Future Pet Shop

’Sigh, and you call yourself a pure-bred black bear. How can your fishing skills be worse than your cousin Hah’Er’s?’ Shen Yibin thought. After watching for a while, he noticed the little black bear’s fishing efficiency was far below Hah’Er’s. It would often slap the water, sending a huge splash into the air, but the fish would easily escape. It took the cub several times more attempts than Hah’Er to get even a small catch.

’He’s probably been in the zoo for too long, and his wild instincts have atrophied,’ Shen Yibin mused. Although the Yunzhong City Zoo had been short on funds in the past, the basic food supply was always guaranteed. The little black bear spent every day there, waited on by the zookeepers. It lived a life of being fed on demand and sleeping after meals, so why would it ever need to worry about hunting? This innate instinct had faded from a lack of practice, which explained its current state.

"Hmph!" With a single slap, an unlucky fish went flying onto the sandy beach, belly-up. Hah’Er chuckled smugly. He then looked back at his cousin. SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH! The little bear was just sending water flying everywhere and had scared all the fish away long ago. How could he possibly catch anything like that? ’This won’t do.’ Hah’Er scratched his head, ambled downstream a bit to the little black bear’s side, and blocked the cub’s paws. He motioned for it to back up and watch his performance.

The little black bear quietly retreated, its two small, pitch-black eyes staring curiously at Hah’Er. Hah’Er let his front paws hang down naturally, bent over slightly, and stared at the river without blinking. After a moment, the water the little black bear had muddied gradually cleared. Soon, another unlucky fish that didn’t know the meaning of danger slowly swam in front of Hah’Er.

At that very moment, Hah’Er suddenly raised a paw and, with lightning speed, viciously slapped down at an angle. With a loud SMACK, the fish that had actively sought its own demise finally got its wish. It flew to the shore in a huge splash of water and had barely flopped twice before Maphario pinned it to the sand.

"Hmph!" Hah’Er proudly gestured to the little black bear, pantomiming his movements. Then he got up, gave the spot back to the cub, and returned to his position upstream. He stood there, watching the little black bear intently.

The little black bear, however, was completely dumbfounded. ’That doesn’t seem any different from what I was doing, does it? We both slap the water with our paws, but why did it take me so many tries to catch a fish, while this guy did it so easily?’ The little black bear wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed to begin with, and this whole ordeal left it even more confused. Its subsequent slaps were either too hard or too soft, at the wrong angle, or timed too early. It was having an even harder time than when it first started.

Seeing this, Hah’Er gave up on his own fishing and ran over to guide the little black bear personally. The two silly bears had a great time; after all, fishing is an instinct that runs deep in their bones. Under Hah’Er’s tutelage, the little black bear’s movements gradually started to look the part, and its fishing efficiency slowly improved.

Meanwhile, downstream, the race between the couple, Scarf and Bald Qiang, had also concluded. Bald Qiang’s large, paddle-like tail had played its part, putting him several body lengths ahead of Scarf by the time he returned to Shen Yibin’s side. Scarf wasn’t annoyed in the slightest. He climbed onto the bank, shook the water from his coat, and began to meticulously groom his fur. This little guy was extremely particular about his appearance and insisted on looking his absolute best at all times.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" At some point, Xiaoliu had also returned to Shen Yibin’s side. It chattered away, rubbing its belly and putting on a pitiful expression. The little fellow was clearly hungry.

"Alright, let’s have dinner right here. These fish will be more than enough for us." Shen Yibin lazily climbed up from the rock and went into the newly repaired villa. He brought out a full set of barbecue equipment he had stored there, borrowed some fruits and vegetables from the construction site, and started a fire by the river for a barbecue.

"Hmph!" The little black bear was hungry now, too. Seeing the fish in the bucket, it couldn’t possibly resist. It sidled over, about to snatch a couple, but Hah’Er stopped it. ’Raw fish isn’t nearly as tasty as grilled fish. You should wait a little longer!’ The little black bear flopped onto the ground with an aggrieved look, not understanding why Hah’Er wouldn’t let it eat.

"Here, the first skewer today is for our guest." The fish weren’t very large, so they grilled in no time. The first skewer was ready very quickly. Shen Yibin handed it directly to Hah’Er, letting him serve his relative.

The little black bear leaned in to sniff the grilled fish, and its small, black eyes instantly lit up. It devoured the whole thing in just a few bites, then immediately shuffled over to Shen Yibin. Squatting on the ground, it craned its neck to stare pitifully at the fish on the grill, its tongue constantly licking its lips. It clearly couldn’t wait for a second skewer.

After the cub had eaten three skewers in a row, the other pets finally couldn’t help but protest. Only then did Shen Yibin start handing out fish to Xiaoliu, Scarf, and the others. Each of them hugged their skewers and began to eat with relish. As for Bald Qiang and his mate, Shen Yibin grilled them some chives. He was rather curious if, after eating the chives, Bald Qiang would be so full of vigor tonight that he’d bring the whole villa down. If that happened, they’d probably have to start the laborious construction all over again.

Maphario, meanwhile, was perched on Shen Yibin’s shoulder, its small eyes fixed on the griddle. A few peanuts were roasting on it, which Shen Yibin flipped from time to time. Once he felt they were done, he would pick them up, soak them briefly in vinegar, and wait for them to become crisp before handing them to Maphario.

Shen Yibin himself occasionally grabbed a skewer and took a few bites. He and Hah’Er took turns flipping the various items on the grill. With a can of beer in one hand and a skewer in the other, he alternated between bites of food and sips of drink. Feeling the cool breeze and watching the western sunset, he felt this was the life.

"Alright, let’s pack up and head back. The little black bear’s parents are probably getting worried." Unfortunately, the cub wasn’t ready to spend a night in the wild yet, so Shen Yibin had to take it back. ’Otherwise, we could have just camped out here tonight,’ he thought.

After cleaning up the area, he brought the whole gang back to his shop, dropped off Xiaoliu and Scarf, then drove toward the zoo with Hah’Er and the little black bear.

When they arrived at the zoo, they went to the edge of Xiong Mountain. Shen Yibin had a zookeeper open the small gate, and Hah’Er led the little black bear inside with a swagger, still carrying the leftover grilled fish.

However, when the two adult black bears saw the cub, they seemed bewildered. ’This little one looks like our child, but... why does he smell all wrong?’

Oh, no. The little black bear’s parents didn’t recognize him!