Chapter 509: A Class on Animal Raising
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The evening came earlier during the winter. The sun had fallen below the horizon when Zhang Zian woke up from his nap on the recliner.
There were fewer customers during the weekdays and the pet shop was very quiet. Old Time Tea was watching TV, with the volume turned down low. Lu Yiyun was drawing in the outer area of the shop. Fina was sleeping with a twitching tail. Snowy Lionet was napping too and mumbling horrifying things in her sleep like, “castrate it and cut it into small pieces and serve it as a cold dish.” Even the usually energetic Galaxy was asleep. As for Richard… Zhang Zian woke up and realized that the b*tchy bird was still hung upside down on the second floor. Famous was sound asleep next to his recliner. After all, it had been exhausted up until recently, and deserved to take a good rest.
Wang Qian and Li Kun didn’t come in that day. Just like any college student, they were frantically making last minute efforts to study before their final exams. They would be free after that, as long as they passed all of the exams. Zhang Zian wondered exactly how many subjects they’d be able to pass, especially considering the fact that Wang Qian and Li Kun were addicted to browsing the internet and cultivating their skills…
In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of December. Christmas and New Year’s were both just around the corner. These two holidays should have nothing to do with Zhang Zian, since he was a bachelor, right?
Wrong! They did have something to do with him!
A bright idea occurred to Zhang Zian. On Christmas Eve and on Christmas, the prices of all the pets and pet supplies in his shop would be temporarily increased by 20%. All of the men in love would be willing to pay any price for their lovers. The men wanted to give them everything they wanted during the holidays. It was a brilliant way to increase the profits of his pet shop and to take advantage of those couples at the same time. He thought this was an excellent approach, so he wanted to share it with someone. He looked around and saw that everyone was still sleeping, and gave up.
The retired police dog, Zhan Tian, was curled up in the corner of the shop. It looked up whenever it heard the slightest sound, as if it needed to be ready to escape at any moment. Zhang Zian glanced at it and wondered what he could do to make it feel calmer. Since he had nothing better to do at the time, he sent a message and the consultation fees to Sun Xiaomeng, asking her how to treat animals suffering from PTSD.
Reluctant as he may be, Zhang Zian knew that he should pay the consultation fees for Sun Xiaomeng. The pets in his shop were more expensive than other pet stores because Zhang Zian had the confidence and knowledge to pick out the right pets for his customers. Hence, the prices of his pets reflected his abundant levels of pet related knowledge. In the same sense, Sun Xiaomeng’s knowledge shouldn’t be taken for free.
Sun Xiaomeng thankfully accepted the consultation fees and said that the answer was very simple. Research on animal PTSD in China had just started, and there weren’t many medicines suitable for animals. However, another treatment method was simply exercising with their owners. For both humans and animals, exercise was the best mind soothing medicine. While exercising, animals could rebuild their dependence and trust in human beings.
Exercise… Zhang Zian stared at his phone and considered it. In this case, hide and seek would be considered a type of exercise. He had chose to play hide and seek with Galaxy before, which was in line with the treatment of PTSD. While playing, Galaxy had rebuilt its reliance and trust in human beings, and then unlocked its real name. Zhang Zian was so lucky!
The room grew colder as the sun went down. If Zhang Zian kept lying on the recliner, he might catch a cold. He rubbed his tired eyes and set aside the breeding manual that Kathy had left. He was quite energetic around noon, but he became drowsy after looking over the pedigree graph. It was as incredibly dense and he unawarely started falling asleep.
He turned up the heater, stretched, and stood up from the recliner. Then he headed outside for some fresh air. When he pushed open the door, the cold air filled the the room. Lu Yiyun looked up at him, then bent back down to continue sketching. Jasmine was lying on her lap, providing warmth to her like a heating pad.
It’s wasn’t rush hour yet and there were only a few pedestrians and vehicles on the street. Several students carrying backpacks had left school early and were speedily passing by the front of his shop.
The clothes Zhang Zian had on were thin. As he shivered in the cold wind, his drowsiness vanished instantly. Just as he was about to go back into his shop and warm himself up, he heard a snappy voice shout, “Wow! It’s Mr. Store Manager! Long time no see!” He looked back. As it turned out, the voice belonged to Little Celery.
Little Celery was wearing an orange down jacket, and under the setting sun, her face was rosy. She looked at Zhang Zian with surprise and greeted him from a distance.
“Little Celery, long time no see.” He waved his hand at her with a smile. “Are classes over?”
Little Celery was walking home with another young girl. Walking hand in hand, it seemed like they were close friends.
That short-haired girl was wearing a pair of glasses. Lips pressed tightly together, she seemed like a serious model student. Somehow, this little girl reminded Zhang Zian of Sun Xiaomeng. It was probably because they both had the unexplainable temperament of a dedicated student.
Little Celery grabbed the girl and ran towards Zhang Zian. The girl suspiciously and attentively watched Zhang Zian, as if he were a dangerous stranger. To be honest, Zhang Zian was quite offended by her expression.
“Good evening, Mr. Store Manager!” Little Celery stopped in front of the pet shop and greeted Zhang Zian. It had been a while since they last saw each other and yet she was just as vibrant and lively as before.
“Good evening, Little Celery. Is this your classmate?” Zhang Zian asked.
“Um, she’s a new transfer student at our school. Her name’s Wang Yaning. She’s an excellent student and she’s already become our class biology representative! It happened as soon as she transferred!” said Little Celery speaking quickly. Her voice was brisk.
“Hi, Wang Yaning. My name is Zhang Zian, and I’m the owner of this pet shop.” Zhang Zian tried to act friendly towards her.
Wang Yaning, a child, pushed up her glasses and seriously asked him, “Do you have Lolita complex?”
“Absolutely not!” Zhang Zian was shocked by her bold question. He wondered where this bright student had heard of such a term at her young age.
“Sure. I don’t believe you,” said Wang Yaning coldly. “I’ll be watching you. And I’ll call the police immediately if I see you doing anything inappropriate.” She took a cell phone from out of her pocket. She had already dialed the three numbers of 911 and all she needed to do now was to press the “call” button.
This little girl’s threat intimated Zhang Zian.
Little Celery winked. She was also still confused, so she asked, “What is Lolita complex?”
“Little Celery, that you don’t need to know.” Zhang Zian quickly changed the topic. “Are you passing by my shop on your way home?”
The innocent Little Celery was indeed naïve. Having already forgotten the question she just asked, she said with her two pigtails moving in the wind, “No, I brought Yaning here on purpose today.”
“Is that so? Well, let’s go inside and talk since it’s so cold outside.” Zhang Zian pointed to his shop and tried to stay away from Wang Yaning as much as possible. She was like a ticking time bomb to him.
“Great! Come on, Yaning, I’ll introduce you to Xiao Ling and Er Duo!” Little Celery pulled Wang Yaning through the door and entered the shop.
Wang Yaning hesitated at first. But as soon she saw Lu Yiyun, who was silently drawing behind the cash register, she calmed down a bit, and walked alertly behind Little Celery.
After the two little girls entered his shop, Zhang Zian looked around self-consciously, praying that no one took Wang Yaning’s words seriously. Otherwise, his reputation as a good man would be ruined. Fortunately, there were only a few people still on the road close by.
Despite being misunderstood by Wang Yaning, on the other hand, it was actually a good thing that she was that way. Little Celery was too naïve and the people in society were overly complicated. Zhang Zian was worried about her getting cheated. Accompanied by the extremely watchful Wang Yaning, Little Celery would be much safer.
He followed them into the shop. After saying hello to Lu Yiyun, Little Celery went into the inner area of the store. In front of the hamster and the lop-eared rabbit showcases, Little Celery was talking excitedly to Wang Yaning.
When Zhang Zian had gone to shoot the movie at Binhai Studio, he had to to leave the shop early every morning, and Little Celery was only able to meet Lu Yiyun. With her cheerful and outgoing personality, Little Celery slowly became very close to Lu Yiyun.
No matter how vigilant she was, Wang Yaning was still just a little girl. It was the first time she had ever visited this store. She opened her mouth in surprise when she first saw the kittens that were chasing each other around, and the puppies with big shiny eyes in the display cases. Without thinking, she’d put down her phone. She was enchanted by the pet shop.
Little Celery introduced her to the hamster and the lop-eared rabbit, telling her how lovely they were and how they could talk.
As their class biology representative and as a good student, Wang Yaning certainly did not believe that the hamster and the rabbit could talk. But she was smart enough not to challenge her friend and just listened quietly.
Zhang Zian was squatting beside the electric heater to warm his hands without interrupting their conversation. He walked slowly towards them until Little Celery waved him over. Wang Yaning’s stare was as sharp as a knife. Zhang Zian stopped automatically when he reached a safe distance from her. He asked, “What happened, Little Celery?”
Little Celery joyfully said, “Mr. Store Manager, our classmates would like to keep some of the hamsters and rabbits!”
“Hamsters and rabbits? Why?” Zhang Zian asked, confused.
“Um…um…” Little Celery blushed and couldn’t say the reason clearly. She turned to her friend Wang Yaning for help. “Yaning, please tell him!”
Wang Yaning cleared her throat and seriously said, “According to the overall planning of the Municipal Board of Education, our school is going to experimentally set up a hobby club of animal breeding and a class on animal raising next semester. We are currently seeking student and parent opinions to see what kind of animals everyone wants to get. Some people said that we should keep chicken and ducks, while others said that we should raise dogs and cats, and classmate Cai Xiaoqin said that… “
“Just call me Little Celery! That’s what all my friends call me!” Little Celery interrupted.
Wang Yaning was not used to this and she said, “Classmate Little Celery…”
Zhang Zian could not help but laugh. He wondered where Wang Yaning had learned to be so professional and meticulous.
Wang Yaning glared at him and continued, “Classmate Little Celery wants to raise hamsters and rabbits, and has strongly recommended your pet shop, so here we are. But it seems that the majority of your pets are cats and dogs, and that you only have one hamster and one rabbit?”
“That’s Xiao Ling and Er Duo!” Little Celery corrected her.
Wang Yaning hesitated a moment and then changed her wording. “The only hamster and rabbit you have are Xiao Ling and Er Duo?”
“So that’s why you’re here …” Zhang Zian understood their intentions. “Although I mostly have cats and dogs, I can get some hamsters and rabbits for you if you want.” He didn’t know whether the hamsters and rabbits at the Pets’ Home Breeding Base had been sold out, but he could help them find some if they wanted him to.
“We haven’t decided what animals to raise, nor will we necessarily buy the pets from you.” Wang Yaning stressed, “We’re just here to browse.”
“What do you think we should raise, Mr. Store Manager?” Little Celery asked him, hoping that his answer would be hamsters and rabbits.
Zhang Zian thought for a moment, and then replied just as Little Celery expected. “If those are your options, I suggest you raise hamsters and rabbits.” Before he hardly finished speaking, he noticed Fina’s stinging glare, but didn’t mind it because he thought it was amusing.
Little Celery was cheerful about gaining Zhang Zian’s support, but Wang Yaning frowned and asked, “Why?”
Zhang Zian had tried to have a say on the Municipal Board of Education. The policy enacted by the Municipal Board of Education was to encourage children get close to, understand, and love nature, as well as enhance their sense of responsibility in the process of taking care of small animals. However, there was the default knowledge that keeping small animals wouldn’t interfere too much with the children’s studies. Otherwise, the resistance from their parents would be a problem.
Zhang Zian explained, “There are many reasons. For example, cats and dogs are not suited to be raised by many people. They only listen to the orders from their owners and prefer to be kept at home. There are also security issues.”
There were very few cat owners who had never been scratched by their cats, and dog owners were occasionally bitten by their dogs. However, parents would be furious if the publicly owned cats and dogs at school had scratched or wounded their children.
Little Celery did not understand what he meant, but Wang Yaning seemed to have understood and said, “What about chicken and ducks?”
“Chicken and ducks are also unsuitable because they’re so noisy and will disturb the peace and quiet of the school. In comparison, rabbits have no vocal cords and hamsters only have small voices, so rabbits and hamsters will not irritate the other students or teachers.” Zhang Zian asked her instead, “Are you just raising the animals, or will you also help them reproduce?”
“Yes, we will.” Wang Yaning nodded. “Don’t underestimate us!”
“Well, in that case, you shouldn’t raise chicken or ducks, because they are—”
“Oviparous animals?” Wang Yaning chimed in.
Zhang Zian admired this little girl. She deserved to be the biology representative of her class. He remembered that when he was in primary school, all he knew was that chicken and ducks were animals that laid eggs. He was so embarrassed.
“Yes, and oviparous animals are not as convenient as viviparous mammals when it comes to reproduction. Do you understand?” he asked.
“I said don’t underestimate me!” Wang Yaning frowned. “In fact, I also think we should raise hamsters and rabbits, but I haven’t decided what kinds we should choose.”
Zhang Zian thought that if she kept frowning so frequently, she would have wrinkles on her forehead very soon.
“In that case, I can give you some advice,” he said.
