Future Pet Shop

"Boss, can you make it quiet down? It’s been pecking away all day. I’m about to go crazy; my head is still buzzing," Xia Shixuan said listlessly as she approached. She had just brought Wen Yuan and Bald Qiang back and was curious to see Shen Yibin in such a state. However, when she got in front of him, she found him standing there motionlessly, not reacting for a long time, as if he hadn’t heard a word she said.

"Boss? Boss?" Xia Shixuan poked Shen Yibin with her finger, but there was still no response. ’What the heck, is the boss sick or something? What is he even looking at?’ Xia Shixuan subconsciously followed Shen Yibin’s gaze. And then, she froze too. ’No way. Did the woodpecker do this?’

The large tree root at the very edge of the pond was now completely transformed. A thick circle of wood shavings was scattered around it, obviously pecked out by the woodpecker over the course of the day. The root itself was gradually taking on the shape of a human head, and it bore a striking resemblance to Shen Yibin.

’Am I seeing things?’ Xia Shixuan quickly rubbed her eyes, only to find that she wasn’t mistaken. The woodpecker was standing on the tree root, meticulously shaping Shen Yibin’s nose, peck by peck. It would even glance back at Shen Yibin from time to time, as if comparing its work to the real thing.

"Boss, all the pets you find are absolute freaks of nature!" Xia Shixuan was at a loss for words. She had seen a panda that could walk on its hind legs, understand human speech, and even act; a parrot that was a gifted orator and sang better than a pop star; a monkey that could brew wine; a hamster that could plant trees; a Beaver that could build houses and play ping-pong; a Mongoose that could run marathons better than any human; and a Raccoon Cat that could dance. And now, there was a woodpecker with exquisite wood-carving skills. What was this madness! ’Am I working in a pet store or a demon’s lair?’

"How the hell would I know!" Shen Yibin was also speechless. Every time a new pet arrived, he would try to guess what special ability it might have. For the past two days, this woodpecker seemed to do nothing special other than constantly pecking at wood. He never expected it to give him such a surprise today.

"Can I go take a closer look?" Having regained her senses, Xia Shixuan walked around the edge of the pond toward the tree root. Shen Yibin quickly followed behind her. They crouched down in front of it to examine the root closely. The bust was densely covered in marks from a bird’s beak, completely different from the style of a typical wood carving. This was definitely the woodpecker’s own work; it couldn’t be anyone else’s handiwork. ’Looks like we really have an artist in the shop, huh? Wait, a woodpecker being involved in the arts seems perfectly normal. Why am I so surprised?’

"Can I touch it?" Shen Yibin turned to look at the woodpecker. He paid special attention to its beak and saw that it was still sharp. It seemed a full day of pecking hadn’t caused any adverse effects on its beak at all. Shen Yibin finally breathed a sigh of relief. ’I’d feel so guilty if you made your beak go blunt just to sculpt a statue for me.’

"KIK! KIK!" The woodpecker nodded. Its beak flashed out, adding a couple of finishing touches to the tip of the statue’s nose. Only then did it hop to the side to let Shen Yibin have a closer look.

"Boss, it really looks like you. Especially that sleazy vibe—it’s practically radiating from it, impossible to hide," Xia Shixuan praised as she gently stroked the statue’s surface. ’Uh, is that a compliment or an insult?’

"Once it’s finished, we’ll need to apply a few coats of varnish to protect it from insects. That way, the statue can be preserved for a long time." Before Shen Yibin could retort, she quickly changed the subject. ’Shen Yibin is the boss, after all. I don’t really care about the salary and commission, but a place this fun is hard to find. I’d hate to get fired by him.’

"I’ll ask Xu Ye later and see if he can find someone who knows about this. Oh, right, Yunzhong University has an art department, right? They should have professors who teach this stuff. I’ll have Li Shiqing ask if she has any classmates who are familiar with it." ’Something this good would be a perfect decoration for the shop or the manor. I definitely need to find a way to preserve it for a long time.’

"Just leave it to me. I know some people in the art world, I guarantee I’ll get it done right for you," Xia Shixuan said, eager to make amends. After speaking, she scurried over to the front desk, grabbed a box of mealworms, and returned to offer it to the woodpecker. "You worked hard today. Eat something to get your energy back."

"KIK! KIK!" The woodpecker seemed to be thanking her. It flew over to Xia Shixuan and began to leisurely peck up the mealworms one by one. It appeared to really enjoy this food. ’This has to taste a lot better than the pests woodpeckers usually eat,’ Shen Yibin thought.

’It’s good that you like it. If you were a picky eater, I really wouldn’t know what to cook for you anymore. But who should I sell a woodpecker that loves to carve to? Someone like Little Li Flying Dagger, who carves wooden figures with his knife? Maybe I should post it on Scarf after the piece is finished and see if I can attract a suitable buyer?’ Shen Yibin was reminded of the uninvited Wen Yuan.

"Boss, aren’t you going to make dinner? We’re starving over here!" he heard Xie Nannan urge from a distance, interrupting his train of thought.

"Alright, alright, I’m coming!" ’Forget it, I won’t think about it for now. I’ll figure it out after it’s done.’ Shen Yibin stood up and brushed the wood shavings off his hands. "You stay here and feed it. I’m going to make dinner for you all."

As he left the pond and passed by the storage room, Shen Yibin suddenly remembered what had happened that morning. He hurried inside, found Hah’Er’s skateboard, and looked for the marks the woodpecker had pecked on it. Although the pattern wasn’t finished, Shen Yibin could still make out a clue. A few incomplete lines vaguely outlined the shape of a panda’s head. It was only then that he understood—it wasn’t trying to destroy the skateboard earlier, it was trying to add a logo to it!

’I completely misunderstood it. I’ll talk to Hah’Er later and have the woodpecker finish this design. It looks pretty cool.’ Shen Yibin shook his head, put the skateboard back in its place, and went upstairs to the kitchen to get busy.

Before long, a sumptuous dinner was ready. Everyone gathered around the table and began to eat amidst lively chatter. After just a few bites, Li Shiqing suddenly asked, "Boss, what were you and Shixuan doing over there just now?"

"Oh, we were just admiring the woodpecker’s artwork." ’Huh, why does that sentence sound a little dirty?’

"Ahem, ahem. Mr. Shen, is it really appropriate to talk about that during dinner?" Wen Yuan said awkwardly. ’I never would’ve guessed that someone who looks so innocent would be such an old pro!’