Chapter 461: Showtime
writer:
Jie Po update:2022-08-16 15:56
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhang Zian took the matter so seriously that everyone understood he was not joking.
“Apart from balls of yarn, there are a lot of other toys for cats. Some people will be mad at their cats when their sweaters have been scratched and torn. This bad habit actually originated from ignorance because cats don’t understand the difference between sweaters and balls of yarn. So, you’d better not let them play with balls of yarn when you first get them. As for the Siamese cats, their addiction to balls of yarn seem to be in their genes and it’s impossible to change that.” Speaking of this, Zhang Zian asked, “Do you have carpets at your home?”
“Yes,” the girl wearing glasses pointed to herself and then to her boyfriend, “my home does, but his home doesn’t.”
“I hope yours are not too expensive, otherwise, I’m afraid your carpets will be ruined within a few days if you raise a Siamese cat,” Zhang Zian advised her sincerely.
The girl with glasses and her boyfriend were brought to their senses. Zhang Zian advised them to choose an American Shorthair because they had too much wool on them.
A lot of young girls wore plush and fluffy clothes in autumn and winter. For example, this girl with glasses wore boots with a circle of wool at the top. In the eyes of a Siamese cat, these clothes were potential toys.
A middle-aged man next to her heard the conversation and asked, “I don’t have carpets at my home, and I don’t think I have too many clothes made of wool. I should be fine keeping a Siamese cat, right?” He was wearing a pair of casual trousers, a thick shirt, and a leather jacket. He seemed very stylish, and the interior design of his home probably was the same.
“No problem.” Zhang Zian nodded. “Just add extra fiber to its food to satisfy the Siamese cat’s addiction.”
The girl with glasses discussed with her boyfriend and carefully observed the American Shorthair. They found that its appearance was very adorable, and that it had a lively character. Its price was within their budget range, and it was born before July 14th of the Chinese traditional calendar. So, they decided this was the cat they were going to buy!
The middle-aged man also quickly chose a Siamese cat, and specifically asked for a gift package with a few colorful, silk ribbons outside the cat bag. It was probably a gift for a child. The energetic and lively Siamese cat was indeed suitable for children.
Normally, his pet shop, at best, sold one or two cats or dogs in a day. But within a short time after opening for business today, four pets had been sold, making Zhang Zian very satisfied.
A lot of customers who had not bought anything kept staring at him. He knew very well that they were waiting for the kittens to dance. Although these customers didn’t have the desire to buy anything for the time being, they could, at the very least, help promote his pet shop, so Zhang Zian would not neglect their needs.
Wu Mingzhen was also hoping to see the kittens dance. He had watched them dance in videos, but he had to see them dance in person to convince himself. Otherwise, he would be suspected of deceiving foreign friends for the sake of promotion. Trust was very valuable, especially in the communication among different countries.
“Alright everyone, please move aside and make an open space.” Zhang Zian indicated to Wang Qian and Li Kun to help clear the venue. Finally, it was time for the kittens to dance. Luo Qingyu was so excited that his hands holding the camera began to shake. Zhang Zian wondered if the steadyshot function of the camera would even be useful. The customers moved to the side and left a round, vacant space in the middle.
Zhang Zian clapped his hands three times and the kittens that were playing around quieted down instantly, and raised their heads to look at him in unison. He pressed the button on his cell phone to play the music. As the passionate prelude began from the speaker, the kittens started to walk to the sounds of the rhythmic drum beats.
“You are my dear little apple…
“Just like the most beautiful cloud in the sky…”
After the brief prelude, the widely popular song, Little Apple, started to play.
As if receiving orders, the kittens adorably performed the joyous dance steps by moving forward, backward, kicking their legs, shaking their tails, raising their paws to wipe their faces, and wiggling their waists. The pet shop was still the same, yet the pets performing this song were different.
Zhang Zian still remembered the first group of kittens that performed Little Apple. Some of them had already left the pet shop for their new and warm homes. The new kittens he bought from the breeding base also had learned to dance after being instructed by Fina. However, because of their short practice time, the newly-arrived kittens stumbled in the performance. Occasionally, they forgot the movements or couldn’t keep up with the rest, so they’d stand there miserably observing their companions, until they were ready to resume.
The audiences did not loath these newly-arrived kittens because of their poor performance, instead they felt these kittens were rather adorable because they tried their best, just like children who were slow in thought. The audience gave the warmest applause to these newly-arrived kittens.
The girl with glasses was once a fan of girl groups from Japan and South Korea, so she immediately recognized that the dance steps of the kittens were from the classic music videos of those girl groups. After gaining the approval from Zhang Zian, she excitedly ran into the venue and led the dance, trying to amp up the atmosphere.
The tall and strong man from Northern China clapped his hands the most fervently among all the customers, so much so that his palms became red. Wu Mingzhen couldn’t conceal his exhilaration. There’s only one thought left in his mind: how was he going to introduce these kittens internationally so that more people could enjoy their performance?
After the song of Little Apple finished, the whistles and warm applause lasted for a while. Just when Wu Mingzhen was going to extend his congratulations and admiration to Zhang Zian, Luo Qingyu pulled him from behind.
“No rush. A truly, brilliant performance is awaiting.” Luo Qingyu slyly winked at him.
“Oh? Even more brilliant than this?” asked Wu Mingzhen with astonishment.
Luo Qingyu stared at the venue without blinking. “Just you wait and see.” Before he even finished speaking, most of the lights in the shop dimmed, leaving only a few spotlights illuminating the center area vertically. In the radius of the lighting, four pairs of eyes brightened up with shining rays.
Some customers who knew what was going on held their breath. When the unknowing customers were about to ask, their mouths were covered by the people next to them.
As if their feet didn’t touch the ground, four Abyssinian cats glided into the venue like four chocolate-colored forest elves. Wendy looked steadily forward, while the other three cats turned their heads sideways. There was only silence in the shop, as if this was a place for praying.
“Ladies and gentlemen! It’s showtime!” Zhang Zian issued the order.
When the KTV version of Four Little Swans sang by Fina started to play, the four Abyssinian cats became four little swans and faithfully performed the choreography Fina taught them. Rather than simply imitating the movements of human beings, they fully exerted the agility and dexterity of cats in order to interpret the artistic concept of this piece of world-famous music in a unique way.
When Little Apple finished, the girl with glasses did not leave the venue because she wanted to enjoy the feeling of all eyes on her, so she smiled and waited for the next song. But when she realized the next song was Four Little Swans, she was so astonished that she gave up in the face of difficulty.
No matter how amateur the dance steps of the kittens were, the performance of the four fully-grown Abyssinian cats was absolutely professional!
The brain of Wu Mingzhen was numb. Was Zhang Zian the legendary cat trainer?