My girlfriend? Shen Yibin was stunned for a moment before he realized Xia Shixuan was talking about his red, swollen right hand. He was at a complete loss. ’You’re supposed to be a poised, rich, beautiful girl, so why is your mind in the gutter!’
"Alas, it looks like you won’t be able to enjoy the pleasure your ’girlfriend’ can bring you tonight, Bin. Want me to lend a hand?" Xia Shixuan propped her chin on her hand, her eyes practically dripping with allure as she gazed at Shen Yibin. He grew flustered and didn’t dare meet her gaze. ’There’s just no winning against a master of innuendo.’
"Just give me the keys. I have to go out for groceries. Or do you guys not want to eat tonight?" Shen Yibin tapped the table, trying to hurry her along. He hadn’t expected the movement to aggravate the injury on the back of his hand, and he sucked in a sharp breath. ’Damn it, Xiaoliu really doesn’t hold back.’
’Sigh, now that I think about it, that Clouded Leopard probably wouldn’t have been a match for Xiaoliu even if I hadn’t bought that special wand, right?’ As this dawned on him, Shen Yibin began to regret buying those other wands. That thing was a bit too fantastical, so he’d stashed it in his room and never dared to use it. It was probably covered in a thick layer of dust by now.
"Here." Seeing Shen Yibin in so much pain, Xia Shixuan stopped joking. She immediately pulled the car keys from the drawer and asked with concern, "Is it serious? You probably can’t drive right now, can you? Want me to take you to the hospital? To get an X-ray and have a doctor put some ointment on it or something?"
Shen Yibin flexed his right hand. He found that he hadn’t injured any bones or tendons; it was just a little sore and didn’t affect his range of motion much. "It’s fine. It’ll probably feel better in a little while. I’ll go get the shopping done first. If it’s still bothering me when I get back, a compress should do the trick. You watch the store. We’ll take tomorrow off, and everyone can go out and have some fun."
Taking such a big family of pets out was more than he could handle alone, so it was better to have them all come along. He could also invite Xu Ye and Bai Yanni. Besides, a new batch of Monkey Wine was ready, so everyone could have a blast together again.
He took the keys and sent out invitations to his friends via WeChat. Once Hah’Er and Xiaoliu were in the car, Shen Yibin started the engine and drove toward the fruit and vegetable market. When they arrived, people weren’t too surprised to see Hah’Er and Xiaoliu get out of the car. Shen Yibin had brought Hah’Er, Egg, and the others here many times, so the locals were used to it. An extra monkey wasn’t particularly strange to them.
"Xiaoliu, don’t run around. If you see something you like, just point, and I’ll buy it for you!" The fruit he needed to buy this time wasn’t just for Xiaoliu, Hah’Er, and Cheeky to eat; it was also for the next batch of Monkey Wine. The shopping list was definitely going to be long.
"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Xiaoliu’s eyes scanned the market. It saw mountains of fruit everywhere, as if it had arrived in paradise. It immediately rushed forward to inspect them. Shen Yibin quickly followed with Hah’Er, afraid the monkey would cause trouble. But it was fine. Xiaoliu just picked things up to look at them, either putting them back or gesturing for Shen Yibin to buy more. Before long, the cart Shen Yibin was pushing was stuffed to the brim.
The shopkeeper was grinning from ear to ear. Although Shen Yibin’s purchase volume was nothing special, a large crowd had started to follow Xiaoliu. Whenever they saw the monkey have Shen Yibin buy something, they would swarm forward to snatch it up, too. They seemed to think that any fruit a monkey picked out had to be good.
And it was true. The fruit Xiaoliu selected, whether in texture or sweetness, was much better than what Shen Yibin would have picked himself. ’The Monkey Wine brewed from this will surely taste even better, right?’ The thought made Shen Yibin think of Maphario. ’Sigh, the fruit it’s growing must be much tastier than anything on the market, right?’
It was a pity that, aside from the strawberries and watermelons, the other fruit trees would take a long time to mature. He wouldn’t get to taste them anytime soon. However, judging from the saplings’ progress, the trees Maphario was tending seemed to be growing much faster than ordinary ones. Maybe he wouldn’t have to wait that long after all.
After buying the fruits, vegetables, and meat, Shen Yibin returned to the store with the animals. By now, the swelling on the back of his hand had mostly subsided. It seemed Xiaoliu had been careful to control its strength after all. ’Maybe we can practice some more after dinner?’ Shen Yibin’s wuxia dream flared up again.
"Huh? Why isn’t Sun out yet? I’ll go get her." The food was cooked and set on the table, but Sun Qian still hadn’t emerged. Li Shiqing was about to go knock on her door.
"Don’t. She’s in her creative zone right now, so let’s not disturb her. We can put some food in a container for her. She can just microwave it later when she wants to eat," Shen Yibin quickly stopped her. Cheeky chimed in with agreement.
After dinner, Cheeky took the long way around and flew in through the window to check on Sun Qian. Maphario climbed up a branch into its orchard and started watering the saplings. Hah’Er sat lazily on the swing, swaying gently as if to help its food digest. Xiaoliu, meanwhile, picked up those two bamboo sticks again and hobbled over to Shen Yibin.
’Oh, come on, we’re practicing again?’ Shen Yibin was a little scared. The back of his right hand seemed to be throbbing again. The moment Maphario and Hah’Er saw Xiaoliu’s stance, they hurried over, apparently intending to watch the show.
’Fine, I’ll go, alright? I can’t let them look down on me, can I?’ With his head hung low, Shen Yibin trudged toward the open space by the pool. He failed to notice that Xiaoliu was also carrying a basket of fruit.
When they got there, Xiaoliu tossed a bamboo stick to Shen Yibin but didn’t rush to attack. Instead, it handed the fruit basket to Hah’Er and then chattered something at the panda. Hah’Er nodded its head repeatedly, seemingly understanding.
Once the exchange was over, Xiaoliu slowly backed away until it was about three or four meters from Hah’Er. It stood there unsteadily, holding its bamboo stick listlessly. It was completely unclear what it was planning to do.
"SQUEAK!" The sound seemed to be a signal. The moment it faded, Hah’Er picked a plum from the basket and threw it at Xiaoliu. Xiaoliu wasn’t flustered at all. It just stood there lazily until the plum was about to hit its head. Only then did it swing the bamboo stick. A flash of green cut through the air, and the stick knocked the plum to the ground.
Maphario immediately scurried over, retrieved the smashed plum, and placed it in a small basin that was inside the fruit basket. It seemed the remnants would be useful later.
"SQUEAK!" Xiaoliu pointed at Shen Yibin, then at the spot where it stood, as if telling him to hurry over.
’No way, is it asking me to play Fruit Ninja? I haven’t played that game in ages!’