’Princess, could you please show a little more restraint? An activity like petting Egg isn’t suited for you.’ But it was too late to stop her; Sylvie’s mischievous hand was already reaching for Egg’s head.

When it came to her relationship with Egg, Sylvie was arguably even closer to it than Sakai Kaori. After all, she had gone with Shen Yibin to bring Egg back from the mountain forest and had since spent many days dancing with it. Thus, Egg didn’t refuse her touch; on the contrary, it looked like it was enjoying it.

Back in the store, Sun Qian had returned from her gig at the bar. Seeing them endlessly petting Egg’s head, she grew curious and quickly asked why. As the current shrine maiden of the Honjin Raccoon Shrine, Sakai Kaori explained the eight virtues of the Raccoon Cat in detail.

Sun Qian was still a young woman, and she was naturally curious about such mystical things. Hearing about the many benefits of petting a Raccoon Cat, she was tempted. "Um, can I pet it too?"

’Petting Egg’s head is supposed to help with your studies, so if I pet it, will my musical skills improve? Petting its eyes and nose ensures you pass exams and find a good job, so if I pet them, will I break into the music scene faster? Petting from its shoulders to its chest is for a smooth love life and a happy marriage—isn’t that what every girl dreams of?’

’Petting Egg’s belly helps women with childbirth... uh, let’s skip that one. I don’t even have a boyfriend, so where would a baby come from? As for the account book, staff, and money... Egg doesn’t have those, so I guess I’ll have to wait.’

Seeing them pet Egg all over, Shen Yibin felt tempted too. ’That fall I took earlier still hurts a bit. Should I try petting Egg’s tail and see if it helps me heal faster?’

"Boss, let’s make a late-night snack tonight. We can have some drinks and look at the stars," Sylvie suggested. The atmosphere in the store was so lively tonight that she was reluctant to call it an early night.

"Yeah! Yeah!" The moment he heard "drinks," Hah’Er started drooling and nodding repeatedly. For once, Egg even took the initiative to look toward Sakai Kaori. It still had a vivid memory of the sake from last time.

Only Cheeky seemed uninterested. ’A bunch of idiots. What’s so great about that disgusting-tasting stuff, anyway?’

"I bought some Brazilian Raspberries this afternoon. Anyone want some?" Sylvie called out, drawing out the words. She and Sun Qian shared a room and had become as close as sisters over time, so she would occasionally buy snacks for Cheeky.

"Uh, since you’re inviting me so sincerely, then for Qianqian’s sake, I’ll reluctantly accept." Faced with a delicacy, Cheeky shamelessly became a turncoat.

Hearing this, Sun Qian let out a "pfft" of laughter. "If you want to eat, just say so. Why drag me into it?" After laughing, she felt a slight pang of regret. Although her income from the store was much better than before, her music-related expenses were also significant. It was a bit of a struggle to afford Cheeky’s favorite fruits.

’Looks like I need to work harder and build my career sooner.’ A few days ago, she had finally received an invitation to a small music festival to be the opening act for a folk singer. This might be her big break into the music industry. ’I have to get myself in top form in the time I have left and seize this rare opportunity,’ Sun Qian resolved silently.

The little interlude caused by Cheeky thus came to an end. Shen Yibin limped upstairs. "You guys clean up down here, feed the animals, let them out for a bit, give them baths, and all that. I’m going to prepare the ingredients and the barbecue grill. Come on up for food and drinks when I’m ready."

Slicing, marinating, and skewering the meat all took time. And you couldn’t just eat meat at a barbecue; you needed some vegetables like chives, eggplant, and potatoes, which also had to be washed and cut in advance.

"Let me help you. We can leave the downstairs stuff to Sylvie and Xiangzhi-chan." Sun Qian put down her guitar and followed him up. She was more meticulous than Sylvie and Sakai Kaori and knew that preparing all these ingredients was a tedious job. Besides... she might be leaving one day, so it would be nice to do a little more for Shen Yibin before she left.

"Qianqian, wait for me! Here, you have a Brazilian Raspberry too." Cheeky was growing more and more attached to Sun Qian, even sharing the fruit Sylvie had given it.

’Damn it! I bought you so much good food back in the day, so how come you never shared a single piece with me?’ Shen Yibin felt like he had just taken 10,000 points of critical damage.

Sun Qian’s cooking skills were no match for Shen Yibin’s, but she had no problem with simple tasks like washing and chopping vegetables. With her help, Shen Yibin quickly prepared the ingredients and threaded them onto clean bamboo skewers. Then, he took the barbecue grill out of the back of his van and set it up on the balcony.

He moved a few chairs and a table next to the grill, took several chilled beers from the fridge, and brought out bowls, chopsticks, and other necessities. Finally, he lit the charcoal. The barbecue could now officially begin.

"Qian, go get the others, and bring your guitar up too, will you? That new song you wrote is really good. Let’s listen to some music while we drink." In any case, the shops on either side were empty at night, so Shen Yibin wasn’t worried about disturbing anyone.

The only problem was that the balcony was a bit crowded with so many people. But that would be solved next month when he took over Mrs. Wang’s shop. Once that happened, there’d be enough room for an elephant, let alone this small group!

"Sir, would you also like to try the sake brewed by the Kaori Family?" This time, Sakai Kaori seemed to have matured a bit; she was no longer solely focused on Egg and poured a glass of sake for everyone.

Well, with the exception of Hah’Er. It was now single-mindedly devoted to beer and had little interest in any other alcoholic beverages. Perhaps it was because the alcohol content of sake and red wine was just too high for it.

"Morning dew drips on bamboo leaves, waking a panda from its dreams. It leaves its den and gazes at the mountain across the way, wondering what lies on the other side..." As the skewers on the grill released their fragrant aroma, Sun Qian strummed her guitar and began to sing the song she had written.

The balcony was filled with cheerful laughter. Everyone happily ate skewers and drank fine wine, occasionally petting Egg to bring themselves good luck.

After a few glasses of sake, Sakai Kaori’s cheeks began to flush. She lost the reserve she’d had when she first arrived and gradually became more animated, which made Shen Yibin feel quite gratified.

’Huh? What part of Egg did I just pet?’ Lost in watching Sakai Kaori, Shen Yibin had accidentally petted Egg’s stomach.

It was said that if a woman petted a Raccoon Cat’s belly, she would soon become pregnant. So what happens when a man pets it? ’Waiting for an answer online, it’s urgent!’