Cat Stroll

“That red brick arch bridge has looked like this since I started elementary school.”

“It’s been nearly twenty years now.” Gao Xin said, taking Yun Juan’s hand and pointing to a dark red brick bridge spanning the river.

The small brick bridge appeared quite dilapidated.

Any cement or other coating that might have once covered it had long since been washed away by the relentless march of time, leaving only dark brown, eroded red bricks exposed, their edges overgrown with tenacious plants.

“It looks like it’s about to be abandoned,” Yun Juan observed, studying it carefully.

“Hmm… this isn’t a pedestrian bridge, is it?”

There were no railings on either side of the bridge, and no roads visible connecting the two segments.

“No, it’s not,” Gao Xin confirmed, nodding.

“You can’t see the tracks from below, but this is a railway bridge.”

“A train bridge?”

“Are trains still running on it?” Yun Juan, curious, stood on tiptoe to get a better look, though the slight height difference proved futile.

“Yes, many times a day,” Gao Xin replied with a smile.

Just then, a steel-gray freight train, whistling mournfully, appeared at the edge of their vision.

Both cat-girls paused, watching, mesmerized, as the colossal machine rumbled across the seemingly crumbling bridge.

A thunderous vibration shook loose a wisp of dust.

The resilient plants clinging to the bridge swayed, as if expressing their displeasure.

Soon, the whistling giant vanished beyond the other side of the horizon.

“It feels like ages since I last saw a train.”

“Me too.”

Yun Juan rested her head on Gao Xin’s shoulder.

“What was it carrying?”

“Coal?”

“It looked so dark and dirty.”

“Hmm.”

Gao Xin’s ear tickled from Yun Juan’s breath as she spoke.

She gently pushed Yun Juan’s head away with a small hand.

“Come on, let’s go explore somewhere else.”

This small city wasn’t particularly developed.

Besides, if they wanted to explore a bustling metropolis, they could go anywhere.

The two cat-girls weren’t interested in large shopping malls, so Yun Juan asked Gao Xin to show her around her hometown and introduce her to its charms.

“This is a small fish market, because we’re close to the water, you see.”

They walked and observed.

After crossing the river, they found themselves amidst a cluster of interconnected fish stalls.

“Oh, such fresh fish!” Yun Juan’s eyes lit up.

“Should we buy some later?”

“Good idea.”

“My mom makes excellent fish soup,” Gao Xin readily agreed.

They didn’t linger long at the fish market.

The two cat-girls continued their journey.

After crossing the river and walking a little further, they reached the mountains.

Along one or both sides of the path they trod were jagged rock faces, the clear marks of road construction.

“Look, do you see over there?” Gao Xin pointed to a distant hillside.

Yun Juan focused her gaze.

Exposed rock and large machinery were unmistakable features.

“A quarry?”

“Exactly,” Gao Xin said, twitching her ears.

“The sound of dynamite exploding there is incredibly loud.”

“You can hear it dozens of miles away.”

“That far?”

“It’s because there are no tall buildings here to block the sound.”

“But you can only hear it, it’s not truly loud,” Gao Xin continued, pulling Yun Juan along and explaining.

“Have you seen that thing nearby, the one that looks like a giant cannon?”

Yun Juan cooperatively shook her head.

In such situations, even if she knew, it was best to feign ignorance; Gao Xin’s desire to explain was practically overflowing.

“It’s a fog cannon.”

“Like a super-sized humidifier.”

“It’s used for dust removal because there’s a stone processing plant right next to it.”

“Ohh…” Yun Juan uttered, sounding enlightened.

A large red truck roared past.

Gao Xin pulled Yun Juan closer to the side of the road, the two cat-girls pressed tightly together.

“Most of the vehicles on this road are big trucks, so we need to stay close to the side.”

“What’s that over there?”

After walking another stretch, Yun Juan noticed a cluster of what appeared to be brand-new high-rise buildings in the distance.

While not truly towering, their six- or seven-story height stood out prominently in this area.

“A newly built school.”

“The land was cheap.”

“This small shop is still here!”

“I haven’t been back to this area in years,” Gao Xin exclaimed, sounding surprised as they reached a spot near the main train station.

She looked at a dimly lit convenience store and walked inside.

“Boss, two bottles of water, please.”

“Coming right up!” The middle-aged man, who had been dozing at the counter, immediately sat upright, replying with robust energy.

“You two girls are new faces.”

“Students from the school?” The boss, fond of chatting, sought conversation.

The school he referred to was the newly built one nearby.

Gao Xin shook her head.

“Are there still buses to Dasishan?”

“Oh, tourists?”

“Yes, there are buses.”

“One passes every half hour.”

“Just wait by the door, and you can catch it.”

“Want to go up the mountain and take a look?” Gao Xin turned to Yun Juan for her opinion.

“Sounds good,” Yun Juan naturally agreed.

Seeing this, the boss went to fetch water for the two cat-girls, then brought out two folding stools and placed them by the doorway.

“Sit here and wait.”

“The bus will be here soon.”

“All the buses heading that way pass Dasishan.”

The two cat-girls sat by the door, gazing at the dusty road, the red-signed restaurant across the street, the sparse roadside trees, and the couples walking by.

For a long time, they didn’t ponder anomalies, political situations, or any other bothersome trivialities.

They relaxed completely, soaking in the mundane charm of human life and the comforting presence of their loved one beside them.

‘How peaceful these years are…’

As the boss had said, the bus arrived quickly.

The two cat-girls boarded, settling in the middle section—sitting near the windows easily caused motion sickness.

The driver poked his head out, shouting to the convenience store owner, “Got any packages?”

The boss rushed out of the store, a burlap sack in hand, a label affixed to it.

“This one’s for Fengyang Town.”

“Alright,” the driver replied with a single word, indicating he understood, then closed the door and pulled away.

These shuttle buses and the convenience store owners along the route had formed a small, localized courier service.

“Hey, Yun, look,” Gao Xin said from her seat, nudging Yun Juan, who had been staring intently out the window.

“Look at the floor.”

“What is it?”

Yun Juan looked where Gao Xin pointed: the floor of the bus in front of them, beneath the seat, had a small gap.

Through it, they could clearly see the bus wheels turning on the road.

“This bus is really run-down.”

“Where are you two headed?” A woman approached them, interrupting their discussion.

“Dasishan.”

“Hmm…” The woman took out a thick stack of tickets and began marking them.

“Five yuan per person.”

“QR code or cash?”

Gao Xin skillfully pulled out her phone and scanned the tag hanging around the woman’s neck, displaying the payment confirmation.

Rip!

Two colorful paper tickets were handed to the cat-girls.

The tickets listed a string of place names, and on theirs, a strange destination was checked.

“Hey, we’re not going to this place, are we?” Yun Juan whispered to Gao Xin.

Having never encountered such things since childhood, she was quite curious.

“Dasishan isn’t a designated stop, so they checked the nearest one.”

“We just need to tell the driver when we’re about to get off,” Gao Xin reassured Yun Juan, patting her head.

“Oh, I see…”

The five-yuan journey was indeed short.

Twenty minutes later, they reached their destination.

Perhaps because the two cat-girls looked so young and were heading to a “scenic spot,” the ticket-selling woman feared they might miss their stop.

Before Gao Xin could even call out to the driver, the woman had already given him a heads-up.

They disembarked at the mountain gate.

There was no additional path.

Yun Juan looked around, noting the absence of a ticket booth, an entrance gate, or a parking lot.

She voiced her confusion.

“There’s nothing like that here.”

“It’s called a scenic spot, but honestly, besides locals occasionally coming for picnics, there’s not much to do.”

“It hasn’t been developed, so there’s no entrance fee.”

“Eating?” Hearing the name, she had imagined a grand temple.

“There just happens to be a temple here,” Gao Xin explained.

After entering the mountain gate and walking a short distance, rows of restaurants indeed came into view first.

Gao Xin led Yun Juan through a series of turns and detours, eventually finding a small path leading up the mountain.

A small stream gurgled beside the path at the foot of the hill.

“There’s more than one mountain here, but this one is more fun.”

“I’ll take you up to see it.”

The mountain path wasn’t rugged.

Even though it wasn’t asphalt or concrete, just a dirt road, it was passable for vehicles, and certainly for people.

It wasn’t a weekend or a holiday, so there were few people on the road.

However, an electric tricycle kept stopping and starting, following the two cat-girls for a considerable distance.

Don’t misunderstand; it was merely a coincidence.

There were many trees on the mountain, and it was late autumn.

The tricycle driver was collecting firewood and had filled his vehicle halfway up the mountain, returning fully loaded.

The mountain path was not short.

Taking advantage of the solitude, the two cat-girls quickened their pace, revealing a speed slightly beyond ordinary humans.

They also climbed several shortcuts.

Even so, it still took them half an hour to reach the summit.

At the peak, there were only a few dilapidated structures, appearing as if they had been abandoned before completion, full of empty spaces, as if something were missing.

Gao Xin led Yun Juan along the final stretch of the path: broken bluestone steps, rough concrete pillars, and rusted iron chains connecting them, all covered with withered, yellow fallen leaves.

Suddenly, Yun Juan understood the feeling of desolation.

After traversing the last section of the path, they arrived beside the crumbling buildings.

It was then they noticed some faded, unidentifiable slogans painted on the walls.

“This used to be a radar station, but it was abandoned long ago.”

“Everything has been moved out,” Gao Xin explained.

She pulled Yun Juan around to the back of the building, where a staircase led directly to the roof.

Reaching the rooftop, there was nothing around them taller than their current vantage point, and consequently, the wind grew stronger.

Amidst the howling wind, Gao Xin shouted, “Even though it’s not Mount Tai, don’t you feel like you’re looking down on all the smaller mountains?”

The wind danced through her hair, revealing the fair skin of her neck and her hazy eyes.

“Yes!” Yun Juan shouted back, embracing Gao Xin and kissing her.

“Mmph!” Gao Xin’s eyes widened.

Before she could react, Yun Juan had already pulled away.

“I love you!” Yun Juan declared, staring into Gao Xin’s eyes.

Gao Xin pursed her lips, saying nothing, and embraced Yun Juan once more.

This time, it was Gao Xin who initiated the hug.

“That’s the signal tower, that’s a wind turbine, that’s the reservoir…”

“Oh, do you see that?”

“That’s the quarry we passed earlier.”

The two cat-girls sat on the edge of the rooftop, swinging their legs, leaning into each other, enthusiastically pointing out the landscape that had shrunk to the size of a model.

Boom!…

A sound like muffled thunder reached them.

“Listen, that’s the sound of the dynamite exploding at the quarry.”

“It really is twenty kilometers away.”

“It’s getting late. Shall we head home?”

“Remember to buy fish on the way back.”

“I want fish soup!”

“Alright~”