The three of them finished their satisfying meal.
Wos patted his belly and felt like a whole new person.
Tom and Jerry looked just as content, and Jerry even let out a tiny burp.
“Alright, time to think about the important stuff.” Wos pulled out the twenty-some dollars left in his pocket, his brow tightly furrowed.
“Three days. I have to find a way to earn enough for the rent, or we’ll be sleeping on the street.”
Tom tilted his head and gestured with his paws, seemingly asking if there was any way to do it.
“I don’t have any skills, and writing a novel isn’t something that pays off in a day or two.” Wos propped his chin on his hand, thinking.
“If only there were some way to make money fast…”
Suddenly, he noticed Tom folding little flowers out of a napkin, his movements as skilled as an artist’s, while Jerry was doing somersaults on the table, his form as perfect as a gymnast’s.
“Wait!” Wos’s eyes lit up, and he slapped the table.
“I’ve got it! Street performance!”
Tom and Jerry looked up at him at the same time.
“Think about it! Animals as clever as you two would definitely draw a huge crowd on the street!” The more Wos talked, the more excited he got.
“Tom, you have so many skills, and Jerry, you’re so agile. If the three of us work together, we’ll definitely make money!”
Tom nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Jerry.
Jerry’s eyes lit up too, and he jumped up excitedly, gesturing with his little paws to show his agreement.
“Great! Then it’s settled!” Wos stood up.
“But before that, I need to get a few things ready.”
They left the restaurant, and Wos led the two little ones to a nearby discount supermarket.
To avoid being recognized by those gang members, he had to disguise himself.
Inside the supermarket, Wos picked out items carefully on a tight budget: a black baseball cap, a simple clown mask, and some props for the show, a few colorful balls, a jump rope, and a small bell.
“Sir, are you sure you want this mask?” The cashier looked at the strange combination, a bit puzzled.
“Yeah, I really like this mask,” Wos made up an excuse offhandedly.
After paying, they walked out of the supermarket.
Wos put on the baseball cap and hung the mask around his neck.
“Next, we’re heading to the busiest place in New York, Times Square!”
An hour later, they stood at the edge of Times Square.
The crowds flowed like rivers, giant electronic screens flashed with all kinds of ads, and street performers showed off their talents, competing for the attention of passersby.
“The competition is fierce.” Wos looked at a middle-aged guy not far away who was doing magic tricks, with barely anyone watching him.
He found a relatively open corner, put on the clown mask, and cleared his throat.
“OK, ladies and gentlemen! Everybody, eyes on me! Look at me, look at me, I’ve got an announcement today! Here we have the most amazing show in the whole world ┗|｀O′|┛ yeah~~, a cat and a mouse who can perform! No joke, my friends! Come on over and take a look!”
“Step right up, don’t pass by! Don’t miss it! A show you’ll regret missing for the rest of your life!”
Wos shouted at the top of his lungs.
A few passersby stopped out of curiosity, but most still hurried past.
“Tom, Jerry, it’s your turn!”
Tom took a deep breath and took a few colorful balls from Wos’s hands, starting a brilliant juggling act.
He began with simple tosses and catches, then gradually raised the difficulty, three balls, four balls, five balls, tracing perfect arcs in the air.
Jerry refused to be outdone.
He grabbed the jump rope and started an advanced fancy jump rope routine.
One-foot hops, cross jumps, and he could even do backflips while jumping rope.
“Oh my God!” A passing woman gasped.
“This cat can actually juggle!”
“Mommy, that mouse is amazing! He’s even more agile than the monkeys at the circus!” A little boy tugged on his mother’s hand, his eyes full of wonder.
Slowly, more and more people stopped and formed a small circle.
Seeing the audience grow, Tom performed with even more effort.
He tossed the juggling balls into the air, then quickly pulled a violin out from who knows where, and while the balls were still flying, he actually started playing a beautiful melody.
“That’s impossible!” someone in the crowd exclaimed.
“How can a cat do so many things at once?!”
Tom, the almighty Tang Aotian, is joking with you all.
Except for being unable to catch Jerry’s family of mice, he’s a master of everything else.
Jerry showed off his own specialty too.
He climbed onto Tom’s head, and the two worked together on a spectacular balancing act.
Jerry performed all kinds of difficult moves on top of Tom’s head, while Tom kept his balance steadily and could even keep playing the violin.
“Unbelievable!”
“Are these real animals? They can’t be robots, right?”
“Quick, record a video! It’ll definitely go viral online!”
The crowd kept growing, and chatter rose from all around.
Some people took out their phones to film, while others tossed coins into the hat in front of Wos.
“Thank you, everyone!” Wos was so excited that his voice trembled a little.
“Up next is an even more amazing performance!”
Tom and Jerry exchanged a glance, as if reaching some kind of understanding.
Suddenly, Tom struck a pose as if to “catch” Jerry, and Jerry started “panicking” and running away.
The audience got even more excited, thinking they were about to see the classic cat-chases-mouse battle.
But what came next completely exceeded everyone’s expectations.
As Tom “chased” Jerry, the two actually coordinated a series of difficult acrobatic moves.
Jerry somersaulted through the air as he “fled,” while Tom showed off perfect jumping technique as he “pursued.”
The best part was when Jerry suddenly pulled out a little hammer and “smashed” it onto Tom’s head.
Tom dropped to the ground on cue, his body instantly “flattened” into the shape of a sheet of paper, then puffed back up like a balloon.
He patted the dust off himself and stood up as if nothing had happened.
“Wow!!!”
The crowd completely erupted.
This kind of cartoon-style exaggerated performance was unheard of in real life.
“Is this some kind of magic?”
“So cool! I’m sending this video to all my friends!”
“This is even better than a Broadway show!”
Wos watched the bills and coins piling up in the hat, overjoyed.
This method really worked!
The performance lasted nearly an hour, and the crowd was now packed in layers, three rows deep.
Tom and Jerry showed off almost all of their skills: Tom’s all-around talents, Jerry’s nimble moves, and the seamless teamwork between them.
“Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the end of today’s show!” Wos announced at just the right moment.
“Thank you all for your support! If you’d like to see Tom and Jerry perform again, we’ll be right here tomorrow, no excuses!”
The crowd gradually dispersed, but many people were still lingering, discussing the amazing show they had just seen.
Wos couldn’t wait to count the money in the hat.
Besides the coins, there were quite a few large bills.
“One, two, three…” The more he counted, the more excited he got.
“One hundred eighty-seven dollars! Oh my God, we earned this much in just two hours!”
Tom and Jerry came over too, looking at their spoils with a sense of accomplishment all over their faces.
“You two are amazing! I couldn’t have done it without you!” Wos excitedly hugged his two little partners and even kissed each of them on the cheek.
“At this rate, I’m sure we’ll have the rent sorted out soon!”
Although the Marvel universe was full of danger, with Tom and Jerry around, he could feel at ease.
After all, was there any dangerous character who could beat them?