odbye to their drillmasters. At those moments, people forgot how harsh their officers were and many were trying hard not to cry. Men were like that, they could fight one moment, then smoke, drink and talk locker talk together the next moment.

The young were impulsive and often emotional. The atmosphere affected them greatly.

Even Zheng Tan was moved. He remembered when he started university. He didn't attend military training with the help of a fake sick note and some bribery. He regretted it.

He yawned and jumped off his tree. It was time to go home, Mama Jiao was making dumplings.

Jiao Wei and his roommates watched their drillmaster leave before heading toward his family's restaurant. They planned to feast tonight and discuss their plans for the next two days.

They had two days of free time after military training and planned to see a bit of the city.

Jiao Wei's parents edged them on. They wanted their child spend more time with his peers. They gave him some money and told him to go have fun with his friends. He hadn't gotten a chance to experience the city yet.

The boys researched some of Chuhua's attractions after they returned to their dorm. Jiao Wei lived in an eight-person room. It was much cheaper than the other kinds. His parents felt bad about it but he insisted on it. He spent little time in his dorm, and besides, it was still better than his high school dorm room.

At night, the boys were having heated discussions. Jiao Wei's mind, however, was still on the cat. September was coming to an end, were those people going to show up again in October?

Maybe he should try asking the cat.

How would he do it?

He couldn't just come up to the cat and say, "Hey. Help me. I'll buy you fish."

People would think he was nuts.

This was hard.

The next day, Jiao Wei and his roommates had breakfast at the cafeteria. They planned to head out soon and bought transit pa.s.ses already. Their route had been carefully planned.

The boys were walking to the bus stop when Jiao Wei caught sight of a familiar figure.

"You guys go ahead. Wait for me at the bus stop. I remembered something I need to do. I'll meet you guys there." Jiao Wei said.

"What? Do you need help?"

"No. You guys go!" Jiao Wei was gone before his roommates could say anything else.

Zheng Tan was planning to enjoy a stroll in the woods. He hadn't been over there for a while and needed some exercise. He had eaten too much for breakfast, so he chose not to jog.

"Charcoal! Wait up!" Jiao Wei ran behind the cat and yelled out.

Zheng Tan stopped and looked at the person running toward him. He didn't know what Jiao Wei wanted. The guy was going sightseeing with his cla.s.smates today. Had they not left yet?

Jiao Wei caught up with the cat but was suddenly at a loss for words. He looked around. They were not alone though the trail they were on was relatively remote. He said, "Let's find a place where we can talk."

One month ago he would never have believed there would be a day he talked to a cat.

Zheng Tan twitched his ears. What did this guy want? He had nothing to do so he decided to humor Jiao Wei. He thought of places where they could be alone and started walking. He stopped to eye Jiao Wei.

Jiao Wei scratched his nose then followed behind the cat.

They didn't have to walk far. There was a flower bed nearby where they could talk without being overheard.

Zheng Tan jumped on the edge and waited for Jiao Wei to talk.

Jiao Wei mumbled some nonsense before finally asking, "Can you help contact Wei Ling?"

Wei Ling?

What did Jiao Wei want from Wei Ling?

Zheng Tan looked at Jiao Wei suspiciously.

He hadn't seen Wei Ling in a while. He mentioned when they last met he wanted to avoid military training because it would make him miss the army. Now that training was over, he should be visiting soon.

"If you can, lead Wei Ling to my family's restaurant next time he comes to visit you. Please?" Jiao Wei asked hesitantly while watching the cat's reactions.

Zheng Tan didn't know what Jiao Wei wanted but they boy wasn't asking for much and he was willing to help. He raised a paw and looked at Jiao Wei.

Jiao Wei was puzzled and didn't move.

What an idiot! Zheng Tan was speechless.

He went over and patted the back of Jiao Wei's hand.

This was how he communicated with the kids. They would high five if he agreed to their proposals.

He then jumped off the flower bed and left for the woods.

Jiao Wei watched him go, then looked down at his hand. Did this mean...yes?