Chapter 92 A Silent Surprise: They Even Forgot My Birthday
The next day, as expected, Su Qing decisively canceled all non-urgent matters and dragged Shi Wan straight to the long-forgotten store in the city.
The shop is located on the edge of a quiet cultural and creative park, with cobblestone streets, shady trees, and is surrounded by independent designer studios, niche cafes and bookstores, creating an artistic and peaceful atmosphere.
The store's location was indeed quite good, just as Shi Wan had said. It was right on the street with a fairly large shop window, and the store number was discreetly embedded in the wall covered with green plants.
Su Qing first stood at the door and carefully examined the entrance. Then she took out her phone and took photos from several different positions, as well as the surrounding scenery.
Then he took out the key Shi Wan had given him and opened the long-unopened glass door. The moment he opened the door, a faint smell of dust wafted out.
The store was more spacious than she had imagined, about 60 or 70 square meters, square in shape, with bright and large glass windows, providing excellent natural light.
The room was now empty, with only a few discarded tables and chairs covered with white cloth piled in the corner. A thin layer of dust had accumulated on the floor, and a few spider webs had even appeared in the corners of the walls. The walls and floors were gray and dirty, making the room look particularly desolate.
Su Qing, however, seemed to have discovered a rare treasure. She strode inside, not caring at all that the place was covered in dirt. She touched this and looked at that, her eyes shining with an astonishing light.
"Look at this high ceiling! This lighting! This spatial layout!" She gestured with rare excitement. "My boss! You really... you're begging for food with a golden bowl in your hands! You don't even need to put much thought into this place. With just a little tidying up, it'll definitely become a popular spot for internet celebrities!"
She has already begun to beautifully construct a blueprint in her mind.
“We can put a whole row of light wood display shelves against the wall to display our products and all the cat-themed merchandise we’ve had before. The merchandise from our farm has always been of good quality and very cute. Even some of our employees have asked Xiao Zhang if they can buy one to take home. I think this cultural and creative industry can continue to develop.”
In the middle area... we can set up some low shelves, cat trees, and cat beds to create an interactive cat exhibition area. We can then take Tangyuan, Jubao, Huanhuan, and Bingbing here in rotation. After all, seeing is believing, and if they see how well our cats are cared for, they will naturally trust us more!
Finally, the shop window must be designed with a stunning themed scene, which can be made periodic and changed regularly to attract passersby to come in. Once they're inside, I'm confident they won't leave empty-handed..."
Looking at Su Qing's excited expression and glancing around the dusty yet promising shop, Shi Wan felt a sense of anticipation welling up inside her.
"However, there's still a lot to do: decorating, setting up, hiring, stocking up... I've calmed down a bit from my excitement and started to plan."
"I'll make a detailed budget and opening plan as soon as possible. Boss, you'd better step up. The overall style and product planning of the store are all up to you."
"Let's go with a natural, warm, and healing style, like our farm," Shi Wan said without hesitation.
"We will continue to use more natural wood, cotton and linen, and green plant elements. As for products, in addition to our existing full range of products, we can also launch high-end custom and invigorating series here. We can also develop some store-exclusive merchandise, such as canvas bags with Tangyuan's head printed on them, cat paw mugs, etc."
"Great! It's settled then!" Su Qing pulled out her electronic notepad and quickly jotted down the information. "I'll post the job posting as soon as I get back. Mr. Shi, which designer did you contact before? I think she's quite good, we can continue to commission her. What do you think?"
Shi Wan thought so too. She had put in a lot of effort to find a suitable artist, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, she would continue to work with this artist.
In the days that followed, the two became busier than ever before.
Su Qing is almost always in the city, overseeing renovations, interviewing shop assistants, and running around with various procedures. She's so busy that she doesn't even have time to match her shoes to her clothes, and she runs around in her most comfortable sneakers every day.
Shi Wan stayed at the farm's headquarters, ensuring the stability of online orders and trial supply from Pet Paradise, while also accelerating the research and development and testing of the Vitality and Soothing series of products. She also had to take time to review the store design drawings and material plans sent back by Su Qing.
Shi Wan was so busy that she kept complaining and was constantly lost in thought about why she had made herself so busy.
Didn't we agree that once the farm was on the right track, we could rest and relax?
Why is she still walking on the same track over and over again?
The lights in the main house often stayed on until late at night.
Ju Bao slept soundly on its soft cushion. Tang Yuan also understood that Shi Wan had been working particularly hard lately, so it stopped constantly bringing empty packaging bags to hint at a raise. Instead, it would quietly lie down at her feet to keep her company, or rub its head against her hand, as if it were recharging her.
The presence of the stars becomes increasingly indispensable in this high-intensity work.
He meticulously monitored the farm's environmental parameters to ensure the crops were in optimal growth condition. He also discreetly adjusted Shi Wan's chair to a more comfortable angle and set the screen brightness to the most eye-friendly mode while she stayed up late.
He remained a man of few words, but his silent support served as the most solid foundation, giving Shi Wan a sense of security amidst her busy life.
That day, Shi Wan finally finalized the formula for the Vitality Soothing and Calming Cat Food and arranged for the first batch of small-scale production.
She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if she had just finished a tough battle.
She slumped onto the sofa, rubbing her throbbing temples. Looking out at the pitch-black night sky, she belatedly realized that... something had been forgotten.
What was it again?
She frowned and thought for a long time, but still couldn't remember.
"Forget it, if I can't remember, it means it's definitely not important," she muttered, preparing to wash up and rest.
Just then, the lights in the room suddenly dimmed slowly, gradually turning into a very soft light blue.
At the same time, a very faint, melodious tune, like the swaying of wind chimes, flowed out from somewhere, soothing and peaceful.
Shi Wan was stunned.
Immediately afterwards, in the empty air in front of her, soft particles of light began to gather, like fireflies on a summer night, dancing lightly, and finally outlining a clear and three-dimensional image.
It was a miniature starry sky, the night view of Meow Meow Farm.
You can see the warm lights of the main building in Zone 1, the orderly production lines of the factory buildings in Zone 2, and the soft glow emanating from the lush grass in the hydroponic greenhouse...
Even Tangyuan, who was dozing on the windowsill of the main house, and Jubao, who was sleeping sprawled out on the cushion, were presented in detail. If Shi Wan looked closely, she could even see that Tangyuan in the video was wearing a dynamic, breathing dumpling hat on his head.
The images rotated slowly, like an exquisite music box, perfectly showcasing the tranquil and beautiful night on the farm.
In the center of this miniature starry sky, a line of words composed of light particles slowly emerged.
"Shi Wan, happy birthday."
There was no signature, but that gentle yet slightly hoarse voice seemed to resonate directly in her heart.
Shi Wan was completely stunned. She stared blankly at the starry sky that had lit up for her, at the simple blessing, and her nose suddenly stung with tears, her eyes almost turning red.
Oh right, it's my birthday...
Today is her birthday.
She was so busy that she forgot her own birthday.
No one reminded her, and she herself had forgotten.
But Xinglin remembered.
He didn't offer expensive gifts or flowery words; he simply presented her with the farm night view that she cherished most, a view to which he had poured countless hours of effort.
It was as if it was telling her, "Look, everything you've protected is so peaceful and so beautiful."
This is the gift I can give you.
But this gift touched her heart more than anything else.
Tears rolled down my cheeks without warning, not from sadness, but from an emotion that was filled with an indescribable warmth and感动.
Shi Wan covered her eyes, feeling somewhat flustered.
She wasn't a crybaby. She never cried when she argued with her father or fought with her classmates when she was little. As she grew up, she shed even fewer tears, crying at most two or three times a year.
I just don't know why I suddenly feel like crying.
She slowly squatted down, burying her head in her knees, feeling somewhat ashamed of herself.
"Xinglin..." she whispered, trying to suppress a sob, her voice trembling with tears yet filled with tenderness, "Thank you, I... I had forgotten myself..."
The room was bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, and the soothing music continued to play gently.
The miniature farm in the video was operating quietly. Tangyuan's tail tip swayed unconsciously, and Jubao turned over and continued to sleep soundly.
After a while, when Shi Dang Wan's emotions had calmed down a bit, Xing Lin's gentle voice rang out again, carrying a comforting and embracing power.
“You have done so much for this place, and we remember it all.”
He paused, then added, his voice so soft it was as if he didn't want to disturb the moment of warmth.
May you always be like this farm under the starry sky, peaceful and bountiful, surrounded by love and warmth.
At that moment, Shi Wan felt all the fatigue and pressure of the past few days melt away completely by this silent surprise and sincere blessing.
The soft corner of her heart seemed to be gently filled by something, feeling grounded and comforting.
She watched the fading starlight over the farm in the air, wiped her eyes, and revealed a smile that was both tearful and incredibly radiant.
There was no cake for her birthday, only a starry sky lit up for her and a blessing.
But she felt it was one of the best birthdays she had ever had.
Outside the window, the real farm is bathed in the deep darkness of night.
Inside the window, a heart is gently illuminated.
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