Zhang Zian helped Ting Ting and Zhuang register their information, and they took pictures with the poodle puppies. Then he walked them out. Today was their first day of volunteering at the snack bar.
Watching them walk to the snack bar, he followed Famous's gaze to the shop sign and asked, "What's wrong with the sign? You can't see anything wrong with it. "
Famous shook its head, "Nothing. It's a good name."
Zhang Zian said, "Don't tell me you didn't know it was the Amazing Fate Pet Shop until today."
"That's not it." Famous didn't explain further. It went back into the shop through the door he opened.
Zhang Zian shrugged and looked at the sign again. He didn't see anything special about it, but he felt that Famous was acting a bit strange today.
It was cold outside, but there were still many people catching cats and dogs. As he was about to go back into the shop, he suddenly heard a child's voice, "Good morning, Brother Store Manager!"
There was only one person who would call him that. He turned around and responded, "Good morning, Little Celery. Why are you up so early instead of going to school? "
Little Celery was wearing a fiery red down jacket and a knitted hat. She was carrying her school bag. Her knitted hat was attached to two balls of wool, which bounced up and down as she ran.
She was wearing a mask, so her voice sounded a bit muffled.
"Little Celery, don't run with a mask on. Don't you feel suffocated?" Zhang Zian reminded her.
She took off the mask and took a few deep breaths. "I don't like to wear masks, but my mom made me wear them. She said that the flu is bad this year, but I rarely catch a cold!"
Zhang Zian corrected her, "I know you are healthy, but the flu is not the same as the common cold. Your mom is right. You should wear a mask. There are a lot of people catching a cold this year. Wearing a mask can help prevent it."
"Well, okay then. Since Brother Store Manager said so..." Little Celery put on the mask again reluctantly.
"Don't run with a mask on. Walk slowly, or you will be out of breath," he reminded her again.
Little Celery nodded. She seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Brother Store Manager, can hamsters also get the flu?"
"Hamsters get the flu? Why do you ask? " Zhang Zian asked before answering. "Hamsters can catch a cold, but even if they do, it's not the human flu. The human flu won't infect them."
"Oh." Half of Little Celery's face was covered by the mask, but her eyes still showed her worry. "Brother Store Manager..."
"What happened?" Zhang Zian sensed that she had something to say, and it was something that was difficult to say. "Little Celery, if you have something to say, just say it. If I can help, I will."
She lowered her head, twisted her fingers, and stole glances at him from time to time. Her eyes were slightly red, and she said in a voice as soft as a mosquito, "Brother Store Manager, the hamsters you gave us seemed to have caught a cold, and then … and then … today … they … died … died … I'm sorry … boohoo …"
The more she spoke, the softer her voice became. Finally, she burst into tears and wiped the corners of her eyes with her gloved hands.
"Dead?"
Zhang Zian could not help but frown.
Little Celery and her class were experimenting with raising hamsters during the winter break, and they had to submit a breeding report before school reopened. If the school approved it, it would be promoted to the whole school. Zhang Zian provided a few hamsters for them to try out for free, since he did not have much money anyway.
A few days ago, he saw Little Celery running past the shop in the direction of school. At that time, he thought that there might be some problems with their hamsters, but in order to encourage them to find and solve problems by themselves, he did not stop her and ask her for details. He hoped that they could solve the problem by themselves. Now it seemed that he had overestimated their ability. After all, they were still too young.
"Little Celery, don't cry. The weather is so cold, and if you cry, your skin will freeze. "He squatted down to comfort her, and pulled her hand away. The skin around her eyes was red from the rubbing.
"But … but … Brother Store Manager, you gave the hamsters to us, but we couldn't … take good care of them … boohoo …" Little Celery was very sad, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
She and her classmates had put in a lot of enthusiasm and effort to raise the hamsters. They had thought that they would be able to submit a beautiful report, but they had all died. Not only had their hard work gone to waste, but they had also failed to live up to Zhang Zian's trust.
Usually, Little Celery was always smiling and full of energy. Seeing her like this, Zhang Zian also felt bad. But after all, he was an adult, and at this time, he had to think of a solution like an adult, instead of asking her not to cry.
"Little Celery, listen to me, don't cry. You have to remember, crying may be a good way to vent your emotions and gain sympathy, but it can't solve any problems," he said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft.
"But …" Little Celery choked.
"Little Celery, tell me, when did the hamsters die?" he asked, interrupting her self-reproach.
Maybe his calmness had successfully affected her, and she was a little calmer. "It was this morning … Yaning sent me a message …"
"Is it the biology committee member in your class?" he recalled and confirmed.
"Yes …" She nodded. "Today it was Yaning's turn to take care of them. I didn't have to go to school …"
Wang Yaning was Little Celery's classmate and biology committee member. She was like a little adult, but she was always arrogant.
"So, you didn't see the hamsters die with your own eyes? You just heard it from her?" he asked again.
Little Celery nodded again. "I was doing my winter vacation homework this morning when she sent me a message saying that all the hamsters were dead … I wanted to go to school to see them again …"
"Did all the hamsters die today?" Zhang Zian asked, catching onto a suspicious point.
Hamsters could die, but it was not normal for them to die at the same time, unless they were poisoned, or …
"Yes …" She lowered her head even more. "I'm sorry, they were a little listless a few days ago, but today they all died …"
Her eyes turned red, and it looked like she was about to cry again. Zhang Zian felt relieved. He rubbed her little head, smiled and said, "Little Celery, don't worry, and don't be sad. They may not be dead yet."
"What?" Little Celery was stunned, and then shook her head. "No, Yaning wouldn't lie, and she wouldn't make such a joke …"
Zhang Zian explained seriously, "No, I believe she wasn't joking. She may have really thought that the hamsters were dead, but in fact, she misunderstood, because the hamsters may not be dead, but they may be in a fake hibernation, as if they were dead!"
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