Chapter 182: A Special Experience
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Grandpa Tea, how about we take a taxi? It is quite close so it won't cost much."
Zhang Zian noticed that Old Time Tea kept staring at the cars, so he thought it wanted to get a ride. He totally understood that Old Time Tea was getting old and a ride in a car would be handy.
"Nope, we can walk there," Old Time Tea said humbly. "Everything in this new era seems interesting to me. Look, even cars have dozens of various models. It is true that seeing is believing. TV shows don't represent the real world."
Zhang Zian got a great idea upon hearing Old Time Tea's words. He could get a 3D TV which Old Time Tea could watch through a pair of 3D glasses. It had to be a great experience for it… Or he could turn them invisible and take them all out for an Imax movie. He had fun just by thinking about how terrified Fina would be.
Considering Galaxy, going during the day would be ideal because there would be less of an audience.
He would pick a movie that was good for all ages. They probably would not enjoy Sci-fi movies. Horror movies were also not a good choice, and chick-flicks would make him sad… Disney movies would be excellent, something like "Frozen". It had been the bestseller all over the world because it was a great movie for all ages…
Pointing at an 18-wheeler, Zhang Zian said, "Look, Grandpa Tea. You have to stay away from those trucks. They are too heavy and may not be able to stop on time… Also look out for the electric mopeds. Man, those things are fast. If you stay on the sidewalk, you should be fine."
Old Time Tea kept observing and nodded.
When they arrived at the intersection near the pet shop, Old Time Tea saw the crossway and asked, "I saw those on TV. People have to wait until the cars stop?"
"That's right. When the light across the road turns green, pedestrians may cross. However, you need to look around and keep an eye on some bad drivers. There are so many people that drive without a license or when they are drunk. Sometimes they play with their phone when driving… it is very dangerous indeed. We have to be alert and stay away from those people.
The traffic in China was quite messy because there were too many people, cars, bicycles and electric mopeds. Public transportation was great, but when a whole family went somewhere, it was much easier to have your own car. It also brought integrity to the family. He remembered the naughty kid's mom kept saying that they needed a car… Zhang Zian wondered how the naughty kid was doing.
When there were too many cars, dead animals could be found on the side of the street. Sometimes kids ran into accidents when the adults weren't paying attention.
An animal's eye level was very different from that of the human being. They usually could see farther away, so they could spot enemies before they got close. However, animals were short, so their eyes could see as high as car tires. When a car came towards them at extremely high speed, they usually wouldn't be fast enough to get away. Especially at night, most animals would be blinded by a car's high beam headlights.
Zhang Zian could tell that Old Time Tea was curious about the outside world even though it was older. It was not like Fina and Galaxy, who loved to stay at home. Old Time Tea loved watching TV on its electric blanket, but when there was a chance to get out, it was excited. Therefore, Zhang Zian patiently explained the traffic rules in case it ever went out on its own. Although it was an Elfin and much tougher than a normal cat, it wouldn't be tougher than a moving car.
He then realized that he hadn't seen Little Celery in several days. He thought that Little Celery's mom had to teach her as well. Honestly, animals were very similar to children.
Regarding safety on the road, it would be an endless lecture. Zhang Zian brought it up as they were standing at the traffic light: stop on red; go on green; stop, look and then go…
As they were talking, there came a good looking young lady across from the road waiting for the light. She glanced at the timer above the light and continued reading on her cellphone. She might be reading some news or chatting to her friends.
The light turned green after a bit. Zhang Zian and Old Time Tea started walking across the road.
A young lady put down her cellphone and walked towards them.
Zhang Zian stared at her nervously. He was worried that it could see Old Time Tea and would be scared by a cat with a vest and a hat.
The young lady didn't land her eyes on Old Time Tea at all. As they walked by each other, she murmured, "What a freak, staring at pretty girls…"
Zhang Zian was speechless. He wasn't staring at her. She felt too good about herself!
Old Time Tea and Zhang Zian took their time on the road. Zhang Zian kept telling it about the traffic rules, yet it didn't really pay attention to what he was lecturing. Instead, it was more curious about this lively world.
Being invisible was a new thing to Old Time Tea. At first, it was not used to it. When it came across other people, it instinctively held its breath. Soon, it realized that it was truly invisible and no one ever landed their eyes on it. Gradually it felt more relaxed. It even tried to so walk close to other people that it could feel their body heat, yet they never knew it was there.
Although it was invisible, when Old Time Tea turned around, it could see its own footsteps that a normal person couldn't see. It smelled another cat. Looking up, there was an orange and white street cat on top of the wall. The street cat acted like it also smelled Old Time Tea and it kept searching for the intruder. Old Time Tea smiled and waved at the orange and white cat, but it could not see it.
Zhang Zian looked at and saw the street cat. He said to Old Time Tea, "On the other side of the wall there is Binhai University. Faculty housing is near here and there are a lot of street cats. Teacher and students often come here to feed them."
The street cat they saw was quite big and strong. It had to be a good fighter and know how to get people's affection.
The college kids were quite kind. Some guys didn't like pets, but they would still treat the street animals nicely, especially when there were girls around. The animal control center wouldn't bother to capture the street animals. Street cats were overpopulated and sometimes you would see a few dogs if you were lucky.