Chapter 624: Growing Greenery, Fowls in the Air
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A gentle breeze blew, and the sun was out.
Famous lazily laid on the ancestral hall's glazed roof, sun-tanning. It let out a long yawn and raised its front paw to chase away a bee that was flying around its nose.
February consisted of growing greenery and fowls flying in the air.
"Hei!"
The young version of Old Time Tea jumped around at high speed in the open space just outside the ancestral hall. It would lunge forwards with both paws stretched out before suddenly changing directions, creating gusts of wind. It's sharp hind claws broke into the earth just like an iron plow, the newly sprouted grass shredded in an instant. As the pieces fluttered into the air, its mandarin jacket danced along with its movements, looking both elegant and stylish.
"Old Time Tea, take a break."
Famous was very impressed with Old Time Tea's tenacity, but it was too lazy to train, especially since this was his Imagined Landscape. The muscles it gained here wouldn't follow him into the real world, so why torment oneself? There were times where he wasn't able to differentiate between the real world and his Imagined Landscape.
After going through a whole set of moves, Old Time Tea pulled his paws back and exhaled a string of obscenities.
"Famous, would you like to come down for some tea?" Old Time Tea replied, raising its head.
Right below the eaves of the ancestral hall, was a small, copper stove where the crackling sounds of firewood burning could be heard. From time to time, a heavy thud came from within the stove as a thin curl of smoke slowly rose. Right above the copper stove, an orange flame lightly licked the bottom of a ceramic teapot as whiffs of tea fragrance came from its spout.
"It's okay, enjoy the tea yourself. Careful not to burn your tongue." Famous didn't move.
They didn't have nimble hands like humans, and this world didn't have convenient thermal insulated kettles, so drinking tea was too much trouble. Plus, it's very easy to burn one's mouth.
Wu Ning brought the stove, so that they'd be able to start a fire in the winter. As for the teapot, it was brought over by her follower who had forgotten to take it when they left. As for the tea leaves inside, they picked them up in the mountains, not knowing which travelling merchant threw them there.
Old Time Tea wrapped a rag around its paw and opened the furnace door that was covering the inlet of the stove, slowly reducing the flames within.
A moment later, Old Time Tea threw in a few raw potatoes, taking advantage of the lingering heat. The potatoes weren't for Old Time Tea, they were for Famous.
Soon after, Old Time Tea quietly sat in a corner, waiting for the tea to cool down a bit. It mustn't be too cool, or else the tea won't be good.
"Meow."
Not far away, a bush shook vigorously before a black-and-white cat leapt out, chasing a butterfly. The butterfly fluttered around, repeatedly escaping the cat's claws. However, its luck didn't last, as it was soon trapped within the cat's paws.
The black-and-white cat didn't harm the butterfly, and it didn't seem to want to eat the butterfly. It brought its paws closer to its face to observe the butterfly as it flapped its wings in the enclosed space. A moment later, the cat released its paws. The butterfly hesitated for a second, but then gracefully took off to the sky, disappearing from the cat's eye.
A green grasshopper caught the cat's attention, and it chased after it, meowing.
"Don't ask me, I don't know," Famous muttered, as it heard a meow come from behind him.
Famous freaked out, thinking that the ancestral hall was haunted, as it was very sure that there was no other living thing inside. Old Time Tea was also startled. It quickly got into a defensive stance as it slowly turned around and realized that it was just Galaxy behind them.
How did Galaxy come into this world? It was clear that it was Imagined Landscape Galaxy, not real Galaxy.
Famous created this Imagined Landscape from Old Time Tea's memories. It was very close to reality, but it was completely different from Galaxy's Imagined Landscape of the mysterious black box.
Famous witnessed Galaxy escape the black box in Galaxy's own Imagined Landscape, but never knew where it escaped to, as it wasn't able to follow.
Famous had once asked Galaxy, but Galaxy was also unsure. The only thing it could do was meow and play a game of hide-and-seek.
Although the young Old Time Tea had never seen Galaxy before, Famous had told it stories, so Old Time Tea let down its defences.
After that, the three of them temporarily lived together within the Temple for the Righteous Cat and Chivalrous Dog.
Days and months were non-existent in the mountains, summer and winter didn't follow the usual timeline.
Time passed differently in the Imagined Landscape than in the real world. At times, it seemed fast, and other times, it seemed slow. Famous wasn't sure how long had passed, probably a few months since it came into Old Time Tea's Imagined Landscape. They survived the winter, and welcomed spring.
Everyday, Old Time Tea would train, and during a break, drink tea and make food. Galaxy would run around the mountains, playing hide-and-seek with the other animals. Famous would always tan on the roof, responsible for looking out for potential danger. However, it was only an excuse that it used to tan. What possible dangers were there to look out for? The wolves and bears in the mountains had already been taught a lesson, so they were all hiding, and bandits had heard rumours of a demonic cat and villainous dog, so they hadn't come looking for trouble.
With no threats of beasts or bandits, the mountain road was secluded, but safe. As people pass by the Temple for the Righteous Cat and Chivalrous Dog, they'd stop by and offer some incense before continuing with their journey.
Wu Ning had been coming less frequently, probably because of the cold weather. They still had lots of food, especially potatoes. Ever since Famous had finished filming, it had fallen in love with potatoes. A pity that it wasn't able to enjoy potato with braised beef as there were no wild cows within the mountain. Roasted potato was their only option.
Old Time Tea was good at everything, except roasting potatoes. The fire would either be too big or too small, but as Famous did nothing, it had no right to complain.
"Old Time Tea, is it not done yet?" Famous asked.
As soon as it turned around, it saw Galaxy, who had come up to the roof.
"I'm hungry. I have no time to play hide-and-seek," Famous replied quickly.
"Meow! You need to go back now."
Famous was confused for a moment before it woke up abruptly.