137: Chapter 137 The Cat's Delivery Station

The young man was named Chen Xiaoyuan. After he stayed, Molly's Coffee Shop gained an extra helper. He wiped tables, washed cups, and brewed coffee—not quickly, but with great care. His mother sat under the tree, holding the coffee he had brewed. She took a sip, frowned, took another sip, and smiled. 'It tastes better than before.' Chen Xiaoyuan also smiled. 'I never brewed any before.' His mother finished the coffee and handed the cup to him. 'Brew another cup.' He took it, turned, and walked into the shop. The cat crouched at the doorway, watching his retreating figure, the tip of its tail swaying gently.

On the third day of Chen Xiaoyuan helping at the Coffee Shop, the cat began bringing him things. Not notes, but physical objects. On the first day, the cat brought a bottle cap, a red one, and placed it by his feet. He crouched down, picked up the bottle cap, and examined it from all sides. 'For me?' The cat didn't answer, just crouched on the ground, the tip of its tail swaying gently. He put the bottle cap in his pocket and went back to wiping tables. On the second day, the cat brought a glass marble, transparent, with a winding, colorful pattern inside. It placed the marble by his feet and nudged it with a paw, sending it rolling onto his shoe. He picked it up and held it up to the sunlight. 'Pretty.' He put the marble in his pocket, alongside the bottle cap. On the third day, the cat brought a nail, old and rusted. It placed the nail by his feet and nudged it with its nose. He picked it up and saw a character carved on the nail head—'Zhou'. He was stunned for a moment. 'Is this Uncle Zhou's nail?' The cat didn't answer, but it stood up, walked to the mouth of the alley, and glanced back at him. He followed behind the cat. The cat walked to the church door, crouched down, used its paw to push the door open, and slipped inside. He pushed the door open and saw the cat crouched in front of that small door, tapping the door panel with its paw. He walked over, grasped the doorknob, turned it gently—*click*—the door opened. Inside was a narrow dirt path, lined on both sides with wildflowers. The cat walked in, crouched in the middle of the path, and looked back at him. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped through.

The cat led him to the lake. The water was clear, very blue, reflecting the clouds in the sky. By the lakeside stood a willow tree, its branches hanging down to the water's surface, swaying in the wind. The cat crouched beside the willow's roots and pointed with its paw to the base of the tree. He crouched down and saw a small hole next to the roots. Inside the hole lay a seed, black and round. He picked it up and held it in his palm. 'Plant it here?' The cat didn't answer, but it used its paw to scratch at the dirt around the hole, as if saying: Yes, plant it here. He placed the seed back into the hole, cupped his hands to scoop up some water, and poured it over the hole. The water soaked into the soil, darkening the surface. The cat crouched nearby, watching the damp patch of earth, the tip of its tail swaying gently. He stood up, looking at the willow tree, looking at the lake. 'Where is this?' The cat didn't answer, but it stood up, walked a few steps along the lakeshore, and glanced back at him. He followed the cat, walking a full circle around the lake. The lake wasn't large; one lap took only about ten minutes. On the other side of the lake grew a large tree, from whose trunk hung an old tire swing. The cat crouched beneath the swing, nudged the tire with its paw, and the tire swayed, creaking. He sat on the swing, grasped the ropes with both hands, and gave a gentle push. The swing creaked, sounding just like Uncle Zhou's old bicycle. He swung a couple of times, then a couple more. The cat crouched nearby, the tip of its tail swaying gently. As he swung, he remembered his own childhood. There had been a large tree by his home too, with a swing hanging from it, made by his father. He would swing on it every day after school, swinging so high he could see the distant mountains. Later, his father left, the swing was taken down, the tree remained, but he never swung on it again. He closed his eyes. The wind blew past, carrying the scent of the lake. He opened his eyes and stood up from the swing. The cat had already walked to the lakeside and was crouched by the willow roots, looking at the freshly turned earth. He walked over and crouched beside the cat. 'Will that seed sprout?' The cat didn't answer, but it used its paw to brush some dirt over the hole, covering it more firmly. He smiled. 'It will.'

When Chen Xiaoyuan came out from that door, the sky was almost dark. He returned to the Coffee Shop, where his mother was sitting under the tree waiting for him. Seeing him, she stood up. 'Where did you go?' He took out the bottle cap, the glass marble, and the nail from his pocket and placed them on the table. 'The cat gave these to me.' His mother looked at the items, stunned for a moment. 'Why is it giving you these?' He thought for a moment. 'Maybe it wants me to stay.' His mother looked at him, for a long time. 'Do you want to stay?' He nodded. 'Yes.' His mother smiled. 'Then stay.'

When the news reached the farm, George was slicing rainbow mushrooms. Sarah ran in, saying Chen Xiaoyuan had entered that door, the cat had taken him, and he had planted a seed by the lake. George set down his knife, picked up a slice of rainbow mushroom, and put it in his mouth. He remembered the day he first walked through that door; the cat had led the way then too. The cat had taken him to the left, where he saw the swing, saw the rainbow mushrooms by the tree roots. Now the cat had taken another person to the lakeside to plant a seed. He didn't know what that seed would grow into, but he knew it would sprout. He swallowed and smiled.

When the news reached Millfield, Eric was watering mushrooms. Sarah ran in, saying Chen Xiaoyuan had planted a seed by the lake, the cat had taken him. Eric set down the watering can and walked over to the small tree he had planted. A note still hung from the tree: 'Mark, after you left, I planted a tree. It has bloomed, borne fruit. When will you come back to see it?' He reached out and touched the note. The wind blew, and the note swayed. He remembered when he first planted that seed; it was also spring like this, the soil was damp, the seed was black. He thought he would have to wait a long time. Now the tree had already bloomed and borne fruit. He smiled. 'They all sprout.'

Chen Xiaoyuan began helping full-time at the Coffee Shop. He woke up early every day to wipe tables, wash cups, and brew coffee. His mother sat under the tree, drinking the coffee he brewed, sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling. The cat crouched at the doorway every day, watching him bustling in and out, the tip of its tail swaying gently. Sometimes it brought a bottle cap, sometimes a glass marble, sometimes a nail. He placed them in a glass jar on the counter. The jar grew fuller and fuller, colorful and quite pretty. Molly asked him, 'Why is the cat giving you these things?' He thought for a moment. 'Maybe it's teaching me to see things.' Molly was taken aback. 'See what?' He pointed at the bottle cap in the glass jar. 'This one is red. The cat likes red.' Then he pointed at the glass marble. 'This one is transparent. The cat likes light.' Then he pointed at the nail. 'This one is old. The cat likes old things.' He smiled. 'It's teaching me to see the small things.' Molly looked at him and smiled. 'You've learned.' He nodded. 'I have.'

That night, Lin Feng crouched under the old locust tree. Margaret came over with a plate of mushrooms and crouched beside him.

'Lin Feng, Chen Xiaoyuan stayed. He's helping at the Coffee Shop. The cat brings him things every day, and he puts them in a glass jar.'

Lin Feng took a mushroom and ate a bite. 'He has learned to see.'

Margaret looked at him. 'See what?'

Lin Feng chewed the mushroom. 'See the small things. Bottle caps, glass marbles, nails. They are small, but they exist. Once you see them, it's different.'

Margaret looked at him and smiled. 'When did you learn to talk like this?'

Lin Feng said, 'When biting on a straw.'

Early the next morning, Uncle Zhou came to deliver the mail. He parked his bike in front of the Coffee Shop and saw Chen Xiaoyuan wiping tables, his mother sitting under the tree drinking coffee. The cat crouched on the counter, the tip of its tail swaying gently. Uncle Zhou walked in, rummaged in his bag for the letters, and handed them to Molly. Then he saw the glass jar on the counter, filled with bottle caps, glass marbles, nails, candy wrappers, feathers, stones. He was stunned for a moment. 'These...' Chen Xiaoyuan walked over. 'The cat gave them.' Uncle Zhou picked up a nail and saw the character 'Zhou' carved on its head. It was his. He smiled. 'It gave you my nail too.' Chen Xiaoyuan nodded. 'It says you should stay too.' Uncle Zhou looked at the nail for a long time. 'I'm still delivering mail.' He put the nail back in the jar, turned, and left. He got on his bike, the chain jingling as he rode. He rode slowly, but steadily. He thought of those bottle caps, glass marbles, nails, candy wrappers, feathers, stones. They were small, but they existed. The cat saw them, Chen Xiaoyuan saw them, and now he saw them too. He smiled faintly and continued riding forward.

[Chapter 137 End]