Veggie was born in Kaifeng and grew up in Kaifeng, a true local cat through and through. Back on the streets,…
Veggie was born in Kaifeng and grew up in Kaifeng, a true local cat through and through.
Back on the streets, it was the toughest little bully around. Heidan was its most loyal sidekick. One did the stealing, the other did the snatching. Together, they were unstoppable.
Until one day, they picked the wrong target.
Veggie was prowling near Harmonic Span when it spotted a meat pie in the hands of a big, burly man. Veggie had Heidan rush in as a distraction while it looped around behind to make off with the pie.
The man did not even dodge.
He simply hooked a foot out. Heidan went down face-first, and the man caught Veggie with the same easy motion as if it weighed nothing.
The cat and dog fought like mad in his grip. The man did not get angry. He crouched down instead, studying them with amused interest.
"Well now. Would you look at you two."
"One starts the trouble, and the other actually goes for it. That's something."
He split the pie in half. One piece went to the whimpering Heidan other he held out in front of Veggie.
Heidan would not eat. It pushed its share toward Veggie with its nose.
Veggie, however, stared at the man warily. There was something about him that put it on edge.
Seeing neither of them bite, the man laughed.
"What, you think I put something in it?"
They were scared stiff, yet still trying to shield each other. The man laughed again, softer this time.
"Fine. You two remind me of my old brothers. Loyal to the bone."
After that, the man kept showing up. Sometimes he brought food. Sometimes he just watched them roughhouse.
Then one day, Veggie and Heidan followed him for a long while. Somehow, they ended up in a place that was clean and beautiful, with walls so high and crowds so thick it made Veggie's head spin.
And that was where they stayed.
There was food that never ran out, fat carp to catch, and more games than they could count.
When the man strolled past the pond now, he would often pause to watch them and sigh.
"Yeah. You little rascals have it good."
"Me? I'm not half as happy as I used to be."
Veggie could not understand a word of it.
But Veggie knew this: there was food, there were fish, and Heidan was here to play with.
That made it the best place in the world.