The Old Man Fang Yu on the Balcony chapter 1

After graduating from college, Tom landed a job at a software development company, a highly enviable career. However, lately, Tom has been in a hurry. What’s he worried about? His friends and colleagues have all started raising pets. Persian cats, miniature dogs, parrots, and mynas are no longer rare. Some people are even raising spotted pigs, blue – striped snakes, certain frog species, and tiger – toothed fish. It’s said that a buddy even ordered a shark online! And he has nothing. Can you blame Tom for being anxious? Of course, Tom is no ordinary guy. If he’s going to raise a pet, it has to be one that creates a stir!

One day, his cousin from the countryside called and said that their old cow had just given birth to a calf. As soon as Tom heard this, he got an idea and immediately started discussing it with his cousin on the phone. The next day, his cousin had someone send a large wooden crate from the countryside. A little calf was obediently inside. Tom was overjoyed and immediately named it “Yellow”. But despite his happiness, Tom had a problem. He lived in a 17 – story apartment building, and the property management company clearly stipulated that residents were not allowed to keep animals. If discovered, Yellow would surely end up in the slaughterhouse.

Tom pasted a layer of kraft paper on the wooden crate, carefully leaving ventilation holes. He hired two laborers. Just as they were about to lift it, two security guards came and asked, “What’s in this thing? It’s so heavy.” Tom quickly replied, “It’s a handicraft. It’s fragile. Please don’t touch it.” Then, he and the laborers carried the crate into the elevator.

Having a pet really gave Tom a boost. One day, he invited all the young people in the company to his home and proudly introduced his new pet, the yellow calf. This little calf really created a sensation. These young people who had grown up in the concrete jungle surrounded the calf, looking at it from all angles. Some young girls kept saying, “It’s so cool!” “It’s awesome!” Tom felt extremely proud and was over the moon.

Unexpectedly, a colleague named Mr. Brown said, “This pet is great, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to keep it for three months.”

Tom stuck out his neck defiantly and said, “What? Three months? I’m going to keep it for thirty years! Just you wait and see.”

After making up his mind, Tom did encounter some difficulties. Take the calf’s eating, drinking, and excreting, for example. None of these aspects could be ignored. But Tom, being a modern young man, was very smart.

At first, he thought the calf liked meat, so he brought half a plate of roast beef and bought five servings of fast – food burgers at once. But the little guy not only ignored them but also raised its head and mooed loudly, clearly crying out for hunger. Finally, with the guidance of his cousin on the phone, Tom learned that it needed to eat grass. Well, in this big city, you could buy almost anything, but grass was nowhere to be found. Tom was scratching his head in frustration when he suddenly noticed the lush green grass on the lawn of the community park. There were also many green belts around the apartment. His eyes lit up. Soon after, the property management of the community noticed that the lawn in the community was often trimmed, even the corners. Although they couldn’t find this “good Samaritan” right away, they fired the three hired lawn – mowers, saving a lot of money.

Tom’s bathroom was very small, and the calf wasn’t very well – behaved. It would leave piles of feces and urine around the house, and the smell in the house became quite pungent. At first, Tom used some tissues and scented air fresheners. Later, he found that his monthly salary could only cover this expense for eight days. Then, he used his smart brain and actually invented a special “diaper” for the calf. It was a beautiful plastic bucket hung behind the calf’s butt! It was very effective.

Tom really wanted the calf to sleep with him, as most pet owners do. However, the calf always thought he was in the way and would use its hooves to push him off the bed. Helplessly, he had to give his precious Yellow a separate room.

Under Tom’s careful care, the calf grew incredibly fast. In just two months, it was already 1.56 meters tall. Tom’s worries grew along with the calf’s size. It was about to become a huge beast. If the property management of the community found out, no matter how precious it was, he might not be able to keep it. These days, neighbors in the elevator would often ask him why there were often cow moos coming from his house. Every time, he would make up excuses, saying it was the sound from a CD or the ringtone of his phone.

Twenty more days passed, and the calf grew even bigger. It wasn’t satisfied with the special room prepared by its owner and often tried to push its way out. Tom was horrified to find that the width of the calf’s body was almost the same as the width of the door. He also knew that one day, the calf wouldn’t be able to squeeze through the door.

One day, while Tom was at work, he suddenly received a call from the property management of the community, asking him to go home immediately. “Something’s wrong!” Tom’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly took a taxi home. As soon as he entered the community, he saw a large crowd gathered downstairs of his building. There were also reporters with cameras and police officers. Everyone was looking up. On the balcony of his 17th – floor apartment, stood a plump calf, raising its head and letting out a series of moos.