Future Pet Shop

"Why don’t you and our son go sightseeing around Yunzhong City for the next couple of days? I won’t be staying with you," Wen Yuan said as soon as he returned, already making arrangements. He got his wife and child settled, then grabbed his laptop and disappeared into the room Shen Yibin had prepared for him to focus on his design work. Right now, his inspiration was like a floodgate bursting open—unstoppable. He wanted to get all the wonderful ideas pouring into his head down into design drafts in the shortest time possible; everything else could wait.

"Alright, but don’t work too hard. Make sure you take care of yourself." Mrs. Wen seemed long accustomed to Wen Yuan’s habits. She didn’t try to persuade him otherwise, only offering a gentle reminder.

"I’ll have three meals a day ready for you. Just come out and eat whenever you’re hungry. We won’t bother you." Having seen Sun Qian’s intense focus when she was composing, Shen Yibin was already used to the work habits of people who lived by inspiration. He made the arrangements and handed Wen Yuan a bottle of Monkey Wine. ’This stuff seems to spark creativity,’ he thought. ’Maybe it’ll work for him too?’

With everything arranged, Wen Yuan holed up in the room and buried himself in his work. When he occasionally emerged for a break, he would either silently devour the delicious food Shen Yibin had personally cooked, or sit quietly by the pond, watching Bald Qiang and Gao Lujie build their villa. His only other form of relaxation was practicing ping-pong with Li Shiqing.

He would also play a round or two with Bald Qiang, though at his current skill level, facing Bald Qiang was pure self-torture. But through this "torture," their relationship seemed to improve significantly. Shen Yibin checked his phone and saw that the affinity level between Wen Yuan and Bald Qiang was about to reach the minimum purchase requirement.

As instructed, Wen Yuan’s wife and son didn’t disturb his work. They spent their days either touring the scenic spots of Yunzhong City or visiting the shop to play with Hah’Er, Bald Qiang, and the others. It was clear that Bald Qiang also took a liking to Wen Yuan’s son. Whenever the boy arrived, the beaver would drop whatever he was doing and come ashore to play with him. Perhaps this was a case of "love the father, love the son."

Shen Yibin’s life also returned to its normal rhythm. Every day after breakfast, he took the little critters to the park for exercise. After a few laps, he would return to the shop only to be dragged to the open space by the pond by Xiaoliu, who would supervise his Swordsmanship practice. Bald Qiang seemed to find this game incredibly fun. As soon as Shen Yibin started practicing, the beaver would sidle up to Hah’Er, have Hah’Er toss a piece of fruit gently into the air, and then use his big tail to bat the fruit toward Shen Yibin. With Bald Qiang essentially taking over Cheeky’s role in the training, Shen Yibin felt his main event had switched from *Fruit Ninja* to baseball.

In the blink of an eye, five or six days passed. Wen Yuan finally emerged from his seclusion. He hurried to the front desk with a USB drive and asked Xia Shixuan to help print out his design drafts. He then took them to Shen Yibin. "This is the result of my work these past few days."

"You’ve worked hard, Mr. Wen. Let me take a look." Shen Yibin took the blueprints from him. Wen Yuan had even hired a professional firm to create renderings. A series of exquisite images appeared before Shen Yibin. The three manors, while maintaining a unified style, each had their own unique characteristics and blended perfectly with the surrounding natural environment. Even to a layman like Shen Yibin, they were worthy of endless praise. These estates were every bit as impressive as the famous mansions he had seen online.

"In the design, I’ve integrated elements from Wright’s Fallingwater, classical Suzhou gardens, and even some techniques from Bald Qiang’s own villa construction," Wen Yuan explained to Shen Yibin, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "The goal is to blend the interior and exterior spaces into a seamless whole, achieving the concept of harmony between humanity and nature, where both can coexist in tranquility. For building materials, I chose locally quarried stone to maintain a consistent color palette with the surroundings, making the buildings look natural rather than obtrusive."

"I also paid great attention to the use of water. I made slight adjustments to the flow of the creek so that it passes through the courtyards of all three of our homes. The three houses will connect to the stream via balconies, wooden walkways, and staircases, making the flowing water an integral part of the architecture." Gradually, Wen Yuan’s nervousness faded, replaced by brimming confidence. "And then there are the forest and bamboo grove. I’ve designed an extra-large terrace on the top floor, and even added an infinity pool. You can lie in the third-floor pool, listening to the sigh of the pines and the rustle of bamboo leaves, breathing in the fresh air carried by the mountain breeze. You’ll be able to experience the charm of nature with all your senses—touch, smell, and hearing—completely immersing yourself in the environment..."

"A manor like that... just thinking about it is enchanting." Looking at the stunning renderings and listening to Wen Yuan’s explanation, Shen Yibin couldn’t help but wish the manor was already finished.

"Wow, this is so much more beautiful than my family’s villa." Even with Xia Shixuan’s worldly experience, she was stunned by the work Wen Yuan presented. For a moment, she was even tempted to build a house for herself next to Shen Yibin’s, but she quickly dismissed the thought. Getting land here and convincing Wen Yuan to design it would not be simple matters.

"It’s fantastic. I’m extremely satisfied. I’ll send it to Director Kong right now. I’m sure he won’t have any major issues with it either." Shen Yibin immediately got up and emailed the designs to Director Kong. After sending it, he even made a follow-up call, worried the director might be too busy and miss the email.

Sure enough, just as Shen Yibin had expected, Director Kong was full of praise for Wen Yuan’s design. "Bin, where did you find this designer? He’s truly incredible! Not only am I satisfied, but even those master architects from Xiangjiang were singing his praises. They all said they have to come to Yunzhong City for a visit to study it after it’s built... I do have a few minor requests, which I’ve sent to you in an email. Have the designer take a look if he can. I’m about to call Director Qin to file the paperwork with the relevant departments. As soon as the final blueprints are done, we can start construction."

"No problem, no problem at all," Shen Yibin readily agreed. After hanging up, he shared the good news with Wen Yuan. This meant he could successfully make a home here with Bald Qiang and the others. Moreover, with endorsements from Director Kong and the Xiangjiang masters, finding future business would no longer be a concern for him.

"Great, I’ll go look at Director Kong’s suggestions right away." Wen Yuan started to get up and leave, but after two steps, he sat back down. "By the way, Mr. Shen, have you thought of a name for this manor? I’m planning to call mine ’Beaver House’."

’Yours is for a beaver, so you’re calling it Beaver House. Since my house is mainly for Hah’Er, maybe I can call it Ha Mansion?’