Chen Yan's World by Ear: The Autobiography of China's First Blind Piano Lawyer

Author: Chen Yan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: After a few days, Meimei and Huang Huang, Lao Lao gave me a little yellow cat, saying it was my friend. I was so happy and named it Huang Huang. In no time, I and Huang Huang became good friends. During the day, it stayed with me, and I shared everything I ate with it. At night, Huang Huang slept beside my pillow. When I got up at night to use the restroom, I fumbled and touched Huang Huang, scaring me. Suddenly, I remembered it was my cat. Huang Huang was cool to the touch, and I thought it was cold, so I took it into the warmth of the bedding. I love listening to Huang Huang purr; that rhythmic purring sound can keep me focused for a long time. Lao Lao said that cats purr to scold Lao Bao. Legend has it that a long time ago, the Five Mice caused trouble in Dongjing, and Lao Bao summoned a creature from the heavens that could eat mice—cats. When Lao Bao summoned the cat, he promised that if it ate all the mice, it would be sent back to the heavens. The cat came to the human world and finally found the Five Mice. The cat grabbed one mouse with each paw, holding another in its mouth, but accidentally, the mouse on the right paw escaped. The escaped mouse had descendants, and the mouse population grew rapidly. From then on, Lao Bao left the cat in the human world. The cat was very upset with Lao Bao, so when it had nothing to do, it would purr and scold Lao Bao. I asked Lao Lao, "Did the cat tell you this?" Lao Lao said no, it was just a legend. At the time, I didn’t know what a legend was, but I knew that cats could scold people. Lao Lao said that everyone said cats are treacherous, while dogs are loyal. But whether it’s a cat or a dog, as long as you treat it well, it will be good to you. Lao Lao said that you have to do good deeds for seven generations to be reborn as a cat! I loved my Huang Huang very much and kept pestering Lao Lao to buy me a toy cat. Lao Lao said, "Since you have a real cat, don’t buy a fake one." I refused and kept asking for a cat whenever I thought about it. Back then, I was also very interested in something else—tricycles that children rode. I really wanted one, but Lao Lao said I couldn’t see the road and that riding a bike was dangerous, so he said I could get one when I grew up. I refused and kept asking for a bike whenever I thought about it. Later, Lao Lao said, "Alright, let’s get you a cat." I said, "I want a pretty cat." Lao Lao said, "Okay, I’ll buy you one tomorrow." The next day, as soon as Lao Lao left, I started waiting, hoping he would buy the cat quickly. Finally, I waited until night, and Lao Lao returned with a porcelain cat. This cat was a money bank and also had squinting eyes. Lao Lao said it was a pair of cats—one with open eyes and one with squinting eyes. "I think you should call it Meimei, so I bought you the squinting one." I was very disappointed at the time—how could I play with a cold, lifeless porcelain cat? But unexpectedly, this porcelain cat became the only childhood toy I kept. In 1997, I went to the Temple Fair at Ditang and, by chance, found the other cat with open eyes that Lao Lao had mentioned. I bought it and paired it with the squinting cat, which I still keep in a cabinet to this day. As I grew older, I gradually lost all my childhood toys, and this squinting cat became a witness to my childhood life. P10-11