Future Pet Shop-Chapter 43: Business Takes a Turn for the Better
If a stranger had stumbled into the park at that moment, they would have been freaked out by the bizarre scene unfolding before them. On the lawn by the lake, a young man in his twenties was panting heavily like an exhausted dog. A parrot chattered nonstop on his shoulder. At his feet, a roly-poly Panda was rolling about on the grass with abandon. Nearby, a cute little girl with a Chihuahua wearing a pink bow was cheering for the Panda, while a group of white-haired seniors watched the young man, discussing him animatedly. ’Is this a park or a psychiatric hospital?’
"What’s wrong with Bin? Did he smoke his lungs out? Why are young people in such poor health these days! It’s not a big deal if he gets sick, but what will happen to Hah’Er with no one to look after him?" ’Hey, lady, is it really okay to say things like that?’
"I don’t think so. It looks to me like he’s practicing his breathing. He must be learning to sing, right? Mmm, yes, practicing breathing and warming up the voice... this lakeside is the perfect place for it." The wise elder from the other day had figured it out.
"Oh, you know about this stuff, do you? Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case." The way the crowd looked at Shen Yibin finally returned to normal, and his subsequent "eeeh, aaah" vocal exercises only confirmed their suspicions.
After over an hour of breathing and vocal exercises, Shen Yibin took Hah’Er for one more lap around the lake, concluding his morning practice. But the enthusiastic seniors weren’t about to let him go. "Come on, we’ll help you carry this bamboo back to your shop. You can’t manage it all on your own, anyway. Besides, we can finally check out all the fun stuff in your store. We only saw half of it yesterday before those reporters interrupted us."
Customers at the door meant business, an opportunity Shen Yibin wasn’t about to refuse. And so, Shen Yibin, Hah’Er, and Cheeky led a grand procession of seniors, mothers, and children down the street to the pet shop. Anyone in the know would realize they were just going to look at pets. Anyone else would probably assume another health supplement company was holding an event to swindle the elderly out of their retirement funds.
Once inside the shop, Shen Yibin started making tea and let Hah’Er entertain the guests. "Hah’Er, show everyone around, let them see the pets. If they find one they like, you can open the cage."
"Sigh, it’s a shame this Panda isn’t for sale. Otherwise, I’d be willing to sell my villa for him." The experienced elder stared at Hah’Er, unable to tear his eyes away. If he could bring this little guy home, wouldn’t all his grandkids be running over to visit every single day?
’My dear man, you can’t buy the Panda, but you could consider this parrot right here. I promise I wouldn’t be sad to see *him* go,’ Shen Yibin thought, only managing a dry laugh out loud.
"What kind of cat is this? It’s quite beautiful," a woman asked, pointing to a cage in front of her.
"Oh, that silly-looking thing is a British Shorthair." Before Shen Yibin could respond, Cheeky went FLUTTERING over to act as tour guide. As always, his words were anything but polite. "It’s from that cold, wet dump of a place, England. Can’t hold a candle to my South America. But this guy’s pretty adaptable, so it’s not hard to keep alive. Its temperament is docile and obedient, I guess. Only problem is it’s a lazy glutton. You’ll need to take it out for exercise every day, or it’ll get fat."
’Holy cow, are all the pets in this shop freaks of nature? A super-intelligent Panda is one thing, but even this ordinary-looking parrot is something else! I’ve seen plenty of parrots that can sing or recite ancient poetry, but I’ve never seen one that can work as a tour guide!’ The seniors were instantly won over by Cheeky’s gift of gab.
"Hm? What’re you looking at? Never seen a parrot as smart, handsome, dashing, and with a voice as charming as mine?" The bigger the crowd, the more energized Cheeky became.
"HAHAHAHA!" His words sent the seniors roaring with laughter. "Yes, yes, you’re right! We’ve never seen a parrot as smart, handsome, dashing, and with a voice as charming as you! So, what’s your name?"
"My distinguished name is Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Clito Ruíz y Picasso." It seemed this guy was still unwilling to accept the name "Cheeky," taking every opportunity to show off his long-winded Spanish name.
"Uhh..." This name, over a hundred characters long, left the seniors speechless. Never mind that they were old now with failing memories; they wouldn’t have been able to remember a name that long even when they were in school.
"You can just call him Cheeky. This guy has no other merits, aside from his cheeky mouth." After all, there was a generation gap, and Shen Yibin had no intention of explaining the connection between Cheeky and Deadpool.
"So, Bin, how much is this parrot? Don’t tell me he’s not for sale, too?" With such a sharp wit, buying him to have a good laugh every so often would add at least five years to your life. Thinking this, someone couldn’t help but ask immediately.
"This parrot’s transfer fee is thirty-eight thousand, three hundred eighty-four yuan, three mao, and eight fen." Before Shen Yibin could even look it up, Cheeky blurted out his own price tag.
’What a savage price! It suits you perfectly,’ Shen Yibin mused, silently giving a thousand kudos to the Future Pet Shop for its pricing genius.
"Hsss~ That really is expensive." Once the price was announced, the seniors all started to back away.
"Uh, well, that’s just the market price for a Blue-crowned Amazon Parrot," Shen Yibin quickly explained, seeing that the price Cheeky quoted was actually quite reasonable. "There aren’t many of them to begin with, and they have to be imported from South America, so the price is usually in the five-figure range. This one is particularly exceptional, so he’s a little more expensive."
"Ah, never mind then. I’ll just go back to looking at this cat... What kind of cat did you say it was again?" ’Almost forty thousand yuan! Might as well be a million! You could buy an apartment for that! Spending it on a parrot seems a little extravagant.’
"British Shorthair. They’re round and plump, with sturdy, short limbs, short, dense fur, and a big, round face. They’re gentle, calm, and friendly with people. Super easy to take care of—you won’t have to fuss over it. You could even bring it with you for your daily strolls in the park..." Cheeky rattled on, listing the British Shorthair’s virtues. Since the cat’s price was also much more reasonable—only a few thousand yuan—the woman quickly made up her mind.
"After that long sales pitch from Cheeky, I feel like I have to buy it! Bin, do you take mobile payments?" Who would have thought? This lady was surprisingly trendy.
"No problem. You can just scan my phone. I’ll get you a cage, cat litter, cat food, and its CFA birth certificate. If you want a pedigree certificate, I can help you register for that as well." ’It seems like with Cheeky’s help, business is finally going to pick up.’
