150: Chapter 150 Lin Feng Changes Cloth

Lin Feng said the cat would return to the pit to sleep at night, and it indeed did. When he went to look the next morning, the cat was curled up on the red cloth, its nose buried under its tail, sleeping soundly. The red cloth was wrinkled again, its corners curled up, exposing the soil underneath. There was also a hole in the cloth, not large—about the size of a fingernail—with frayed edges. Lin Feng squatted by the pit, staring at the hole. The hole wasn't big, but the soil below was visible. The soil was black and damp, a different color from the red cloth. He reached out and touched the edge of the hole; it was fuzzy, like a cat's Ear. The cat moved slightly but didn't wake up. Lin Feng withdrew his hand and continued to squat there.

Margaret walked over carrying mushrooms and squatted beside him. "What are you looking at?" Lin Feng pointed at the hole. "The cloth is torn." Margaret leaned in to look. "It really is. Did the cat scratch it?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "It might have just worn through. It tosses and turns in there every day, so the cloth wore thin. Once it's thin, it breaks." Margaret looked at the red cloth. "It's time to change it." Lin Feng nodded. "Mm." Margaret asked, "Where will you find red cloth?" Lin Feng said, "Molly has some." Margaret smiled. "You're going to see her?" Lin Feng stood up and patted his pants. "I'll go."

He walked to the entrance of the Coffee Shop, where Molly was wiping a table. The cat wasn't there; it was still sleeping in the pit. Lin Feng squatted at the entrance. When Molly saw him, she smiled. "Why are you squatting here? Come in and sit." Lin Feng shook his head. "I won't sit. I wanted to ask if you have any red cloth." Molly put down her rag. "Red cloth? What for?" Lin Feng said, "The piece in the cat's pit is torn. I want to replace it." Molly thought for a moment, went into the storage room, rummaged around for a while, and brought out a piece of cloth. It wasn't red; it was blue—a deep blue, like the color of the night sky. She handed the cloth to Lin Feng. "There's no more red. Only this piece. Will it work?" Lin Feng took the cloth and felt it; it was soft and thicker than the red cloth. "It'll work." He stood up and left.

Molly watched his back and smiled. She went back behind the counter and continued wiping the table. Chen Xiaoyuan came out carrying coffee and saw Lin Feng walking away. "What did he come for?" Molly said, "To change the cloth for the cat." Chen Xiaoyuan was stunned for a moment. "He even knows how to change a cat's cloth?" Molly smiled. "What doesn't he know how to do?"

Lin Feng walked back to the edge of the tree pit. The cat had already woken up and was squatting by the pit, washing its face with its paws. It saw the blue cloth in Lin Feng's hand, froze for a moment, and tilted its head to look. Lin Feng squatted down and pulled the old red cloth out of the pit. The cat jumped away and watched as he folded the red cloth and set it aside. Then he spread the blue cloth at the bottom of the pit, smoothing it out and pressing the corners firmly. The blue cloth was larger than the red one, with a bit extra; he used his hands to tuck the excess into the soil at the edge of the pit, pressing it tight. After he finished, he took a step back and looked at the blue cloth. It was blue, deep, like the color of the night sky. The cat walked over, jumped into the pit, pawed at the blue cloth, sniffed it, then squatted down, curled up on it, and closed its eyes. Lin Feng looked at it. "Do you like it?" The cat didn't answer, but it rolled over, exposing its belly. Lin Feng didn't touch its belly; he just watched. A purring sound came from the cat's throat, louder and more resonant than usual.

Margaret came over with the mushrooms and was startled to see the blue cloth in the pit. "All changed?" Lin Feng nodded. "Mm." Margaret squatted down and looked at the blue cloth. "It looks nice." Lin Feng said, "Molly said there was no more red, only this." Margaret smiled. "Blue is good too. The cat likes it." Lin Feng looked at the cat. "It didn't say it didn't like it." Margaret asked, "Did it speak?" Lin Feng said, "It didn't leave. If it didn't leave, it likes it." Margaret laughed. "You understand cats better than cats do." Lin Feng said, "If you squat long enough, you understand."

In the afternoon, Old Zhou returned from delivering the mail and parked his bike under the tree. He saw the blue cloth in the pit and was surprised. "Changed the color?" Lin Feng nodded. "The red one was torn. Changed it to blue." Old Zhou squatted down and looked at the blue cloth. "Looks like the sky." Lin Feng said, "Looks like the night." Old Zhou looked up at the sky. The sky was very blue, but not the same color as the cloth. The cloth was deeper, like the blue of the moment before it gets dark. He looked back down at the cloth. "Does the cat like it?" Lin Feng said, "It likes it." Old Zhou asked, "How do you know?" Lin Feng pointed at the cat. The cat was squatting on the blue cloth with its eyes closed, the tip of its tail twitching gently. It moved very slowly, beat by beat, as if keeping time. Old Zhou smiled. "It's happy." Lin Feng said, "Mm."

In the evening, Lin Feng sat on the steps in front of the Restaurant. He wasn't squatting; he was sitting. Margaret came out with a plate of mushrooms and sat beside him. The two of them sat there, looking at the sky. Stars lit up one by one, just like yesterday. The cat climbed out of the tree pit, walked to their feet, squatted down, and looked up at the stars. It watched for a long time, then closed its eyes, curled into a ball, and started snoring. Margaret looked at the cat. "It slept on the blue cloth all afternoon today." Lin Feng said, "Mm." Margaret asked, "Is it used to it?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "It's used to it. The new cloth is soft, thick, and warm. It's sleeping very well." Margaret looked at him. "How do you know?" Lin Feng said, "Its purring is louder than before. If it sleeps well, the purring is loud." Margaret smiled. "You can even tell by the purring." Lin Feng said, "If you squat long enough, you can tell."

The wind blew, carrying the aroma from the Coffee Shop, the rustle of stationery from the Church, and the fresh sweetness of mushrooms from the Farm. Lin Feng closed his eyes and took a sniff. He opened his eyes, stood up, and patted his pants. "I'm going to sleep." Margaret also stood up. "Are you changing the cloth again tomorrow?" Lin Feng shook his head. "No. This piece will last a long time." Margaret asked, "Then where are you going?" Lin Feng pointed to the large tree. "To look at the pit." Margaret smiled. "Is the cat there?" Lin Feng said, "It is. It slept on the blue cloth all afternoon today, it's there tonight, and it'll be there tomorrow too." Margaret asked, "How do you know?" Lin Feng said, "I'm guessing." He turned and walked into the Restaurant, Margaret following behind him. The door closed, and the lights went out. The cat jumped down from the steps, walked back to the tree pit, curled up on the blue cloth, and closed its eyes. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting its shadow on the ground—small and round, like a ball of yarn. The wind blew, and the shadow wavered but did not dissipate. Lin Feng stood in the Restaurant, looking out the window. He saw the cat's shadow, the tree's shadow, and the moon's shadow. He watched for a long time, then drew the curtains and went to sleep.

[Chapter 150 End]