200: Chapter 200 The End of Laughter

The seven cats crouched under the Old Locust Tree all night. The moon moved from the east to the west, and their shadows moved from the west to the east. Lin Feng stood behind the Restaurant window and watched all night. He didn't pull the curtains; he just stood there. As dawn approached, the seven cats opened their eyes simultaneously, tilted their heads back, and began to laugh "He—he—he—" at the first light on the horizon. Seven different pitches, rising and falling, like a song without a score. Lin Feng laughed too. He pushed open the door, walked out, and crouched beside the cats. The cats glanced at him and continued laughing. Lin Feng pulled a piece of dried fish from his pocket, broke it into seven small pieces, and gave one to each cat. They ate and laughed at him. Lin Feng laughed back at them. The laughter blended together, making it impossible to tell who was human and who was a cat.

Margaret came out carrying a plate of mushrooms, standing at the Restaurant entrance and watching this man and the seven cats. She didn't walk over; she just stood there watching. When she finished watching, she turned back to continue frying mushrooms. She felt she shouldn't disturb this moment. When Old Zhou came to deliver the mail, the laughter hadn't stopped. He parked his bicycle at the entrance of the alley and walked over, afraid the sound of the chain would startle them. He crouched beside Lin Feng, pulled a letter from his bag, and handed it to him. Lin Feng opened it; there was only one sheet of paper inside, with only one line of text: "Lin Feng, the laughter of cats has spread to every town. Every town's cats can laugh now. No one taught them; they learned it themselves." There was no signature. Lin Feng folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He looked at the seven cats in front of him and felt they weren't his cats, but the world's cats. He was just a person crouching and watching them.

In the afternoon, an Old Cat arrived. It was grey, very thin, and walked with a limp. It walked to the Old Locust Tree, crouched opposite the seven cats, and looked at them. Lin Fengs Cat stood up, walked to the edge of the pit, cleared away the fallen leaves, picked up a piece of dried fish in its mouth, and placed it before the Old Cat. The Old Cat sniffed it but didn't eat. Lin Fengs Cat picked up another piece and placed it before it. The Old Cat still didn't eat. Lin Fengs Cat looked at it and laughed "He—he—he—" three times. The Old Cat raised its head, opened its mouth, and let out a very soft "He—". The sound was tiny, like a leaking balloon. Lin Fengs Cat laughed again, and the Old Cat followed suit. It laughed exactly seven times, each sound louder than the last. After laughing, it lowered its head and ate both pieces of dried fish. When it finished, it stood up, rubbed its head against Lin Fengs Cat, and then limped away. Lin Feng crouched nearby, feeling that it was an Old Cat that hadn't laughed in a long time. It laughed today because someone waited for it, there was dried fish for it, and there was laughter to accompany it.

Margaret came out of the Restaurant holding a bowl of fish soup. She crouched where the Old Cat had just been and placed the fish soup on the ground. "Will it come back?" Lin Feng said. "It will. Since it laughed, it will come. If it comes, it'll want to laugh again." Margaret looked at the bowl of fish soup. "It didn't drink any," Lin Feng said. "It ate the dried fish. Dried fish is more filling than fish soup." Margaret picked up the fish soup and drank it herself. "Why are you drinking it?" Lin Feng asked. Margaret wiped her mouth. "If it won't drink it, I will. Can't let it go to waste." The cats watched Margaret drink the fish soup, all tilting their heads as if asking: Is it good? Margaret put the bowl down and smiled. "It's good. Even if you wanted some, it's gone now." The cats went back to watching the sky, ignoring her.

At night, the seven cats didn't leave. They crouched under the Old Locust Tree, forming a circle with their heads facing inward and tails facing outward. Lin Fengs Cat crouched in the center of the circle, tilting its head up to look at the stars. The other six cats didn't look at the stars; they looked at it. Lin Feng crouched outside the circle, watching the seven cats. He felt it wasn't a circle, but a flower. Lin Fengs Cat was the pistil, and the other six were the petals. The pistil laughed, and the petals laughed too. The petals laughed, and the pistil laughed again. Laughing back and forth, the flower bloomed all night long.

Margaret came out with a plate of mushrooms and crouched beside Lin Feng. "You've been crouching all afternoon," Lin Feng said. "Mm." Margaret put the plate on the ground. "Aren't you tired?" Lin Feng said. "Tired. But the cats aren't. They've been laughing all afternoon and aren't tired. Since I'm crouching and watching, I can't be tired either." He looked at the cat circle. "While they laugh, I watch. When they stop laughing, I'll go sleep." Margaret also looked at the cat circle. "When will they stop laughing?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe when they've laughed enough, they'll stop. Or maybe they'll never laugh enough." He stood up and patted his pants. "I'm going to sleep." Margaret looked at his back. "You're not watching them anymore?" Lin Feng didn't even turn his head. "They won't run away. They'll still be here tomorrow."

He walked into the Restaurant, pulled the curtains, and lay down on the bed. The cat circle was still under the Old Locust Tree, the seven cats huddled together, leaning on each other. Lin Fengs Cat rested its head on White Cat's back, White Cat rested its head on Black Cat's back, Black Cat on Yellow Cat's back, Yellow Cat on Calico Cat's back, Calico Cat on Orange Cat's back, and Orange Cat on Grey and White Cat's back. Grey and White Cat had nothing to lean on, so it rested its head on its own paws. They all closed their eyes, their purring rising and falling, interspersed with laughter like a lullaby. The wind blew through, carrying the body heat of the seven cats, the crumbs of dried fish, the lingering echoes of laughter, the aroma of coffee, and the light sweetness of mushrooms. Lin Feng didn't hear any of this; he had fallen asleep. He dreamed of cats; a cat was crouching on a giant wall, and the wall was covered in red dots. The cat laughed at every red dot, and the red dots turned into flowers. The flowers bloomed, withered, and bloomed again. Flowers blooming and withering, laughter unceasing. When he woke up, it was already light. He pulled back the curtains and saw the seven cats still crouching under the Old Locust Tree; the circle was still there, the flower still blooming. He smiled. He pushed open the door, walked out, and crouched beside the cat circle. The cats opened their eyes, looked at him, and began to laugh "He—he—he—" at him. Lin Feng laughed too. After he finished laughing, he stood up, patted his pants, and walked into the Restaurant. Margaret came out with a plate of mushrooms and placed them on the ground. The cats gathered around, sniffed them, and then walked away. They didn't eat mushrooms; they only ate dried fish. Margaret smiled. "You're even pickier eaters than I am." The cats ignored her and continued looking at the sky.

[End of Chapter 200]