Gray had always been a rather "brave" cat, with a successful escape record from his first owner who abused him. This time, despite the secondary trauma from the cat thief and her attempts to soothe him, the cat's timidity ultimately prevailed, leading to this second escape.
Cats opening door handles isn't surprising at all; smarter cats can do it. Linlan, however, never imagined it would happen to her.
She had been careless. Back when she bought the door handle, she shouldn't have chosen the long lever style. A round knob would have been better; a cat couldn't manage it no matter how it jumped. While Linlan was inwardly berating herself, her parents, who heard the news, were even more anxious than she was.
"We have to find him quickly! That cat is worth over a hundred thousand! He was just stolen once, we can't lose him again!"
Her parents' thinking was straightforward. Before, they just thought the cat looked like a little leopard. This time, after the theft brought the police, they realized just how expensive this biting cat—sent by a wealthy person for "discipline"—really was. Two or three of them could make a down payment on a house. Having little emotional attachment to the cat, they naturally started from its monetary value, genuinely not wanting this walking stack of cash to run off.
"How could you let the cat run away!" Wang Jiayi stomped her foot in frustration. "Where on earth do we even start looking?"
"Lost house cats are usually very hard to find. Song Xinmin, do you know which way he went? So we can narrow down the area and start searching immediately," Tang Xiaoya urged.
This question was quite a tough one, at least for Little Song, who looked embarrassed: "By the time I noticed, he was long gone. There was only the opened door and the window behind it. And if it weren't for Huihui sitting there meowing at me, I wouldn't even have realized Gray was missing."
He was the only one busy in the shop at the time; it was normal he couldn't keep an eye on everything.
"It's not your fault. I shouldn't have left you alone to watch the shop," Linlan stated first, calming Song Xinmin, who was extremely uneasy about losing such a valuable cat. "The sun is strong. Let's all go back to the teahouse first."
Linlan understood cat language, so she naturally knew these little felines could be both silly and shrewd. Gray choosing to escape today while she was away was probably deliberate.
Moreover, Little Song had mentioned Huihui earlier. Ever since she tricked this Russian Blue with movie special effects cats, it had believed that as a member of the same breed, it could also become a spy cat. It treated Gray as its imaginary rival, provoking him daily. This time, it was also Huihui who first alerted Little Song that the leopard cat had run off.
Shopkeeper Lin quickly formulated a plan and immediately set her sights on Huihui.
"Huihui, Gray is missing. Do you know what happened?" Back at the teahouse, Linlan picked up the cat and began asking about the incident.
The slender, petite blue cat with jade-green eyes immediately meowed at her: "Meow! Meow!" (I know, I know! Today I heard him say he didn't want to stay in human territory anymore, he wanted to go into the wild and be a stray! Then after you all left, he kept staring at Litter-Scooper Song. Finally, I saw him run off while Litter-Scooper Song was scooping litter for the humans!)
Amidst this torrent of tattling, Huihui's tone was extremely excited. Shopkeeper Lin, however, was twitching at the phrase "Litter-Scooper Song was scooping litter for the humans," but for now, she had to let that slide and move on to other matters.
"Huihui, as a Russian Blue aspiring to be a spy cat, I now have an important mission to entrust to you: assist me in finding the leopard cat, Gray. Will you accept this mission?"
The blue cat lying in Linlan's arms immediately half-raised itself, its pointed ears standing straight up: "Meow!" (Leave it to me! I recognize his scent, I know which way he went!)
In terms of olfactory sensitivity, a cat's sense of smell is actually slightly superior to a dog's. Cats have over 240 million olfactory cells, 20 million more than the best scenting dogs. Unfortunately, cats have never been fully domesticated by humans, and their obedience... well, maybe there isn't much obedience to speak of. It's certainly far worse than dogs, so humans naturally find it more convenient to use dogs for searching.
Now, in the case of Gray's disappearance, Shopkeeper Lin was fortunate to enlist the help of a homegrown spy cat for the search.
"Huihui, you need to think it through. Accepting the mission means going outside the teahouse and interacting with the outside world. I'll definitely protect you from behind, but are you really not afraid?" Linlan made one final confirmation.
Huihui hadn't initially remembered it meant going outside the safe zone. It instinctively shrunk its neck, but then thought of its goal and immediately straightened its little body again: "Meow!" (I am a spy cat. Not fearing the outside world and focusing on finding the target is basic! I wasn't even scared when I got captured before. I'm much braver than Gray!)
So, before long, the others who were anxious about the lost cat saw Linlan holding Huihui, ready to go out.
"Gray hasn't been gone long, so his scent trail is fresh. With Huihui's help, we should be able to track him down quickly. I'll call you if anything comes up."
Not wanting to waste time, Shopkeeper Lin gave these instructions and headed straight out.
While the stunned group was still digesting the shocking news that "Linlan is using a cat to find a cat" and "since when can cats work like police dogs," Cheng Fengyang was already the first to chase after her.
"Lanlan, wait for me! I'll go with you. It'll be easier to find the cat with two people!"
The midday sun was blazing. Generally, unless necessary, people preferred to stay indoors, which was why there were fewer people on the streets now than at other times. This provided Linlan and Huihui with some convenience.
As a house cat with a fixed territory, Huihui felt a little frightened when outside. However, it still remembered some of its past as a stray. Coupled with its belief that it was a "spy cat" and the protection of the litter scooper right beside it, Huihui could barely overcome its fear.
"Meow!" (He went this way!)
Sniffing the residual scent on the ground, Huihui called out to Linlan, who was a few steps behind. Linlan understood. Cheng Fengyang, who had caught up beside her, could only guess the meaning from the cat's actions.
"Well done, Huihui! Keep up the good work!" Linlan cheered the little cat on from behind.
The praised Huihui, its initially uneasy heart instantly encouraged, became even more determined in its scent-tracking mission. Following the scent clues, it leaped onto the top of a wall in a few bounds, sniffed downward again, and then moved forward.
Seeing the cat jump onto the wall, Linlan's face stiffened, but she could only brace herself and follow.
Noticing her reluctant expression, Cheng Fengyang asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Isn't it good that Huihui can track Gray by scent?"
Linlan didn't answer directly, instead saying, "You'll find out soon enough."
Later, chasing after Huihui, when they saw the cat jump onto the roof of a two-story house—where they could only faintly hear meows and couldn't see the cat even by craning their necks—Cheng Fengyang finally understood why Linlan's expression had changed.
They were about to start running along the cat's path again.
What was it like to search for a cat under the scorching midday sun of a hot summer? The parties involved, Linlan and Cheng Fengyang, would say it couldn't be fully described by just being drenched in sweat, faces flushed and hot, and lips chapped.
Anyway, the single-minded Huihui followed Gray's scent along a treacherous catwalk that wound around nearly half of the western part of the city, thoroughly exhausting the two humans chasing after him who were left gasping for breath, before finally spotting Gray.
The location of this leopard cat was very conspicuous and easy to find.
Because it was clinging to the top of a birch tree about six or seven meters high, meowing pitifully, while several stray dogs circled below, barking up at it.
As mentioned before, cats have a keen sense of smell. Having caught Lin Lan's scent from afar, Gray meowed even louder as if he had spotted a savior.
(Lanlan, Lanlan, save me! Those dogs are so scary! They want to eat me, chase them away!)
Wiping away the sweat that had gathered on her chin, Shopkeeper Lin, holding Huihui who was also scared by the dogs and burrowing into her arms, suddenly felt a sense of schadenfreude at the scene.
Still think all humans are terrifying? Still want to sneak off in search of freedom?
Well, look at this. Whether freedom was found or not is unknown, but a harsh dose of reality has certainly come knocking first.
"Fengyang, I just saw a convenience store nearby. Could you buy some ham sausages or chicken legs or something like that for me?" Lin Lan asked Cheng Fengyang.
The young man looked at the cat in the tree, then at the stray dogs, and naturally understood Lin Lan's intention. He nodded, "Lanlan, wait for me. Don't go over there carelessly. It wouldn't be good if you got bitten."
Lin Lan smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, I'm not that foolish."
After sending Cheng Fengyang off, Lin Lan started calling out to the leopard cat in the tree from a distance. "Gray, didn't you say you wanted freedom? You ran off without a word. Why are you calling for me to save you now? Didn't you say you didn't want me, your poop-scooper, anymore?"
The leopard cat wailed even more miserably: "Meow-ow-ow— Meow-ow-ow-woo—" (I didn't! I didn't not want you, Lanlan! I was just scared and ran out on impulse! I won't dare to do it again. I'll be good and stay at home from now on. Lanlan, please save me! I'm your cat too, you've rubbed my belly, you can't just abandon me!)
This plea for mercy sounded so familiar, the sense of déjà vu was too strong for Lin Lan to ignore. However, if a scumbag guy played the same emotional card, Lin Lan could directly flip the table. But when a little leopard cat played it, Shopkeeper Lin... would reluctantly forgive it this time.
"Do you promise you'll never impulsively run away again?"
(I promise I won't run away!)
"Do you promise you won't try to open the door handle when no one's looking?"
(I'll never jump up to open the door again!)
"Is it more comfortable hunting for cans in the teahouse, or is hunting outside more satisfying?"
(The teahouse, the teahouse! The outside is too scary, boo-hoo— The food is awful too, it's all stinky, boo-hoo—)
Serves you right! Letting you go crazy and flee your comfort zone, and now you're begging to come back? Hmph.
Cheng Fengyang returned with a bag full of food and bottled water. In their haste to find the cat, afraid of chasing it further away, the two hadn't dared to drink even a sip of water along the way. Now they could finally replenish their energy and hydration.
Lin Lan and Cheng Fengyang first gulped down half a bottle of water each and ate a little something. Then, they started using the remaining chicken legs and ham sausages to lure away the stray dogs.
"Let me handle this, it's not suitable for you," Cheng Fengyang said, taking the food Lin Lan was about to grab. "My family has dogs, I understand them better than you. Don't argue with me on this."
He was insistent, so Lin Lan had to step back. "Then be careful."
Cheng Fengyang waved his hand, indicating it was no problem, and approached the area.
"Here, here, doggies, look what this is?"
Cheng Fengyang didn't even need to say anything. As he waved the unwrapped food around, the stray dogs, who had long since caught the scent, had already shifted their attention from the cat in the tree and were all looking at him. They wagged their tails, yearning for the food but also fearful of the human, their paws shifting restlessly, wanting to approach but not daring to.
Cheng Fengyang didn't make it difficult for them either. He swayed the food in his hands left and right, and seeing their heads follow the movement, he then threw all the food far into the distance, just like throwing a frisbee. Instantly, the stray dogs all chased after the food and ran off.
"Alright, the cat's safe now," Cheng Fengyang said, clapping his hands with a look of satisfaction. "Lanlan, hurry and get Gray to come down."
In his mind, since a cat could climb a tree so nimbly, coming down must be just as quick. However, the leopard cat didn't move, and Lin Lan also wore a helpless expression.
"Fengyang, it's not like that," Lin Lan explained to him. "Cats, you see, they're actually really good at climbing up trees, but they don't know how to climb down."
Huh?
Cheng Fengyang looked utterly confused. Seeing his expression, Lin Lan could only add, "Think carefully. Do you recall any news or stories in your memory about cats climbing to high places and needing human rescue to get down?" Seeing Cheng Fengyang's expression shift from confusion to astonishment, she nodded emphatically. "Yes, he's afraid of heights too."
