Annual Ceremony

Chapter 72 The Great Cold (2)

Orange felt that she probably wouldn't live to be a hundred years old.

Therefore, I thought that if I could entrust Zhenyi to such a Zhan Mei, I could at least feel at ease.

But Orange was also worried that Zhan Mei might change, since people and cats cannot be compared; cats never change, but people may.

Orange decided to observe Zhan Mei carefully. Mature cats have their own methods, so when spring came the following year, Orange began to secretly and formally write down her observations of Zhan Mei in her heart:
During the first month of the lunar calendar, relatives and friends would visit each other to offer New Year's greetings. Many of them were curious about Zhenyi, and most of them were scholars. They seemed to know that Zhenyi had been wronged in Jinling. They admired Zhenyi's talent and said that Zhan Mei had been reciting poetry to them for countless years. In the courtyard, they asked Zhenyi for advice on poetry, and Zhan Mei stood beside her, always smiling.

In February, Zhan Mei got a temporary job in the county government office, writing some documents and such. He was busy from early morning to late at night, but every time he came home, he would bring some snacks from outside that both people and cats could eat.

In March, Zhan Mei accompanied Zhenyi back to Jinling. Zhuo's mother had passed away, and Zhenyi saw her off on her final journey. Zhan Mei offered her comfort. Upon returning to Xuancheng, Zhan Mei again accompanied Zhenyi back to Elder Tian's residence, where traces of Zhenyi and Zhuo's mother's life remained. Fortunately, Grandpa Han was still there, though his speech was somewhat confused. The cat house in the back was also there, now occupied by a new, unfamiliar cat.

In April, Zhenyi accompanied Zhan Mei to Zhan's father's grave to offer sacrifices and burn paper money. Afterwards, the two walked a long way along the river, as if they had endless things to talk about. The cat didn't want to move and just lay down beside the mule cart to wait.

In May, the sun beat down relentlessly, making the cat even less inclined to move. It lay in its chair, exposing its belly, while Zhan Mei and Zhenyi wrapped zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and composed poems for the Dragon Boat Festival.

In June, Zhan Mei moved a ladder and helped Zhenyi to the roof to observe the stars. He accidentally stepped on a tile, which woke up Zhan's mother. Zhan's mother was helped out by an old woman. Zhan Mei confessed to his mother and apologized, clearing Zhenyi of any wrongdoing.

In July, Zhan Mei took Zhenyi to release lotus lanterns for the Qixi Festival, and Zhan Mei prayed that Zhenyi would live a long and worry-free life.

In August, the osmanthus blossoms bloomed. Zhan Mei cut a few branches, put them in a vase on Zhenyi's desk, and encouraged her to write poetry.

In September, when Zhan Mei had some free time, he picked dates for Zhenyi to eat. Zhenyi smiled and said they were very sweet, but she didn't eat many.

In October, Zhenyi was afraid of the cold, so Zhan Mei led people to repair the house and windows, and lit a brazier early in the morning.

In the winter month, one evening, Zhan Mei cooked a soup with herbs and had Zhenyi soak her feet to warm up. The cat tasted it and found it wasn't poisonous, but it was a bit too hot.

In the twelfth lunar month, the Great Cold solar term arrived again. On this day, Zhan Mei was invited to a banquet and didn't return until late. The cat suspected that he might be starting to change, but when he returned, he was carrying a firework tube. He lit it in the courtyard for Zhenyi to see, and even asked her if she remembered what he had said when they watched the fireworks during the New Year in Tianchang. The cat disliked fireworks and firecrackers and just squatted on the windowsill, but Zhenyi smiled. The cat then concluded: This matter is not bad; this person has not changed.

The cat gradually felt at ease.

During this year's Great Cold, Zhenyi was quite busy. Her mother, Zhan, was ill, and although there was a servant in the house who could take care of her, Zhenyi still had to look after her. In addition, she had to prepare New Year's goods for the family, calculate the income from the fields this year, and worry about what New Year's gifts to give.

Zhan Mei was tied up with things outside and couldn't return home for several days. Zhenyi caught a cold while busy on her own and couldn't stop coughing. Zhan Mei hurriedly called a doctor for her, but she said that she knew her own body and how could she not be a doctor?

After the Great Cold ended, it was Zhenyi's birthday. Ju Zi suddenly couldn't remember how old Zhenyi was. She only found out from Zhan Mei that Zhenyi was twenty-nine this year.

Twenty-nine is old for a cat, but still early for a person. While feeling relieved, Orange suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to prepare a birthday gift for Zhenyi!

Zhenyi seemed to know what the cat was thinking. She picked up the orange and held it in her arms, stroked it with her hand, and then pressed her face against it, whispering, "Having the orange by my side is the best birthday gift."

Orange was already a little hard of hearing and her eyesight was failing, but she vaguely heard Zhenyi say again, "Orange, don't worry about it anymore. I might have to entrust you to someone else..."

Before Ju Zi could understand, Zhan Mei had already brought in a steaming bowl of longevity noodles.

After her birthday, Zhenyi, who had been encouraged by Zhan Mei for a long time, finally began to reorganize the treasures that had been burned. She heard that a new emperor had ascended the throne and said that he would use the observation and calculation of foreigners to revise the calendar.

Ju Zi was very happy for Zhenyi, who was willing to pick up her pen again to organize her hard work.

But Zhenyi worked too hard; she was like a white candle, burning tirelessly day and night.

At first, Zhan Mei advised her against it, until one day, a doctor came to the house. After seeing him off, Zhan Mei stood alone under the eaves for a long time.

Orange walked slowly, and as it passed Zhan Mei, a drop of cool water hit the cat's head, making Orange twitch its ears. It subconsciously looked up, wondering if it was raining.
(The next chapter is about parting ways; readers who cannot accept this should not click on it.)