Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 541 A penniless man and a cat

The little boy didn't say anything, but stood next to the passenger at the front of the line, holding something that looked like a disability certificate, and reached out to ask him for money.

The person opposite him waved his hand in refusal, so he silently walked to the next person.

Lin Ge vaguely felt that this scene was somewhat familiar.

It seems that a decade or two ago, every bus and train station had people like this. They would beg inside the vehicles under the guise of being disabled or deaf-mute. Sometimes, if you didn't give them money, they would just stand in front of you, making you the center of attention of everyone on the bus.

Sometimes, delays can even affect departures, and the driver might get angry. Although he's yelling at the beggar, the person involved will also feel embarrassed and quickly give him five or ten yuan to settle the matter.

To be honest, as long as you're not afraid of being embarrassed, you can actually make a lot of money doing this in a day.

However, with the development of the times and the rise of the Internet age, people have become more knowledgeable, and these so-called disabled people who are genuinely begging or pretending to beg have gradually disappeared from people's lives.

Even if you occasionally see beggars like this, they are mostly under overpasses or in underpasses, and they don't just get on cars like highway robbers, which makes people feel disgusted.

So, seeing such a little beggar at this time, Lin Ge was still a little curious.

He couldn't tell for a moment whether the child was truly deaf and mute or pretending. But seeing him still standing in front of the passenger with a laminated disability certificate, he vaguely suspected that there must be someone behind the child, someone instigating or leading the group.

Lin Ge looked around the car but didn't see anyone guarding outside.

The child didn't act particularly outrageously. If he waved his hand to the person in front of him to indicate his refusal or simply ignored them, he would turn around and face the next person. He wasn't fixated on getting money from everyone.

However, to the unfortunate child's disappointment, no one on the bus, or rather, ever since his story of pretending to be a disabled person to beg became known, believed him anymore. The child received nothing but rejection; the bus had already driven almost halfway, and not a single one of the thirty-odd people had given him a single penny.

Seeing the little boy silently walking towards the back of the bus with his head down, the middle-aged driver, who had been scrolling through short videos while waiting for departure, couldn't bear it any longer. He turned around, coughed, and said, "If anyone has any kind thoughts, please show some compassion. This child is genuinely disabled, and his family is truly struggling. His parents divorced and remarried while working away from home, abandoning the child and his grandparents. The child is congenitally deaf and mute, and his grandparents are both bedridden and unable to move. They've had a very difficult time. Normally, our company doesn't allow people to beg on the bus, but this child is the only exception. Besides, he only comes here briefly on Sunday afternoons; he's not doing this to survive or to gain sympathy. Please, give me some face, a dollar or two; protect the child's dignity, at least don't let him get off empty-handed."

Upon hearing this, the men who had initially refused immediately softened. They quickly took out their wallets and beckoned the child over, only to find that the child genuinely couldn't hear them and wouldn't turn around at all. Finally, a look of gratitude appeared on their faces.

"That's true! These days, everyone uses mobile payments, and most people don't carry wallets. This kid didn't even prepare a QR code for receiving payments; he's not even professional enough at begging."

Lin Ge muttered to himself and looked up at Li Siyu.

Sure enough, Li Siyu had already started emptying her pockets. Even though she was penniless and in debt, she still wanted to do good deeds for others.

Others might not know, but Lin Ge knew very well that Li Siyu's Alipay account had reached its limit. She was too embarrassed to borrow more money from Jiang Yiyi; the village relied on Alipay for any shortfalls in funds. Now, after buying her train ticket, the girl probably only had two or three red bills left in her wallet. Even so, she still took one out and handed it to the begging child who had just approached, causing the child to look up with a surprised expression.

The child refused Li Siyu's money, even taking a step back and waving his hand and shaking his head.

Li Siyu insisted on continuing to stuff the money into his pocket, but the child kept backing away. It wasn't until a passenger in front, who couldn't stand it anymore, sighed and stopped the child from behind that Li Siyu quickly shoved the hundred-yuan note into the child's pocket, making him stop in his tracks, dumbfounded.

Following Li Siyu's example, the other kind-hearted people who were planning to give money also increased the denominations and, imitating Li Siyu, stuffed the money into the child's pockets, quickly filling them up.

"whispering sound!"

Seeing the child's impressive haul today, the driver curled his lip in envy. He made two trips a day, yet earned less than the kid did in a single begging session, which really annoyed him.

"Wait a moment!"

Just as the child was bowing repeatedly, thanking everyone around him, and about to leave, Li Siyu suddenly stood up and pressed down on his shoulder.

When the child turned around and looked at her nervously, Li Siyu quickly wrote on a sticky note: "You can't keep doing this! Even if you need money, you have to find a proper way. It's not good to make money quickly if you learn bad habits or become lazy. I'm a police officer from Zhanghe Police Station in Zhangzhou City. You can contact me if you need anything. I don't know how I can help, but if you really encounter difficulties, please remember to call me."

After scribbling a bunch of random things and leaving her own phone number, Li Siyu thought for a moment and decided to include Mimi's number as well before stuffing the note into the child's hand.

Upon hearing Li Siyu's identity, the few people who had been grumbling about not offering any help immediately quieted down. Even if they continued to criticize Li Siyu for meddling in other people's business, they didn't dare to say anything bad about her now.

The begging child's eyes immediately welled up with tears after reading the words on the note.

Lin Ge could sense the boy's grievance and shame. After all, for a normal child his age, begging should be a very shameful thing, right? And there was even a high probability that he would occasionally run into classmates or teachers while begging, making it even harder for him to accept. Lin Ge didn't know why the boy chose to beg, but he just hoped that the boy didn't have any intention of getting something for nothing, and that he could manage to get by without neglecting his studies.

After he got off the bus, Lingo noticed that he didn't go to the other bus to ask for money. Instead, he carefully put away his disability certificate, looked around, and chose to leave.

Have you had enough?

Is today's money enough?
Or perhaps Li Siyu's note made him feel ashamed and he decided to quit?

Lin Ge didn't know which scenario it was, nor whether the middle-aged driver's words were true or false. In any case, to him, the driver was just a pitiful stranger he had encountered by chance, and the chances of meeting him again were slim. He was responsible for his own fate.

It was another four-hour drive. On the way back, because it was getting late and there were fewer cars on the road, the journey back to Zhangzhou was much faster than the way there.

Li Siyu was already exhausted and had fallen asleep against the car window, sleeping very soundly. So Lin Ge didn't wander around at all, and even when they arrived at the service area, he stayed by Li Siyu's side to prevent the unfortunate girl from being taken advantage of.

They drove straight back to Zhang City without moving. Li Siyu was woken up by Lin Ge waking her up. Outside the car window was a familiar smiling face—who else could it be but Li Yiduo?

"How did you come?"

Li Siyu ran off the car with her face flushed.

"It was Mimi who called me, otherwise I really wouldn't have known you were up so late."

Li Yiduo gave his girlfriend a short hug and noticed that she seemed to have lost a lot of weight in the past few days.

However, Li Yiduo was satisfied with the results of his girlfriend's trip back to her hometown. The worry on her brow had visibly lessened. With more relatives around, he no longer had to worry about those unreliable close relatives bullying her in the future.

"Besides, if I hadn't come, how would you have carried all that luggage back later?"

As he spoke, Li Yiduo moved the items from the luggage compartment to the trunk. He was particularly grateful that he was driving a Great Wall Tank; if he were in a smaller car, he might not have been able to fit all that stuff.

"Tch! I can just call a taxi!"

Li Siyu gave a coquettish sigh, not knowing why she was so happy to see her boyfriend. She felt she had so much to say and couldn't wait to share it with him.

The two put all their luggage into the car. When they got in to go home, Li Yiduo teased Lin Ge with his sharp tongue, and Lin Ge didn't hesitate to tear a hole in his trouser leg.

"This cat's nails need to be trimmed."

Li Yiduo raised an eyebrow, surprised that Lin Ge's fingernails could even pierce through jeans. Considering its direct, confrontational nature, it seemed likely that anyone who provoked it would end up bleeding.

"It does seem... a little longer?"

Lingo retracted his claws and returned to the back seat. He looked down at his front paws and found that his nails were indeed quite long, to the point that they could no longer be retracted into his paw pads.

Generally, although a cat's nails grow quickly, even if left untrimmed for a short period, they can be worn down by scratching with a scratching post or by rubbing against furniture like sofas and sheets. However, Lin Ge doesn't have this habit, so its front paw nails have grown wildly, becoming long and sharp like barbs. This is definitely not good. Aside from the possibility of injury, Lin Ge itself is now realizing that walking is becoming somewhat awkward, even though it hadn't felt any discomfort before Li Yiduo mentioned it.

Lin Ge glared at Li Yiduo with displeasure and decided that when he got back, he would find a place to rub it in, or simply have Li Siyu help him cut it off and let it grow back.

The whispers between the two people in the front seat and Li Yiduo's sweet talk made Lin Ge uncomfortable. So, before they even reached the police station, he told Li Yiduo to stop the car and get out, intending to go check on Huang Qi.

When they arrived at the pet clinic, they found that Huang Qi was not there, and even Mei Mei was not in the room. The doorman was that bald old man surnamed Sun.

He was pulling a tooth out of a Great Pyrenees, and the gushing blood made the dog owner's face change color. The Great Pyrenees seemed to be anesthetized, lying motionless on the operating table with its tongue lolling out, and several broken canine teeth in a metal tray next to it.

There was no sharp point in the broken tooth, so it was unclear whether it had been broken off before. Lin Ge only noticed traces of cavities inside the tooth, and it was the first time he'd realized dogs could get cavities.

"If I never brush my teeth, will I still get cavities?"

Lin Ge suddenly felt a little flustered.

"Tsk! Such thick tartar! Boss, is your dog eating too soft food? Don't just feed it soft kibble, give it something hard occasionally or let it chew on bones. It can exercise its teeth and wear down the tartar at the same time, killing two birds with one stone."

Old Sun, wearing a mask, had bloodstains on his gloves. He was using a steel needle to pry open the dog's lip, his actions of forcefully removing tartar making the dog's owner both worried and frightened. She wanted to remind Old Sun to be gentle and not hurt her beloved pet, but she was afraid that the needle would pierce her, so she could only remain silent, looking conflicted.

Lin Ge was somewhat surprised, as it was the first time he had ever heard of veterinarians also practicing dentistry. However, due to insufficient equipment or his habitually rough and forceful movements, Old Man Sun's crude manner was indeed a bit frightening to watch.

However, this guy was a professional veterinarian with decades of experience, and he quickly cleaned most of the tartar from the dog's mouth. A thorough cleaning would require an ultrasonic device, but for the animal, this was about enough. The Great Pyrenees was under anesthesia, and it couldn't move until the effects wore off; even after it was cured, the owner would have to stay with it at the clinic.

"Annie's tooth is bad, so she can only eat soft food lately, right? Can I soak her dog food in milk? Milk can help with calcium, so will that help her recover faster?"

The dog owner couldn't bear to see his beloved pet go through so much trouble eating, so he went to Old Man Sun again to ask for veterinary advice.

"Don't you know that most dogs are lactose intolerant and can't drink milk?"

Old Sun was still washing his hands when he heard this and paused for a moment.

"But my Annie is an imported purebred Great Pyrenees from France. How can she be the same as a regular dog?"

Even stylishly dressed dog owners still have doubts.

"Then go ask a French doctor."

Old Sun waved his hand, completely losing interest in dealing with it.

Turning around and seeing Lin Ge also looking constipated, Old Man Sun grinned and said, "Mimi, you've come to see your little brothers? You can't see them here, they're locked up in the isolation area on the second floor. Oh, let me tell you first, two of them died. One is still in serious condition, but the others can be cured, it just will take a while."

"Did two of them die?"

Lin Ge's heart sank.

But Lin Ge had anticipated this outcome, so he wasn't particularly upset. Besides, with so many infected cats, only two dying was actually a very good result. If he hadn't intervened, none of the dozen or so severely ill cats would likely have survived.

Thinking about this, Lin Ge could only try to think more positively and then focus his attention on another detail.

"Second floor? Isn't that where Huang Qi and Mei Mei live?"

Curious, Lin Ge climbed the stairs, entering Huang Qi's second-floor apartment for the first time. He noticed that many things seemed to have been moved out, leaving several rooms feeling empty. In particular, items that would normally be found in a woman's home had been completely removed.

What should have been Meimei's workroom has now become a small isolation area. Besides some single-story cages inside, there's a basin of what appears to be lime water on the ground near the entrance, seemingly for disinfecting shoe soles.

Lin Ge thought for a moment and then didn't go in.

He had no intention of testing the corrosive power of the lime water with his claws, nor did he intend to carry any feline rhinotracheitis virus that might be present inside to other places. Although the pitiful whimpers of the little minions inside when they noticed their leader approached made Lin Ge feel sorry for them, he still let out a helpless roar as a form of comfort before resolutely turning away.

He then turned to look at the other rooms and found that Huang Qi and Meimei's bedroom was still there, but the wardrobe door was open and there were few clothes inside. It seemed that the couple had indeed moved out; Huang Qi ultimately didn't dare to harm Meimei or the baby in her womb. Now, the second floor is used as a temporary rest area and an isolation area for infectious animals, which has subdivided the work areas and is indeed much safer than keeping all the sick cats together before.

"Doctor, did you damage my Annie's leg? Why is she limping when she walks?"

As Lin Ge went downstairs, he heard the woman who owned the pet dog questioning Old Man Sun again. Looking up, he saw the Great Pyrenees staggering to its feet as if it were drunk; the anesthesia had probably worn off.

"Wait patiently for ten to thirty minutes, and it will be able to run and jump like before."

Old Sun's tone was quite helpless.

"If you mess it up, you'll have to pay for it!"

"I just got it a tooth..."

The conversation between the two made Lin Ge chuckle to himself. He thought about how being a doctor these days was not easy, as he always encountered all sorts of strange patients and other problems.

Then this Great Pyrenees, which looked quite good, was unlucky to have such an owner. Lin Ge even felt that all the bad habits of this unfortunate dog were caused by its owner spoiling it; how could anyone let a dog live off a woman forever?
About ten minutes later, the Great Pyrenees finally fully recovered from the anesthesia and was able to walk smoothly.

The dog's owner led it away, and Old Man Sun, after seeing it off, turned back and breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Lin Ge still lingering in the hall, he shook his head speechlessly and said, "I don't know if it's lucky or unlucky for that dog to encounter such a master. By the way, what are you doing here? Didn't I tell you they're all alright? Oh! Caiyu survived too. Although both its eyes are blind, at least its life has been saved, and it can live for a few more years."

"A lucky fish?"

Lin Ge paused for a moment, then remembered that the name of the old cat whose eyes had rotted away was probably "two eyes blind." Lin Ge would probably not forget that horrifying scene for a long time. But the fact that it had survived made Lin Ge look at Old Man Sun with newfound respect.

This guy's medical skills might be just as good as Huang Qi's! Maybe his methods are a bit rough, but any doctor who can save a cat is a good doctor.

Hearing that all his men were safe and sound, Lin Ge breathed a sigh of relief. He also found Old Man Sun much more pleasing to the eye and thought for a moment before reaching out his hand to Old Man Sun, indicating that he should help him trim his nails.

"Tsk! It's so long? Hmm... Twenty yuan, please pay first."

Old Man Sun looked at Lin Ge's sharp, hook-like cat claws, thought for a moment, tilted his head, and quoted a price.

"..."

Lin Ge stared at him speechlessly. Was he crazy for money? It was just a nail trimming, and he dared to charge twenty yuan?
Of course, twenty yuan may not be much, but the point is that he is penniless now, okay? Let alone twenty yuan, Lin Ge can't even come up with one or two yuan right now.

"To cut or not to cut?"

He could only glare fiercely at Old Man Sun and roar.

(End of this chapter)