On the vast and magnificent eastern coastline of the motherland, there was a quiet coastal city named Binhai City. It had beautiful scenery, a high economic level, a slow pace of life, and no large industrial enterprises nearby. It was a good place to live.
In this city with a perfunctory name, there was an unknown pet shop.
In the early morning, a taxi stopped in front of the pet shop. Zhang Zian got out of the car, took the suitcase from the trunk, and thanked the taxi driver.
The taxi disappeared at the end of the street. Zhang Zian took a breath of the slightly salty air and looked up at the sign of the pet shop: Amazing Fate Pet Shop.
The shutter door of the pet shop was closed, and there was an A4 paper notice on the door. There were only four big words on the notice: Temporarily Closed.
Without hesitation, he took off the notice, crumpled it into a ball, and put it in his pocket, because he was the one who put up the notice.
If you looked closely at his face, you would find that he had very serious dark circles under his eyes, and his eyeballs were bloodshot. Obviously, he hadn't rested well for several days, and he was very depressed.
He took out the key, unlocked the door, and pulled up the shutter door, revealing the French glass door of the pet shop.
He unlocked the second lock on the glass door and pushed it open. Because it hadn't been opened for several days, the indoor air was very stuffy. He completely opened the two glass doors, dragged his suitcase, and walked in.
"Home," he murmured.
The pet shop was very quiet. There were no meowing cats, barking dogs, singing birds, or leaping fish. It was as quiet as a tomb. There were only some empty cages and display boxes, and some cat litter and bird droppings that had not been cleaned up were scattered in the cages, emitting a slight odor. Everything showed that the owners and pets here had left in a hurry.
For a moment, Zhang Zian seemed to see the busy and lively scene of the pet shop in the past, and the sound of various pets' cries echoing day and night … He shook his head, put the memories behind him, and carried the suitcase up the stairs to the second floor.
Back in his old room, he opened the window to ventilate, and then took out the black and white portrait of his parents from the suitcase. He placed it neatly on the desk, put his hands together, and silently prayed to the portrait.
Zhang Zian had just graduated from college and found a job in another city. One night, he received the bad news that his parents had been in a car accident. As if struck by lightning, he hurried back to Binhai City. His father died on the spot in the car accident, and his mother was also seriously injured. She was rescued in the ICU for several days, but unfortunately passed away in the end.
This pet shop was the only legacy his parents had left him.
After Zhang Zian rushed back, he saw his mother for the last time. His mother looked at him anxiously and said in a weak voice, "Zian, the pets in the shop …"
He understood what his mother meant. The pets in the shop had not been taken care of for a few days. If this continued, they would all die of hunger and thirst. So he hurried back to the shop. By that time, the animals were all dying, just like his mother. In order to rush back to the hospital to be with his mother, he had to get rid of these pets as soon as possible. If he could sell them, he would sell them at a low price. If no one wanted to buy them, he would give them away.
After rushing back to the hospital, he told his mother, "The pets are fine. Don't worry." His mother held his hand and passed away with a smile.
After that, it was a mentally and physically exhausting funeral. Zhang Zian had no idea what to do. Fortunately, some warm-hearted neighbors and his parents' friends helped, and some relatives came from other cities. After struggling for a few days, his parents' ashes were finally sent to the cemetery.
During this period, Zhang Zian had been living in a small hotel next to the hospital. He had not returned until today.
The Amazing Fate Pet Shop had two floors. The first floor was the shop, and the second floor was the residence. Although the area was not big, it was the result of his parents' many years of hard work.
Now there were two paths in front of Zhang Zian. One was to sell or rent the shop and cherish the hard-won job. The other was to stay in Binhai City and inherit the pet shop.
Although his parents owned a pet shop, like other parents, they were afraid that it would affect his studies, so they did not allow him to participate in the daily operation of the pet shop. Therefore, he knew almost nothing about running a pet shop.
Reason told him that he should choose the first path.
His stomach was growling. He had not eaten well for a few days. He decided to find a breakfast stall to fill his stomach before thinking about the problem. He had asked for a month's leave from the company. There were only a few days left. There was no need to make a decision in a hurry. When one is hungry, one's decisions are often irrational.
When he went downstairs, Zhang Zian saw a small figure flash by the French glass door.
Was there a thief?
But what could a thief steal? If the cat litter was stolen, I would be very happy. It would save me the trouble of cleaning it up. He smiled bitterly and thought.
"Who is it?" he raised his voice and asked.
A girl with two pigtails was leaning against the door. She poked her little head out and asked timidly, "Is... is... the door open?"
The girl was wearing a little yellow hat and carrying a pink school bag. She looked about seven or eight years old. Her eyes were wide open, and her knees were bent. With her pigtails, she looked like a frightened rabbit that had met a big bad wolf and could run away at any time.
Zhang Zian did not expect a customer to come so early. He thought for a moment and said, "The door is open. Please come in."
The little girl did not come in immediately. She asked confusedly, "Uncle and auntie are not here? They haven't been open for a long time... Did they change owners? "
He thought for a while and said, "No, they are my dad and mom."
"Oh." Now the little girl was relieved.
Zhang Zian did not turn on the lights when he came in. The morning sun had not yet shone into the shop, so it was still quite dark from the outside.
She walked into the shop and was surprised to see the empty cages and display cabinets. "Hey! Where are the pets? Where are the pets? "
"They were sold or given away a while ago. Don't you know?" Zhang Zian said. That day, the shop was very busy. After all, the prices were very low. Some of the pets were even given away for free.
The little girl shook her head. "I don't know. My family does not allow me to keep pets. I only come here every morning before school and in the afternoon after school. Uncle and auntie are very nice. Although I don't buy them, they never drive me away... "
"I see..." Zhang Zian suddenly felt that he did not fully understand his parents. For example, why did they love pets so much?
"Will we not sell pets here in the future?" The little girl pursed her lips and looked at him with sad eyes.
Zhang Zian thought for a while.
"Yes! Of course! You can come back in a few days. "He said with a smile.
"Great!" The little girl jumped up happily. "I'm going to school now! Goodbye, Brother Store Manager! "
Store Manager... He sighed in his heart. Sure enough, decisions made on an empty stomach were not rational.
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