199: Chapter 199 Cat's Laughter Coupon

The cat's fish jerky bank had been open for three days, and the depositors grew from three cats to five. There was the White Cat, the Black Cat, and the Yellow Cat, later followed by a Calico Cat and an Orange Cat. Every afternoon, they would squat punctually under the Old Locust Tree, waiting for Lin Fengs Cat to pull fish jerky from the pit with its mouth. Lin Fengs Cat only gave out two pieces each time, two for each cat, no more and no less. After eating, they would laugh at it; it wouldn't laugh back, but simply squat back down to cover the pit. Lin Feng squatted nearby, watching this transaction, feeling that the cat understood fairness better than he did. He tried adding a piece of fish jerky to the pit to see if the cat would give more to the others. Lin Fengs Cat glanced at him, picked up that piece of fish jerky, placed it at Lin Feng's feet, and then squatted back down. Lin Feng picked up the fish jerky and understood—the cat didn't want his charity; the cat had its own rules.

When Old Zhou came to deliver the mail, the five cats were squatting in a row, laughing "he-he-he" at him. Old Zhou was stunned. He pulled a letter from his bag and handed it to Lin Feng. "Yours." Lin Feng opened it; inside was only a single sheet of paper with one line of text: "Lin Feng, the cat's laughter has reached Millfield. The cats in Millfield have started laughing too." There was no signature. Lin Feng folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He looked at the five cats in front of him and felt they were like seeds. Laughter was the wind, and the wind blew the seeds to other towns, landing on other cats, who then learned to laugh as well.

The next day, the cats from Millfield really did come. Not just one, but two. One was grey-and-white, and the other was all black. They squatted under the Old Locust Tree, looking at Lin Fengs Cat. Lin Fengs Cat stood up, walked to the edge of the pit, brushed away the fallen leaves, pulled out two pieces of fish jerky, and placed them in front of them. The Grey and White Cat ate and laughed, "He—he—." The black cat also ate and laughed, "He—." Lin Fengs Cat pulled out two more and gave them again. The Grey and White Cat laughed twice more, and the black cat laughed once more. After eating, the two cats squatted by the pit and didn't leave. Lin Fengs Cat didn't drive them away; it squatted back onto the pit, pressing down on the remaining fish jerky. The five cats became seven.

Margaret came out carrying a plate of mushrooms. Seeing the seven cats, she smiled. "Your cat has become the boss," Lin Feng said. "It didn't become the boss. It just has fish jerky." Margaret squatted down and placed the mushrooms on the ground. A few cats came over to sniff them and then walked away. They didn't eat mushrooms, only fish jerky. Lin Feng pulled the last piece of fish jerky from his pocket and broke it into seven small pieces, giving one to each cat. They ate and laughed at Lin Feng. Lin Fengs Cat didn't laugh; it just rubbed its head against Lin Feng's calf. Lin Feng stroked the cat's head. "You're not eating?" The cat didn't answer; it squatted back onto the pit and closed its eyes. Lin Feng felt the cat wasn't refusing to eat, but saving it for the other cats. There wasn't much fish jerky left in the pit, so it had to be stingy. It was like a stingy banker, but this stingy banker made all the cats laugh.

When Old Zhou came again, he pulled a stack of small blank pieces of paper from his bag and handed them to Lin Feng. "Xiao Ma from Baishi Town asked me to bring these to you. He said the cat's laughter can be traded for things. He made these vouchers so the cats can exchange their laughter for fish jerky." Lin Feng took the papers; the words "Laughter Voucher" were printed on them, with a line of small text underneath: "One laugh for one piece of fish jerky. Redeemable at the Baishi Town Bar." Looking at these vouchers, Lin Feng felt that Xiao Ma understood business better than he did. He placed the vouchers by the pit. A cat came over to sniff and batted at them with its paw. Lin Fengs Cat picked one up and handed it to the White Cat. The White Cat laughed "He—" at it. Lin Fengs Cat returned the voucher to the White Cat, then pulled a piece of fish jerky from the pit and placed it before the White Cat. The White Cat ate it. Watching this process, Lin Feng understood—the cat was using the vouchers for bookkeeping. One laugh, one voucher, one piece of fish jerky. More laughter meant more vouchers, which meant more fish jerky. No laughter, no jerky.

After the news spread, people from various towns began coming to exchange for the cats' laughter. They brought fish jerky, walked to the Old Locust Tree, and laughed at a cat. The cat would respond with a "He—" and then wait for the person to hand over the fish jerky. Once the person handed it over, the cat would laugh "He—he—" twice more to show gratitude. If someone laughed three times in a row, the cat would laugh "He—" three times and then wait for the person to hand over three portions of fish jerky. Once handed over, the cat would laugh "He—he—he—" three more times. Back and forth, laughter and fish jerky were exchanged like an ancient trade. Lin Feng squatted nearby, watching it all, feeling that the world had changed once again. The cats had learned to laugh, people had learned to trade fish jerky for laughter, laughter had turned back into fish jerky, and the fish jerky fed even more cats. It was a cycle that went on without end.

At night, the seven cats squatted under the Old Locust Tree, looking up at the stars. Lin Fengs Cat squatted at the very front, its tail covering the pit. The White Cat, Black Cat, Yellow Cat, Calico Cat, Orange Cat, Grey and White Cat, and the other black cat were lined up, their tails swaying gently. Lin Feng squatted nearby, watching them. Margaret came out with a plate of mushrooms and squatted beside him. "How many pieces of fish jerky were exchanged today?" Lin Feng said. "Seventeen. The White Cat exchanged three, the Black Cat two, the Yellow Cat two, the Calico Cat three, the Orange Cat two, the Grey and White Cat three, and the other black cat two." Margaret smiled. "You counted so clearly?" Lin Feng said. "The cat remembers. It doesn't count, but it knows how much is missing from the pit." He looked at the cat's tail. "It has the accounts in its heart."

The wind blew, carrying the salty scent of fish jerky, the papery fragrance of the vouchers, the aroma of coffee, and the light sweetness of mushrooms. Lin Feng closed his eyes and inhaled. He opened his eyes, stood up, and patted his pants. "I'm going to sleep." Margaret also stood up. "Will you still watch the cat exchange fish jerky tomorrow?" Lin Feng nodded. "Yes. It exchanges, and I watch. It laughs, and I laugh too." He turned and walked into the Restaurant, with Margaret following behind him. The door closed, and the lights went out. The cat stood up from under the Old Locust Tree, walked to the pit, brushed away the leaves, and tallied the remaining fish jerky. It counted thirteen pieces. It covered them with leaves, squatted on top, and pressed down. The other six cats squatted beside it and closed their eyes. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting the shadows of the seven cats on the ground, large and small, like a string of yarn balls. The wind blew, and the shadows swayed but did not break. Lin Feng stood in the Restaurant, looking out the window. He saw the shadows of the seven cats, the shadow of the pit, and the shadow of the laughter. He watched for a long time, then pulled the curtains shut and went to sleep.

[Chapter 199 End]