Chapter 379: Identify Kittens Through Teeth
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The netizens started to share their own similar experiences when they saw the scene. As it turned out, a lot of people had encountered vendors who sold dyed chicks at the entrances to primary schools or junior high schools.
Because the dyed chicks were indeed very cheap, many people bought them and brought them home, but without exception, the chicks died within three days. Basically, they were too weak to consume any food the second day, and their bodies turned cold and stiff on the third day. Perhaps this had happened ten or twenty years ago, but everyone who had ever bought the chicks still remembered the sadness of keeping the chicks in their hands as they died.
What followed was the denunciation against the vendors, and even some indignant spectators suggested initiating a cyber manhunt on him, finding out where he lived and then splashing paint on his home at night, just like what he did to the chicks!
Surrounded by all kinds of pets, Snowy was dizzy, and she would consult with Zhang Zian when she saw some pets she didn’t know the names of.
Deng Jie had been impressed with the large size of the dog market when she visited in the past. Right now, she was looking around, trying to find the dog vendor who lied to her. However, the dog market was too large and there were so many people moving around. She couldn’t find the vendor at the moment.
Famous looked like a common German Shepherd, which was not surprising in the dog market and therefore did not attract too much attention. It calmly followed behind Zhang Zian, and occasionally paid attention to the movements of Snowy.
This would have been a good opportunity for Richard to show off its capabilities, but the weather was so cold that it shrank in Zhang Zian’s hood with its small head stretching out, looking at other parrots curiously and compassionately.
Zhang Zian used to know almost nothing about parrots, but after paying a trip to Phoenix House, he gained some knowledge about them more or less. Along the way, he saw several vendors selling parrots, basically limited to Green Budgies and Cockatiels, the two most common and the cheapest breeds, with the prices ranging from dozens of RMB to two hundred RMB. No wonder Guo Dongyue couldnn’t find the red-headed lovebirds that he wanted at this place…
The issues about parrots were complicated. With parrots of identical shapes but with different fur colors, such as Green Budgies and Skyblue Budgies, the price gap could be as large as one hundred times. He wondered if someone had thought of dyeing the Green Budgies into Skyblue Budgies…
Zhang Zian walked and discussed with Deng Jie about how she was frauded before. Snowy, who was walking in front of them, suddenly stopped and waved back to him. “Mr. Store Manager, come here. There are kittens for sale.”
Zhang Zian walked over briskly.
In front of Snowy, there were several iron cages of different sizes, with one or two kittens in each cage.
On the outskirts of the dog market were those peddlers selling dyed chicks, common goldfish, and rabbits that were cheap and could easily be sold every several minutes. When they walked closer to the core of the dog market, the prices of the pets got higher, and the customers became more cautious, considering and observing in front of the stands for a long time.
There was one young man and two young girls squatting in front of the cat selling stand, staring at the kittens in the iron cages. It seemed that they were fond of the kittens very much.
Seeing Snowy, the vendor greeted her passionately, “Hey, beauty! Do you like American Shorthairs? These are bred in my home, they are very clever! Would you like to buy one?”
Snowy squatted beside the two young girls, focusing her camera at the kittens in the cages, observing with great interests. Another youth saw the live broadcast on Snowy’s cellphone and raised his eyebrows. Just when he was about to say something, he saw Zhang Zian who was behind her, and swallowed by his words.
“Boss, are these American Shorthairs?” asked Snowy.
The kittens in the cage were very lovely. They had round eyes, black tiger stripes, and their white paws looked like they were wearing white gloves. They were opening their pink mouths and meowing, looking at Snowy from across the cage.
Though the vendor couldn’t recognize the international brands of Snowy’s clothes, he had recognized the latest Apple mobile phone in her hand and the Nike shoes on her feet. Together with her exquisite small face and delicate skin, he could tell that Snowy came from a rich family. He probably thought that such a rich girl might be stupid, so he treated her differently than the other two girls.
Without Snowy asking, he took the initiative to open one of the cages and took out the most beautiful kitten, and handed put it in her arms. The girls beside Snowy were very envious, but there was nothing they can do. One of them wanted to leave, but was halted by the other, meaning that if Snowy didn’t buy it, then they could have it.
“Come, touch it!” He said cheerfully, “This is an authentic American Shorthair and it’s completely different than the cheap cats outside. It is extremely well-behaved and clever—it’s imported from the United States! With its excellent conditions, it might be priced over RMB 4,000 in a pet shop!”
Holding this kitten in her arms, Snowy felt this kitten was really adorable with its big eyes and pink mouth, as if it was asking her to kiss it. It she had come to this stand without knowing about the scams, she might buy it in no time…
Seeing Snowy liking the kitten so much, the vendor chuckled, “I’m not a regular vendor here, I have to sell the kittens because there were too many at my home and I can’t afford to raise them all! I feel bad sending them away! If you like this one, you will only pay RMB 3,000! You can also have the cage!”
Zhang Zian and Deng Jie looked at each other. The vendor’s rhetoric was very similar to the one who deceived Deng Jie into buying a puppy. Both claimed that they couldn’t afford so many house pets and had to sell some.
Though Snowy loved the kitten, she did not forget the purpose of the trip. She also knew that the dog market was full of dirty businesses, but with Zhang Zian behind her, she was not afraid to be cheated anyway. She learned to haggle with the vendor like others, “Boss, RMB 3,000 is a little expensive, can it be cheaper?”
The vendor pondered for a moment and said like he was in a lot of pain, “If you are sincere in buying it, fine, RMB 2,500! Final offer!”
He glanced around alertly and said in a low voice, “But don’t tell anyone that you bought it at RMB 2,500, or else other peddlers will accuse me of selling the kittens too cheap and affecting their businesses. I’m telling you, I don’t expect I can earn much from these, I just hope these kittens can find good owners.”
Snowy nodded. She had gone to Zhang Zian’s pet shop several times, and gained some knowledge of American Shorthairs. She felt something was wrong. The kitten in her arms was too small and too light, only half the size of the kittens that were four to six months old in Zhang Zian’s pet shop.
“Boss, how old is this kitten? I’m afraid I can’t raise it well if it’s too little.” she asked.
“Six months. Rest assured, it’s very easy to raise this kitten, you just need to feed it some cat food. If you buy it, I can give you two packets of cat food, which would cost over RMB 100 at a pet shop, for free.” The vendor explained patiently, creating the illusion that the customer will benefit from the good deal.
Snowy remembered Zhang Zian mentioned that she should not buy a kitten that wasn’t old enough to wean, for it was hard for it to survive without its mother. And because of lacking sufficient social training imparted from its mother, it might have some bad habits. Snowy put her gloved left hand and waved it before the kitten’s mouth, and the seemingly well-behaved kitten opened its mouth and bit it. Thanks to the glove, she wasn’t injured, nor did she feel the pain.
“Boss, why is your kitten biting?” she straightened her face and asked seriously.
The vendor laughed, “It’s because you put your hand beside its mouth. It thought it was a fur ball! Relax, when it grows older and familiarizes with you, it won’t bite you anymore, no matter how you stroke it or tease it.”
“Is that so?” Snowy was full of questions. She hadn’t heard Zhang Zian talked about such issues, so she couldn’t tell whether the vendor was lying. She turned around, looking at Zhang Zian as if asking for his help.
Zhang Zian had remained silent for a long time, trying to figure out how many lies the vendor had prepared. Now that Snowy couldn’t handle the vendor anymore, he had to intervene.
“Let me see.” He took the kitten from Snowy.
After a few glances, he understood what was going on, and he deliberately said, “Boss, you kitten is less than six months old, right?”
The vendor had noticed Zhang Zian long time ago, but he was not sure whether Zhang Zian was with Snowy, and hadn’t greeted him. He responded indifferently, “Almost.”
“No, you kitten is three months old at most, probably less than three months old, for it has not started changing its milk teeth.” He hugged the kitten, gently poked open its lips, and let Snowy aim the camera at its teeth.
“These are not milk teeth, they are permanent teeth.” The vendor frowned at the young man next to him and insisted, “Do you know anything about cats at all? If not, put it down and stop talking. I have a business to run.”
Zhang Zian ignored him and explained to Snowy, “The kittens usually start changing teeth at three or four months of age and milk teeth will be completely replaced by permanent teeth when they are six months old. The gums will be swollen during teeth replacement. You see, the gums are still normal, indicating that it’s less than three months old.”
“And it was separated from its mom at such a young age…” said Snowy painfully. Thinking that she was still living with her mother at this age, her heart ached even more since this kitten less than three months old was forced to leave its mom…
“More crucially,” Zhang Zian shook his head, “This is not an American Shorthair at all, it’s a Dragon Li.”
Hearing his remark, the vendor’s expression changed greatly. The two young girls were also shocked, and then began to whisper. It seemed that they were inclined to believe Zhang Zian’s words. Moments ago, they wanted to leave the stand because they were treated differently than Snowy, and now, they decided to stay and figure out what happened.
As if losing interest, the silent young man went away and took out his cell phone. After verifying his identity, he accessed the WeChat Group Chat for Dog Market Trading and sent a message.
“Everyone, attention! Stop talking nonsense now. Someone is making troubles.”
