Live Cat Appraisal: Starting with a Beast That's Got a Long Prison Record

Chapter 178 Living by Water and Grass
"Teacher Chen! We've arrived!"

Xu Dafei and his men rushed to the rescue station again.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Chen Nian rushed forward, raised her hands, and solemnly declared, pointing to the innocent-looking dot at her feet.

"It's the same one again!"

"It was Dian Dian who came here! It has nothing to do with me!"

"I just wanted it to bring back a feline!"

"."

Xu Dafei opened his mouth, but then hesitated and stopped.

He wanted to tell Chen Nian that, in fact, kidnapping felines was wrong.
No!

It's wrong to twist anything!

But Xu Dafei eventually gave up.

He glanced at Dian Dian, who was sitting gracefully at Chen Nian's feet, as if she had only done something insignificant, with a complicated look, before finally settling his gaze on the other side of the courtyard.

There, a massive, mountain-sized adult yak covered in thick, black fur was grazing on the grass in the yard, oblivious to the many stares directed at it. It seemed as if it were the owner of the yard, not a lost 'visitor'.

It was covered in mud and grass clippings, making it look a bit travel-worn.

I don't know which remote mountain valley Diandian found and "persuaded" it to come here.

The veterinarian who accompanied us this time was the same one as last time.

He skillfully stepped forward and began the inspection.

The yak was very docile, letting the veterinarian handle it as it pleased, while it just kept its head down and ate voraciously.

A moment later, the veterinarian finished the examination.

"He is perfectly healthy and has no injuries. It looks like he simply got lost and was then 'invited' here by that leopard cat."

"???"

Upon hearing this, Chen Nian immediately turned to look at Dian Dian.

"You little rascal!"

"This is a wildlife rescue center, not a lost and found center or a stray animal shelter! Why are you bringing all sorts of things into your home?!"

Woo! !

Dot proudly puffed out its fluffy little chest.

I wasn't complimenting you!

Chen Nian rubbed her forehead, feeling utterly exhausted.

He picked up Dian Dian and took it back to the quarantine area in the backyard so it could keep Little Grey company. Then he came back and asked, "Can you confirm whose dog this is?"

"It's good that it wasn't injured, but we still need to get it back as soon as possible."

Xu Dafei frequently handles these kinds of matters.

He circled the yak and soon found an inconspicuous ear tag on its ear.

He leaned closer to examine the markings more closely, and immediately burst out laughing:
"Hey! Isn't this Gesang's cow? The marking on the ear tag is correct! It's the one that went missing last month, which worried little Gesang so much that he cried for days! I never thought that Diandian would find it!"

"Gesang?" Upon hearing this familiar name, Chen Nian quickly stepped forward.

"Is this the Gesang I know?"

Xu Dafei smiled and nodded.

"That's right, it's the local tour guide who took Teacher Chen and you all up the mountain back then."

“His family raises more than a dozen yaks, which are mainly taken care of by his wife, Zhuoma, while he goes out to work as a tour guide to supplement the family income.”

"Last month, a few curious tourists somehow made a hole in the fence of his cattle pen, and the cow wandered out on its own and was never found again."

"Brother Gesang has been very upset about this!"

Xu Dafei patted the yak's broad shoulders with emotion.

"I never knew you had such a free-spirited and adventurous heart! Luckily you didn't encounter a pack of wolves or fall into a crevasse!"

For herders, yaks are vital family assets and economic pillars.

It is also central to dowries, inheritances, and trade!
One of them often costs tens of thousands of yuan!
Therefore, yaks are very important to herders; losing even one means losing countless hours of hard work.

Chen Nian also laughed.

"So it really is from Brother Gesang's family? Then does that mean Dian Dian accidentally helped someone she knows this time?"

The image of that rugged, dark-skinned, and kind face immediately came to mind.

Xu Dafei affirmed, "It's more than just helpful, it's a huge help! Teacher Chen must give our boss a big, extra meal tonight!"

"No problem! We'll add a bigger meal!" Chen Nian made the decision immediately.

Then, Xu Dafei began discussing with his colleagues at the Forestry Bureau how to safely return the enormous creature.

Driving directly through the vehicle creates a lot of noise and can easily frighten the yaks.

Don't be fooled by the yak's honest and simple appearance.

But when this behemoth, weighing over half a ton, goes berserk, no one can stop it!

Ultimately, they decided to call a professional transport vehicle.

Seeing this, Chen Nian leaned over and asked.

"Um, are you going to deliver the cow directly to Brother Gesang's house? Can I come along?"

Gesang had warmly invited him to his home many times before, and Chen Nian always remembered it.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to visit them and experience firsthand the authentic daily life of traditional herders.

Xu Dafei naturally had no objections.

"No problem, Ms. Chen, if you want to go, you can come along. We'll bring you back later, it's on our way anyway."

Chen Nian was delighted: "Great, thank you so much!"

Before the delivery truck arrived, he quickly went back inside to explain things to Xia Qiyue.

Xia Qiyue was equally surprised when she heard that the cow that Dian Dian brought back was actually the one that had gone missing from Gesang's family.

"Dian Dian is awesome!"

Chen Nian asked with a smile, "Do you want to come along?"

To everyone's surprise, Xia Qiyue shook her head directly. "I'm not going, I've already been."

"What? You've already been there?!"

Chen Nian's eyes widened: "When did this happen? How come I didn't know?"

Xia Qiyue said calmly, "Just a couple of days ago, I ran into Brother Gesang on the street, so I took the cat lovers from the live stream with me. I even fed the groundhogs myself. Let me tell you, the groundhogs are so cute! You can ask the cat lovers if you don't believe me."

"."

Chen Nian immediately covered her ears.

I won't listen! I won't listen! I won't listen!

Damn it, so he's the only one who hasn't been there yet!

Chen Nian waved her hand and said, "Then I'll leave the family to you. I have to go there."

If it's just routine feeding and simple care, Lily and Little Grey don't particularly reject Xia Qiyue.

Xue Aotian was also kept behind.

Too many strangers might frighten the little one.

"Okay, go ahead and don't worry! I'll make sure you take good care of the house!"

Xia Qiyue smiled and agreed.

She knew that Chen Nian had hardly gone out during this time because she was taking care of the wounded, so she took this opportunity to go out and get some fresh air.

Soon after, a professional transport vehicle arrived.

The staff skillfully guided the docile yaks onto the vehicle.

Chen Nian and Xu Dafei got into the driver's seat of the SUV together.

The vehicle slowly drove out of the rescue station and headed towards the vast plateau.

On the way, Chen Nian sat in the passenger seat, listening attentively as Xu Dafei recounted the changes on this land.

“In the past, as far as the eye could see in the summer pastures, you could see many black yak-hair tents, like mushrooms scattered on the grassland.”

He pointed to the boundless grassland outside the window, his tone filled with nostalgia.

“Now, most of them have moved away. Fewer and fewer families still adhere to the tradition of ‘living by water and grass’ and being nomadic all year round. Only a few families like Brother Gesang’s are left.”

They live by following the water and grass.

This refers to the migration of herding families throughout the year, moving their yak herds between grasslands at different altitudes, as the seasons change.

The more common practice now is a 'semi-settled, semi-nomadic' model.

"With the support from above, the vast majority of herding families have permanent, modern brick and stone houses near towns or villages, with access to water, electricity, roads, and the internet. The elderly and children live here year-round."

"In the summer, the able-bodied young men in the family drive most of the yaks back to the summer pastures in the high mountains, where they graze them in black tents. When autumn ends, they take the herds back to the winter pastures at lower altitudes or to their homes in settlements to spend the winter."

Chen Nian listened intently.

Looking out the window at the mountains and meadows rushing by, it's as if you can see the passage of time on this land.

It wasn't until the vehicle slowly slowed down that Xu Dafei's voice brought him back to reality.

"arrive."

Chen Nian snapped out of her daze and looked in the direction Xu Dafei was pointing.

On a sunny hillside covered with lush, green grass, a conspicuous black tent was set up.

These tents are woven from yak hair.

It is waterproof, windproof, and has good heat retention.

Not only are they easy to disassemble, transport, and install, but they are also very sturdy, making them a perfect fit for migratory lifestyles.

Not far from the tent, a dozen yaks were leisurely grazing on the slope, creating a peaceful and harmonious grassland scene.

Having received the news, Gesang was already waiting at the foot of the hillside with his wife Zhuoma and seven-year-old son, Xiao Gesang.

Gesang's face, tanned dark by the high-altitude sun, beamed with a warm and simple smile as he waved enthusiastically at the vehicle.

"Teacher Chen!"

The vehicle stopped.

Before anyone could get the yak off the vehicle, little Gesang ran over and hugged it tightly, his little face flushed.

Mou——~
The yak let out a long, joyful moo.

They clearly knew they were finally home.

“Teacher Chen!” Gesang walked over, looked at the amazing young man in front of him, and bowed deeply to him with his wife Zhuoma.

"Thank you, Teacher Chen, for bringing my cow back!"

"Little Gesang!" Zhuoma called out.

Little Gesang immediately ran over and bowed deeply as well.

Chen Nian quickly helped them up: "No, no, no, Brother Gesang, actually it was Dian Dian who found the cow, not me."

Gesang looked puzzled: "Dian Dian?"

"Yes, Spot, a wild leopard cat."

Upon hearing this, the family of three were taken aback for a moment, then realized that Chen Nian was being modest.

How could a cat possibly be looking for a cow?

It's not like it's Black Cat Detective.

Their smiles became even brighter.

"."

Seeing this, Chen Nian didn't know how to explain it.

Oh well, let it be!

Gesang then thanked the others who had brought the cattle back, and then led everyone to the tent to rest.

"A cup of tea is always necessary."

Soon, Chen Nian had a cup of butter tea with a rich aroma of milk and tea in her hand.

(I'm taking her away today, let's see who dares to stop me!)

(End of this chapter)