Future Pet Shop

According to the Pet Radar, this time the orange dot of light had appeared in the Qinling Mountain Range, right on the border between Sichuan and Zhongnan. This location gave Shen Yibin a bit of a headache. If he flew, there were no airports nearby. Whether he landed in Sichuan or Chang'an, he'd still have to rent a car, and he might even have to proceed on foot after entering the mountains.

So, would it be better to just drive there directly? Shen Yibin measured the route on a map. It was just over 1,100 kilometers, and the roads were convenient the whole way. He could get there in about ten hours. This was even more convenient than flying and then renting a car, plus he could take Hah'Er to enjoy the scenery along the way.

"Hah'Er, how about I take you for a drive?" Come to think of it, ever since the little guy came to live with him, besides the time they went to Emei Mountain to find Xiaoliu and the occasional trip to the suburbs, he'd never actually taken him on a proper road trip. The moment the idea popped into his head, Shen Yibin found it more and more appealing.

"Hm?" Hah'Er tilted its head and looked at Shen Yibin, as if trying to figure out what exactly a "road trip" was.

"It means I'll drive the car, bring a tent and stuff, and we'll go out to have fun together. We'll see the sights along the way, and when we get tired, we'll stop for a picnic and a rest. What do you think?" 'Huh, I seem to remember that giant pandas also appear in the Qinling Mountain Range. I wonder if Hah'Er will meet any of its relatives there? And the golden snub-nosed monkeys of Qinling are also famous. How would Xiaoliu react to seeing those especially handsome monkeys?'

"Mhm! Mhm!" The moment it heard there was fun to be had, Hah'Er's spirits lifted. It nodded its head repeatedly, showing no signs of its recent fatigue, and hugged Shen Yibin's leg, trying to drag him outside, eager to leave right that second.

"Don't be hasty, I still need to get some things ready." For a journey of over a thousand kilometers, he had to prepare in advance. He needed to take the car for an inspection and maintenance, and then buy some necessities for the road. He couldn't just get up and go.

Hah'Er was on board, so that was settled. Maphario had always been Hah'Er's little shadow; wherever Hah'Er went, it would follow, so that wasn't an issue either. Bald Qiang was Wen Yuan's pet now and was busy building himself a house, so he probably couldn't spare the time. Cheeky was still with Sun Qian in Xiangjiang, preparing a theme song. That only left Xiaoliu.

"It's been a while since you've been to the mountains, hasn't it? How about it, want to come with us this time?" Shen Yibin found Xiaoliu and asked, a hint of guilt in his voice. He had only ever taken Hah'Er and Maphario on his previous trips, and he always felt like he owed Xiaoliu. Since they weren't going abroad this time, he might as well bring it along. Besides, Xiaoliu's combat prowess was top-notch. It had just recently fought Africa's top dog, Pingtou the honey badger, to a draw. If they ran into any wild beasts in the mountains, it could hold its own, right?

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Of course, Xiaoliu wouldn't refuse such a great offer. Once it understood what Shen Yibin meant, the little rascal immediately grabbed its wine gourd, climbed a tree, and emptied out all the Monkey Wine it had saved up recently. It looked like the little guy planned to bring it along to drink on the road. This put Shen Yibin in a real bind. 'If it pulls out the wine on the road, do I drink it or not?'

'If I drink, that's drunk driving, which Shen Yibin would never, ever do. But if I don't drink, how can I concentrate on driving with just the smell of the wine wafting around? For the sake of our safety, maybe I shouldn't let it bring the wine? But then again, if we're camping and picnicking in a beautiful spot without any wine, it just wouldn't feel right.' Shen Yibin was truly torn.

Taking the car to the dealership for an inspection and maintenance, then going to an outdoor supply store to buy a pile of road trip necessities... the initial preparations alone took two days. By this time, Hah'Er had long recovered from its fatigue. Every day, it would hug Shen Yibin's leg, urging him to set off sooner. Xiaoliu did the same.

Finally, the car's maintenance was done and all the necessary items had been bought. Shen Yibin let Xia Shixuan and the others know, reminding them to take good care of the shop. He also swung by the construction site for a look, checking on the project's progress. With Wen Yuan there to oversee things, he could set his mind at ease.

It wasn't until noon on the third day, after finishing lunch, that Shen Yibin patted his belly and, along with Hah'Er, Xiaoliu, and Maphario, finally embarked on the journey to the Qinling Mountain Range. It wasn't long before they left Yunzhong City behind, speeding along the mountain highway. With Sun Qian's songs playing and the windows down, the wind blowing in his face as he gazed at the beautiful scenery outside, Shen Yibin felt exceptionally cheerful.

Hah'Er was also perched by the passenger-side window, eagerly watching the scenery outside and occasionally exchanging a few words with Maphario and Xiaoliu. Shen Yibin had custom-made a small chair for Maphario so it could sit on the dashboard. The chair even had a seatbelt to prevent any accidents. It too was staring at the beautiful scenery flashing by, letting out surprised SQUEAKS from time to time. Shen Yibin was very pleased with this atmosphere.

'I really should take them out more often. They're wild animals, after all. It's not good for them to be cooped up in the shop all the time. I should bring them out to get close to nature more regularly.'

They sped eastward toward the Qinling Mountain Range, and before long, they had crossed the provincial border and entered the neighboring province. Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Yibin began to consider getting off the highway to find a place to eat and rest. He had no intention of driving all the way to the Qinling Mountain Range in one go. He'd gone to all this trouble to bring them out for fun; shouldn't they enjoy the sights in different places?

He had made a plan long before setting out. Not far after entering the neighboring province, there was an ancient town that was perfectly preserved. Its unique folk architecture and local cuisine were very enticing. So, Shen Yibin planned to rest there for the night, have some fun with Hah'Er and the others, and then continue the journey the next day. They would just stroll and eat their way along the road, and by the third day, they would arrive right at the Qinling Mountain Range to search for that unknown animal.

"Hah'Er, you hungry? I'll take you to eat something delicious in a bit!" Shen Yibin glanced at the GPS. "Hmm, we'll be at our destination in an hour. Just hang in there a little longer."

"Mhm!" After being stuck in his seat for so long, Hah'Er was getting a little bored.

"We've been on the highway all day today, so we couldn't stop. It'll be better tomorrow. We'll take the national roads, and if we see a fun place, we'll get out and play," Shen Yibin quickly comforted him. Taking the national roads wasn't as fast or convenient as the highway, but you could see completely different scenery, which was also part of his plan.

Before long, they reached the highway exit. When he was paying the toll, the tollbooth operator saw the panda in the passenger seat, and their eyes nearly popped out of their head. It took them a good while to find the correct change.

Not far from the highway exit, a police car, lights flashing, pulled Shen Yibin over. "Pull over to the side for an inspection!"