Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 455 Huo Junpeng's Gift
"This is really lively!"

Old Jiang couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the snow-clawed tiger quickly climb down the tree and then run around the yard in pain.

Seeing the little tabby running around so energetically, it couldn't resist chasing after it. The two cats leaped and bounded together, much to the envy of the lame cat crouching behind Lin Ge. It cautiously glanced at Lin Ge, and seeing that Lin Ge didn't seem to care, it quickly followed after him.

Despite its limp, it was surprisingly fast. Of course, its running style was rather awkward, far from elegant. But with a wife and kids, elegance was pointless, so Lin Ge ignored it.

Besides, this guy usually doesn't show off, but he actually tries his best to help out. When Lin Ge is away, he's basically the one who greets the stray cats that come to the yard begging for food. After all, you can't expect the female tortoiseshell cat to do this; she's become increasingly arrogant, acting all dignified in front of all the other cats except Lin Ge. Expecting her to greet guests and patiently serve them is pure wishful thinking.

"Tsk tsk! Jiang Yan'er mentioned before that you keep some cats in this yard. I thought it was just a couple of cats, but it turns out there are so many already? Tsk tsk... This doesn't look like a police station anymore, it's more like a pet park!"

As Old Man Jiang was talking, he looked up and saw the snarling bird on the treetop. He smiled, shook his head, and carried the iron bucket inside.

"Teacher Jiang!"

Li Siyu already knew that Old Man Jiang was the former head of the teaching department, so she quickly went forward to greet him.

The old man's bucket was quite heavy; Lin Ge could even hear the water sloshing around. Curious, he went closer, and the old man placed the bucket on the ground. Lin Ge peered into the bucket and, sure enough, saw about half a bucket of shallow water containing seven or eight crucian carp of various sizes. The fish were all alive, swimming in circles within their confined space. Lin Ge's presence seemed to frighten them, and they quickly huddled towards the bottom of the bucket.

"Oh! It really is a cat. Is it craving fish?"

Seeing Lin Ge's expression, Old Jiang chuckled and teased, "Don't worry, this was originally meant for you. Huo Junpeng, that fellow, appreciates what you've done for the kids at the school, but he doesn't have anything to offer as a thank you gift. Luckily, he does have a hobby of fishing, and although he often comes back empty-handed, he did manage to catch a few fish the other night. Here! I've brought them all over to you, but you still need to return this bucket to me; I want to use it to pickle radishes."

"A radish that smells like fish? Besides, who's in a hurry? I'm not some naive cat who's never seen the world before. How could I possibly start gnawing on raw fish like that!"

Lin Ge glared at Old Man Jiang with disdain.

"Hey? Why didn't Teacher Huo come by himself? Why did you have to go through all that trouble to make this special trip?"

Li Siyu was somewhat dissatisfied with Huo Junpeng. How could he let an old man carry such a heavy thing? Besides, there should be a proper way to express gratitude. Just throwing over a few crucian carp was too disrespectful to Mimi.

"It's okay, I didn't mention how far it was. I just asked a student for help."

Old Jiang chuckled, then turned back and waved to the entrance of the courtyard, saying, "Hey student, come in and rest for a bit. I'm sorry to have conscripted you, but you won't make it back for dinner anyway, so why don't you eat here before going back to evening study?"

"..."

Gu Peiyao, who had been silent, slowly turned around from outside the door. She looked very nervous, keeping her head down while glancing at the entire yard out of the corner of her eye. There were nearly ten cats of various sizes in the yard, which made her gasp softly.

"Meow!"

Chinchilla recognized the 'familiar face' who had given it a massage that morning and, without any fear, wagged its tail and went to greet Gu Peiyao.

The Welsh cat and the Birman cat also recognized Gu Peiyao, but they were at least a bit more reserved than the Chinchilla. They just meowed at Gu Peiyao haughtily and squatted down quietly waiting for her to come in.

"Um... excuse me... I'm sorry to bother you."

Gu Peiyao was very tempted by the cats all over the yard. When she saw the security guard in the yard looking at her with a smile, she quickly bowed and greeted him before running in with small steps.

She didn't know Li Siyu, but Li Siyu's police uniform made her feel at ease, so she quickly bowed her head to greet her.

"Don't be nervous! This is a police station, no one will hurt you. Just make yourself at home and play with these cats. It'll be another ten minutes or so before we get to the cafeteria. I'll go get a bucket to put the fish in and then bring you your food. Oh! By the way, I haven't asked your name yet! Why don't you come with me to the cafeteria? We can eat there slowly, and I'll show you what a police station is like."

Li Siyu had already guessed Gu Peiyao's identity, but still pretended not to know and protected the girl's dignity. She picked up the tin bucket and warmly invited Gu Peiyao to the cafeteria to have dinner with everyone who was working overtime that night.

"Thank you, no... no need to trouble yourself."

Gu Peiyao shook her head nervously, her eyes fixed on the cats in the yard. She was particularly captivated by the lively little tabby and the snow-clawed tabby, her eyes fixed on them, turning slightly as they ran around.

Seeing this, Li Siyu didn't insist. She just gave Old Man Jiang and Lin Ge a look and then carried the tin bucket to the canteen.

Soon, only Old Man Jiang, a familiar face, and a large group of cats remained in the courtyard. Gentle, playful, affectionate, and mischievous cats—Gu Peiyao was overwhelmed by their variety. She finally relaxed, looked up to see Teacher Jiang talking to the silver shaded cat, and carefully squatted down to stroke the chinchilla, then gently rubbed the head of the affectionate little golden shaded cat. The two cats seemed very comfortable with her care, and a smile appeared on her face.

"High school seniors really have it tough, don't they?"

Old Jiang glanced at Gu Peiyao out of the corner of his eye and sighed after seeing her smile. Seeing Lin Ge struggling desperately in his hand, he tightened his grip on Lin Ge's ear, causing Lin Ge to wince in pain and dare not move again.

As for the hardships faced by senior high school students, Lin Ge did not intend to comment.

Huo Junpeng may have made controversial decisions in other areas, but his expectations and demands for senior high school students are not wrong. The college entrance examination is the most important watershed in a person's future. If they don't work hard now, when will they? Three years of hard work will lead to a bright future, and there's no reason why that's wrong.

The students of Longquan Middle School, in particular, are all the pride of Zhangzhou City, with their academic talent and ability to score high marks. At this point, a difference of just one or two points can make all the difference in their future.

To be realistic, do students from 985 universities and students from ordinary universities receive the same treatment in terms of employment and salary? Even if there are a few exceptions, for the vast majority of companies, if they can recruit outstanding students from 985 or Tsinghua/Peking University, they certainly won't give up on them and choose graduates from less prestigious ordinary universities.

The idea that studying is useless is a joke. The number of underachieving students who outperform top students in society will always be a minority. Proportionally speaking, students from top universities like Tsinghua and Peking University (985 Project) definitely have a brighter future than those from ordinary first-tier or second-tier universities.

From a national perspective, this point is undeniable. It's a practical reality because while academic qualifications don't represent ability, they do represent a person's learning ability and the higher ceiling they can reach.

Therefore, Longquan Middle School hopes that every student in the school can achieve good results, which is something that does not need to be criticized.

Some practices may be debatable, but as long as we know how to change and adjust, that's enough.

"Right now, only a small group of people know about this child. The school hasn't spread the word, and they don't even plan to inform her parents. There are only about three months left until the college entrance exam. If we grit our teeth and find a way to get through this, her future will be just as bright."

Old Jiang spoke in a low voice, seemingly satisfied with Huo Junpeng's compromise and apology.

Incidentally, he was also terribly frightened at the moment; if something had really gone wrong, it would have been utterly disastrous. This wasn't just a matter of the school's reputation, nor was it just a problem for Gu Peiyao personally.

The incident six years ago caused students to underperform in those years, affecting far more than just one or two students. In other words, Lin Ge's sudden appearance this morning saved not only Gu Peiyao, but also thousands of high school students at Longquan Middle School.

This is an astonishing number, a true reflection of what happened six years ago. Or to put it more bluntly, what was lost back then wasn't just a bright child, but perhaps even a future scientist, a seed of high-level talent…

"Phew... As long as what I do is useful, then it's all worth it."

Old Jiang's sigh relieved Lin Ge, who then glared at the old man and said unhappily, "How long are you going to keep pinching my ear? Don't you know it hurts and the position is weird? Let go, or don't blame me for being disrespectful to my elders!" "If you dare to lay a hand on me, I'll tell Jiang Yan'er! I know she gave you two extremely precious medicines, and you used them all. Right now, Jiang Yan'er is trying to find someone to pull strings to see if she can get more. If you bully her father here, believe me, I'll make Jiang Yan'er quit right now!"

Old Jiang glared at Lin Ge with a smile, threatening him fiercely, then twisted Lin Ge's ear hard before letting him go.

Lin Ge winced in pain, but he was completely helpless against this old rascal. However, what he said surprised Lin Ge somewhat. Was Jiang Yan'er still worried about him? He also regretted that he had used up the two precious medicines.

Thinking of this, Lin Ge felt both moved and guilty. Jiang Yan and Yang Xiaotong had truly helped him unconditionally in so much. The role of the collar around his neck, built up over so long as a police cat, was self-evident. And the precious medicine Jiang Yan gave him was the real treasure that allowed him to quickly recover his health.

To put it another way, if it weren't for the medicine Jiang Yan gave him several times, his physical condition wouldn't be so good, and he wouldn't have recovered so quickly from getting sick in the cold water. Other cats who fall into cold water in this season would either die or become seriously ill. But him? He only needed an injection and a day of sleep, and he was lively and energetic again.

To put it even more dramatically, if it weren't for that precious medicine, Lin Ge wouldn't have had the energy to run around everywhere at this time, and wouldn't have coincidentally ended up at Longquan Middle School, saving this unfortunate child named Gu Peiyao.

There is a destiny at work!
The cause and effect caused by Old Man Jiang and Jiang Yan'er averted the possibility of another tragedy at Longquan Middle School. Furthermore, with Lin Ge's intervention this time, the school will certainly increase supervision and patrols in this regard to prevent such an incident from happening again.

‘Crash! ’

Seemingly sensing that their condition was no longer dangerous, the silly fish in the iron bucket started swimming and jumping around.

The sound of water attracted the little tabby and the Welsh cat who had come closer, and also made the Snowclaw tabby, who was wondering why its good brother had stopped chasing, stop in its tracks out of curiosity.

With Lingo squatting there, the three cats weren't afraid at all. The Welsh cat, having seen Old Man Jiang before, wasn't worried at all and came right over. It curiously stuck its head over the metal bucket, and its eyes lit up when it saw the fish inside.

It's not that cats are born liking to eat fish; it's just that the way fish swim is quite interesting, and the fishy smell in the water is indeed very attractive to cats.

The Welsh cat's eyes were wide open, and its tail was wagging excitedly from side to side. It stared intently at the crucian carp swimming slowly in the bucket, even curiously reaching out a paw to try and poke at it, but couldn't touch it because the waterline was too low.

Seeing this, the little tabby and the snowclaw tabby also mustered up their courage and came closer.

These two guys have never been timid, after all, the police station sees so many people every day. They even occasionally wander into the service hall, and when it's cold, they spend the whole day huddled inside enjoying the air conditioning. Besides them, there are also some elderly people from the neighborhood and young people killing time who come to enjoy the air conditioning. So these two have seen plenty of strangers, and Old Man Jiang doesn't make them nervous at all.

The three cats each stood in a different direction around the metal bucket, their hind legs supporting their weight while their front legs were on the rim, their heads straining to peer inside.

They would occasionally reach in with their claws, only to be startled by the sound of the crucian carp swimming and flicking their tails, causing them to flee in panic, only to boldly return again.

After repeating this process several times, the three of them were completely certain that the aquatic animals inside posed no threat whatsoever. So the little tabby took the lead, using its two hind legs to push itself up higher, pressing its belly against the rim of the bucket, and then squeezing its entire upper body into the opening.

The snowclaw tabby and the Welsh cat were not to be outdone, both climbing up and almost falling into the bucket.

They eagerly reached in with their claws, but always fell just short of the surface. After all, these traditional white metal buckets were quite tall, and they dared not fall in, so they remained a little distance from the swimming fish.

But the three guys were very patient, and they didn't get discouraged by their repeated failures. They just kept trying with their claws out.

"Be careful, don't actually fall!"

Lin Ge gave them a few words of advice, then ignored their antics. After all, it was just a small bucket; surely they couldn't drown the cat.

'Crash...'

The change overhead made the crucian carp in the bucket more active. Heaven knows whether they were frightened or excited, but they were tilting their heads back and blowing bubbles at the surface of the water.

At this moment, the larger Welsh cat finally managed to reach the edge of the water with one finger. Almost its entire body was about to fall into the bucket, with three paws bracing against the edge and its head completely submerged.

Judging from the way it was wagging its tail, it seemed quite excited about it.

The tabby and snowclaw tabby cats had their space taken up, and no matter how hard the cat pushed them, they wouldn't budge. The cat was completely absorbed in watching the fish in the bucket, until one of the fish, seemingly oblivious, swam over and touched the outstretched claw of the Welsh cat.

"Meow!"

The Welsh cat reflexively withdrew its paw, nearly falling into the bucket. It jumped up in a fluster and scurried to the side, then stared at the tin bucket with lingering fear, growling loudly.

"Cowardly cat!"

Aside from a disdainful comment from Lin Ge, the other cats ignored it. The little tortoiseshell cat quietly watched the golden shaded and chinchilla cats cuddling with Gu Peiyao, remaining motionless and not intending to join in. The mother tortoiseshell and the money tree cat were enthusiastically grooming their kitten, occasionally meowing as if discussing feline reproduction. Meanwhile, the lame cat and the Birman cat had their eyes on the pesky bird in the tree; the two timid cats, too afraid to climb, simply followed the bird's movements with unwavering focus.

"Ha ha……"

This harmonious and loving scene made Old Jiang's wrinkles stretch out in a wide smile. He had always been an animal lover, otherwise he wouldn't have kept rabbits, pheasants, and squirrels at home. Originally, he just wanted to be unique and make other old folks envious, but now, looking at the yard full of cats, he suddenly felt that keeping a few cats at home wasn't so bad, except he had to worry about whether they would mistreat the other animals...

‘Wow! ’

"Meow!"

Suddenly, there was a splashing sound, accompanied by a roar of surprise and fear from the little tiger-striped dog. It jumped up forcefully on the iron bucket, its right paw swinging high, leaving a long trail of water droplets, and the silhouette of a crucian carp leaping through the air.

This guy... incredibly, he caught a crucian carp with his claws, and even lifted it out of the bucket and threw it out.

This scene startled all the cats and left Lingo dumbfounded.

The silly crucian carp fell to the ground with a 'plop,' thrashing about violently, its tail swishing, and struggling to breathe with its mouth agape. This commotion startled all the cats nearby, who turned and ran away without looking back, only stopping when they were a good distance away from the foolish fish.

Even the little hawksbill turtle lost its composure. Seeing a live fish jumping on the ground for the first time, it ran after it for a long distance until it felt safe before turning its head in confusion.

They looked at each other and relaxed when they saw that the mysterious creature on the ground could only hop around and wag its tail.

"Meow?"

The snowclaw budgie, which was the most frightened and ran the farthest, stared in astonishment at the slippery creature struggling on the ground and couldn't help but call out to the little budgie next to it out of curiosity.

The little tiger was furious, secretly cursing itself for being frightened by such a thing. It strode over again with a fierce and imposing air.

With a "whoosh," he snatched the fish into his mouth.

(End of this chapter)