Chapter 63 Pet Shop
Huishi's flower and bird market is located on Yuanlin Road in the north of the city.
This used to be a large nursery stock base, but later the base became unprofitable and underwent restructuring, resulting in many workers being laid off. Laid-off workers also need to eat, so some of the braver ones set up stalls, and gradually they expanded their business, and the Yuanlin Road took shape as a flower and bird market.
Later, the nursery base was gradually transferred to other places, and developers built commercial centers and shops along the street. This place became more and more lively, and the products in the flower and bird market became more and more diverse, including flowers, bonsai, flower arrangements, ornamental fish, cats, dogs...
Ordinary people now have money in their pockets and their spending power is getting stronger and stronger. They are also willing to buy some flowers and plants to add vitality to their interiors. The flower and bird market does good business every day, with delivery trucks coming and going, busy all the time.
The flower and bird market was divided into two areas, east and west, by Yuanlin Road. To facilitate the investigation, Sun Xianbing and Yu Jing formed a group, while Xia Mufan and Gu Shaoqi formed a group. They split into two groups as soon as they left the parking lot.
Sun Xianbing and Yu Jing were dazzled as soon as they entered the East District Flower and Bird Market.
Most of the shops along the street sell flowers or green plants suitable for indoor planting, such as roses, azaleas, green ivy, money trees... As soon as you enter the store, you feel like you have walked into a park, it is so beautiful.
However, I didn't see any pet shops along the way.
After asking the shop owners, they learned that the pet business was at the innermost part of the flower and bird market. This was because most pet shops had peculiar smells and required a relatively large area, and it would not be cost-effective to rent a shop along the street.
The two walked to the innermost part of the market and saw several shops doing pet business.
The shop has a relatively large frontage, with fish tanks and water plants at the door, and a number of cages filled with various breeds of pet cats and dogs. As you approach, you can hear all kinds of barking sounds.
Meow~
Woof woof woof!
Sun Xianbing and Yu Jing went door to door, showing their police officer IDs and asking if they had imported cat food for sale.
After asking along the way, I found out that there were three stores selling cat food, with two brands in total. The prices were not cheap, with a bag of ten kilograms and each bag costing thirty-two yuan. The sales volume was average.
I showed the store owner Zhu Shengrong's photo and asked him if he had ever come to the store to buy cat food. The owner was afraid of getting in trouble and shook his head hurriedly: "I don't remember. There are so many customers coming and going every day, how can I remember all this."
At this time, Sun Xianbing had to admit that Gu Shaoqi was right. If he went to the store as a police officer, the store owner would most likely be wary, and it would be difficult to obtain real information.
On the other hand, Xia Mufan, who was wandering around the West District, was making smooth progress.
The weather was too hot and Meihui didn't want to be held, so he squatted on Xia Muchan's shoulder.
It was nearly evening. A man and a cat were walking in the setting sun. Coal Gray looked up proudly and meowed from time to time, attracting a lot of attention.
[I was sold here when I was a child. 】
[Hehe, now I’m back with my master! 】
Meihui felt a bit like "returning home in glory", which made Xia Mufan couldn't help laughing. It was a rare occasion that the little guy was willing to "take her back to her parents' home", so she was willing to cooperate and satisfy Coal Ash's vanity.
Gu Shaoqi was relatively low-key, holding a white aquarium in his left hand, which contained a grass turtle named Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo wanted to stick his head against the wall of the box, no matter how much he looked with his little eyes, he still felt it was not enough.
[Ahhh, it’s so lively here.] 】
[Hurry, hurry, help me find a wife.] 】
I smell water plants, over there, over there. 】
The reaction of the talkative Xiao Mo made Xia Mufan's smile even brighter. Although today was work, it was really a pleasant thing to be able to be with the pets.
Following Soot's guidance, Xia Mushi came to the pet shop where it had its earliest memory.
——Rainbow Shop.
Xiao Mo was immediately attracted by the turtle placed at the door and began to splash around in the aquarium.
Xia Mufan looked at Gu Shaoqi: "Grass turtles are very loyal, let Xiao Mo pick one that suits him."
As they were talking, Mei Hui, who had been squatting on Xia Muchan's shoulder, jumped up lightly, climbed onto the top of an iron cage, and paced slowly like an emperor inspecting his territory.
[Xia Xia, the boss is a good person.] 】
Every time he cleans the cages, he complains that we make the store stink. 】
[But he would still feed us, touch our heads, and hope to sell us to a loving owner. 】
The arrival of Coal Ash excited all the cats and dogs in the store. They barked in their cages and wagged their tails desperately. For a moment, Xia Mufan's ears were filled with all kinds of noises, making him dizzy.
The shop owner came over and greeted Xia Mufan: "Girl, is this your cat? It's so pretty, with round and bright eyes. You can tell it's smart."
The boss was a smiling middle-aged man wearing a frayed cotton T-shirt and looked very friendly.
Thinking of what Mei Hui had just said about the boss being a good man, Xia Mufan had a good impression of the middle-aged man in front of him, and nodded with a smile: "Yes, I like it very much, thank you."
The shop owner's surname was Qian. After hearing what Xia Mufan said, he looked her up and down, then looked at Mei Hui seriously and said, "Girl, did you buy the cat from me?"
Coal Gray's fur is black and gray. He is an ordinary tabby cat, commonly known as the Chinese rural cat. He is the cheapest and most common breed in this store. Boss Qian doesn't know how many he has sold, so how could he remember this one?
Xia Mufan nodded and pointed to a few kittens curled up in a cardboard box in the corner: "Yes, I bought it when it was only that small. I have raised it for three years. It is very well behaved."
There is no need to mention the sad history of coal ash being abandoned by its original owner.
“Meow——”
Soot cried out proudly.
Boss Qian reached out his hand and touched its head curiously: "So this is the little fellow I sold here. Welcome back."
Gu Shaoqi was forgotten by his boss for a while.
He was used to being alone and didn't care about these things. He picked the turtles and water plants by himself. While picking, he paid attention to Xiao Mo's reaction and tried to communicate with it: "This? This? Or this?"
I don’t know if it was his illusion. It would react very actively when Xia Mufan and Xiao Mo were talking, but when it was his turn to speak, Xiao Mo was always lazy.
It seems that Xia Mushige is more popular among the animals.
Boss Qian brought some dried fish to tease Mei Hui, and Xia Muchan deliberately turned the topic to cat food.
Xia Mushige: "I came here today and wanted to buy some cat food for it."
Boss Qian: "Oh, OK. You are a good owner. You take good care of the cat. I will give you a lower price."
Xia Mushige: "I heard that imported cat food is better?"
Boss Qian: "It's said to be imported, but it's actually a foreign brand, produced in a domestic factory. But the quality is really good. Let me show you."
With the coal ash, Boss Qian also had a good impression of Xia Muchan.
He sold many tabby cats, but Xia Mufan was the first one who was willing to buy cat food for it.
Boss Qian opened the shop because he loves pets, so when he meets an owner who truly loves his pet, his attitude immediately becomes much warmer and more sincere.
He took out a few bags of cat food from the bottom of the shelf and showed them to Xia Mufan one by one.
"This brand of cat food has a high crude protein content and is also added with crude fiber, which can help cats digest it."
"This brand of cat food has added omega, which has the effect of beautifying the cat's fur."
"You can also take a look at this..."
Different brands of cat food have slightly different colors and shapes. Xia Mufan soon recognized the brown cat food that Zhu Shengrong had eaten. "How much do you sell this?"
Boss Qian said, "This kind is actually expensive, and the cost performance is far inferior to the other types. I see that you are one of us, so I tell you the truth."
Finally, under Meihui's urging, Xia Mushi bought the one that had the effect of beautifying cat hair.
A bag weighs ten pounds and costs twenty-two yuan.
After paying, Xia Mufan asked, "Boss Qian, if someone else comes over, will you recommend the more expensive one?"
Boss Qian sighed, "This cat food has beautiful packaging and a strong meaty flavor, so cats love it. Other stores are promoting this type because it is more expensive and makes more money, but I don't buy much, so I never actively recommend it."
Xia Mufan glanced at him and asked, "Why?"
Boss Qian looked around and lowered his voice and said, "This cat food contains a lot of cat attractants. Cats smell it and will become addicted once they eat it, but it is very bad for their health."
Xia Mufan asked: "Don't the industrial and commercial departments care about it?"
Boss Qian shook his head and said, "Which department is responsible for feeding cats?"
Xia Mufan stamped his feet fiercely: "My neighbor asked me to buy this one!"
Boss Qian smiled bitterly: "Most people don't know this either. I only know the ins and outs of this after selling a lot of it."
Xia Mufan played the whole game, pulling out a photo of Zhu Shengrong from his pocket and handed it to the boss: "Look, this is my neighbor. He said he always buys this kind of cat food, and the cats at home love it."
Boss Qian glanced at the photo, his eyebrows wrinkled into a line, and he snorted coldly.
Xia Mufan felt that there was something fishy going on, so he asked innocently, "The neighbor uncle is very enthusiastic, and I don't think he intends to harm my cat, right?"
Boss Qian hesitated for a long time before saying, "Stay away from him in the future."
Xia Mufan's heart skipped a beat: "Why?"
Boss Qian was a businessman after all. He obviously felt that it was too much to talk about. He was unwilling to explain. He just reached out and gently stroked Meihui's head: "Anyway, you're right to listen to me."
Xia Mufan felt that he had touched the edge of a secret, but his boss refused to say more. If he showed his police ID now, it might backfire, so he did not continue to question and turned to look at Gu Shaoqi.
Gu Shaoqi had been standing at the door of the store, leaning over to take a closer look at the grass turtle in the glass tank. The setting sun was shining on the side of his face, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow on his eyelids.
The hot summer seemed to leave no trace on him.
No matter whether it was the constant barking of cats and dogs in the store, or the noisy trucks and people coming and going, none of these affected him. He was like an orchid, independent and secluded from the world, quiet and indifferent.
Such a Gu Shaoqi made Xia Mufan's heart calm down.
She left her boss and walked over to Gu Shaoqi: "How is it? Did you pick a wife for Xiao Mo?"
As soon as Xiao Mo heard Xia Mufan's words, he immediately became excited.
[That one, that one, the tortoise-brown one with the brightest patterns is the best. 】
[Come and tell Xiao Gu that he is a fool.] 】
[Ask Xiao Gu to buy that kind of aquatic plants. I like to eat them.] 】
In fact, Gu Shaoqi had been listening attentively to the conversation between Xia Mufan and her boss, and he admired her intelligence and flexibility. But when it came to the critical moment, the boss shut up. Gu Shaoqi was just thinking about how to go over and help, but he didn't expect Xia Mufan to come over. He didn't react for a moment and looked up at her: "Wife?"
After he finished speaking, he immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing, blushed, and waved his hands hurriedly: "I'm sorry, I meant to find a wife for Xiao Mo."
Xia Mufan thought that Gu Shaoqi, who was no longer calm, was quite interesting. He was completely different from his usual aloofness, especially when his face was flushed red, like a child who had done something wrong. He couldn't help but laugh: "Why are you panicking? Didn't we come here to pick a wife for Xiao Mo?"
Her smile was too dazzling, and Gu Shaoqi subconsciously took a half step back, and then he calmed his pounding heart: "Yes, yes, is it ready?"
Xia Mufan found Gu Shaoqi more and more interesting, and took a step forward: "Xiao Mo, did you choose well? Why are you asking me?"
The distance between the two men got closer again. Gu Shaoqi was afraid of angering Xia Mufan, so he didn't dare to retreat anymore. He could only lean back slightly and try to calm himself down.
Xia Mufan saw that he had a blank expression on his face, but his eyelids were beating happily. For some reason, his heart felt itchy as if it was being gently tickled by a feather.
This feeling is interesting and fresh.
Xia Mufan walked to the fish tank, reached out and took out the brown grass turtle that Xiao Mo had picked out, and put it into the aquarium that Gu Shaoqi had brought: "This is it."
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