Future Pet Shop

Chapter 91: The Pet Store’s New Employee

"This little guy usually likes to eat Amazonian fruits and needs to listen to music for at least two hours a day..." After the transaction was complete, Shen Yibin rambled on, explaining Cheeky’s habits to Sun Qian. There was a hint of sadness in his voice. ’Sigh, he belongs to someone else now.’ Halfway through, he stopped himself. "Ah, well, he can talk anyway. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask him."

"Taking care of this guy isn’t cheap, so you’ll have to work hard," Shen Yibin said, offering a few words of encouragement. "For today, just start with some simple tasks like cleaning and serving tea to customers. Take the opportunity to observe and get familiar with the shop’s environment and workflow. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. Oh, right, I also have some information about pets on my computer. You can take a look when you have time." Shen Yibin handed the tablet to Sun Qian.

"Okay, I’ll do my best to get the hang of it quickly." The job was a bit new to Sun Qian, but the pets in the shop were all very smart and cute, not at all unpleasant. Following Hah’Er’s lead to feed the pets, Sun Qian quickly grew to like the work.

From then on, whenever a customer entered, Sun Qian would quickly serve them tea. Then, she would stand to the side, observing Shen Yibin’s sales techniques, occasionally nodding and jotting down a few notes in her notebook. As soon as the customer left, she would immediately clean up the paper cups and other items. With her help, things became much easier for Shen Yibin.

’That affinity test app was right after all. She really is a thoughtful and quick-learning girl.’ Seeing her in action, Shen Yibin nodded to himself. ’Sun Qian is so much better than the other girls who applied before. It probably won’t be long before she can handle things on her own.’

"Alright, it’s almost lunchtime. We don’t usually get many customers around this time, so you can take a break. I’m going out to buy groceries and will be back to cook in a bit. Is there anything you’d like to eat?" He had closed two more deals that morning. ’If this keeps up, this month’s revenue might be even higher than last month’s. Now that Cheeky has been sold and business is getting better and better, maybe it won’t be long before I can pay off the debts from opening the shop.’ Shen Yibin decided to cook a big meal to reward himself.

"You know how to cook, boss?" Sun Qian was a little surprised. Shen Yibin was only a year older than her, and not many men his age knew how to cook.

"How could I keep this foodie alive if I couldn’t cook?" Shen Yibin patted Hah’Er on the head. Hah’Er just grinned foolishly, not the least bit embarrassed.

"Hah’Er and I are going out for groceries. You and Cheeky can stay here and watch the shop. If any customers come, just let Cheeky do the introductions." ’Hmm, with an extra employee in the shop, I don’t have to close up when I go out anymore.’

Shen Yibin took Hah’Er out for a stroll and returned from the nearby fruit and vegetable store with a large pile of ingredients. "I’m going upstairs to cook. You can stay down here." ’She probably doesn’t know how to cook, judging by the look of her.’ "If there are no customers, you can sing to Cheeky. You can also bring your instrument with you when you come to work tomorrow."

"I want to eat fig salad today. You haven’t made it for me in days." Even though he had a new owner, Cheeky wasn’t acting like a stranger at all.

’What the hell? You’ve already been sold, and you still expect me to pay for your food? That’s a bit unreasonable, isn’t it?’ Shen Yibin was defeated by the little guy. ’Ah, forget it. Considering you usually help me with sales, I’ll just treat it as your salary.’

A short while later, the sounds of cooking drifted down from upstairs, while Sun Qian’s beautiful singing rose from downstairs. It was a song Shen Yibin had never heard before, apparently one Sun Qian had written herself. The melody was soothing and graceful. At first, she sang alone, but then Cheeky joined in for a duet. ’This pet and owner are really hitting it off.’ Shen Yibin felt a twinge of jealousy listening to them.

"Hah’Er, take the bowls and chopsticks downstairs. We’ll eat down here today." Shen Yibin couldn’t be bothered to go down and close the shop, so he simply changed the location for lunch.

When Hah’Er returned, Sun Qian also hurried upstairs to help carry the dishes. The moment she reached the second floor, she was stunned by Shen Yibin’s culinary skills. "Boss, you made all this? I feel like if you opened a restaurant, you’d definitely make more money than you do now."

"Thanks for the compliment. If you like it, please eat your fill. That’s the fig salad for Cheeky; you can take it downstairs." Shen Yibin was very happy to have his skills recognized by someone.

"Hah’Er, this is yours, and this is mine." After pouring drinks for himself and Hah’Er, Shen Yibin raised the bottle. "Sun Qian, do you drink? How about a glass to celebrate your first day of work and buying Cheeky?"

"I’ll have a glass, then." Sun Qian wasn’t reserved, picking up her glass with ease.

"Me too! Can I have some?" The atmosphere seemed to have infected Cheeky, and the little guy who almost never drank also asked to join the celebration.

"Cheers!" Shen Yibin raised his glass and clinked it against Hah’Er’s and Sun Qian’s. As for Cheeky, Shen Yibin found a shallow saucer and poured a thin layer for him.

All four of them were very satisfied with the grand meal. What made Shen Yibin even more pleased was that as soon as they finished eating, Sun Qian proactively started clearing the table and washing the dishes, rescuing him from the tedious chores. He was a bit embarrassed at first, but Sun Qian said that since the boss had worked so hard to cook, it was only right for her to help out a little, which put Shen Yibin in a great mood.

And so, Sun Qian stayed on at Shen Yibin’s shop, working and learning at the same time. The next day, she even brought her guitar from home. Whenever she had free time, she would perform for Cheeky, as well as for Shen Yibin and Hah’Er, making the shop livelier than ever.

And under Cheeky’s guidance, Sun Qian’s skills improved with startling speed. Even Shen Yibin, a complete layman, felt her singing was already on par with that of your average pop star. ’If she gets a chance in the future, she could probably become famous very quickly.’

Sun Qian also gradually became familiar with the work at the shop. Before long, she knew the habits of all the pets by heart. She could even chat for a bit with customers when they came in. Perhaps because of her radiant appearance and gentle voice, her sales performance was even better than Shen Yibin’s.

After observing her a few times and seeing that Sun Qian made no mistakes, Shen Yibin was finally able to relax. ’Looks like I might be able to take a day or two off. If things are still going well after a while, I can consider taking Hah’Er for a trip to the Sichuan Giant Panda Base.’

One morning, right after breakfast, Shen Yibin returned from exercising in the park with Hah’Er and Cheeky. Just as he and Sun Qian were tidying up and opening the shop, he saw Bai Yanni’s car parked outside. She poked her head out of the car window. "Bin, are you free today? Let’s go have some fun at Nanshan. Hmm? Bin, who is she?"