UCS Chapter 50

Gao Shi rushed forward and took the person being carried by the young man-it was the old lady who had been feeding the little cat.

 

“Granny Jia!”

 

“Great! Old Granny Jia is safe!”

 

“Damn! I said this old woman was tough. Scared the hell out of me…”

 

Everyone cheered, medical personnel gathered around, and the firefighters also smiled.

 

The unconscious Granny Jia was put into an ambulance. Gao Shi suddenly turned and asked, “Where is the hero who just carried Granny Jia out?”

 

Everyone looked around.

 

“Good young man. If it weren’t for him, Granny Jia would have been in danger.”

 

“Where is he? He just came out of the fire, he must be in danger too, right?”

 

“I’ve never seen him before. He’s not from our neighborhood-maybe a kind-hearted passerby?”

 

The good Samaritan seemed to have vanished into thin air, with no one able to find him.

 

The large fire was quickly extinguished. It had been caused by electric sparks from an overloaded power strip due to air conditioners running for long periods in the summer heat. Thanks to the timely rescue efforts, the fire only affected one building. Although the building was burned down, at least the people were safe. Miraculously, there were no deaths in this fierce fire, only two people with minor injuries.

 

Gao Shi was covered in black soot, looking as if he had rolled in dirt. His white shirt was stained with soot, and there was a large hole at the elbow, giving him a kind of postmodern artistic look. Ying Bujie, on the other hand, had hardly any dust on him, but his complexion was worse than the victims’. He needed to go home and rest urgently-Gao Shi thought as he turned around, but Ying Bujie was gone.

 

His phone vibrated with a message from Ying Bujie:

 

[Urgent matter, will be late.]

 

***

 

At the hospital.

 

Since Granny Jia was quite elderly and not as resilient as younger people, the doctors were paying special attention to her.

 

“Doctor Qian! How is the condition of the elderly woman who was just brought in? Does she need a ventilator?”

 

Among those who die in fires, actually only a small percentage die from burns; more die from inhaling toxic substances and suffocation.

 

The elderly woman’s heart and lung functions were already declining, making her situation more critical. However, Doctor Qian showed a strange expression, his confusion evident even behind his mask.

 

“No need… her condition is very good, exceptionally good. Her respiratory tract is very clean. She doesn’t look like someone who just came out of a fire at all.”

 

“She’s still unconscious, but she should wake up soon.”

 

“That’s great. She really is blessed with good fortune.”

 

“I heard that Granny Jia has been sponsoring several students in mountain areas. Good deeds really do bring good rewards.”

 

The victims who were brought in together were discussing in the hallway.

 

Doctor Qian also said, “Her location probably wasn’t affected by the fire, or perhaps the doors and windows were closed, preventing the toxic gas from spreading so quickly. In any case, she was certainly lucky.”

 

Everyone agreed.

 

But suddenly they heard a call. The voice wasn’t loud, hoarse as if murmuring, yet somehow it felt heartbreaking.

 

“Little Flower, Little Flower-”

 

“Is Granny Jia awake?”

 

“Old Granny Jia is awake! Quick, go check!”

 

“Everyone please stay calm, the patient needs air circulation!”

 

Doctor Qian quickly walked to Granny Jia’s side. Granny Jia grabbed Doctor Qian’s wrist, her voice still hoarse but anxiously asking, “Doctor! Have you seen a small skinny cat? A white cat with yellow patches?”

 

She gestured, looking eagerly at Doctor Qian, “About this big, no matter how much it eats, it never grows…”

 

Doctor Qian checked her while trying to calm her emotions, “Don’t worry, is it your pet cat? You were rescued by a kind person. Once the scene is cleared, you can go look for it. Cats are agile; it should be fine.”

 

Granny Jia anxiously explained, “No, no, it’s not my cat. I would never keep a skinny little cat. But I was saved by-”

 

She suddenly stopped speaking, and instead asked, “Doctor, I feel fine. When can I be discharged?”

 

Doctor Qian examined her and found her health surprisingly good-better than some young people. Normally, someone her age who had been in a fire and lost consciousness should stay for observation, but no matter how they checked, there were no issues. Since Granny Jia insisted on leaving quickly, she was discharged shortly after.

 

As she left, Doctor Qian was still amazed at how well she had maintained her health.

 

Granny Jia walked out of the hospital entrance, about to hail a taxi, when a black Passat stopped in front of her. The window lowered to reveal an extremely handsome young man with a reassuring presence-it was Gao Shi.

 

“Granny Jia, are you heading home? Let me take you.”

 

Granny Jia hesitated, so Gao Shi showed her his police badge, “Don’t worry, I’m a police officer.”

 

Black Santanas were commonly used as official vehicles, and Gao Shi’s upright appearance and demeanor naturally put older people at ease. Combined with his police credentials, Gao Shi successfully convinced Granny Jia to get into his car.

 

He drove smoothly, watching through the rearview mirror as Granny Jia tried but failed to hide her anxiety. “You seem worried. Are you looking for someone?” he asked.

 

Granny Jia was vague, “Sort of, I need to find them.”

 

Gao Shi said, “Tell me, I can help you look.”

 

At a red light, he turned slightly, allowing Granny Jia to see half his face. The sincerity in his expression inspired trust.

 

After some hesitation and internal struggle, Granny Jia said, “No need, I’m just looking for a little cat. No need to trouble the police.”

 

Gao Shi didn’t insist but said, “I’ve seen you feeding a small cat before-white with yellow patches? Is it yours?”

 

Granny Jia shook her head repeatedly, “I don’t keep cats. I just saw it looking skinny and pitiful, so I fed it occasionally.”

 

Gao Shi chatted casually with Granny Jia. People with strong yang energy naturally attract the elderly, whose yang fire is weak. Though Gao Shi didn’t know this, before long, he and Granny Jia were deep in conversation.

 

Granny Jia’s anxiety eased somewhat.

 

Nevertheless, she still wouldn’t reveal anything about the cat.

 

Gao Shi recalled the huge shadowy figure he’d seen at the fire. Many people had seen it, and some had taken photos, but few thought much of it. People assumed it was smoke and flames coincidentally forming a fleeting spectacle, like clouds occasionally taking recognizable shapes.

 

But Gao Shi’s intuition told him it wasn’t coincidence.

 

The young man who had carried Granny Jia out of the fire had vanished, as if into thin air.

 

And afterward, Ying Bujie had also disappeared.

 

Combined with the cat-like shadow at the fire scene, Gao Shi was certain something supernatural was involved.

 

The Anomaly Management Bureau personnel were already handling the situation but found no traces of ghost activity. Remembering Gao Shi’s request, they helped look for Granny Jia’s cat. Even Xuan Yu used Taoist tracking methods but couldn’t find any trace of the small cat.

 

Gao Shi pressed his temples, suddenly remembering Cheng Zeqi watching variety shows with people dancing in animal headbands. He wondered if the cat could transform into a human. Was Granny Jia rescued by the cat in human form?

 

Gao Shi laughed at his own idea. Since the Anomaly Management Bureau’s establishment, they’d only dealt with ghosts-never had they encountered animals transforming into humans.

 

But his head ached faintly, as if something suppressed was struggling to tell him-all things have spirits, all can attain consciousness.

 

The Anomaly Management Bureau personnel bid farewell to Gao Shi. They had searched for a long time without finding the small cat, though they had caught two nearly-formed ghosts.

 

Gao Shi watched them leave. In the gathering dusk, Granny Jia held a small food bowl containing chopped ham and steamed bun soaked in water. Hunched over, she gently shook the bowl while calling, “Kitty-kitty-”

 

Granny Jia’s house had burned down and was temporarily uninhabitable. Concerned for her safety, Gao Shi quietly followed behind her.

 

Granny Jia’s already hoarse voice had become almost inaudible.

 

Gao Shi initially wanted to help call for the cat, but she refused, saying, “That skinny little cat is too clever. It only recognizes my voice; it won’t come out for you.”

 

Unable to persuade her, Gao Shi could only follow behind her with two bottles of water.

 

One by one, the lights went out, and a white line appeared on the horizon-dawn was breaking.

 

In the morning light, Granny Jia finally found the small skinny cat.

 

The little cat was covered in gray dust, its fur singed, with some areas even revealing pink skin beneath.

 

It looked even thinner and smaller now, barely the size of a palm, small enough to be picked up with one hand.

 

Granny Jia, trembling and leaning on a tree branch she had picked up from the roadside, slowly crouched down. With shaking hands, she cradled the little cat.

 

The cat’s breathing was very faint.

 

Seeing Granny Jia, it let out a very soft “meow~”

 

Just like every time it had acted spoiled before.

 

It gazed in Granny Jia’s direction and slowly closed its eyes.

 

Looking at the cat’s body, Granny Jia said with a choked voice, “I always said I hate cats the most. Cats are all fools. I just fed you a few pieces of ham, and you gave up your life for it.”

 

She hated cats the most-these soft, furry little creatures that would become completely devoted to you just for a bit of food, clinging to you, wanting to follow you home.

 

Willing to risk their lives for you.

 

It was the same when she was seven years old. She had merely saved a bit of her daily food to feed an injured tabby cat, and that foolish tabby, when she was being carried to a car by a kidnapper, leaped up and clawed out the kidnapper’s eyes. Later, it was killed in revenge, its head smashed.

 

It was the same when she was sixty-five. She had just casually fed some ham to the skinny little cat each day, and that cat, which had nearly become a spirit, rushed into the fire and rescued her. Old folk tales say that spirit creatures lose their cultivation when they save humans. This little cat, almost a spirit, had dispersed a lifetime of cultivation for her.

 

She had seen them-the nine large tails that shielded her from the flames, white with yellow patches.

 

She hated cats the most and would never keep such foolish creatures. The elderly say that naming a kitten means you intend to keep it, so she had always just called “kitty, kitty,” never giving it a proper name. So even though it would rub against her legs and follow her around, she never took it home.

 

But, but she had already changed her mind. This little skinny cat was so small, it might die in the summer rainstorms. She had already decided to keep it, had already bought a food bowl, had already chosen a name for it-

 

Yet this foolish little skinny cat died without ever hearing her call it “Little Flower.”

 

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