Future Pet Shop

"Yes! Yes! Yes! We want them! We want them! We want them!" At the mention of this, all the girls got excited at once. I mean, who doesn't love a holiday and a year-end bonus? Xia Shixuan grabbed Shen Yibin's arm and asked again and again, "Boss, when does our vacation start? And when do we have to be back?" She wasn't too concerned about the bonus, but being in Yunzhong City for so long without a single trip just didn't suit her personality. She was determined to have a proper outing this Spring Festival.

"The day after tomorrow, I think. We don't have many pets left in the shop, and we won't restock before the new year. Let's see if we can sell the rest in the next two days. If not, I'll just take them to my manor and look after them. Alright, you can all start planning your trips and booking your tickets home!" Shen Yibin announced the holiday schedule. "As for when you need to be back, it'll have to be after the Lantern Festival. You'll want to be home for the fifteenth, and coming back on the sixteenth would be too rushed. Plus, as the saying goes, 'don't leave on the seventh, don't return on the eighth,' so neither of those days is very good. Just come back on the nineteenth!"

"Boss, you're the best!" From now until the nineteenth of the first lunar month was nearly a whole month. Most people only got seven or eight days off for the holiday. Shen Yibin was just too generous. Li Shiqing and the others burst into cheers.

"Boss, aren't you going anywhere for the holiday?" someone asked, remembering what Shen Yibin had just said. If he was looking after the remaining pets, he wouldn't be able to travel himself.

"It's fine. Traveling during the Spring Festival isn't that great anyway. Places are either so packed you can barely move, or the streets are totally empty and you can't even find a restaurant that's open. I'd rather just get some good rest at home!" Besides, with Hah'Er, Xiaoliu, Maphario, and Carmen around, Shen Yibin wouldn't feel lonely.

"Oh, right. Sun Qian, when are you heading back?" Shen Yibin turned and asked. "If you're not in a hurry, you're welcome to stay here. Don't be a stranger."

"I'll probably leave in the next few days. All the prep work is finished; the only thing left is to record the album after the new year begins. I'll rest for a couple of days and then head back. I might come back a bit early, though, probably around the ninth, to get things ready at the studio. You'd better not lock me out!" Sun Qian was very close with Shen Yibin now, so she didn't stand on ceremony over little things like this.

"Deal. Just let me know if you need help with anything," Shen Yibin agreed without a second thought. "Alright, I'm going to make dinner. You guys keep up the good work. The sooner we sell all the pets, the sooner the vacation starts. And before you leave, I'll give you all your red envelopes and gift packages."

The employees went back downstairs, their spirits high. Shen Yibin quickly prepared a full meal. After they ate, he took Scarf out shopping with him. He had Scarf help him pick out Spring Festival gifts for his friends and family, and by the time they got back, the car's trunk was almost stuffed full.

Early the next morning, Shen Yibin got in his car and began the long trek of delivering gifts. There was his landlady, Mrs. Wang; Xu Ye, Qiao Wenqi, and Mo Xiaomo; plus Bai Yanni, Bao, Qin Qing, and Dong from the zoo. It took him the entire day just to get to everyone.

His trip to the zoo wasn't just for delivering presents; he also had to catch up with Dong on the project's progress. The design plans were now finalized. On the empty plot of land, the construction crew was already on-site, hard at work digging the foundation. By the time Shen Yibin visited again after the New Year, he might even be able to see the building's basic framework.

Staffing was also going smoothly. Li Yan and Zhu Xiang had rushed to the zoo without taking a break and had already begun the preliminary work. They had contacted several universities in Yunzhong City to organize recruitment fairs, bringing in a group of promising recent graduates. They were now in the middle of initial training. It looked like they would be busy until the 28th or 29th of the twelfth lunar month before getting a holiday, and they'd be back at it right after the seventh day of the New Year. Having waited so many years for an opportunity like this, they cherished it deeply.

Back at the shop, Shen Yibin still couldn't rest. He immediately called a delivery service and began filling out shipping labels, one after another. The local gifts had been delivered, but he couldn't forget about the ones for people further away. Director Kong in Xiangjiang, Professor Wu Gui in Sichuan, Sakai Kaori in Japan, Sylvie in Europe... he had to make sure they were all taken care of. He didn't want anyone to think he was impolite.

The courier services were about to stop taking new orders for the holiday, so he had to get these parcels sent out before the deadline. That way, they would arrive by the time the Spring Festival began.

'Sigh, to think that just last year I was a complete nobody in Yunzhong City,' Shen Yibin mused. 'I never thought my social circle would grow this wide. A director from the entertainment world, a professor from a research institute... I even know a European princess and a Japanese shrine maiden. I wonder what kind of people the Future Pet Shop will introduce me to next year?' He lost himself in the daydream.

Xia Shixuan and the others were incredibly efficient; they managed to sell all the remaining pets that very day, saving Shen Yibin the trouble of having to take them home with him. He decided they should celebrate with a huge feast that evening. They would eat and drink their fill, and then tomorrow, everyone would go their separate ways home.

With fine wine and delicacies served, and after a few rounds of toasts, Shen Yibin handed out the year-end bonuses and gift packages. The bonuses were quite generous, and the gift packages contained presents that Scarf had meticulously picked out. For each person, the gifts were selected to match their personal style in clothing, accessories, and cosmetics. Sun Qian, Li, and Lv Tiantian received gift packages as well.

Of course, Hah'Er, Xiaoliu, and the others got presents too. Upon seeing his new outfit, Hah'Er immediately hugged it and ran to his room to change. Dressed in brilliant red, he looked especially festive and added a cheerful holiday spirit to the shop.

The party continued until eleven or twelve at night before everyone tipsily went their separate ways. The next morning, they all slept in until around ten before finally crawling out of bed. Xia Shixuan and the other employees helped Shen Yibin with one last clean-up, said their goodbyes, and set off on their respective journeys home.

Shen Yibin locked the door, posting a notice with the reopening date. Only then did he, Sun Qian, Hah'Er, and the others prepare to leave. He didn't shut off the utilities, however. Even though the shop was closed, the pools and gardens inside still needed regular tending. This was one more reason why Shen Yibin hadn't planned a trip for himself.

"Let's go. We need to buy some things for the New Year. We only bought clothes yesterday; we still need to get food and Spring Festival couplets," Shen Yibin said. "By the way, Hah'Er, do you like firecrackers? Should we buy a bunch?" Shen Yibin's manor was far outside the city limits, so it wasn't subject to the urban ban on fireworks. He could really go all out. He just wondered if Hah'Er and the others would be scared of the noise.