The possibility of someone else feeding them regularly is extremely low. In other words, they must find food themselves. Stray cats mostly feed on birds and mice,” Xie Yu continued walking, and everyone followed thoughtfully.
But looking around, all the vegetation here was dead, not a single fresh leaf. Where were the birds?
Then the only remaining possibility was mice.
As the sky completely darkened, Yuanpei took out a fire starter, casually broke off a few dry branches, lit them, and stuck them in the ground as torches.
The branches, dried for who knows how long, caught fire instantly, accompanied by faint crackling sounds. Orange-red flames rose, quickly raising the surrounding temperature.
Xie Yu stopped, looking down at several holes on the ground, his clear voice like flowing spring water.
“Continuing the deduction, since there are many mice here, there must also be food sufficient to feed them…”
Nothing in the world exists in isolation. People and objects alike exist within certain cycles—upward, one could find their origins; downward, one should also find what sustains them.
Following his line of thought, the group gradually discovered something unusual.
Mice eat almost anything, but the problem was this: at first glance, there seemed to be absolutely nothing here.
No vegetation, no grain, no fruits or vegetables, and certainly no leftover food or stored grain from humans.
So how could there be enough food to sustain so many stray cats?
If one simply asked why there were so many cats, the question might seem random. But now, following Xie Yu’s reasoning, step by step, it truly felt somewhat unusual.
Ade got excited, ran a distance away to search, and shouted joyfully, “Director, it’s true! Go a hundred steps or so away, and there aren’t this many mouse holes anymore.”
This meant there must be something here that serves as food for mice.
And in significant quantity.
Xie Yu thought for a moment, then asked Yu, “When you first discovered that stray cat, did it come into your house on its own? Have you heard others in the village experiencing similar situations?”
Yu carefully recalled, then nodded, “I don’t go out much, but I do remember hearing some customers complain about it, saying their newly bought meat hadn’t even been eaten yet when it was snatched by a stray cat.”
Ma Bing understood.
“Stray cats rarely approach humans. You’ve been feeding them for many days, yet they still won’t come near you. This proves it.”
So under what circumstances would stray cats, which usually avoid humans, dare to enter human settlements?
There was only one answer:
To find food.
Because the food supply here was no longer sufficient.
Yuanpei asked Yu, “Could nearby villagers have hidden grain here before, or perhaps buried diseased livestock?”
Yu shook his head without hesitation, looking at them as if they were fools, “Who would keep grain without holding it tightly in their own hands? Even diseased livestock, one wouldn’t easily discard unless absolutely necessary!”
After all, it’s meat!
If it ever reached the point of having to discard it, it must have been due to an epidemic. Everyone knew the dangers and wouldn’t dare to throw it carelessly. They would certainly dig a pit, burn it with fire, then disinfect with quicklime and bury it deeply.
Burned like that, even mice couldn’t chew on it.
Not this, not that, then what remained was…
The four from Kaifeng Prefecture gradually grew serious.
“Yuanpei, you go back to the Prefecture and ask Director Tu to mobilize personnel. Ade, go to the Household Department and ask Director Fang Bao if there have been any missing persons reported in the past six months.” Xie Yu gave orders, finally turning to Ma Bing, “Miss Ma, you’ll accompany me to visit the village head of Zhangyu Village.”
The sudden increase in stray cats started recently this month, so the series of events must have begun within the past two or three months.
The increase or decrease in the number of stray cats completely depends on the mice population, which needs to be traced back a bit further.
But not too far, no more than half a year.
The three saluted and accepted the orders, “Yes.”
Yu was stunned by this sudden turn of events. After a while, he nervously asked, “D, Director, what does this mean?”
It sounded like something big was happening.
As he spoke, the wooden stick stuck in the ground burned out. The flame swayed unwillingly a few times before sputtering and extinguishing with a “puff.”
Gray-white smoke curled upward, and the surroundings returned to darkness.
After a few more breaths, everyone gradually adjusted to the faint starlight. Ade and Yuanpei, one on each side, dragged Yu along. Ade grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, ominously saying, “Knowing too much isn’t always good.”
Yu’s legs weakened as he gulped audibly.
No more questions! No more questions!
Later, the group split up. Ade and Yuanpei returned to Kaifeng Prefecture to gather people, while Xie Yu and Ma Bing followed Yu to find the village head.
At this time, the village head, Zhang Changshou, was sleeping soundly when suddenly his dog started barking wildly. Soon after, his eldest son hurriedly came knocking on the door, “Dad, it’s terrible! Officers from Kaifeng Prefecture have come!”
The old man, rubbing his eyes, initially didn’t understand. He sat on the edge of the kang bed like a wooden figure for a long time before his mind gradually cleared.
“Who came?”
His son repeated, turning to look at Xie Yu and Ma Bing behind him, smiling apologetically, “Sorry, the old man is getting on in years and a bit hard of hearing.”
He had just opened the door when he saw Yu standing outside with blood all over his face, nearly scaring him to death!
Then he saw Yu accompanied by a handsome young man and a beautiful woman. In the dim light, he couldn’t clearly see their attire and thought they were a young couple looking for lodging…
Inside, Zhang Changshou finally woke up, hurriedly putting on his shoes and roughly combing his sparse white hair with his hands, trying to make it look less disheveled.
His wife also got off the kang bed, fumbling for a fire starter to light the oil lamp, then came to open the door.
“Oh, what a well-matched young couple!”
The old lady couldn’t help but praise instinctively.
It was unavoidable—when people grow old, they can’t help but imagine young people together.
Seeing the two elders looking somewhat panicked, Ma Bing smiled at them, “Don’t be afraid, we’re here to borrow something.”
Xie Yu took out his official badge for them to see and said they needed to borrow dozens of iron shovels. If that wasn’t enough, other digging tools would work too.
There was a strong suspicion here, so they had no choice but to mobilize people to dig intensively.
Zhang Changshou didn’t dare ask many questions. He immediately sent his eldest and second sons to go door-to-door to knock and gather tools, then invited Xie Yu and Ma Bing inside to sit.
The commotion woke up several daughters-in-law. Ma Bing noticed the old lady whispering to them before heading toward the kitchen, so she quickly stopped her, saying, “Please don’t trouble yourself, we don’t have time for that. Just answer a few questions.”
Still feeling awkward, the two daughters-in-law went to boil water anyway, bringing out their best tea and cups, which they carefully rinsed with hot water before brewing two bowls of hot tea.
It was rare for such distinguished guests to visit this small village. Everyone lost their sleepiness and gathered outside, enthusiastically discussing how bright and dignified their clothes looked, how proud and imposing their posture was…
Xie Yu questioned the village head while Ma Bing, with a sly glance, took her tea bowl to chat with the two daughters-in-law.
“Two elder sisters, really troubling you,” she smiled, handing over her pouch, “For the children to eat.”
The two daughters-in-law initially refused to accept it, but after much insistence, they reluctantly took it, feeling very uneasy.
Seeing several candies inside made them even more eager to serve.
Ma Bing didn’t let them serve her but instead chatted casually.
“I heard there have been stray cats stealing things from your place recently?”
“Indeed!” the eldest daughter-in-law replied, “They stole several fish! Truly annoying!”
“Where did they come from?” Ma Bing asked while sipping her tea.
The two daughters-in-law exchanged glances, both puzzled, “We also can’t figure it out. They weren’t here before.”
“When did they start appearing?”
“Last month?”
“No, probably this month. Come to think of it, we haven’t seen them lately…”
Ma Bing thought to herself, indeed, they hadn’t been seen lately—because a cat lover had been feeding them fresh meat!
These stray cats must have been eating better than humans recently.
Then she asked about nearby villages, any news, or any missing persons.
As Xie Yu thoroughly questioned the village head about the local terrain and hidden paths, Ma Bing’s head was also forcibly stuffed with gossip from nearby villages.
Stories like which sister-in-law was having an affair with her brother-in-law, or which husband had a cheating wife—vivid and shocking.
Seeing the nostalgic expression on Ma Bing’s face, Xie Yu couldn’t help but look a bit strange.
After walking a few steps, he finally couldn’t resist reminding her, “Miss Ma, don’t take advantage of official duties to ask about such things.”
Ma Bing looked innocent, “They insisted on telling me!”
Xie Yu chuckled, shaking his head helplessly, “Alright, let’s go. Yuanpei and the others should be here soon.”
When the two reached the village entrance, they saw the village head’s two sons squatting there, with dozens of shovels and picks piled beside them, borrowed just moments ago.
Soon enough, Yuanpei and Ade indeed returned with twenty men in a grand procession. Everyone picked up a tool and rode their horses toward the area where the stray cats gathered.
At this time, the sun had not yet risen, the coolest part of the day. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and dug furiously. Mice ran everywhere, stray cats darted about—absolute chaos.
As the sun gradually climbed to midday, suddenly an officer’s shovel hit something hard. With a few more scoops, the earth collapsed, revealing a hollow space.
He exclaimed in surprise, then quickly shoveled more dirt away, discovering many mouse droppings inside.
Turns out it was used as a mouse hole!
And beneath the mouse hole, from the gray-black soil, a pale white bone fragment was exposed.
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