Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 538: The Accent Remains the Same
"The wind blows the eggshell away, and wealth disappears while people find peace."

"Out with the old, in with the new; you can only make money if you're willing to spend money!"

"Enjoy life while you can, for even if you spend all your money, it will come back again..."

On the bus to Enshi, Lin Ge stared out the window with a depressed expression. Even though the spring scenery outside was quite beautiful, it couldn't lift his spirits.

Because he was completely broke, the last bit of balance in his QR code account went entirely into Huang Qi's pocket.

This despicable bastard even used multiple scans to empty Lin Ge's account. Only when he couldn't scan even the last dollar did he smugly let Lin Ge go and arrogantly leave.

Back at the police station, Nie Guoqiang came knocking again. He brought the account under his control, using Lin Ge's reckless spending as an excuse to impose limits on Lin Ge's salary card. In other words, from then on, Lin Ge had to apply to Nie Guoqiang and obtain his approval for any expenditure exceeding two hundred yuan. He even automatically transferred one-third of Lin Ge's salary into a so-called "retirement" account, which Lin Ge could only withdraw when he was too old to work.

Although this wasn't exactly an extreme situation, the fact that Lin Ge was penniless before next month's paycheck was something he couldn't help but worry about.

He was going to Li Siyu's hometown, but he didn't even have money to buy gifts or go sightseeing. How could he not be depressed?

"Mimi, what are you murmuring about?"

Sitting next to her, Li Siyu was in a very good mood. This time, returning home felt like a triumphant homecoming. Moreover, because of the hard work she and Lin Ge had done in Chu City, Nie Guoqiang had even hinted to her that she might be eligible for a government-funded position next year.

This was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise.

For her, who had only been working at the police station for about six months and had only been a police auxiliary officer for less than three months, becoming a full-fledged police officer so quickly was something she had never dared to dream of before.

Li Siyu plans to burn more paper money for the ancestors of the Li family after returning home this time, and then tell them the good news so that they can all be happy together.

"Don't rush, it'll take a long time to get to Enshi! It's just a pity we can't buy your high-speed rail ticket for our individual trip, otherwise the high-speed rail would be much faster. As for now, just bear with it a little longer."

As Li Siyu spoke, she patted Lin Ge's head and then took a cat treat from a plastic bag on the chair.

"Want to eat?"

Lin Ge shook his head, not in the mood for snacks at the moment.

He is still somewhat worried about those few animals infected with feline rhinotracheitis.

Although Huang Qi had taken them back to the hospital and promised to do everything he could to cure them, the limping and mournful cries they made before leaving, along with the data on the lethality of feline rhinotracheitis to kittens, still made Lin Ge unable to feel happy for a while.

He went to Enshi with Li Siyu this time partly out of a desire to clear his head and avoid facing the possibility of death.

In addition, he had been incredibly busy lately, with all sorts of things happening all the time, and Lin Ge wanted to take this opportunity to rest. To this end, he even asked Li Siyu to conceal his identity as a police cat and instead travel with him to Enshi as an ordinary pet cat. After being refused service by high-speed rail and regular trains, they had no choice but to take a bus.

To be honest, it wasn't a comfortable trip.

The stuffy environment of the long-distance bus made Lin Ge uncomfortable, and the fact that several people in front of him were secretly taking off their shoes and even putting their feet up on the seats only made him feel disgusted. At first, a young woman was even eating snail rice noodles on the bus, and only after being scolded by several people did she obediently put them back in a plastic bag. However, the smell wouldn't dissipate anytime soon; even after more than two hours, it was still assaulting Lin Ge's nostrils.

The only good news right now is that this bus is taking the highway, so it won't stop frequently or be bouncing around on rural roads. And he's already endured two hours; Lin Ge only needs to endure another two hours to reach his destination.

Lin Ge was very conflicted during the journey, and by the time he finally arrived at the Anshi long-distance bus station, it was already past 1 p.m.

It took more than four hours on the highway, and then another hour to get into the city. By the time Lin Ge finally arrived at the bus station and ran out of the car, his nose was ringing.

After relaxing a bit, I realized that the smell of car exhaust outside was much better than inside the car.

Then Lin Ge had to admit that, as a city with excellent environmental protection, surrounded by mountains and clear waters, the air in Enshi was indeed countless times fresher than in Zhangshi. Even Changshi, which he had visited before, couldn't compare to the gentle feeling in the air of Enshi. As tourist cities, and even neighboring cities, Changshi gave Lin Ge the feeling that even the air he breathed was moist and fresh with green leaves, while Enshi had a kind of peace that was hard to describe. The air here wasn't as restless as in Zhangshi, nor as humid as in Changshi; it was a very natural kind of air that the nasal cavity could best accept, or rather, feel without any good or bad stimulation.

Lingo felt that living in a place where breathing was effortless, anyone could live decades longer.

"It feels comfortable, doesn't it?"

Seeing the cat breathing so laboriously in such a strange way, Li Siyu felt both amused and proud. Even though she hadn't actually lived in Enshi for many years, it was still her hometown.

"Good place!"

Lin Ge didn't deny it, nodding as he looked around. The city facilities weren't particularly impressive, and even the surrounding buildings were somewhat old. However, the greenery here was excellent, not the kind of artificially planned, square-shaped trees, but rather ancient trees that had existed naturally for many years. Lin Ge looked up and saw a thick, old stump that would take four or five people to encircle, growing casually by the roadside without any protection.

The tree's branches were so lush that Lin Ge was amazed, but he didn't know what kind of tree it was. It was almost the end of April before it started to grow leaves, making the bare branches, which were only dotted with some green, look a bit messy.

However, Li Siyu didn't give Lin Ge much time to rest, nor did she give him many opportunities to linger nearby. Her home wasn't in the city center of Enshi, but in a place called Shengziba, which was more than an hour away by minibus. Even after arriving at Shengziba, she still wasn't home; she needed to take a motorcycle or three-wheeled vehicle for almost half an hour into the countryside before finally reaching her destination at the foot of the mountain. Her old home was located at the very end of this village.

Lin Ge, who was being jolted half to death by the three-wheeled vehicle, still felt dizzy and saw stars, even though Li Siyu's thigh cushioned his fall.

After getting out of the car, he staggered on the ground for a while, like a drunkard, before finally regaining his balance. Then, looking up, he saw a big yellow dog with silly-looking eyes squatting in front of him, panting and wagging its tail.

After Li Siyu chased the dog away in her dialect and unloaded all the gifts she had brought from the tricycle, seven or eight more mixed-breed dogs of various kinds gathered around her.

These dogs weren't unfamiliar with cats, but there was no doubt that Ringo gave them a completely different feeling. To put it simply, it was like country kids seeing fashionable city kids; these dogs all ran over to see something new and exciting.

As for bullying cats, the village dogs rarely do such things.

Firstly, the cats and dogs in the village are all free-roaming, and everyone is already very familiar with them from daily contact. Secondly, unless they are dealt with with extreme force, these dogs are really no match for the cats, and they are often the ones being bullied by the cats.

After getting used to this, even though Ling Ge was a strange cat, the dogs didn't show any wariness. Some stood a short distance away watching, some wagged their tails and sniffed him, and some barked at Ling Ge without any threat, not much different from the villagers who came to watch the commotion. In addition, Li Siyu's slightly changed local accent made them completely lose their guard.

"Go! Go! Don't block my way, get me some help!"

Although Li Siyu didn't know the dogs, she knew how to get along with them. There were too many gifts to distribute to the villagers, so she kicked the dog closest to her, telling it to hurry back and call for help.

The dog didn't fight back after being kicked; it just tucked its tail between its legs and turned to run away.

Before long, Li Siyu and Lin Ge didn't see anyone from the village come out, but instead they turned around and saw an old man riding on the back of an ox, slowly strolling towards them.

Li Siyu's appearance was unfamiliar to him. The old man leaned closer and looked Li Siyu up and down for a long time but still couldn't recognize her.

"You are……"

"Grandpa! I'm from Li Changgen's family! My dad's name is Li Weidong!"

Li Siyu greeted the old man with a smile, but when she turned her head, she saw Mimi confronting the large water buffalo in front of her. The reason for the confrontation was that the water buffalo had just bitten Mimi's tail, almost picking her up.

"Oh! It's from Li Si's family!"

The old man didn't remember whose son Li Weidong was, but he quickly recalled Li Changgen.

The villagers are mostly surnamed Li, and they were a family of Li who fled here hundreds of years ago. Although countless branches have grown and people have left over the years, the old man remembers those around his age very clearly.

Once her identity was confirmed, the old man's gaze towards Li Siyu softened with affection. This was his own daughter! And so beautiful! Look at her fair complexion, look at her delicate features, she's like a little fairy!
"Why hasn't your dad come back?" the old man asked casually, then flicked his whip in the air. The water buffalo, which was about to bully Lin Ge, quickly looked up and turned to the old man with an innocent 'moo'.

"..."

Li Siyu paused for a moment, and her eyes immediately turned red.

"them……"

"This has happened..."

After listening to Li Siyu's tearful account, the old man took out his pipe from his waist, lit it with a match, took a deep breath, and then exhaled a long breath.

"Girl, come with me!"

As he spoke, the old man turned around and cracked his whip, and the water buffalo obediently walked towards the village.

"Hey?"

Li Siyu was stunned for a moment.

"Just leave your things here. We're all family, no one would steal them. Since you're here, go to the ancestral hall and kowtow first! If you're planning to let your parents return to their roots, I'll take you to see the Party Secretary later."

The old man spoke slowly and expressionlessly, and his words brought tears to Li Siyu's eyes.

Forget about the things she had bought, she stumbled and ran to the water buffalo and boldly took its rope.

The old man gave an approving look, but when he turned around, he saw the cat that had come with his daughter, equally audacious, jump onto the back of a yellow dog in the village. The dog, being a coward, obediently carried the cat and followed.

"Hiss... The back of the mongrel is still a bit narrow. It doesn't have as much fur as Beibei, so it's more comfortable to lie down."

Lin Ge grumbled with some disdain, but the mongrel didn't care at all. It raised its head and barked, looking particularly proud and taunting the other dogs around it with an arrogant gaze.

The old man clicked his tongue and turned his head back.

After following the old man for more than five minutes, the group arrived at the door of a house with blue bricks and red tiles in the middle of the village.

On either side of the main gate are stone-carved couplets, but the characters are very blurred due to age. The windows on either side of the tiled house's main gate have the kind of grid-patterned wooden frames from the 1960s and 70s, with small square panes of glass. Traces of fresh paint are visible on the wooden windows, even around the edges of the glass. Looking through the doorway, there is a large, dark red table with an incense burner and several bowls and plates of offerings on it. However, the candles on the incense burner are extinguished, and scattered incense ash can be seen on the table.

Looking further in, there were countless densely packed wooden memorial tablets, roughly estimated to be no less than a hundred. Just a glance was enough to make Lin Ge feel uneasy, and he quickly jumped off the dog's back.

These nearly one hundred memorial tablets are only for the honored ancestors enshrined in the main house. Ordinary villagers in the village are naturally not qualified to have them enshrined in the main position. The rooms on both sides naturally have places for them to stay after death.

To be honest, in Lin Ge's opinion, the ancestral hall in Lijia Village was quite simple. The room was square, the walls rough, and there were no decorations or embellishments overhead. But this simple room gave Lin Ge a feeling that he absolutely could not offend it. Because even just a quick glance at the first and largest picture in the very center, with the traditional Chinese characters for "17th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty," was enough to prove the village's profound history and the weight of time.

Li Siyu hesitated at the entrance of the ancestral hall, momentarily unable to step inside. It wasn't a matter of gender, but rather that when one is about to meet one's ancestors, if one feels they have nothing to offer, they will always feel ashamed.

At this time, people from other households in the village also came out out of curiosity.

They had originally planned to greet the old man, but upon seeing the young and beautiful stranger at the entrance of the ancestral hall, they were all stunned and couldn't recall who she was for a long time.

Li Siyu was only five years old when she left Lijia Village. In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed and she has grown up so much that no one can recognize her anymore.

"Uncle, who is she?"

A slightly plump woman walked over curiously, carrying a winnowing basket and picking through the contents.

“Li Changgen’s family, her father’s name is Li Weidong! If I remember correctly, he was one of the families who went out to make a living back then.”

The old man spoke casually, slowly flipping off the buffalo's back. He patted the buffalo's rump and then did nothing more; the buffalo then stomped its four legs and trudged towards its shed.

"Oh! I vaguely remember them. What happened? I thought they were a big family, so why is only one daughter back now?"

The woman quickly remembered who Li Weidong was, after all, he had only separated from the family and left the village less than twenty years ago!

A middle-aged man with rolled-up trousers and a mandarin jacket walked over, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He looked at Li Siyu, then at the cat beside her, and said in a daze, "Li Weidong's daughter, I think her name is Li Siyu, right? Daughter, is that your name?"

Li Siyu nodded with tears in her eyes, and then carefully greeted the old folks who had gathered there.

She was sincere and polite, and also quite pretty. In addition, she brought back a lot of gifts at the behest of the elderly people, so she quickly gained their approval and acceptance.

When they heard that her parents had both passed away, several middle-aged women who had gathered around even shed a few tears with her.

Li Siyu couldn't remember where her old house was, and the old man told her expressionlessly that it had been destroyed by a mudslide a few years ago. A kind-hearted aunt then took the initiative to invite Li Siyu to stay at her house.

When Li Siyu told them that she was working as a police officer outside, the villagers were all surprised.

Soon, the two villagers in charge of the ancestral hall's miscellaneous affairs brought Li Siyu a prayer mat and coarse incense from their homes. They also picked out some fruits and meats from the food Li Siyu had brought and helped place them in front of the incense table as offerings to the ancestors. Then they led Li Siyu forward to kowtow and worship.

A group of people watched quietly from outside as Li Siyu kowtowed nine times in a row, then went to the rooms on either side to offer incense and bow to the other ancestors. After she finished all this, their gazes toward Li Siyu became even more benevolent.

"Does this mean that from now on, Li Siyu has been officially accepted by Li Family Village and is now considered a member of the village's own bloodline?"

Lin Ge stood outside, wondering with curiosity that the rules and rituals of the older generation, as well as the sense of identity gained through ancestor worship, were things that outsiders could hardly imagine.

It doesn't even require blood tests or DNA verification. From the moment you offer blood offerings to your ancestors, they will protect you. Everyone is one family. It's that simple.

These remote villages, far from the city, seem to connect everyone through their own unique network of connections.

Li Siyu was a little confused about the upcoming itinerary. She felt that the matter of having her parents acknowledge their ancestors should not be brought up on the first day.

Fortunately, the two ancestral priests in charge of this year's ancestral rites were quite knowledgeable about these matters. Whether it was the beating of gongs and drums, setting off firecrackers, or the preparation of pots and pans, ceremonies, cooks, singing, dancing, burning paper money, fireworks, and the three bows and nine kowtows for the whole village's meal, they could explain everything clearly and make it all believable. These procedures were even designed to be modern and ensure that everyone benefited without favoritism, with the sole purpose of getting everyone to accept Li Siyu.

It would definitely cost a lot of money, but Li Siyu was prepared for that. Compared to spending money, the most important thing about this trip was to let her parents enter the ancestral hall and enjoy the filial piety of all their descendants.

"Oh, we still need to let the Taoist nun take a look."

The old man's sudden remark startled everyone present.

Isn't this just a matter of treating everyone to a meal and receiving gifts? Why do we have to trouble the Taoist nun?

But seeing the old man's resolute attitude, the others couldn't voice their objections.

(End of this chapter)