There's a chat group for pets in my neighborhood.

In the darkness of night.

Compared to her capable and tense demeanor during the day, Qin Zhuyan looked inexplicably lazy after taking off her work apron.

It was only then that Lu Fang realized just how impressive his store manager's figure was.

plump.

Unlike Xu Yi's youthful energy, Qin Zhuyan exudes a kind of inexplicable composure. Years of hard work have not diminished her charm; on the contrary, her experience in caring for pets has given her a unique allure.

She's not a young woman, but even more so.

"You can drink, right?" Qin Zhuyan casually opened a bottle of ice-cold beer and handed it to Lu Fang.

"A little bit won't hurt." It's just beer; Lu Fang can hold his liquor.

"That's good. Come on, let's have a drink. A boy can't do without a drink." Qin Zhuyan raised her glass, the usually capable female boss now showing a rare tired and relaxed expression: "You kid, you're amazing! Although your aesthetic sense isn't great, your taste is quite good. You managed to sell such ugly toys like that. This is a toast to you!"

The aroma of cumin and mutton wafted through the smoke. After two glasses of ice-cold beer, Qin Zhuyan's fair face quickly flushed red, and she became more talkative.

"Do you remember what you said when you joined the company?"

Lu Fang swallowed the kebab, somewhat bewildered: "What are you talking about?"

"They are born innocent and spend their entire lives accompanying and healing us. I want to do something for their limited lives," Qin Zhuyan said, word by word. "I initially thought you were just saying these polite words to get a job, but now I can feel that you genuinely love them."

In just a few days, Lu Fang's seriousness and responsibility completely exceeded Qin Zhuyan's expectations. He would turn Pudding over every two hours, and the pets boarded at the shop lived in an orderly manner under his care. He remembered the preferences and precautions of each pet.

This afternoon, no matter how dirty the dogs were, Lu Fang didn't show the slightest impatience. Instead, he carefully washed them clean, without any perfunctory attitude.

Hearing Qin Zhuyan's praise, Lu Fang scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "It's not as exaggerated as the store manager said. But I'm quite curious. I've looked into all the other Hello Pet stores around here, and their business is actually just so-so. Why do you insist on opening a Hello Pet store, and why are you so dedicated to it?"

Upon hearing Lu Fang's question, Qin Zhuyan paused, holding her beer. She looked up and stared directly at Lu Fang, her brown eyes suddenly clouded with tears.

She downed the entire glass of ice-cold beer in one gulp before slowly saying, "I'm from the countryside, and I have a younger brother."

The words were short, but Lu Fang understood their meaning in an instant.

Patriarchal.

"Although it's a rural area, I have a pet named Ah Huang, a stray dog." When she mentioned that name, a glimmer of light flashed in Qin Zhuyan's eyes: "At first, my parents didn't agree to me keeping a pet, after all, our family's financial situation wasn't very good. I cried and begged them to take care of it and promise not to use a single extra penny of our money, and only then did they reluctantly agree."

"Whatever I ate, Ah Huang ate too. It never tasted dog food. Because it ate very little, Ah Huang and I were both very thin back then."

"Every time I got scolded and hid behind the haystack to wipe my tears, it would always pop out its big head, then carefully walk into my arms and lick the tears off my face with its tongue."

"Back then, I secretly vowed that I would make sure Ah Huang had an endless supply of dog food, and that he would have a big chicken leg with every meal!"

"Until one afternoon when I turned sixteen."

Although Qin Zhuyan's expression did not change, he keenly sensed that she was shattered into pieces in front of him.

"My younger brother was playing football in town and accidentally kicked down the front door of someone's shop. He needed to pay 200 yuan in compensation. At that time, we didn't have 200 yuan at home. The two people searched everywhere but couldn't raise the money. That's when they saw Ah Huang wagging its tail in the yard."

"When I realized what was happening, it was too late. I wanted to take Ah Huang back. I knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying that I would earn the two hundred yuan, please don't sell Ah Huang. He didn't even look at me."

"That was the day I boarded the green train that left the town, carrying the few dozen yuan I had secretly saved and two changes of clothes."

"That money was originally saved up to buy dog ​​food and canned dog food for Ah Huang, but I never expected it would become my travel expenses."

When she talked about these things, Qin Zhuyan's face was expressionless, as if she wasn't the protagonist of the story.

"I'm thinking, I must open a Hello Pet Shop, I must make a lot of money, and if I ever see Ah Huang again, I must buy him the best canned dog food and the best dog drink!"

Looking at Qin Zhuyan in front of him, Lu Fang felt a little uncomfortable. He had always had a strong sense of empathy, and he could completely feel the sadness that was emanating from her at this moment.

"I believe Ah Huang would be happy for you if he knew!"

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Today is a happy day, cheers! Let's keep up the good work and make our Hello Pet Shop the biggest Hello Pet Shop in Yanling City!" Qin Zhuyan tilted her head back and gulped down the ice-cold beer she had just poured.

"Of course!" Lu Fang agreed, and the two of them drank one cup after another. Soon, Qin Zhuyan was so drunk that she couldn't even hold her chopsticks properly.

"Come on, I'll take you to feed the stray cats in the neighborhood!" Qin Zhuyan suddenly stood up, then stumbled and fell back down.

The usually calm and capable female boss seemed like a completely different person. Leaning on Lu Fang's shoulder, reeking of alcohol, she said, "Let me tell you, I have a big plan! I'm going to find owners for all the stray cats and dogs in the neighborhood, and then they'll bring their owners to my shop to spend money. Heh heh, then we'll have endless money to make!"

Two full breasts pressed heavily against Lu Fang's arm, and his face flushed red. He dared not move, while Qin Zhuyan seemed completely unaware, and even pressed closer and closer.

Lu Fang was struggling to keep up with her grip, and while supporting her, he smiled wryly, "My dear, you've had too much to drink. I'll take you home."

The journey home was a disaster.

Qin Zhuyan would insist on walking in a straight line on the main road one minute, and then she would insist that there was a stray dog ​​hiding in the roadside green belt and that she needed to go in and rescue it.

Lu Fang used all his strength, dragging and carrying her, to barely get her to the apartment building where she rented.

After finally managing to find the key in her bag and open the door, Lu Fang threw her onto the soft sofa. He was already covered in sweat, feeling more exhausted than if he had washed seventeen dogs that afternoon.

Looking at Qin Zhuyan, who was smacking her lips and fast asleep on the sofa, Lu Fang shook his head helplessly, took off her shoes, covered her with a thin blanket, poured a cup of hot water and placed it on the coffee table next to her, making sure it was within easy reach.

The interior was clean, tidy, and cozy.

Several potted plants were placed on the balcony, and the tablecloth on the coffee table in the living room had the four characters "May all your wishes come true" written on it. Life was simple, but it was by no means boring. Compared with Lu Fang's own house, it was like heaven and earth.

However, there was no sign of pets living in the house. Perhaps because of Ah Huang, Qin Zhuyan has not kept any pets of her own since.

They used their short lives to heal another life.