Future Pet Shop

"Hm?" Hah’Er, who was enthusiastically gnawing on a tender bamboo shoot, reluctantly set it aside upon hearing Shen Yibin’s question. It began to carefully survey its surroundings. To get an even clearer look, it climbed a large tree, sat on a branch, and gazed down at the area.

"Xiaoliu, go take a look and see if you like it. This place looks a lot like where you used to live." Compared to Emei Mountain, other than the different types of plants, the rest seemed almost identical. Both were in a valley with a nearby stream, the air was crisp and clean, and green stretched out as far as the eye could see. Plus, since this location was further south, the variety of fruit was much greater than on Emei Mountain. ’That should be a good thing for Xiaoliu, right?’

"Maphario, you too... Er, on second thought, I’ll carry you. Where do you want to look?" Shen Yibin had originally intended to let Maphario run free as well, but then he reconsidered. ’Who knows if there are any natural predators for rodents around here? If I let it out and some animal eats it, it’ll be too late for regrets. I’d better just do the legwork myself!’

"Look, this plot of land looks pretty fertile. Once we level it and plant all sorts of flowers and trees, it’ll look amazing, won’t it?" Shen Yibin said, pointing to a flat area by the stream. He even began to plan an orchard for Maphario. ’But when the time comes, should I have Hah’Er bring its excavator over to help?’

"Mr. Wen, you should take your two to have a look as well. That spot up there seems perfect for building a dam." He couldn’t just be looking out for himself; he had to consider Wen Yuan, Bald Qiang, and Gao Lujie too. So, Shen Yibin had Bald Qiang lead Gao Lujie to start checking out the area.

"Hey! Don’t touch that!" Great. The moment those two were unrestrained, they started wreaking havoc on the trees again. If Shen Yibin hadn’t reacted so quickly, the tree right in front of them would have already been gnawed through.

"Don’t worry, Mr. Shen. We’ve already surveyed all the trees here. There are no protected species. You just need to go through the standard procedures and then replant accordingly, and you’ll be able to cut them down," Qin Qing said with a gentle smile. He could already tell that Shen Yibin and Wen Yuan were very interested in this plot of land, so he naturally wanted to dispel any of their doubts.

"That’s great. If Director Kong agrees, then I’ll leave all the logging work to you two," Shen Yibin said, stroking Bald Qiang’s head. Even though its name was Bald Qiang, the fur on its head was actually quite thick and felt nice to the touch. After all, beaver pelts were top-grade, which was why the Beaver population had dwindled so much.

SPLASH! Bald Qiang and his mate jumped into the stream and swam upstream. When they reached a place where the current was gentle, they both poked their heads out of the water. They looked left and right, seeming to ponder how they should plan things to best build a dam, walling off a pond for themselves so they could then build their lodge.

’Sigh, these two poor things. They just finished building their lodge in the shop, and now they have to start all over again here. What hard work. Still, since Wen Yuan is willing to move to Yunzhong City, it means these two rascals will still have plenty of chances to go back to the shop to play. In that case, their "villa" there won’t be a waste. They can still use it in the future.’

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Bald Qiang seemed very satisfied with this place as well, and it scrambled back onto the bank, intending to gnaw on a large tree again. ’Sigh, it seems this habit of theirs is incurable. In the future, Wen Yuan had better find a way to plant a lot of extra trees. And get all the paperwork done in advance so these two can gnaw to their hearts’ content.’

"UNH! UNH!" When Shen Yibin finished his look around and returned to his starting point, Hah’Er quickly slid down the tree and hugged his leg, nodding repeatedly. With a stream, a bamboo grove, large trees, and fresh air, this place was simply perfect for it. There was absolutely no reason to refuse.

"EEK! EEK!" Xiaoliu swung down from the trees as well, gesticulating wildly as it chattered at Shen Yibin. It seemed very satisfied too. ’It’s good that you like it, but if we move here, I’ll have to be extra vigilant. If Director Kong finds out Xiaoliu is brewing its Monkey Wine here, that guy who’d risk his life for good wine would definitely try to steal some.’

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Maphario had also climbed onto Hah’Er’s head and was squeaking excitedly. The shop was nowhere near spacious enough; how could it compare to a place like this for planting?

Hah’Er, Xiaoliu, Maphario, and the beaver couple all expressed their approval. Wen Yuan, for his part, was clutching his camera and snapping photos nonstop, obviously extremely satisfied as well. ’It seems all we need now is Director Kong’s approval, and then we can have Wen Yuan start on the initial designs.’ With that thought, Shen Yibin smiled at Qin Qing and said, "This place is truly wonderful. If not for Director Qin’s help, I’m afraid we never would have found it. I’ll send the photos to Director Kong in a bit to see what he thinks."

Yes, Qin Qing was now the director of the Tourism Bureau. In a city like Yunzhong, whose economic lifeblood was tourism, this was a very influential and powerful position. Hearing that Shen Yibin liked the place, he also felt relieved; it really wasn’t easy to find a better spot in all of Yunzhong City. "That’s good to hear. Should I get someone to shoot some aerial video footage? That way, you can appreciate all the benefits of this place more comprehensively. You can’t grasp its full charm just by standing on the ground."

Drones were becoming more and more advanced these days, so getting aerial shots wouldn’t cost much. Plus, Director Kong would need the materials for his review, and Wen Yuan would likely need them for his design work. Therefore, Shen Yibin didn’t decline Qin Qing’s kind offer.

Back at the shop, Shen Yibin prepared a sumptuous dinner and brought out the Monkey Wine to properly thank Qin Qing. By the next afternoon, Qin Qing had delivered the aerial photos and video to him.

Shen Yibin immediately forwarded the files to Director Kong, along with the photos Wen Yuan had taken the day before. After looking them over, Director Kong was also extremely satisfied. "This is a truly great place! I had a few Fengshui Masters take a look, and they said not only is the scenery beautiful, but the fengshui is also top-tier. I’m going to call Qin Qing in a moment. I want this land! Have Mr. Wen start on the designs now."

People from Xiangjiang are strong believers in fengshui, and Director Kong was no exception. How could he pass up a place with such beautiful scenery and excellent fengshui? Without a second thought, he called Qin Qing, sealed the deal, and bought a plot of land large enough to build three villas.

Shen Yibin quickly relayed the good news to Wen Yuan. Without hesitation, Wen Yuan got ready to leave. "I’m going to go take another close look at the site, then I’ll get the design proposal done for Director Kong as soon as possible."

’What kind of house would be worthy of such a wonderful place?’ Shen Yibin began to grow excited, wondering what sort of design Wen Yuan would come up with.