Future Pet Shop

"Ugh, you navigated that whole complicated maze just fine. How did you get stuck the moment we got out?" Shen Yibin sighed, exasperated. He stepped forward to free Carmen from the bushes, but the moment he set the dog down, it tried to charge straight ahead again. Alarmed, Shen Yibin quickly yanked the leash. 'With so many trees ahead, aren't you just asking to get stuck?!'

"Come on, this way! Why do you have to charge into the woods when there's a perfectly good path right here? What is wrong with you?" Shen Yibin shook his head helplessly, gripping the leash tightly. He pulled the reluctant Carmen onto the main path and led him in a wide arc around the bushes. They finally made it to the riverbank without further trouble. After a few calls to gather everyone, the group prepared to get to work.

Xiaoliu stood in the river, holding a sharp stick. Hah'Er held up a paw, staring intently at the water's surface without blinking. The Bald Qiang couple leaped into the river, one upstream and one downstream, herding fish toward Hah'Er and Xiaoliu. Maphario lay on the sand, watching them. By the barbecue grill, Shen Yibin washed the freshly dug Winter Bamboo Shoots, planning to make a soup with them. Meanwhile, Egg and Carmen squatted nearby, looking utterly confused and not knowing what to do.

Hah'Er was the first to spot a target. With a mighty slap of his paw, a fish flew onto the sand, its white belly showing. Before Maphario could even move, Egg charged forward, pinned the small fish down, and started chomping on it. Fish and shrimp were part of his diet, after all, and he was hungry.

"Egg, can't you just wait a moment! How can raw fish taste better than grilled fish?" Shen Yibin facepalmed, at a loss for words. 'How long has it been? Have you completely forgotten my cooking skills?'

"Gah?" Egg froze for a moment. He looked at Shen Yibin's barbecue grill, then back at the fish that was now half-eaten. After a moment of hesitation, he made a difficult decision. Holding the half-eaten fish in his beak, he went over to Shen Yibin, stretched out his neck, and offered it to him.

'You've already mauled it. What am I supposed to do with it? Did you really expect someone to eat your leftovers?' Shen Yibin didn't know what to say. After a long pause, he finally managed, "Sigh... just finish that one. But don't touch the next ones, okay? Wait until I've grilled them. Be good now, just wait here. The lamb skewers will be ready soon!"

"Gah!" Egg seemed to understand, obediently squatting down by Shen Yibin's feet. However, when Xiaoliu tossed a large fish onto the bank, Egg couldn't resist. He was about to dash for it, but before he could get close, Carmen intercepted him. 'Hmph. He's finally acting like a proper dog,' Shen Yibin thought.

"Lord Egg, please don't worry. Mr. Bin will have it ready for you soon," Sakai Kaori said soothingly as she walked over with a bucket and dropped the fish inside.

"Here, Egg, have a drink of this first!" Seeing that the little guy was too restless, Shen Yibin decided to pour him a cup of Monkey Wine. He knew this fellow was a huge lush. Sure enough, as soon as Egg caught the scent of the alcohol, he forgot everything else and scurried over. He hugged the cup, taking tiny sips, and peace was finally restored to the beach.

Before long, Xia Shixuan and Bai Yanni arrived with their friends, and the beach instantly became more lively. Shen Yibin's skewers were grilled, the fish caught by Xiaoliu and Hah'Er were plentiful, and the whole group gathered to enjoy the feast. The aromas of grilled meat, mellow Monkey Wine, and fresh Winter Bamboo Shoots mingled together, whetting everyone's appetites.

"Gah! Gah!" Egg had forgotten all about his drink. He held a skewer of grilled fish in his flippers, huffing on it to cool it down. But he couldn't resist the tempting aroma and took a bite, only to squawk as the heat burned him. Hah'Er and Xiaoliu, on the other hand, were used to this. They held their skewers patiently, taking small bites, their eyes narrowing in bliss at the delicious flavor. The Bald Qiang couple didn't like meat, but they were quite happy with the grilled cauliflower and chives. Maphario was contentedly munching on roasted peanuts, while Carmen preferred the meat skewers.

Cheeky's new bird companion, Marc, had finally arrived. Cheeky was on a branch, chirping away at Marc about who-knows-what, but it seemed Marc was not a fan of the chatter. Although Marc didn't talk back, its beak was razor-sharp. THWACK! THWACK! It pecked the branch right beside Cheeky twice, leaving two deep holes. Cheeky instantly fell silent.

After a few skewers of grilled fish and several cups of wine, the moon gradually rose above the mountain peaks. The moment he saw the moon, Egg grew ecstatic. He started slapping his belly wildly with his flippers, squawking as he began a frenzied dance on the sand. This reminded Shen Yibin of the time Egg's dancing had caused his bed to collapse.

Infected by Egg's enthusiasm, the atmosphere on the beach turned frenetic. Hah'Er and Xiaoliu, always ready for a bit of fun, joined the dance. Cheeky hummed a cheerful tune to provide a soundtrack. Xia Shixuan and Mo Xiaomo, two girls who loved a good night out, also began to sway their hips.

Fortunately, Shen Yibin didn't have any neighbors, or they would have surely gotten a noise complaint. The revelry lasted until about ten o'clock at night. By then, everyone was full of food and drink and had exhausted their energy, so the party slowly wound down.

"You've all been drinking, so don't go home tonight. Just stay over here, I have plenty of rooms anyway." As the party broke up, Shen Yibin directed the cleanup effort while arranging for his guests to stay in the villa. It wasn't the first time for any of them, so they helped one another to their familiar rooms.

The humans were easy to manage, but Egg was a different problem. 'The guy's snores are thunderous; no one could sleep in the same house as him!' After some thought, Shen Yibin had no choice but to ask Sakai Kaori to stick him in the attic.

After taking care of everything, it was time for Shen Yibin to head back as well. He rubbed his throbbing temples and groggily took hold of Carmen's leash. "Let's go, we're heading back!"

"Woof!" Carmen immediately got to his feet and began to trot, pulling Shen Yibin along on the way back.

"Hey, this time... don't get stuck! I can't rescue you now," Shen Yibin said, swaying unsteadily. He'd had a bit too much to drink. Hah'Er and Xiaoliu were in a similar state; the two of them were wobbling so much it was obvious they hadn't held back. Everyone else had already returned to their rooms, so whether Shen Yibin could make it back safely was all up to Carmen.

For some reason, Carmen didn't head for the bushes this time. Instead, he smoothly led Shen Yibin and the others straight back to the villa along the main path.

Huh? Seeing what just happened and thinking back to the incident before the barbecue, Shen Yibin seemed to realize something. But before he could think it through, the alcohol hit him full-force. He collapsed face-first onto the bed and started snoring.