"Tell Cheeky not to worry. I’ve already sent the package. You’ll get it in a couple of days. Next time you have a chance, just come back to the store, and we can drink it as soon as it’s brewed," Shen Yibin said to Sun Qian over the phone.
"How much did you send? You might as well give me Hah’Er’s share, too!" Cheeky snatched the phone and said, instinctively getting ready to bully Hah’Er. "Oh, and Egg’s too! One of them likes beer and the other likes sake anyway, so just give this fruit wine to me!" He already knew Egg was back at the store. The thought of Egg and Hah’Er drinking it right now filled Cheeky with unbearable jealousy.
’You wish.’ Shen Yibin was speechless at the thick-skinned creature. He gave a few perfunctory replies, hung up, and dialed Sylvie. "The second batch of wine is ready. When are you sending someone to pick it up?"
"That’s wonderful! I’ll call the Embassy in China right away. They can probably fly to Yunzhong City this afternoon, pick up the wine, and immediately fly back to Sokovia. I’ll be able to drink it by tomorrow!" Ah, nobles are so willful. Sokovia was far away in Europe, but at this rate, Sylvie would get to drink the Monkey Wine even before Sun Qian. It was enough to make anyone jealous. Shen Yibin was now starting to understand how Cheeky had felt just a moment ago.
"Alright, I won’t keep you from your call then." After hanging up with Sylvie, Shen Yibin dialed Director Kong. This time, however, he wouldn’t need to ship it. "Director Kong, the second batch of wine is ready. I’ll have John Farrell bring you two bottles. One for you, and could you please pass the other one on to Mr. Cha?" John Farrell happened to be heading back to Shanghai, so he could just take it with him.
"Don’t you dare! If it gets into his hands, I’m not sure I’ll ever see it!" Director Kong quickly stopped him. Giving the Monkey Wine to John Farrell? That was a guaranteed loss! "Besides, preparations here in Shanghai are complete. We can start the second phase of filming. Just bring the Monkey Wine and Hah’Er over."
"So soon?" Shen Yibin was a little surprised. He had just brought Xiaoliu back; did he have to leave again already? Given Xiaoliu’s personality, he probably wouldn’t enjoy life in Shanghai. ’I’m afraid I can’t take him with me. I hope our affinity doesn’t drop while I’m gone.’ Shen Yibin had checked not long ago, and his affinity with Liu had just reached the purchasing threshold. But this trip to Shanghai would take at least a month. ’It won’t fall below the threshold during that time, will it?’
"Yeah, our partners here are very efficient, so the prep work was finished quickly. Even if you hadn’t called me, I was about to contact you." A major production like *Panda Hero* often has multiple investors, and it just so happened that one of them had considerable influence in Shanghai.
"Alright then, I’ll head over as soon as I can!" Shen Yibin could only agree. After all, it was something he had already arranged with Director Kong. ’As for Xiaoliu, I hope he enjoys life at the store. Maphario will also be staying to keep him company. From what I’ve seen lately, the two of them get along pretty well. They shouldn’t be lonely. I’ll try to finish filming early and hurry back.’
Lately, Maphario had been even busier than Xiaoliu. The fruit tree saplings had all sprouted, and it was swamped with daily watering, fertilizing, pest control, soil loosening, and even playing music for them. Fortunately, Xiaoliu seemed to understand that these were fruit trees. For the sake of better fruit in the future, Xiaoliu started helping Maphario out. With his and Hah’Er’s help, Maphario’s workload was lightened considerably. Otherwise, it would have been completely exhausted on its own!
Huh? Speak of the devil. Just as he was thinking about them, he heard a commotion nearby. After hanging up, he turned to look and saw that the little critters were already raising a ruckus.
Hah’Er, having finished his work, was comfortably cooling off in the pool wearing his swimming trunks. Egg ran up to a tree branch and performed a dive. With a loud SPLASH, water soaked Hah’Er, who immediately cried out in displeasure. Xiaoliu, thinking Egg’s stunt looked like fun, decided to copy him. He climbed to an even higher spot and jumped, creating an even bigger splash. Now, both Hah’Er and Egg were displeased!
The two of them immediately pounced on Xiaoliu, forcing him under the water. The three creatures instantly broke into a chaotic free-for-all in the pool, turning the water into a churning mess. The poor fish, shrimp, and turtles in the pool suffered for it, scrambling to the side to escape the harassment. Of course, some weren’t willing to take the abuse lying down and launched counterattacks with their own methods.
"SQUEAK! SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!" Xiaoliu’s expression suddenly changed. He struggled violently to break free from Hah’Er and Egg’s encirclement, clutched the area between his legs, and scrambled ashore. ’What on earth happened?’ Shen Yibin immediately looked over, and the sight made him burst out laughing.
An old turtle was dangling there, its neck stretched out, clamped firmly onto Xiaoliu’s private parts. No matter how much Xiaoliu thrashed about, it refused to let go. The pain was so intense that tears were welling up in Xiaoliu’s eyes. Seeing this terrifying scene, Egg and Hah’Er also quickly clutched their crotches and scrambled out of the pool, afraid they would suffer the same fate.
*Pfft.* ’That’s what you get for causing such a scene. Serves you right.’ Shen Yibin shook his head and ran over. Even though Xiaoliu was in the wrong, he still had to be saved. If this went on for too long, Xiaoliu might get castrated.
"Don’t move, don’t move! The more you pull, the tighter it’ll bite!" Shen Yibin had also studied the habits of turtles. He knew that when bitten by one, you shouldn’t pull or tug. Instead, you should put it back in the water, and it will slowly loosen its grip. But Xiaoliu now seemed to have developed a fear of the pool and refused to go back in, no matter what.
’Sigh, looks like I’ll have to use the second method.’ Shen Yibin picked up the old turtle, holding its shell with one hand. With two fingers of his other hand, he squeezed the soft spots where its hind legs met its body. After a brief stalemate, the turtle released its bite and retracted its head into its shell. Shen Yibin quickly tossed the turtle back into the water. If he’d kept it out any longer, Xiaoliu probably would have snatched it and smashed it against a rock.
By now, Xiaoliu’s "treasure" was red and swollen. He quickly covered himself and ran to the side, apparently to find some way to treat his injury. But this scene had been witnessed by Hah’Er and Egg. The two of them were clutching their stomachs, doubled over with laughter, showing a complete lack of sympathy.
It was unclear what method Xiaoliu used, but he soon returned to normal. With a furious expression, the little guy pounced on Egg and Hah’Er, and the three of them started roughhousing all over again.
’Sigh, it’s a good thing Egg is only here for a couple of days. If he stayed for good, I can’t imagine how much chaos they’d cause.’