Future Pet Shop

Believe it or not, Hah’Er’s method was actually working. It lay on the ground, butt in the air, and hadn’t scooted its nose along the dirt for very long before it started calling out happily, "Ooh! Ooh!" Before Shen Yibin could even do anything, it eagerly began digging at the soil with its own paws. Even though there were no bumps on the ground here, Shen Yibin was sure there had to be a bamboo shoot underneath.

"Here, move aside and let me do it." Without another word, Shen Yibin went over with his shovel. He followed the spot Hah’Er had started digging and continued downward. Sure enough, once he’d dug about twenty centimeters deep, a plump bamboo shoot appeared. He broke it off, tossed it to Hah’Er, and after searching along the bamboo rhizome for a bit, dug up three more shoots from the same patch.

"Alright, on to the next spot!" He filled the hole back in with dirt, wiped the sweat from his brow, and turned around to see Hah’Er clutching five or six plump bamboo shoots. Its arms were so full that it was struggling to move a single step, terrified of dropping its precious cargo. Maphario wanted to help carry the load, but one look at its own tiny frame told it that even giving its all, it could probably only manage one. Any more would be impossible.

"Hold on, I’ll go get a basket! We can dig up some more and have a Winter Bamboo Shoot feast for lunch!" Shen Yibin planned to make every single lunch dish out of Winter Bamboo Shoots. You had to eat them when they were fresh and tender; they were at their best right after being pulled from the earth. A day or two in the refrigerator and they would lose a good deal of their flavor. But leaving them in the ground wasn’t an option either. This was the exact time of year when Winter Bamboo Shoots were just starting to grow. If they waited until the shoots broke through the soil, they’d be a little too old. One shoot was already about to emerge, which meant the others couldn’t be far behind. The taste would change in as little as three days, so Shen Yibin knew he had to enjoy them as soon as possible.

"Bin, what are you guys doing out there?" He had only taken a few steps when he saw Director Kong waving at them from a second-floor window. He had already finished his shower.

"Hah’Er found something good in the bamboo forest!" Shen Yibin pulled a bamboo shoot from Hah’Er’s arms and held it up for Director Kong to see. "Perfectly in-season Winter Bamboo Shoots! They couldn’t be any fresher or more delicious. You’re in for a treat at lunch!"

"Wow, that really is something special!" Director Kong was a real connoisseur, with a deep appreciation for fine food; otherwise, he never would have become such good friends with Chef Bin. The sight of fresh Winter Bamboo Shoots immediately got him excited. "I’m coming down to help you guys."

"Hurry up, and grab a couple of baskets on your way down!" Shen Yibin called out. He took the bamboo shoots from Hah’Er and piled them on the ground. Hah’Er immediately got back into position, butt in the air, sniffing the soil inch by inch as it searched for the delicious bamboo shoots buried underground. Maphario hopped and skipped around it, darting to the base of one bamboo stalk to have a look, then to another. It seemed to know a different method for finding the shoots.

"Whoa, what’s Hah’Er doing? Why is it like that?" Director Kong, baskets in hand, hurried into the bamboo forest. He was completely dumbfounded by the sight of Hah’Er’s strange posture.

"It’s sniffing for bamboo shoots underground. See? The ones we just dug up are over there. Go ahead and put them in the baskets. We’re having a Winter Bamboo Shoot feast for lunch today." This Winter Bamboo Shoot feast was different from the "Panda Feast." While every dish in the Panda Feast contained bamboo shoots, some used fresh shoots while others used dried ones. For the feast he was planning today, Shen Yibin intended to use nothing but fresh Winter Bamboo Shoots. The other ingredients would also be completely different from the Panda Feast.

"Oh? Hah’Er can do that too?" Director Kong was astounded. ’Man, besides acting in movies and bringing good fortune, you even have this skill? What else are you hiding?’

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Before Shen Yibin could answer, Maphario began to chatter excitedly nearby. Seeing Shen Yibin look its way, the little creature gesticulated wildly toward the ground beneath its feet and started digging nimbly with its tiny paws. It, too, had located bamboo shoots, but by using certain features of the bamboo stalks visible above ground.

"There should be some here, too." Shen Yibin immediately went over to dig. This haul was even bigger than the last; he unearthed a full five Winter Bamboo Shoots, each one larger than those Hah’Er had found earlier.

"This little guy can do it, too!" Director Kong was at a loss for words. He dazedly picked up the Winter Bamboo Shoots and placed them gingerly into the basket, terrified of bruising them. The shoots were incredibly tender; the slightest knock would damage them, and any damage would inevitably affect the taste. As a connoisseur, he was well aware of this.

After that, a fierce competition broke out between Hah’Er and Maphario. One sniffed for the scent of the shoots, while the other located them based on features of the bamboo stalks. Shen Yibin followed behind them, constantly swinging his shovel, unearthing one plump, tender Winter Bamboo Shoot after another. In no time at all, they had filled Director Kong’s basket.

"Bin, this should be more than enough for us. Why don’t we stop here for today? We can dig up the rest tomorrow!" Although time was of the essence as the bamboo shoots grew by the minute, a day or two wouldn’t make a huge difference.

"No, we’re not making lunch here; we’re eating at the shop. This would be enough if it were just us, but it won’t be once you include everyone at the shop. Let’s dig some more!" ’It wouldn’t be right for just me, Sun Qian, Director Kong... oh, and Wen Yuan to enjoy this. Something this good had to be shared with everyone.’ It wasn’t just the four girls from the shop, either. Shen Yibin had already sent messages to Bai Yanni, Qiao Wenqi, Xu Ye, and a few others, inviting them all to the shop for lunch.

Today happened to be the weekend, so they were surely free. It seemed Lv Tiantian didn’t have her cram school session either. One basket definitely wouldn’t be enough for that many people! So, Hah’Er and Maphario resumed their search for any sign of bamboo shoots. The moment one of them found something, Shen Yibin would charge over with his shovel, and the unearthed shoots would be added to Director Kong’s basket.

They were making quite a racket, and before long, Fang Yuanshan and Murong Li came over to help. Many hands make light work, and soon they had gathered enough Winter Bamboo Shoots for the feast.

"Alright, this is enough. We’ll come back for the rest tomorrow!" Shen Yibin clapped his hands. "Hah’Er and I will go buy some other ingredients in a bit. Director Kong, you and Mr. Wen can take them to the shop first! You guys can take the Winter Bamboo Shoots with you, too! I’ll head over as soon as I’ve bought everything."

"No problem." Director Kong started directing everyone to carefully load the baskets into the car.

Meanwhile, Shen Yibin drove Hah’Er all over Yunzhong City in search of other ingredients. After crisscrossing more than half the city, he finally had everything he needed for the Winter Bamboo Shoot feast.

"Come on, give me a hand with this!" Back at the shop, Shen Yibin called everyone out to help him. They carried the many bags of ingredients, large and small, into the kitchen. "Today, I’m going to really show off my skills and whip up an entire Winter Bamboo Shoot feast for you all!"