Future Pet Shop

"Come on, we're going to see your cousin today!" Shen Yibin patted Hah'Er's head and helped it fasten its seatbelt. "Don't lose what you're holding, and don't sneak any for yourself. Those are for your cousin's family."

After speaking, Shen Yibin started the car. Judging by the direction he was driving, they were clearly headed for the Yunzhong City Zoo. Hah'Er curiously opened the box it was holding, revealing several glass jars. The scent wafting from the jars was irresistible to Maphario, who crawled out of a pocket and jumped into the box. It stuck out its tongue and licked the honey that had leaked from under a lid. 'Mmm, this honey tastes pretty good!' Looking further inside, it saw some bread for spreading the honey on, as well as a good amount of fruit.

"Hm?" Hah'Er had just been wondering who its cousin was. But upon seeing these items, it instantly understood. They were going to Xiong Mountain to see the three black bears! It immediately grew excited. It had been tagging along with Shen Yibin everywhere lately, so it had been a while since it last visited them.

Before long, Shen Yibin's car arrived at the zoo. He parked in the lot and glanced at the entrance. 'Not bad.' The zoo's main gate had been renovated and looked much better than its previously dilapidated state. Everyone at the Yunzhong City Zoo knew Shen Yibin and Hah'Er. As soon as they saw the pair, they let them straight through and also called the zoo's director, Dong.

"Oh, Mr. Hou, you're here too?" Shen Yibin didn't rush to find Dong. Instead, he took Hah'Er to Xiong Mountain to visit its relatives. As they got closer, he saw Hou Longtao with his parents, feeding the three black bears.

"Yes, the little guy really missed these fellows. I suppose it's a case of 'from foes to friends,' isn't it?" Mr. Hou said with a laugh. Hou Longtao politely greeted both Shen Yibin and Hah'Er.

"Go on, give them the gifts!" Shen Yibin greeted a keeper, who opened a small gate to let Hah'Er in. Before it went, Shen Yibin didn't forget to add a reminder, "Take good care of Maphario, and don't let your cousin eat him, okay?" 'The gifts only include honey, bread, and fruit,' he thought. 'That hamster is not a snack for you guys.'

"Mhm!" Hah'Er nodded emphatically and cheerfully dashed inside, hugging the box. The three black bears had been lazing on the rocks, sunbathing. The moment they saw Hah'Er, they immediately scrambled to their feet. The little black bear, in particular, came tumbling and scrambling toward Hah'Er. It seemed to have missed Hah'Er for a long time, too.

After a flurry of head-pats, rolling around affectionately, and a few loud ROARS, the four of them finally settled down. The little black bear curiously pawed at the box and peered at the gifts inside. The scent of honey made its mouth water. But it clutched the glass jar for a long time, not knowing how to open it, which made the little fella incredibly anxious.

"Here!" Hah'Er sat on the ground with its legs splayed out. It took the jar from the little black bear's paws, twisted open the lid, and used a spoon to scoop out a thick layer of honey onto a slice of bread. It then handed it to the little bear, who immediately took it and stuffed it into its mouth, not giving its parents a single thought.

Luckily, there was still plenty of honey and bread. Hah'Er continued its work, making a slice for the mama bear and the papa bear. It planned to eat the fourth slice itself. But just as it brought the bread to its mouth, it remembered there was a fifth creature present. It tore off a small piece and offered it toward its chest pocket.

Maphario had been cowering in the pocket, trembling with fear at the sudden appearance of these three rather scary-looking creatures. Only when it smelled the honey did it dare to poke its head out. It took the honey-slathered bread from Hah'Er's paw, glanced at the black bears, and stuffed it into its mouth with lightning speed.

Suddenly spotting a stranger, the little black bear recoiled instinctively. But then its father swatted it forward with a paw. 'What are you scared of such a tiny thing for? You're a disgrace to the bear family name!' That swat seemed to knock some sense into the little cub. It curiously stretched its neck and leaned toward Hah'Er's chest to get a better look at Maphario.

The family of three looked back and forth between Maphario and Hah'Er. Finally, they just leaned in close to Maphario, stretched out their noses, and took a good sniff. That sniff left them utterly baffled. 'Why do you two look so similar, but smell so different?' They had initially mistaken Maphario for Hah'Er's child, but Maphario's scent confused them.

This confusion didn't last long, however. As soon as Hah'Er finished preparing another slice of bread, the three of them immediately forgot all about it and started HOWLING and squabbling over the treat. Perhaps sensing that the three black bears meant no harm, Maphario also boldly crawled out of Hah'Er's pocket and joined in their playful antics.

"Heh, they're really having a good time, aren't they?" Mr. Hou said to Shen Yibin with a chuckle. At the same time, he grabbed Hou Longtao by the collar to hold him back. The little boy, seeing Hah'Er and the black bears playing so happily, seemed to want to join in, but Mr. Hou didn't dare allow it.

"Yeah, it's been a while since we've been here." Seeing Hou Longtao's eagerness, Shen Yibin extended an invitation. "Mr. Hou, are you busy today? If not, wait for me for a bit. We can all have lunch at my store, and that'll give Longtao and Hah'Er some time to play together." Shen Yibin still felt a little bad about taking so many toys from them last time.

"Then we'd be delighted," Mr. Hou readily accepted.

"Alright, I'm going to take care of some business then. I'll come back for you when I'm done." Seeing that everything was fine with Hah'Er, Shen Yibin left with peace of mind. Mr. Hou didn't ask what Shen Yibin's business was. He just quietly resolved to visit the zoo more often during this period. If anything came up, he would help immediately. In his heart, he still clearly remembered the favor of Shen Yibin saving Longtao last time. The small matter from before wasn't nearly enough to repay it.

He was halfway there when he saw Dong approaching with a broad smile. "Mr. Shen, why didn't you let me know you were coming? I would have come to the gate to greet you!" This man was the zoo's great benefactor; Dong would never dare to be negligent.

"Don't say that. I'm not your boss, what's all this about greeting me?" After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Dong began to show Shen Yibin around the zoo, continuously pointing out the new changes.

Shen Yibin could see that the zoo's buildings had all been repaired, and the animals seemed much more energetic than before. He was very satisfied. After they had finished the tour, Shen Yibin looked at Dong and asked, "I'm thinking of setting up a research institute. What do you think?"