Future Pet Shop

"Sure." How could Shen Yibin refuse such a kind offer? Besides, Egg enjoyed dancing anyway. He lifted his wrist, glanced at his watch, and said, "Let's go have some fun for a bit, then I'll take Egg home to cook. But I don't think we can make it tonight. I'm taking Egg somewhere else to have fun this evening. It's going to be in Yunzhong City for a few more days, so I can bring it over again tomorrow."

According to Shen Yibin's schedule, he was supposed to take Egg and Carmen to tour the manor in the afternoon and have an outdoor barbecue by the river. He'd also have Mr. Long Sheng and Marc come over to sculpt a statue of Egg. Oh, right, and he'd have to get one made for Carmen too, just to be fair. So, from afternoon until evening, Egg would be by the Yunshui River and probably wouldn't have time to come into the city.

"Is that so?" Mrs. Wang was a little disappointed, but just meeting Egg again was more than she could have hoped for. Besides, there was always tomorrow! "Alright then, let's head over now. The Spring Festival Square Dancing Competition is just around the corner, and we're rehearsing a new dance. But after working on it for so long, everyone is still a little dissatisfied. Thankfully, we ran into Egg. As long as Egg is willing to help, the championship will definitely belong to Baiyun Street again!"

"Bin, whatever you want for lunch, just come to our place and get it. If there's anything you're missing, I'll have my old man call the supplier and have them deliver it directly," the owner of the fruit and vegetable shop chimed in. The rest of the aunties also offered their own gifts, all for the sake of having Egg coach them for a little while longer.

After the pleasantries were exchanged, Egg, surrounded by the crowd, returned to its former battlefield. Mrs. Wang borrowed a table from a nearby shop and respectfully invited Egg onto it. "Please watch us practice first, and then give us some guidance." The music started, and dozens of aunties began their dance to the strongly rhythmic beat. Egg also began to wiggle its butt and dance along to the music.

At first, the aunties stuck to their own choreography, but upon seeing Egg's moves, Mrs. Wang was the first to start imitating it. One by one, the others followed suit, and gradually, more and more dancers joined in. The steps invented by Egg slowly replaced the old routine, and the crowd's enthusiasm soared.

'Sigh, I'm starting to feel sorry for the dance troupes from the other neighborhoods. Looks like they'll be stuck fighting for second place again.' Shen Yibin watched their passionate dancing and sighed for the other competitors. 'It's not that you all aren't working hard enough... you just can't stop Mrs. Wang's crew from using cheat codes.'

"Hm?" Hah'Er was also swept up in the enthusiasm. It trotted over to Egg on its short little legs and started dancing along. Carmen, however, remained unmoved, lying obediently at Shen Yibin's feet and watching them with curiosity.

"You don't like this?" Shen Yibin gently stroked Carmen's head. 'What is it you like to do? Please don't give me as much trouble as Xiaoliu and Shi Gaofei! My poor body really can't take it.'

"Okay, one more time! This time we'll practice the new moves, just like Egg is doing them. It's not every day it comes back to the country, so this is a rare opportunity. Everyone, watch carefully! And you over there filming, make sure you get the angles right! We need a high-quality recording. Tonight, we'll practice using the video!" At the end of the song, Mrs. Wang wiped away her sweat and continued to direct the troupe. Their square dancing team was very professional; they not only had professional sound equipment but also a dedicated person filming to help them correct mistakes. This setup was now perfect for capturing Egg's dance moves.

They practiced all the way until eleven o'clock before the group reluctantly dispersed. As each person passed by Shen Yibin, they repeatedly urged him, "Bin, we'll let it go for today, but you absolutely have to bring Egg over tomorrow!"

"Egg, what would you like to eat? I'll bring it for you tomorrow! It's winter now, so snakes are probably hard to find, right?" They actually remembered Egg's tastes. "But my grandson sent us a case of king crab. I'll bring it all for you tomorrow!" 'Wow, she's even willing to offer something that good to tempt Egg,' Shen Yibin thought. 'She really is the big boss of Baiyun Street!'

"Come on, Bin, I'm heading back to my shop anyway. I'll give you a ride! You can pick out some nice vegetables at my place." The owner of the fruit and vegetable shop insisted on driving them to her store, where she packed a huge pile of ingredients for Shen Yibin before finally dropping them all off at the pet shop. Her hospitality was simply overwhelming.

"Bin, come quick! See how great Sakai looks in her new clothes?" As soon as he returned to the shop, he saw Xia Shixuan snapping a whole flurry of pictures of Sakai Kaori, who had changed into a new outfit.

"Wow, this is so much more fashionable than when you wear a kimono!" 'Now *this* is how a girl in her early twenties should dress!' Shen Yibin gave a thumbs-up to Sakai Kaori, who was now in a youthful outfit. Sakai Kaori's face immediately turned red, though it was unclear whether it was from shyness or something else.

"You guys carry on, I'm going to make lunch." Back in the kitchen, he used the ingredients from the shop owner and the Winter Bamboo Shoots he had dug up in the bamboo forest to prepare a sumptuous feast. Everyone enjoyed a wonderful meal, and after a short rest, Shen Yibin prepared to take Sakai Kaori, Egg, and Carmen back to the manor. They had arrived the previous night and hadn't had a chance to look around yet.

"We're heading out first. You guys get off work a little early later and take Shi Xuan's car over to have dinner with us." After making the arrangements, Shen Yibin led the group back to the manor.

"Come on, up ahead is a pond with a couple of friends in it. Carmen, you can go meet them. Over here are the playground structures pruned by Disney; Egg can go play on them in a bit..." Shen Yibin began to show Sakai Kaori, Egg, and Carmen around the manor.

The tour wasn't over yet when Mr. Long Sheng and Marc arrived. He took a few photos of Carmen and Egg, then went off to the side with Bald Qiang and Marc to get to work.

It was still a bit early to prepare dinner, so Shen Yibin took Egg, Hah'Er, and Carmen to play on the Disney-pruned playground structures. "Egg, Carmen, do you want to try the Ferris wheel first, or the roller coaster?"

"WOOF! WOOF!" Carmen chose neither, instead setting its sights on the maze up ahead. Before Shen Yibin could even respond, it dove right in.

"Hey, whatever you do, don't get stuck!" Without a second thought, Shen Yibin quickly chased after it. But this maze, constructed from shrubbery, wasn't so simple. It took him a full half-hour just to find the exit.

He was almost out but still hadn't found any trace of Carmen. Shen Yibin couldn't help but wonder, 'Where on earth did that little guy go?'