Future Pet Shop

"Whoa! Now that’s impressive!" Before the car even reached the construction site, they could see the Totem Pole standing there from a distance. The protective netting and scaffolding had now been removed, revealing the Totem Pole’s true form. At the very top was Marc, complete with wings. Who knows whose handiwork it was, but someone had even stuck a branch on it to serve as a beak, giving it a certain imposing air as it stood fifty meters high, looking down on all creation.

Below that was the chubby, roly-poly, and adorable Hah’Er. You could feel its cute aura even from a great distance. It had a woodpecker on its head and was happily munching on a bamboo shoot clutched in its arms. Below Hah’Er was Cheeky. Mr. Long Sheng had painted its multicolored feathers to be exceptionally eye-catching. Compared to Marc, its body was much rounder—but there was no helping it; parrots are naturally stockier than woodpeckers, so the proportions were quite realistic.

As the car moved forward, the carvings of Egg, Bald Qiang, Shi Gaofei, Gao Lujie, Maphario, Xiaoliu, and the others came into view. Bald Qiang’s buckteeth, Shi Gaofei’s silver cape, Egg’s big belly, Maphario’s cautious gaze, Xiaoliu’s drowsy, dark-ringed eyes... All these distinctive features were perfectly captured, making it so anyone who had met them would know at a glance that the carvings on the Totem Pole were of them.

Huh? What’s that? It looked like there was something in the arms of Xiaoliu’s carving. Shen Yibin looked closer and realized that the real Xiaoliu had climbed up the Totem Pole and was comfortably resting in the arms of its own statue. A monkey lying in the arms of a monkey statue... for some reason, the sight was exceptionally awkward.

"CHEEP CHEEP!" From its high perch, Xiaoliu had an exceptionally wide field of view and spotted Shen Yibin’s car at once. It immediately slid down the Totem Pole and came running and hopping over. When it saw clearly that Shen Yibin was in the passenger seat, it ran even faster.

"Here, try these fruits I brought back for you from France. See if you like them." Having been away for so long, Shen Yibin missed him too. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, he opened the window and tossed out a few pieces of fruit. Xiaoliu leaped into the air, deftly catching the fruits mid-flight and gathering them in its arms. It grinned, then started munching away.

"HMPH!" The moment the car stopped, Hah’Er rolled out, took two steps, and suddenly pounced, pinning Xiaoliu underneath it. This was its way of expressing how much it missed him after the long separation. Poor Xiaoliu had been happily eating its fruit and was caught completely off guard. Its face instantly turned red as it struggled to breathe.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK!" Maphario also scurried out of a pocket, hopped onto Xiaoliu’s chest, and used its paw to swipe a seed from near the monkey’s mouth. It wiped the seed clean on Xiaoliu’s fur, then carefully put it away. It looked like it planned to plant it in the garden later. ’Who knew this little guy was an opportunist?’

"Get up, quick! Any longer and you’ll crush Xiaoliu to death!" In the end, it was Shen Yibin who had to lift Hah’Er up with both hands, rescuing Xiaoliu from its predicament. "Where’d Bald Qiang and the others go? And I don’t see Marc anywhere either."

After collapsing on the ground and panting heavily for a while, Xiaoliu finally recovered. It slowly got up, glared at Hah’Er, and chattered "CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP" a few times. It pointed first toward Yunzhong City, then toward the small creek. An outsider probably wouldn’t have understood a thing it was saying.

"Oh, I get it. You’re saying Marc went to the city to hang out, and Bald Qiang is at his home?" But Shen Yibin was different. He was Xiaoliu’s owner, and after being whipped into shape by the monkey for so long, how could he not understand what it meant?

’Well now, that Mr. Long Sheng has some skills, doesn’t he? It’s only been a short while, and he’s already managed to spirit Marc away to have fun. If I’d taken any longer to come back, those two might have eloped.’

"CHEEP! CHEEP!" Xiaoliu nodded repeatedly, then came over, tugged on Shen Yibin’s clothes, and started leading him toward the creek. Shen Yibin went to the car to grab the gifts he’d prepared for Bald Qiang and his mate, then followed the monkey upstream. It wasn’t long before they reached Bald Qiang’s dam. Along the way, he could see that the scaffolding around the manor had been completely removed, and the heavy machinery was gone too. Only a small group of workers remained, busy with the last few tasks. It looked like the construction of the estate was nearing completion, and the renovation work could begin soon.

’Yeah, this is perfect. I’ll wait for Director Kong to finish his work, then have him come over to finalize the plans. We can all start on the renovations together.’ Shen Yibin decided, crouching down in front of the dam. From a distance, he could see Bald Qiang and his mate resting in their "villa," while Wen Yuan was nearby with a sketchpad, drawing something.

He went up and said hello, distributing the gifts he’d brought from France to Wen Yuan and the beaver couple. After a bit of small talk, he heard a car parking outside again. He turned to see Xia Shixuan had returned with his car. Li Shiqing, Gao Shu, and Xie Nannan opened the doors and pulled a barbecue grill out of the trunk. It looked like they were planning to have a cookout tonight.

"We’ll talk about the renovations later! I’m not busy for a while anyway, so let’s go catch some fish and crabs by the river first!" Shen Yibin and Hah’Er quickly walked to the riverbank. With Xiaoliu joining in, the trio once again began to terrorize the fish, shrimp, and crabs of the Yunshui River. The girls, meanwhile, took out the gifts Shen Yibin had brought them and began chattering excitedly about how wonderful they were.

Before long, the bucket on the bank was filled with Shen Yibin, Hah’Er, and Xiaoliu’s haul. The charcoal in the grill was lit, and plumes of cooking smoke rose by the river. Shen Yibin and Hah’Er sat by the grill, constantly turning the various skewers in their hands and occasionally passing the cooked food to Xia Shixuan, Bald Qiang, and the others. It was a scene of pure joy and tranquility.

Not long after, the sound of another car was heard. Mr. Long Sheng pulled up in a car he’d gotten from who-knows-where and parked nearby. Marc fluttered out of the window and landed next to Shen Yibin.

"Here, this one’s especially for you." Shen Yibin handed a skewer of roasted silkworm pupae to Marc. The bird grabbed it with both claws and flew off to the side to enjoy its treat. Mr. Long Sheng also sidled up, joining Xia Shixuan and the others in a drinking competition while eating skewers.

The sun gradually set. Everyone had had their fill of drinks and food. They lay lazily on the river beach, enjoying the cool breeze. Mr. Long Sheng squeezed in next to Shen Yibin and asked, "Mr. Shen, last time you said we could discuss my purchase of Marc once the Totem Pole was finished. Seeing as it is now..."

"Alright, let me think about the price!" Shen Yibin pulled out his phone. The affinity level had risen again during his time away. He checked the price again. "Er, I guess I won’t be paying you for your labor, then!"