Chapter 20: Black Cat Sheriff

“What the hell? Are you two blind?”

Su Ai quickly called a nurse to fix the IV.

Afterward, she scolded her husband and son.

“You’re a grown man, and you can’t even watch an IV? Look how high the blood has gone back! Are you three years old?”

“Lele, weren’t you supposed to help Dad watch the IV too?”

Lele wasn’t afraid of his mother’s loud voice.  His mother had gotten better recently, and he was spoiled by his father, so he was cheerful and bold.

He blinked, innocently saying:

“Mommy, I noticed! I said Dad’s tube was amazing; it turned red. That’s the blood flowing back.”

“Mommy, I didn’t know what ‘blood flowing back’ meant before, but I’ll know next time.”

Su Ai rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

“Mommy, let’s have the doctor check Dad. I think he’s sick,” Lele said seriously.

“Of course, I know your dad is sick. Why would we be at the hospital otherwise? We’re here for treatment,” Su Ai said nonchalantly.

Lele frantically waved his hands: “I’m not talking about Dad’s leg.”

“I’m talking about Dad’s brain. I think Dad’s brain is sick.”

Ji Yang: …

My good son.

He couldn’t tell if his son was showing concern or scolding him.

Lele, oblivious, continued seriously: “I think Dad has been spacing out lately, like Second Uncle.”

“Everyone says Second Uncle has become a fool. Dad is the same, except he doesn’t drool. He stares blankly and smiles, constantly smiling.”

“Let’s have the doctor check Dad. I don’t want Dad to become a fool.”

Ji Yang had been spacing out more lately due to recent events.

His son mistook it for him becoming a fool, making Su Ai burst into laughter.

Ji Yang’s face reddened.

He tapped his son’s head.

“Nonsense!”

“If Dad becomes a fool, I’ll eat you first.”

Lele wasn’t afraid.

“People-eaters aren’t fools; they’re monsters.”

“Awooo”

“But Dad doesn’t seem foolish now.”

Su Ai laughed even louder, and others in the ward joined in.

“This child is so cute.”

“He’s filial, even if his words aren’t nice.  The concern is real.”

The family was happy even in the hospital.

The hospital was boring.  Lele could sit still in the morning, but by afternoon, he was restless.

Unlike at home, where he could play with friends, climb mountains, and fish, he could only sit quietly in the ward.

Although he wasn’t misbehaving, he looked listless.

“Why don’t you take him out for a walk?”

“The IV is done; there’s nothing else to do. I can lie here.”

Ji Yang’s leg surgery wasn’t immediate; he needed two days of IV drips, with surgery scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

There were also pre-operative preparations.

After the IV, he just needed to lie down and avoid strenuous activity.

“Okay, do you need to use the toilet?”

“No, I just went, and I didn’t drink much water.  Go ahead and take the child out.”

Lele looked at his mother with a pitiful expression.

He really wanted to go out and play; the room was so boring.

“Okay, I’ll take him out to play for a while.”

“I’ll also pick up dinner.”

“Mm.”

Su Ai took her son to the street.  There wasn’t much to do there.

Compared to the diverse arcades and readily available snacks of the future, resources were scarce at that time.

Lele pointed at a large screen with flashing lights and asked curiously:

“Mommy, what’s that?”

Many people were going in and out, and the bright colors caught the child’s attention.

Su Ai glanced at it.

“It’s a movie theater, where they show movies.”

“What’s a movie theater, Mommy?”

“Can we go see it?”

With anticipation in his eyes, Su Ai took him there.

“A movie is like TV. Do you know what TV is?”

The child shook his head again.

Their village wasn’t wealthy; TVs were rare in the 1990s.  Their village didn’t even have one.

Su Ai found it hard to explain, so she took him to the ticket window.

“It’s hard to explain; Mommy will take you to see.”

Su Ai expected mostly propaganda films, but luckily, they were showing “Black Cat Sheriff.”

Watching cartoons with a child was perfect.

Su Ai bought two tickets for “Black Cat Sheriff”.

“Mommy, what’s Black Cat Sheriff?”

“Black Cat Sheriff is a black cat who’s a police officer.”

“Can cats be police officers?” Lele’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Let’s go watch, and you’ll find out.”

Su Ai took her son into the theater.  She wanted to buy him snacks, but they were scarce.

There were almost no snacks near the theater.  In summer, there would be ice cream and soda, but it was cold now.

Su Ai looked at the empty space in front of the cinema.

“Let’s go in, Mommy.”

As they entered, the familiar melody filled the theater, bringing back childhood memories for Su Ai.

“Eyes wide like bells,

Sharp and bright like lightning,

Ears up like antennas,

Listening for suspicious sounds.”  Su Ai smiled at the familiar images and music.

“Sharp teeth and claws patrolling everywhere,

You bring us peace…”

The picture and sound quality weren’t high by future standards, but it was different for Lele.

It was the first time he saw characters appear on a wall!

His mouth was wide open enough to fit a large egg!