Ch12 - XiaoBai’s Secret Was Exposed

“And we are done applying the medicine. This cat is very obedient. If you order it not to move, it will not move. The cat lets me blow its hair as I like, and is not afraid of the hairdryer at all. You are doing a great job with the desensitization training.” The groomer kept complimenting XiaoBai as he brought it out to Cui QiChao. 

Cui QiChao watched the groomer pass XiaoBai over and stared at it coldly.

Normally, Cui QiChao would praise XiaoBai at this time. Although XiaoBai always had a scornful expression, the cat wasn’t used to it when it didn’t hear praise. It “meow”-ed, and the end of the meow sounded erratic.

Cui QiChao reached out and picked up XiaoBai with one hand. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Let’s add each other on WeChat. I’ll let you know if there are any pet activities in the future.” The groomer took out his cell phone. 

Cui QiChao did not use the social media software on his mobile phone, but he had registered his account. The app was already installed when he came here. He added the groomer and left the animal hospital with the cat.

Cui QiChao stayed quiet the entire journey. He was preoccupied with an important matter. Although he pretended to be fine and glossed over the question he posed, he was still shocked in his heart.

It turned out that XiaoBai was not a shepherd cat. In other words, there were no shepherd cats in this era!

It was Cui QiChao who made a mistake. In the era where Cui QiChao was living, the 21st century and the 22nd century belonged to the old Chinese lunar calendar, which belongs to the past, when human beings hadn’t stepped out of the solar system.

Cui QiChao was not an expert in history and merely had a rudimentary comprehension of it. However, he was one of the people who had a mediocre comprehension of history among the others who were highly educated in the subject.

According to his impression, the shepherd cat was bred during the 21st and 22nd centuries. He had not anticipated that the cat would not show in the year he had arrived.

It’s similar to Cui QiChao’s notion that moveable-type printing was created in the Song Dynasty, although he didn’t know when exactly. Mankind’s history is far too lengthy. There was simply too much information in history class for him to recall correctly.

Cui QiChao concluded that the shepherd breed of cat did not exist in the data provided by LJJ. Instead, the information provided to him was that of an ordinary 20XX cat. And most of them couldn’t be taught how to shake hands, roll, stand, and other commands after repeating them several times, let alone pick up something and follow the owner without a leash! 

Cui QiChao’s way of raising cats all this time was wrong! All! Wrong! It’s all wrong!

What was even more astonishing was that XiaoBai had completed all of the training that had been provided.

Now that he thought about it, under Cui QiChao’s established impression, he wrongfully blamed XiaoBai. Although XiaoBai was a regular cat, its learning capacity had improved by leaps and bounds.

——It’s as if a XiaoBai who didn’t understand history in detail was tricked by Cui QiChao to rigidly imitate a shepherd cat. 

Cui QiChao initially assumed it was a bug.

The virtual plane was also stimulated by data. It was artificial and not conceived naturally. It was also possible that it housed a bug. Although the probability had been reduced to a bare minimum, it remained a possibility.

But this bug was far too clever, and it didn’t appear to be a failed experimental product that had found its way to this virtual plane without anybody noticing.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Cui QiChao then considered plug-ins. Although LJJ stated that he would not be provided with plug-ins for views, he believed LJJ would not do so. 

WljbDjl’r lvfcalas gfwjlcr ab yf vlrmerrfv. Ccskjs, lo la’r j yeu, OAA kbeiv olz la. Po la kjr j qieu-lc, OAA kbeivc’a ifa atf jevlfcmf olcv bea.

Cui QiChao was staring at the soft animal in his arms with a blank expression, thinking to himself, “Then I’ll see if you can continue to be a shepherd cat and bear it to the end.”

Qlat atlr atbeuta, Jel HlJtjb qea WljbDjl vbkc.

“WljbDjl, tbiv,” Jel HlJtjb rjlv jr tf ujnf WljbDjl j qijralm yju mbcajlclcu j mja abs tf tjv qegmtjrfv ja atf jclwji tbrqlaji. 

This was the first time XiaoBai helped its owner lighten his burden since he learned how to pick up objects. He wrongly grabbed the plastic bag and scratched it intentionally and unintentionally.

Cui QiChao looked at it and stated coldly, “You’re not like a shepherd cat. You are so old already yet you don’t know how to retain your claws. ”

XiaoBai tensed and silently sheathed his claw. He used his paw to grind on the ground again as if nothing had happened. Then he put away his paw and patted on the plastic bag.

“Hm, was it because they didn’t properly trim your claws, and that’s why your claws feel so uncomfortable?” Cui QiChao pinched XiaoBai’s paw pad and stood up as if nothing had occurred. “All right, let’s go.” 

XiaoBai got up and walked with Cui QiChao with a plastic bag in his mouth.

Cui QiChao, who had a clear idea of what was going on, began to speed up the training after he returned from the animal hospital. Anyway, he wasn’t sure if it was a bug or a plug-in that had seemingly removed the existence of the shepherd cats from the data.

XiaoBai appeared to be the same every day. He devoted the same amount of time that he spent teaching XiaoBai basic movements to teach XiaoBai commands that adult shepherd cats can only learn or need to understand, such as turning on and off refrigerators, carrying drinks for their owners with their mouths, protecting their owners, jumping through obstacles, refusing food, and so on.

In addition, Cui QiChao also gave up the idea of letting XiaoBai stay at the canteen at night but took him to and from his work. This was because he had decided to train XiaoBai to catch mice and clean up the warehouse regularly. The cat didn’t need to sleep there all night. Anyway, XiaoBai would almost certainly be able to learn it. 

It was XiaoBai’s first visit to the canteen, and it was an eye-opening experience.

In the first canteen, XiaoBai met its brother, another small male cat born to a mother cat in the school supermarket. The male cat had followed its owner, the auntie of the female dormitory, here.

When the auntie learned that Boss Cui’s cat could even shake hands, she came to play with the cat. Sadly, Boss Cui was not present. The cat didn’t listen to anyone and refused to let anybody touch its fur.

XiaoBai could only focus on the dormitory auntie holding its brother, while the pure white cat meowed. After rubbing its body many times, the auntie cradles it in her arms and tells the cat that it is her sweetheart and her baby. Throughout the entire time, XiaoBai did not see the auntie ordering its brother to accomplish any task! 

The white cat gets to eat meat even when it merely lazes around in its master’s arms all day. It didn’t look like it had ever slept in a shoebox, because the auntie told others that she would kiss the cat at night. This means that the cat had slept in the same bed with the auntie!

Yes, shepherd cats could also be used as pets.

XiaoBai carefully observed the scene unfolding in front of its eyes, engraved the memory in its heart, and leaped up the stairs, sneaked into Cui QiChao’s office, and climbed on Cui QiChao’s leg. 

“Meow—” XiaoBai remembered that Cui QiChao went to wash his face after kissing it, so this time it decided to roll in Cui QiChao’s arms shamelessly to avoid carrying slippers for the owner in the future.

The soft cat rolled on Cui QiChao’s legs, revealing its soft belly and pink claw pads. Its voice was clear and gentle.

Cui QiChao touched XiaoBai’s chin and praised, “XiaoBai, you’re so obedient.”

Although his compliments were much shorter than the auntie’s, it’s hard for Cui QiChao to praise it, because it is usually praised only after training! 

Cui QiChao touched XiaoBai’s chin, as he slowly said, “Such an obedient cat, I’ll teach you to jump over the fire circle next week.”

XiaoBai: “………”

.

Dating back to the origin of CU’s five tigers, they had been famous for more than ten years… 

Even ten years later, when several alumni of University C visited their alma mater, they all mentioned the canteen of CU. Today, some of them were engaged in business, some in politics, and some had gone abroad for career development.

The Alumni Association of CU was responsible for receiving them. Compared to ten years ago, CU had many new teaching buildings and renovated its environment and surrounding areas.

Huang WeiHe, the president of the student union of CU at that time, was the first to join the we-media industry after graduation. Now he had established his own company.

After many people went around the familiar yet unfamiliar campus and visited their teacher, Huang WeiHe put forward a suggestion, “Since we made an appointment with the teachers at night, at noon, why don’t we have a meal at the canteen?” 

Several other alumni almost spat out their saliva, “Are you kidding!”

“Going to the canteen, aren’t you afraid you won’t make it till tonight?”

“Really, the food in the canteen is still my lingering midnight nightmare.”

“Wouldn’t it be a bigger nightmare if we have to go to the canteen now that we have our salaries?” 

“Hahahahahahahahaha, yes!”

Everyone laughed when he said that. They felt a slight tinge of nostalgia, of those years when all of them had no money, so they had to eat in the canteen. Even though they didn’t have much money and the taste was very bad, they encouraged each other to get over it.

The fact that CU’s cafeteria had made a reputation for itself in the catering sector of all Chinese university canteens had something to do with Huang WeiHe. At the time, everyone was more interested in which university’s canteen would sell the oddest dishes. Huang WeiHe published an essay on his alma mater’s cafeteria. With the support of his profession, the article was widely spread and contributed a lot to the status of CU’s canteen.

However, at that moment, when they were laughing and discussing, Xiao He, the secretary of the Alumni Association, looked strange. 

These people were now more than 30 years old, and they were not internet addicts. Huang WeiHe, the only one who frequently used the internet, was extremely busy. As a result, they had no idea that their alma mater’s cafeteria was no longer what it used to be!

“Well, in fact, since the nephew of President Cui took over the operation of the canteen, it has been greatly improved. Now the students like the canteen very much.” Xiao He explained.

This piqued everyone’s curiosity, as if the sky had genuinely showered crimson rain. CU’s canteen could change its nature. However, President Cui’s nephew worked at the canteen, which was even stranger than seeing crimson rain fall from the sky. They were all aware of President Cui’s background. Then how come his nephew operates the canteen in CU?

Carrying their doubts, the party went to the canteen. They had planned to go to the fourth canteen, which was the closest to them. 

Xiao stopped them and remarked, “Today, the first canteen is serving fresh vegetables they planted themselves. Let’s go to the first canteen.”

Since they already had to go to a canteen, it didn’t matter which one they went to. It’s just that they would have to walk a little further to get to the first canteen. Since Xiao He strongly recommended it, they would certainly give him face.

As a result, when they strolled to the first canteen, they discovered that the locations they previously did not venture over to, such as the popular dating spots in the university, had changed. However, it was now overrun with vegetables, including chili peppers growing in roadside flower beds. They hadn’t even commented on the first canteen’s cuisine.

This scene was a little unusual. Huang WeiHe, due to his professionalism, subconsciously picked up his mobile phone and took a picture. 

When they entered the canteen, they got even more afraid. The scene could be described as seas and mountains of people. The canteen was overflowing with students. The queue at the window was very long. The students who had gotten their food buried their heads in the food, eating as if the food was delicious. People become hungry when the fragrance of the cuisine creeps into their nostrils.

Based just on the fragrance, it was possible to conclude that Xiao He did not deceive them. This was not the same as the first canteen they remembered!

Xiao He took them to the teacher’s window, swiped his card and got the food.

The first harvest of self-grown water spinach from the canteen had been gathered. Today, they introduced a new dish, stir-fried water spinach with fermented bean curd. Everyone chose their own dishes, but under Xiao He’s strong recommendation, everyone had gotten the water spinach. 

Huang WeiHe sat on the bench. He hadn’t had time to reminisce on the fact that the cutlery and plates used were the same as ten years ago, but instead stared in a trance at the stir-fried water spinach with fermented bean curd.

While working in the we-media industry for a long time, he’d been to a lot of places and eaten a lot of banquets. He’d had enough of tasting all the exquisite food with his tongue. He was already desensitized to the delectable meals that his business associates had given him. Otherwise, he would not have come up with an idea to eat in the canteen. In addition to nostalgia and eating too much good food, he came here to reminisce about his bitter past, and enjoy the present.

However, the simple stir-fried water spinach with fermented bean curd in front of him whetted his appetite. The stir-fried leaves were fresh and green in color, and they were crisp and invigorating. With the steamy heat, the aroma penetrated people’s nostrils and had a flavor that had never been noticed in other locations.

The male student next to him ate a large bite of water spinach. The student might have recently exercised and was probably hungry, so he gulped down his food with gusto. The leaves of water spinach creaked in his mouth. When combined with the bright green hue of the spinach in Huang WeiHe’s eyes and the aroma in his nose, it lets people imagine how crisp and refreshing the leaves should taste. The garlic, bean curd and tender leaves of water spinach exploded in his mouth, and the soup juices flowed between his teeth… 

At that moment, Huang WeiHe swallowed his saliva and was very hungry.

The author has something to say:

The story got on the monthly-ranked leaderboard last time. Wow, thank you, everyone. I’ll have to fatten up all the angels. In this chapter, I’m giving out 200 small red envelopes = 3=

PS: sob, sob, sob. I forgot to schedule chapter 13 and I haven’t finished writing it. It won’t be unlocked until tomorrow.