Chapter 402: The Secret History of Lop Ears

Thinker Novel Network

Zhang Zian was a little flattered by the fact that the old tea spoke so solemnly. He couldn't figure out what the well-informed old tea would ask him for advice. Could it be about science?

He said with a smile: "Mr. Cha, don't be so polite. If you don't understand, just speak up. I know everything, and I can say everything."

Old Cha pondered and said: "Listen to Zi'an, what do you mean, this cat with folded ears originated from abroad, and then it was introduced into China?"

Zhang Zian nodded, "Yes, it is said that it was accidentally bred by a breeder from a small European country."

"Do you know what year and month it is?" Old Cha asked again.

"This..." Zhang Zian is not an expert on the history of cats. He picked up his phone and searched before replying, "1961, more than half a century ago."

"That's not right." Old Tea shook his head suspiciously, "I've clearly seen the kind of cat with drooping ears as you mentioned before..."

"Eh?" Zhang Zian was taken aback, "Old Master Cha, do you mean the period at the end of the last century when you said 'before'?"

He met Lao Cha in Yinwu Mountain. There are many dense forests on Yinwu Mountain. At first, he thought that Laocha's chance encounter in the forest was referring to the forest of Yinwu Mountain, but now it seems that it is not.

"That's right." Old Cha was even more confused. "I was in my prime at the time, and I was confident that my eyesight would not be blurry, and I would never make a mistake. But you said that this kind of cat only appeared in 1961, which can be described as a strange thing..."

"What does the cat you see look like? Is it the same as a fold-eared cat?" Zhang Zian asked in detail.

Lao Cha shook his head, "It's not the same. That kind of cat has longer hair all over the body, and its fur is pure white. It looks a bit like a snow lion...but it's taller and taller, with a stronger and stronger tail."

Snow Lion was taking a nap at first, and when Lao Cha mentioned his name, he opened his sleepy eyes blankly, "What are you doing? Why are you looking for my old lady?"

Both Zhang Zian and Lao Cha ignored it, did not answer, and sat back on the recliner to think hard.

Fold cats must have come out in 1961, there is no mistake about that.

However, it is impossible for Lao Cha to be wrong. With Lao Cha's character, if he is not sure, he will not say it.

The question is, what happened to the cat with drooping ears that Lao Cha saw?

Time passed by, Lao Cha didn't continue to watch TV, and Fei Na didn't continue to take a nap, they all stared at Zhang Zian's face with curiosity.

A snow-colored cat with long hair and drooping ears...a cat with folded ears...1961...at the end of the last century...

He combined these key words together, then dismantled them again, searching for clues in his mind like a search.

After a long time.

"Ah! I remembered!" Zhang Zian patted his thigh and stood up, "I understand what kind of cat you saw, Mr. Cha!"

"Oh? Zian, tell me quickly!" Old Cha said in surprise.

Zhang Zian swallowed excitedly, organized his words, and said: "I have seen similar rumors by chance before, but at that time I just listened to them as anecdotes, and didn't take them seriously at all. I thought they were rumors, so I didn't report them I'm thinking about it, but when you said that, I remembered..."

Fina interrupted him impatiently, "Don't talk nonsense!"

"Okay..." Zhang Zian was quite complacent at first, and it was finally his turn to show the limelight, but he was urged by Fei Na, so he had to omit the 10,000-word opening sentence and said directly: "Mr. Cha, what you saw is not The modern fold-eared cat is an ancient Chinese lop-eared cat called sumxu in English. No specimens of this kind of cat have been found so far, and there is even controversy about whether it really exists. The last time it was seen was before liberation gone."

Old Tea's beard trembled slightly, and he said with surprise: "Before liberation...do you mean before 1949? In this way, the time is right."

Fina wrinkled her face unhappily, "Ancient cats? Why haven't I heard of this kind of cat family? You can't just make it up, right? What is the crime of deceiving Bengong?

Need Ben Gong to remind you? "

"Cast! Castrate!" As soon as this topic was mentioned, Snow Lion became inexplicably energetic.

"Cough cough!" Zhang Zian coughed a few times, and explained to Fei Na: "Although it is ancient, it is much later than your era, and it is normal that you have not heard of it. Don't worry, I will speak slowly. "

Zhang Zian lay back on the recliner, as if telling a story, and relayed the legend he saw to Fina, Lao Cha, and other elves.

The Chinese lop-eared cat was discovered and written in books by Western missionaries in the 17th century. In their writings, the cat is described as having long white fur and drooping ears, and is very popular with Chinese ladies. Even in China at that time, lop-eared cats were not common, and only a small number were circulated among the upper class.

Some people question that this kind of cat does not actually exist, because there is no similar record in the local Chinese literature. Others question that the lop-eared cat is not a cat, but an animal similar to a mink, or that cats are related to cats. There are different opinions about the hybrid species born by mink, and there is no one conclusion. Quite a number of Europeans are interested in this peculiar cat, and even offer a reward at the European cat show, hoping that someone can bring a Chinese lop-eared cat, but unfortunately, no one can take the money bounty.

The Chinese lop-eared cat was last reported in 1938, and since then the prevailing opinion has been that even if the cat ever existed, it is now extinct.

Fei Na's curiosity was aroused, she was still satisfied with what she heard, and kept urging him to continue, but Zhang Zian only knew this.

Old Cha let out a long breath, "So that's it, it's called a lop-eared cat..."

"That... old man tea, this lop-eared cat was named by Western missionaries. I don't know what they are called in China. It is probably a homonym of the word sumxu. In addition, according to the records of the missionaries, this lop-eared cat is the same as folded ears. Although the ears of cats are all bent, the reasons for their formation are different: cats with folded ears are a deformed genetic variation, while cats with lop ears seem to be "use it or lose it" due to long-term captivity, which causes the ears to lose their usefulness. Slow degeneration happens to be two different directions of the theory of evolution." Zhang Zian corrected.

As for what is the theory of evolution, it is inevitable to spend a lot of talking. Zhang Zian talked in a foggy way, but Lao Cha and Fei Na half understood.

He spoke dryly, poured out the little ink in his stomach, picked up a bottle of Evian water and drank it, as a reward for himself. Fina glared at him, but said nothing.

After Gudu Gudu drank it in one breath, he wiped his mouth and asked Old Cha curiously: "Master Cha, according to what you mean, have you seen this kind of cat with lop ears?"

Old Cha nodded slowly, "I can't go wrong, I saw it once in the jungle at the junction of Guangdong and Guangxi in the past, and I was deeply surprised at that time. I don’t understand, maybe it’s the sumxu you mentioned.”

Zhang Zian felt like he missed a hundred million. He really wanted to say, Mr. Cha, you should have caught one decisively and sent it to the European cat show in exchange for a bounty, and then converted it into gold bars and silver dollars and hid it in a hidden place. Bring it with you today. He went to dig for treasure...

Since there is old tea to testify, lop-eared cats probably did exist, but they may have become extinct during the wars in the early last century. As for whether they are cats or minks, it is hard to say. Zhang Zian prefers that they are a kind of white After all, according to what Lao Cha said, they can't understand ordinary cat language.

He doesn't quite believe that this animal is the offspring of a cat and a mink. A lion and a tiger can give birth to a liger, and a horse and a donkey can give birth to a mule, but the difference between a cat and a mink... isn't it far? What about reproductive isolation?

Fei Na snorted coldly: "If Bengong is present, I will know at a glance whether it is a cat or not."

Zhang Zian didn't argue with it, because what it said was the truth.

It is useless to regret a mysterious creature that is extinct and has no specimens left.

He stood up with the teapot in hand, "Master Tea, I'll go change the tea leaves for you."

"It's Lao Zi'an." Old Tea smiled relievedly, and it felt very comfortable after finally getting rid of a problem.