Future Pet Shop

"We agreed before that, excluding the cost of materials, your payment for coloring this Totem Pole is fifty-eight thousand. My woodpecker, on the other hand, costs one hundred eleven thousand, one hundred eleven yuan, and eleven cents. So, besides your payment, you’ll still have to cover the difference." Shen Yibin glanced at his phone as he spoke. "So, what do you think? Can you accept this price?" ’Judging by Mr. Long Sheng’s expression, he doesn’t seem to be doing too well financially. I wonder if he can even scrape the money together.’

"One hundred and ten thousand isn’t that much." Mr. Long Sheng calculated in his head. After subtracting the fifty-eight thousand he was owed, there was still a difference of about fifty-three thousand. His savings were only a little over thirty thousand, which meant he was short by about twenty thousand. But this was much cheaper than he’d expected. A woodpecker as smart as Marc could easily sell for millions, even tens of millions. One hundred and ten thousand was an absolute bargain. ’Worst comes to worst, I’ll just borrow the twenty thousand from Xia Shixuan.’

"Let’s make the trade tomorrow, then!" Shen Yibin noticed a flicker of hesitation in Mr. Long Sheng’s eyes and figured he probably needed time to raise the funds. So, he pushed the transaction to the next day, giving him a night to sort it out.

"Okay, I’ll come find you tomorrow! Will you still be here?" Of course, Mr. Long Sheng was too embarrassed to ask Xia Shixuan for money in front of Shen Yibin. He planned to message her on WeChat when he got back.

"Yep, I’ll be here playing with them tomorrow. Just come find me here when you’re ready." Shen Yibin nodded. It wasn’t convenient to take Hah’Er and the others back to the shop just yet.

After confirming the details, Mr. Long Sheng drove off. Shen Yibin then took the rest of the crew to Xu Ye’s mountain villa for a good night’s rest. The next day, he slept in until two in the afternoon before finally heading to the construction site with Hah’Er, Xiaoliu, and Marc. Before they even arrived, he could see Mr. Long Sheng from a distance, squatting pitifully on a large rock by the river. The moment he spotted Shen Yibin’s car, he immediately stood up. It looked like he had been waiting for a very long time.

"I’m so sorry. I’ve been flying all over the place recently and I’m exhausted. I accidentally overslept." Shen Yibin felt a bead of sweat, rushing over to apologize. Marc flew out of the car window and landed on Mr. Long Sheng’s shoulder, nuzzling his cheek with its beak in a very affectionate manner.

"No, no, it’s fine. I just got here early." Marc was still technically in Shen Yibin’s possession, so he didn’t dare say anything else. He chuckled and helped Shen Yibin save face. "I just thought this was a nice spot, so I came early to look for some inspiration."

"Don’t worry, I always keep my promises. What’s your bank account number? I’ll transfer your payment to you first, and then you can transfer the one hundred eleven thousand, one hundred eleven yuan, and eleven cents to me." Just like with Sun Qian, the money had to be handled by the book. It wasn’t as simple as Shen Yibin just deducting the amount. He’d overlooked that detail yesterday.

"Do we have to do it that way? Can’t I just pay you the difference?" Every time Mr. Long Sheng heard that number, it made his head ache. ’Am I buying a woodpecker or declaring my eternal singledom?’ What was even more frustrating was Shen Yibin’s method. Wouldn’t this back-and-forth just waste money on transaction fees? Why line the bank’s pockets for no reason?

"We have to. One thing is one thing, and another is another. The fifty-eight thousand is the payment you’ve earned. The one hundred eleven thousand, one hundred eleven yuan, and eleven cents is Marc’s price. The two can’t be mixed." Shen Yibin found it a pain as well, but he had to follow the Future Pet Shop’s rules.

"Alright, here’s my bank card." Afraid that dragging things out would lead to unexpected complications, Mr. Long Sheng didn’t dare argue any further with Shen Yibin and immediately took out his bank card. A few minutes later, he received a text message confirming the deposit of fifty-eight thousand.

"Here, scan this QR code to make the payment." Shen Yibin displayed a QR code generated by the Future Pet Shop. Mr. Long Sheng took out his phone, scanned it, and transferred one hundred eleven thousand, one hundred eleven yuan, and eleven cents to the Future Pet Shop’s account.

"Okay, payment received. From now on, Marc is yours!" Shen Yibin stepped forward to stroke Marc’s feathers, his voice full of reluctance. He was like this every time he sold a pet. Even though he knew he would see them again, the moment of parting always felt a little sad.

"Mmmph!" Hah’Er also waddled over and waved at Marc. Marc flew from Mr. Long Sheng’s shoulder to Hah’Er’s, reaching out with its beak to nuzzle its ear. Maphario scrambled out of a pocket, grabbed onto Hah’Er’s fur, and climbed up next to Marc. Those two had certainly gotten off on the wrong foot, but now they were friends.

Then Xiaoliu, Bald Qiang, and the others gathered around to say their goodbyes to Marc one by one. The scene made Mr. Long Sheng a little nervous. "I’ll bring it back to the shop or here to visit you all whenever I have time. I don’t live far, so there will be plenty of chances to see each other in the future."

After calming down the crew and seeing Mr. Long Sheng off, Shen Yibin sat on a rock by the river and took out his phone to calculate his income. The Future Pet Shop had already deposited his commission from Marc’s sale into his account. His twenty-five percent cut of 111,111.11 yuan came to 27,777.78 yuan. His previous commission from selling Bald Qiang and Xiaoliu, plus the surplus from his last upgrade, had totaled 43,206.89 yuan. Adding the two together, Shen Yibin’s total commission in his account was now 70,984.67 yuan.

’Over seventy thousand yuan! That’s more than a third of the two hundred thousand in total commission I need. At this rate, the next upgrade isn’t far off,’ Shen Yibin thought happily, clutching his phone.

’If I want to save up two hundred thousand in commission sooner, I need to get a move on. Why not check and see where the next pet is right now?’ The thought spurred Shen Yibin into action. He opened WeChat, found the Future Pet Shop, and prepared to "restock."

"Mmmph!" Just as he opened the chat window, he heard Hah’Er cry out. He turned to see the little guy hugging the Totem Pole with its short paws, trying with all its might to climb. Looking higher up, Xiaoliu had already scampered more than ten meters up. It was holding onto Bald Qiang’s foot with one paw and pointing down at Hah’Er with the other, mocking it. Hah’Er, unwilling to be laughed at like that, once again placed its short little legs against the pole and tried to climb.

’Ah, forget it.’ Hah’Er just got back from overseas and hasn’t even rested for a few days. The journey from China to the US, then from the US to Europe, must have been exhausting. This was only its second day back in Yunzhong City, and here I am, about to drag it all over the place again. ’That seems a bit too harsh. I should let Hah’Er rest for a few days. We can think about the next pet after it has recovered.’

"Hah’Er, don’t worry, I’ll help you!" Shen Yibin shouted. He closed WeChat, stuffed his phone in his pocket, and ran to the bottom of the Totem Pole. He picked up Hah’Er and gave it a boost, and Hah’Er immediately squealed with excitement.