Future Pet Shop

"Turn on the AC, I can’t stand the heat." Shen Yibin had come straight from the airport, still wearing his down jacket and thermal underwear. The temperature in Yunzhong City was still over twenty degrees Celsius, and he was starting to feel overwhelmed after just a short while. Hah’Er was the same; the big guy was already starting to take off its clothes in the back seat.

"You want the AC on to cool down in this cold weather? Aren’t you afraid I’ll freeze to death?" Xia Shixuan rolled her eyes. She was still in a T-shirt and a short skirt. "You could always take off your clothes like Hah’Er."

"I think I’ll pass!" Shen Yibin was helpless against her. He could only open the car window to let in the cool breeze, which made him feel slightly better. As soon as the window was open, the Snow Fox quickly moved to the shoulder on that side to enjoy the wind as well.

"Whoa, you’re sweating?" Shen Yibin casually wiped its face, and his hand came away wet with sweat. A moment’s thought and he understood. The Snow Fox had always lived within the Arctic Circle, where the temperature was perennially below zero. It had probably never experienced a high temperature of twenty degrees above zero before, had it?

’Huh, a high temperature of twenty degrees above zero? Why does that sound so awkward?’ For the people of Yunzhong City, twenty degrees was an unbearably cold temperature, but for the Snow Fox, it really was a high temperature. The little creature’s dense, fluffy fur was great for maintaining its body heat in the Arctic Circle, but here in Yunzhong City, it was pure torture.

"Step on it, let’s get back sooner!" Shen Yibin was getting anxious now. He urged Xia Shixuan to speed up. Luckily, it was late at night and there weren’t many cars on the road. They made it back to the shop in less than half the usual time. The moment they were back, Shen Yibin rushed into his bedroom with the Snow Fox in his arms, turned on the air conditioner to its lowest setting, and placed the fox right in front of the vent, hoping it would feel a little better.

But the lowest temperature the AC could reach was only sixteen degrees Celsius. To Shen Yibin, this was an unbearably cold draft, but to the Snow Fox, it was still an unbearably hot wind. After just a few moments in the airflow, the little creature couldn’t stand it and scurried to the side.

’What now? Don’t tell me I went through all the trouble of bringing it back from the northeast just for it to die of heatstroke in the shop! Did the medicine I gave it earlier not help it adapt to the temperature?’ Shen Yibin was practically jumping with anxiety.

’Huh? I think Xia Shixuan and the others often keep some ice cream in the fridge and eat some whenever they feel like it. I wonder if there’s any left now. Maybe feeding it one or two would help?’ With this thought, Shen Yibin bolted to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and rummaged around. Sure enough, he found two tubs of milk-flavored ice cream in the freezer compartment.

He quickly brought them to the bedroom and placed them next to the Snow Fox. The fox felt the chill coming from the ice cream and immediately snuggled closer, pressing its face against the tub as if that alone could cool it down.

Shen Yibin opened a tub and used a small spoon to scoop out a bit of ice cream, offering it to the Snow Fox’s mouth. "Here, try this. You’ll feel cooler after eating it."

The Snow Fox greedily inhaled the cold vapor rising from the ice cream, then stuck out its tongue for a tentative lick. After that, it couldn’t control itself. With a flick of its tongue, the entire scoop of ice cream Shen Yibin offered was gone, and it let out a comfortable sigh. In this twenty-degree Celsius heat, such an ice-cold treat was simply perfect.

"If you like it, have some more." Seeing that this method was working, Shen Yibin breathed a small sigh of relief. He quickly scooped another large spoonful of ice cream and fed it to the Snow Fox. And so it went, one feeding and the other eating, until they quickly finished the entire tub. Then, they set their sights on the second one.

"HIC!" After finishing both tubs of ice cream, the Snow Fox let out a full burp. Its belly was a little round, the sweat on its forehead was gone, and it lay comfortably on the bed. Only then did Shen Yibin have time to take off his clothes and wash up.

When he came back from his shower, however, he found the Snow Fox had become listless again. He reached out and felt its forehead—it was covered in sweat once more. Shen Yibin picked up the AC remote and saw that the temperature was already at its lowest setting of sixteen degrees. Even so, the fox was still suffering from the heat. ’What am I supposed to do? Go buy it some more ice cream?’

’There were a few 24-hour convenience stores that sold ice cream, even this late at night, but eating too much would probably give it a stomachache, right? Besides, the Snow Fox’s little belly was still round and full. It probably couldn’t eat anymore even if he bought some.’

’Hmm, maybe I should get some ice cubes to cool you down?’ Shen Yibin thought of another solution. First, he went downstairs to the storage room and found two plastic basins, one large and one small. Then, he went to the kitchen, took two trays of ice cubes from the freezer, and poured them into the large basin. He lined the small basin with some cotton cloth, placed it on top of the ice, and carried the whole setup back to the bedroom.

"How about you sleep in here tonight?" ’No wonder it went to sleep on the windowsill in the hotel in Ice City yesterday,’ he thought. ’It must have found the room too hot.’

The moment it saw the ice, the Snow Fox perked up, like a parched desert traveler spotting an oasis. It immediately leaped into the small basin, curled up comfortably into a ball, and closed its eyes, hugging its own tail.

’So are you cold or not? If you’re cold, why are you sleeping on ice? If you’re not cold, why are you curled up in a ball?’ Shen Yibin couldn’t quite figure this little creature out.

’Oh well, as long as you’re happy. It’s been a long day, and I’m tired too.’ Shen Yibin glanced over. Hah’Er was already lying on its little bed, snoring away, and Maphario was asleep too. So, he climbed into his own bed and drifted off to sleep.

He was drifting in a hazy sleep when he suddenly felt something repeatedly brushing against his nostrils. At first, Shen Yibin didn’t want to bother with it, batting it away a few times with his eyes still closed. But the creature was relentless in its harassment.

"ACHOO!" He finally couldn’t hold it in and let out a sneeze, which woke him up completely. He groggily opened his eyes to see the Snow Fox squatting on his chest, its big, fluffy tail aimed right at his face.

He glanced out the window. The eastern sky was just beginning to brighten; it was still early. Being woken up when you haven’t had enough sleep tends to make one grumpy. "What is it?" Shen Yibin asked irritably. "Go back and sleep some more."

The Snow Fox yipped twice and looked back at the basin it had been sleeping in. Shen Yibin turned his head to look and saw that the ice in the large basin had completely melted. The small basin was now floating on the water, bobbing back and forth.

"Sigh, I’ll go change the ice for you!" Shen Yibin got up with a resigned sigh, carried the large basin to the bathroom to pour out the water, then went to the kitchen, opened the freezer, and put in the last two trays of ice. Only then did the Snow Fox return to its basin to sleep.

’Changing the ice every day isn’t going to work. Am I going to have to buy it a freezer to use as a den?’