一路向西 粤语

Chapter 18: The Real Guest

Translator: Nyoi_Bo_Studio Editor: Tennesh

Zhao Qi didn’t have a pet and certainly hadn’t been to a pet shop before, but she felt this shop was a bit strange. First, why did she come in and see a black and white cat sleeping in the crib? Second, why was the young man who looked to be the shopkeeper not sitting behind the cashier to greet the guests but instead laying lazily on the reclining chair?

However, the air quality in the shop was very fresh, as opposed to the smell of pet dung she was afraid of. The most important thing was that there were fewer types of pets in the shop and no disgusting reptiles. It seemed that it was very popular to keep those curious pets, as if they were signs of their owner’s personalities. Zhao Qi didn’t think so.

While she was looking around the pet shop, Zhang Zian was looking at her. The woman was wearing a famous brand dress. Although it wasn’t a top luxury brand, the price of a single item was more than 1,000 yuan. Her makeup was slightly thick, like she had quickly finished in the bathroom, and her eyes were angry, like she had just lost her temper.

Zhang Zian evaluated that she paid attention to brands but was more rational with her purchases. She could be considered a target client, although he was not sure whether or not she wanted to buy a pet.

Even so, he didn’t greet her. He allowed her to choose her own pet, simply brightening the pet display area by remote control without disturbing her.

Zhao Qi’s first impression of the shop was good. In addition to the clean and tidy shop, she thought the shopkeeper had a good attitude, unlike other salesmen and shopping guides that acted like dogs when she entered, trying to please her. They talked non-stop, leaving her in no mood to shop.

She ignored the white mouse without a second glance. In her mind, it didn’t matter if it was a gray, white, or yellow mouse, it was an abomination, probably crawling with germs.

The Siamese cat was the first to get up. It looked through the glass of the display case and meowed. The sound was very slight and soft, like a little milk cat’s normal cries.

The Samoyed paused and then immediately got close to her, looking at her with its tongue sticking out.

The British Shorthair was a little reserved. It didn’t appear to be as eager as the first two, but it slowly moved towards her, somewhat tempted.

Zhao Qi felt slightly shocked. She lived in a high-rise apartment and went to work early and got off work late. She could occasionally see people walking dogs in public areas, but those dogs and cats were adults and seemed to be unruly. They would either hit each other or bark at each other, and the owners would have to pull them apart in despair…

Once, when she was in middle school, something happened that particularly embarrassed her. At that time, she met a brown puppy. It jumped on her calf and began to move up and down. She paused and suddenly felt her legs get wet. She looked around and saw people laughing at her, and then she understood and grew angry, kicking the dog away. However, that made the owner of the dog unhappy, and he pulled her aside, accusing her of hurting the dog and telling her to take it to a veterinarian… Anyway, that was a big accident, and she still remembered that dog’s name—Teddy.

That event left her with a lot of mental issues. She had found puppies cute before that, but afterward she avoided dogs, both big and small.

She admitted that the white puppy was lovely, but sorry, she couldn’t handle dogs.

Zhao Qi moved two steps to the right, leaving the Samoyed’s display case and standing between the display cases of a Siamese cat and a British Shorthair.

The Samoyed was disappointed and laid down, sadly sobbing with its ears drooping. It didn’t know what mistake it had made or why it was hated by this potential owner.

The Siamese cat was much happier, pressing against the glass with its front paws and trying to get its head out through the middle of the glass wall to be touched. However, the glass hole was so small that it could only get its muzzle out.

Meanwhile, the British Shorthair laid against the side of the glass wall, its bright eyes staring at Zhao Qi.

To be honest, both cats were very cute, but Zhao Qi considered herself to be an elegant lady, so she preferred the lady’s-style British Shorthair.

Zhao Qi had superior looks with a roundish face, so the British Shorthair’s round cheeks were also a bonus for her.

She was worried about whether the British Shorthair disliked her or not. Zhao Qi turned around, wanting to say hello to the manager, but saw Zhang Zian was already standing by her side.

“Manager, what cat is this?” she asked, flicking the glass wall of the British Shorthair’s display case with her fingernails.

In fact, the majority of customers that entered the pet shop were like Zhao Qi, not knowing anything about pets. A few did know some of the more common types, especially when it came to dogs, such as the Siberian Husky, Samoyed, Golden Retriever, and so on. Because dogs needed to be walked, they could often be seen in the neighborhood or on the street. On the other hand, cats didn’t need to be walked, so they could stay at home their whole life. The more expensive the cats were, the more reluctant the owners were to let them out of the house, so the rate of identification of cats was much lower than that of dogs.

Zhang Zian introduced the animal, “This is a British shorthair, and next to it is a Siamese cat.”

Zhao Qi said noncommittally, “Oh.”

Zhang Zian knew that this brief introduction was meaningless, so he asked, “Have you ever had a pet before?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head and looking back and forth between the Siamese cat and British Shorthair.

“For a first timer, both cats are very suitable. I would personally recommend the British Shorthair,” he said.

Zhao Qi hesitantly said, “I also felt this blue cat was very cute, but it didn’t seem to like me very much?”

He explained, “The two cats are different types, so their personalities are different. A Siamese cat is much more enthusiastic and familiar, while a British Shorthair is very enthusiastic about its owner, but it is wary of strangers. You are a stranger to it for now, so its attitude is not surprising.”

Zhao Qi was not quite convinced and wondered if the shopkeeper was just being superficial and trying to sell the British Shorthair as soon as possible.

“Are you sure? I am afraid that, once it grows up, it will be still cold to me…” she said.

Zhang Zian smiled and said, “You can rest assured that these dogs and cats came from a normal breeding base and were all my top picks. For British Shorthairs, after their parents give birth to a litter of kittens, breeders would pick out the cats that were particularly close to them and keep them as breeding cats. Then when they raise the cat, it will be able to connect with other cats that are particularly close to people, so the kittens will be more intimate.”

Zhao Qi nodded but still felt like she didn’t really understand.