Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Richard asked Zhang Zian to bring the birdcage to the second floor, open the gate of the cage and let the two red-headed lovebirds fly out from the cage. Because on the second floor, there was kitchen, living room, bedroom, storage room, and all kinds of daily supplies. Richard was planning to let them learn about the names of the commonly-seen objects there.

  Before opening the gate, Richard first imitated the red-headed lovebirds’ voices and said something to them, probably asking them not to escape, because there was no way out when all the windows were shut closed these cold days.

  Little Purple and Yellow Pea Cake flew out from the cage hesitantly, landed on the sink in the kitchen and looked around nervously.

  “Quack, quack!” Richard cleared its throat, raised its wing to point at the pot on the stove. When it was about to show them how to pronounce the word “pot”, a meowing cat interrupted it.

  “Meow!” The American Shorthair hiding behind the refrigerator stuck out its head. It had noticed the red-headed lovebirds, and made a light sound.

  Richard was startled, and it fluttered its wings and flew to the top of the cupboard.

  “Quack! Quack! Get this cat away! I can see that it’s up to no good from the way it looked at us.”


  Zhang Zian nearly forgot the fact that the American Shorthair was a cat. Though Fina, Snowy Lionet, Galaxy and Old Time Tea were not bird-eaters, he was not quite certain about this American Shorthair. If it bit these two red-headed lovebirds to death or ate them, all his efforts would be in vain.

  He bent over and held up the American Shorthair, and was about to send it downstairs.

  “Meow” Galaxy happened to come upstairs, and seeing the American Shorthair was in Zhang Zian’s arms, it immediately shouted, “Got-cha!”


  “Galaxy is playing hide and seek with it?” asked Zhang Zian.

  “Yes!” Galaxy nodded.

  “We need to use the second floor; can you play hide and seek with it on the first floor?” Zhang Zian discussed with Galaxy.

  Galaxy agreed, “Okay, I got it.”


  Zhang Zian picked up American Shorthair and Galaxy and sent them down to the first floor, and reminded Galaxy not to let American Shorthair come upstairs again. He went back upstairs after putting down American Shorthair.

  Richard flew down from the top of the cupboard and said with a lingering fear, “Quack, quack! That was so close! These two idiots probably haven’t seen cats before, since they were not afraid at all.”


  “You are not afraid of Fina or Snowy Lionet, but you seem to be afraid of this ordinary cat?” Zhang Zian asked curiously.

  “Of course, I am afraid of it. Those other four cats are stupid — at least they have the intelligence to understand my words,” said Richard, “But when it comes to these ordinary cats, they can’t understand a word I say. So, I’d better run for my life.”


  “And that black and white cat was playing hide-and-seek?” it asked.

  “Yes, are you interested in that?” Zhang Zian just asked casually because he didn’t think Richard would ever be interested in playing hide-and-seek.

  Just when Richard was opening its beak to talk, Zhang Zian’s cell phone rang.

  It was Sun Xiaomeng who was calling. Zhang Zian gestured at Richard to stop talking, and then answered the call.

  “Hey, what’s the matter?” he asked directly.

  He guessed Sun Xiaomeng must have something urgent, or else she would never call him directly.

  “Have you been telling everyone that your pets are in the care of my clinic?” Sun Xiaomeng sounded angry over the phone. “Someone is buying pets here. You need to come over.”


  “Okay, tell him to wait for a while, I will come over right away.” It was an opportunity for him to make money, so Zhang Zian was in high spirits and quickly said to Richard, “Hold that thought of whatever it is you have to talk about, I need to go out now.”


  Richard regrettably swallowed its tongue back. Zhang Zian hastily went downstairs and didn’t notice that.

  “I need to go out for a while, and I’ll be back soon.” he said to the other elves in the pet shop.

  Old Time Tea nodded to show it had heard him.

  Galaxy raised its cat claw and waved, “Goodbye, Zian.”


  Fina half opened its eyes to glance at him, and then closes its eyes.

  Snowy Lionet replied with two words, “Just leave.”


  He left the pet shop and pulled down the shutter door, locked it, and walked quicky towards Sun Xiaomeng’s Spirit Curing Pet Clinic.

  Spirit Curing Pet Clinic and Amazing Fate Pet Shop were on the same street and were only a few hundred meters away. If he walked fast enough, he would be there in 10 minutes.

  Zhang Zian arrived at the clinic, pushed opened the door and entered.

  “Wow, it’s so warm in here!”


  There was no glass door in his pet shop, and the wind kept blowing in through the shutter door, so the indoor temperature was very much the same as the cold outdoor temperature; only the second floor was warmer. However, in the Spirit Curing Pet Clinic, there was an electric heater directly behind the gate, and the AC was on the heating mode. It was so warm that he felt a little bit hot with his coat on.

  Probably because it was in the morning, no customers were seen in the waiting area.

  Behind the cashier was sitting a young lady that he had never met before. She was wearing a nurse uniform, and looked like she had just graduated from university. She was young and shy, and would probably appear nervous when facing strangers.

  What made him most angry was that Wang Qian and Li Kun were also there. They surrounded the cashier, cottoning up to the new nurse.

  Hearing that Zhang Zian had pushed the door open, the nurse raised her head, and Wang Qian and Li Kun also turned their heads.

  “Hello, you are…” the nurse was about to ask, but she was interrupted by the two idiots.

  “Master!”


  “Master! Why are you here?”


  The nurse was startled and didn’t understand why they addressed this man as ‘master’. Or was that actually his real name?

  Zhang Zian pointed at them angrily, “I pay you guys to help out here, not to flirt with girls. I don’t even have girls to talk to, but you guys get the chance to flirt ahead of me?”


  They explained hurriedly, “Respected master! We are not flirting with girls! We are just taking a break from work! Please believe us!”


  Zhang Zian would not be fooled, “Taking a break? You know what people say, it’s never tired when men and women work together. Let me tell you, you are paid hourly, so if you have finished your work, get back to school!”


  Wang Qian and Li Kun didn’t dare to talk back to their master. They lowered their heads, put on their jackets and ran away quickly. Before leaving the clinic, they waved their cell phones at the nurse, suggested that they would contact her through WeChat later.

  The moment they left, Sun Xiaomeng came over from the ward. She was wearing the white gown with a stethoscope on her neck and she frowned, “What’s going on? What was the noise about?”


  The nurse stood up and answered, “It’s this…” she pointed to Zhang Zian.

  Sun Xiaomeng had understood. She waved her hands and suggested the nurse say no more. She knew Zhang Zian too well; noises would follow wherever he went.

  “You hired a new nurse?” Zhang Zian asked.

  “Yes, let me introduce you guys. This is Zhang Zian. If you walk south 400 meters, you will see the Amazing Fate Pet Shop there, and he is the owner of that shop. And this is the new nurse hired by me, Long Xian.”


  “Hello, my name is Long Xian. I’ve heard Director Sun mention you.” She was a skinny girl and she talked very politely. She seemed like a well-behaved and sensible girl.

  “I told you, don’t call me Director Sun, just call me Sister Xiaomeng.” Sun Xiaomeng corrected her, and turned around to speak to Zhang Zian, “She will graduate next summer, but she’s not busy in her senior year. One of my junior schoolgirls introduced her to me, so she came to work for me. Let me warn you, don’t you bully her.”


  And then she warned Long Xian, “Don’t be fooled by his good looks. He’s full of cunning tricks — be careful not to fall into them.”


  Zhang Zian exclaimed like he had suffered tremendous grievance, “What are you talking about? When have I bullied others? I am the one being bullied, all right?!”