The agreed meeting place was a park with an open view and plenty of foot traffic. The cat owner had suggested it because it was close to where he worked.
It was hard to say who had put up the missing-cat notices, and the cat's owner might not even be real. Still, hoping to find some clues, they decided to go to the meeting.
The two Wan family members and the old woman stayed near the park, while Xu Huo and the other two went inside. Bubble Bean had actually bought a cat to bring along, though it was partly hidden, so they couldn't tell whether it was the right one.
They waited beneath an apricot tree for a while before a middle-aged man hurried over. He introduced himself first, then asked to see the cat.
At Xu Huo's signal, Bubble Bean handed the cat to him. The middle-aged man inspected it, then stood up with a disappointed look. "This isn't my cat."
"It isn't?" Bubble Bean raised an eyebrow. "That's a shame. If we can't find the owner and trade it for money, I guess we'll have to stew it and make soup."
The middle-aged man's expression changed. He hurriedly said, "You don't like this cat anyway. Why not sell it to me? I can pay twice the market price."
Bubble Bean scowled. "Why should I sell it to you?"
"My cat went missing, and I can't find it. This one looks like her, so it'd be nice to take it home," the middle-aged man said. "It'd be some comfort, at least. Please sell it to me. I'll pay you three times the price!"
Even three times the price was nowhere near the reward he'd offered, but Bubble Bean stopped giving him a hard time. He didn't hand over