Chapter 210 - 95: Hui Hui’s Love Story
In mid-June, Tizi suddenly went into heat.
Its frequency of going out increased significantly, often pacing restlessly back and forth.
It would also pee in the kitchen, at the doorway platform of the kiln, and in the woods adjacent to the fields, or howl in the middle of the night.
Within the acre of land at Chen Zhou's house, the heat of Tizi was like a dazzling lighthouse, freely emitting light and attracting nearby male feral cats to rendezvous with the charming lady.
Because of Tizi's cries, Chen Zhou was often forced to wake up in the middle of the night, or chase Tizi out of the kitchen, letting it call out to its friends in the distance, or shrink back into the covers like an "ostrich," endeavoring to continue his sweet dreams.
While working on the platform during the day, he frequently paid attention to Tizi's behavior, wondering what kind of "husband" it would eventually fancy.
As for the pair of Xiao Huihui and Tizi.
In the past, Chen Zhou might have thought about pairing them, but after so long, seeing Tizi's prowess and Xiao Huihui's timidity, he no longer held any hope in this matter.
Even though, theoretically speaking, Xiao Huihui is the closest male cat to Tizi, theoretically having the advantage of proximity.
But the difference in their upbringing was too large, one being a "Valkyrie" who fought in the mountains from a young age, the other a "Wealthy Young Master" raised pampered.
Normally not to mention living in harmony, even if Xiao Huihui stepped half a foot into the kitchen, it would be beaten by Tizi to the point of painful screams, resulting in a psychological shadow over Xiao Huihui concerning Tizi.
Even if intrigued by Tizi's scent, with hormone encouragement, it timidly dared not venture out to approach Tizi, only standing at the storage room door, watching from afar.
There were faint signs of being moved, but not distinctly so.
...
Chen Zhou originally thought things would continue like this until Tizi became pregnant with kittens, adding members to this little family.
Unexpectedly, on June 17th, an unforeseen development occurred.
That evening, as he finished a day's work and was lighting a fire to cook on the platform, Tizi stood by the edge of the platform, facing the woods, starting to call loudly for her lover.
Due to the recent eradication of wild rabbits, the nearby feral cats were also affected.
Some were unlucky enough to be strangled by rabbit snares, others scared away by barking dogs and frequent hunting activities.
Some were disturbed by the sound of Chen Zhou's tree felling, unwilling to reside in such a noisy place, leaving and running to live elsewhere, greatly reducing numbers.
Under normal circumstances, a young and beautiful female cat like Tizi calling out would have already attracted a group of eager male cats, following their primal instincts to prepare for reproducing the next generation.
Tizi wouldn't need to go out looking.
Nor would it be like now, calling out for days on end, with only a few competitors showing up.
...
During this rainless period, with the small space in the kiln making it difficult to stretch out, Chen Zhou usually worked outdoors,
He had quite an impression of Tizi's few "suitors."
The largest among them was a black cat, seemingly in its prime, acting cautiously, wary of the fields and platform, at most meeting Tizi at the woods' edge, staying away from areas bearing the traces of him and Lai Fu's activities.
Though the black cat was large, it was mainly in bone structure.
Life in the wild is not easy, with hardships in finding food.
The dry season is manageable, but during the rainy season with continuous storms, hunting requires not only ensuring a full belly but also avoiding getting wet, conserving energy, reducing consumption, so not much fat could be accumulated.
Despite its length being almost half a head longer than Tizi's, in terms of weight, it was far from Tizi, who lacked for nothing in food, let alone compared to Xiao Huihui.
While Xiao Huihui was timid and cowardly, he was undoubtedly a big cat, weighing nearly 14 pounds due to ample feeding.
Sitting on the ground, he looked like a gray triangular rice ball, and with the nourishment from Seal Oil, his fur was lush and shiny.
If someone unaware of the situation saw him, they might mistakenly think he was a fierce, highly skilled hunting big cat, never realizing not an ounce of his fat was gained by catching mice himself.
Besides the black cat, there were three equally matched competitors, about the same age as Tizi, lacking in size due to insufficient food.
Perhaps being young and inexperienced, they were not much afraid of Lai Fu and Chen Zhou, often strutting in and out of the fields, walking onto the platform, even fighting at the kiln door over jealousy, leaving cat hair and blood all over the place.
...
On the evening of the 17th, Tizi called out for a while.
Soon after, Chen Zhou saw from afar the silhouette of the large black cat at the edge of the woods.
Still holding a strong sense of vigilance, it clung to a tree on the outermost edge of the woods, sitting on a thick branch, gazing into the distance, not coming any closer.
Next, two young competitors appeared.
One had brown fur, the other had brown and black spots.
Both cats bore scars from fighting a few days earlier; upon first sight, they arched their backs, squeezing threatening growls from their throats, with back hair standing and tails puffed up like clubs, exchanging shouts from afar.
Walking forward while bickering, soon the two cats were running up from the platform's edge, watching each other's moves, simultaneously eyeing Tizi, showing off their male charm.
Such a farce Chen Zhou had seen many times, unable to help but speculate the two cats would once again end up empty-pawed tonight.