Chapter 157: A Lolita Complex
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Whining quietly, the labrador moved its body around in Zhang Zian's arms and kept looking at Zhang and Liu alternatively. It tried to stretch its neck to push forward its nose, sniffing at the stranger. Its ears were gently trembling, as if it was listening carefully to the conversation.
Looking at its cute eyes, Liu Sanlang's heart grew soft and he almost forgot his real purpose of buying a dog.
"Wait, how big is this dog going to be when it is fully-grown? I don't want a big dog," he asked.
"It is a middle-sized dog. When it is fully-grown, it will be about a foot and a half," Zhang Zian gestured in the air.
"Really… isn't that too big? Do you have smaller ones?" Liu Sanlang asked. His intuition told him that Shi Shi would like smaller-sized dogs because she always wore small accessories.
"Nope," Zhang Zian was straightforward, "Labradors are on top of the list if you are looking for a cute dog that is easy to train. Small dogs are not suitable for training; maybe they have a smaller brain or something? I don't know. Some dogs are smart but they are not 'cute' at all."
After thinking for a while, Liu Sanlang raised a request might be a bit too much to ask, "I'm not sure if you will agree… umm… I'd like to buy this dog and give it to my sister on her birthday. I will keep it if she likes it, but I want to return it if she doesn't like it."
He wasn't sure if Shi Shi would like this dog. He was not even sure if his plan on using the dog to pursue Shi Shi would work at all. If she didn't like it, the dog was nothing but extra trouble.
Zhang Zian thought for a second and replied, "That's fine, but you have to return it within a certain time frame."
Thinking for a bit, Liu Sanlang asked, "How about seven days? Now many industries offer seven-day hassle free returns."
"Well, it doesn't work like that in the pet industry. Seven days is too long. I will allow three days at the most," Zhang Zian raised three fingers. This was indeed a risky move. Unless the pets were unhealthy, most pet shops didn't allow returns. Pets are pets. No one would know if they would be maltreated after going home with the customer. Once pets were hurt from an ill-treating experience, it would take a long time to recover.
Zhang Zian allowed him to return the pet because he looked like a normal person that would take care of the pet… although he might have a Lolita complex.
"Okay. Three-days it is," Liu Sanlang agreed.
"Okay, can you pay now? When you decide to keep the dog, you could come over for the sales agreement. I will issue the VAT invoice at that time. I could give you a cash receipt now and you'll have to bring it back in exchange for the sales agreement and VAT invoice. Okay?" Zhang Zian said seriously.
"That's fine," Liu Sanlang knew that his requirement was too much to ask. He was lucky that the owner agreed to it at all.
"Perfect. Follow me to the store and I will give you a cash receipt."
Zhang Zian handed the labrador to Wang Qian and Li Kun and showed Liu into the store.
"Oh no! You didn't have to smash the door and windows for the renovation, did you?" Looking at the mess, Liu Sanlang couldn't help to ask.
"Well, it is easier to move stuff out that way," Zhang Zian wrote out a cash receipt as he spoke.
"There you go. I noted on the receipt that you may return the dog within three days. Please sign here," Zhang Zian gave him the cash receipt.
When Liu Sanlang bent down to sign the receipt his work ID slipped out of his pocket. He moved it to the side without thinking, signed his name on the receipt, and gave it back to Zhang Zian.
Zhang Zian glanced at him, tore out the second copy and gave it to Liu. "You are all set. I will give you a new dog-owner's guide. You can follow the instructions after you get home…"
As he spoke, his eyes landed on Liu's chest, where the work ID was waving slowly.
"What's wrong?" Liu Sanlang looked down and thought he got his shirt dirty from lunch.
"Nothing," Zhang Zian forced back a smile. "As long as you follow the instructions, you will be fine. Do you want to get an aerated box? Or are you going to hold the dog on your way home?"
"I will get an aerated box," Liu Sanlang was worried that the dog might go to the bathroom on him.
All the aerated boxes on the first floor were ruined by the Seven Rainbow Fighters. Zhang Zian took one out from the inventory room on the second floor, and put the labrador puppy and the new dog-owner's guide in the box.
Liu Sanlang transferred the money, picked up the aerated box and asked, "Am I all set?"
Zhang Zian asked, "When do you plan to start training your dog?"
"Umm…" Liu Sanlang wasn't sure. "I might… begin soon, if I decide to keep it."
Zhang Zian shook his head, "I suggest you start later."
"What? What do you mean?"
"I mean, if you decide to keep it, you could begin with building a relationship with it and start potty training. Keep it company and play with it. If you would like to proceed with some more sophisticated training, I recommend waiting until it is one-year old," Zhang Zian suggested.
"Why is that?" Liu Sanlang didn't understand.
"It's simple. Dogs, especially labradors, are not mature before one-year old. Like training a naughty kid, you would only get half the result but do double the work. When it reaches one-year old, its ability to focus and execution will increase quickly," Zhang Zian explained.
"Okay. How old it is now?" Liu Sanlang asked.
"About four months old. You can start training now, but it will be a lot more time-consuming."
Zhang Zian was honest and waited for Liu's decision.
Liu Sanlang indeed didn't care about the outcome. All he cared about was whether training the dog would interest Shi Shi. That was something completely not up to him.
"That's fine. I will take it," He finally made up his mind.
"Oh… one more thing," Zhang Zian emphasized. "Besides potty training, the first thing is to train him is to not to eat everything it finds. Many dogs die from food poisoning."
"Understood," Liu Sanlang nodded.
"Perfect! If you decide to keep it, you should consider buying a large cage. You could lock it in the cage at nights so it won't bother your sleep and it would be easy to clean up after," Zhang Zian continued the explanation.
Many people would buy a dog out of a hot mind but couldn't stand it after a few days. Dogs were extremely energetic animals, which required the owner's company and attention. Locking a dog in the cage might seem cruel, but it was, in fact, beneficial, because it eliminated the problem of an untrained dog peeing or pooping on the floor. Many people would give their dog away after a few times of cleaning it up.
After Liu Sanlang left with his aeraed box, Zhang Zian messaged Zhao Qi on WeChat, "Hey! A guy from your company bought a dog from me. I thought you brought him here at first."
Zhao Qi responded, "Really? What does he look like?"
Zhang Zian, "A damn Lolita complex."
Zhao Qi replied in no time, "What? Tell me!"