Future Pet Shop

'Dammit, I knew this would happen! Can't you guys use someone else's? You could've just bought a new bar next door! Why'd you have to pick up the soap I was using? What am I supposed to use for my shower tonight?' Shen Yibin was so frustrated he didn't know what to say. With a sullen wave, he grumbled, "Fine, just find it a bowl. It's time to eat!"

Li Shiqing moved a chair next to Hah'Er and found a new food bowl. Hah'Er, perched on its own chair, stretched its paws out as far as it could to tie a fresh bib around the little black bear's thick, short neck. This would prevent the messy sauces from soiling the fur it had just worked so hard to clean.

"Bin, how on earth did you train Hah'Er? How did he get so smart and well-behaved?" Mr. Hou's eyes were practically popping out of his head. 'Is that even a panda anymore? He's practically a mythical creature!'

"Hah'Er has always been smart. I didn't really teach him anything," Shen Yibin said with a shrug. 'Pets from the Future Pet Shop are just that awesome. Nothing I can do about it.'

"Little black bear, what do you like to eat? How about I get you some food?" Longtao and the little black bear had bonded through their earlier scuffle. He stared eagerly at the little bear and asked.

"Black bears love honey. I made some honey-glazed char siu. Why don't you give it a piece to try?" 'Sigh, speaking of honey-glazed char siu makes me miss Shi Gaofei. I wonder what kind of mission he's on with Hong Mian right now?' As this thought crossed his mind, Shen Yibin started to worry about what kind of owner Scarf would find. But seeing it happily eating the ice cream Xia Shixuan had given it, it seemed he didn't need to worry too much about that.

"This one?" After getting an affirmative reply, Longtao picked up the largest piece of char siu on the plate and offered it to the little black bear, muttering, "Here, Blackie, try this. See if you like it. If you do, I'll bring you some whenever I have time!"

The little black bear watched Hou Longtao warily, only relaxing after he sat back down. Then it sniffed the air and was instantly captivated by the smell of honey. It stuck its head into the bowl and began to chomp away. In just a few bites, the piece of char siu was gone. It then looked back at Longtao, its eyes seemingly pleading for more.

"Here, there's plenty more. I'll get you another piece." Longtao was making himself right at home. Mr. Hou shot Shen Yibin an apologetic look, but Shen Yibin just shook his head, not minding at all. 'It's a shame the little black bear isn't from the Future Pet Shop. Otherwise, selling it to Hou Longtao would be a great idea.'

"Come on, let's have a toast. Try the wine we brew in-house." With Longtao feeding the little black bear and Xia Shixuan tending to Scarf, Shen Yibin had no choice but to drink with Mr. Hou. As it happened, there was still some Monkey Wine left over from a few days ago. Mr. Hou was in for a treat today. Shen Yibin raised his cup, clinked it lightly against Mr. Hou's, and prepared to down it in one go!

"Hmph!" Hah'Er, over on its side, was not pleased. Holding its wine bowl with both paws, it stood on its tiptoes, stretching as tall as it could, wanting to clink glasses with Shen Yibin and Mr. Hou too.

"Oh my, look at me. Hah'Er, I'm so sorry!" Mr. Hou chuckled at the sight and quickly clinked his cup against Hah'Er's. Inwardly, however, he was wondering, 'Can pandas drink alcohol? Will it be okay?'

"Here, Xiaoliu, let's clink too!" Since he'd toasted with Hah'Er, he couldn't leave Xiaoliu out. Shen Yibin clinked cups with Xiaoliu as well, then happily gulped down the wine.

At that moment, the little black bear had just swallowed its second piece of honey-glazed char siu and was staring intently at a plate of candied sweet potatoes. But when it saw Hah'Er cradling its wine bowl and drinking with relish, the little guy seemed to get interested too. Its small eyes fixed on Hah'Er's bowl, its neck stretching out involuntarily. The intoxicating aroma of the Monkey Wine was so tempting it was practically drooling!

"Hmph!" Hah'Er quickly turned away, shielding its wine bowl with a paw. It let out a series of grunts and mutters, as if to say, 'You're still just a kid! How can you drink alcohol?' The poor little black bear could only shrink back dejectedly and turn its attention to the candied sweet potatoes Hou Longtao had just placed in its bowl.

'Sigh, I can't tell if you're really looking out for the little black bear or if you just want more Monkey Wine for yourself,' Shen Yibin couldn't figure out Hah'Er's true intentions. Fortunately, the little black bear quickly refocused on the delicious food, burying its head in its bowl and munching away nonstop. In no time, its belly was round and full.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Shen. Longtao has a tutoring class this afternoon, so we won't impose any longer. Next time we're free, we'd like to treat you and Hah'Er to a meal, if you'd be willing to grace us with your presence." After the meal, Mr. Hou stood up to leave.

"I'll be around the zoo a lot recently. Let's talk about it if we run into each other," Shen Yibin replied casually. Judging by the look of their family of three, they probably went to the zoo often.

"Then it's a date!" Mr. Hou shook Shen Yibin's hand, waved to Hah'Er and the little black bear, and then led Longtao and Monkey Mother downstairs to their car and headed home.

Hou Longtao's family of three left, but the little black bear was still in the shop. Shen Yibin patted its head and asked, "Where do you want to go play this afternoon? I can take you."

The little black bear instinctively opened its mouth to bite, but Hah'Er smacked it back with a paw, saving Shen Yibin's hand. 'Dammit, I'm so used to being around Hah'Er and the others that I forgot this little black bear isn't from the Future Pet Shop. Its wild nature hasn't been completely tamed, so it's still a little dangerous.'

'Well, in that case, it's probably impossible to expect it to have any ideas. Let's just go play in the countryside. Now that I have my own base of operations, it's much more convenient to have fun.' So, Shen Yibin called over Xiaoliu and Maphario, had Hah'Er lead the little black bear into the car, and they all headed for the manor.

Once at the manor, they found Bald Qiang and his mate in the stream. The whole group of animals began to play boisterously, drawing sideways glances from the Disney staff who were building the amusement park facilities nearby.

Scarf ran off to swim in the Yunshui River again, racing against Bald Qiang and his mate to see who was faster. Xiaoliu climbed to the top of the Totem Pole to survey the surroundings, and Hah'Er, after a moment's thought, took the little black bear to the riverbank to catch fish.

The two "bear kids" stood in the shallows by the river's edge, staring unblinkingly into the water. Whenever a fish swam by, they would smack it onto the bank with a single swipe. In no time, the little guys' paws were covered in fish blood.

'Huh, seeing this, maybe I should rename these two the Bloody Bear Duo?' Shen Yibin mused, stroking his chin.