Chapter 554: Pet Boarding
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhao Qi and Shi Shi could not stop talking, and didn't remember their real business until Zhang Zian reminded them.
Then Zhang Zian asked, "Plus, isn't today a working day? You have jobs, unlike me. Why did you skip work and come to my pet shop?"
"I'm not with them, just giving them a ride." Zhao Qi clarified. "I'm planning on using my vacation days along with the Spring Festival holidays, and travel abroad."
"Travelling abroad...did you pay off your credit card debt?" Zhang Zian asked with doubt.
Zhao Qi was typical of the type of people who had nothing left by the end of each month, and could never improve during the next month. Every time she swore to herself not to buy anything irrational, she still lost control every time she saw bags, clothes and shoes of famous brands on sale. Every time she shared her credit card bill on Wechat Moments, she complained that she could only afford to eat dirt the following month.
Zhao Qi blushed. "I'm taking a trip abroad with my parents."
Oh, she meant her parents were paying for it. No wonder...
But she still didn't explain why she came to the pet shop.
Zhao Qi lifted the travel suitcase in her hands and said, "It would be fine for 2 or 3 days, but I'll be out of the country for around 10 days, and nobody is taking care of my Lan Lan. I thought about it, and have to ask a favor of you, Manager Zhang. Will you take care of it for me?"
Zhang Zian's face grew serious: "I don't offer boarding services here! I suggest you look for someone else."
Many pet shops specifically offered pet boarding service, targeting young customers going on short-term trips abroad or to other cities. They charged by the day or the month, and some by the year. But Zhang Zian's shop was short-staffed, so he didn't intend to make this extra money.
Opposite to the previous unrelenting attitude while arguing with her friend, Zhao Qi begged with her palms together: "There's nothing else I can do. I can't find any reliable friend, and the few pet shops I asked are all full. They told me that pet boarding service must be reserved one or two months in advance, and there isn't any place left now..."
Shi Shi interrupted. "So I told you that I could take care of Lan Lan for a few days!"
Zhao Qi rolled her eyes. "You are the reliable friend I was talking about!"
In recent years, more and more people were taking vacations abroad during Spring Festival or National Day long holidays, and a lot of them were pet owners. It was possible to bring the pets abroad with them, but not practical in reality. Not everybody was willing to go through the trouble of taking the pets on the flight, so they opted to boarding services in pet shops. It was more convenient and the cost was reasonable.
Zhao Qi did not have pets before. This was her first Spring Festival after she had Lan Lan, and she didn't know that boarding service was so hard to find during this time, which caught her off guard. The departure date was getting near. Travelling abroad with parents was a rare occasion, plus she didn't have to pay for it. She didn't want to give up such an opportunity, but how could she leave Lan Lan alone at home for ten days?
She inquired at a few major pet shops, and all the boarding places were taken. She didn't trust the smaller shops, so Zhang Zian became a good option.
Zhang Zian didn't want to get involved with boarding services. Apart from being short-staffed, another reason was the complications in this service. If the pets fell sick or died during the boarding, a lot of disputes could occur.
He had heard about a pet shop offering boarding services. One of the dogs suddenly fell ill during the boarding, and eventually died after being sent to the vet hospital. The dog owner came over after getting the notice, and insisted to blame the shop owner's lack of care. In the end, the medical bill was not paid, and the pet shop had to refund 20% of the boarding service fee, while compensating a dog of the same breed to the owner. The dog owner was not happy either, as the new dog was not the same one as the old beloved dog.
Zhao Qi didn't give up, and begged relentlessly, until Zhang Zian could not say no anymore. For her sake as the first customer of the pet shop, he drafted a boarding service agreement, specified the obligations and made her sign. Only after that, he took Lan Lan for a 10-day boarding.
After finishing the business with Zhao Qi, he asked what Shi Shi and Liu Sanlang were up to. If they wanted to show off a new imported car, he didn't have time for it.
Shi Shi took the Labrador, and Liu Sanlang explained: "No. I'm planning to stay in my hometown for a few days before the Spring Festival, but it's inconvenient for me to take the dog. Xiao La has a minor cold, and I was going to take it to the vet clinic in the north and keep it there for a few days during my absence. The timing is perfect..."
"You are hitting two birds with one stone..."
Zhang Zian noticed a red sweater the Labrador was wearing at the beginning. It looked funny.
As they spoke, the Labrador coughed as if it was choked by water.
Shi Shi heard their conversation, then put down her phone and said seriously, "Oh right, Manager Zhang, since you took Qi Qi's cat, would you take Xiao La as well? I bought Xiao La from you, and I trust your place more than the vet clinics...I always feel it's a dirty place over there. If Xiao La is left there alone, it might be bullied or get infected by other dogs, or get raped by an overheated Toy Poodle president..."
"Hey! Watch yourself! A girl who talks about 'rape' in public all day. I'm embarrassed to admit that I know you..." Zhao Qi pinched Shi Shi's face in rage.
"Ouch! It hurts! Qi Qi, you are ruining my make-up!" Shi Shi shouted loudly.
Zhao Qi explained to Zhang Zian while pinching Shi Shi's face. "You may not have read many novels about overheating presidents. They usually begin with a girl being raped by a bossy president. This girl here has read too many of these. Each time she sees a Toy Poodle in the street, her eyes become bright and she keeps murmuring 'Toy Poodle President'. You can pretend that you didn't hear!"
Zhang Zian watched the interactions of the two girls speechlessly. This was an eye-opener!
He looked at Liu Sanlang with concern, and couldn't figure out how he fell love with Shi Shi. This task was harder than his search of the nameless book from the mountains of books in Binhai City Library...
Shi Shi's face was pinched red, with tears in her eyes. She was shorter than Zhao Qi, and her arms were too short to push Zhao Qi away. Being unable to fight back, she begged: "Qi Qi! Qi Qi! I only said 'rape' once, but you said it three times!"
Zhao Qi suddenly realized her own inappropriate words. She smiled with embarrassment and defended herself. "I was repeating your words. It doesn't count!"
Shi Shi finally escaped from Zhao Qi, and quickly ran towards Liu Sanlang and hid behind him. She rubbed her face with weepy eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I can't take this Labrador." Zhang Zian refused them with a cough.