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

  While Zhang Zian and Wu Mingzhen were talking, some customers came up to them, wanting to know more about The Classic of Cats Appreciation. They wished for the two men to help them pick some smart cats based on the book.

  Wu Mingzhen knew that Zhang Zian didn’t want to show off his knowledge, so he cleared his throat and clarified seriously, “The Classic of Cats Appreciation talked of a history where people chose cats based on two things: having a strong, healthy body and the ability to catch mice. Nowadays, no one buys cats to catch mice, so the standard in The Classic of Cats Appreciation does not apply to our needs anymore. You can read it as a reference, but it is not necessary to take it as a guide. If you want to have a nice cat, you’d better find a cat professor who knows well about the west pet scientific system, like Manager Zhang.”


  Some customers were not here for cats, those who wanted to buy dogs asked curiously, “Excuse me, you’ve talked about The Classic of Cats Appreciation, does there happen to be a book like The Classic of Dogs Appreciation or something?”


  Wu Mingzhen replied immediately, “There is, but the ancient people kept dogs mainly for guarding their houses and hunting, so The Classic of Dogs Appreciatio doesn’t apply to our lives. They believed that dogs born in winter were the best as there was a saying ‘dogs born in winter are the smartest,’ which was opposite from cats. It may have been because cats were considered Yin, while dogs were Yang. It is written in the literary sketchbooks of Tang Dynasty, You Yang Za Zu, that cats’ noses are always cold except for on Summer Solstice so they belong to Yin. However, I’ve never touched a cat’s nose on Summer Solstice, and the last time I touched my cat, it scratched me so I don’t know if this is true.”


  His words made people laugh. No matter how meek a cat may seem, it’s dangerous to bother it when it wants time alone.

  Wu Mingzhen wanted to test Zhang Zian, but it turned out the joke was on him. Not only did Zhang Zian know about the origins of Calotes Versicolor, but he also told them about its unusual name, “cat’s ginseng.” Even Wu Mingzhen had not heard of that before.

  This time he aimed to save face, so he changed the topic and asked Zhang Zian again, smiling, “Just now we were talking about Yin and Yang. Do you know anything about the Five Elements?”


  Zhang Zian tried his best to keep calm and cleared his throat, recalling all the things he knew about the Five Elements, except that he had never read anything on it before, so how would he know?

  When he was thinking of words to say, Old Time Tea helped him again and laughed. “Zian, don’t panic, let me tell you.”


  Zhang Zian retold what Old Time Tea told him. “According to Wu Xing Zuan Yi, cats belong to the Fire element. They like to play, but hate the rain and getting wet, and they are also easy to scare. Cats and tigers are originally from Yinm and cats belong to the Fire Element, that’s why they are active at night. Cats are regarded in the Fire Element and, while Water and Fire are natural enemies, they are afraid of water and being wet so they hate to shower.”


  The crowd suddenly understood and got a feeling that “listening to you saves me reading for 10 years.”


  Cats were considered the Yin in Yin and Yang, and the Fire in the Five Elements, so they hated to take showers and liked doing activities at night. Wu Mingzhen could tell that Zhang Zian was being humble before and deliberately tried to hide his knowledge about The Classic of Cats Appreciation. However, he just came off as stupid.

  After the support of Old Time Tea, Zhang Zian was pretty confident and felt like he was the king of the world. Before he could laugh out loud, the lady with glasses came up to him and apologized, “I’m sorry manager, I shouldn’t have been rude before. I still want to buy cats here.”


  She and her boyfriend visited several pet shops and homes that were recommended online. All of them bragged about their pets and wanted to persuade her to buy a cat 1 or 2 months old, saying that bigger cats were either unhealthy or not good looking. Those words from one single shop didn’t bother her, but two other shops said the same thing so she had been brainwashed. It wasn’t until now that she finally understood that sellers say things for their own benefits. Those pet shops and pet homes were real cheaters.

  She and her boyfriend didn’t know about Yin and Yang or the Five Elements, but they thought it was really something. After hearing Zhang Zian speak from his real knowledge of cats, she knew the other store managers couldn’t be as good as this one. After giving it a second thought, she apologized to Zhang Zian and decided to buy a cat at the store.

  She believed in supernatural things. She was a fan of astrology and the divine, liked playing Bi Xian (pen deity) and Die Xian (dish deity.) She already decided to buy cats here after she heard about the fact that cats born after the lunar calander’s July 14th could protect their owners and houses, as cats sold in the other shops were all around 1 or 2 months old.

  Of course Zhang Zian forgave her and replied, “Ignorance is not to blame. Just pick a cat you fancy.”


  “Thank you. Which cat was born before July 14th?” She asked. She did not want to apologize, but she did it so Zhang Zian would choose a cat for her.

  “What kind do you want?” Zhang Zian asked back.

  “Umm…” She discussed with her boyfriend for a while, and after checking their bank account, said shyly, “One not too expensive, just an average cat. As for the breed, we prefer the lively kind. Do you have any suggestions?”


  Besides the Abyssinian cats and Ragdoll, all the pets in the shop were selected from Pets’ Home by Zhang Zian. He knew every cat’s and dog’s birth date. He thought about it and then suggested, “I have two American Shorthair cats and a Siamese cat that may meet your standards, but I recommend the American Shorthair.”


  A middle-aged guy next to them, who seemed to like Siamese cats asked in surprise, “Manager, does that mean American Shorthairs are better than Siamese cats?”


  “I didn’t say that, don’t misunderstand me.” Zhang Zian shook his head, pointed at the couple’s clothes and said, “They’re not suitable for Siamese cats.”


  “Eh? Why?” Perplexed the lady with glasses as she and her boyfriend looked down to check themselves. They were not as wealthy as Tuhao, but they were wearing decent clothes, so why did Zhang Zian say they were not suitable to raise a Siamese cat?

  Zhang Zian laughed. “Look at you. Turtleneck sweaters, wool scarves, wool gloves, wool hats, and wool coats. Both of you.” Just like he said, the lady with glasses and her boyfriend were wearing couple’s wool clothes, except for their trousers and shoes. They looked pretty warm for the winter.

  “What now?” She and her boyfriend were more confused.

  Luo Qingyu walked in the shop, unable to find a girl who was willing to take pictures. When he walked back, he accidently heard what Zhang Zian was saying and couldn’t help interrupting, “That’s right, why? Manager Zhang, just because you are single doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with couple clothes.”


  “Go away if you are not buying anything! Don’t mess around here!” Zhang Zian was hurt. Indeed, he couldn’t stand couples acting sweet, but this was not the reason he didn’t suggest a Siamese cat for them.

  After some trash talk, he explained with a serious look, “Siamese cats are needy. Apart from that, they love tearing wool things apart. All cats love playing with wool balls, Siamese cats in particular. They don’t just like sucking it, they like biting it as well. If you plan to take a Siamese cat back home, you have to really think about it. You need to keep a lookout, otherwise all your wool clothes will be in trouble. American Shorthairs don’t have this kind of problem, so they are comparatively a safe choice for you.”


  The glasses lady and her boyfriend were completely shocked. “These things happen?”


  “Absolutely.” Zhang Zian nodded. “In general, Siamese cats have a thing for wool more so than other cats.”


  Although Wu Mingzhen fancied pets and knew a lot of them, it was the first time for him to hear about the Siamese cats’ peculiarity, so he listened very carefully.

  Seeing the crowd’s doubt, Zhang Zian didn’t explain more as he knew actions spoke louder than words. Since Fina was here, he kept all the cats in the store open to feeding. In case they felt bored, he provided a lot of toys for them, but he didn’t have any wool balls. He then asked Wang Qian to grab three knitted wool balls from the storage upstairs and gave one to a British Shorthair, a American Shorthair and a Siamese cat each, to show the audience.

  All the kittens saw the toys and jumped towards the balls at the same time. They chased the wool balls excitedly, sometimes laying on the floor and holding the balls in their arms like lions playing with balls made of silk, kicking their legs in every direction. It was cuteness overload.

  “Wow! They are so adorable!” The lady in glasses looked at them happily as she took out her phone and opened her camera. Each cat was so cute in their own way, she couldn’t take her eyes off any of them. She took pictures of each cat the whole time and didn’t let up on anyone.

  Wu Mingzhen and the lady’s boyfriend were calm compared to her, and they realized something. All three cats loved the knitted wool balls, but the strange thing was that while the British Shorthair liked to hold the wool ball in its arms to quietly lick and play, the American Shorthair preferred chasing and tapping the wool ball. The same went for the Siamese cat, except instead of tapping and swatting, it often scratched and bit it. The small, knitted wool balls told the difference between the three cats’ characteristics.

  If you left them alone, they could have played with the knitted wool ball all afternoon. The other kittens also showed interest in the wool balls and wanted to play as well.

  Zhang Zian bent over to get the wool balls while the three kittens all looked at him, still wanting to play. The Siamese cat even stood up like a puppy and grabbed his shins with its front paws, begging for the wool ball.

  The lady with glasses couldn’t bear watching this and said on behalf of the kittens, “Let them play with the wool ball for a while.”


  Zhang Zian shook his head and refused. “It is not a good habit for them to have, playing with wool balls as long as they want. When they can’t find the ball, chances are they will play with your wool sweater. Besides, when they are playing with the balls, you probably won’t watch them the whole time, so if they bit and accidently swallowed the wool, it could cause intestinal issues or even death.”