Zhang Zian clearly remembered that when business had just taken a turn for the better last year, a father had brought his son, who was in primary school, to the Pet Shop. He wanted to buy his son a dog, and he didn’t have many requirements for the type of dog, as long as his son liked it.
The child usually lived in the city. Because his parents were busy with work, he would be sent back to his hometown in the countryside during the summer vacation and let his grandfather take care of him.
At first, the little boy, who was used to city life, was out of tune with village life. However, his grandfather had a big yellow Dog, which was very obedient and not fierce at all. The little boy often liked dogs, so he naturally played with the dog. They went to the river to catch fish and shrimp together, caught grasshoppers and butterflies together, and played wildly in the fields together … Leaving behind a summer vacation full of beautiful memories.
In the coming semester, the little boy would return to the village during the holidays. He would stick to the big yellow Dog all day long and enjoy the happiness that he would never experience in the city.
The little boy grew up year by year, and the big yellow Dog grew older by the year. It gradually couldn’t keep up with the little boy’s running, and only a few teeth were left.
When the summer vacation last year ended, the little boy returned to the city. He thought that such a life would continue forever. However, the day after he left, the big yellow Dog died. It was as if it had been holding on until he left.
Even though they had only spent two or three months together in a year, and even though he didn’t see the big yellow Dog die with his own eyes, the little boy still suffered indescribable pain. It was so painful that even his father couldn’t bear to watch him die. He decided to take him to the Pet Shop to pick a new dog. No matter how expensive the dog he chose was, he would buy it for him as long as it could make up for the trauma in his heart.
If the little boy had grown up with the big yellow Dog, wouldn’t the pain he had to endure be several times more than this?
If … If the Father had predicted this ending in advance, would he still let his son go back to his hometown in the countryside for the summer vacation? Would big yellow still become his son’s playmate?
Zhang Zian didn’t know. He had never asked his father, and there were no ifs in history.
Among the customers who came to the Pet Shop, there were some who were new to raising a pet for the first time. They were always full of longing to have their own pet. There were also people who had raised a pet before. Some of them gave their pet away for some reason and now they wanted to raise it again. Some of them were lost or stolen, and some were dead.
Zhang Zian had dealt with countless customers, and he could always identify certain customers from the clues. After entering the store, they would always stare at a certain type of cat or dog, as if they had seen something very familiar. Sometimes, they would stare at it until their eyes turned red … It was not their first time raising a pet, and they liked it very much. Some people repeatedly asked about the lifespan of a certain pet and bought it home, while others shook their heads and left after hesitating.
There were a lot of customers like this. They had all been in pain from losing their beloved pets. Some of them tried to make up for the pain by raising new pets, while others still liked pets, or even more than the former, but their hearts could not bear the second blow.
The little boy and his son belonged to the former, and Cai meiwen probably belonged to the latter.
She didn’t stop her daughter from having a pet because she was afraid that it would affect her studies. At least, that wasn’t the only reason.
She had once lost her pet and had experienced an unforgettable pain, so she would never want her daughter to experience the same pain.
If having something meant separation, then it was fine as long as he didn’t have it.
Although she was screaming in the Pet Shop, Zhang Zian didn’t blame her, nor was he angry with her. How could he blame a mother who tried her best to protect her daughter?
She wasn’t hard-hearted, but if needed, she was willing to play the bad guy. Although her daughter would blame her in her heart, compared to the pain of losing the one she loved, what was this?
He understood why she had lost her composure, but the staff didn’t understand, the elves didn’t understand, and little celery didn’t understand.
After all, Wang Qian and Li Kun were young and impetuous. They couldn’t stand it anymore and were about to curse at her on the spot, but they were stopped by Lu Yiyun and Jiang Feifei. Otherwise, it was a small matter for them to scold her, but how could little celery face them in the future?
After a short silence, little celery finally burst into tears.
“Mom, don’t be angry … Sob … It’s all my fault. I don’t want to have a pet anymore … Sob …” Little celery couldn’t stop her tears from flowing out. She hugged her mother’s thigh and begged.
Cai meiwen’s expression was extremely unsightly. Her chest heaved up and down, and her lips trembled, but she couldn’t say a word.
She didn’t expect that Zhang Zian’s eyes were so sharp that he could see through the real reason why she refused to let little celery have a pet, and also the secret she had hidden in her heart for many years.
He could only say, as expected of the pet store manager?
“Little celery, don’t cry. Your mother is not angry with you. On the contrary, she loves you more than anyone else in the world.” Zhang Zian walked over and patted little celery’s shoulder.
Little celery sobbed and looked up at her mother’s face with tears in her eyes, as if she was trying to confirm Zhang Zian’s words.
A clear stream of tears silently fell from the corner of Cai meiwen’s eyes and dripped on little celery’s face. Then, like a flood that had broken the dam, she squatted down and suddenly pulled little celery into her arms, crying her heart out.
The excited staff and elves were all dumbfounded by her crying.
What was going on? A few seconds ago, she looked like she was looking for trouble and was about to quarrel. Now, she made it seem as if she had lost the argument, but they had not even retaliated yet!
Little celery didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know why her mother suddenly cried, so she could only cry with her mother.
Zhang Zian gave the staff a look, meaning to tell them not to look around. It was not convenient to explain now. Let’s just do what we have to do. Maybe she will explain herself when she is done crying.
In just a few seconds, a lot of water had seeped in through the crack in the door. In order to avoid the sewage that spread through the door, the kittens all shrank into the depths of the shop, or climbed to the top of the display cabinet or the shelves.
Zhang Zian and the staff worked in a flurry, wiping and sucking with a mop, and finally temporarily clearing the sewage that had come in.
Cai meiwen gradually stopped crying and gently patted her daughter’s back.”Little celery, be good. Don’t cry. Don’t hurt your eyes. Wipe your tears. Mom isn’t angry with you.”
After coaxing little celery for a while, she helped little celery wipe her tears, turned to Zhang Zian, and said,””You’re right, I’ve had a pet before,”
Little celery was so surprised that she stopped crying.”Mom … You have a pet before?” she asked.
Cai meiwen nodded.”It was a long time ago.”