452 The Model Father (1/2)
Chapter 452: The Model Father
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ting Ying squatted down and held the cat in her arms. The kitty was three months old and its fur, face, and body were not fully grown yet, or even as pretty as what was in the movies, but it still felt nice to hold.
”Excuse me, could you tell me what kind of cat this is?” She asked quietly, gently touching its soft fur.
Zhang Zian didn't quite understand her situation, but he was very knowledgeable about the types of cats he was selling, so he answered, ”This is a Siberian Forest cat. You can call it a Xisen.”
”You mean it came all the way from freezing Siberia? No wonder its fur is so long,” she said, finally understanding.
Luo Qingyu took out his camera and was about to take pictures, but he put it down. ”Wait, a Xisen? Isn't it a Ragdoll? I haven't read that much about it, but don't lie to me! I've seen a Ragdoll before!” Based on appearance, they did look alike. They both had blue eyes, similar hair color, and body shape. Standing next to the other five Ragdoll babies, the Siberian Forest cat looked like their sibling.
”Of course it's a Xisen! This cat is rare in China, and not many people have them, but you can't mix it up with a Ragdoll. Xisens have a longer history than Ragdolls. Their fur is also longer and thicker. If you can't tell from their looks, you can touch one and figure it out,” Zhang Zian corrected her.
Ting Ying used her finger to hold a strand of its hair, slowly straightening it, just as she did with her own hair, and awed quietly. ”Its so long!”
”It's kitten fur, their hair will grow longer when they mature,” Zhang Zian said seriously. ”One of the reasons why this kind of cat is so rare in our country is because their hair is too long for the summer. After all, their hometown is freezing cold Siberia, and they couldn't survive there with short fur. However, in most areas of China, it's not that cold in the winter, yet it is really hot in the summer. So if you are planning on buying this cat, you have to make sure the temperature inside is not any higher than 27 degrees, and even then, under 20 degrees would be best. Otherwise, the cat could have a heatstroke.”
Luo Qingyu was surprised. ”What a sensitive cat! Ting Ying, you really have to pay attention to it! Under 20 degrees in summer, that means you have to turn on the air conditioner all day long. Summer in Binhai is so hot for so long, you'll have to pay a huge electricity bill…”
”That's really true,” Zhang Zian admitted. He never hid the the negative sides of his pet breeds, but he cursed Luo Qingyu silently. That fancy, trendy camera he was carrying was a prize from a photography competition, not one he had bought himself, and you could tell he was a loser just from what he was saying. . .
”It's okay.” Ting Ying shook her head. Her father had left her enough money, and although he was not an upstart, he could still afford her a decent life. And besides, she would be working after graduation. Having a cat wouldn't be a problem—especially when this cat was not a normal cat, it was a cat living in a magical pet store, a cat raised by a store manager who could speak the language of cats. She believed this pet would bring her good luck, and she hoped her father's heart was invested in the cat, just like the movie had promised. She knew it was a superstition, but so what?
”Have you made up your mind about taking this one?” Zhang Zian studied her facial expressions, and noticed that she had already started treating this cat as her own.
”Hm, I've decided.” She held it carefully. The Siberian cat nestled in her arms meekly.
Seeing that Ting Ying wanted to leave, Luo Qingyu said anxiously, ”Wait a second! Ting Ying, don't you remember? The cats here can dance. I'm telling you, if you don't ask the store manager to teach you his methods as an owner, you won't be able to command the cat to dance!”
All of these protests were just excuses for him to take pictures of the cats dancing, so that he could post it to Weibo and possibly hook up with some girls who loved cats.
”I'm good,” Ting Ying said carefreely. ”I won't buy the cat for its dancing talent, I just want it to live with me, safe and sound. Also,” she smiled mysteriously at Zhang Zian, ”if I lose the cat, I hope it can find its way back here.”
She suddenly remembered the movie Nine Lives, where Mr. Fuzzypants only had two lives left at the beginning of the movie, which meant it had helped seven people escape from their deaths before. Then it came back to the mysterious store manager and waited for another lost and confused soul. She believed this cat would do the same thing.
Zhang Zian was a bit confused seeing her smile, but pretended he understood and smiled along.
Luo Qingyu was more confused, and didn't know why either of them were smiling, so he started to doubt their intelligence.
”Oh, right, shouldn't there be cat bowls, a litter box, and a cat carrier?” Ting Ying asked happily, thinking about the scenes in the movie.
”Oh, right, I was thinking about asking you…” Usually Zhang Zian was the one who asked questions to his customers, but this unusual customer did everything differently. At that moment, Zhang Zian felt off and didn't know how to act. To hide his awkwardness, he walked to the outer room and pointed to all the kinds of different cat bowls on the shelf and asked, ”What kind do you prefer?”
There were various types of cat bowls: bowls made of fine china with cat and fish patterns, shining aluminum alloy bowls, simple and durable plastic bowls, tempered glass bowls, etc. They all satisfied different types of customers with different needs. The one Fina used was made of aluminum alloy because she preferred shiny things.
”I like this one.” Luo Qingyu grabbed a tempered glass bowl and looked for the right angle to take a picture.
Zhang Zian snatched it from his hands and said, ”Don't touch it if you are not buying it.”
Luo Qingyu said, ”Who said I'm not buying it?”