The wind was howling over Binhai City, and the rain didn't stop. Sometimes there was no wind at all, and the next second, the wind was so strong that it felt like the roof was going to be blown off.
Typhoons didn't often come to Binhai City, but the climate was heating up, and the ocean was acidifying. Even the once-in-a-century floods happened every now and then, so typhoons weren't that rare. They just happened to turn to Binhai City this year.
Little Celery spoke very slowly, but it didn't matter. Anyway, no one could do anything else in such weather. Even sleeping had become an extravagant hope.
There was a strong wind outside, and a light wind inside. The candlelight swayed violently in the wind, and the room flickered. The atmosphere was very suitable for listening to stories.
In addition to the necessary work of sucking water, wringing out the rag, pouring the dirty water from the second floor, and adding ice and sea salt to the aquarium, everyone was listening to Little Celery talk about the past. Because she spoke slowly and talked about things that everyone was very familiar with, even if she went to pour water and add ice, she could still come back to the aquarium.
Zhang Zian couldn't help but feel sad. He looked around at the furnishings that had changed beyond recognition. For the first time, he had an idea — what his parents left him was not only the pet shop itself, but something that could not be seen or touched, but did exist.
Because he had been away from home for a long time to go to college and work, his general impression of his parents' daily life in the pet shop was still the same as when he was in middle school. Little Celery's story helped him fill in the scene of his parents' last days, as if it had filled in a blank space in his heart.
The employees were also fascinated by the story. Except for Jiang Feifei, the other three people entered the shop at almost the same time. But no matter who it was on the first day of work, they would see a little girl with two braids bouncing around to punch in. Almost as long as it was a school day, she would never be absent. They thought she was just a neighbor's child that Zhang Zian knew. They didn't expect her to have such a complicated experience … She seemed to be the number one employee in the pet shop.
The elfins were listening very attentively. Famous and Fabio were lying on the top floor of the stairwell to listen, and even Pi was quietly craning its neck to listen. Although Sihwa was far away in the bathroom on the second floor, with her hearing, as long as she wanted to, she could clearly hear all the movements on the first floor. This was before they came to the pet shop. Even Pi's novel didn't record it, at least not yet.
Cai Meiwen couldn't remember what happened a year ago. She couldn't remember Little Celery mentioning the term "lop-eared rabbit", and she couldn't remember saying "we don't keep pets". But it did sound like something she would say. Maybe this was the so-called "the speaker did not mean it, but the listener did."
Her eyes fell on the cashier by the door, where Little Celery's exercise book was spread open. The only emergency light in the store was placed next to it.
She remembered that when she first met Little Celery, she was so excited that she neglected other things. Now that she thought about it, Little Celery was very relaxed in the shop. This kind of relaxation could not be faked. She would only be so relaxed in a familiar and safe place.
Therefore, Little Celery would not easily mingle with strangers. Her relationship with the pet shop had started a long time ago, and it had slowly deepened gradually under the influence of the pet shop.
"The owner and his wife are …" Cai Meiwen's gaze fell on Zhang Zian's face.
"My parents," he answered simply.
"They …" Cai Meiwen hesitated and glanced around the shop again. There were no signs of middle-aged or elderly people.
There were a few vague parts in Little Celery's story, including the period when the shop was closed for unknown reasons. Cai Meiwen had an impression of that period when Little Celery was inexplicably depressed. Now she knew that it was because the pet shop was closed.
As an individual shop with relatively free business hours, it was actually normal for the shop to be closed for a period of time. The owner might have gone back to his hometown to visit relatives, or gone on a trip, or just wanted to rest for a few days. After all, working 365 days a year was too tiring … However, even if the shop was closed temporarily, it would generally notify the regular customers in advance, or put a notice on the door to tell the customers where the owner went and when he would be back, so that the customers would not repeatedly come back.
According to Little Celery, the owner and his wife closed suddenly. They were still working well one day, and the next day …
This future gave Cai Meiwen a bad premonition.
"They … left," Zhang Zian answered.
His answer was very vague, but his expression and tone had already revealed the actual meaning of the word "left."
Cai Meiwen frowned and looked at the ignorant Little Celery. This was the answer she didn't want to hear the most. Fortunately, Zhang Zian didn't answer very directly.
"I understand." She sighed and rubbed her swollen temples.
She didn't know if it was because she caught a cold in the rain, or because she heard and saw too many unexpected things, but her brain was aching.
She regretted that she was too busy with work and ignored her daughter's feelings. This was undoubtedly her dereliction of duty as a mother.
She worked hard to create a better living conditions for her daughter. At least financially, Little Celery wouldn't be too far behind a family with both parents, but she couldn't use this as an excuse to shirk her responsibility.
If she could go back in time, she would definitely communicate with her daughter more often, and would not ignore some of her daughter's signs of wanting to say something. In fact, she noticed these signs when she had time, but she always deceived herself with the reason that "if her daughter didn't say anything, then it was okay." After all, she was really tired of working and taking care of the family. Sometimes she just wanted to lie down and sleep.
Little Celery asked for Zhang Zian's consent with her eyes. She happily ran to the display cabinet, opened the glass lid, and carefully took out the lop-eared rabbit. Then she held it in front of her mother.
"Mom, look, this is the ear!" She smiled happily.
Today, there was no need to worry about the ear escaping again, because the door and windows of the shop were all sealed.
The ear was also very obedient today. It probably felt the eyes of the elfins, so it didn't dare to run away. It obediently let Little Celery hold it.
Cai Meiwen glanced at the lop-eared rabbit. It was really cute, soft and cute. Girls would like it. Even Cai Meiwen couldn't help but feel pity for it.
Jiang Feifei wanted to help break the awkward atmosphere, so she said with a smile, "Little Celery, if you like it very much, and if your mother agrees to let you keep it, I will make the decision to give the ear to you today!"
In Jiang Feifei's opinion, after hearing Little Celery's touching story, as long as the mother was not cold-hearted, she would not object to her daughter keeping a pet.
Little Celery looked at her mother expectantly.
Unexpectedly, Cai Meiwen refused again, "I appreciate your kindness, but I don't keep pets at home. Thank you."
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