Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 527 The Lively Cattery

"Meow?"

The little tiger-striped fish stared wide-eyed in surprise at the little fish swimming in the bottle.

It knew the bottle contained water, but it hadn't expected that anything alive could survive in it. The little golden fish circled inside the bottle, its eyes wide, while the little tabby followed, its eyes equally wide. When the cat and fish locked eyes, the little tabby was startled and quickly backed away. It stared warily at the bottle, then, after a moment, curiously peered back to observe.

"Don't knock the bottle over."

Lin Ge didn't stop the little tiger-spotted fish's curiosity, only glaring at it to prevent it from touching it. He wondered if one day, when he wasn't around, the little tiger-spotted fish would somehow manage to pull this fish out and kill it. After all, it was Anxi's only live fish left.

Feeling a slight soreness in his chin, Lin Ge yawned.

Carrying the half-full bottle of water back in his mouth was quite a struggle, but thankfully it had a handle; otherwise, Lin Ge really wouldn't know what to do. And now, bringing the fish back to the cattery, figuring out what to do with it is another headache.

"Meow!"

Snowclaw Tiger and Little Ragdoll also came closer to the bottle. The three cats looked down at the tiny fish, which was no bigger than one of their fingers. For a moment, they were just curious and had no intention of killing it.

But most of the time, cats hunt prey simply out of curiosity.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Ge chased the three creatures away, then looked around and found a plastic box that had previously contained freeze-dried food. He carried it to the table next to Li Siyu's.

Seeing that the box was fairly clean, Lin Ge didn't bother to clean it thoroughly. He then carried the bottle containing the fish to the table, twisted off the cap, placed the bottle against the box, and then poured the water and fish into the box using both hands to hold the bottom of the bottle.

Using this kind of box as a fish tank is definitely much better than a narrow, tall water bottle that's easy for a cat to knock over. The base is stable, the fish have more room to move around, and it looks more aesthetically pleasing.

When Lingo was working, all the cats in the cattery gathered around.

The mother tortoiseshell and the money tree cat crouched a little further away with expressions of disdain mixed with curiosity, while the little tabby, snowclaw tabby, and ragdoll cat simply pressed themselves right up to him, staring wide-eyed at Lin Ge as he worked. Even the little tortoiseshell cat, who had been enjoying its quiet time alone in the yard, curiously slipped into the cat house, standing a little further away, tiptoeing and looking this way. The gurgling sound of running water made all the cats prick up their ears, watching this strange sight with great focus.

When the fish fell into the box with the current, and after a while it was dazed and confused, it started swimming again, wagging its tail, the cats' surprise reached its peak.

The three little tabby cats kept circling the box filled with water, each bringing their noses close to the surface to sniff. One of the more mischievous tabby cats tried to stick its paw into the water, but Lin Ge slapped it hard, and it quickly jumped off the table and ran away.

Lin Ge ignored it, instead went to the pool, filled another half-bottle with water, and carried it back in his mouth.

Water droplets clinging to the plastic bottle trickled down the floor, forming a line that stretched from the cat enclosure entrance to under the table. Lingo repeated his actions, pouring water into the fish tank until it was slightly below the rim.

After thinking for a moment, he went to the cat tree area and found a little yellow duck that Li Siyu had bought for someone else. He picked it up and threw it into the fish tank.

The little yellow ducks floating on the water excited the cats even more. Lin Ge didn't know what they were so happy about jumping around. The snow-clawed tabby even lost its footing and fell off the table, but without complaining, it quickly jumped back on.

The next second, the little tiger barbarian jumped onto the table with a round stone it had found somewhere in its mouth, and, imitating Lin Ge, threw the stone into the fish tank.

"..."

Lin Ge watched speechlessly as the pebble sank to the bottom of the water with a 'plop,' startling the fish. Seeing the other cats' eyes light up as if they had learned something and were eager to try it themselves, he quickly chased them all away.

Damn, are they planning to bury this fish?

"Ouch?"

The little ragdoll suddenly came over with a blade of grass in its mouth, with tender green leaves on it. Thinking about it, fish do need oxygen, and fish tanks generally do need aquatic plants, so Lin Ge didn't stop it.

He watched quietly as the little rag doll tossed the blade of grass into the fish tank, then patted it twice with its paws, hoping it would sink like the stone the little tiger stripe had brought.

Unfortunately, the blade of grass was very stubborn and refused to sink, which made the little doll a little discouraged.

With Little Ragdoll leading the way, and seeing that their father didn't stop them, Little Tabby and Snowclaw Tabby immediately understood. The two cats quickly turned and went into the yard, returning a moment later with one carrying a clump of unknown grass. The one Snowclaw Tabby was carrying had even been uprooted, with some soil clinging to its forked roots. Lin Ge tapped Snowclaw Tabby on the head, took it to the pond to wash off the soil, and then inserted the roots into the fish tank.

This fun game kept the three little ones entertained for hours, but it also caused all the unfortunate weeds in the yard to suffer. Seemingly understanding that their father only wanted plants with roots, they discarded all the broken stems they had pulled out, showing off only the intact roots they had painstakingly pulled out to Lin Ge. Before long, even the little hawksbill turtle and the money tree enthusiastically joined in, determined to destroy all the weeds in the yard as quickly as possible.

"Enough is enough!"

Seeing that the fish tank was already crammed with fish, turning it into an underwater jungle where the fish could only swim through the roots, Lin Ge quickly stopped the overly active creatures.

However, after all that decoration, the fish tank looked much more presentable than before. The fish would occasionally nibble at a blade of grass, as if there was some food attached to it that satisfied it.

The cats, having jumped back onto the table, quietly formed a circle, watching the fish tank in the center and the fish inside.

No one touched anything inappropriate, and no one got too close; they just stared at the fish like idiots.

I don't know what's so interesting about watching a fish swim; these guys watched it from midnight until dawn. Even when Lingo woke up from a nap, the snow claw tigerfish and the little ragdoll were still squatting by the fish tank, as if they hadn't left all night.

The other cats seemed to have gotten tired of playing and were all fast asleep in various corners of the cat house.

Lin Ge looked around but didn't find the female hawksbill turtle. However, considering that this creature was always elusive, either sticking close to him or mysteriously disappearing, he decided to leave it alone.

Looking outside, he saw that it was already daylight, and Lin Ge yawned and stood up.

Just as I was about to go out for a stroll, I ran into Li Siyu carrying a large black bag.

"Huh? Mimi, you got up early today."

Li Siyu joked with Lin Ge, then put the bag in the corner and took out cat-related items from it.

After sorting everything out and putting it away, filling all the cat bowls with cat food, and changing the water to clean water, Li Siyu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then she saw the dried water droplets on the ground and the cat paw prints on them. Li Siyu frowned and glared at Lin Ge, saying, "Mimi, you've done something naughty again, haven't you? Or do you think it's easy for me to work for you every day? I'm warning you, starting today I'm going to help Sister Zimo in the front! We haven't been coming back to the cat shelter much these past two days, so you'd better take good care of it and not make a mess of the place in no time! Look at the water on the ground, and on the table... hey? Goldfish?"

Suddenly, Li Siyu's eyes lit up when she saw the fish tank on the table and the little fish inside that always seemed so leisurely.

Without bothering to argue with Lin Ge, she ran to the fish tank and curiously examined it. Then she turned back to Lin Ge and asked, "Mimi, where did you get this... Hey? Mimi?" While Li Siyu was looking at the fish, Lin Ge had already slipped out.

He had a lot to do today too, including going on a picnic with Zhang Yining and the other six girls. These girls knew how to pick a spot; their target was a small mountain located between the Baimiao and Zhanghe districts. Actually, calling it a small mountain meant it wasn't particularly high, but it stretched for over ten kilometers, covering a significant portion of the Baimiao district. Many of Zhangzhou's industrial zones were actually located behind this mountain range called Qibao Mountain, which blocked pollution from the factories from reaching the city.

This lush mountain is a popular spot for hiking in Zhangzhou. The city government has built trails on the mountain, so it's not as strenuous as climbing a barren mountain.

Of course, if it were a barren mountain, Wei Li, in a wheelchair, definitely couldn't go.

Since becoming disabled, Wei Li has never participated in any outings or similar activities. Whether organized by the school or by his own wishes, he had always had to regretfully give up. The six children chose to go out for a picnic in the countryside today to fulfill Wei Li's wish and curiosity.

Lin Ge jogged all the way to Xiaoguanyuan, only to find that Wei Li and Nie Zhuangzhuang were already waiting in the pavilion.

It's understandable that Nie Zhuangzhuang arrived early, since Nie Guoqiang goes to work early and it's easy to give him a ride. But Wei Li's early arrival was purely due to excitement and impatience. Several bags were piled up in the pavilion, most of them belonging to Wei Li, judging by their color and style. One of the bags even had a large chicken claw sticking out. Lin Ge curiously leaned over to take a look and discovered it was half a dried chicken. Could this really be processed for a picnic?

“When my grandma heard that I was going hiking and picnicking with my friends, she specially prepared some delicious food for me. I told her I didn’t need it, but she insisted on packing it into my bag.”

Wei Li was a little nervous, mainly because she had brought mostly homemade pickled products, which looked rather casual, and she was worried that they wouldn't match the food brought by the others. While she wasn't exactly afraid of being discriminated against or ridiculed, she was still a little embarrassed.

"I like to eat air-dried chicken!"

Nie Zhuangzhuang nodded without hesitation, even licking his lips as he said, "My mom's chicken isn't very good, but my dad's is delicious. It's just that he rarely cooks it, and he says that it depends on the ingredients. Grandma Wei Li's homemade air-dried chicken is definitely better than what you buy outside."

Upon hearing this, Wei Li immediately smiled.

"Tsk!"

Lin Ge pursed his lips. How come he never noticed that Nie Zhuangzhuang was such a gentleman before?
Right!

He was too familiar with Zhang Yining and Hu Miao! Those two girls were also domineering, bullying the three boys for years. Where would Nie Zhuangzhuang have a chance to show his gentlemanly style?

only……

Lin Ge looked at Nie Zhuangzhuang and then at Wei Li, and suddenly felt that it wouldn't be bad if the two of them could be together in the future. After all, Nie Zhuangzhuang had a good personality, was patient, and had excellent family upbringing, so Wei Li wouldn't be bullied in the future.

Of course, it's far too early to talk about this now, after all, they're only two elementary school students!
But what if the two of them get married? By then, I'll probably be gone. After all, what cat can live that long?
Shaking his head, Lingo dismissed his troubling thoughts. Ever since becoming a cat, he had deliberately avoided considering such matters. After all, life isn't measured by the length of one's life; his experiences in this year might be more colorful and enriching than someone else's entire lifetime.

Lin Ge turned to look at Nie Zhuangzhuang again, and sure enough, the guy brought a whole set of pots and pans as promised.

To be honest, these are quite heavy; only someone as strong as Nie Zhuangzhuang could carry them. Luckily, the bowls, chopsticks, and plates he brought were all made of plastic; if they were porcelain bowls, they would have crushed him.

"This is the gas stove that those people use when they ride bicycles, it burns gas from a gas cylinder. I modified it a little at home so it can be used on uneven surfaces. You see, I replaced all four corners with bolts so the height can be adjusted."

Nie Zhuangzhuang then showed Lin Ge the fire-starting equipment he had brought, speaking in a rather boastful tone, but Lin Ge had to admit that the kid was indeed very skilled with his hands.

Although it's just a simple addition of four adjustable feet, the skill involved and the necessary parts are something most people wouldn't be able to acquire or do well. Only Nie Zhuangzhuang's family, where his mother bought him a bunch of various scientific, DIY, and physical equipment, allowed him to DIY all sorts of things according to his own ideas. Even when Lin Ge visited his house last time, he discovered that the kid had modified his chair. He had sawed an ordinary wooden chair in half and made an adjustable backrest.

"I wonder if Jiang Yan beat him up! That chair looks really old, but this kid ruined it."

Lin Ge muttered to himself.

The rest of Nie Zhuangzhuang's bag contained some normal kitchen utensils, all of them quite small. It was unclear whether they were standard household items or extras he had acquired.

In these aspects, Jiang Yan and Nie Guoqiang were surprisingly lenient with Nie Zhuangzhuang, or perhaps they had been intentionally cultivating his practical skills and interests. From an educational and entertaining perspective, the couple's approach to raising their child was remarkably excellent.

Soon Xie Zaiqi and Zheng Jiacheng arrived, each carrying a large backpack, bulging as if they were fleeing a disaster.

Zheng Jiacheng's bag was full of bottled water and drinks, along with brand-new towels, a collapsible bucket, and even a fishing rod. Xie Zaiqi's bag contained a game console, a tablet, a large power bank, and a remote-controlled drone. In short, the kids had prepared quite a lot for this outing. Judging from their expressions, they didn't seem to plan to rush back after climbing the mountain; they even seemed to be considering spending the night on it.

Sure enough, when Zhang Yong drove Zhang Yining and Hu Miao over, Lin Ge's guess was confirmed.

That bastard Zhang Yong prepared two large tents for Zhang Yining, in addition to a few vegetables and meats! When folded, they looked like two square bags that could fit a backpack, but when unfolded, they were two sets of expensive professional equipment.

According to Zhang Yong, this tent is more than enough to sleep three adults, let alone three children.

Zhang Yong even planned a hiking route for Zhang Yining.

After walking two kilometers uphill from Xiaoguanyuan, you'll reach the former abandoned TV tower around noon. Although the equipment at the tower is shut down, the water, electricity, and security are still there. The children can borrow some tap water from the security guards, find a safe spot to cook their own meal, and then rest there for a while before continuing their journey in the afternoon. After walking and playing for one, two, or three hours, they'll reach the summit of Qibaoshan Mountain, their final destination.

Once we get here, we have to consider the water source; there are no springs or running water at the summit. So, we'll have to carry two extra buckets of water from the TV tower in the afternoon, which honestly adds to the hike. But isn't the point of an outing to overcome challenges? If the children have a smooth journey with plenty of food and water, they'll miss out on some of the fun of hiking. There will be various other problems later on, and it'll be up to them to figure out how to solve them.

Then, they'll camp out on the mountaintop that night, and the children will decide for themselves where to sleep and how to wash up. The weather forecast says the weather will be good tomorrow, and standing on the mountaintop to greet the sunrise will be a great experience for them.

In Lin Ge's opinion, Zhang Yong's explanation was simple and his description beautiful, which only made the six children more excited. However, Lin Ge knew that although a journey of more than ten kilometers one way might not seem like much, it wouldn't be easy for children. Leaving aside Wei Li's physical condition, the fact that there were no supermarkets or shops on the entire mountain meant that if they made a mistake while starting a fire and cooking, the kids would at least go hungry; if they got injured, it would be a much bigger problem.

They'll definitely encounter all sorts of problems today, and they'll probably learn something from it...

So Lin Ge was speechless at how much these six parents trusted their six kids. But at the same time, Lin Ge was also a little smug. It's better to suffer a little now than later, right? Learning to take care of oneself is an important part of life.

"Mimi!"

Just as Lin Ge was imagining how pathetic the six little ones would be, Zhang Yong suddenly grabbed Lin Ge by the back of the neck and dragged him aside.

Lin Ge struggled wildly, even extending his claws to fight back, but Zhang Yong approached with a serious expression and said, "It's because of you that Lao Hu and I agreed to let them spend the night on the mountain! So you'd better protect them today, you hear me? You don't need to interfere with their lives or their mountain climbing, but if anyone dares to bully them, as their elder, you absolutely mustn't back down, you hear me!"

"Would I back down?"

Lin Ge disdainfully twisted the item out of Zhang Yong's hand, returned to the ground, and gave Zhang Yong a contemptuous look.

"If it weren't for protecting those six, do you think I'd be interested in something as trivial as mountain climbing? Don't worry, with me here, no one can bully them!"

(End of this chapter)