But Sun Qian and Sylvie seemed to think it wasn’t lively enough. As they were going downstairs, Sun Qian said, "I think there’s an African djembe drum at the bar. I’ll bring it back tonight and see if Egg can play along."

"Great idea. I can play the piano and the violin, but I’ve never learned the hand drum. You can teach me." Sylvie was also the type to enjoy the chaos.

"Hey, I’m running a pet shop, not a band rehearsal studio! I didn’t sleep well last night. Can you guys let me get some more sleep today?" Shen Yibin was exasperated. ’I just bought this bed. Are you guys really going to let those two, Egg and Hah’Er, crush it?’

"Boss, what are we having for dinner?" They had just put down their chopsticks when Sylvie started asking about dinner. It seemed Shen Yibin’s cooking had completely won her over.

"Your Highness, aren’t you worried about gaining weight?" Shen Yibin joked. Sylvie had eaten a considerable amount just now. If she ate like this every day, Alfred might not even recognize her when he came to pick her up at the end of her internship. And the people of Sokovia would probably be furious with him for feeding their beautiful princess until she became a big fatty, right?

"Sorry, but I have a special constitution. I don’t gain weight no matter how much I eat," Sylvie said smugly, drawing a wave of envy from Bai Yanni and Sun Qian.

"Let’s have fish in chili oil for dinner. You all watch the store for a bit. I’m going out to buy fish. Officer Bai, just hang out here this afternoon, and we’ll all eat together tonight." With that, Shen Yibin left the three girls in the shop and headed out with Hah’Er and Egg to buy ingredients.

"I... uh, okay." Bai Yanni had originally planned to go grocery shopping with Shen Yibin, but on second thought, she felt it would be awkward, so she stayed in the shop and started teasing Cheeky.

It was a shame he was short on time today, or Shen Yibin would have taken Hah’Er and Cheeky down to the river to catch fish themselves. Then he wouldn’t have needed to buy any. However, Hah’Er was still small, so the fish he could catch were also small. Even if they had a big haul, he’d have to cook them differently; they wouldn’t be suitable for fish in chili oil.

"Boss, do you have any fresh grass carp... Oh, it’s the missus minding the shop today." Arriving at the nearby fruit and vegetable store, Shen Yibin walked in with Egg and Hah’Er.

"He went to restock. We have grass carp, sure! Just pulled from the fishpond this morning. Bin, pick whichever you like." Shen Yibin was a big customer of this shop, and the owner’s wife greeted him warmly. "Oh, Hah’Er’s here too? I saved some bamboo shoots for you... uh, Bin, and this one behind you is?"

"Oh, that’s a Raccoon Cat. Hah’Er’s sworn brother, Egg. Come say hello to the lady, and see which fish you like." Although both their names had "cat" in them, it seemed the Raccoon Cat was far less famous than the panda.

After the greetings, Hah’Er went back to rummaging for bamboo shoots, while Shen Yibin took Egg over to the fish tank to study which fish would be tastiest. The owner’s wife watched them with a smile. Music for plaza dancing started playing from a phone on the counter, making Egg keep looking back. If the fish weren’t more attractive, he might have started dancing to the music again.

After buying the grass carp, bamboo shoots, soybean sprouts, vermicelli, and other ingredients, Shen Yibin took out his wallet to pay. Then he led the two critters back to the shop. After putting the ingredients away, Shen Yibin decided to take an afternoon nap. He really hadn’t slept well last night because of Egg’s antics and was still feeling drowsy.

"I’m going to sleep. You two go downstairs and play with Cheeky and the others," Shen Yibin yawned, walked into his bedroom, and flopped onto the bed, falling asleep in no time.

Hah’Er scratched its head and wobbled downstairs. Egg didn’t follow him. Instead, it followed Shen Yibin back into the bedroom. But it didn’t get on the bed to sleep; it crouched on the floor, sniffing, and started wandering around the room as if it were looking for something.

"Hah’Er... stop messing around. Let me sleep a little longer." Half-asleep, Shen Yibin thought he felt a furry paw brushing against his face again. Assuming it was Hah’Er, he swatted it away with his eyes still closed.

But the paw’s owner had no intention of giving up and continued to bother him. Shen Yibin started to feel that something was off. ’Huh? This paw doesn’t feel like Hah’Er’s. Hah’Er’s paws are much thicker than this.’

"Who’s there?!" Startled, Shen Yibin snapped his eyes open, only to see Egg perched by the head of the bed, staring at him with its bright, sparkling eyes.

"Egg, can’t you just let me sleep in peace for a bit?" Shen Yibin couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed. ’Wasn’t last night’s torment enough? Now you’re going to keep bothering me today? Huh, why does this little guy have such a weird expression? It’s like... a cat that just caught a mouse and is eager to show its owner and get some praise.’

’Oh crap, don’t tell me this thing caught a mouse and left it on my bed?’ All sleepiness vanished in an instant as the thought terrified Shen Yibin. ’If that’s the case, I’ll have to throw out these blankets.’ He quickly sat up and nervously scanned the bed.

"Hm? What’s this..." He didn’t find any mice, but there was indeed something new by the head of the bed. Pinned under Egg’s right paw was a small pile of cash—fifty- and twenty-yuan bills, and even some one-yuan coins.

"GAH!" Egg raised its head proudly, as if showing off its achievement. Then it pointed under the bed and to a corner of the room, as if to say it had just found all this in those places.

Puzzled, Shen Yibin picked up the money and examined it carefully. ’I remember this fifty-yuan bill. I accidentally tore it once and had to tape it back together with clear tape, but then I couldn’t find it anywhere. And this twenty-yuan bill, too. Someone wrote on it...’ Gradually, Shen Yibin started to remember. This all seemed to be money he had lost over time.

Shen Yibin usually kept large bills in his wallet, but he often just stuffed smaller bills into his pockets. Every night, he would toss his clothes by the bed, so over time, it was inevitable that some spare change would fall out of his pockets.

"Fifty, one hundred, one fifty, one seventy, one ninety..." Shen Yibin straightened the pile of loose change and began to count. The final total made him break into a light sweat. "...Damn, four hundred and twenty-seven yuan in total. That’s enough for two or three days of groceries." How long had he even been living here to have lost this much change? It was a good thing he had Egg. Otherwise, that four hundred-plus yuan would have been lost for good.

’Egg has this kind of talent? Should I consider taking it for a walk around the neighborhood and see if it can find more money?’ Shen Yibin wondered, rubbing his chin.