Zhangshan Mountain, Qingshan Temple.
The Little Taoist Priest was squatting by the well, brushing his teeth. After cleaning himself up, he went into the main hall and caught Yanzi, who was sleeping soundly in the corner, to brush the teeth of this Chief Cat.
Autumn had arrived, and the weather was slightly cool. The cat on his lap radiated a warm heat. Although the cat was half-asleep, it still made uncooperative purring sounds, as if complaining in its dreams.
Just as the Little Taoist Priest finished brushing its teeth, the cat woke up completely. With a flip, it jumped off his lap and ran to a tree to lick its fur.
The Little Taoist Priest let out an "ey" in complaint, saying, "All you do all day is eat, sleep, and play. I provide you with excellent service, and you're still not satisfied?"
After the small popularity brought by the promotion, Yanzi had also become an internet celebrity cat. Although the Little Taoist Priest didn't want to restrict Yanzi's freedom, he was worried about visitors with malicious intentions towards the cat.
As he was thinking, he heard a knock on the door.
Little Taoist Priest: Someone's climbing the mountain this early?
He woke up early to do morning rituals and to prepare breakfast for the mountain-climbing visitors, but the visitors usually arrived at the temple an hour later.
Although there were many who came because of the trend, many visitors realized that Fallen Phoenix City was a good place for retirement, with fresh air and close to nature. An elderly mountain-climbing group from out of town rented a row of houses at the foot of the mountain, waking up early every day to breathe fresh air.
He stood up to open the door, only to find that his legs were numb from squatting for too long, and he couldn't walk for a moment.
Suddenly, the Little Taoist Priest heard a "meow" from outside the door.
Inside the door, Yanzi also raised its head and let out a "meow".
The next second, he saw something... a person? Out of the corner of his eye, at the top of the temple gate.
Chu Tingwu, with Three-Five-Five in one hand and Wu Classmate squatting on his head, was squatting on the eaves, waving down, "Morning."
Little Taoist Priest: "...Morning."
But don't you think your position climbing the door is not suitable for greeting the owner?
Chu Tingwu: "Yanzi told me to come in directly, so I did. That's okay, right?"
Little Taoist Priest: "...Would you like to have breakfast here? Do you eat meat buns?"
The people of Qingshan Temple were familiar with Chu Tingwu. Three-Five-Five went over to sniff Yanzi, and the two cats communicated silently, then hooked their tails together. Wu Classmate flew directly to the top of the tree, let out a "caw", and after the sound came out, there were several clear bird calls from afar.
Chu Tingwu went to offer incense to the Three Purities, greeted the other Taoist priests and the temple master, and then sat down with the Little Taoist Priest to have breakfast.
The Little Taoist Priest was eating a pork and cabbage bun with white porridge. After swallowing, he asked, "Did you come to see Yanzi?"
Otherwise, he couldn't think of any other reason... It couldn't be that he was in a good mood and set off at dawn to climb Zhangshan Mountain, could it?
Chu Tingwu: "More or less, actually I'm here to catch a thief."
Little Taoist Priest: "?"
"Oh--" he suddenly realized, "The one in the kitchen, right!"
Just a few days ago, he noticed that some of the ingredients in the kitchen of the Taoist temple were missing. Not much was missing, but since he had been cooking early every day recently, he noticed the discrepancy.
At first, the Little Taoist Priest thought it was Yanzi who had been nibbling at the food. Worried that it might upset her stomach, he even scolded the cat for it.
Then, he witnessed the cat's expression change from "confused" to "shocked", to "incredulous". That night, Yanzi was parkouring on the roof, causing the tiles above to crackle.
Little Taoist Priest: "......"
"It was the bird who stole it, okay, I misunderstood you, I was wrong!"
The misunderstood cat received some cat treats. After buying two more treats to appease the cat, the Little Taoist Priest staked out for two more days, but he never caught the culprit bird.
After all, this was a mountain, teeming with insects, rodents, snakes, and ants. Most wild birds wouldn't approach human dwellings, but there might be exceptions.
As he got up this morning, the Little Taoist Priest was still thinking: Should I buy a night-vision camera to monitor the kitchen?
—But wouldn't a camera potentially catch which senior brother or even senior uncle was sneaking food at night?
Chu Tingwu bowed his head and touched faces with Yanzi, then said, "Yanzi told Wu Classmate, who then called Three-Five-Five, so I came to see what was happening."
According to the crow and the cat, it was indeed a rather clever bird. Yanzi went out during the day to look for it but had to go deep into the mountains, so she had to return reluctantly.
Chu Tingwu had breakfast, made a gesture to the Little Taoist Priest, and then said, "Then Yanzi and I are going into the mountain."
Little Taoist Priest: "Sigh......"
Chu Tingwu: "Or I won't go, and let them find it themselves?"
Little Taoist Priest: "Ah......"
"But tourists are not allowed in undeveloped areas... There were cases of missing tourists before, weren't there? They were found by Three-Five-Five and the other cats," he was torn, "How about I go with you?"
Chu Tingwu: "......"
Little Taoist Priest: "What's with that expression!"
He had been climbing mountains for many years, okay! Was there a need to look down on him? Maybe he was even faster than Chu Tingwu in the mountains!
The Little Taoist Priest sighed: "I grew up on Zhangshan Mountain... Let's go."
The two of them, along with two cats and a bird, left the house. Chu Tingwu chose to deal with the cat's private matters on the last day of his holiday.
As for the Little Taoist Priest, when Chu Tingwu asked, he found out that the other party was raised by the Temple Master. After graduating from university, he returned to Qingshan Temple, planning to make being a Taoist priest his career.
Little Taoist Priest: "I'm also considering postgraduate studies, but after all, I'm a Taoist, so I'm not too pushy."
The Priest's surname was Zhuge, with a single character, Shou. He was born weak and was left at the temple gate. The Temple Master gave him this name.
But no one in the entire Qingshan Temple was surnamed Zhuge. He didn't take the Temple Master's surname, nor his own, but...
Priest Zhuge: "The Temple Master said he had always wanted to try a double surname to see if it sounded good."
Whether it sounded good or not, he didn't know. All he knew was that he was always called out in class from a young age.
Zhuge was indeed quite agile. As they were climbing the mountain, he casually gave Chu Tingwu some advice on how to navigate the mountain paths: "If you're unsure about the safety of the path ahead, observe the root systems of the plants. If the plants above are lush and thriving, then the roots and the area surrounding them are safe."
Yanzi ran all the way to a bush, meowed twice at it, then turned to look at Zhuge.
Zhuge took a photo of it, then turned to look at Chu Tingwu.
Chu Tingwu said, "It's saying that it chased a bird up to this point last time, and then the scent faded."
Three-Five-Five also went over to sniff.
After Three-Five-Five moved away, Chu Tingwu also went over to sniff.
Wu Classmate also wanted to go over to sniff, but was swatted away by Three-Five-Five's paw.
Wu Classmate: "?"
Zhuge: "..."
Did he... want to sniff too?
Fortunately, Chu Tingwu didn't demand that. She saw the young girl standing in place for a while, seemingly deep in thought. Then she squatted down to examine the soil next to the trees. The two cats and the human continued to move forward.
Zhuge asked, "Did you find any clues?"
Chu Tingwu replied, "Yes, it seems that the bird rested on this tree for a bit before flying away. Now, the cats have found some leftover food and recent droppings in the nearby area."
Cats indeed have a keen sense of smell, but one can't expect a kitten to have deductive reasoning abilities. Hence, human assistance is required.
With her back to Zhuge, Chu Tingwu stared ahead, her eyes slowly narrowing. Not long after their binding, she had slowly awakened her visual abilities, particularly her night vision.
Her night vision skills had reached the standard of a regular cat, but a cat's "vision" is not just "night vision". They can see a broader spectrum of light than humans.
When Chu Tingwu narrowed her eyes, her pupils slowly faded from a deep brown to a faintly glowing golden hue in the shadows. These eyes on her face looked like the most natural colored contact lenses, yet gave her face a slightly eerie, non-human feel.
However, from Chu Tingwu's perspective, as her eyes underwent slight changes, many chaotic colors faded from her vision, making the world seem a lot quieter. The only things that stood out were the living creatures in the forest and the faint ultraviolet light emitted by heat.
It was with this "vision" and "smell" that the cat was able to continue tracking the thief bird.
The deeper they went, the fewer signs of human activity there were. Zhuge bent down to pick up a crushed plastic can, put it in a garbage bag, and looked around at the environment:
"I haven't been here much either..."
The surrounding rocks were exposed, the weeds were half a person tall, there were no footprints of anyone having stepped here. Occasionally, a bird would poke its head out from the trees, the leaves would be shaken off, fall to the ground, and slowly decay over time.
If one were here alone, they might feel uneasy due to the atmosphere.
Zhuge the Daoist snapped pictures while walking, using his snake-repelling stick to tap the ground ahead... Yet, with the cat around, he felt somewhat relieved. The cats at the Daoist temple were raised to be wild and untamed. Unless it was a python, they should have no trouble outmatching Yanzi.
Three-Five-Five placed its front paws on the tree, arched its back and stretched, then with a single leap, landed on the rocks opposite.
Chu Tingwu signaled Zhuge with a "shush," indicating that the cat seemed to have found its target.
Then, as Zhuge held his breath, she leaped along with the cat. Landing without making a sound, in the desolate depths of the forest, all Zhuge Shou could hear was his own anxious heartbeat.
He raised his phone, clicked to take a picture, capturing both the cat and the person in the lens—
"Damn," he murmured, "Why do I feel like Chu's presence is even less noticeable than the cat's?"
At least it was a close call. The demeanor of the two humans and the cat was just like predatory cats... Chu Tingwu usually didn't show much emotion. Even now, there was no trace of emotional fluctuation, her presence barely noticeable. Looking at her back, Zhuge felt a strange sense of alienation.
It was as if he was the only obvious outsider in this forest.
Should he back off a little more?
Just as he thought this, he noticed that both the cat and the human in his line of sight moved simultaneously.
Suddenly, the sound of flapping wings echoed in the quiet forest! Chu Tingwu and the cat chased after it together. The cat's four paws moved swiftly between the rocks and bushes, while Chu Tingwu jumped even higher and further, occasionally using her hands to push off the ground or a nearby tree for leverage, surprisingly leading the way.
Left behind, Zhuge was dumbfounded.
Wait, wait—You're not a cat, how do you know where to chase?!
At this point, he didn't care about making noise. He chased after them, his camera swaying in his hand. The next moment, he heard the cawing of a crow.
Chu Tingwu suddenly leaped up, grabbing a protruding branch and swinging. A dark shadow pounced from above, it seemed like a crow had kicked a bird with its claw.
In the next second, Zhuge abruptly stopped, first hearing the rustling of wings, then seeing Chu Tingwu hanging upside down from a tree with her legs, holding a bird in her hands.
The two cats below were still meowing. Three-Five-Five meowed once, seemingly confirming the situation with Chu Tingwu, while Yanzi meowed several times, clearly feeling avenged.
Zhuge stammered, "Be... be careful not to fall..."
He was panting from the chase.
The child had both hands occupied holding the bird, yet her movements were steady. She first turned her upper body up, then jumped down—
Zhuge blurted out, "You... you jumped from such a high place, why is the sound you make... quieter than when I get out of bed..."
Chu Tingwu replied, "You should rest a bit before you talk again=="
Zhuge shook his head, noticing the "little thief bird" that had been caught.
What was strange was that, apart from flapping its wings in struggle, the thief bird didn't squawk as other chatterbox birds would have. It remained silent.
It was held in Chu Tingwu's palm, its head a gray-brown color, and its face a vibrant red. It seemed that this thief bird had had a good autumn, fattening itself up nicely. Its tail, which was revealed, was a mix of brown and white, and quite long.
With the bird in Chu Tingwu's hand, Yanzi didn't pounce, but instead stepped on Zhuge's shoes with its front paw, complaining all the while.
The cat treat was finished. Of course, Zhuge wouldn't say, "Did you catch the wrong bird?" Instead, he comforted Yanzi, saying, "I really wronged you. You are a good cat, and you even helped catch the thief. You're so great." After petting Yanzi, Zhuge turned his attention to the bird, "So, what do we do with this bird?"
"Also, hmm... I remember a friend once told me, the more colorful a wild bird, the heavier the sentence... no, no, not sentence, but the higher the level of protection. This one isn't a protected species, is it?"
Chu Tingwu, who already knew the species of the bird from the system, said, "......"
"Let's call the forestry bureau."
-
"Ah, you caught a bird? A cat caught it... wait, a human or a cat? Oh, a bird snuck into your kitchen to steal food and got caught, okay, describe it..."
"The tail..."
"The head... wait, are you sure? Is the bird still there? Take a picture! No, no, be careful when you do, don't scare it. Where is it in the kitchen—damn!"
"You guys, you guys went into the mountains to catch birds? Keep an eye on the cat, keep an eye on it! Hold it like that, don't let go and don't squeeze too hard, and don't walk away, our people will be right there!"
The person on the other end of the phone didn't dare to hang up, but the sound of the speakerphone revealed how nervous they were. Zhuge mouthed to Chu Tingwu, "We're going to jail—"
Chu Tingwu pretended to hand the bird over to him. He immediately took a step back and didn't dare to move.
After thinking for a moment, he also moved Yanzi away.
...However, the forestry bureau's people didn't arrive immediately. The signal in the mountains was unstable, and it took them some time to get there.
During this time, the arrested bird only made one low sound.
"This is a white-necked long-tailed pheasant!" The forestry bureau staff brought a protection box specifically designed for birds. The staff member at the front carefully approached Chu Tingwu, and the bird suddenly struggled.
The staff member opened the protection box and gestured with his eyes for Chu Tingwu to put the bird in.
When he was sure the bird was in the box, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Did you attack it when you caught it? We've decided to take it for a check-up first. By the way, did it get hurt?"
He was very worried that the bird had been injured by the cat.
After all, this is a White-necklaced Partridge! A nationally protected animal, the White-necklaced Partridge, which is wild and a resident bird, with only a few thousand residing in the largest protected areas. Theoretically, it should not appear in Fallen Phoenix City... but not only did it appear, it was caught stealing food.
Although both cats were considered "latent criminals," Chu Tingwu told them they were not, and then summoned the real "criminal bird": "It wanted to run away, but was kicked from above by a crow."
This partridge... The White-necklaced Partridge can't fly very high, but it can glide with its wings, but certainly not as high as a crow. After being kicked by a crow, it lost two feathers, which have now been collected.
The staff member: "Hmm..."
There was no danger to the national first-class protected species, but what could they do? They were animals after all.
In the end, the two feathers were given to Chu Tingwu.
As for the follow-up situation, they would also report back to Chu Tingwu and Zhuge, the first two discoverers... If nothing unexpected happened, the discovery of the White-necklaced Partridge on Zhangshan Mountain would make the newspapers.
Chu Tingwu held the feathers in her hand. The forestry bureau workers left first, and the two of them and the animals took a detour and returned to the specially built mountain road.
On the way down the mountain, they ran into a group of elderly hikers. The elderly people were obviously familiar with the Daoist people, greeted Zhuge, and asked Chu Tingwu, "Kid, where did you get these feathers from?"
Chu Tingwu: "I picked them up from the ground."
She didn't tell a single lie.
The elderly muttered, "There are such feathers to be picked up in the forest, so brightly colored, why didn't I pick them up?"
Zhuge wanted to say something but held back.
Never mind.
The two parted ways in front of the observatory. On this ordinary morning, Chu Tingwu casually climbed the mountain, caught a national first-class bird, and got two feathers as spoils of war - red-bottomed, blue-edged feathers that gleamed metallically.
Wu Classmate: "......"
The crow perched on Chu Tingwu's shoulder, all the way back to the ginkgo tree at Teacher Zhang's house, but it always felt something was wrong.
"Caw?"
It didn't get anything!
And Chu Tingwu had already asked, "System, what kind of craft can I use these feathers for?"
She wanted to make a shuttlecock for Three-Five-Five.
But when she got home, Three-Five-Five was lying at the head of the bed. After hearing Chu Tingwu's plan, she showed a rare puzzled expression:
"Meow?"
She wasn't a kid, she didn't like playing shuttlecock.
But if the cub liked it, she could reluctantly play with the cub.
Three-Five-Five licked Chu Tingwu, meowed twice, and sighed, "The cub really likes this kind of toy, meow!"
Chu Tingwu: "......"
She didn't like it.
She really didn't like it!
So, the shuttlecock plan was put on hold, and the two national first-class feathers were taken by Chu Tingwu all the way to Jin City.
Chang's Father and Mother drove Chu Tingwu and Three-Five-Five to the entrance of the residential area. As Chu Tingwu got out of the car, the Chang sisters also got out, waving to their parents, "We're going to check out the school's natural museum, we'll take a taxi back tonight."
Chang Yile added, "I really finished my homework!"
Yes, the natural museum is almost renovated!
-
They met An Shiyan, who had walked over to the entrance, and the four of them went to the natural museum together. It's worth mentioning that most of the animals had been sent to the breeding warehouse... except for a Yorkshire terrier.
The origins of this Yorkshire terrier are unknown, but it's already seven years old, a mature and gentle dog. After a few words with the teacher and the school, they successfully sold the dog to the school.
That is to say, the school sponsored the adoption of this Yorkshire, which is also a retirement plan for the dog.
Not long ago, the adoption official account announced this news. Some fans regretted that there was one less fluffy creature to adopt, while others exclaimed, "You took over a mess from the school and managed to get money out of them again."
And that's not all.
This Yorkshire terrier is absent because, thanks to Chu Tingwu's connections, it was sent to the Jin City Police Dog Training Base.
Although it won't achieve remarkable results in a short time, the base will definitely take good care of the dog, provide free professional veterinary checks, and train it to get rid of some bad habits.
Now that they have returned to school, they started a live broadcast on the official account—
Not long into the live stream, long-time fans started entering the room one after another.
[Is today's stream not a fixed camera angle? Is your holiday over?]
During this time, they occasionally live-streamed the renovation with a fixed camera angle, allowing viewers to monitor the progress.
Chang Yixin: "We worked continuously during the National Day holiday, and the renovation is almost complete. However, we just got back, and we're starting this live stream to check the results of the renovation with everyone."
They unlocked and pushed the door open.
Behind this door, there was another three-dimensional, arched screen door. Chu Tingwu explained, "This is to prevent the animals from escaping, especially the parrots and peacocks."
It's okay to let them out for a walk, but if they just walk away and occasionally walk into the classroom, that's too much.
They first entered under the arch, locked the door behind them, and then opened the screen door.
After the new staff take up their posts, they must strictly follow this entry procedure.
— The two original caretakers only kept the one who worked during the day. The one who worked at night resigned after only a few encounters, obviously not optimistic about the students' "contracting."
However, they have already spotted new caretakers, who are currently taking care of a large number of animals in the breeding warehouse, recommended by staff from the Agriculture Bureau, all of them experienced and reliable.
Once inside, they walked through an open corridor to the entrance of the "Bird Pavilion."
The aviary had previously been topped, with half of the space at the top of the Natural History Museum unused, causing a large number of parrots to crowd together. Not only was the space cramped, but it was also difficult for people to clean.
After the modification, the aviary took up a third of the space in the Natural History Museum. The netting hung down from the ceiling, and both the top and bottom were enclosed. However, the hanging netting supported a slanted arc, looking soft yet sturdy.
[Hey, what's that on the wall? A cat climbing frame?]
Chu Tingwu: "It's a wooden frame for the parrots to play and exercise. It's not decorated yet, and those rows are for hanging cages and bird stands. Different parrots have different habits, and even preferences. Some like semi-enclosed cages for resting, while others prefer to sleep directly on the wooden frame... So, we will provide them with different options."
It was clear that there were many more animal facilities like this in the Natural History Museum.
The entrance and exit of the aviary were still the same netted doors. Parrots might accidentally be carried out of the museum as people entered and exited, but this situation would decrease after the net structure was modified - the net was chosen because it is more breathable.
Considering interaction, a row of transparent telephone booth-like corridors were set up inside the aviary. This could reduce the chance of visitors being attacked by droppings and also reduce the cost of entering.
There was still some soft decoration left in the renovation, but it was clear that the Natural History Museum was more planned than before.
Different animals' personal spaces were guaranteed, the gaps between each other became wider, and there were many more enrichment facilities, providing them with items to play with and pass the time.
Peacocks also got their own "home". After visiting the peacock's nest, they pushed open the door of the staff lounge: "This has been transformed into a veterinary room."
Although hiring a veterinarian is a long-term expense, everyone decided to hire a professional veterinarian. This not only represented their responsibility, which was greater than the school's, but also because life and money cannot be equated.
"Maybe it's just a common parakeet that's injured or sick, but even the most ordinary parakeet is unique to its adopter, a valued family member," An Shiyan said to the camera, "So, we will do our best."
The barrage fell silent for a moment, then someone commented:
[I really want to try adopting now... When will you start the event?]
Chang Yile: "The animals will be moved back to the museum gradually, and we will regularly upload some related dynamics and videos. But as for the event... it should be in early November."
As for the reason, that's because -
In early November, first-year high school students have mid-term exams!
-
In the evening, Teacher Cao came back from grocery shopping and greeted the cat on the wall: "Three-Five-Five, want to go for a walk?"
Three-Five-Five turned her head, and Teacher Cao noticed a small plastic bag around her neck, inside which was a steaming hot sausage.
Teacher Cao: "...So, you're bringing snacks for your Chu Tingwu."
Three-Five-Five "meowed" and walked to the end of the fence before jumping down. As the elevator doors opened, it even glanced at Teacher Cao before stepping in.
Teacher Cao: I feel like this cat is getting smarter and smarter.
Indeed, everyone in the neighborhood felt that Three-Five-Five seemed to be getting smarter.
In the neighborhood, it had become a very famous cat—
Not every cat can carry money to the snack stand at the school gate to buy food and then bring it back to feed humans.
Not only that, if Three-Five-Five doesn't walk along the wall and goes out the main gate to pick up the child, it would jump up and swipe the homeowner chip on its collar.
It would squat at the entrance, meow, and then leave.
The security guards at the security booth had gotten used to this. At first, they would poke their heads out to take a look, but later they would just wave it through, sparing Three-Five-Five the need for any unnecessary greetings.
At night, people would see a familiar scene: Three-Five-Five walking in front, Chu Tingwu following behind with a backpack, sometimes looking at his phone, sometimes suddenly jumping onto a stone pier or a fence, or reaching out to swing a tree branch, delighting those who saw him.
Of course, if there were other pedestrians observing her, she wouldn't act this way. She would appear to be a well-behaved, ordinary student.
But this was the norm. Occasionally, when other cats, dogs, or even birds out for a walk were encountered, there would be some unexpected situations—
Recently, another stray cat had come to the neighborhood, trying to challenge Three-Five-Five for the title of the neighborhood's king of stray cats... Although Three-Five-Five wasn't a stray cat, it had a kind of radiating deterrent effect on the stray cats in the neighborhood.
This resulted in Teacher Cao often seeing Three-Five-Five going out, sometimes just for a walk (to fight).
The new cat was a long-haired orange cat. When it squatted in the sun, its silhouette looked like a lump of perfectly baked soft bread. When two long-haired cats got together, fur would often fly.
But if Chu Tingwu was nearby and encountered the long-haired orange cat, the situation would be different: Chu Tingwu would approach, the orange cat would retreat, Chu Tingwu would reach out his hand, and the orange cat would meow in confusion before scampering up a tree.
Teacher Cao knew that Chu Tingwu could understand cat language. Once, out of curiosity, he asked what the orange cat had said. The student was unusually silent for a while before saying:
"It thinks I'm a child, so it won't fight me."
It seemed that even though it was a stray, it was still a respectful and loving orange cat.
Just yesterday, Teacher Cao noticed Chu Tingwu climbing a tree and vigorously petting the long-haired orange cat until it looked utterly despondent. It then scampered onto the roof of the pavilion in the courtyard. After seeing the tortoiseshell cat, it didn't go up to provoke it.
Teacher Cao: "?"
I always feel that your cats... no, your cat and cat owner ecosystem is quite strange.
As mid-term exams approached, the atmosphere in the class became increasingly tense. Teachers Cao and Yuan paid extra attention to Chu Tingwu and the others, worrying that they might be too engrossed in club activities, leading to a drop in their academic performance.
Even though Chu Tingwu's fame and fan base now made her a success among adults, she still couldn't neglect her studies.
More than that, they were concerned that the students, having earned money, would set their studies aside and indulge themselves.
However, at home, the two adults estimated the children's current monthly income. Teacher Yuan took out his own pay slip and said, "If I were them... I wouldn't be able to resist indulging either..."
This was just the reward and video incentive from the club account.
So, on the last weekend before the exams, Teacher Cao noticed Chu Tingwu opening the window and asked, "Are you preparing to go to the nature museum?"
Chu Tingwu, squatting on the window ledge, waved her hand: "No, I have an exam to take."
Why did she make it sound like going out for breakfast?
Feeling a bit odd, Teacher Cao quickly told his sleeping wife, hurriedly changed his clothes and went downstairs, only then did he find out:
"A pet communicator? Isn't that a scam?"
Having pets at home, he occasionally saw "pet communicators" on social media. The most famous one claimed to diagnose pet problems from a single photo, and refused to refund if they got it wrong - so why pay upfront?
Chu Tingwu nodded: "Because the public perceives pet communicators as 'scammers', regulations were introduced requiring certification in this profession."
However, as this profession is quite niche, the news hadn't spread yet.
Dog trainers, cat trainers, bird trainers all require certification. Pet communicators, being too broad, were eventually categorized as a branch of pet trainers.
Teacher Cao offered to drive Chu Tingwu to the exam site, still not quite at ease, worrying that the student might have been scammed.
When the car stopped, Teacher Cao looked up the name of the department online to reassure himself.
Today was an exam day, so Chu Tingwu didn't bring Three-Five-Five along. She followed Teacher Cao into the building, gave her name to the receptionist.
"Miss Chu Tingwu, right? You have an appointment. Please follow me."
Today was not a unified exam, but a professional qualification examination channel specifically set up for Chu Tingwu. The receptionist led them to the person in charge, a woman with a gentle smile and a white cat in her arms.
The white cat had a pair of blue eyes, it looked up at Chu Tingwu as they entered.
After greeting them, the person in charge suggested a brief chat:
"Before the assessment, I think we should talk about what 'pet communication' is."
System: "?"
Chu Tingwu raised her hand, as if to adjust her bangs, but actually to dismiss the system's question mark: "Go ahead."
The person in charge smiled:
"In fact, when a new profession appears, even though it comes with scams, it can be seen that users indeed have a demand for the services this profession provides - they want to know what their pets are thinking, but they don't want to send their pets to specialized schools for training."
In the country, there aren't many cat or dog schools, even the pet boarding services aren't very standardized, but the demand is unstoppable.
"What they need is exactly in the middle, they don't want their pets to lose their wildness through training, nor do they want their pets to be away from them for too long, but they want a more harmonious pet-human relationship," the person in charge said, "Rather than a 'communicator', I think this job is more like a 'psychologist', for both the pet and the owner."
She patted Chu Tingwu on the shoulder: "Teacher Wang said you can understand cat language, of course, we all know this is an exaggerated statement—"
Teacher Cao: "Hmm..."
She continued: "I believe, compared to understanding grammar and such, what you can really do is understand the emotions of pets, you are very good at this, and then by integrating the situation, you can guess their thoughts."
The person in charge believes more in the role of science, she thinks that the expression of animal emotions can also have quantifiable standard answers. She took the two to another room, then put down the white cat in her arms: "This is my cat, its name is An An."
An An "meowed" once, using its tail to hook her calf.
There were some machines in this room, the person in charge put An An on the platform, An An seemed to know what to do, and obediently laid down.
The person in charge smiled: "She's very familiar with it, I will give her toys she doesn't like, toys she likes, and different levels of food - her emotional value will be quantified and displayed on this screen."
"This is an intelligent model made by collecting data through comparative experiments, it can recognize An An's micro-expressions and the meaning of its meows."
—The person in charge told Chu Tingwu: After she completes the written test, the staff will bring other rescued stray animals, these stray animals will also have a large amount of data collected while living here, and she has to judge the animals' emotions through listening and observing facial expressions in real combat.
Teacher Cao seemed to be fascinated, listening and analyzing: "This is quite scientific..."
At least it ensures that the certified "communicators" really understand pets, and when pet owners encounter difficulties, they can provide real help.
And pet owners can't bring their pets here for model collection, communicators are also a low-cost treatment method they can choose.
After all, he also has a cat, he feels that such a test is not difficult, although he can't pass the professional written test, he is quite curious if he can "understand" what An An is saying.
The person in charge doesn't mind showing them.
Teacher Cao watched from the sidelines for a while, listening to the continuous meowing, and helplessly said, "If I could see the props, I might be able to guess... but if it's purely listening and watching, I really can't tell the difference!"
Chu Tingwu stood silently on the side with her arms crossed, waiting for them to finish their conversation so she could take the written test.
An'an, a cat, lay on the stage, swinging its tail in boredom. Two adults exchanged a few compliments, and then, the person in charge turned to Chu Tingwu:
"By the way, Chu, I heard from Wang Junxing that you can even teach others cat language, and your own meowing is very realistic. Would you like to try communicating with An'an?"
The difficulty of the test questions was progressive, and An'an was considered the first question. If she could familiarize herself with the cat in advance, the accuracy rate would probably be a bit higher.
Although the person in charge didn't quite believe the introduction to Chu Tingwu, even if it was said by her old friend Wang Junxing, she was willing to give her old friend face.
She saw the young girl in front of her glance at the white cat, then at herself, like a quiet and introverted little girl. She shook her head, "Actually, there's no need."
The person in charge encouraged her, "It's okay, it doesn't matter if you get it wrong."
The little girl asked, "Can I say anything?"
The person in charge nodded, and the two adults gave their places to the child.
She turned her head and spotted a few figures at the door. Other colleagues and subordinates had come over quietly to watch the excitement under the pretext of "fetching water" and "delivering documents". The person in charge: "..."
Suddenly, she heard a meow. She turned her head to look, and sure enough, it was Chu Tingwu who had meowed!
It really sounded alike!
An'an, who was originally lying on the stage, suddenly stood up and looked at the person in charge in shock.
The person in charge: "?"
The person in charge: "??"
Even without looking at the screen, she could see An'an's emotions - An'an was a stable adult cat and rarely made such obvious expressions.
Chu Tingwu meowed again.
An'an: "Meow-wow--"
The person in charge: "Good boy, oh my, good boy... why are you so wronged?"
An'an: "Meow-wow! Meow-wow-- Meow-wow--"
The white cat clearly wanted to come over, but it didn't jump down from the stage, and it retreated a step when its owner approached. For the first time, the person in charge knew that cats could make such complex expressions, expressing extremely complex... but she just couldn't understand the content with its delicate meowing.
She looked at the screen, and on the screen was a big--
[Recognition error, unable to recognize, please change the recognition target!]
The artificial intelligence waited for a long time, seeming to think that the recognition target had been changed. Then, on the personal panel, next to the cat's head, a line of text appeared--
"Species: Dog"
The person in charge: "?"
She looked at Chu Tingwu and asked sincerely, "What... exactly did you say to An'an?"
Ordinary "emotional expression" could not express An'an's complex emotions. They were clearly "communicating"!
Chu Tingwu: "Oh... I just discussed the salary issue with her."
"As the subject of the test, and soon to be the test itself, it's like working here for you guys, right? I told it that working earns a salary, even the minimum wage for ordinary humans can buy several cans of food a day. Has it received its salary?"
Everyone: "......"
So now, are they being asked for a salary by a cat?
The little girl who caused the wage dispute nodded calmly, bid farewell to the person in charge, and then walked out, politely asking:
"Which room is the written test in? I should take the test first."
The caught staff member: What test are you still taking!
But they still took her there.
However, the staff did not know that there was a conversation unknown to anyone behind them -
[The recognition system here is so backward, it can even recognize a kitten as a puppy? Is such an assessment really meaningful? Shall I help them upgrade the system?]
Chu Tingwu: "......"
[?]
Chu Tingwu: "After the upgrade, it won't recognize people as cats, will it?"
[How could it be!?]
Chu Tingwu: "......"
Oh? Really, she doesn't believe it.
