He Jiaqing exclaimed in surprise, "Why did you leave your things at the station?"
Li Banfeng sighed, "It’s a long story."
Li Banfeng stood at the door, hesitating whether or not to go in.
He Jiaqing had already closed the front door.
If he didn’t go in now, it would mean confronting him directly.
"Let’s talk inside." He Jiaqing led Li Banfeng into the Mystical Gate. Li Banfeng had traveled the whole day; his leather shoes were covered in mud. Taking a couple of steps inside the Mystical Gate, he left two muddy footprints on the carpet.
He Jiaqing glanced at the carpet. Li Banfeng gave an awkward smile and hurriedly took off his shoes.
Actually, his socks weren’t in much better condition than his shoes. While he grappled with the black bear, muddy water had seeped into his shoes. After air-drying throughout the journey, the mud had caked and hardened.
Li Banfeng slipped on some slippers and handed a feather duster to He Jiaqing.
He Jiaqing took the duster, puzzled.
Li Banfeng said, "It’s a small token of my goodwill."
He Jiaqing, holding the feather duster, shook his head and sighed, "Ban Feng, you’re never serious, are you?"
Li Banfeng, with a serious expression, said, "Bringing a gift when visiting someone’s home, isn’t that proper?"
He Jiaqing shook his head helplessly and placed the feather duster in a corner of the living room. This reminded Li Banfeng of something Old Lady Wu at the orphanage once said:
People with decorum never put a feather duster in the living room; it invites petty troubles.
He Jiaqing led Li Banfeng to the living room, where Li Banfeng took a seat on the sofa.
Although the mansion was luxurious, it didn’t have electricity. He Jiaqing lit the candles on the coffee table and asked Li Banfeng about his journey.
"Ban Feng, I sent you messages the whole way; why didn’t you reply?" He Jiaqing poured a cup of tea for Li Banfeng.
"When I got to Pants Belt Pit, my phone died. The train broke down, so I couldn’t charge it; I couldn’t see your messages at all." Li Banfeng raised the teacup, about to take a sip, but as it neared his nose, he caught a fishy smell from the tea.
"This isn’t water for goldfish, is it?" Li Banfeng frowned.
"Nonsense! What do you mean, goldfish water? This is high-quality tea! I wouldn’t even offer it to just anyone!"
"Ah, so it’s fine tea." Li Banfeng raised the teacup again and went through the motions of drinking, but the tea level didn’t drop, as he didn’t actually drink it.
He Jiaqing said, "I heard there was an accident with the train. I was worried you had nothing to eat on board, and I’ve been on edge these past few days."
Li Banfeng chuckled, "There was food, sure, but the things I’ve seen on this trip are just too strange. Jia Qing, you still haven’t told me what happened. What *is* this place? And who exactly *is* that person lying in the hospital?"
He Jiaqing laughed, "There’s so much to tell about this place; it would take three days and three nights to explain it all. I heard the train arrived yesterday; why did you only come looking for me today?"
"I was just..." Li Banfeng was cut off mid-sentence when he suddenly heard a noise from the Mystical Gate.
He Jiaqing also looked toward the Mystical Gate, where there was indeed a soft rustling sound, like footsteps.
The two men went to the Mystical Gate one after the other. They looked around for a moment but saw no one. Instead, they found a calico cat crouched under the shoe rack, clutching a food bowl and gobbling down its contents.
Li Banfeng asked, "I saw a black cat earlier; how come there’s a calico one here now?"
He Jiaqing laughed, "They’re all strays from the neighborhood. They used to live in the old house, but then I moved back in and took over their home. I felt bad for them, so I prepare a little food for them every day. Besides, I live alone in this big house, so it’s nice to have them for company."
Li Banfeng looked at the cat food bowl. It contained an unidentifiable paste—definitely not fish, yet it also gave off a fishy smell.
Li Banfeng glanced around the Mystical Gate once more and suddenly noticed the very bright feather duster he had brought.
The feather duster, which He Jiaqing had placed in a corner of the living room, was now next to the shoe rack.
His gaze traveled from the feather duster to the shoe rack. His own muddy leather shoes were now remarkably clean—not only was the mud gone, but they were also polished to a shine.
Looking from the shoe rack to the carpet, he saw that the carpet was also spotless, completely free of dust.
The two muddy footprints he had left when entering had vanished.
"Ban Feng, what are you daydreaming about?"
Li Banfeng smiled, "I was looking at that cat."
"What are you looking at it for? You must be hungry too!" He Jiaqing smiled, "Just sit tight; I’ll go make you a bowl of meat soup."
Li Banfeng returned to the sofa, picked up the teacup, and poured the tea onto the carpet.
In less than two minutes, the tea on the carpet dried up, leaving no trace.
He Jiaqing was busy in the kitchen; a white cat lay underneath a cabinet, fast asleep.
On the chopping board lay a skinned animal, about a foot in length.
He Jiaqing sliced off a few pieces of meat from the animal and put them into the pot.
The slices were very thin; He Jiaqing seemed reluctant to use too much.
But after a moment’s hesitation, He Jiaqing smiled.
he thought.
He Jiaqing’s smile grew wider and wider. He then carved off a large portion of meat—cat meat—from the carcass on the chopping board and tossed it into the pot.
"Ban Feng, have some soup." He Jiaqing placed the bowl of soup in front of Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng looked at the meat soup and said with a smile, "It’s too hot; let it cool first."
He Jiaqing saw the empty teacup and asked, "You must have been really thirsty. Shall I brew you another cup?"
Li Banfeng shook his head, "No need, I’m not used to such fine tea."