Chapter 103: Boss
Yun Jiao:
A wild pheasant!
Her big eyes lit up instantly.
"Brother Nine, there’s a wild pheasant! I hear it."
Yun Xiaojiu said excitedly, "I hear it too!"
The two of them crept quietly toward the sound and witnessed the tattooed-arm cat’s hunting grounds firsthand.
A certain tabby cat, which had been in Grandma Shen’s yard during mealtime, was now not far from them, a flapping pheasant clamped in its mouth.
No matter how the pheasant struggled, the cat’s gaze remained calm and sharp. Its gait was nimble and steady, making it look just like a great general returning in triumph.
Yun Xiaojiu: "Whoa!"
Yun Jiao: "Big Mimi."
Yun Xiaojiu: "Huh? Is that its name?"
’That tabby cat doesn’t look like it would have a name like that at all.’
Yun Jiao: "I just made it up."
’Don’t all cats get called Mimi?’
The tabby cat spotted them too. It twitched its ears, its emerald-green eyes staring at Yun Jiao for three seconds before it padded toward her with the pheasant in its mouth.
It placed the pheasant at Yun Jiao’s feet. When the bird tried one last desperate struggle, the cat pinned it down with a paw and nudged it closer to her.
’Its expression seemed to say, ’Hurry up and eat.’’
Yun Jiao was being fed.
Yun Xiaojiu’s eyes widened.
"Sis, did it give the pheasant to you?"
Yun Jiao nodded. "I think so."
"Big Mimi, where did you catch it?"
Yun Jiao crouched down and gently squeezed the tabby cat’s ears and paws.
This cat had a rather aloof air about it and didn’t make a sound, but it didn’t pull away when Yun Jiao squeezed its paws.
"You gave me a pheasant, so next time I’ll bring you lots of dried fish and dried shrimp. I didn’t bring many with me this time."
She chattered on while the tabby cat sat nearby, licking its paws and washing its face. It didn’t respond at all, even after Yun Jiao called it "Big Mimi" several times.
Yun Xiaojiu said, "Maybe it doesn’t like the name ’Big Mimi’."
He watched with envy as Yun Jiao casually petted the big cat. But whenever he reached out a hand, before he could even touch it, the cat would shoot him a sharp glare that froze him in place.
’Seriously... what a two-faced cat.’
"You think so?"
Yun Jiao rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Then what should I call you?"
’Too bad she could only understand sea animals.’
"Mimi, Kitty, Smokey, Lucky, Buddy..."
After she called out several cute and common names in a row, the disdain on the tabby cat’s face was practically overflowing.
"Boss?"
"Meow."
This time, the tabby cat responded immediately, its voice raspy.
Yun Jiao: "..."
’Well, I’ll be. So you want to be my boss, huh!’
She took hold of the cat’s ears and said with a serious expression, "No way. I’m the boss."
The tabby cat ignored her. It wouldn’t respond to any other name, only letting out a meow when she called it "Boss."
Yun Xiaojiu was laughing so hard his stomach hurt.
’Who would’ve thought this cat had such ambition.’
After a few seconds of a standoff with the tabby cat, Yun Jiao asked, "Boss, where did you catch this pheasant?"
’Let’s see if there are any more pheasants. Once I catch one, I’ll burn that bridge and go right back to calling you Mimi!’
Fearing the tabby cat wouldn’t understand, she pointed to the pheasant, which was now on its last breath.
The tabby cat stood up, walked a few steps forward, then looked back and meowed, signaling for her to follow.
Yun Jiao tossed the pheasant into her basket, and the two of them followed the tabby cat as it twisted and turned through the woods, finally arriving at a bamboo forest.
The air in the bamboo forest was damp. Even on such a sunny day, it was much cooler inside the grove.
The tabby cat kept walking, but Yun Jiao spotted something good along the way.
"Boss, Cat Boss, wait up..."
The tabby cat stopped immediately, sat down, and tilted its head to look at her.
Yun Xiaojiu’s voice was filled with excitement. "Look at all this bamboo fungus!"
Bamboo fungus is a type of mushroom. It’s snow-white with a large, net-like skirt and a small brown cap on top.
Except for the little brown cap, the rest of it is edible.
They grow very quickly, but if not harvested in time, they will rapidly wither and rot.
They had arrived at the perfect time. Many of the fungi had opened up, though some had already started to rot.
Without a word, Yun Jiao and Yun Xiaojiu crouched down and began to pick the bamboo fungus.
Freshly picked bamboo fungus, once the little brown cap was removed, was entirely snow-white and beautiful. Among fungi, it was one of the better-looking ones.
’In the tabby cat’s eyes, these two were being very strange. Weren’t they going hunting? Why were they gathering these weeds?’
Although it didn’t understand, it waited patiently by their side.
Yun Jiao and Yun Xiaojiu picked a lot of bamboo fungus. They took the pheasant out of the basket to make room for the mushrooms and quickly filled it to the brim.
"All done! We’re so lucky today. This stuff is delicious."
Yun Jiao nodded.
"Where’s the cat?"
After they finished picking the fungus, the two of them looked for the cat.
"Mimi, Big Mimi..."
"Boss!"
"Meow."
The cat, perched in a tree, finally responded after hearing the word "Boss," its ears twitching.
Yun Jiao & Yun Xiaojiu: "..."
The tabby cat scrambled nimbly down from the tree. "Meow."
’Follow me. I’ll take you hunting.’
This tabby cat had clearly hunted in these mountains a lot; it was incredibly familiar with the area.
Soon, under the tabby cat’s guidance, Yun Jiao and Yun Xiaojiu found a flock of wild pheasants.
The pheasants were all gathered together as if holding a meeting.
The tabby cat instantly switched into hunting mode.
Yun Jiao took out her slingshot.
’Catching pheasants this time wouldn’t be as clumsy as the last. Her, Yun Jiao’s, weapon had been upgraded!’
Yun Xiaojiu also quietly took out his slingshot. ’With so many pheasants,’ he thought uncertainly, ’surely I can hit one even if I just shoot randomly, right?’
The tabby cat approached stealthily. The pads of its paws made only the faintest sound on the leaves, not nearly enough to alert the pheasants.
Yun Jiao’s slingshot was ready.
The instant the tabby cat locked onto its target and sprang forward, she fired her slingshot.
Almost simultaneously, the tabby cat leaped up and bit into a pheasant that had been startled into flying half a meter off the ground, while Yun Jiao hit another one.
Yun Xiaojiu... hit nothing.
Yun Jiao quickly pulled out another small stone and shot at a pheasant that had already flown more than five meters away.
SWOOSH! The pheasant fell from the sky.
"Yes!"
"Brother Nine, go get that one."
Although Yun Xiaojiu was disappointed he hadn’t hit anything, he moved quickly, running toward the pheasant in the distance.
Including the two caught by the tabby cat, they had caught a total of four today!
What a huge harvest, a huge harvest...
"Mimi, for this one you caught, I’ll have Uncle pluck it for you to eat when we get back."
The tabby cat swished its tail, letting Yun Jiao take the pheasant from its mouth.
It was already full, anyway.
Before meeting Yun Jiao, it had already caught a snack for itself. This pheasant was originally caught to feed a young cub.
After catching the pheasants, they didn’t plan to stay in the woods any longer.
Yun Xiaojiu took her to collect some spring water.
The spring water in these mountains was safe to drink directly. It was very sweet, much tastier than well water.
While they were filling their containers with water, the tabby cat crouched by a small stream. Its paw shot out so fast that before they could even react, it already had an unlucky fish in its mouth.