Chapter 396: International Calls
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Soon, w.a.n.g Qian and Li Kun also arrived and conducted their routine cleanings, but they had already seen the statue of the Cat G.o.ddess before, so they were not surprised.
Zhang Zian had more free time since Lu Yiyun was here, and he even asked her to sort out the storage racks. Just when he was about to go upstairs to practice Kung Fu, his phone suddenly rang. It was a Skype phone call from Tim.
He went back to the second floor and turned on the phone speaker, asking Richard to come over and help.
"Hey Jeff! How"s it going lately? It should be morning in China, right? So, I should say good morning." Tim"s voice came from the handset and Lauren"s voice could also be vaguely heard in the background. "Lauren says h.e.l.lo too."
"Hi, Tim! Say h.e.l.lo to Lauren for me," said Richard.
Tim was a typical American that liked getting straight to the point, and after the chit chat, he got right to the topic.
"Listen to me, didn’t you ask me about the chocolate-colored Abyssinian cats a while ago?" said Tim with great interest.
"Yeah, what"s going on?" Richard and Zhang Zian glanced at each other, thinking of Cathy at the same time.
"Today I just got the news." Tim emphasized, "Tomorrow, the tomorrow in the United States—I will not confuse the dates anymore — the CFA will officially announce the confirmation of chocolate-colored Abyssinian cats. If everything goes well, you will soon find the information on the CFA homepage!"
Zhang Zian had mixed feelings hearing the news. If Cathy was still alive, she would be so glad to hear the news.
"Thanks, Tim, thank you for telling me," said Richard. Zhang Zian also expressed his grat.i.tude to Tim and Lauren. At that time, he had just mentioned the matter to them randomly. However, they had kept the issue in their minds and informed him immediately after receiving an update.
"Jeff, last time you said you have a friend that breeds chocolate-colored Abyssinian cats, right? You can tell your friend about this good news, and he will certainly treat you to a grand banquet! There have been few breeders nurturing chocolate-colored Abyssinian cats, and once this variety is recognized by the CFA, the value of the cats will increase tenfold!"
"Once the chocolate-colored Abyssinian cats are recognized, they should first be placed to race in the Open Cla.s.s of the CFA compet.i.tion. When they get four champions.h.i.+p ribbons in the Open Cla.s.s, they can partic.i.p.ate in the Champion Cla.s.s! Jeff, your friend who has long been breeding chocolate Abyssinian cats will have a huge advantage, basically having secured the champions.h.i.+p! Do you know what this means? Your friend will lead in the compet.i.tion, and this advantage will last for at least ten years! "
Tim spoke excitedly over the phone for a while, and then noticed there was no response from the other side.
"Jeff? Are you still listening? Is the d.a.m.n network broken?" he cursed in a low voice.
Zhang Zian was still silent, while Richard said, "Yes, Tim, I"m listening."
"Jeff, do tell your friend to treat you to a banquet!" Tim laughed heartily over the phone.
Zhang Zian could barely smile.
"Tim, could you please do me a favor?" Richard knew that Zhang Zian did not want to continue talking about this, so it diverted the topic.
"Go ahead, as long as I can help," said Tim.
Richard went along with Zhang Zian to the dog market, so it knew what Zhang Zian wanted to ask about. "I would like you to help me find information about Ashera cats. I heard that they are sold exclusively by a pet company in the U.S., correct?"
"Ashera?" Tim said over the phone. "Just wait."
He exchanged a few words with Lauren, and picked up the phone again.
"Jeff, I"ve heard of that cat breed, and I"ve seen it once. It"s a very wild-looking, but with a relatively mellow character. It is a large-sized cat that is loyal to the owner and most crucially—it is expensive, like, VERY expensive!"
Richard said, "I know it is expensive, but as you know, there are many rich people in China that don’t care about price, and the situation now is that a friend found me and said that he wanted to buy one. But I do not know where to buy one and how to transport it, so I have to ask if you can contact that pet company and buy me one if possible."
Tim said with less certainty, "Well, I can try."
Richard was well aware that money made the mare go. Even among friends, money was a good stimulation, so it mentioned a very attractive condition, "Tim, listen to me, I know this issue is a bit troublesome, but my friend is very rich. He will pay the full amount of payment in advance and the corresponding commission. And if this deal is secured, there will be more rich people asking for big wild cats in the future."
Tim smiled over the phone. "Yeah, these things are also true with the Beverly Hills celebrities and Hollywood stars in the United States, and the oil tyc.o.o.ns and upstarts in the Middle East and Russia. Many rich people like big wild cats — some people just raise tigers and leopards as pets, while others, who are less crazy, will buy this large-sized breed which is a hybrid of the serval, Bengal cat, and ordinary house cat."
"The baffling mentality of the upstarts, right?" Richard quipped.
"Yes, that"s right! In my opinion, this wild cat is not suitable for being a pet at home, I mean, how can it compare with Ragdoll kittens? Jeff, I really want to say a few more words, but my wife is telling me to go to bed now. Nice talking to you today, and I will help you find out about an Ashera cat. Wait for my news, bye!"
"Bye!"
Tim hung up the phone.
Zhang Zian sat on the couch, pondering Tim"s words.
He believed that Tim would try his best to help him about the Ashera cats.
As for the chocolate-colored Abyssinian cats...
As Tim put it, the cats that Cathy left behind had a huge first-mover advantage, as long as the CFA treated them fairly with Abyssinian cats of other colors in the show. If Cathy was still alive, she would be so happy and honored to partic.i.p.ate in the CFA Champion Cla.s.s.
However, Cathy"s experience in the CFA had left a bad impression on Zhang Zian, who did not want to step into the CFA stadium again, nor did he want to waste time frequently travelling between China and the United States...
It seemed that there was only one and the best solution to let the world know about the chocolate-colored Abyssinian cats. Tim should carry one to partic.i.p.ate in the CFA compet.i.tion. With Tim’s experience, it would be more convenient for him to handle the relevant issues about the studbooks of chocolate-colored Abyssinian cats. He believed that Tim would not refuse this request — after all, Tim often partic.i.p.ated in the CFA tournaments with his own kittens.
Thinking of this, Zhang Zian found out Adams"s phone number from the address book. He hesitated a bit, but eventually dialed the number. It was almost late at night in the U.S. Though not in business hours, out of professionalism, Adams would certainly pick up the phone.
As expected, Adams answered the moment the phone rang.
"Mr. Zhang, what happened?" Omitting greetings and courtesy, Adams asked directly. He was probably dealing with jet lag, so his voice was a bit tired, but he immediately awakened.
Zhang Zian also eliminated the chit chat or his apology, he just stated his intentions directly—he wanted to leave an Abyssinian cat in the United States to be kept by a friend for some time. Because of the urgency of the matter, he feared that the cats had already been put on the flight, so he had to bother him in the middle of the night.
He heard the squeaking sounds made by Adams, who was getting out of bed.
"Wait, I"ll check right now." Adams said concisely.
After a moment, Adams replied, "Mr. Zhang, you"re lucky. If your call had arrived just a few minutes later, they would have been on the plane already. So which cat do you plan to leave here?"
The eight cats all had different names, and Zhang Zian was sure that he didn’t want to leave Wendy there. He thought for a moment before choosing an eight-month-old kitten appropriate to attend the show. "Bella!"