Chapter 29: Two Customers
Translator: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh
Zhang Zian felt heartbroken! He had just sold one British Shorthair for seven thousand yuan, but now he had spent half of it. It wouldn’t bother him at all if it had been for Galaxy. He would pay any amount, no matter if it was three thousand or seven thousand. Poor Galaxy! But this Maneki-Neko was very aggressive and didn’t seem to have been mistreated. Its hair color was beautiful and couldn’t be any brighter.
"Navigation Elf, how come I got two cats in a row? Do you not have any other types of animals in your database?" he asked.
[Navigation Elf]: Humans are the spirit of all living things. Pets can become mythical creatures due to the belief of humans. Because cats and dogs are in contact with humans more often, they are more likely to become mythical creatures. However, there are many other types of pets in the database, waiting for the player to explore.
[Navigation Elf]: Another thing I want to mention is that, between your two current pets, the Maneki-Neko is the only cat that existed in real life. The Lucky Cat looks like a cat but is not a real one. Strictly speaking, it is just using a cat’s appearance and posture.
"A cat that existed in real life…" Zhang Zian thought for a moment, but he couldn’t find the clue, so he decided to improve his favorability level in order to unlock the origin.
Zhang Zian hadn’t gone out that often before, so today he decided to go home after having his lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Afterwards, he took the public bus back to the Amazing Fate Pet Shop. In front of the shop, he found two middle-aged women having a conversation. One of the women was with a four- or five-year-old girl.
Was the woman from the neighborhood a.s.sociation, coming to ask for his a.s.sociation fee?
He was about to go someplace else to avoid her, but after careful observation, these two middle-aged women were not wearing any neighborhood a.s.sociation badges…
Since they were not from the neighborhood committee, were they… customers?
Zhang Zian walked over and asked, "Can I help you?"
The middle-aged women with a child was Zhao Qi’s neighbor. Her name was Liu Wenying. Her daughter’s nickname was Yueyue. Since the last time they had met Zhao Qi and her British Shorthair, Yueyue had kept asking for a cat.
Usually, Liu Wenying would not buy anything right away that Yueyue was asking for. After a few days or a few months, Yueyue would forget what she had asked for earlier. However, this time was different. Yueyue liked that cat very much and had been crying day and night asking for one. Even her husband had surrendered and asked her to take Yueyue to get one over the weekend. She got the Amazing Fate Pet Shop’s address from Zhao Qi through WeChat. Then, after having lunch, she took Yueyue down to the store. Unfortunately, the pet store was closed. She peeked through the gla.s.s door but found no one inside.
"Yueyue, there is n.o.body inside, should we come back another day?" she comforted her daughter.
"No, no, I want a kitty!" Yueyue squatted down, mad, and did not want to leave.
While Liu Wenying was having difficulty with her daughter, she heard someone speak.
"Excuse me, is this the Amazing Fate Pet Shop?"
She turned around and saw a woman whose age was similar to hers, in a fairly plain outfit.
"Yes," she replied.
"Are you the owner?" the other woman asked.
"No." To avoid a misunderstanding, she quickly explained, "I am here to check out the pets too, but the store is closed…"
"Oh…" The other woman sounded a bit disappointed after hearing her reply.
"Are you also here to check out the pets?" Liu Wenying asked.
"Yes, I saw some online reviews saying that this pet store was pretty good, so I just wanted to check it out… What about you?" the other woman responded.
"Me too, my friend recommended this place to me," Liu Wenying replied.
The woman who had just arrived was the original poster who posted <> at the w.a.n.g Haige forum. Her name was Deng Jie.
Deng Jie did not check the w.a.n.g Haige forum often, just going there sometimes when needed. That night, she finished posting and, after receiving a few replies and suggestions, left the page. Hence, she did not know her post had become the fuse of a cyber war.
She wrote down the names of a few shops mentioned on the forum and utilized the map to locate their positions. She then decided to choose the weekend to do some shopping. The Amazing Fate Pet Shop was her fourth stop. Before this, she had already been to Stars Pet Chain Supermarket and two other pets stores, but she still couldn’t make up her mind. She did not know much about cats but thought every cat was adorable.
Deng Jie gained a bit more confidence about this store when she met Liu Wenying and her daughter, seeing them also waiting in front of the store although it was closed.
The two similarly aged women started chatting about topics such as their husbands, kids, product prices, housing prices, food prices, their pasts, and the future. The more they chatted, the closer they felt to each other, even regretting not having met earlier. Time pa.s.sed by unconsciously and quickly.
Deng Jie knew that Liu Wenying came here because of her friend’s recommendation. Liu Wenying knew that Deng Jie came here because of a referral online. Both of them felt pretty confident about this shop, although they did not realize that both of their referral sources were the same person, Zhao Qi…
While they were chatting, Zhang Zian walked by. Liu Wenying told him enthusiastically, "The store is closed."
Zhang Zian nodded and responded, "I know."
"Are you also coming here to buy pets?" Deng Jie asked.
"No… I am the owner," he replied.
Liu Wenying and Deng Jie were surprised, but they looked at each other with a smile. They would not be wasting their visits today and were finally able to get into the store. However, they were a bit worried because the owner looked pretty young, and they wondered if he was capable enough to run the store.
Zhang Zian didn’t know what had happened today. Two customers just showed up together. Could it be the instant impact from the Maneki-Neko? Maybe it was the aftermath from Galaxy’s sudden glance? He took out the key and then unlocked and opened the door.
"Please come inside. The store is small and simple. I hope you don’t mind."
Following the clear and melodious bell ringing, the Siamese cat and Samoyed noticed that customers were coming and excitedly ran around inside the display cabinet.
"Please help yourself," Zhang Zian said.
Although hearing the good feedback from Zhao Qi, Liu Wenying and Deng Jie were still astonished by the fact that there was only one cat, one dog, and one hamster in the store.
Zhang Zian noticed their facial expressions and explained, "I am the only one here in the store, so it would be impossible for me to take care of a lot pets at once. Please let me know if there any pets you might be interested so I can go and get them for you in person. All pets in the store were handpicked by me. The pet’s health and appearance are guaranteed. You can even request the age and fur color of your pet."
Liu Wenying had a lot confidence, as not only had Zhao Qi told her nice things about the store, but she also saw Zhao Qi’s British Shorthair with her own eyes, so she responded to Zhang Zian first, "My neighbor who lived below bought a British Shorthair from here. That one was so cute and well behaved. My child loved it at first sight. I was wondering if you could find a similar type for us."