The ‘torpedo’ did its job.

Zheng Tan heard a splash followed by screaming and swearing.

The air stunk and the toothpick man ran out of the washroom without even picking up his pants. He tripped and fell onto the floor, getting even more poop on him. He ran into the house.

The firecracker had created quite a mess. Zheng Tan was fortunate he hid behind a haystack. Some excrement even splashed onto the tree in the yard. Zheng Tan, however, was amazed at how well the washroom was built. It didn’t have any cracks after the blow. Or maybe it did, he just couldn’t see them.

Zheng Tan wanted to see how pathetic the toothpick man looked now, but he couldn’t stand the smell any longer. He wanted to puke. Besides, the toothpick man’s family had realized what happened and he could hear the commotion inside the house.

Zheng Tan hurriedly left via the backyard. He took care to avoid stepping on excrement.

The neighbors heard the bang but had thought it was only the local kids playing somewhere. However, they heard swearing after the bang and opened their doors to see what had happened. The smell of excrement greeted them.

Zheng Tan hid the other ‘torpedo’ he stole under a brick. It was safe there. No one looked under bricks. If the toothpick man ever bothered his family again, he would put that firecracker to good use.

When Zheng Tan returned home, he felt he smelled, so he sat on the haystack to air his fur out.

He saw the three-legged cat run past him with a fat mouse in its mouth.

Were tricolored cats just superior to other cats? This one moved with such agility despite missing a leg.

Zheng Tan shook his ears. He admired the cat.

After twenty something minutes, Grandpa Jiao returned with Jiao Yuan, and Zheng Tan followed them into the house.

Grandpa Jiao and Jiao Yuan smelled as well, so no one noticed Zheng Tan.

The yellow dog sniffed Grandpa Jiao then sneezed. He then sniffed Zheng Tan. He wanted to lick him too but was slapped away by Zheng Tan.

The Jiaos at home thought Zheng Tan had gone to see the piglets with Grandpa Jiao. Grandpa Jiao and Jiao Yuan thought he had stayed home. In the end, no one realized where he had gone or what he had done.

Zheng Tan took a bath that day. He felt strange and didn’t want to jump onto the bed without a bath.

The next day was New Year’s Eve.

The grown-ups were busy from the moment they opened their eyes. When Zheng Tan got up and went to eat breakfast, the grown-ups were already done eating. Zheng Tan sat onto a chair and started eating his food while listening to Papa Jiao and Grandpa Jiao talk.

“I told you the dog’s very healthy and he’ll be fine after a walk.” Grandpa Jiao pointed at Lucky who was playing with a rubber duck in the yard.

“What about breakfast?” Papa Jiao asked.

“Breakfast? No need. Not every animal is your precious cat and gets three meals a day.”

Grandpa Jiao then told Papa Jiao about what had happened to the toothpick man. That morning, last night’s events had spread among the villagers. No one knew who did it and according to the toothpick man he didn’t hear anyone opening the door to his backyard. He had heard the sound of a burning fuse, but that was it.

His new phone had fallen into the cesspit and couldn’t be used anymore. He didn’t even bother picking it out.

He was incredibly angry and spent all last night swearing and cursing.

Most people were secretly glad. He deserved what had happened and no one felt bad for him. The money he used to purchase his phone was earned through unknown and probably unspeakable means. He had boasted to everyone he had met about his phone as if it made him a rich person.

Because it was New Year’s Eve, people started setting off firecrackers everywhere.

Grandpa Jiao had told the kids not to run around that day. The firecrackers used for celebrations were different than the one kids played with. They came in a string and could easily hurt someone. The kids were too young, so Papa Jiao told them to stay home.

Zheng Tan watched them move tables and place candlesticks. It was a tradition. People prayed to the gods for good luck on this day.

Papa Jiao had invited Mama Jiao’s parents over, but they had refused.

Jiao Wei brought firecrackers over. He had made them with his friends. The large ones were the size of Jiao Yuan’s arm. The small ones were for Jiao Yuan.

They called the large ones ‘thunder’ and generally saved them for new Year’s Eve dinner.

Zheng Tan had thought it was bad during the day, yet he realized it was nothing compared to dinnertime.

Paa Jiao cleared out space in front of the house. Jiao Yuan brought all the firecrackers out and Papa Jiao lit the fuse.

“Hurry, go inside and close the door.”

Papa Jiao half shut the door. They heard a strings of bangs that lasted over two minutes. If the door wasn’t half shut, the debris would have flown inside.

Zheng Tan sat on the window sill and watched the firecrackers in front of every house. Smoke was everywhere. If everyone followed this tradition in the city, they would spend New Year’s day in smog.

Lucky was waiting by the dinner table. He couldn’t care less about firecrackers.

After setting off the string of firecrackers, Papa Jiao told his son to take the ‘thunder’ brought over by Jiao Wei outside. This time, they went outside the yard.

Bang!

The loud explosion shook the ground. Zheng Tan felt the window shake.

The firecracker was wrapped in red paper which had turned into confetti in the explosion. The ground was covered in red.

After dinner, more firecrackers and even some fireworks were set off. The kids were so excited they couldn’t sleep until it was very late.

By 11, most people had stopped setting off firecrackers. The children were asleep and it was quiet at last.

Zheng Tan couldn’t sleep though. He wasn’t thinking about anything in particular but just couldn’t fall asleep.

This New Year was filled with noise and color. It was a first for him.

Last year they had spent the New Year in Chuhua city. There were only the four Jiaos. There were many restrictions in the city and it was a much quieter celebration.

However, Zheng Tan preferred it this way.

Just when he was about to fall asleep, he heard firecrackers again. People set off firecrackers here at midnight to signify a new year was upon them. It was tradition. He heard Papa Jiao’s voice and then firecrackers in front of the house. It was loud enough to wake anyone.

Zheng Tan sighed. OK, maybe it was a bit too noisy here.

He slept in on New Year’s day. Youzi didn’t sleep well as well so she got up late too.

Zheng Tan greeted Papa Jiao and Jiao Yuan at the door. Jiao Yuan had been awakened early in the morning to go visit his ancestor’s graves and was still yawning.

Kids got red pockets on New Years day. Jiao Yuan and Youzi received red pockets from their grandparents. Jiao Wei’s parents came over and gave them red pockets as well.

As a cat, Zheng Tan did not get money. However, Papa Jiao and Mama Jiao did pack two red pockets. They were filled with cured fish and jerky.

Zheng Tan didn’t have anything to do that day. He spent the day sleeping on the cat tree. The next day Papa Jiao drove the whole family and Zheng Tan to Grandpa Gu’s house. The two families lived only a half an hour drive away.

They stayed a few days with the Gu family before returning to Grandpa Jiao’s place.

The toothpick man had been uncharacteristically well behaved these few days. He had been staying at home. He was worried about more revenge. Also, everyone knew what had happened and he couldn’t face the mockery.

Zheng Tan didn’t go visit family and friends. He watched Lucky run around all day and decided to take a walk after dinner.

He was now familiar with the village and could find his way around the place.

He walked in the meadows. The house was only a dot now. He saw graves ahead of him. Some were covered in debris left over from firecrackers and half burnt incense. He could tell people had visited those. Some graves were covered in weeds. No one remembered them.

Zheng Tan kept walking. Suddenly, he saw people walking his way.

Weren’t these people the ones who had been sitting in the BMW they had ran into on the highway?