Future Pet Shop

"Hah’Er, say goodbye. We should head back. We can come find it and play another day," Shen Yibin said. He figured it probably wouldn’t be so easy to bring the little black bear out next time. ’Those two big black bears definitely seemed a little angry today.’

"Mhm!" Hah’Er came out, leaned against the railing, and waved his paw at the little black bear. The little bear seemed to understand Hah’Er was leaving and drew near, unwilling to part. The two furry creatures lingered for quite a while before finally separating.

"You’ll probably get to see him often in a little while, so don’t be so heartbroken." Shen Yibin patted Hah’Er’s head. ’Once the research institute is built, I’ll have to come here frequently. Hah’Er will be able to play with this little guy all the time then. I just wonder when this little black bear will become as smart as Hah’Er... and when that happens, what kind of owner should I find for him? For some reason, Hou Longtao’s face suddenly popped into my head. They’d make a pretty good pair, wouldn’t they?’

It was already late by the time they got back to the shop. After squatting by the freezer to feed Scarf some ice cream, Shen Yibin took Hah’Er and Maphario to his room to go to sleep.

The next morning, he woke up, had breakfast, and went to the park for his workout. Upon returning, he flopped lazily onto the sofa. The promotional tour for *Panda Hero* was over, and preparations for the research institute still needed some time, so Shen Yibin finally had a break. But after just one morning of doing nothing, he was already bored.

"Hah’Er, where should we go play this afternoon?" ’It’s no fun just hanging around the shop. Maybe we should go out for a stroll this afternoon? We don’t need to go to the estate since we were just there yesterday. Let’s find somewhere new. How about a hot spring bath? Hmm, Scarf probably wouldn’t like that.’

"Let’s go! We’ll go shopping. The other day I just bought you new clothes, but it feels like you’re missing something to go with them. Let’s go look around." After mulling it over for a moment, Shen Yibin had an idea. ’The New Year is almost here. Hah’Er has new clothes and new sunglasses, but something still feels missing. Now that we have a fashion expert like Scarf with us, we should hurry out and see what we can find!’

He got up and looked around. Bald Qiang and his wife were still at the estate with Wen Yuan. Xiaoliu seemed to have had too much to drink at noon and was currently snoring away in his hammock. So, Shen Yibin had no choice but to take Hah’Er, Maphario, and Scarf out with him. This time, he didn’t feel like driving, so they just ambled slowly down the street. They popped into any interesting little shops they saw and tried any delicious-looking snacks they came across. It was a perfectly carefree journey.

The residents of Yunzhong City had grown accustomed to Shen Yibin and Hah’Er’s presence. When people saw them, they would just wave from a distance or snap a few pictures, never disturbing them. Shen Yibin was very happy about this.

Yunzhong City wasn’t very big. After about an hour of wandering, they reached the city’s busiest commercial street. Shen Yibin led them up a pedestrian overpass, planning to check out the shopping plaza on the other side.

"Scarf?" While they were on the overpass, Scarf slipped from his shoulder in a moment of inattention. Shen Yibin turned and saw the little fellow had run over to an old woman who had a stall set up on the bridge. Taking a closer look, he saw that the old woman had a full head of white hair and a deeply wrinkled face. She looked to be at least in her seventies.

’Sigh, it must be so hard for her to be out here, exposed to the elements at her age. I should see what she’s selling. I’ll help out if I can.’ Shen Yibin’s heart softened. He led Hah’Er over and crouched in front of the small stall to browse her wares. One look was all it took for him to be utterly stunned. He couldn’t help but ask, "Ma’am, did you make all of these yourself?"

The small stall was filled with handcrafted items woven from colorful knotted cords. They came in all sorts of shapes and were quite beautiful. There was a little yellow dog, sitting up with its tongue lolling out in a playfully cute pose. Beside it were several butterflies in various colors; even the intricate patterns on their wings had been woven in. At a glance, they looked so real you’d be afraid a loud noise might scare them into flying away. It wasn’t just animal figurines either. Next to them was a bunch of grapes; green cord had been woven into leaves, and beneath them hung plump, round, glistening purple grapes. Hah’Er, the big goof, seemed to think they were real and was lying on the ground staring intently at them.

There were also a black steed, a pink piglet, a bright red chili pepper, a lazy cat, and a tender white Rabbit... Every single one was astonishingly lifelike.

"Yes, dear. I made all of these with my own two hands." The old woman’s voice was weak, but Shen Yibin heard her clearly. He then noticed that her hands were currently entangled in cords of various colors and thicknesses as she worked on a new creation. From the shape that was already taking form, it looked like she was weaving a monkey.

’Huh, I wonder what Xiaoliu’s reaction would be if I bought this for him?’ Shen Yibin saw that the monkey was nearly complete, so he decided to wait and started chatting with the old woman. "Ma’am, isn’t it terribly difficult to be out here running a stall at your age?" ’Even though the weather is still fairly warm,’ he thought, ’being exposed to the wind and sun on top of this overpass can’t be good.’

"Sigh... what other choice is there? Our family depends on this meager income to survive." The old woman let out a soft sigh, her tone holding little resentment. It seemed she was already accustomed to this way of life.

"Um, what about your family? Don’t they look after you?" Shen Yibin started to get angry. ’She should have a house full of children and grandchildren by now, right? Anyone with an ounce of filial piety wouldn’t let her suffer like this!’

"There’s not many people left in the family..." Perhaps because it had been a long time since she’d had someone to talk to, the old woman seized the rare opportunity and began to tell Shen Yibin her story. Her son and daughter-in-law had died from illness many years ago, leaving her with only her young granddaughter. The girl was still in school. They received some welfare benefits, but it was just enough to cover food. If she wanted her granddaughter to continue her education, she had to find a way to earn money herself.

"Fortunately, my granddaughter is a good girl. She does well in school, and she comes here after class to help me out. The two of us rely on each other. It’s hard, but it’s a warm life," she said, then sighed. "It’s just that... people nowadays aren’t interested in these things anymore. Business is getting harder and harder."

’Sigh, what a tough life,’ Shen Yibin sighed in sympathy and began to wonder, ’Is there a way I can help her sell all of these things out quickly?’