Future Pet Shop

"The bitter wind howls, the snowflakes drift down, the road is long, I travel on with a song..." The snow fell in flurries as Shen Yibin drove a rented SUV toward China’s northernmost city. A song older than he was played on the stereo. Watching the snowy landscape outside and listening to the music, Shen Yibin couldn’t help but start humming along. "...Walking in the snow, I walk alone in the snow, leaving behind so much heroic passion. Only by walking with you, walking with you, can I chase my dream..."

"Hm?" Hah’Er was pressed against the window, curiously observing the surrounding scenery. Even though it had already built a snowman and had a snowball fight outside the hotel yesterday, this beautiful sight, something it had never seen in Yunzhong City, still left it utterly captivated. Maphario, meanwhile, was doing the same thing as yesterday: tracing all sorts of patterns on the window with its claws.

Driving in this world of ice and snow was a different beast from driving on a regular highway. You had to concentrate fully; a single moment of carelessness could lead to an accident. With Hah’Er sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Yibin felt even more on edge. This kind of tension was draining, so when he saw a sign for a rest area ahead, he quickly pulled over. He planned to use the restroom, take a short break to relax, and grab a coffee or something.

"Hah’Er, are you hungry? Want to get something to eat?" Shen Yibin asked as he got out of the car. "Further ahead, it’ll probably be hard to find another place like this!" The farther north they went, the colder it got, and naturally, the more sparsely populated it became. Shen Yibin estimated that by the afternoon, they’d have to get off the highway and take the national road. They probably wouldn’t reach the location of the orange dot until tomorrow. The latter half of their journey would be through desolate areas, so finding a hot meal wouldn’t be easy.

"Mmm!" Hah’Er was indeed a little hungry. It rubbed its belly and prepared to get out of the car with Shen Yibin. Shen Yibin led it a few steps, then suddenly remembered a joke. He bent down, looked at Hah’Er, and asked, "Hah’Er, do you know what the most famous delicacy in the Northeast is? Want to give it a try?"

"Hmm? Mmm!" Hah’Er first shook its head to show it didn’t know, then nodded its head rapidly. It clearly wanted to taste this "most famous delicacy of the Northeast" that Shen Yibin was talking about.

"Here, this is it!" Shen Yibin suppressed a laugh and pulled Hah’Er over to a metal railing. "Stick out your tongue and give it a little lick. You’ll taste something you’ve never tasted before. It’s a little sweet and a little sour. I guarantee you’ll never forget it after one taste."

"Hm?" Hah’Er took Shen Yibin’s words seriously. It immediately stood on its tiptoes, pulled down its mask, and stuck out its tongue to taste the metal railing. A terrified Shen Yibin yanked it back at once. ’If it actually licked that, its tongue would get stuck! We could forget about finding that animal up north and head straight to the hospital!’

"Hmph!" Hah’Er finally realized Shen Yibin had tricked it and glared at him angrily. However, its annoyance quickly vanished once they were in the restaurant. In a private room, they feasted on a hearty pork and vermicelli stew, which easily chased away the outdoor chill and filled them with warmth. Shen Yibin’s energy gradually returned as well.

After eating their fill, they rested in the car for a bit before starting the engine and continuing on. They got off the highway and turned onto a national road. After driving for some time, just as dusk was falling, they finally arrived in a small city. They found a decent-looking hotel and, after much effort, managed to check in. Shen Yibin took a shower in the room, brought Hah’Er to the hotel restaurant for a full meal, then returned to their room and went to bed early. ’We still have to travel tomorrow, and part of it will be on foot. I need to be well-rested to have enough energy.’

The next day’s drive was much more arduous than the day before. Shen Yibin and Hah’Er turned from the national road onto a smaller path. According to the information Shen Yibin had looked up, this road originally led to a logging camp. Later, for conservation reasons, the camp was shut down, and the residents who depended on it for their livelihood moved away. As a result, the road gradually fell into disuse. A road that no one uses naturally doesn’t get maintained often, so their journey was plagued by potholes and landslides. If Shen Yibin hadn’t specifically rented an SUV, they might have had to turn back halfway.

Even so, the drive was exhausting for Shen Yibin. Midway, they came across an abandoned small town. Shen Yibin parked the car, took out a portable outdoor stove and the ingredients he had prepared, and got out with Hah’Er. They found an empty building, melted some snow to boil a pot of soup, and enjoyed a wonderful meal. Afterward, he spread out a moisture-proof mat and lay on the ground to rest for a while. Only after regaining his strength did they continue onward. According to the map, the road would end in a few dozen kilometers. They would have to leave the car and walk the final stretch. The orange dot was still more than ten kilometers from the end of the road. Venturing into the mountains under these conditions was not something an ordinary person could do; you had to have a guaranteed reserve of stamina.

At a little past one in the afternoon, they finally reached the end of the road. Shen Yibin parked the car, pulled their tent, sleeping bags, and other gear from the trunk, shouldered the pack, and started into the mountains with Hah’Er, following a small path.

Fortunately, the wind and snow had stopped by then, which made entering the mountains less difficult. This was the only reason Shen Yibin dared to set off; otherwise, he probably would have had to wait there a while longer.

"Here, put these on. If you don’t, your eyes won’t be able to take it after a while." Shen Yibin took out a pair of sunglasses and fitted them onto Hah’Er’s head. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a vast expanse of white snow. Sunglasses were a must, or you’d get snow blindness before long.

Shen Yibin led the way, carrying a large pack and using a walking stick to probe the path ahead. Hah’Er followed behind on all fours. It was dressed in such puffy, padded clothes that walking on its two hind legs was a bit inconvenient.

Walking more than ten kilometers in these conditions would take a lot of time. According to Shen Yibin’s plan, they would probably have to pitch their tent or find a cave to spend the night in the forest. They wouldn’t be able to reach the orange dot’s location until tomorrow.

After walking for a while, Shen Yibin started to warm up, driving away the chill. It was the same for Hah’Er. The little guy pulled down its mask and panted heavily, its hot breath forming puffs of white mist.

’The forests of the Northeast are really different from the Qinling Mountain Range. This scenery is truly stirring.’ Looking at the magnificent view before him, Shen Yibin felt a surge of heroic spirit. He pulled a silver flask from his coat, took two big GULPS of strong liquor, and casually handed it to Hah’Er. Then, he began to sing at the top of his lungs, "...Walking in the snow, I walk alone in the snow, leaving behind so much heroic passion. Only by walking with you, walking with you, can I chase my dream..."