The Cat Who Farms in the Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland – CH50

Chapter 50 – Intoxicated

The group brought the roast lamb inside. Xia Lu Nong found a set of cups in the house and poured lychee wine for everyone. The slightly yellowish, transparent liquid in the white porcelain cups looked like sugar water and smelled of lychee.

This lychee wine was found during a supply collection trip, made from steeping lychees in high-proof alcohol for an unknown number of years. Now, it had almost no trace of alcohol flavor and tasted like sweet lychee juice.

Xia Lu Nong loved it and drank three cups in a row, only stopping when his brother tapped him to prevent him from pouring a fourth. Despite its sweet taste, the wine was still essentially a type of white liquor. After three cups, Xia Lu Nong turned red and drunkenly collapsed on the table, not even touching the roast lamb.

Yan Xi Nian, still eating a piece of roast lamb, commented, “Xia Lu Nong’s alcohol tolerance is too low.”

Xia Huo Qu glared at him. “And whose fault is that?”

Yan Xi Nian paused and said, “My fault. But we’re all having a good time, right? No need to stay so tense all the time…”

Before he could finish, Xia Lu Nong, who had been slumped over the table, suddenly disappeared. His clothes fell to the floor, knocking a pair of chopsticks off the table with a soft “clink.”

The three still-sober men froze for a moment.

Yan Xi Nian: “…”

Xia Huo Qu frowned and rushed over to the pile of clothes, searching through them. After a while, he finally pulled out a small, white-furred cat—Xia Lu Nong in his feline form.

Xia Lu Nong lay on his back in a deep curve, his two fluffy white front paws hugging his tail, his pink paw pads exposed as he slept soundly.

Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian exchanged glances.

Yan Xi Nian, looking unusually guilty, glanced at the cat and then at Xia Huo Qu. In a feeble tone, he explained, “It’s rare for a beastman to shift into their animal form when drunk. This is an accident—it should be fine.”

Xia Huo Qu, aware it was an accident, silently picked up the limp, noodle-like cat, his expression showing a mix of annoyance.

The completely drunk cat hung in his grasp, its eyes tightly shut, soft and unresisting.

Kong Zhi reached out and gently touched the pink paw pads, feeling the warmth from them.

“We should take him to Dr. Ou later,” Kong Zhi suggested.

Xia Huo Qu nodded. “Let’s observe him for now. If he’s still unwell in the afternoon, I’ll take him over.”

Yan Xi Nian offered to make up for it. “I’m free this afternoon; I can take him.”

Seeing Xia Huo Qu’s skeptical look, Yan Xi Nian raised his hands. “I promise I won’t mess with him this time.”

Xia Lu Nong, still deeply intoxicated, had his pink tongue sticking out slightly as he slept.

Xia Huo Qu, worried, urged Yan Xi Nian to take him to Dr. Ou earlier. After some thought, he decided to go along as well.

Kong Zhi followed quietly behind them.

Dr. Ou was surprised to see them again so soon and asked, “What happened to Xia Lu Nong this time?”

“He got drunk,” Xia Huo Qu explained. “He drank white liquor and shifted into his beast form.”

“That’s a first,” Dr. Ou said as she examined Xia Lu Nong carefully. “He’s fine. The cat form is completely normal.”

“Can we leave him here for observation?” Xia Huo Qu asked.

“Of course. You can rest in the lounge. He might wake up soon since beastmen heal quickly.”

Looking at the three men in front of her, Dr. Ou asked, “Who will stay with him?”

Kong Zhi stepped forward. “I don’t have much to do this afternoon.”

Yan Xi Nian added, “I’m free too, no rush.”

Xia Huo Qu crossed his arms and shot a look at Yan Xi Nian.

Yan Xi Nian sighed and said, “I promise nothing will go wrong this time.”

Dr. Ou glanced between them and said, “You can discuss it further. Let me know if you need anything.”

Before leaving, Xia Huo Qu asked Dr. Ou, “Do you have a moment to chat outside? I have a few questions for you.”

Dr. Ou, puzzled, nodded after a moment’s thought.

Kong Zhi nodded at him. “I’ll stay here and keep watch.”

Yan Xi Nian chimed in, “If anything happens, I’ll call you. Don’t worry.”

Xia Huo Qu followed Dr. Ou outside to the courtyard, leaving the two men alone in the room.

Each of them found a spot to sit. Due to the beastman’s high metabolism, Xia Lu Nong—still in cat form—woke up with a soft whimper after just over half an hour. He rolled over, stood up on all four paws, wobbled a couple of steps on the bed, and then toppled over into the bedding.

“Meow?” The still-drunk cat seemed dazed after the fall, his bright green eyes looking at the two men in confusion, as if unsure why his paws weren’t cooperating.

Yan Xi Nian bent down and squeezed his paw. “Do you remember what happened?”

The cat shook his head.

Yan Xi Nian patiently asked, “Can you change back to human form?”

Xia the Cat tilted his head, appearing to think for a moment. He tried to stand, but halfway up, he stumbled and fell again.

The cat shook his head once more.

Yan Xi Nian ruffled his head fur, causing the cat to flop over. He sighed. “Great, I knew I shouldn’t have let you drink. Now your brother is going to kill me when he sees you like this.”

The cat lay still for a moment, then suddenly widened his eyes and let out a hoarse meow, clearly angry, as if to scold Yan Xi Nian.

The cat, still unsteady, tried to pounce at him.

But Kong Zhi, quick to react, scooped up the cat in one smooth motion. “Careful.”

The soft cat belly rested against Kong Zhi’s large hand. Xia the Cat turned to look at him and meowed.

Kong Zhi gently placed him back on the bed. “Rest a bit more.”

Yan Xi Nian quickly made his exit. “I’ll go tell your brother you’ve woken up.”

Xia the Cat lay on the bed for a while, trying to process everything, and then gave a soft “meow” as he finally remembered what had happened.

Xia Huo Qu and Dr. Ou finished their conversation and came back inside. After another check-up, Dr. Ou confirmed that the drunkenness hadn’t caused any lasting harm, and she told Xia Huo Qu to take the cat home.

Although Xia Lu Nong was starting to sober up, he still couldn’t control his paws, nor could he shift back to human form.

Since Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian had tasks to attend to, they left him in Kong Zhi’s care.

Kong Zhi took him to see the newly rented fields.

Kong Zhi had arrived at the base later than others, so the better plots of land were already allocated. He was given terraced fields near the bamboo forest, which were less desirable due to their poor soil and the difficulty in irrigating them because of the higher altitude. No one else wanted to plant crops there.

The rent for Kong Zhi’s six units of land was fairly cheap—three units for fifty kilograms of rice, and six units for one hundred kilograms, roughly equaling eighty kilograms of rice to be paid after the harvest.

Kong Zhi carried a basket on his back as he climbed the mountain.

It was Xia Lu Nong’s first time riding in a basket, so his eyes were filled with curiosity. His furry paws gripped the edge of the basket as he peered out, his round cat eyes taking in everything.

Kong Zhi occasionally glanced back at him but didn’t say anything.

The cat, fully immersed in his new perspective, observed the scenery as they made their way up the mountain.

When they reached the halfway point, Kong Zhi pointed ahead. “Those three plots of land under the bamboo forest are mine. The largest one below was assigned to me, and I rented the two smaller ones above it.”

Xia Lu Nong stretched his neck, quickly spotting crops already growing in the fields. “Meow?”

“They’re growing sweet potatoes right now. The management committee said they’ll clear them in the next couple of days,” Kong Zhi explained. “Then, I’ll prepare the fields to plant rice and raise some fish.”

Xia Lu Nong looked around and noticed several rice paddies nearby, where the rice seemed to be growing well. Planting rice here should work, though the land did seem a bit poor.

He focused his attention on the three fields, pondering whether he could use his powers to help the rice grow faster later on.

After walking through the fields and inspecting their condition, they headed back.

By now, Xia Lu Nong had completely sobered up, though the alcohol had taken a toll on his body. His legs were still weak, and he couldn’t control his movements. Worse, the alcohol had triggered a headache.

The pain resembled the migraine he had experienced the last time he overused his abilities—a dull, throbbing ache that came and went.

He flopped onto the couch, his front paws resting on his chest as he followed Kong Zhi with his green eyes, meowing pitifully.

“Meow…” When Kong Zhi finally sat beside him, Xia Lu Nong reached out with a paw to tug at his pants, rolling over and trying to act cute. “Meow.”

Kong Zhi patted his head.

The cat felt a bit better but still not completely.

Feeling restless, he pawed at Kong Zhi again. “Meow…”

After a moment, Kong Zhi seemed to understand and asked, “Do you want music?”

“Meow.”

Kong Zhi scratched his chin and said, “Wait a moment.”

He went to his room and soon returned with a box, from which he took out a flute and began assembling it.

Xia the Cat lay on the sofa, his front paws tucked in front of him, watching Kong Zhi intently.

Kong Zhi’s long eyelashes, high nose, and slightly hooked bridge gave him an appearance that wasn’t easy to approach. His thin lips rarely parted, adding to his aloof demeanor.

But as he assembled the flute, he exuded a calm, gentle strength.

Once the flute was assembled, Kong Zhi wiped it with a cloth, brought it to his lips, and played the first note.

As the music began, Xia Lu Nong felt his mind immediately calm.

He rested his head on his paws, fully absorbed in the soothing melody Kong Zhi played.

Kong Zhi played for him until late into the evening.

When Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian returned at dusk, they heard the sound of the flute from afar.

The music floated above the base, mingling with the smoke from cooking fires, creating a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

Xia Huo Qu paused to listen for a moment and said, “Kong Zhi is a good guy.”