Waking up in the morning, Shen Yibin was lazing on the second-floor sofa in his pajamas before making breakfast. Sunlight streamed in through the transparent glass ceiling, and the early morning rays woke the sleeping Xiaoliu. He climbed out of his hammock, glanced at Shen Yibin, then grabbed a branch overhead, swung, and landed gracefully on the second-floor railing.
"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Xiaoliu squatted on the railing and grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth as he held out a paw to Shen Yibin, begging for food.
"You haven’t even brushed your teeth or washed your face yet! Go on, get cleaned up, and then I’ll make you breakfast!" Shen Yibin gently smacked Xiaoliu’s paw. He had been trying to teach Xiaoliu to brush his teeth and wash his face for the past two days, but the little guy seemed reluctant to learn. ’As for a bath, there’s no rush. The pool will be fixed soon, and then I can just toss him in with Hah’Er. Monkeys seem to know how to swim, they’re just not very good at it. Otherwise, Sun Wukong wouldn’t have always made Pigsy go in the water in *Journey to the West*.’
’Then again, Hah’Er’s swimming isn’t great either. The two of them are a perfect match—six of one, half a dozen of the other. I’m sure they’ll have a wonderful time, won’t they? But can Maphario swim?’ That question stumped Shen Yibin, and he couldn’t figure it out for the life of him.
"SQUEAK!" Xiaoliu was still reluctant. Back in the mountains, no one had ever forced him to brush his teeth and wash his face. But for the sake of breakfast, he had no choice but to follow Shen Yibin into the bathroom, grab his own toiletries, and start washing up, copying Shen Yibin’s every move.
The sound of running water woke Hah’Er and Maphario. They squeezed into the bathroom as well, making the space noticeably crowded. ’Sigh, why did I forget to make the bathroom bigger during the renovations? It’s so cramped now. If any more pets arrive, we’ll probably have to use the bathroom in the dorms.’
"Let’s go, time for some exercise!" After washing up, the group of four sauntered toward the park. The park seemed much livelier than usual this morning, as all the elderly men and women were out with their newly purchased pets. They all kept their dogs on a tight leash and well-behaved, earning Shen Yibin’s silent approval.
’It’s always better to follow the rules when you have a pet. In crowded places, you should keep a close eye on them to avoid disturbing others. These seniors are so much better than some others their age who hog basketball courts or try to scam people by faking falls.’
"Good morning! How’s the little one doing? Is he behaving?" Shen Yibin went over and greeted them one by one. The pets trained by Hah’Er were all exceptionally smart and well-behaved, requiring little effort from their new elderly owners, who were, of course, full of praise. "Behaving is an understatement! He even knows to use the toilet by himself, and he’s quiet all night. In a bit, I’m going to take him to show off to a few of my old buddies. If they want to buy one, I’ll bring them straight to your shop!"
This was how you built a business. Hah’Er and Xiaoliu could attract customers to the store, but to actually close a sale, the pets themselves had to be high-quality. Shen Yibin was careful to pick the best ones when sourcing them, and once they were at the shop, Hah’Er and the female employees trained them further. That was the reason for all the glowing praise.
Once he was done with his greetings, Shen Yibin resumed his run around the lake with Hah’Er and Maphario. Xiaoliu was still having the time of his life, leaping from tree to tree. While the shop had trees, the area was far too small, barely enough for him to rest and sleep. Only here could he truly cut loose.
"Let’s head back for a quick shower, then I’ll take you all out grocery shopping." Having worked up a good sweat, Shen Yibin felt much more refreshed. He planned to take Xiaoliu to the same malls where he had bought Amazonian fruits for Cheeky, hoping to find new ingredients to brew an even more unique batch of Monkey Wine.
Unfortunately, just as he finished his shower, he got a call from Li Zhen, so the plan had to be postponed. Li Zhen and Bai Jingxiang were on their way, transporting the three large trees, and Shen Yibin was needed on-site to direct their exact placement for transplanting.
"Xiaoliu, you’ll have more room to play in a little while." The shop already had two large trees, and with these three, a total of five would be plenty for Xiaoliu’s daily antics. Shen Yibin took Xiaoliu, Hah’Er, and Maphario to wait in the adjacent unit. Just like the main shop, the second floor here had been opened up, leaving only a few terraces. The ceiling had been replaced with a glass sunroof, allowing sunlight to pour in. The ground floor was split in two: one half was a pool, and the other was a deep pit filled with topsoil that connected to the bamboo farm on the other side. Xiaoliu would get more large trees to play in and brew his wine, Maphario would get a larger farm to grow more plants, and Hah’Er would get a pool to swim in. From now on, they could all have even more fun.
Any other business owner who saw how Shen Yibin was squandering a storefront in such a prime commercial location would probably die of a broken heart. But in Shen Yibin’s eyes, the happiness of Hah’Er, Xiaoliu, and Maphario was far more important. ’As long as they’re happy, what does wasting a little space matter? Besides, I’m not short on cash now.’
Under the direction of Shen Yibin and Xiaoliu, the three large trees were soon settled into their proper places. The next steps were simple: plant some bamboo around the great trees, knock down the dividing wall, fill the pool with water, add some aquatic plants like lotuses, and then introduce some aquatic animals like fish, shrimp, and turtles.
"Xiaoliu, you can’t go climbing on these three trees for a few days." As he spoke, Maphario kept nodding, as if in agreement with Shen Yibin. The three large trees had just been planted, and their root systems hadn’t recovered yet. They needed a period of rest to ensure they would survive.
This didn’t delay Shen Yibin’s preparations, however. Over the next few days, Shen Yibin took Xiaoliu to all the fruit markets in Yunzhong City, big and small. They collected a hoard of strange and exotic fruits and piled them up in the pet store. Some were eaten by the female employees, Xiaoliu, and Hah’Er, with the seeds being left for Maphario. The rest were stored away for now.
A few more days passed, and Maphario finally gave Xiaoliu the green light to climb the three large trees. Xiaoliu immediately stuffed all the fruit he had been hoarding for the past few days into their hollows, preparing to brew a new batch of Monkey Wine.
’With so many different kinds of fruit, the resulting Monkey Wine must all have different flavors, right?’ Shen Yibin watched Xiaoliu scurry busily back and forth, his own mouth watering to the point of drooling. ’Pineapple, papaya, Jabuticaba, Brazilian Raspberry... what will the Monkey Wine made from these fruits taste like?’
The very next morning after all the work was done, Xiaoliu dragged Shen Yibin out of bed. He pulled him to the base of a large tree, pointed at the hollow containing the grapes and oranges, and squeaked nonstop. ’Could it be? Is the Monkey Wine ready already?’