Immortal Takeout - Chapter 32

On his way home in the evening, Ta Nuo suddenly remembered what the Little Boss had told him during the day: monsters in the forest also ate sea otters. This made him somewhat worried. Changing course, he returned to Mother Otter’s house, planning to squeeze in with his otter little brother.

Otter Little Brother was at a growing age, never getting enough sleep. He had fallen asleep early after dinner, lying on the bed. Mother Otter brought Ta Nuo a late-night snack. After enjoying a good meal, Ta Nuo fell asleep leaning against Tatami.

The next day, when Ta Nuo woke up, Tatami was still fast asleep, hugging his tail and smacking his lips, unaware of what sweet dream he was having. Ta Nuo pinched his little brother’s face, amused himself for a while, then thought of today’s schedule, quickly let go, and went out to find Mother Otter.

After several consecutive days of rain, the water level had risen, the river was swift, and had flooded the otter family’s home on the riverbank. Father Otter and Mother Otter were busy repairing the house and building a new one. For otters, the principle of “a crafty rabbit has three burrows” still held true. Ta Nuo offered to help, clumsily got involved for a bit, but was soon chased ashore by Father Otter.

Mother Otter apologetically told Ta Nuo she couldn’t make him small dried fish or mussels today, but he could take some from Otter Little Brother’s snack stash first. Once Mother Otter caught her breath, she would make fresh ones to replenish it.

Ta Nuo found Otter Little Brother’s “granary” in the house. Clearly, Mother Otter, overwhelmed with work, had misjudged; Ta Tami’s reserves weren’t plentiful. Ta Nuo only found one jar of pepper-salt small dried fish and one jar of garlic-roasted mussels. Ta Nuo hesitated for a long time, then used new glass jars to divide the small dried fish and roasted mussels into two portions each, packing them into four glass jars. He held the jars up to the daylight, comparing them for a long time, and finally decided to package the jars with slightly more content to give to the Little Boss.

When Little Brother wakes up, he can still eat the fresh small dried fish Mom makes, but the Little Boss doesn’t get to eat them often. After all, he’s the more pitiful one.

Ta Nuo also stuffed half a bag of candy into his backpack, took half a jar of pepper-salt small dried fish and half a jar of garlic-roasted mussels, and hurried towards the Little Boss’s house. The rain had stopped today, but the air was still very humid. Taking a breath felt stuffy in the chest, hard to breathe.

The Little Boss had just woken up and was sitting under the eaves of his house in a daze. Hearing Ta Nuo knock, he only twitched his ears. The little white umbrella went to open the door for Ta Nuo and let him in.

Ta Nuo thought, My treatment is really different now! Luo Pangpang actually opens the door for me proactively. He felt somewhat happy, but couldn’t stay long today. He had also promised Mr. Song Shi to accompany him and his cat, Cong Hua, to reconcile with the jackdaws.

Stepping into the courtyard, Ta Nuo’s eyes lit up.

The pear tree had blossomed. As if overnight, the entire tree was adorned with small white flowers, each holding a glistening, translucent drop of water, and each drop reflected Ta Nuo’s image. Most flowers hadn’t fully bloomed yet, but a faint , fresh and sweet floral fragrance already drifted in the courtyard. In a few more days, this place would become an ocean of white petals.

Ta Nuo marveled for a while. Seeing the Little Boss completely ignoring him, he scratched his head, walked over to Luo Xiang, and placed the gifts he brought beside him.

The Little Boss still maintained his original posture, head tilted back, looking at the sky—perhaps at the flowers, perhaps at the clouds—but didn’t even glance at Ta Nuo.

So Ta Nuo also sat down, watched the sky with him for a while, found it rather uninteresting, and yawned. He said, “Are you coming with me today? Cong Hua is a cat. I hope he won’t be too fierce.” He muttered quietly his worries.

The Little Boss didn’t speak. Ta Nuo interpreted this as a silent refusal. He calculated the time, stood up, patted his bottom, and bid farewell to the Little Boss.

Luo Xiang finally moved his head, withdrawing his gaze from the sky and gently landing it on Ta Nuo’s face. He spoke slowly, “Why didn’t you ask me today?”

Puzzled, Ta Nuo blinked. “Ask what?”

Luo Xiang pressed his lips together and ignored him again.

Ta Nuo stood under the eaves for a while. Seeing the Little Boss immersed in his own world again, completely forgetting his existence, he bowed to Luo Xiang, bid farewell again, and set off from the Luo residence, heading towards the city.

Because Cong Hua loved sleeping in, the time Mr. Song Shi set with him was quite late. Ta Nuo still had plenty of time to travel. He walked slowly on the road, his mind preoccupied with the Little Boss’s words, stepping carefree in the puddles on the ground with a squelch squelch. Suddenly, he stopped, patted his cheeks, and went, “Ah, I get it—”

The Little Boss was asking him why he hadn’t invited him to the “Immortal Takeout” opening ceremony today.

Luo Xiang had refused him many times, but Ta Nuo would still ask every time they met. This morning, preoccupied with the small dried fish, he had forgotten to ask. Ta Nuo rubbed his face and thought, I’ll ask again when I go back tonight. Maybe the Little Boss will find the small dried fish delicious, his mood will improve, and he’ll agree! Hehe.

Ta Nuo waited as agreed in front of the original “Cat’s Teishoku” shop. Mr. Song Shi arrived much later than planned, seeming rushed and full of full-faced guilt. The moment he saw Ta Nuo, he apologized, explaining that there had been an incident today because he had to take Cong Hua out, which delayed them.

Ta Nuo quietly observed Mr. Song Shi. His forehead was sweaty, he was carrying a brown cat carrier, and the back of his hand had two fresh scratch marks, with tiny beads of blood slowly seeping out upon closer look. It really looked like he had been through a tough battle.

“It’s alright,” Ta Nuo shook his head and said, “Should we sit down and rest for a bit?” It would also give the irritable Mr. Cong Hua a chance to calm down.

Ta Nuo had originally thought that a cat named after food would be gentler.

But clearly, Mr. Cong Hua didn’t agree. Because the moment he heard Ta Nuo’s voice, he emitted a low, rumbling growl, just like a little engine.

Ta Nuo pricked up his ears and took a fearful step back.

Mr. Song Shi hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. He and Ta Nuo sat together on the stone bench meant for pedestrians in front of the shop. Mr. Song Shi carefully lifted the cat carrier, turning the transparent side towards the entrance of “Cat’s Teishoku,” and said softly, “Cong Hua, look, this is our old shop. You haven’t been here in a long time.”

From this angle, Ta Nuo could only see a dark shadow. After a moment, a black, moist nose appeared through the mesh. It seemed Mr. Cong Hua truly missed this place. His emotions gradually stabilized, and he crouched in the carrier, panting heavily.

Mr. Song Shi seemed to sigh. By the time Ta Nuo looked up, his expression had returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. Meeting Ta Nuo’s gaze, he somewhat awkwardly patted the back of his head and said, “Sorry, my cat is a bit fierce.”

Ta Nuo shook his head.

Just then, Mr. Cong Hua in the carrier raised his volume again, as if confirming Mr. Song Shi’s words. He stretched out a paw and scratched vigorously at the carrier’s surface, making a distinct riiiip sound.

Mr. Song Shi’s face turned somewhat unpleasant. Anxiously, he placed his hand on the carrier, trying to soothe the tense cat, but it was in vain.

Ta Nuo tilted his head and observed for a while, then suddenly spoke up. “I know this request sounds very rude and strange, but… can I stay alone with your cat for a while? I won’t hurt him, and I won’t scare him away. I just want to talk to him. I have a lot of experience caring for cats. I can tell he’s very tense right now.” He tried to reassure the equally tense Mr. Song Shi. “Let me talk to Cong Hua. I can calm him down.”

This request did indeed sound very strange. Mr. Song Shi thought for a long time, but finally agreed reluctantly. He still seemed somewhat uneasy, finding a spot not too far and not too close, facing them, and sat down again. From this distance, he just couldn’t hear Ta Nuo and Cong Hua’s conversation, but could still clearly see their situation. Mr. Song Shi still looked very worried, yet felt powerless, so he had to trust a stranger. This actually seemed somewhat pitiable too.

Ta Nuo shook his head inwardly, then turned to look at the cat carrier. He squatted down, his face level with the carrier. He got straight to the point, “Have you attained sentience?”

Mr. Cong Hua quieted down and didn’t speak.

Ta Nuo continued on his own. “I can sense you haven’t been sentient for long, and aren’t very accustomed to it yet. Do you plan to continue staying with the human? That’s quite risky.”

Most domesticated animals who attain sentience choose to leave their original human families. Because after attaining sentience, there is a long adaptation period, known in Sentient Physiology as the “Epiphany Metamorphosis Period.” This special period can be long or short, with significant or minor effects, all depending on the individual. Sentient beings in the Epiphany Metamorphosis Period experience immense psychological and physiological pressure from the power of their newfound sentience. They are forced to respond and undergo change.

Most sentient beings, after their epiphany, find it difficult to coexist harmoniously with the “essence energy” within them. Unable to control their increasingly powerful strength, they often undergo drastic personality changes or experience emotional instability, their behavior becoming more and more eccentric. Therefore, they choose to leave their original human families, seeking a quiet place suitable for cultivation to live alone.

Of course, a small number of sentient beings develop deep affection for their humans and are unwilling to leave just like that. They choose to continue living in their human households even during the Epiphany Metamorphosis Period. Some of these successfully navigate this awkward phase, finding a perfect balance between their inner selves and the external world, becoming camouflaged inhabitants of the human world. Others, however, cannot control themselves well, committing acts that harm themselves or their humans, even meeting the tragic fate of being abandoned by humans.

Ta Nuo couldn’t immediately determine if Mr. Cong Hua fell into the latter category.

After a long silence, Mr. Cong Hua slowly spoke, confirming Ta Nuo’s suspicion.

“As you rightly said, unidentified creature,” Mr. Cong Hua said. His natural voice was actually quite soft and clear, even sounding like a coquettish little female cat. “I am indeed in the Metamorphosis Period, but I do not wish to leave my human.”

“Why?” Ta Nuo asked cautiously. “From what I know, Mr. Song Shi is very worried about you. He even thinks you don’t like him and is very sad about it.”

Mr. Cong Hua scoffed. His tone sounded somewhat mocking, yet filled with conceited arrogance. “My human is my own choice. My choices are never wrong. How dare he doubt me like this? Truly foolish.”

Ta Nuo couldn’t help but glance at the anxiously worried Mr. Song Shi not far away, thinking, The misunderstanding between you two seems quite deep.

“This particular human originally always wanted a long-haired, big black cat. If I hadn’t been clever, he would have missed out on me.” Mr. Cong Hua suddenly sighed, seeming to also harbor some grievance about this relationship. “But he is so stupid, simply impossible to communicate with.”

Ta Nuo said, “Tell me about the black cat part!”

His intuition told him this story would be interesting.

Ta Nuo felt Mr. Cong Hua’s sharp gaze; it seemed he was being glared at. But it didn’t matter; a good story was worth waiting for. He pulled a milk candy from his backpack, unwrapped it, and put the candy in his mouth. The bland rice paper gradually softened and became sticky, the rich milky flavor blooming between his lips and teeth. Ta Nuo smacked his lips contentedly.

“Go on, tell me. I have many very close human friends. If you tell me your troubles, maybe I can help you solve the problem,” Ta Nuo told a lie.