192: Chapter 192 The Last Ten Percent

The phone's battery dropped from thirteen percent to ten percent. The cat spent less and less time sitting on it every day—not because it didn't want to, but because the phone was no longer warm. The battery was almost dead, so it stopped generating heat. The cat crouched beside it, nudging the phone with its paw; the screen lit up, showing ten percent battery before going dark again. It nudged it several times, and every time it was ten percent. It stopped nudging and just crouched by the phone, tilting its head as if waiting for the charge to go back up on its own.

Margaret came out of the Restaurant carrying a plate of mushrooms and crouched next to Lin Feng. "Is there still power in the phone?" Lin Feng asked. "Yes. Ten percent," Margaret said, looking at the numbers on the screen. "How many more days will it last?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "I don't know. If the cat doesn't sit on it, it doesn't consume power. If left alone, it can last a long time." Margaret set the plate on the ground. "Do you plan to just leave it there?" Lin Feng said, "Yeah. Leave it. Wait for it to go out on its own." He picked up the phone and pressed the power button; the screen lit up, and the happiness map popped up. The red dots were dense, with a few more than before. He watched for a few seconds before turning off the screen. He put the phone back by the tree roots, but the cat didn't jump onto it. It wasn't cold today, so it didn't want to sit.

When Old Zhou came to deliver the mail, he pulled something out of his bag and handed it to Lin Feng. It wasn't a letter but a small cloth pouch tied with a string. Lin Feng opened it to find a key—copper, old, with its teeth worn smooth. Old Zhou said, "Xiao Ma from Baishi Town asked me to bring this to you. He said it's the key to the Bar's basement. There are a few boxes in the basement left by his father. He can't open them, so he wants you to take a look." Lin Feng looked at the key, turning it over and over. "Left by his father?" Old Zhou nodded. "His father died many years ago. The boxes have been locked ever since; no one can open them. He said maybe you can." Lin Feng put the key in his pocket, stood up, and patted his pants. "Let's go to Baishi Town." The cat stood up from the tree roots and followed behind him. Old Zhou watched their retreating figures. "You don't want your phone?" Lin Feng didn't even turn his head. "The cat isn't sitting on it. Leave it."

When they arrived at Baishi Town, Xiao Ma was standing at the Bar entrance waiting for him. Seeing Lin Feng, he led them to the basement door. The door was wooden, old, with peeling paint; the lock on the door was also old and rusted. Lin Feng pulled out the key, inserted it into the keyhole, and gave it a turn, but the lock didn't open. He turned it again, and it still wouldn't open. The cat crouched nearby, looking up, and reached out a paw to nudge the lock, making it sway. Lin Feng turned the key once more, and this time, with a click, the lock opened. He pushed the door open; it was very dark inside and smelled of mold. Xiao Ma pulled a light cord, and a bulb lit up, casting a dim yellow light over the basement. A few wooden boxes were stacked in the corner—three of them, varying in size, all locked. Lin Feng walked over and crouched in front of the first box. The lock was small and copper, different from the key he just used. He took the key from his pocket, but it wouldn't fit. He looked at the lock, then at the key; they weren't a match. He tried the other locks, but it wouldn't fit any of them. He stood up and looked at Xiao Ma. "These locks aren't opened by this key." Xiao Ma was stunned for a moment. "Then what is this key for?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "Maybe it opens something else." He crouched down and looked around the basement. There was a metal cabinet in the corner, also locked. He inserted the key, turned it, and the lock opened. The metal cabinet door swung open, containing only a single envelope—yellow, old, with no stamp or address, just two words written on it: "Xiao Ma." Lin Feng handed the envelope to Xiao Ma. Xiao Ma took it and opened it; there was only a single sheet of paper inside with a few lines: "Xiao Ma, you've grown up. The things in the boxes, open them yourself. The key is in the envelope." Xiao Ma turned the envelope over, and another key fell out—small and copper, different from the previous one. He used this key to open the first box. Inside was a stack of photos, all of Ma Lan, from infancy to her teenage years, with dates written on the back of every photo. Xiao Ma's eyes reddened as he looked at the photos. "My dad left these." He opened the second box, which contained a stack of letters, all written by Ma Lan to her family, none of which had been sent. He opened the third box, which contained a guitar—small, with three broken strings. Xiao Ma took the guitar out and held it in his arms. The strings were broken, but a few words were carved into the body: "Xiao Ma, play for your sister." Looking at those words, Xiao Ma cried. The cat crouched at his feet, looking up at him, and rubbed its head against his calf. Xiao Ma looked down at the cat and smiled. He put the guitar back in the box and closed the lid. "I'll fix it." Lin Feng crouched nearby, looking at the guitar. He felt that Xiao Ma would learn how to repair the strings and how to play. He wouldn't need to be taught.

Back in Xinfeng Town, Lin Feng crouched under the Old Locust Tree, looking at the phone. The battery was still at ten percent. The cat wasn't sitting on it; it crouched nearby, the tip of its tail twitching slightly. Lin Feng picked up the phone and pressed the power button; the screen lit up. He opened the happiness map, which was filled with dense red dots. He stared at those red dots for a few seconds before turning off the screen. He put the phone back by the tree roots, and the cat jumped up, crouching on the phone with its tail covering the screen. Did it feel warm today? Lin Feng didn't know. He crouched nearby, watching the cat.

Margaret came out with a plate of mushrooms and crouched beside him. "Is the business in Baishi Town finished?" Lin Feng said, "It's finished. Xiao Ma found the boxes and letters his father left behind." Margaret looked at the battery level on the phone screen. "Still ten percent?" Lin Feng said, "Yeah. Since the cat is sitting on it, it doesn't consume power." Margaret set the plate on the ground. "Do you plan to use it until it hits zero percent?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "No. I'll keep it. By keeping it, I'll know there's still power. Knowing there's still power means I don't have to charge it." He looked at the phone. "I'll wait for it to go out on its own. Once it's out, I won't have to look at it anymore." The cat let out a meow, as if saying: It won't go out, I'm sitting on it.

In the evening, Lin Feng sat on the steps in front of the Restaurant. He wasn't crouching; 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. The stars lit up one by one, just like yesterday. The cat jumped off the phone, walked to their feet, crouched 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 look at the clock today." Lin Feng said, "It did. It watched all afternoon. When I was picking the lock, it crouched nearby, staring at the lock. When the lock opened, it let out a meow." Margaret smiled. "Was it happy for you?" Lin Feng said, "It doesn't know happiness. It only knows that when the lock opens, the door opens." The wind blew, carrying the metallic scent of the copper key, the musty paper smell of the old envelope, the aroma of coffee, and the light sweetness 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 stood up too. "Will you still be repairing clocks tomorrow?" Lin Feng shook his head. "No more. What needed to be repaired has been repaired. The rest, they will fix themselves." He turned and walked into the Restaurant, with Margaret following behind him. The door closed, and the light went out. The cat jumped down from the steps, walked back to the tree roots, and crouched on the phone, its tail covering the screen. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting the phone's shadow on the ground—small and square, like a sleeping box. The wind blew, and the shadow swayed but did not scatter. Lin Feng stood inside the Restaurant, looking out the window. He saw the shadow of the phone, the shadow of the cat, and the shadow of the boxes. He watched for a long time, then pulled the curtains and went to sleep.

[End of Chapter 192]