171: Chapter 171 Lin Feng Plants Water Plants

The cat played with ice cubes for a week. Every day, the shapes of the ice cubes in the plate were different, and the cat's arrangements became increasingly complex. Lin Feng drew forty-seven diagrams of the cat's arrangements and pasted them on the wall from left to right, like a long scroll. On the last day, the cat arranged stars, hearts, circles, crescents, and squares into a circle, then squatted in the middle itself, eyes closed as if meditating. Lin Feng clapped his hands; the cat opened its eyes to glance at him and closed them again. Margaret came out of the Restaurant, saw this scene, and smiled. "It's imitating you," Lin Feng said. "I've never squatted in the middle of a circle. I squat under trees," Margaret said as she squatted down, looking at the cat's arrangement. "It arranges them better than you do," Lin Feng said. "It does it every day. After doing it a lot, it gets better." The cat stood up from the middle of the circle, stretched, stepped out of the plate, jumped onto the canopy roof, and squatted in front of the Telescope, looking into the distance. The ice cubes remained in the plate, untouched, slowly melting into water. The water flowed in the plate, blurring the boundaries of the shapes. Lin Feng looked at those blurred boundaries and suddenly thought of something—water can sustain life. He poured the water from the plate into a Glass bottle and placed it by the edge of the canopy. The cat jumped down from the canopy roof, walked to the bottle, sniffed it, and nudged it with a paw. The bottle didn't tip, but the water sloshed. Lin Feng squatted beside it, looking at the water in the bottle. The water was clear, with nothing in it. But he knew there were many invisible things in the water—he had seen them under a Microscope: the empty shells of rotifers, the shadows of bacteria. He wanted to grow something visible in the water.

He went to ask Molly for some Peas. Molly dug out a bag of dried Peas from the storage room; they were left over from last year, and some had already sprouted. The sprouts were tiny, white, and curled. Lin Feng picked out the sprouted Peas, put them in the Glass bottle, and poured in water, just enough to cover half of the beans. He placed the bottle by the edge of the canopy where the sunlight could reach. The cat squatted by the bottle, tilting its head to look at the tiny sprouts in the bottle, and reached out a paw to nudge the bottle. The water sloshed, and the tiny sprouts swayed with it. The cat nudged it again, and the sprouts swayed again. It became addicted to the game, treating the bottle as a new toy. Lin Feng moved the bottle inside the canopy to a place the cat couldn't reach. The cat followed him inside, jumped onto the rocking chair, and craned its neck to look at the Bean sprouts in the bottle. Since it couldn't reach them, it just watched. After watching for a while, it jumped off the rocking chair, walked back to the tree pit, curled up on the blue cloth, and closed its eyes. It seemed to understand that some things weren't for playing, but for growing.

The next day, the Bean sprouts grew taller. They turned from tiny white sprouts into tender green stems, with two small leaves at the top, curled like a cat's Ear. Lin Feng carried the bottle out from the canopy, placed it on a stone slab, and squatted beside it to draw. He drew the roots of the Bean sprouts; the roots were white and thin, like strands of hair. He drew the stems of the Bean sprouts, a tender green and translucent, where the moisture inside could be seen. He drew the leaves of the Bean sprouts, two of them, curled, with fine hairs on the edges. The cat squatted nearby, watching Lin Feng draw and then looking at the Bean sprouts in the bottle, as if comparing them. After finishing, Lin Feng pasted the drawing on the wall, side by side with the microscopic drawings, the ice cube drawings, and the cat paw prints. Margaret came out to look and smiled. "You've switched from drawing ice cubes to drawing Bean sprouts." Lin Feng said, "Bean sprouts change. Ice cubes change too. But Bean sprouts grow larger as they change, while ice cubes grow smaller." Margaret squatted down, looking at the Bean sprouts in the bottle. "How big can it grow?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "I don't know. Let it grow for now. We'll know as it grows."

On the third day, the Bean sprouts grew even taller. The stems became thicker, and the leaves unfurled into two emerald-green round leaves. The roots also grew, sprouting from the bottom of the bottle like a white net. Lin Feng moved the sprouts to a larger Glass jar and added more water. The cat squatted nearby, watching Lin Feng change the jar, and reached out a paw to nudge the new jar. The jar was heavy and didn't move. It nudged again, but it still didn't move. It gave up and squatted nearby, watching the Bean sprouts in the jar, the tip of its tail swaying gently. Lin Feng looked at the cat. "You think it's grown up too?" The cat didn't answer, but it stood up, walked to the jar, and sniffed the leaves of the Bean sprouts. The leaves swayed, and the cat took a step back before leaning in to sniff again. It seemed to think this thing could move.

On the fourth day, a thin tendril grew beneath the leaves of the Bean sprouts, like a spring, coiling around. Lin Feng used tweezers to pick up a tendril and looked at it under the Microscope. The cells of the tendril were arranged neatly in circles, somewhat similar to the melting process of ice cubes, but in the opposite direction—ice cubes melt, while Tendrils grow. He drew the cells of the tendril and pasted the drawing on the wall. The cat jumped onto the stone slab, squatted by the jar, and looked up at the tendril of the Bean sprouts. It reached out a paw and touched it gently. The tendril shrank back, and the cat was startled, taking a step back before leaning in again to touch it once more. The tendril shrank again. It seemed to be studying why this thing would move. Lin Feng squatted nearby, watching the interaction between the cat and the tendril. "You touch it, and it gets scared." The cat didn't answer. It touched it again, and this time the tendril didn't shrink; it coiled around the cat's paw. The cat froze for a moment, then shook its paw, and the tendril let go. It reached out its paw again, letting the tendril coil, then pulled gently. The tendril stretched and then snapped back. It became addicted and played with the tendril all afternoon.

In the afternoon, Old Zhou came to deliver the mail. He parked his vehicle by the canopy and saw the cat squatting by the jar, playing with a thin tendril. He was stunned and squatted down, watching the cat and the tendril. "What is this?" Lin Feng said, "Bean sprouts. They've sprouted and grown Tendrils. The cat is playing with them." Old Zhou watched the tendril coil around the cat's paw; the cat pulled gently, the tendril stretched, and when the cat let go, the tendril snapped back. He was mesmerized. "These Bean sprouts can move?" Lin Feng said, "Yes. They coil when they touch something. When the cat touches it, it coils." Old Zhou reached out and gently touched a tendril. The tendril coiled around his finger. He pulled gently, the tendril stretched, and when he let go, it snapped back. He smiled. "It's like a spring." Lin Feng said, "It is. But softer than a spring." Old Zhou pulled a letter from his bag and handed it to Lin Feng. "Yours." Lin Feng opened it; there was only one piece of paper inside with a single line: "Lin Feng, can Bean sprouts grow into beans?" There was no signature. Lin Feng took out a pen and paper and wrote a reply. "Yes. Bean sprouts come from beans. Eventually, they will grow beans again. But it will take a long time." He pasted the letter on the wall and walked back. Old Zhou was still squatting by the jar, watching the cat play with the tendril. He asked Lin Feng, "How long do you plan to grow it?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "Until it grows beans. Once it grows beans, I'll plant new ones." Old Zhou stood up and patted his pants. "I'm heading back." He got on his bike, the chain clinking as he left. Lin Feng squatted by the jar, watching the cat play with the tendril. The cat got tired and curled up by the jar, closing its eyes. Its purring echoed from the bottom of the jar, a muffled sound, as if the Bean sprouts were breathing. Lin Feng reached out and touched a leaf of the Bean sprouts; the leaf trembled, and the tendril trembled too. He stood up and walked into the Restaurant.

In the evening, Lin Feng sat on the steps of the Restaurant entrance. He was sitting, not squatting. Margaret brought out a plate of mushrooms and sat beside him. The two of them sat there, looking at the sky. The stars lit up one by one, just like yesterday. The cat crawled over from the jar, 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 purring. Margaret looked at the cat. "It didn't go up to the terrace today." Lin Feng said, "It played with the Tendrils today and got tired. Tendrils are fun, more fun than the Telescope." Margaret asked him, "Are you still going to grow Bean sprouts tomorrow?" Lin Feng nodded. "Yes. The Bean sprouts haven't grown up yet. It will take a long time." Margaret smiled. "How long will you grow them?" Lin Feng said, "Until they grow beans." The wind blew, carrying the fresh scent of Bean sprouts, the coolness of water, the aroma of coffee, and the sweet fragrance of mushrooms. 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. "You plant them tomorrow, and I'll help you water them." Lin Feng nodded. "Okay." He turned and walked into the Restaurant, with Margaret following behind him. The door closed, and the lights went out. The cat jumped down from the steps, walked back to the jar, and curled up beneath it, its head resting on the metal box as it closed its eyes. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting the shadow of the jar onto the ground. The shadow of the bean sprout's tendril was thin, like a spring. The wind blew, and the shadow swayed but did not break. Lin Feng stood in the Restaurant, looking out the window. He saw the shadow of the jar, the shadow of the cat, and the shadow of the bean sprout's tendril. He watched for a long time, then drew the curtains and went to sleep.

[Chapter 171 End]