Chapter 381 - 197: Good Work, Worthy of a Reward

Chapter 381: Chapter 197: Good Work, Worthy of a Reward

"Alright, I’ll come get it after we close up for the night," Zhou Yan said with a smile. And just like that, it was settled.

The old lady spoke again. "You shouldn’t keep it at your shop. Some people can’t stand cats and dogs, and you never know, they might try to cause trouble for you. When you have mice, just come and borrow my cat. One visit will take care of things for a while."

"Okay." Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. The old lady always managed to think of everything.

After the lunch rush ended, Zhou Yan went to the general store and bought a roll of wire mesh. The holes were tiny, only big enough for a pinky finger to pass through; mice definitely wouldn’t be able to get in now.

He borrowed a ladder from the security office next door. Then, Zhou Yan and Comrade Zhou, armed with a hammer and pliers, nailed wire mesh over every opening in the kitchen, both inside and out. They even made it a double layer for extra security, ensuring the kitchen was physically sealed off from the outside.

The job looked simple, but it kept the father-son duo busy for the better part of the afternoon.

Comrade Zhou went to return the ladder while Zhou Yan got busy rendering lard from leaf lard. Quite a few customers had asked about the Cabbage Stir-fried with Pork Cracklings at lunch today. As Zhou Yan’s skill improved, the dish was becoming quite popular.

"This wire mesh is a proper job. I’d like to see those mice try to get in now," Mrs. Zhao commented, looking at the new mesh on the window with a satisfied smile.

"Brother, can you take me with you to get Huahua tonight, please?" Zhou Momo asked, carrying a small stool in and plopping down beside him, her eyes full of anticipation.

"Okay, I’ll take you to get Huahua tonight," Zhou Yan agreed with a smile and a nod.

The tabby cat never gave him the time of day, but it was incredibly affectionate with Zhou Momo. If she didn’t go, getting the cat to come along might be a real challenge.

Cats have their pride, after all.

After closing up for the night, Zhou Yan caught a crucian carp from the water tank, packed up the two remaining portions of braised pork ribs, and headed straight for the old family house with Zhou Momo.

"Grandma! Uncle! Huahua~~" Zhou Momo bounced through the door, calling out her greetings.

As Zhou Yan walked in, he saw the tabby cat rubbing its head against the little girl’s hand, purring like a tiny engine.

The little one was the only one who got this special treatment; the cat was completely smitten with her.

Zhou Yan carried the food container into the main room, where the old lady and Zhou Weiguo were having dinner. On the table were two dishes—Twice-Cooked Pork with Cabbage and shredded potatoes. It was clear they had just started eating.

Zhou Yan smiled and placed the food container on the table. "Just starting dinner? We had some braised pork ribs left over today. Perfect timing. They’re still warm, so you don’t even need to heat them up."

"We have food at home. You should have kept it for your family to have with noodles tomorrow. Why’d you bring it over?" the old lady said with a hint of resignation.

"Exactly," Zhou Weiguo chimed in, but he had already picked up a rib with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth. He nodded repeatedly. "Mmm! This is fantastic!"

"I saved some for us too. I just brought a little for you to try since I was coming this way," Zhou Yan said with a laugh. He held up the crucian carp in his other hand, which was strung on a piece of straw. "Grandma, should I give this carp to the cat now, or should we keep it alive for it to eat when it comes back tomorrow? Does it need to be cooked?"

The old lady glanced toward the entrance of the main hall. "It won’t even sniff it if it’s cooked. Just put the fish in that little dish by the door. It’ll eat it on its own. It won’t do any work for you until it’s eaten."

"Alright," Zhou Yan replied, placing the large, barely breathing crucian carp onto the dish.

Zhou Momo pointed and said, "Huahua, eat the fishy! Eat up so you can go catch the mousies~~"

"Meow~" The tabby cat let out a delicate cry, hopped down from its perch, and padded over to the dish. It pinned the struggling carp with one paw and bent down to eat.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH. Its sharp teeth chewed the fish with gusto. In no time at all, the large crucian carp was reduced to a single, complete skeleton. It had eaten every last scrap. After finishing, it licked its paws, giving them a thorough cleaning.

*GULP.* Zhou Momo watched and swallowed hard. She looked up at Zhou Yan and asked, "Brother, is raw crucian carp tasty?"

"Crucian carp is a freshwater fish, so you can’t eat it raw," Zhou Yan said with a laugh. ’What a little foodie. She gets hungry just watching a cat eat.’

"Grandma, does the cat need a leash?" Zhou Yan asked.

"Just put it in the bike basket. As long as Momo’s there, it’ll go with you," the old lady replied.

"I’ll do it!" Zhou Momo came forward and scooped up the tabby cat, who had just finished washing its face.

The tabby cat went limp and long in her arms, letting her hold it without moving a muscle.

Zhou Momo said in her sweet, childish voice, "Be a good girl, Huahua. I’m taking you back to catch mousies~~ If you do a good job, Brother will give you another fishy to eat!"

Outside the courtyard, Zhou Yan placed the tabby cat in the bike’s basket.

It sized him up, its eyes showing a hint of wariness.

Then Zhou Yan lifted Zhou Momo onto the bike’s crossbar to sit. The tabby cat immediately relaxed, found a comfortable position to nestle into in the basket, and tilted its head to look at Zhou Momo, even sticking out a paw to try and play with her.

"There, there, we’re going home~" Zhou Momo reached out and touched one of its white "gloves," then chattered away to it for the entire ride.

With her there, the tabby cat wasn’t flustered at all. It didn’t even think about running away during the entire bumpy ride back to the restaurant.

Some cats are timid and easily get stressed out by a change in environment.

But this was a mouser, used to catching mice for others year-round. An experienced cat was a different breed altogether.

He wheeled the bicycle into the restaurant and leaned it against the wall.

Zhou Yan set Zhou Momo down on the floor.

Only then did the tabby cat stand up in the basket. It gave a big stretch, then hopped down. It began to prowl unhurriedly around the restaurant, its gaze sweeping left and right, becoming exceptionally sharp, like a general inspecting his territory.

Mrs. Zhao had already finished washing the dishes and wiping the tables. Watching the tabby cat wander around, she laughed and said, "That one’s a real pro. Last time Aunt Wang’s granary had a mouse problem, they got it to help. It caught eight in one night! The biggest one was almost two pounds. I wonder how many mice we have in our shop."