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

  Little Celery and Wang Yaning were mesmerized by the story about the relationship between rabbits and Easter that Zhang Zian told.

  “Those poor rabbits,” Little Celery murmured. She felt very sympathetic to the rabbits who had been abandoned after Easter.

  Zhang Zian echoed her sentiments. “Yes, the rabbits are very unfortunate to be abandoned, so you should make the appropriate mental preparation before raising any pet. Rabbits are also creatures that have emotions, not just plush toys that don’t have feelings. If you raise them well, rabbits can enjoy a long lifetime. After you graduate from primary school, they’ll be kept by your junior schoolmates. Don’t you think there is a great sense of accomplishment in doing that?”


  Wang Yaning nodded. “So we shouldn’t buy the baby rabbits until the new semester begins, right?”


  “That’s right,” said Zhang Zian, pointing to the lop-eared rabbit in her arms. “Er Duo will grow up slowly, and it will also experience a violent period. When that time comes, promise me that you won’t be mad at it, Little Celery. Whether it is ill-tempered or gentle, Er Duo is still the same pet.”


  Little Celery shook her head, “No, I won’t. Er Duo is my good friend!”


  “That’s nice,” Zhang Zian laughed. “I believe you, Little Celery.”


  “Yaning will help me take care of it, right Yaning?” Little Celery looked at her friend anxiously.

  “Well…” Yaning hesitated a bit, and then nodded to agree.

  “But the school has asked us to put forward a breeding proposal and wants us to try raising some animals. Then, we’re supposed to turn in what we’ve learned from the trial before the beginning of the new semester.” Yaning pointed out their dilemma. “The school will then make a comprehensive assessment and decide what animals to raise.”


  “Is that so?” Zhang Zian thought for a moment. “In that case, I suggest you raise hamsters first. Since they’re both rodents, hamsters and rabbits share certain characteristics. If you want, I can help you get some more of them.”


  “No need!” Wang Yaning sternly refused. “I heard that pets sold in pet shops are purebred, and purebred animals have poor health conditions and genetic diseases. We don’t want purebred animals, we just want to keep the healthy ones!”


  What a tempermental girl! thought Zhang Zian.

  Wang Yaning’s voice was sharp and firm. Lu Yiyun, who had just finished drawing a fairly satisfactory illustration in the outer room of the shop,was stretching and briefly heard Wang Yaning speaking. Lu Yiyun held Jasmine and ran into the inner room, and quickly said, “Mr. Store Manager, some customers have also said the same thing before! They complained how pricy the purebred pets were and about all of their drawbacks.”


  Lu Yiyun coming in made Little Celery and Wang Yaning nervous. They shouted and asked Lu Yiyun to stay away from them, scared that Jasmine in her arms would harm the hamster or the lop-eared rabbit. Little Celery quickly put the hamster back into the cage and closed its door. There were also a bunch of kittens playing on the floor, but adult cats like Jasmine were especially lethal to rodents, including hamsters.

  However, Jasmine was not interested in the hamster or the lop-eared rabbit. In Fina’s presence, Jasmine did not dare act recklessly.

  Lu Yiyun realized that barging in was too rash. Jasmine usually walked around the pet shop and never caused any trouble, but the two little girls didn’t know that.

  Zhang Zian also quickly comforted them and told them not to panic, because Jasmine would not hurt the hamster or the rabbit.

  When the momentary chaos was over, Lu Yiyun apologized to them seriously, and then repeated what she’d said before.

  Zhang Zian had also heard the same complaints many times before. Some people had said that the pets in his pet shop were expensive and that purebred pets had many disadvantages. Under normal circumstances, he would just ignore them. Regardless of the reasoning behind such complaints, these customers generally refused to buy anything from his shop, so he didn’t bother wasting his energy by trying to explain to them.

  But since Wang Yaning had brought it up in front of him, he had to provide some clarification. Otherwise, these two children would look down upon him. And Lu Yiyun also wanted to know, so that she could better deal with annoying customers.

  “The pros and cons of purebred pets should always be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.” Zhang Zian cleared his throat and explained, “There are indeed some purebred pets that are less healthy than hybrid pets, but in most cases, there is no conclusive data that proves that the lifespans of purebred pets are shorted than hybrid pets. On the contrary, because purebred pets are more expensive, people tend to take care of them more carefully, so that they can have a longer life expectancy. As for hamsters…”


  He deliberately put them in suspense. “Do you think purebred or hybrid hamsters are better? Or are they pretty much the same?”


  “Hybrid ones are better!” Wang Yaning answered confidently.

  “I think they’re pretty much the same?” Lu Yiyun guessed.

  Little Celery simply had no idea what they were talking about.

  “Hamsters are a typical counterexample,” Zhang Zian smiled. “Purebred hamsters are healthier than hybrid hamsters. The purer their bloodlines are, the healthier they are.”


  “Really? Do you have any evidence to support what you’re saying?” Wang Yaning did not completely believe him. She pushed up her glasses and her face was full of doubt, as if Zhang Zian was some sort of greedy store owner who liked to deceive children.

  Zhang Zian had dealt with countless strange customers before, so answering this little girl’s question was a piece of cake. He replied confidently, “Hamsters have the recessive gene of diabetes. The purer the hamsters’ bloodlines are, the lower the disease rates are. And hybrid hamsters have exceptionally high disease rates. Do you know the species Cream Colored Pudding hamsters?”


  Little Celery shook her head, but Wang Yaning nodded, “I’ve seen one on the Internet, they’re very cute!”


  “Cute as they may be, you’d better not buy a Pudding hamster.” Zhang Zian kindly reminded her, “Pudding hamsters look purebred, but most of them are not, and they have a high risk of suffering from diabetes. People often blame the diabetes on their laziness and large appetites, but they’re innocent! In short, if you’re going to raise hamsters at home or in school, it would be better for you to raise ordinary Djungarian hamsters or Winter White hamsters like Xiao Ling. Remember to raise purebred hamsters only.”


  Wang Yaning no longer had anything to say.

  Lu Yiyun also secretly remembered the information, as it could be useful for her if she needed to refute customer remarks in the future.

  Little Celery asked worriedly, “Will Xiao Ling have diabetes? Is diabetes life threatening?”


  Zhang Zian comforted her, “Diabetes is not terrible, but it is a bit troublesome. Xiao Ling is a purebred Winter White hamster, so genetically speaking the probability of it contracting diabetes is relatively low. As long as it maintains a healthy and reasonable diet, and exercises diligently, its chances can be further lowered. In fact, its lifespan depends on exercise, which is also true for humans and other animals.”


  He glanced at Zhan Tian who was lying in the corner.

  “However, even if Xiao Ling unfortunately suffers from diabetes, Little Celery won’t abandon it, right?” He asked though he already knew the answer.

  “I will not abandon my friends!” said Little Celery, clenching her fists.

  Zhang Zian laughed. “That’s good, I believe you, Little Celery. You’ve rarely ever caught a cold, have you? Because you like sports so much and everytime I see you, you’re always running to and from school.”


  “I’ve never caught a cold because I like eating celery. My mother says that celery helps keep a cold away!” Little Celery chuckled.