と in the first sentence + た in the second sentence


I already learned how と functions. It is used when we’re talking about natural
things. When something happens another thing always happens too. I sometimes
see と sentence like this one:

> 街灯じゃ暗い **と** カラスが頭上で笑った

Does this 笑った only present the past (I don’t understand why past verb is used
with this と)? Or does it have any other different meaning?




Have you learned about quotative-と, which is typically used with 思う, 考える, etc?
This と is not "when/if", but quotative. That is, 街灯じゃ暗い is what the crow
"said" or "thought" (of course it's a personification).

> 街灯じゃ暗いと カラスが頭上で笑った  
>  A crow laughed, (as if saying) "Street lights are dark!"

笑った is just the past tense of 笑う, and it has nothing to do with this usage of
quotative-と.

